Happy Tails Animal Advocacy

The Advocacy Blog Has Been Rehomed!

2010-07-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

This blog has been moved to our new sister-site, UpForPups.org, so please visit us there from now on.

The mission of Up For Pups is to inspire adoption and what I like to call "creative volunteerism" through presentations at high schools, colleges, churches, and other organizations around the country. Please check out the website and blog and contact us if you'd like us to come to a town near you! :)

2010-06-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

In Clover is a company that has always supported rescue. In fact, my first introduction to their products was at a local Labrador Retriever rescue party. When they told me they were relaunching their OptaGest product with new packaging, I was excited to catch up with the founder, Rebecca Rose, and find out more:

HTB: Rebecca, what prompted you to found In Clover?

RR: In Clover really found me. I was doing research with the National Institutes of Health and became interested in pet health. I found that there were no complete and natural options for the number one chronic condition in dogs and cats, joint disorder, so I developed Connectin. In 1996, we did a clinical trial to prove that Connectin is safe and effective and the told the people whose pets participated in the trial that we would provide them with product after the study ended. The response was overwhelming and In Clover was formed.

HTB: I understand you're coming out with new packaging for your OptaGest product. Tell me about it - what sort of ailments does this digestive supplement help?

RR: OptaGest is one of those products that if you just want an overall healthier pet, it will make a difference quickly. OptaGest is used for things like diarrhea, gas, stress resulting in digestive upset, food change and antibiotic use. Since 70% of a pet’s digestive system is located in the digestive tract, daily OptaGest use will support the pet’s immune system. Our new product format is a single serving stick that can be used for convenience when you are traveling with your pet or an easy way try the product.

HTB: Could this product be helpful for people with rescued dogs?

RR: OptaGest is great for rescued dogs. My rescue, Floyd, the furry one in the picture, came to us completely stressed out, starving, full of ticks and weary of living on the streets. I immediately put him on a good food and supplemented with OptaGest. I enjoy seeing him blossom into a happy, vibrant and lovely boy. His digestive and immune systems are healthy and strong. My vet said Floyd is a picture of health and he deserves it!

HTB: Where can people get OptaGest?

RR: OptaGest is available through independent pet stores, natural grocers, catalogs, vets and pet product e-tailers. Go to the In Clover website to find a retailer near you.

Trainer Tip: Crate Training Calamity

2010-06-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

At Happy Tails Books we've got some great training resources, and by golly, I'm going to use them! That means that you, our reader, can send in training questions through our website, and we'll post answers for you here. Look for the blog title "Trainer Tip" for training information.

Training Question:
Today's inquiry comes from Ginny who recently adopted an eight-year-old Yorkie named Lizzie. She says Lizzie is a great dog except when she needs to go out at 2:30am and 5:00am. She had taken up her food and water by 7pm to no avail. Lizzie likes to nap in her crate during the day but isn't too keen on being closed into the crate at night. Ginny really needs a good night's sleep!

Trainer Kathryn Segura writes:
Hi Ginny,
The first thing you should always do when you have a dog with potty issues is take her to the vet. The cause of the urination may be a urinary tract infection or other medical issue. If her nightly peeing turns out not to be related to a medical problem, it might be because wherever she lived before you, she was able to go potty whenever she wanted (maybe she had 24hr access to a dog door?).

She may not like it when you close the crate at night, but you can't give into her. Who's the boss here? You'll have to start closing the crate at night. You can even practice closing the crate door when she is in there during the day, perhaps closing it and then giving her a treat to make it fun. Just don't make a big deal about it and stay calm - dogs can feel your anxiety. At night, put her in the crate give her a treat, say good night, and walk away. She may not like it at first, but everyone needs their sleep!
Good luck!
Kathryn

So there it is. Lizzie will have to get used to the crate. It sounds like she doesn't have an aversion to it in general, so it's just the idea of shutting her in there at night that she'll have to get used to.

If you're interested in more training tips from Kathryn Segura, check out her book entitled Hollywood Barks available at http://happytailsbooks.com.

Information about

2010-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

I received this impassioned email about puppy mills written by Anne Hyatt, a rescuer in Nebraska, and thought I would share. I absolutely agree with her, and would encourage you to check out the Mill Dog Manifesto, a free eBook available at happytailsbooks.com,if you'd like to learn more.

I want everyone to know that when commercial breeding facilities (puppy mills) have "worn out dogs" or "dogs that are too old to breed" this is what happens to them. THEY GO TO AUCTION TO GET BOUGHT BY ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BREEDING FACILITY (puppy mill) TO BE USED FOR BREEDING AGAIN AND MAKING MORE PUPPIES SO THEY CAN BE SOLD FOR A PROFIT!!!!! The dogs that do not get sold are KILLED by their owners or returned to the breeding cycle. This is the cycle of breeding that puppy mill dogs go through until they are killed or die from an illness. Can you imagine this kind of life if you were one of these dogs. It would be like living in hell with no way out!!

Commercial breeders and back yard breeders (puppy mills) are also getting really smart. When they are told to get rid of a lot of their breeding stock by the State they will go to these auctions and buy back their breeding stock. This also has to stop!!

Below is a news clip of a dog auction in Ohio. The thought of dog auctions makes me as sick as commercial breeding facilities (puppy mills)!!!

THIS CYCLE MUST STOP!!! Shelters and rescues are already underfunded and over loaded with dogs that are thrown out by puppy mills or dogs that are unable to be sold in pet shops and online. Hundreds even thousands of dogs are euthanized each year because of over population due to puppy mills breeding TOO MANY DOGS.

Below is the link to the news clip. You will have to copy and paste this to view it.

http://www.whas11.com/news/I-Team-Investigation-Inside-the-multi-million-dollar-business-of-dog-auctions-94864294.html

Please, please pass this on to the people you know who are animal lovers. I want the world to know about dog auctions and puppy mills and how horrible they are and the inhumane treatment these innocent animals are subjected to.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for passing this information on to others who need to be aware of this.

Our First Radio Show - recap

2010-05-22T07:42:00.001-07:00

So... I spent an hour Thursday talking with my trainer, Mark Leon, during our first episode of "Trainer Talk" on Blogtalkradio.com. We covered various topics regarding fearful dogs, like socialization, introduction to your home, and leash walking. We were off to a rocky start because the instructions to dial in weren't quite clear, so I had to call in from my cell phone and from my computer microphone. Then, for a while, I didn't realize I should mute my cell phone (hence the echo if you listen in). Aside from that, my only big problem was that my mouth was too far away from the microphone, so Mark came in loud and clear (good!) but I was difficult to hear (probably better that way anyway!). Oh, and I started out with the wrong theme music for a second...oops!

Next week promises better recording quality and a very interesting interview with Kathryn Segura, renown Hollywood studio wrangler (the person behind the camera who makes animals do what they do on stage) and author of Hollywood Barks! her memoirs and training tips. I hope you'll tune in at 6pm EST (3pm PST) on Thursday and check it out!

Our First Radio Show is TONIGHT!

2010-05-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

For weeks I've been kicking around ideas about how to help people who have adopted/fostered ex-mill dogs and other distressed dogs with socialization, confidence-building, and training. At first I thought we would do a series of webinars, but I wasn't impressed with the quality of the webcam I purchased. Then my trainer and I sat down and recorded a few segments, but I didn't like my hair... uh... I mean I thought we could do it better if we did a weekly radio show. We weren't actually showing any dog training anyway - we were just discussing different topics related to positive reinforcement training.

That brings me to today. What I'm going to try is a weekly radio show with various trainers who use positive-reinforcement techniques. If there is something that needs to be shown, we'll film it after the show and post it here and on our training page.

If you'd like to listen in tonight, we'll be broadcasting live at 4pm MST (6pm EST). Tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/happytailsbooks. If you can't make it today, you can download the show and listen to it at a later date. The call-in number is (646) 381-4887 if you have any training or socialization questions you'd like us to discuss.

Blog Hop!

2010-05-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

A great blog called "Life With Dogs" suggested I try this, so I will. It's called a Blog Hop, and it's a way to introduce new people to my blog. I hope the new people who pass through here read some of our older posts and continue to visit, because I think they'll enjoy the topics. Anyway, here goes. Below are the other blogs that are participating in the blog hop:

Trail Restrictions in Boulder

2010-05-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

My advocacy focus has turned to home (Boulder, CO) today because I just received word that some people are lobbying to further restrict off-leash trail access to our nearby mountain trails. This is my response to the article, "Pooches Getting Screwed Again," which was published on Sunday in Boulder's Daily Camera:

A big grin and panting tongue. He looks up at you with those big, brown eyes, thanking you for such a great hike and much needed exercise before hopping into the car, and your heart melts.

Regarding the article “Pooches Getting Screwed Again,” I’d like to thank author Clay Evans for bringing the issue of OSMP further restricting dog access to public attention. I’m a person who hikes with my dog frequently, especially in areas like Sanitas (because we already seem so restricted in many other areas), and we would be devastated to lose that access or be required to be on-leash. My dog, like so many others in town, is impeccably trained not to approach dogs and people who don’t want a snorty “hello.” We’ve worked hard to make him a good off-leash canine “citizen” because he likes to walk at a different pace than I do, and allowing him the freedom to make decisions when I ask him to do things has immensely improved his confidence (he’s an ex-puppy mill dog) and strengthened our bond.

Even though I enjoy the exercise of hiking to stay fit, I'd go much less if I had to have my dog on-leash. Leashes get tangled around trees and trip people on the trail, making a more dangerous situation for other hikers and trail runners. Additionally, watching my dog romp around and enjoy himself after having lived in a cage for the first two years of his life is what often compels me to get up and go. As you can see, areas where we can hike off-leash are very important to me. Ask anyone else out hiking with their dogs, and you’ll find that our story is not unique.

As Clay said, the more you restrict hiking access for dogs, the more heavily worn the trails we can use will become. That’s not the best solution. A better idea would be to expand off-leash dog access to trails, so there would be a lesser concentration of dogs in each area. I have never seen a dog fight, a dog chasing wildlife, or a dog bite a human on the western trails. For the most part, the people I’ve encountered on these trails (with or without dogs) enjoy watching my dog’s joyful run, pet him, and walk away happier because they had the chance to meet him. Hiking with our dog is one of the reasons we live here, and I believe many “dog people” would agree that if dog-friendly trails are further restricted there will be a diminished appeal to living in Boulder.

Kyla Duffy

Rescue...chocolate? Yum!

2010-04-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to come across the Rescue Chocolate website because I saw so many similarities between founder Sarah Gross' vision for her business and my own for Happy Tails Books. Learn all about her sweet idea in my interview with her below:

HTB: Sarah, tell us about your background with animals. Was there an event or animal in particular that inspired you to get involved with rescue?

SG: I have always had a soft spot for animals. Knowing that we are their voice, I feel that it is so important to work on animal issues in a variety of industries (factory farms, entertainment, and of course, 'animal control'). I began volunteering at my local animal shelter in Louisiana when I was about nine years old. Back then, I just loved petting the puppies and feeling like I was helping in some way.

HTB: How did you come up with the idea for Rescue Chocolate? How long ago did you start your company?

SG: I had the idea in December 2009, and just a few weeks after that, the company was born! I have felt like the impact I want to make on the world should be something big to improve the lives of animals, specifically homeless pets. When I was walking my dog (a rescued 'mini-pittie' named Mocha Bella) one cold December morning, the idea struck! I had eaten a great chocolate that morning and my mind was buzzing with creativity. "Rescue Chocolate" as a name just popped into my head, and I developed the idea from there.

HTB: Where can people buy rescue chocolate? How much do you donate back to rescues from each purchase, and to which rescues do you donate?

People can purchase directly from our website, and they can also consult our "Where to Buy" page for retail outlets. We are always looking for new stores (pet stores, groceries, even veterinary offices) to be carried in, so we invite all to send along the names of stores you would like to see Rescue Chocolate in.

SG: After our operating expenses, all net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations. When people buy directly from Rescue Chocolate, profits are donated to the rescue of the month, which for May is the No Kill Advocacy Center.
When a rescue organization sells the chocolate itself, they are able to raise awareness on these homeless pet issues and use all of the net profits from the sales for their programs. See our "Who We Help" page to view all of the organizations that are benefiting so far.

HTB: What advice would you give others who want to help animals in need but maybe aren't quite sure how?

SG: Whatever you enjoy doing, you can find a way to tie it into helping animals. If you have accounting skills for example, you could offer your time and skills to a rescue group. If you're a runner, shelter animals are always in need of good exercise. If you have any time on the weekend, you can volunteer at adoption events. The ways to help are limitless, find a group you're interested in, and ask what they need. They'll be grateful for anything you can offer.

An Alternative Heartworm Treatment

2010-03-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

My poor little foster, Max, has more problems than any other dog I've seen in a while, but despite his issues, his personality lights up a room. He's confined to a crate right now because he's going through the traditional heartworm treatment consisting of two shots of Immiticide, a month of being kept "quiet," and then another follow up shot to kill the smaller worms. As this is my first time with a heartworm-positive foster (we don't see much heartworm here in Colorado), I decided to educate myself about the disease. The best article I've seen about the tradition treatment is from Houston Sheltie Rescue, but I also received some very interesting information about an alternative heartworm treatment from Sharon, the president of DARE (Dachshund Adoption, Rescue, and Education).

I'm going to share Sharon's information with you here, but please note that that this is only meant to suggest that alternatives exist. We are not veterinarians and this is not professional advice. Before treating any dog with heartworm, you should consult with your veterinarian, as heartworm is a VERY serious disease.

For the first two weeks, Sharon administers Doxycycline. Dogs up to 10 pounds get 1/4 of 100mg tablet twice daily. Dogs up to 20 pounds get 1/2 of 100mg tablet twice daily. Twice daily she also gives .25ml of Wormwood and Black Walnut for dogs up to 20 pounds.

Dogs get a Heartguard pill the day after finishing this regimen. Then, the day after that they start taking three Multizyme capsules and three Zymex II capsules twice daily, one hour before food or two hours after. This is given twice daily for two or three weeks depending on how strongly heartworm positive the dog is. Sharon sometimes pours a little honey over the capsules to make them more appealing for the dogs.

Sharon prefers this treatment because it is less invasive and the pups don't have to be crated and confined. The wormwood and black walnut, and enzymes can be purchased at health food stores.

Sharon tells me her rescue has had very good success with this treatment. The dogs usually test Heartworm negative within six months to a year after completing the treatment, with some testing heartworm negative more quickly. This treatment is very low cost and the pups appear to not have any side effects. Consulting with a vet who is familiar with holistic procedures before trying this treatment is recommended. Traditional vets may look down on it because hey, they need to make a living, too, right?

Take my snide remark with a grain of salt as I've been spending a lot of money at vets lately, and I must admit I'm a little jaded. I'm very interested to try Sharon's remedy next time I get a heartworm positive dog because Max already went into cardiac arrest once, and I've been afraid to get out of bed in the morning and check his crate ever since. He has so many other things we need to conquer (damaged leg, neurological problems, cherry eye, neutering) that this treatment has really put a damper on getting him adopted any time soon. In my opinion, this alternative is definitely worth a discussion with a holistic vet.

For more information on Max or to read about my adventures in fostering, check out the Bill Blog!

DARE to help Dachshunds

2010-03-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Kathy Zimmerman is an artist and animal advocate. I caught up with here recently to find out about her work with Dachshund Adoption, Rescue, and Education (DARE):

HTB: Kathy, how did you get involved with Dachshund rescue?

KZ: We had to have our 18-year-old Doxie, Smedlie, put to sleep. It was the hardest thing in my life to do, I wouldn’t let my husband go with me because I was afraid he would try and talk me out of it. She was having multiple organ failure and it was so hard to see her like that. Anyway, I went two long weeks before I thought about getting another dog. Just so happens Gulfport Rescue was having it’s rescue event, but my husband and I were out of town delivering furniture (my business is Snook Z Graphics, and I specialize in handpainted glassware, bisque, and furniture).

My girlfriend, Donna, and her husband, Gary, went to the event, so I asked her to be on the lookout for another Doxie. My husband is allergic to some dogs (takes allergy shots), but Doxies and Poodles are easier to tolerate. They saw Zoe (“Tia” at the time), shivering and in the arms of Kurt Smith, husband of Sharon Smith (the secretary now president of DARE). Donna texted me a picture, and of course, I immediately said, “That’s not a Doxie!” (Zoe is a Doxie/Chihuahua mix). I took the info and went on the DARE website Sunday night. I filled out the application, put down my references, and waited.

On Wednesday I met Sharon at the vet with three dogs. She handed me Tia’s leash and when that funny little dog looked up at me, I just knew she was the one! (Also knew we HAD to have a name change, so Zoe was it.) Sharon followed me home, did the house inspection, and the rest is history. That was three years ago this February. That night, I had a fancy dog bed for Zoe next to ours. We were ready to turn out the lights, but she whimpered and wanted to sleep with us. So she did that night and has every night since.

HTB: What have been the most rewarding things about being involved with rescue?

KZ: How much love and appreciation these dogs have for their “new families”! It’s truly unconditional.

HTB: What would you recommend to other people who might want to rescue a dog?

KZ: Go to the rescues! Those puppies need another chance, they have so much to give. Just like I knew when I met Zoe and knew she was the “one,” you’ll know when you find that perfect match.

HTB: I understand you illustrated the DARE cookbook. Tell us about that project and where people could pick up a cookbook if they'd like one.

KZ: I offered my services and was honored to illustrate their cookbook. Go to www.DAREtoRESCUE.com for info. Great recipes, great price and all for a great cause! I also illustrated their “Doxapalooza” poster art and tshirts. It’s a cause I believe in.

Getting Through Grief

2010-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

Tricia Smith, known for "Thursday Night Suppers" in honor of her deceased Boston Terrier, Molly, has started a new blog to help people overcome pet loss grief. It's called "Farewell Furry Friend." I caught up with her this week to find out more:

HTB: Tricia, I know the loss of your Boston Terrier, Molly, hit your family very hard. What are three things that have helped you cope with the grief?

Tricia: This is something that owners who have just lost a pet aren't going to want to hear, but what has helped me the most is just the passage of time. It's been almost nine months since Molly died. I still miss her, and I still feel sad, but the difference is my feelings aren't as intense as they were right after her death. Because the intensity has diminished I have better control over my emotions.

The second thing that helped me deal with my grief was talking to our veterinarian and getting assurances from him that Mike (husband) and I didn't do anything to cause Molly's death and that we did everything we could, within reason, to try and save her. Don't underestimate the importance of your veterinarian during this time. He or she really is a valuable resource to help you come to terms with your grief.

Finally, I found a lot of peace from an interview I conducted with a pet bereavement counselor in Omaha. During our interview I asked her to describe the stages of grief. It was during her description of guilt that she said something I had never considered. She told me one of the ideas that her clients found helpful was reminding them that it was part of their job to handle end of life issues with love, dignity and respect. That it is part of the responsibility of pet ownership to do for our pets what they cannot do for themselves, often at the end of their lives.

HTB: What do you expect to accomplish with your new blog, "Farewell Furry Friend?"

Tricia: I hope "Farewell Furry Friend" will help grieving pet owners find a little comfort from their pain and realize they are not alone and that their emotions are valid. It is also important to me that my blog encompasses the wide range of issues pet owners face after losing their pet: getting another dog, pet adoption, canine medical conditions, introducing a new dog into the family, etc.

HTB: I noticed you are considering adopting a dog now. How long has it been since you lost Molly, and what would you advise people to consider before adopted a new dog after losing a beloved pet?

Tricia: As I mentioned above, it's been almost nine months since Molly died. I think the absolute most important thing to do before adopting another dog is to make sure you have fully grieved the lost of your dog. If you don't, you won't be able to handle the stress that comes with adding a new dog to your life, and you will consistently compare your new dog with the dog you've lost. You won't be able to love your new dog for the individual creature he or she is.

Also, I would tell people to listen to their inner voice. If a situation seems odd or too good to be true, it probably is. Let me give you an example: A couple of months after Molly died, Mike came across an ad for two French Bulldogs. The problem? The woman was only asking $300 - for both. $300 for one is a steal; $300 for both, well, there's got to be a catch. But being big fans of the Frenchie, Mike called the woman and set up a time to meet her at her house - in Springfield, MO, 3 1/2 hours from our home in Overland Park!

Let me tell you something about grief-it can and it will make you crazy. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines grief as a deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement. It also defines crazy as being out of the ordinary. Because of our deep and poignant distress, Mike and I were acting out of the ordinary. We were, for all intents and purposes, crazy, because let’s be honest, only crazy people would drive 3 1/2 hours in a severe rainstorm for a "too good to be true" deal. When we finally arrived at the woman's house, things went from fine to "there's something definitely wrong with this situation." The French Bulldog siblings were adorable. They looked healthy and happy. It was the woman who made us feel uneasy about the whole situation. We caught her in a couple of lies, she didn't have any papers for the dogs nor did she have any medical records, and she refused to give us the names, yes names, of her veterinarians, so that we could have their medical records faxed to our vet. Mike and I thanked her for her time and left without the Bulldogs.

Please, please listen to your inner voice, do your research and take your time.

HTB: What resources would you recommend for people who are grieving pet loss? Are there websites, support groups, books, etc. that might help?

Tricia: Sometimes the best resources are right in front of you. As I mentioned before, your veterinarian can be a great asset. He or she can help clear up any questions you may have about your pet's death. Look to family members and friends who loved your pet. My mom has been invaluable to me. She always says how much she misses Molly and has the best Molly stories. I would also suggest contacting your local Humane Society to see if they hold a support group for pet owners who have lost a pet.

Below are a few websites that I found helpful in dealing with my grief.

About.com Veterinary Medicine Loss and Grief

-Provides links to many different categories dealing with pet loss: support hotlines, pet hospice, euthanasia, dealing with guilt - just to name a few.

Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement

-The APLB is a nonprofit association that offers the services of volunteers who are professionally trained pet bereavement counselors. There is no cost for the APLB's services and membership is not required.

Pet Loss Support Page

-Provides links to other helpful websites and hotlines, tips on coping with pet loss and a guide to support groups and counselors.

Pet News and Views

2010-02-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

I recently interviewed Michele C. Hollow, an animal advocate who write a blog entitled "Pet News and Views." Her blog includes great articles about all sorts of animals, like how to help cats to get along, and information about what congress has to say about animal welfare. Here's what Michele had to say to us:

HTB: Michele, tells us about what inspired you to start your blog, Pet News and Views. How long have you been writing it?

MH: I have always loved animals. I studied zoology at the Bronx Zoo when I was a kid. They had a Friends of the Zoo study volunteer program. I just loved being around exotic animals, and at home, I was always around dogs and cats. My two dogs were given to us by people who no longer wanted them—one was a mutt and the other a miniature poodle. All of the cats in my life have found me. So when it came time to start blogging, I worked as a professional journalist for 15 plus years, I thought writing about animals would be a natural fit for me.

I also wrote a book, “The Everything Guide to Working with Animals,” (Adams Media). Researching and writing the book was such a joy because I loved listening to the stories from the experts. The people I interviewed for the book all work with animals, and they love their jobs.

I started Pet News and Views the first day of summer '09.

HTB: What are the main topics you cover on your blog?

MH: I write about people who work with animals, pet care, animal welfare, celebrities who use their status to help animals, and some travel to places where people can see animals in their natural habitat.

HTB: What do you see as the most effective ways people can advocate for
the fair treatment of animals?

MH: By being well informed and organized. There are so many good animal welfare agencies out there that are working so hard to end kill shelters, puppy mills, dog auctions, breed specific legislation, and I could go on and on. What I want to do with Pet News and Views is bring a lot of these issues to light, and to offer people a way to help. Not everyone can sign a huge check. People can contact their legislative leaders, and voice their opinions. We vote people into office and can easily vote them out of office. Many of my posts cover ways people can volunteer, make phone calls, write e-mails, and donate dollars.

I have been writing a lot about banning Ohio dog auctions. I live in NJ, and I want all of my readers to know that even if they live outside of Ohio, they can help end this awful practice of dogs being auctioned off to puppy mills. I often ask my readers to spread the word to their families and friends in Ohio.

The same goes with greyhound racing. I love posting stories about how greyhound racing has ended in MA and NH. I can’t wait to write that it no longer exists.

HTB: Do you know of any upcoming legislation that people should take action for?

MH: Yes. I wrote a story about Saving America’s Horses. The story is about Congress needing to enact a federal ban on horse slaughter. Some state legislatures have acted to stop horse slaughter, shuttering the last remaining foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the United States in 2007. However, Congress has yet to enact a federal ban. This means that not only can horses continue to be exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, but more foreign-owned horse slaughter plants could try to set up shop in the U.S.

Fortunately, many members of Congress remain committed to horse protection. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), is the lead Senate sponsor of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (S. 727) to ban horse slaughter. Senator John Ensign (R-NV), Representative John Conyers (D-MI), and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) join her in that fight as lead authors of S. 727/H.R 503. Voters can contact their state senator and let them know they are supporting these bills.

Another issue is banning Ohio dog auctions. The Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions is working to collect 120,700 signatures needed—to put before state legislators. Residents of Ohio can sign the petition, and friends and family outside of Ohio can inform them about these issues. For the full story, go to my blog or check out the Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions.

I am working on stories about breed specific legislation (where certain dogs, like pit bulls are banned in some states), declawing cat laws (yes, I’m not making this up), and other stories. I do post light stories too. I’m currently posting romance stories on getting past the first date and getting to know your partner’s pets.

HTB: If you could give three pieces of advice to animal lovers, what would they be?

MH: If you are going to purchase an animal, please go to your local animal shelter. If you prefer a purebred, you may be surprised to learn that many shelters have purebred dogs. You can also adopt from breed rescue clubs.

Spend quality time with your pets. If you have a pet or are planning on getting one, please understand that it takes a lot of work. Cats are easier than dogs, but both need attention—don’t we all? Even birds are social animals, and you need to talk to them, play with them, and care for them.

Make sure your pets are fit and healthy. Exercise your cat and dog. Walking a dog is great exercise for people and the dog. Cats need exercise too, and cat dancers are great ways to play with your cat to make sure he is getting exercise. Don’t over do it though. Just enjoy being around your pets.

Creative Nonfiction Animal Writing Contest

2010-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here's an opportunity for all you writers out there to share information about animal experienced and win money! Entries must be postmarked by April 2nd, 2010. Further information is available at their website.

Creative Nonfiction's website says:

For an upcoming issue, we're seeking new essays about the bonds--emotional, ethical, biological, physical, or otherwise--between humans and animals. We're looking for stories that illustrate ways animals (wild and/or domestic) affect, enrich, or otherwise have an impact on our daily lives.

Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning in personal experiences. We’re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice.

Creative Nonfiction editors will award one $1000 prize for Best Essay and one $500 prize for runner-up.

Guidelines: Essays must be: unpublished, 5,000 words or less, postmarked by April 2, 2010, and clearly marked “Animals” on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. There is a $20 reading fee (or send a reading fee of $25 to include a 4-issue CNF subscription); multiple entries are welcome ($20/essay) as are entries from outside the U.S. (though subscription shipping costs do apply). Please send manuscript, accompanied by a cover letter with complete contact information, SASE and payment to:

Creative Nonfiction
Attn: Animals
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Fostering in The Big Apple

2010-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Sarah Oren is a foster parent in NYC who has a blog encouraging others to foster. She posts photos and descriptions of NYC shelter dogs in need, so if you're in that area, check it out. You might just feel compelled to take a dog or two into your home.

From personal experience I can tell you that fostering is one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life. Here's what Sarah has to say about her experiences:

HTB: How did you first find out about fostering and dog rescue? For how long have you been involved?

SO: After I moved to New York City a couple years ago, I felt a need to do something fulfilling with my days outside of my paid job. I had been a shelter volunteer and zoo employee during college, and have always felt a special bond with animals- especially dogs. I searched online for animal-related volunteer opportunities in Manhattan and came across Animal Care & Control’s “Safety Net” program, now called “Pets for Life NYC.” Their goal is to help prevent owners from surrendering their pets by providing temporary foster care for the animal in peril. Immediately, I was hooked.

HTB:Many people say, "I couldn't foster; I would keep them. It would be just too hard to give them up." What is your reply?

SO: So many people may see an adoptable dog and say, “I just don’t have the time or money right now,” to which I say “Do you have a few dollars, a bit of free time during the days/weekend, and a desire to make a difference in someone’s life?”

My foster doggie, Mocha, did not come with any personal items; I had to buy her food, collar, and leash. As a recent college grad in Manhattan, I had little extra money to burn, but all I needed for Mocha was a few dollars, some old towels to make a bed, and lastly, patience with house-training. Mocha was not always a piece of cake to care for, but my job was to help prepare her for a permanent home with some potty training and adjustment to living outside of a shelter cage. She soon adjusted, and became better every day.

As for those who worry about becoming attached to their foster dog, I feel your sentiments. I cried the entire journey home after dropping off my Mocha with her new owner. It’s tough not to be able to explain to the dog that they are going to a good home, and that it is all for the best. But the pain wore off for me once I began to receive photo emails of my foster girl in her new home. Since Mocha’s formal adoption in August 2009, she and I have had numerous reunions. That story is what I’d like potential foster parents to keep in mind; it might sting at first to give up your shelter dog to another owner, but it gives you an opportunity to see the dog thrive while you have the chance to save another dog’s life who may have died if not for your foster efforts.

HTB: Tell us about your blog. What inspired you to start it? How long ago? What do you hope to accomplish with it?

SO: After joining the Safety Net program at Animal Care & Control, I got an email from a volunteer asking if someone could foster a mini pittie who was to be euthanized the following morning. I jumped at the opportunity to foster, knowing full well that if I didn’t step forward, this dog might not make it through another day. I called the shelter volunteer, and we set up a meeting the following day. I took my new foster dog out of the shelter and into my home. She had been a “throwaway mom,” used as a breeding machine and had just recently given birth to a litter after arriving at the shelter. “Mocha” came to me completely malnourished and in need of some serious TLC. She turned out to be the sweetest, most loving mini pitti I could have asked for.

I learned so much about the need for increased promotion of shelter dogs, especially those at kill-shelters like AC&C, where the euthanasia rates are simply too high. So many dogs are put to sleep for various reasons, including bad behavior, illness, and lack of adopter interest; the sad part is, those three factors can be completely changed depending on the care that dog receives inside or outside of the shelter. THAT is where a foster owner comes into play!

Mocha had gotten lucky by having a pro-active volunteer on her side, but some dogs don’t get that same opportunity. I wanted to find a way to help other volunteers and fosters publicize their dog without having to walk around their entire city, hoping for a match! I spent weeks trying to get Mocha adopted, with plenty of people showing interest, but no one was coming forward to take her home. I knew I needed to create more widespread awareness of the amazing dogs currently in shelters in the NYC-area.

I started my blog, Foster Dogs in NYC, several months ago, updating it almost every day since its creation. Mocha was adopted almost immediately after my blog was created, thanks to some cross-posting around Facebook and Petfinder! She now lives with a fantastic owner on Brooklyn, who has since been inspired to create her own chocolate brand called “Rescue Chocolate” that donates proceeds to dog rescue groups. In a way, each of us is paying it forward. And that’s the overall goal!

HTB: NYC seems like a hard place to have a dog because most people live in apartments. If someone lives in an apartment and wants to get a dog, what are some things you would suggest they be aware of?

SO: I had a tiny studio apartment when I fostered my two dogs (each at separate times). Yes, it gets tight, but I’d recommend fostering dogs that are appropriately sized for one’s living space. I always made it a point to walk my foster do as many times as possible, not only to house-train her, but also to get her energy out. We took weekend runs and jogged around the neighborhood. Now I hear from her owner that she has tons of friends at her dog park and plays like there’s no tomorrow! Dog parks are a fantastic opportunity to get your dog’s energy out – and to get them properly socialized (as long as they are friendly!).

Small-spaced apartment living should not deter someone from fostering a dog, but be aware of certain lease agreements that restrict pet ownership.

HTB: To wrap this all up, please tell us your three favorite things about fostering.

SO: My favorite thing about fostering is feeling like I’ve made an enormous difference in a dog’s life-and possibly in some human beings’ lives as well!

Fostering also connects you with others who care about animals as much as you do! You become part of a wonderful community of animal activists.

Another wonderful thing about fostering is the awareness one creates for shelter dogs! By fostering one dog, you may have influenced dozens of others to consider adopting or fostering instead of heading to a pet store!

What's in a name?

2010-01-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

The year is turning over like the pages of our books, and for many this month will be a time of reflection and new beginnings. And what better time is there to make some changes in our lives? I’m not talking resolutions, because they never seem to last. What I’m referring to is incrementally changing our behaviors to increase the quality of our lives and of those around us – including our furry friends.

One thing I’m going to do this year is make sure I never say words like “Labradoodle” (a mixed breed dog born from Labrador and Poodle parents) and “Bugg” (a mixed breed dog born from Boston Terrier and Pug parents). Before you get angry with me, hear me out. It’s not that I don’t like them. In fact, it’s because I love them and don’t want to see them suffer in puppy mills like purebred Bostons and Pugs do now that I will call them what they really are: Mutts.

Names are a powerful thing, and each time we give mutts a “designer” name they become susceptible to human greed. Think about it: nobody is going to keep several different types of dogs in small cages to breed them together in an effort to make a huge profit because the profit just isn’t there. Most people willing to have a mixed breed dog know they can get a great one from a shelter, without having to spend lots of money. However, the second someone calls that mutt a “Pomapoo” or “Schnoodle,” suddenly the “breed” has value. By instead calling them what they are, wonderful mutts that make up the essence of the truly “American dog” and not giving them some cutsie name, it is possible to save the mixed-breed dogs we love from horrific suffering so sadly experienced by many purebred dogs.

Okay, I know the suggestion of not using "designer dog" names is an idealistic and uphill battle, but how dog breeds end up in puppy mills is something everyone needs to understand.

I, too, struggle not to say “Labradoodle” when everyone around me is saying it, and I know most people will nod their heads when they read this while really thinking that I've gone off the deep end. I don’t care. The fact is that no dog should ever be holed up in a 2x2 chicken wire cage and bred for eight year. If all I have to do to prevent exacerbating that suffering is look crazy by suggesting people should call mixed-breed dogs mutts, then I'm going to do it. I hope you'll step up for these dogs with me by also calling them what they are, mutts, and when given the opportunity, explaining to others the reasoning behind NOT turning them into a designer "breed."

A Certified Trainer Rings in on Rescue Dogs

2009-12-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Some people have reservations about adopting a dog because they are concerned it might be un-trainable or won't bond with them. Today I caught up with a highly experienced dog trainer out of Central Ohio to go beyond these myths. Guy Kantak, "The K9 Guy," is a Certified Professional Trainer (CPT) and a member of both the National K-9 Dog Trainers Association and International Association of Canine Professionals. Here's what he has to say:

HTB: Guy, I know you've got some adopted dogs of your own. When you got your first dogs, what drove you to adopt instead of buy?

GK: Both my wife and I have a long history of adoptees in our families, my parents had a rescue dog in our home before I was born. We've had such great experiences with rescues, and are so overwhelmed by the number of great dogs needing homes, that we are very committed to supporting and adopting from shelters.

HTB: Some people are hesitant to adopt dogs because they think adopted dogs will be more difficult to train. What is your experience?

GK: As a professional trainer I have a deep appreciation that every dog is unique. Some dogs can be more difficult to train than others, but it is not dependent on whether the dog is from a rescue or from a breeder. Individual personalities are a much more critical factor here! My own preference is to adopt a 6-12 month old dog with a developed personality that I can assess to be certain he will fit in well in our home. You can watch one of my adopted dogs doing some training work on my website. Everything you see him doing on that page he learned in less than six weeks.

HTB: People also sometimes believe that adopting older dogs is a bad idea because they won't bond with you as much. Please share your thoughts on that.

GK: Dogs never forget people they've met, but they are very adaptable creatures who will form new ties if their environment changes. I've worked with older dogs, that for various reasons have had to go into new living environments. They all adjust and bond with their new family. Older dogs are often more calm, already house trained, and less easily distracted which can hasten any training the new owner desires.

HTB: Why is it important for someone who has adopted a dog to hire a trainer? I've heard people say, "I don't want to hire a trainer because my dog won't even listen to me. How is he going to listen to someone else?" What do you say to people with concerns like this.

GK: A good trainer will work with more dogs each week than most people will live with during their lifetime. If a dog is not "listening" to an owner, it's because it doesn't care to listen or is confused. In either case, working with a certified professional trainer can help an owner develop effective communication with their dog while helping the dog to understand its role in the home. This makes everyone (dog and owner) much happier! Because dogs are not people and they do not think as we do, hiring a trainer is no different than taking a course to learn a foreign language.

HTB: For anyone with a rescued dog who is looking for a trainer, how do they evaluate which trainer to use? What should they look for?

GK: That's a great question.... My recommendation would be to either call or meet with prospective trainers and interview them. Some questions to consider would include:

Are they certified? By what agency?
What are their professional affiliations and background?
Is the trainer easy to talk with and easy to understand?
Can the trainer demonstrate a dog they have trained, especially one from a rescue?
What methods do they use? Trainers experienced using multiple training methods ( vs. only one method) will be able to provide more options to owners in reaching their desired goals.
How many dogs do they work with annually, and what is their experience pertinent to your desired goals.
You should also inquire about fees, and ask for some measure of client satisfaction.

I'm affiliated with the National K9 Dog Trainer's Association and the International Association of Canine Professionals. Both have websites with trainer locators where owners can find a local trainer by inputting their zip code:

http://nk9dta.com/locate_trainer.aspx
http://canineprofessionals.com/Public/FindAProfessional.aspx

I would recommend those web pages as a good starting point in finding a local trainer.

Dogs Deserve Freedom

2009-12-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Emily is a volunteer at her local Humane Society and an animal advocate, using her Dogs Deserve Freedom blog to share her thoughts and ideas on how we better live in harmony with dogs. She's another shining example of a person using her talents and skills to support dog rescue. I hope you'll be inspired to do the same!

HTB: What was the inspiration to start your blog, "Dogs Deserve Freedom?"

Emily: I began blogging on "Dogs Deserve Freedom" on October 15, 2008 because I needed an outlet for my frustrations. I had just finished rehabbing the most gorgeous dog I have ever met and was exceedingly frustrated that people judged her by her looks. She was (at best guess) a Rottweiler/Thai Ridgeback mix who had not had a great start in life (being tied up to a tree for the first year and then taken to the pound by canine control will do that to a dog). She didn't trust anyone and would snarl at people/dogs/anything if they pushed her too far too fast. Unfortunately, this bought her an extended stay at the pound and the discussion was begun about possible euthanasia. I took her in and after a few months of extensive rehab/retraining she ended up the most friendly, well rounded, happy go lucky dog ever.

HTB: What is the philosophy behind "Dogs Deserve Freedom?"

Emily: I wrote a few blog posts about this. To read the full explanation, check out my post Dogs Deserve Freedom - Say What? or read my first post.

Here's a summary... Dogs Deserve Freedom means that all dogs deserve:

- freedom to live without the need for crates, leashes and other training 'tools'
- freedom to live without fear and anxiety
- freedom to be outside without the need for fences or other containment items
- freedom to interact and play with animals, children, adults, etc without the impulse or need to bully or do harm
- freedom to be a valued member of a family enjoying the love and companionship freely given within the boundaries of this relationship

The beliefs that spur my theories and thoughts are:

- I believe in Crate Training
- I believe that dogs should be able to function on leash without harming themselves, their owners, or other people/dogs.
- I believe you should be able to trust your dog to interact safely with children/other animals/adults in any situation
- I believe that breeders should breed responsibly and that BackYardBreeders (BYB) are making more problems by helping us fill our shelters with poorly bred dogs
- I believe you should be able to take your dog to a restaurant and your dog should be well enough trained to take a nap under your table without begging for food or bothering anyone around

It is the responsibility of dog owners to train their dogs properly in order to fulfill these needs.

HTB: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?

Emily: Mainly, I want to raise awareness. I am a big advocate for the shelter dog, and I hate puppy mills as well as back yard breeders, with a vengence. If I can convince one person to adopt instead of buying a dog or "saving it" from the pet store, I've done a good job.

I want people to know that they don't have to donate all their food money in order to make a difference. I want them to know that even if they spent one hour per week volunteering at a shelter or charity, then they have helped. Many rescues and shelters are SCREAMING for volunteers. I want the dog walkers to know that if they went and took one dog out for an hour long walk once a week, that they would change the outlook of that dog. What most people don't get is that it's not a matter of how many dogs can you walk in the 60 minute time frame, it's the quality of the time you have spent.

In the next year, I want to show people the fun things they can do with their dogs when they are properly trained. I believe this is likely where the blog will go, so stay tuned!

HTB: Tell us three things that everyone should know about proper dog care:

Emily: Proper dog care should include three key elements:

- Adequate nutrition (see your veterinarian for details)
- Thorough training (both soft skills and obedience)
- Spay / Neuter

Since I know you will probably ask ... am I against breeding? No. If your dog is worthy breeding stock, than by all means. That means the dog is purebred, registered, has NO genetic malformations, has healthy parentage (no genetic malformations), has no history of crazy temperaments in the entire litter, has earned it with championships (could be obedience, agility, herding, conformation, etc.), is not aggressive in any way/shape/form and there is a need for the breed. That means there shouldn't be over 1,000 unwanted dogs in rescue of that particular breed (did you know that the Labrador Retriever is over 20,000! That's not including the dogs that have been subdivided into "Black Labrador Retriever, Yellow Labrador Retriever and Chocolate Labrador Retriever).

Rescuing Dogs from Poor Nutrition

2009-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Lynda Wood is an animal advocate and founder of The Waggary Pampered Paws Dog Treats. She’s got a great blog featuring adoptable dogs and dog adoption news, and has been kind enough to share her experience with dog rescue. This interview shares great advice about pet food and treats towards the end, so be sure to read the whole thing!

HTB: Lynda, I understand that you became involved with dog rescue as a teen. How did that come about?

LW: It certainly wasn’t from a lack of things to do :) I was a student and I had three part-time jobs already, but that’s all they were to me: jobs. They weren’t my passion. I had always toyed with the idea of maybe becoming a vet one day, or at least a vet’s assistant, so volunteering at my local humane society seemed like a great way to start helping animals in some capacity right away.

I began volunteering on weekends along with several others my age, and by about week three I was the only one left. Scraping hardened dog food off kennel walls and hosing down dirty kennel floors is not glamorous work, but I loved it. Anything I could do to make the dogs’ environment better while they were at the shelter, that’s what I wanted to do. Eventually I began going out on rescue calls with the shelter attendants, and also tagging along with the dog catcher as he made his rounds.

Rescue work, I learned very quickly, is not easy work. You see things you never want to see, and it changes you. You begin to look at the world in a different way, and there were days that my heart felt so heavy from being such an up-close witness to the cruelty humans can inflict on helpless animals. But none of that ever compared to the pure joy that came with the unconditional love these dogs gave in return. Their ability to forgive and trust in mankind again was inspiring to me, and every time a family came into the shelter and found the perfect dog for them, I experienced such a deep sense of satisfaction. It made all the heartache and hard work worth it.

HTB: What advice would you give teenagers who are interested in getting involved with dog rescue?

LW: Do it! It’s hard work, and there will be times when you feel as if your heart is breaking, but it will also prove to be some of the best, most satisfying work you ever do. Dogs give us so much and there is such personal reward in giving back to them.

There is no job, no kind gesture, and no amount of time spent, that is too small. Cleaning up a dog’s living quarters, taking him or her for a walk, offering a gentle hand or throwing a ball—these are all things that make a difference. Some of these dogs have rarely heard a kind word or felt a loving human touch. As many of the homeless dogs as there are starving for proper nutrition, there are those starving for a single moment of attention meant just for them.

Don’t stop at volunteering at your local human society either. There are numerous dog rescue organizations popping up every day as dog lovers do their best to combat the growing need for care and shelter of the neglected, abused, and abandoned. Most of these rescue organizations are run by volunteers so every helping hand is an important one, and very much appreciated.

No matter how much you give to dog rescue, you will get more out of it than you could ever imagine.

HTB: Your love of dogs has led you to start Pampered Paws Dog Treats. What makes your treats special? Where can people get them?

LW: Well I never did become a vet, but I did work at a veterinarian hospital, and what I saw there on a daily basis proved to be the catalyst for Pampered Paws Dog Treats. Young dogs, very young dogs, were being diagnosed with cancer. Allergies and chronic ear infections were being treated in alarming numbers. There was clearly something going on, and even my own dog Toby, a miniature poodle, was suffering from undiagnosed seizures. These seizures were becoming so frequent, and so severe, that I felt it was only a matter of time before I would have to make the painful decision to have him put down. It broke my heart as he was my best little buddy, but watching him suffer was beyond painful.

In the midst of that, I adopted my German Shepherd, Temperance. The breeder was retiring her from the show ring due to an injury, and it was through this breeder that I first became interested in nutrition. She only feeds her dogs natural food, and all it took was a little investigative research on my part before the horrors of what really goes into commercial pet food were revealed to me, and had me switching over to the same diet.

I did my research, spoke to professionals, and within weeks of transferring my two dogs, as well as my daughter’s dog, over to a natural diet, Toby’s seizures began to lessen in frequency and severity. I didn’t even make the connection at first; I was just so happy to see him thriving as he was. I kept researching, kept learning all that I could, and that learning led me to looking into what was in the treats I gave my dogs, and ultimately finding healthy alternatives to the preservative-packed options that are out there. The most fun alternative turned out to be baking my own dog cookies, which my dogs were very happy about. They went crazy over these treats and when I began sharing them with family and friends who have dogs, and their dogs loved them like mine did, I decided to share them even further by creating Pampered Paws Dog Treats.

What makes Pampered Paws Dog Treats the most special is probably what they don’t have in them, more so than what they do. There are actually very few ingredients in my dog treats, but those that I use are all of the highest quality, organic whenever possible, and healthy. What Pampered Paws Dog Treats don’t have is added salt or sugar, no artificial colors, and they don’t have any of the harmful preservatives that allow commercial dog treats to sit on the store shelves for months, sometimes even years at a time. They are also baked fresh, by hand, in my home kitchen with the same care I use when baking for my own dogs. For me, every cookie is a representation of the importance of proper nutrition, the care that goes into that, and something every dog deserves.

There will be a more permanent Waggery website in the future, but for now
Pampered Paws Dog Treats are available on-line at http://thewaggery.ecrater.com/

If anyone has any questions, or if they’d like to talk with me about a dog with special needs (like allergies), they can also email me at thewaggery@gmail.com

HTB: What are the three top things people should know about pet food and treats?

LW: Well, firstly, pet food manufacturing is a multi-billion dollar industry that is basically self-regulated. There is no one outside of themselves holding them accountable, and as Ann N. Martin writes in her book Food Pets Die For – Shocking Facts About Pet Food:

. . . there are many deplorable ingredients that legally can be used in pet foods as sources of protein—in particular, euthanized cats and dogs, diseased cattle and horses, road kill, dead zoo animals, and meat not fit for human consumption. In addition, fiber sources in many foods are composed of the leftovers from the food chain, including beet pulp, the residue of sugar beets, peanut hulls, and even sawdust sweepings from the floor of the rendering plant!

Secondly, preservatives that are known toxins are used to prevent the fatty contents of pet food from becoming rancid. The main three to watch out for (and completely stay away from) are BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and Ethoxyquin.

Wendell Belfield, D.V.M. writes of his concerns in a letter to the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM):

“Chemicals such as BHA and BHT, which can initiate birth defects, and damage to liver and kidneys are commonly used preservatives.”

And Animal Protection Institute (API), a nonprofit advocacy organization, states in a 1996 report:

“Ethoxyquin has been associated with immune deficiency syndrome, leukemia, blindness, skin, stomach, spleen and liver cancer in companion animals.”

Pet food companies will often times state that they do not add these particular substances to their foods, however what they won’t tell consumers is the fact that the meat suppliers they use may well have added one or more of these preservatives before shipping those raw materials to the pet food company. If this is the case, the pet food company does not have to list that on their ingredient label; they need only list those ingredients they knowingly added themselves.

Thirdly, just because a commercial dog food or treat is labeled “veterinarian approved” does not mean it is healthy. I hold great admiration and respect for veterinarians. I love, love, love my vet, who is also a personal friend, but they don’t teach animal nutrition at veterinarian school. The basis of their nutritional instruction comes from what pet food company representatives have to say, which is why so many vets will caution against using anything but commercially prepared dog food and dog treats. They really are advising you how they see best, but it’s up to you, as a responsible dog owner, to do your own research and make the best educated decision for your beloved friend based on what you believe is best for them.

As for the decision I made, I am very happy to be able to say that since putting my dogs on a natural diet, and feeding them only Pampered Paws Dog Treats, they are all shining examples of health and vitality, and Toby has not had a single seizure since. It’s been two years now and he is healthier than he has ever been. I have also rescued a Boston Terrier in the last year, one that was suffering from horrible skin allergies and whose future looked to be filled with medications that included steroids. Fortunately I’ve been able to control her allergies with diet alone, and her itchy, painful skin is now a thing of the past.

For me, having happy, healthy dogs is what matters most. It’s the best recipe for life :)

Like Santa's Elves

2009-12-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

(Lowrey, lovingly wrapping our Holiday Gift Sets as we scrambled to get all of our orders filled)

This post is a departure from our usual advocacy posts, but I thought you might be interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes at Happy Tails Books when our books arrive from the printer, and pre-orders need to be filled.

Every time we publish a book, we allow customers to pre-order it as it's being printed. This helps cover the cost of printing, and it works out great for our customers because we offer either $2.00 off per book or a double donation to rescue. When the books finally arrive, I ship the orders immediately.

The volume of orders I need to ship is usually manageable, but this time around we had Pit Bull book orders, Labrador book orders, and Dachshund book back orders to fill, resulting in about 500 books needing to be shipped. The pressure was on not only because of the high volume of books, but also because it's almost Christmas and we knew we had to ship the books the moment they arrived.

And ship them we did! The books didn't come until 2pm, only leaving us 3.5 hours to pack orders and get them to the post office. Luckily, my co-editor, Lowrey, drove up to help (about an hour drive in questionable weather), and my parents lent a hand. We really did feel like Santa's workshop! My dad could pass for Santa, I could easily be mistaken for an elf, and Bill was our reindeer. (Which reindeer was the nervous one? That was Bill.)

It was a stretch, but at 5:05 all of the books had found their way to the post office. The total number of packages we sent was about 200. I'm crossing my fingers that everything arrives quickly, will you cross yours with me? We really did our best!

I've placed a "rush delivery" option on all of our books now, so procrastinators can still get books in time for the holidays. If I'm talking about you, please place your order soon!

Now that we've got our massive mailing out of the way, I'm refocusing on our upcoming breeds for 2010. We base our book order largely on rescue group enthusiasm, and so far the Boxer folks are really stepping up! I believe we'll be doing Boxers first, then German Shepherds and Pugs. I'm still trying to get a Chihuahua book together, but it has been surprisingly difficult to collect enough stories. Weird. Please help by encouraging your friends and family with rescued dogs to send over a story. Who knows, it might end up in a book!

The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood

2009-12-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

Out of the 250 stories of adopted dogs I've edited so far, I would estimate that at least a quarter of them involve a dog who had cancer. It is so common, and information about how to best care for a pet with cancer is so conflicting. Today I caught up with holistic pet care advocate, Nadine M. Rosin, to discuss cancer in pets and her book, The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood.

HTB: Tell us about The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood. Who should read your book? What do you expect he/she will take away from it?

NMR: The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood is a true story about the human-animal bond, healing cancer holistically, senior canine care, and an empowering new take on the grieving process when a beloved animal passes away. It reads like a novel and has an underlying 3-fold mission:

~Helping pet parents realize we may be unconsciously contributing to the skyrocketing increase of cancer in our pets by unknowingly creating highly toxic environments in our homes
~Providing comfort, camaraderie, and validation for pet parents experiencing the devastating loss of a beloved pet
~Helping to remove the words, “It’s just a dog/cat” from the lips of non pet parents everywhere

One of my favorite emails from a reader was a woman whose grown sons just couldn’t understand the grief she was going through after her beloved Bichon passed away. After reading my book, which she said gave her incredible comfort and insight, she had Amazon ship a copy to each of her sons. She told them that if they promised to read it, and still didn’t understand “why she wasn’t over it yet,” she’d never mention the dog again. Well, it turns out the boys loved the book AND apologized profusely to their mom for having been so insensitive. They ended up providing her great solace.

HTB: Buttons is the dog featured in your book. Did you have dogs before Buttons? What made Buttons so special?

NMR: I have had dogs all my life and have dearly loved them all. Buttons, was my heart-dog. When she was eight-years-old, she was diagnosed with cancer and given six weeks to live without chemo, radiation, and amputation. After much soul-searching (described in book), I decided to completely forgo the prescribed treatment and instead, implement a completely holistic approach: one of cleansing and strengthening the body so it could heal itself, rather than one of squelching the symptoms and fighting the cancer. Four months later, Buttons was cancer-free and she thrived for an additional 11 years. Hers was a story I had to share with other pet parents.

HTB: What is some advice you give to people who have pets that are faced with a severe illness, like cancer?

NMR: My advice is to educate yourself BEFORE getting the diagnosis of a serious disease. Our pets metabolize everything so much faster than we do, they are like the canaries in the coal mine. The household chemicals we expose them (and ourselves) to might take 30 years to show up as disease in our bodies but only five years in theirs. Just because something is sold in the grocery (or health food!) store doesn’t mean it’s safe after years of exposure. Do a little online research about the unbelievably toxic ingredients in major brands of fabric softener, dryer sheets, and air fresheners to name a few. I have some listings and safer alternatives on my blog.

HTB: What are the top three things people can eliminate from their homes to give themselves, and their pets, the best chance at a healthy life? Is there anything they should add to their homes?

NMR: A holistic approach means looking at everything: food, water, treats, chews, cleaning products, flea poisons, medications, etc. Since the book has been published, I have started offering holistic consultations to help people look at everything harmful they may be unknowingly exposing their sweet animals to. I do this on an offering basis so that no pet or pet parent is left behind because of inability to pay. That information can also be found on my blog. In addition, our pets are extremely sensitive to emotion, so eliminating any constant stress or negativity in one’s household is vital to a healthy environment.

HTB: What are your thoughts on adopted an older dog vs. a puppy?

NMR: What I know is that for every dog rescued, there is at least one human rescued in return. Older dogs have so much to teach us. Buttons lived to be 19. With a conscious approach to home environment and care, most dogs can live healthy lives into their 20’s.

To learn more about Nadine M. Rosin and The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood, visit http://www.thehealingartofpetparenthood.com/Home.html.

Fur-licity

2009-11-29T06:43:00.000-08:00

Barbara Cooper is the author behind the Fur-licity blog about her dog, Daisy's journey from life in a puppy mill. She kindly took a moment to give us some advice about adopting puppy mill dogs. Here's what she said:

HTB: How did you make the decision to adopt a puppy mill dog?

BC: When I was a child, my father took me to the SPCA or similar organization when I wanted a dog. As an adult, I continued to look for canine companions at the local SPCA. It just seemed the "right thing to do." After the death of my last dog, Jessie, I went to the local SPCA but found they only had large and active dogs. My age and mobility prevented me from adopting there this time. I went on-line and found two rescue groups for small dogs that were close to home. I applied for a dog and the Coordinator of FureverAfter did a home visit. She then matched me with Daisy, which was an excellent choice. I was really impressed by the care they take to find the right home for their rescues.

HTB: How has Daisy changed your life?

BC: Daisy is the first dog I've adopted who was abused; the others were surrendered for different reasons. So it's been a new learning experience. I've had to deal with discouragement, and learning new levels of patience. But each step she has made toward being less fearful and more confident brings wild waves of happiness and delight. She "points" toward my own growth and makes me more aware of it and the future possibilities. So we are kind of in this together.

HTB: Some might ask, why would anyone go through the trouble of rehabilitating a puppy mill dog. What do you tell them?

BC: It's not for everyone. But for those of us willing and able to do it, the rewards are great.

HTB: What advice do you have for other people who have adopted puppy mill dogs?

The best advice I have received is "relax". Stressing over whether I'm doing the right thing or not can drive human and dog completely nuts. Listen, observe, allow the dog to find comfort at his/her own pace without trying to rush things. Keep a journal so you can see progress when you are discouraged. Join a support group such as shy k-9s on Yahoogroups. Search the internet for information about puppy mills and the effect on dogs. Keep learning, together.

From Belgium to Bostons

2009-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have had the privilege of getting to know Eveline Soors through the Happy Tails Books project over the past several months. Our friendship grew from a mutual love of Boston Terriers. She would love to rescue one but it’s just not that simple in Belgium. Inspired to do her part to help the little guys, she instead signed up with American Boston Terrier Rescue to help them with their website. She’s a wonderful example of how a person can make a difference in dogs’ lives, even if she is not directly interacting with them. I hope this interview will inspire you to also come up with creative ways to give back to dog rescue – they need your help!

HTB: Eveline, you've got a blog about dogs and you've recently become a volunteer with rescue. Where did your love of animals begin?

ES: I have always loved animals. Our first dog was already there when I was born (or… well… he was there for as far as I can remember). He would follow me around the yard and then go crazy on the grass by running in really big circles around it and then laying flat on his side and just moving his legs very quickly. He was so funny and an excellent entertainer for a little kid! When I grew a bit older we got other dogs and learned a lot about dog training over the years. Ever since we got a boxer though I just fell in love with the flat faced dog breeds. I am an only child so the dogs were my only playmates. Why I love them so much? They entertain you, they get all cuddly when you feel sad, and they protect you. It’s just such a great feeling to know you have someone around you who ‘feels’ you and who doesn’t judge and is just always there for you with a love and devotion that is unconditionally.

HTB: What is it about Boston Terriers that you like so much?

ES: There are a lot of things I like about them. Of course their flat muzzles, big ears and attention-seeking eyes. When they’ve done something bad, those eyes are just so cute that you can’t get mad at them! I also like that they look a bit like little boxers, especially as a puppy, but that they do have a very different, very unique temperament.

Being a couch potato, having a dog that’s very lively will be perfect for me, he’ll get me out of my couch, up and running. Also the fact that Boston Terriers are very intelligent dogs is something I’m looking forward to since after reviewing so many dog books, there are lot of dog tricks and games I want to teach my future dog!

A lot of people might consider their ‘sounds’ a negative thing but I got used to that by growing up with boxers that snored and farted. The only sound I don’t like that much is barking, and Bostons don’t bark much so that’s great!

I think they would be a really great fit, in the end I’ll have a little dog with a big dog temperament! (as my boyfriend wanted a little dog and I wanted a big dog we will both have what we wanted)

HTB: What inspired you to help the rescue group? How did you decide which one to work with?

ES: I had heard from rescue groups before and I always thought to myself “I wish we had that in Belgium. I’d love to be able to take care of an animal that’s in a bad condition and bring it back to health.” By reading the rescue books from Happy Tails Books somehow I felt much closer to these organizations and the people who volunteer. It’s different than just browsing the internet. After reading a story about someone who started off by doing a rescue group’s website a bell started to ring in my head. Okay, maybe I couldn’t actually do something with dogs to help them out; I could help out with the website! I love making websites and I love dogs so what better mix could there be? I looked at a list of Boston Terrier Rescue groups and American Boston Terrier Rescue of course was at the very top of that list. I visited their site which was a work in progress, a good sign for me at that moment. It had a menu saying they could need programming skills etc so I decided to give it a go! I wrote to them and offered my help for the site. Shortly after, I was hired!

HTB: Are there similar dog rescue efforts in Belgium like there are in the United States? Are the problems of dog overpopulation as severe as in the United States?

ES: We have no or very few breed-specific rescue groups in Belgium. I personally don’t know any. We have a few organizations that come up for animal rights and we have the shelters for dogs, cats and rabbits. The dogs in shelters are, in general, all in good health.
To give you some idea on dog shelters in Belgium, here are some facts:

• In 2008 33.868 dogs ended up in shelters, 19.216 of them were lost dogs.
• 56,8 percent of the dogs that were lost were reunited with their owner.
This percentage has been increasing these last years because of the obligated ID chip that dogs have to have now. It makes it less simple to dump the dogs and easier to reunite them with their owner.
• 5.447 dogs (16 percent) were euthanized. It's a lot less than previous years but it is still a lot.
• 246 dogs (0,7 percent) died of natural causes.
• 52,3 percent were rehomed. This is less than the year before. I think one of the reasons is the fact that there are more and more breeders or stores who sell a wide variety of dogs with open hours and no parent dogs available. Several ad websites are flooded with these kinds of advertisements and people are only seeing the cute puppy pictures and are forgetting the breed specific official breeder dogs and the dogs in shelters.

People who spend big money on a breeder dog usually have put a lot of thought in it. People adopting a dog also adopt with a purpose. A lot of people who buy dogs at dog stores buy them on an impulse and a lot of these dogs eventually land on ad sites, are sick because of import or are put in a shelter.
Most common reasons for giving up their dog is: couples breaking up and nobody wanting the dog, changing work and having no time for the dog anymore, moving and not being able to take the dog along. I’ve seen a lot of those ads pass the revue..

I do think that, in comparison with the US, people over here feel more responsible in general for their dogs. We might not always admit it but we find it very important what other people think of us so leaving our dogs in bad conditions is something we won't quickly do because we know we would get judged for it pretty quickly. Everyone lives so close together that there's not much that can be hidden.

HTB: What advice would you give someone who may want to volunteer but be struggling to find a way they can help?

ES: Rescue groups are always in need for good foster homes since the list of dogs needing to be rescued just seems endless. Besides fostering there are so many other things you could do. Like transporting the dogs from one place to another, helping out with event preparations or being there at the actual event to promote the rescue group, looking for fundraiser ideas… But even if this is nothing for you there are still many more things you can do that may involve less time, like organizing a special day at work to gain some profit for the rescue group, handing out flyers, if you have special talents maybe make some art work or knit some doggie suits or have people donate toys and such for rescue dogs as they enter or leave a store.. Even if it’s just once, rescue groups need all the money and help they can get for the poor dogs in need. If you want to volunteer just go ahead and ask one of the rescue groups and I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to know that they can possible count on another helping hand!

* Source for statistics of dogs in shelters: FOD Economie - Algemene Directie Statistiek

Cornelia Jones, the Canine Crusader

2009-11-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

Cornelia Jones, the "Canine Crusader," has been a rescue advocate for years. She posts two blogs, “Rescue of a Stray Dog” about rescuing Darlin', a stray dog, and “Dog Blog for Five Dogs” about the dogs in her family. Today she took some time to tell us about her adventures in adoption.

HTB: Had you ever adopted a dog before you found Darlin?

CJ: Yes. I grew up with dogs and was once handed a puppy when I answered my front door; however, the first dog I adopted from the Humane Society was in 1994. My Lhasa Apso died when my daughter was a year old. Less than a year later my life changed suddenly when I lost my first husband tragically. The next four years were spent adjusting to my new life and it was during those years that I didn’t have any pets at all.

By the time my daughter was five years old and with my infant son, I began to feel more settled and started thinking about owning a dog again. I wanted a small dog that would be a house dog so we went to see who was available at the Humane Society. The shelter evaluated our application and didn’t recommend a small dog because I had young children. A six year old Australian Shepherd mix was being processed while I talked to the shelter worker. She thought Daisy would be a perfect match for us. I wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of a medium size dog with so much hair living in our home, but I decided to take their advice and give her a chance. The Humane Society had some veterinary records on Daisy. I called the Vet to ask if I could get copies of her records and found out that they treated her after she was adopted out from the Humane Society previously. I realized that I was her third home in six years and I told her that day that she would never have to leave again.

Daisy was the most wonderful dog! She was the most calm, quiet, naturally obedient dog that anyone could ever ask for. She obviously had some training because she wouldn’t get on the furniture or beds, and no amount of coaxing would change her mind. I would wash my car while she lay in the yard content; nothing stirred her curiosity, she never thought about leaving her yard. We also had a fenced back yard. Daisy loved to be near children. She didn’t really play or interact with them; she just wanted to watch over them. In nearly the decade that she lived with us, I only carried her leash on walks because she never needed it, as she would never think to leave my side. Family and friends used to tell me that I was so lucky to have a perfect dog. The smartest thing I did was following the shelter worker’s suggestion that we choose Daisy. Daisy crossed the bridge in 2003 when she was fifteen years old.

In 2004 I adopted Sam, our Blue Heeler, and then this past February I pulled some Jack Russell’s from a pound in Tennessee that Russell Rescue agreed to take. I had planned on fostering one because I still had a foster at home in addition to the three other dogs I own. I brought Toby home and knew within twenty-four hours he would never leave.

HTB: How has your experience with Darlin changed your life?

CJ: Darlin’ has helped me to understand the canine world better. If it were not for Darlin’ and her fear issues I would have never read any literature about canine body language and communication. I might never have known how to work with a fearful dog, how to alleviate some of the stressors, and what to expect as far as rehabilitation. She has been a learning experience for me. She has helped me to become a more patient person, which was not my strongest virtue in the past, although I always give allowances for dogs.

Darlin’ has changed the way I live and my family has been influenced as well. When she was a stray I committed myself to keeping her alive through winter. I knew that if she was fed, I could put weight on her and that would help her body fight off the cold. Darlin’ was a mystery to me because I never saw her except at feeding time. My entire family had to adjust to her feeding schedule for six months. If I wasn’t able to do it, someone else had to. She was a frightened dog that showed up at a tree to eat, but she wouldn’t let anyone get close to her.

When I trapped Darlin’ and brought her home I had no idea what she would be like. We only knew each other from a distance. I had hoped that she would be wagging her tail within three days. I’ve never had a dog that didn’t love me right away, nor did I have a dog that showed any signs of stress or anxiety other than during a thunderstorm. She was so fearful that my heart ached for her, wondering what her life must have been like before we met. It was an emotional time for me.

My daily routine changed because I needed to spend time teaching her (to the best of my ability) to trust me. That meant I had to carve time out of my usual schedule just for her. I began cooking for her and offering other high valued foods to show her that good things come from the hands that feed her. Also, she was fearful of my dogs which meant she had to be confined in the beginning of her rehabilitation. Not only did she have to learn to trust me, but she also had to learn what it’s like living with other dogs. Gradually, as she made progress in one location, she was moved closer to the dogs and my family. As she grew more trusting and showed signs of feeling safe with me, I couldn’t leave her for too long because I didn’t ever want her to feel abandoned, not even for 8 hours. I’m fortunate to be able to stay home with her and my other dogs, but there are times I’ve had to leave her as long as twelve hours for a rescue transport or to visit family out of town. During my time away my children are asked to care for her which is a challenge for them, as she is still fearful of my family. We take Darlin’s fear issues and insecurity seriously because we all want her to live as a family pet in our home like our other dogs.

Because the number of dogs in our home grew from three to five this year, it was important for me to be outside in the yard with them. Darlin’ needed to see with her own eyes how we live and interact together. I sat on the ground a lot this past year! I actually took time off from my home business because she required more time to adjust than I could have anticipated. In the beginning, after bringing Darlin’ home, most of my energy was concentrated on Darlin’ and my family had to fill in with my other dogs. I began to feel like something was missing from their lives—me! It was then that I started spending quality time with each dog individually so that they understood that life doesn’t change for them no matter how many dogs they live with.

Training my dogs just seemed to come naturally for them, but Darlin’ had to learn everything by association. There has been a methodical process for everything she has learned.

At first, I took treats to her while she lay in her bed. She wouldn’t take it from me, so I would leave the treat and walk away. Once she felt secure taking a treat from my hand in her bed, she started meeting me half way in the bedroom. I was elated that she would come to me, but she ran back to her bed for the treat! Eventually she took one standing and I’ll never forget the look on her face as if she had made a mistake. Several days later she met me at the bedroom door. After she was comfortable taking her treat at the door, she began taking a few steps towards me in the hall. Weeks went by when one day she met me at the kitchen doorway! I was so proud of her! Finally, she showed up in the kitchen! After she was familiar with that routine, I began teaching her to sit for her treat. Now she will walk in the house and go right to the kitchen and sit, always on the same rug where she learned to sit for her treat!

Nothing has come easily or quickly. Now you know why I said I’ve learned to be more patient. If I had given up on her and left her treats without encouraging her to transition from one step to the next, she might still be having her treats alone when no one was around.

HTB: What were the biggest challenges when you first brought Darlin into your home?

CJ: Waiting for her to come out of her dog house! That was the longest three days of my life! I would sit at my window, watching and waiting. I never had a dog living outside so that bothered me, but I knew it was best to give her space and time to come out of her shell, away from noise and further confusion. Thankfully, we live in a warmer climate and it was spring. She refused food and treats which was difficult to imagine. She would turn her head away no matter what I offered her. Seeing her tremble and her labored breathing was not easy. She looked as if she was freezing as she shook with such intensity. She was heartworm positive which was of great concern. She was treated at home by a mobile vet. I wasn’t comfortable with anyone handling her, but I knew we shouldn’t wait to treat her. It’s a challenge for anyone to bring a dog home that is so frightened and mistrusting of humans. Dogs like Darlin’ need a lot of time and shouldn’t be pushed or they could be set back from any progress that has been made.

HTB: What have been the biggest rewards?

CJ: Just knowing that Darlin’ has a home for life, where she will be loved and cared for, makes my heart happy. I drive down the highway she used to cross often, and I’m still amazed that she is here with us. I don’t think I’ll ever drive by or go to the grocery store without thinking back on those six months when I fed her.

Every milestone Darlin’ has made has brought me so much joy. She still needs more time before she’s where I want her to be living as family dog, but every step she takes in learning to trust us has been a truly gratifying experience that I celebrate. I see her sweet, gentle spirit that wants so much to be a part of our family, but due to her past experiences it’s been very difficult for her to move forward. Knowing that side of her makes me want to help her even more. While she has been the most challenging dog I have ever owned, she’s also becoming one of my greatest achievements. I’m extremely proud of Darlin’.

HTB:What are the most important things that our readers should know about dog adoption:

CJ: Before adopting a dog one should consider the expense involved.

Dogs need more than feeding and a lot of dogs end up homeless due to the fact that the owners can no longer afford them. Dogs require yearly immunizations and in some states licenses. Depending on the climate, fleas or mosquitoes could be a big problem. The ideal solution to control these pests and keep your dog healthy would be to purchase recommended products from your vet, and not the cheap, substandard products that don’t work and could harm your pet. Heartworms can kill dogs, and the treatment is more expensive than preventative care. Depending on the size of dog, treatment could cost as much as a thousand dollars. Sometimes, but not always, purebred dogs tend to have more health issues than mixed breeds. Alternatively, some breeds are prone to specific health issues; one example is Luxated patella—a common knee problem in dogs. During early or midlife, the dog may be treated with anti-inflammatory medication; however, sometimes surgery is required later in life. In the event that a healthy dog requires emergency veterinarian care, the costs could amount to more than what one can afford.

Research breeds because your dog should be a lifetime commitment:

I have a friend with a small child and a newborn baby. He called me and stated that they wanted to get a dog and were thinking of a Husky or German shepherd. They have no previous experience with dogs whatsoever, so I didn’t hesitate in voicing my opinion and asked him to reconsider. I told him that my comments had nothing to do with any intolerance I had for the breeds he had chosen, but that I didn’t think either of those dogs would be a good match for their lifestyle. I also told him that the biggest reason I wanted them to reconsider was because I wanted them to keep their dog, and not resort to giving away a dog they couldn’t handle! He told me that he could appreciate that.

Adopting a dog should be given a great deal of thoughtful consideration. The dog you choose should fit your lifestyle. If you don’t vacuum often, a breed that blows its coat several times a year may not be right for you. If the dog is alone most of the day while you work, a high energy, active breed wouldn’t be suitable for that lifestyle. I heard that Eskie’s were vocal dogs, but at the time I really didn’t understand what that meant before owning mine. If you work the night shift and sleep during the day, you probably wouldn’t want your dog to howl at trains or sirens when you are trying to sleep. There are exceptions in every breed, but basic care and characteristics of the breed should always be considered. Animal Planet has done a great service to dogs and people with the show Dogs 101 because it offers valuable information on a variety of dog breeds.

In working with rescues I’ve run into all kinds of reasons why people give up their dogs. They had a baby and can’t keep the dog, which is how we got Sam, our Blue Heeler. Another reason is that the dog jumps on the children. Some dog breeds tend to get over-excited when children are running, especially a young dog or a dog that hasn’t been properly trained. Herding dogs sometimes corral the children. In addition, in my opinion, children should be taught appropriate behavior around the dog. Not long ago I read an ad where a beautiful white shepherd was heading for a kill shelter if someone didn’t take him that day. The lady stated that the dog nipped at her three year old when she pulled its tail. The number one reason why dogs are abandoned by previous owners is that they are moving and can’t keep the dog. Consider that if you were to relocate, would you be able to take your dog with you? We relocated two years ago 650 miles with 30,000 pounds of household goods, three cars, two teenagers, three dogs, and four cats. Never once did we consider leaving any of them behind, teenagers included.

The dog you meet may not be the same dog in six months:

One should allow a grace period of approximately two weeks for the dog to adapt to his new environment. Naturally, if the dog is fearful like Darlin’, it would require more time. In most cases your new dog will be adjusting to his new home and family during the first two weeks. If the dog is coming from a shelter environment, it might not have had much contact with people while there. Allow the dog a few weeks to adjust to his new home before assuming that his behavior will remain the same as when you introduced him to the home. As the dog becomes more comfortable in his new surroundings (usually within the first two months), you’ll learn more about his personality and sometimes see the signs of why he ended up abandoned. For instance, most newly adopted dogs that are barkers won’t bark right away. Once they become comfortable in the home and realize that the home is their new territory, they are more apt to be protective of it. A dog’s natural instinct is to protect its pack from intruders. Similarly, if the dog has any fear issues, destructive tendencies, or little quirks, you should see them during this time. Some dogs do come with issues; however, with proper guidance and training, most can be overcome. That said, there are numerous dogs in shelters and with rescue groups right now that need a loving home and have no issues whatsoever.

Adoption fees:

I’ve heard these questions so many times. “If the dog was pulled from the pound, why is there an adoption fee?” “If the dog was going to be euthanized and needs a home, why should I pay to get it off the shelters hands?” “Well, if I’m going to give it a home, why should I have to pay for it?” There seems to be some confusion in the public about the cost of adopting a dog from rescue groups and shelters.

The cost of adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue provides some assurance that the adopter can afford to meet the needs of the dog. Anyone that is willing to pay the adoption fee is more likely to have the resources to provide for the dog. Sure, there are people who can’t or won’t pay the fee, but could provide food and shelter for the dog; however, that would require more screening which takes time.

Dogs that are available for adoption have already received their vaccinations, micro chipping, and have been spayed or neutered. There may be more money invested in the dog than the adoption fee itself. Many dogs come to rescues ill with kennel cough (requiring antibiotics), skin problems, or worse, heartworms, and have received heartworm treatment and a clean bill of health. The new adopter basically pays those costs during the adoption process by paying the fee. The new owner gets to take the dog home knowing their new friend is healthy.

Lastly, no adoption fee puts any profit in the pockets of rescue groups or animal shelters. Most rescues work with inadequate funds and invest their own money to save these dogs. Some dogs spend years with rescues or in foster care waiting on a forever home. During those years, the dog not only requires food and lodging, but ongoing vet care to keep them current on vaccines and other necessary preventatives. For every dog that finds a home and an adoption fee has been paid, it means that another dog, maybe even two others, can be pulled and saved from imminent death. The cycle continues with hope that more dogs will be rescued and altered, helping to control the overwhelming homeless animal population. This is the only way that animal welfare groups can gain some level of control over the thousands of helpless creatures euthanized every day.

Finding a Way to Fill a Need

2009-11-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

This post is a little different than our usual interviews, but I think that K9friendsunited.com is a good example of how, when something is close to your heart, you can make a difference. Diarmuid, founder of K9friendsunited.com, didn't even have a dog when he started this endeavor, but he noticed a need and wanted to fill it. As you read this post, think about the following questions: What do you really care about? What creative way can you make a difference?

Where do I start, I suppose you have heard the old saying, that sometimes the most creative ideas can come from the most unexpected sources. I’m sure when you finish reading this you will agree; that they don’t come any more unexpected than me.

Finding a Way to Fill a Need
By Diarmuid Scullin

My name is Diarmuid Scullin I live in Cookstown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland and I am a long distance lorry driver.

It all started a couple of years ago on my long haul journeys throughout England and Ireland, I began to notice time after time as I drove through towns and villages, that dog owners the length and breath of the country who were out walking their dogs always tend to be on their own, very seldom did I ever see any of them walking together or stopping to talk to each other. I used to think why they don’t organize a meeting place where they could meet up and go for their walk together.

One night I was parked up in a truck stop, I was listening to a programme on the radio about the internet and web sites, which I found really interesting, they were discussing social networking sites like facebook, bebo and you tube, at the same time listening to the radio, I was watching a few people walking past the lorry with their dogs, some on one side of the road and some on the other side. I wondered then if there was one of these social networking web sites for dog owners.

When the programme ended it got me thinking, if there was one of those web sites for dog owners they could use it to meet up and chat to each other the way people use these other sites. I just took the idea into my head that I should look more into this, instead of lying in the lorry at night doing the usual boring nothing, I could start learning about computers and web sites and maybe through time I could try and make one of these sites for dog owners.

The only thing was I hadn’t a clue how to start, where to start, who to talk to or how to go about it, not a notion, I don’t even have a dog, although I am passionate about them. I have no formal training in computers or web design and I spent the first 3 months sorting the site out on a note books and bits of paper (I still do). I bought a second hand lap top that took me ten minutes to work out how to open it (that’s no joke) and my office is the cab of the lorry where everything is run from.

I tried to talk to web developers and explain what I intended to do but they wouldn’t listen, they didn’t want to know. Some laughed at the idea and said it was stupid that it would never work, some asked for thousands of pounds, some said it couldn’t be done and some just thought I was simply crazy. I thought how people like this can be so dismissive when they won’t listen to what I was saying. I put my heart, my soul and every bone in my body into finding out all there was to know about the workings of computers, the internet and web sites.

I trawled through libraries, read books, magazines and studied everything I could get my hands on till my eyes nearly fell out. I remember going into a book store once and coming across a book called, Web Sites for Dummies, I lifted it up looked at it and said quietly to myself, they must have knew I was coming. I knew in my heart it would work, everything I read and studied pointed to the fact that it could be done, it might not be straight forward, it might take a while to work it all out but it can be achieved, if nobody else can see the picture, I can and that’s all that mattered and by God it wasn’t going to beat me.

K9 Friends United fully supports and recognizes the very important and significant role of Dog Rescue Centres. They set the highest standards for dog welfare, from taking in unwanted and lost dogs, providing shelter and care, finding secure and loving homes, giving support and guidance to pet owners, they always strive to tackle the welfare crisis from every possible angle. We extend an open invitation to all Dog Rescue Centres to promote and advertise absolutely free. The vision of Dogs Rescue Centres is a world where all dogs are wanted, loved and cared for, k9 friends’ united share that vision with you. If there is any possible way that we can help or be of any assistance, please do get in touch, it would be a privilege and a pleasure to of service.

"Two Week Shutdown"

2009-10-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

(Juno, a dog who benefited from "The Two Week Shutdown")

I'm putting together our book about Pit Bulls, and one of my authors, Marva Burnett, who fosters for New Hope Pit Bull Rescue, mentioned some "new foster Two Week Shutdown" policy. Needless to say, I was interested in hearing more, since I'm a foster and the only "shutdown" my dogs get it when I put out my hand to get them to stop jumping on me. Maybe there's a better way?

Alicia from New Hope kindly wrote me back to give me more details. Here's what she said:

"I learned about [the two weeks shutdown] before I became involved in rescue. I adopted a second dog, Cyrus, much more laid back in personality than my crazy girl Deja! We figured we could leave him to roam the house the very first day! After losing some blinds and some trash, it was pretty obvious that wasn't the case. It was on either day two or three when he snapped at Deja over a toy. By nature, I'm a researcher. I'd joined a very valuable resource called The Pit Bull Forum a month or so prior to adopting and came to realize there were a ton of knowledgeable people there that I trusted would lead me the right direction. So, I posted my problem and asked for ideas.

Needless to say, I received a very stern, "You're moving too fast!" and was instructed to slow WAY down with things. At first, it didn't make any sense at all to me because Cyrus, to me, was a naturally GOOD dog. But, what did I have to lose except a dog that I wanted to be mine and that I had committed to? So, for a week straight, my dogs only saw one another in passing. Cyrus had newfound crate issues so it afforded me the chance to work on those things too while giving each dog their own time out. The second week, the dogs got VERY brief play sessions. About 10 minutes or so at first. Over the course of the next few weeks, we increased the time out. We reintroduced toys as well. Overall, it forced me to grow up and be a leader. With Cyrus's crate issues, it took about 2 months before we got to the point that both dogs were out at the same time when someone was home. And two this day, I KNOW that the shutdown SAVED another dog and also gave me the best two dogs ever :)

I've also used the shutdown with my new fosters and it really helps in laying groundwork and giving them a chance to de-stress. Just like with Marva, it helped everyone get to know one another slowly and allowed time for interactions to end on a positive note. I really can't speak highly enough about simply giving the dogs time when they come into a new home. The foster homes who haven't quite followed the two weeks are more likely to come to us with behavioral issues later on.

Anyhoo, when I sit here and look at my two laying on their blankets on the floor or when they're napping with me weekend afternoons, I thank all the stars for having people out there to be bold with me and tell me to slow it down. I'm confident that the simple advice given in the two week shutdown helped me in creating some harmony so that I could enjoy life with two dogs. I wouldn't trade them for the world."

Shelter Pet Project

2009-10-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing some commercials around about The Shelter Pet Project, a cooperation between the Ad Council, Humane Society, and Maddie's Fund to raise awareness about the importance of animal adoption. Here is some interesting information from their very cute website:

BACKGROUND:
According to The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund, of the eight million pets that enter animal shelters and rescue groups every year, approximately three million of these healthy and treatable pets are euthanized due to a lack of adoption. While there has been steady progress on the issue (in the 1970s approximately 24 million pets were euthanized), the continued euthanasia of our best friends and family members is a national tragedy.

Adopting a pet is a life-changing and enriching experience. When adopting a pet, people are obtaining companions that give them unconditional love, affection, and attention. Adopting a pet from a shelter not only saves an animal's life, but is also good for our own well-being as research shows that owning a pet has many positive psychological and physical health benefits. The animals rescued from shelters know you’ve saved their lives, and they typically treat their rescuers with lifelong loyalty and affection.

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES:
-To eliminate the stereotype that there’s something wrong with shelter pets.
-To make shelters the first choice and desired way for acquiring a companion animal, ultimately increasing the rate of animals adopted from shelters.
-To encourage people to visit www.theshelterpetproject.org, to find out more information about how to adopt a pet from a shelter. The website also includes a "Pet Personals" section, where users fill out a questionnaire and are then matched with potential pets from a local shelter or rescue group.

DID YOU KNOW?
-Each year approximately 4 million pets are adopted.
-Of the 8 million pets that enter animal shelters each year, approximately 3 million healthy and treatable pets are euthanized.
-It is estimated that 17 million people will acquire a pet within the next year.
-To save all the healthy and treatable pets that are euthanized, we just need 3 million of these people to adopt.
-In its 60 year history this is the first non-human focused issue that the Ad Council has worked on.

Dog Holidays Calendar

2009-10-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

(photo courtesy of Courtney Po Photography)

I thought I would depart from our usual interview format to bring you a fun way you can celebrate your adopted dogs: keep up with dog holidays on your calendar! I found a posting on Squidoo.com that actually tells you how to add a gadget (or whatever it's called) to your Google calendar that will automatically populate it with dog holidays. Check out the information at http://www.squidoo.com/dogholidays.

I found a more simplified pet holiday list at the Big Paw Designs website too: http://www.bigpawdesigns.com/napetho.html (I know nothing about their business - just was glad they had a calendar posted).

I was disappointed to find that we just missed "Squirrel Awareness Week!" Think of the fun we could have had with our dog: reading about squirrels together online, studying the different squirrels he should be chasing while out hiking; perhaps I would have even bought him a stuffed squirrel, but now he's going to have to wait until next year. Oh well, we still have "Cat Herders Day" to look forward to in December...

Dogspired!

2009-10-12T10:48:00.001-07:00

Leslie Brown is the chief editor of Dogspired, a great website for dog lovers to share stories. She's also a rescue advocate and the guardian of several adopted dogs. Here's her story:

HTB: I know you've rescued several dogs in your life. What prompted you to want to adopt a dog instead of buy one?

Leslie: I became very involved with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest sanctuary in the country. I began to understand how shelter dogs needed homes more than dogs from a breeder. My interest led me to be very aggressive in saving dogs from destructive homes and either fostering them or taking them to the Humane Society where they had a chance of finding a better home environment.

HTB: What are some challenges you've faced with your dogs that may be unique to the fact that they were rescues?

Leslie: Some of my rescue dogs were both wild and insecure, coming from a shelter or on the streets. Being older dogs for the most part, it was hard to train them, and although I gave them all the love that I could, they still carried around some scars from their puppyhood.

HTB: What is the greatest joy you've found in adopting dogs?

Leslie: I knew how much love I could give these dogs that were originally so sad and homeless. I was happy to give them a good home and a wonderful new life.

HTB: Tell us about Dogspired.com. What is it and how did you get involved?

Leslie: Originally, I found an ad on Craig’s List in the Seattle area calling for writers who love dogs. I was thrilled because I’ve been a writer for years, and have always had dogs. Dogspired looked like the perfect opportunity to share my stories about my many dogs. Most of the articles were and continue to be personal accounts of how inspiring being a companion to a dog can be. I added stories, and then asked about editing. I soon became Chief Editor, involved in the day-to-day writing and editing efforts of the blog. David (the founder) is amazing in how he manages the site, so it was easy to become passionate about making sure the articles, some correspondence, and some administrator involvement were the best that they could be.

HTB: How can the rescue community benefit from becoming a member of Dogspired.com?

Leslie: Dogspired is unique in that it allows for all kinds of stories about dogs, including many rescue stories, as well as any number of personal stories about dogs. The shelter stories are peppered with details about rescue and the joy that these dogs bring to people who adopt them. The rescue community can benefit from being involved with Dogspired by reading and becoming inspired by the many wonderful adoption stories that have happy endings.

An Extension of Her Motherhood: Sherry Carpenter--Journalist and Animal Care Provider

2009-10-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Guest feature by Walter Brasch

Ask Sherry Carpenter of Bloomsburg, Pa., anything about pets--any species, any breed--and she'll cheerfully give you the answer or find it for you. Just don't expect it to be a short conversation. She'll answer your question, then others you may not have asked, then others you didn't even know you needed to ask, leaping transitions of thought as quickly as she's available to help.

"As long as I'm talking, I'm always learning about others," she says. But, her rambling conversations are really a cover to keep others from probing too much into her life--"we're very private people," she says about her family. But, have a problem, especially about pets, and she'll talk all night if she has to, and she's not shy about talking about her English Springer Spaniels, three of whom were American Kennel Club champions.

Although she has raised AKC champions, her first English Springer Spaniel was from an SPCA shelter in New Jersey. "We had just lost Butch [a beagle]," she says, "and although we were still mourning him, we knew that you can't have a home without a dog." She doesn't remember why she chose Joy, but it was the first of many English Springer Spaniels who would be her companion.

Carpenter, an award-winning freelance journalist, is executive director of Animal-Vues, a national organization which promotes "compassion for animals, and to help strengthen the bond between animal professionals and the public." She takes no salary from Animal-Vues, and accepts only a fraction of the expenses to which she's entitled. "The work is more important," she says. In 1984, she and Dr. George Leighow, a Danville, Pa., veterinarian, founded Animal-Vues. The organization is an outgrowth of "Animal Crackers," a popular weekly radio show they hosted for more than a decade on WCNR-AM (Bloomsburg). Animal-Vues, says Carpenter, "has given my life focus, purpose, vitality, and joy." Animal-Vues has developed dog bite prevention programs, and is now working with local agencies to help autistic children to be able to be safe with dogs.

Among Animal-Vues' other missions is one to assist in training individuals and local governments about emergency disaster evacuation. Until four years ago, most disaster organizations refused to take pets, forcing their human companions either to abandon them or not seek shelter. Hurricane Katrina changed a lot of attitudes. Television cameras showed the tragedy of abandoned animals, but it also showed another reality. "Far too many people refused to be evacuated in New Orleans unless their pets could go with them," says Carpenter. Animal-Vues, which had pushed for pet evacuation for years, finally was able to help local and state governments figure out ways to provide shelter not just for people but their pets as well.

In addition to one-to-one counseling, Carpenter also taught non-credit classes about dogs and dog training at Bloomsburg University. Her six-session classes, with veterinarians as guest speakers, one of whom later became the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), covered first aid, animals rights, and grief counseling. "It put me in touch with pet owners, and gave me more purpose in what I do," she says.

This caring 77-year-old was always surrounded by animals, almost in opposition to her parents who, she says, "were not animal friendly." As a child, Carpenter brought frogs' eggs home and watched tadpoles hatch and go through metamorphosis to become an adult frog. She also had dogs and cats, turtles, rabbits, and birds--"any animal that can love you back," says Christian, her younger daughter and co-owner of Murphy Communications, an advertising/public relations firm in State College, Pa. But she especially loves horses. As a teenager, she and Red, a horse "with a lot of personality and playfulness," would go into the woods. "I'd ride him sometimes, but we often just walked together," she says. They'd stop, chat, rest, and think. Like many animals, Red died violently. A man who was boarding Red became annoyed at some of the horse's antics "and just shot him," says Carpenter. "You never get over that." She never owned another horse.

In one of the few contradictions in her life, although Carpenter is uncompromising in opposing cruelty to animals, she also believes that hunting is necessary, but "I couldn't be a hunter myself." Her father, a businessman, was a hunter and trapper. As her father became older, says Carpenter, "he became more compassionate," although he still enjoyed duck hunting. She doesn't talk much about her mother, except to say she was a Realtor and art gallery owner who liked to shoot birds.

Carpenter entered St. Lawrence University on a New York State Regent's Scholarship, planning to become a physician. In her senior year, she married, and decided to go to graduate school in education not medicine "so I could devote more time to raising a family." She earned an M.A. in one year at Alfred University, and then went to the University of Buffalo for doctoral work in psychology with additional courses at the medical school. She thought she could handle the demands of motherhood, psychology, and medicine. Six months into her first year of doctoral study, Carpenter dropped out.

"They were operating on brain centers in cats to test responses," says Carpenter, who says she will never forget having to decapitate the animals in order to take histological samples while the animals were still alive, then hearing their death gurgles. "I didn't like it," she says, not defiantly, but with reluctant acceptance. She pauses, thinks a bit, as if searching for the right words, and then quietly adds that the other reason she couldn't continue was "because I decided I'd rather be a mother full-time," something she could do to help develop life, not take it.

"She always wanted to be at home when we came home," recalls her older daughter, Sherilee, now an editor at Penn State. At home, Carpenter made sure her daughters developed a love of reading and writing. "She loved books about horses and dogs, but we read everything we could," says Sherilee, recalling that the family "seldom watched TV." Their mother "was pretty strict about that."

She was also strict about establishing rules and "making us be good to people," says Christian. "She taught us the spiritual side of life and what school can't teach you."

Carpenter says she was neither helped nor hindered by the feminist movement for equality, even when confronted by the flaming rhetoric that questioned why women would want to give up careers for motherhood. "Equality really means that each woman should be allowed to be whatever she can be," says Carpenter, proudly stating she is "so much because I am a mother."

Both daughters, when younger, constantly said they wanted to be mothers--"just like Mom." They married, but neither gave birth. "For many years, their nurturing instincts," says their mother, "have been sharpened by cats and dogs."

In 1969, Carpenter's husband, William, by then a corporate executive, had a stroke at the age of 39, leaving his left side paralyzed. "He had given up hope for recovery," says Carpenter, noting "I don't remember how many times I saw him fall." But he had the support of his wife and a special assistant. "Willie just looked at him and wondered what he was doing," says Carpenter. " Willie was an English Springer Spaniel, Ch. Holly Hills Winged Elm—"We called him Willie Lump Lump," says Carpenter. Willie was one of the first therapy dogs, an affectionate 50 pound bundle of encouragement. Willie helped William regain his will to do the necessary exercises to regain mobility; there was never any question as to which breed Sherry Carpenter would prefer over the next four decades. Because of Willie, Carpenter's husband improved and "never had to go on permanent disability."

The Carpenters had received Willie from the wife of a Penn State professor. "She told us that when Willie received his championship, we could have him." It's not uncommon for show dog owners to give away males, says Carpenter, noting " the female is more important in breeding."

Willie, "who gave us a great deal of joy," died in 1978. "He just laid down under an apple tree and died," says Carpenter. Willie, the fourth English Springer Spaniel the Carpenters owned was 10 years old. "He was such an influence on my life that I decided to pursue writing in order to give back to him all he had given to me." Carpenter thinks a moment, makes a couple of random thoughts, and then quietly adds, "I hope there will be service dogs like Willie for all our returning veterans suffering from physical or emotional disabilities."

Carpenter's husband, having regained most of his muscle use except for his left arm, eventually returned to a career in corporate personnel, including work at Johnson & Johnson in Somerville and Princeton, N.J., the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.; and as personnel director of Centre County, Pa., home of Penn State, where both daughters graduated with journalism degrees. "I still go to the home football games," says Carpenter, almost as agile in climbing the steps to Beaver Stadium in 2009 as she did in the early 1970s when her daughters were journalism students at Penn State. Sherry and William Carpenter separated in the early 1990s; William died in 1998. By then, Sherry Carpenter had established herself as a journalist. Writing "was my own therapy," she says.

She had written her first magazine article while a high school student, using the income to "buy presents for my family and friends." During her four decade career, she was a newspaper reporter and columnist in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a radio news director, a public relations account executive, and a substitute teacher, all part-time jobs, always a full-time mother. For almost 20 years, she wrote a monthly column for Dog World magazine. It was the first column to focus upon the Canine Good Citizen program, which is open to all breeds, whether pure-bred or mixed. Dogs must pass the program to become therapy or rescue dogs. Carpenter proudly recalls, "In some way, I hope my column had been the reason why that program expanded." Equally proud, she has kept many of the letters she received from readers "who said they learned something from my column."

Carpenter also wrote a weekly column for the Danville Daily News and the Sunbury Daily Item, both of them Pennsylvania dailies, and several articles for the AKC Gazette. She is the winner of five Maxwell medals from the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA). In addition to her column, she was honored by the DWAA for a video about the Canine Good Citizen program and a widely-used handbook for police officers to learn how to deal with dangerous dogs. She and Leighow also won a special DWAA award for their Animal Crackers radio show. Among other awards she received for her writing are two from the New Jersey Press Association and the Thomas Paine Award for Citizen Journalism. The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association honored her in 2005 for her columns, one of the few times the PVMA gave any award to someone not a veterinarian.

Her insight into both psychology and medicine gives her a special perspective few writers have. She occasionally reviews scientific articles for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and often contributes book reviews. "As a non-veterinarian, especially, it's a real mark of distinction," she says, her pride evident that she has been making a difference for pets, their companions, and those who work with them.

Like many who work for others, Sherry Carpenter doesn't have a large income, now living off of social security, a few investments, and small monthly checks from her writing. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you make as long as you enjoy what you're doing," she says. She pauses again, another of her rare pauses. She doesn't say much more about what she intentionally hides about her life, but she reveals all anyone needs to know. "Everything I do is an extension of my motherhood," she says. "That's just who I am."

For further information about Animal-Vues, contact the association at 570-784-037 or read the Carpenter blog

[Walter M. Brasch, an award-winning former newspaper reporter and editor, is a syndicated social issues columnist and professor of journalism at Bloomsburg University. His latest book is Sex and the Single Beer Can, a probing and humorous look at the nation's media. You may contact him through his website, www.walterbrasch.com]

A Man and His Bike Make a Difference

2009-09-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Steve Martin and a group of friends founded Ride 2 The Rescue, a great example of how two passions - dog rescue and bicycling - can support each other. I hope this interview inspires you to take a look at your own passions and hobbies and see how you can use them for a greater good. Here's what Steve has to say about it:

HTB: Steve, tell me a little about your history with dogs. My understanding is that you lost your dog Jake, and in looking for a new dog you came to know about Lab rescue. Was Jake a rescue? What inspired you to become passionate about Lab rescue?

SM: No, Jake wasn't a rescue, but he was probably the reason we got so involved. He had a joint disorder as a pup (an OCD in the elbow.) The breeder offered to take him back, but of course we loved him too much by then -- and all his naughtiness. So, we agreed to accept his half sister, Sadie and get him a companion. She was eight months old, sweet and they hit it off instantly.

After Jake passed some 10 years later (bad to the last, stealing paper out of the trash before our last trip to the vet!) we went looking for another dog for Sadie. From our past experience we went back to breeders looking for an adult dog -- we were done with puppies. They turned us on to Lab Rescue. It was there passion and dedication that really got us hooked. Our contact, Pam, was so concerned about us, our emotions and finding the perfect dog for our environment, we couldn't help but feel part of their "family."

We rescued Emily, a sweet chocolate girl to round out our home and be there for Sadie. And, when Sadie passed from age and complications from diabetes, we adopted Shilo.

Sadly, Emily died suddenly and too young, so we are on the lookout yet again!

HTB: What is Ride 2 The Rescue? How does it work?

SM: Ride 2 The Rescue is a group of friends who share similar passions; cycling and dogs. My friends up north convinced me to train for a long ride in the mountains of Virginia, The Mountain Mama. It ended up being the most physically challenging thing I have ever done to date. The hard part was getting fit for mountain climbs when I live in flat, coastal Florida. So I began packing on the miles. Being summer, in Florida, it was hot -- exceptionally hot. As I rode I asked myself, what are you doing this for -- this is crazy? And right then I decided I could do it if I had the right motivation. Raising money for Lab Rescue and shelters seemed the most fitting. I talked to my friends to get involved, we started writing, designing and building the web site http://www.ride2therescue.com. The Web site is basically how we raise money and awareness, aside from word of mouth and tying in with other groups. But the message is we'll do the hard part by riding the miles, you just have to donate a little for our efforts.

HTB: Do you have any plans to fundraise for other rescues, or would you recommend others set up their own ride for rescue programs if they enjoy biking and would like to support rescue?

SM: Honestly, I focus on Lab Rescue but hope that other riders might join in and expand our efforts -- it is definitely needed. We ride events for a sense of camaraderie with a cause, but I would encourage people to share in our goals or start theirs locally. Cycling events happen all across the country all year long, and if you have a passion, it is a great "vehicle" for fund raising. One event we participate in has over 6,300 riders. That is a lot of impressions to see our logo and promote our Web site.

HTB: http://www.ride2therescue.com/How successful have your efforts been to date?

SM: Our first year we raised over $2900. The best part was I later found out that Lab Rescue was out of money and my ride saved the group and helped them rebuild. Last year was tougher for several reasons, the economy mostly so we only garnered a fraction of year one's funds. But this year's efforts have already surpassed last year and I haven't even done my "official" first event yet. That shows promise for my cause and Lab Rescue.

HTB: What do you hope is the future for Ride 2 The Rescue?

SM: I hope Ride 2 The Rescue becomes well recognized across the country and becomes a way for cyclist to ride for a reason other than themselves. I have riders that participate from Florida, to the Carolina's, DC and Minnesota. I would like to see my group help spread the wealth to other rescue groups in their respective regions.

HTB: Give us three reasons that people should adopt:

SM: First, you get a dog that is thoroughly vetted, hopefully, by a rescue group and foster. As for Lab Rescue they make sure the dog is right for us, and we are right for the dog.

Dogs have no voice, they have no choice, only destiny. By adopting you can write that destiny with a "yappy ending."

Dogs only want to love unconditionally. So with an adoption and fee, in my opinion, money can buy you love.

Beyond the Myth of Pit Bulls

2009-09-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

In preparing for our upcoming book, "Lost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories of Pit Bulls," I was recently introduced to Libby Sherrill, the creative heart behind the upcoming documentary Beyond The Myth. Going into editing the book, I knew nothing about Pit Bulls - in fact, I thought that "Pit Bull" was an actual breed (it's not!). I'm learning so much, and this interview that Libby graciously granted me has been the icing on the cake. It's a bit lengthy, but please read through the whole thing. I think that some of this information about Pit Bulls will surprise you!

HTB: What is your history with Pit Bull rescue? How did you get involved?

LS: I have an American Pit Bull Terrier (or what looks to be), Fern Blossom. She was rescued from the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee, and when a co-worker approached me with her pictures…well, I just couldn’t resist. My co-worker had heard that I was producing a film about pit bulls and so she thought, “Hey this would be a perfect fit.” She couldn’t have been more right. Fern is my first dog as an adult and she came to me a few months after production started on Beyond the Myth.

But even before I rescued Fern, I knew two other pit bulls, Angus and Boris who won my heart immediately. Even my 75-year-old mother (who is generally afraid of dogs) fell in love with them and learned that they are not bad dogs simply because they are of the bully breed. Angus and Boris are rescues too, and what a pair they are. Angus came from a local shelter and Boris hopped in my friend’s truck on a rainy night in downtown Knoxville (with a bullet in his head). Angus is hyper and needy and Boris is laid back and confident. Both are handsome fellows. Before Angus and Boris came into my life, I really didn’t know anything about pit bulls or the discrimination they and their owners face. Fern, Boris and Angus opened my mind and heart and I’m grateful for their influence.

For the record, there is no breed of dog officially know as a “pit bull.” For simplicity’s sake, we’ll say that the phrase pit bull is a catch-all for dogs with characteristics resembling that of the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

HTB: How did you come up with the idea of Beyond the Myth? What is it?

LS: I developed the concept as part of my senior project while attending graduate school at the University of Tennessee. I received my M.S. in Communications a little over two years ago, and left an eight-year career with Scripps Networks (HGTV) to produce Beyond The Myth. It wasn’t until this past December that I decided the title for the film would be “Beyond the Myth” and ironically, it was my mother (the person who used to fear pit bulls but now sleeps with Fern when she visits) who first suggested it. There were many other titles thrown around but none seemed to stick like Beyond the Myth.

The number-one goal of this film is to inform an uneducated and misguided public about the true pit bull-type dog and the weaknesses of breed specific legislation. Innocent companion animals (like Coco in Denver) are being murdered and responsible owners are being discriminated against and made to suffer because their dogs have certain physical characteristics. You can read Coco’s story on our website. Be prepared to cry. As one interviewee put it referring to the number of pit bulls being killed in cities like Denver, Cincinnati, and Miami, “It’s a canine holocaust.”

HTB: What are the biggest misconceptions about Pit Bulls? Why do you think the breed has been so singled out as "bad?"

LS: A few of the biggest myths about pit bulls are that they are inherently vicious, that they have locking jaws, and that they are not good with children. All untrue. No breed of dog has a locking jaw and the bite pressure per square inch (psi) of a pit bull is only 320 psi (humans average 175-200psi). This number, according to a test administered by National Geographic, is actually lower than that of Dobermans and German Shepherds. And, as for children, pit bulls were once referred to as nanny dogs in England. They can get along with kids just as well as any other breed, and better in many cases!

The number one reason that pit bulls have gotten a bad rap is biased media reports on dog attacks, or what I like to refer to as the agenda-setting function of the press. The agenda-setting theory states that the mass media has a large influence on audiences by their choice of what stories to consider newsworthy and how much prominence and space to give them.

The first level of influence occurs because of the amount of coverage a news source gives to a dog attack. Based on my research, when a “pit bull” attacks, the media picks it up and it’s reprinted and aired all over via many different mediums (tv, newspaper, etc.). Here, the media is telling you WHAT TO THINK ABOUT. All of the attention causes a grandma in small town Kentucky with no personal experience of pit bulls to think, “Gee, this news story is everywhere, it must be important.”
The second level of influence occurs when there is a dog attack that involves what the media “believes” (often times dogs are misidentified) to be pit bull type dog. Because headlines so often include the words “pit bull” and “attack,” an association is immediately created between pit bull and attack. Here again, the media is telling you WHAT TO THINK. Of course grandma thinks pit bulls must be vicious if they are constantly attacking people.

Know this: when there is a dog attack that involves what the media believes to be of another breed of dog, the media often omits the breed from the headline so no association is created in the minds of the audience, and many times the story isn’t published at all. So, by deferment, people believe that no other breeds attacks except pit bulls. The bottom line is that the press has created an illusionary correlation between pit bulls and dog attacks.

There are many other underlying environmental factors that are ignored, but you’ll have to watch Behind The Myth to learn about them – it’s too much to talk about in one post. One other thing to note, however, is that pit bulls have been labeled as vicious “fighting dogs,” but the true viciousness rests in the heart of man. Despite being illegal in all 50 states, the cruel, inhumane, immoral blood “sport” of dog fighting continues to thrive. Pit bulls are the most desired type of dog to use for fighting because of their prey drive and gameness, their athleticism, their tenacity, musculature, and willingness to please—all traits that can be just as easily fostered to create a wonderful family companion. Just look at the Michael Vick dogs - many of the survivors have been rehabilitated and moved on to live a happy dogs life with a loving family.

HTB: What are three things you would tell someone who wants to get a Pit Bull?

LS: 1. Temperament:
Pit bulls are very affectionate, people loving (even with kids), loyal, and intelligent, and are often times downright silly hambones. They are usually very energetic and need more exercise than many breeds. Many people say that the most dangerous thing on a pit bull is its tongue (my friend calls it a bovine kiss) and wagging tail! I can speak from experience on that one! But seriously, they are very athletic dogs that are generally eager to please and usually exhibit a high prey drive, which makes them very trainable, Around 85 % of the Pit Bulls (American Pit Bull Terriers) tested by The American Temperament Test Society pass, which is 1% higher than Golden Retrievers, and almost 20% higher than standard schnauzers (%66 pass rate). You can see all stats here http://www.atts.org/stats7.html.

2. Consider rescuing a pit bull in need:
Before you decide to purchase a puppy from a pet store or backyard breeder, remember that pit bulls are the most abused, abandoned dog of our time, and shelters across the country are full of them. Based on my research, pit bulls and pit bull mixes can account for 60% of the total number of dogs in shelters, regardless of the geographical location. There are thousands of loving, adoptable pit bulls waiting to go home with a loving family.

3. Do your Research:
Know the breed you have, and regardless of breed, never leave your child alone with a dog. We are the caretakers and should be in attendance to monitor the dog/child interaction. Research your breed and give your dog the attention and care that promotes both a sound mind and body. Since pit bulls are very energetic, they need a lot of time from their caretakers and will thrive in an environment where they have room to be themselves. If you rescue a pit bull, make sure he or she can get along well with any other animals that you may have. Dogs of any breed can exhibit dog-on-dog aggression, so have shelter or rescue help you determine which pit bull is right for you.

HTB: What are three ways people can help fight the Pit Bull myths?

LS: People can break stereotypes by being responsible owners and giving their dogs proper/adequate obedience training, socialization, exercise and medical care.

1. Make your pit bull a breed ambassador:
Take your well-behaved dog to parks and events; make them very public. Take pictures of your dog with your kids and put those pics on Facebook, etc. Show people that your pit bull is a member of your family, not a dog you’re chaining up in the backyard. Get your pit CGC (Canine Good Citizen certified) and frame his or her certificate so all your friends can see! And, if you don’t have a pit bull but know someone who does, introduce those friends and their dog to your family, co-workers and other friends. Meet up with them at dog parks and let people see your dog of a different breed interact with a pit bull.

2. Address behavioral issues:
All owners should openly address any unstable behavior and aggressiveness right away by contacting a trainer or behaviorist who can work with the dog in question. These responsible owner criteria are not just applicable to pits, but to all breeds.

3. Go Beyond the media hype:
Educate people and encourage everyone you know to think for themselves instead of letting the media tell them what to think; and of course, introduce as many people as you can to your well-mannered pittie. A positive personal experience is the best defense you can provide against some person’s misconception/bias that all pit bulls are vicious.

HTB: What are you going to do once you have completed Beyond the Myth? What's next?

LS: Wow, that’s a tough question! Once Beyond the Myth is completed (late 2009), I’ll hopefully be touring the country showing the film in independent art houses/theatres and holding educational screenings at Universities and at dog/animal advocacy events. We’re taking the show on the road! Sign up to our mailing list to find out if we’ll be in a town near you.

HTB: Hey readers, feeling inspired to help some Pitties? The Beyond The Myth folks are selling some great t-shirts to help fund the production of their documentary. Please support them by picking up a shirt!

Part-Time Dogs: The Facts about Fostering

2009-09-06T06:56:00.001-07:00

Part 1: So You Love Dogs, and You’re Thinking about Fostering

Fostering is a wonderfully rewarding way to help animals in need of rescue, but you must be ready for the challenges. The following bullets cover important considerations a family should address before deciding to become a foster. This is the first in a three-part series that will take you through the process of becoming a good foster parent.

1. Would your home be good for a foster?
Foster dogs have a variety of different needs, so rescue organizations need a variety of different homes. Having children, other animals, or even living in an apartment does not necessarily disqualify you from becoming a foster. If you are a renter, you need to have consent from your landlord. You usually need a fenced-in yard, and everyone in the home should be committed to caring for the foster.

2. Do you have enough time to care for a foster?
While it can sometimes be stressful, fostering should generally be an enjoyable experience. If adding a foster dog to your life is going to put such constraints on you that you become unhappy, you shouldn’t do it! Depending on the breed, you’ll need to allocate time for a long walk at least three times a day, as well as time for other dog-fun activities (don’t forget cuddle time, too!).

3. Will a foster dog be a financial burden?
Rescue organizations normally pick up the costs for foster dog medical care, but that is where the financial assistance ends. Fosters are responsible for providing food, treats, toys, bedding, and whatever else the dog might need. Don’t forget the cost of a dog walker if you work all day – it’s not healthy for the dog to be crated for long periods of time without a break. These costs aren’t immense, but you should be aware of them.

4. How will your other pets feel about foster dogs?
Some dogs and cats would love a playmate while others prefer to be left alone. Some animals will learn to tolerate the revolving door of new additions to your home, but if your current pet is truly a loner, it is important to respect that pet’s feelings.

5. Are you prepared to take them in, and then let them go?
“Foster failure,” when the foster ends up adopting their foster animal, is a relatively common occurrence, but it can’t happen with every foster because then you would have a farm. To be a good foster, you must be able to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with connecting a family and an animal for the betterment of both.

6. What is your vision of a “foster dog?”
Sometimes you’ll get lucky with the perfect dog. However, they are not all potty trained. Some bite. Others have the worst gas you have ever smelled. Almost every foster dog, even if he came from a good home, will keep you up during the first few nights as you try and figure each other out. A few nights may be all there is before the dog goes to his forever home, but it could also be months. Are you ready for it?

Foster dogs can be fun, loving, playful temporary companions, but they can also be a lot of work. Almost any organization will allow you to give them a preference for foster dogs according to your specific needs, but even with a perfect fit you’ll need to have patience as the dog adjusts to your home. Before following your heart into taking a dog into your home, please be sure to check-in with your brain to ensure that you, your family, and your other pets are truly ready (that goes for adopting “forever” dogs, too!).

The next article in this three-part series is entitled “I’ve Decided to Foster… Now How Do I Get a Dog?” It discusses the different types of organizations needing fosters and what to do with your foster dog once you get one.

Gearing Up for Puppy Mill Awareness Day

2009-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Carol Araneo-Mayer, one of the founders of Puppy Mill Awareness Day, has been in animal rescue since 1967. She started with the Nutley Animal Welfare League and has worked with Companion Animal Welfare and People for Animals. She has worked with Adopt-A-Pet, which specializes in handicapped animals and puppy mill dogs, for the past 14 years. She is a vegetarian with three dogs and two cats, who is married to a wonderful man who supports her causes. She believes that dogs should not be chained or penned and that farm animals should be treated with kindness and compassion.

We interviewed Carol to find out more about Puppy Mill Awareness Day:

HTB: How did you come up with the idea for Puppy Mill Awareness Day? When?

CAM: In early 2004, Kathy, Walter and myself (co-founders), decided to hold an event in Pennsylvania to educate the public regarding the plight of the breeding dogs held in the barns and sheds in Lancaster and the surrounding areas. We had been to an event previously and wanted the public's education to continue.

HTB: Are you working with people around the country to host Puppy Mill Awareness Day in locations other than Lancaster?

CAM: Yes. We are urging everyone who cannot be with us in Pennsylvania to hold their own PMAD, to bring attention to the plight of the breeding dogs held in cages across the country and in other countries whose only value is for the puppies they produce. Presently we have a link on our site called "One Day One Voice" the events being held are listed there. New events are coming daily and there is one being held in England, as they have a "Puppy Farm" problem as well.

HTB: What is your favorite thing about the event?

CAM: Meeting the puppy mill survivors and their owners. Those dogs and their families are our best educational tool. Once a mill survivor moves into your neighborhood most people are never the same. For each survivor there is a story and that story needs to be told time and time again. Those stories are what we hope will keep people from buying pet store puppies and internet puppies.

HTB: What has been the most challenging thing in putting the event together?

CAM: Coordinating all the groups and guests, and worrying that the public will come out and join us. Presently we have over 40 rescue groups registered for this years event. This year we are honored to have Victoria Stilwell world renowned dog trainer and star of Its Me or The Dog and Rescue Ink, they will be staring in their own Nat Geo show shortly.

HTB: What are three things people can do to help fight against animal cruelty (and puppy mills in particular)?

CAM: 1. We ask that everyone boycott pet stores that sell pets. Not only should you not buy a puppy but should not buy supplies or food at these stores. 2. Adopt your next pet, go to a reputable rescue group or shelter. 3. Spay and Neuter your pets. The shelters are filled with homeless dogs and cats, there aren't enough homes to go around.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day will be held in Lancaster, PA on September 18th. I'll be there. Will you? Find more information at AwarenessDay.org

Spotlight on Jessica Stout

2009-08-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Jessica Stout has been in the animal care profession for over 12 years, with an emphasis on animal rescue and advocacy. She began her career at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, before becoming a veterinary technician and staying in emergency medicine for 5 years with several organizations, including the San Francisco SPCA.

After several years as Animal Care Manager for Solano County Animal Control, she went on to become General Manager for Wag Hotels, a start-up chain of luxury pet hotels.

Jessica is currently employed with Born Free USA, a non-profit organization that advocates for wild and exotic animals in captivity and entertainment, as well as other key global issues involving wild animals.

HTB: How did you become involved with animal advocacy?

JS: I knew from the time that I was a small girl that I wanted to work with animals. I had relatives with a farm and the typical feral cats that were breeding out of control. The kittens always had, what I now realize was, Upper Respiratory Infection. I remember always trying to clean their eyes out and alleviate their discomfort. By the time I was 8, I was performing "health check-ups" on the family cats. When I was 14, I finally started volunteering my weekends at a veterinary hospital, learning everything that I could.

HTB: What are the top three things you think people should know about dog rescue and/or the pet industry?

JS: The first, and foremost, is to be kind to your local animal shelter workers! They have a thankless, and often heart wrenching, job. I know that sometimes they can seem a bit gruff, but its important to know that most times, it is an armor. You have to take-on a bit of a gruff exterior, or that job will wreck you. For more insight into that, see my article, "Confessions of a Euthanasia Technician." It gives a very frank glimpse into what life is like for a shelter worker.

The second is to remember that private rescue groups are usually all volunteers and use their own time, home, money, and resources, to rescue these dogs. I have heard people balk at adoption fees. With adoptions, you are getting a dog that has been fixed, dewormed, deflead, and vaccinated; at a minimum. Some of these rescues have to invest even more money into an animal if they have further health problems. You are not in anyway paying these adoption fees to help the rescuers live the high-life. Most times, rescues lose money each year.

The final thing is, don't be fooled into thinking that "kill" shelter (usually the city/county shelter) are some inherently evil entity, and "no kill" shelters are the counter-part. I have heard so many people say that they are going to adopt their animals from a "no kill" shelter so that they can support them over the "kill" shelter. The truth of the matter is this: many "no kill" shelters get around it by not actually killing animals on the premises. They usually have a contract with the city/county shelter where they can have the animals euthanized there. Every *single* city/county-run shelter at which I have worked, had this contract. I had one "no kill" shelter bring us 72 cats, in one day, to be euthanized. The reality is, there are too many animals in this nation to have "no kill" shelters. I think it is a fantastic idea, and a wonderful movement, but right here and right now, it is just not realistic. Supporting a "kill" shelter is just as important, because they are on the front lines.

HTB: What are three ways that people can help dogs in need?

J: One of the easiest ways to help is using Goodsearch! It is a search engine, just like Google, but before you search, you put in the verified charity of your choice, and then for every search that you do on their website, that charity gets a donation. How simple is that?

The second is, next time you are at your veterinarians office, ask them if they have a "Good Samaritan" fund and give them a donation towards it! Most veterinarians have this fund in place to cover the costs of sick, or injured, stray and homeless animals that are brought to them by good samaritans. For example: When I was still working as an emergency veterinary technician, I saw a lot of people who accidentally hit an animal with their car, and were caring enough to stop and bring the animal in to us to save. The "Good Samaritan" fund covers these types of situations.

Lastly, open your heart and your home up to fostering an animal. Every new foster home means one more animal that can be rescued. You may not feel like you are making a big difference by rescuing one, but to that one, it makes a big difference.

HTB: What are your goals for your animal advocacy website?

JS: I have big plans for animaladvocating.com! My mission is to change the face of animal advocacy. I am making a distinction between "advocacy" and "activist". Right now I see that, in general, "animal activist" tends to conjure up some images of extreme measures being taken in the name of animals. I think that this is off-putting for the general population, who would like to help, but are intimidated. While extreme measures and philosophies may have been useful 20 years ago, when
animal issues were not as much in the spotlight and we needed to get attention for them, times have changed, the general public opinion has changed, and so our strategies and techniques need to change. This is why I use "advocate". It is about working on the behalf of animals, with the public; not alienating the public. If I am working on a dog-saving project, and someone who loves dogs, but also attends rodeos or animal circuses wants to help; great! Its about that project and what that person can offer to further it. More animals get saved that way, and that is great.

I am currently working on a book that will look at some common, and older, strategies and how newer philosophies and strategies can be more effective in today's society.

HTB: I understand you are involved with a movie about Pit Bulls. Tell us about it.

JS: Pit Bull advocacy and education is the animal issue about which I am most passionate. In all of my experience in shelter and advocacy work, I have found that they are the most falsely demonized and horrendously mistreated breed. The media knows what the public wants, and so they will give it to them.

Pit Bulls have been built up to be this horrible, monstrous, breed, and so people love to tune in to hear about the latest misdeed committed by a Pit Bull. The fact is, there are currently over 25 breeds that are commonly misidentified by the media as Pit Bulls, and further, the media rarely reports on any other breed of dog when it attacks someone. People get bitten or attacked by dogs on a daily basis, yet all we ever really hear about are the incidences occurring with Pit Bulls, or dogs alleged to be Pit Bulls.

Every breed has a member of that breed that has bitten or attacked another animal or person; Pit Bulls are no different. It comes down to responsible breeding, and how they are raised. Breeders have jumped on the bandwagon of the breeds popularity, and are breeding poor quality dogs, and many people who buy the breed know very little about the breed, and do not give their dog proper, consistent training. "Beyond the Myth" is a documentary currently in production that is aimed to show the side of the breed, and the issues faced by them, that those of us that are actual professionals in the animal care field have encountered. Directed and Produced by Libby Sherrill, of Cover Y'all productions, this is a very important movie in getting our message out. I am currently organizing a Fashion Show Fundraiser, "Pits and Fash", to benefit the completion of the documentary. Those who are in the Sacramento area are invited to come see us! Those who are unable to attend, but would like to donate and learn more about the documentary, can visit www.beyondthemythmovie.com.

HTB: What do you love most about your own rescued pets?

JS: I can only pick one thing? Lol. What I love most about my rescued animals is that they keep me driven and motivated. When I am feeling overwhelmed with too many projects, or like I just don't feel like working, I look at my dog who came from a hoarding case where 800 dogs were in a triple-wide mobile home, or my other dog who was abandoned on the streets at the age of 12, or my cat who was left on the doorstep of a the veterinary hospital at which I worked, and I remember again why I do what I do.

Hopefully This Will Get Me Started!

2009-07-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ugh - the links aren't appearing in my cut and paste. If you'd like to read more about any of these articles, please visit Happy Tails Books. You'll be able to click on links there.

Thanks!

Puppy Mill and Dog Breeding News

7/25 Connecticut Passes Puppy Mill "Lemon Law." The CT SB 499-Puppy Lemon Law and Trace Back Bill has finally completed its legislative journey. On Wednesday, July 8, Connecticut Governor Rell signed this important humane legislation into law. (more)

7/21 California Puppy Mill Ban: A bill that aims to discourage puppy mills has cleared the California Public Safety Committee and heads to the Appropriations Committee. (more)

7/18 CA: After voting against Assemblyman Pedro Nava’s bill to crackdown on “puppy mills” Tuesday, a senate committee reconvened Thursday to approve the legislation. (more)

7/15 CA Pet Store Sells Rescue Dogs Instead. Since having a change of heart, the owner of Pet's Delight claims to have lost $30,000 in paying medical bills for the sick dogs she has sold. However, she says that she is going to stay the course and continue not selling dogs from puppy mills, after having done so for 20 years. (more)

7/14 TN Gov. Phil Bredesen signed The Tennessee Commercial Breeder Act into law. It "requires that these mass dog producing facilities operate as legitimate businesses, subject to licensure and inspection." (more)

7/9 Many dogs seized and people arrested in dog fighting raids. U.S. attorneys in four of the states announced related indictments accusing 26 people of cruelties ranging from denying animals medical treatment to shooting dogs in the head when they didn't fight well, then throwing their carcasses into a river or burning them in a barrel. (more)

7/8 Heddins Ranch and Kennel is finally busted for animal cruelty, after ten years of complaints. Almost 500 dogs from the kennel are now being housed at warehouse owned by Chesapeake Energy until it is determined who gets custody of the dogs. "This is not a typical rescue. It is extremely large. Now we are in the midst of this -- one of the largest puppy situations that we have seen in many, many years." - Sandy Grambort, Humane Society Supervisor (more)

7/7 Thorough update on animal cruelty legislation around the country (mostly East Coast): Many believe that state animal cruelty laws are not tough enough and that states ought to implement an eye for an eye approach. Others believe such approaches would be no more effective for crimes against animals than for crimes against people. In New York, laws are evolving but what’s going on elsewhere? (more)

7/7 Wisconsin Advocates Hope to Crack Down on Puppy Mills: As per Rep. Jeff Smith: "Unfortunately, our reputation as puppy-mill central or a magnet for puppy mills is growing as other states pass legislation that cracks down on these mills." (more)

7/3 Woo-Hoo! Hot Debate about Puppy Mills! The title is "Letter: Puppy Mill Term Offensive to Responsible Breeders." This is a MUST READ if you are interested in learning more about both sides of the puppy mill debate. The comment section is highly opinionated. What do you think? (more)

7/1 Dog Breeding Bill Makes Headway in NC: Senate Bill 460 passed a senate finance committee Tuesday. The bill would classify a commercial breeder as anyone who has 15 or more female dogs and 30 or more puppies for the purpose of sale. Breeders would have to pay $50 to get licensed and follow standards of care. (more)

6/30: Pet Legislation: Responsible Breeder Act and Pet Responsibility Act go to Vote on Tuesday: In a follow up to its protection of farm animals (Prop 2), California is making further moves to protect the well-being of domestic animals with AB 241. Authored by Assemblymember Pedro Nava, the "Responsible Breeder Act of 2009" aims to help law enforcement authorities crack down on puppy mills in California where profits trump the health and well-being of the dogs.(more)

6/29: Missouri Takes Legal Action Against Puppy Mills: Missouri officials have located more than 200 unlicensed breeders and rescued nearly 1,900 dogs since February as part of a statewide crackdown on puppy mills. (more)

6/23 Reputable Breeders Chafe Over Laws Aimed at Puppy Mills House Bill 2470, dubbed the puppy mill bill, was signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski on June 17 and takes effect Jan. 1. Designed to eliminate puppy mills and to protect those who've bought sick dogs from ruthless breeders, the new law will place a number of restrictions and obligations on Oregon breeders. (more)

6/23/09 How to Choose a Reputable Breeder and Avoid a Puppy Mill Ann Sterling, from the Humane Society of America says, "We expect that there are hundreds of puppy mills in Indiana and they don't get caught very often." Sterling says the evidence is in just about any local newspaper's classifieds, where you can find puppies for sale on any given day. She says there are ways to tell if it's a legitimate breeder or someone running a puppy mill operation. (more)

6/22/09 Group Urges Gov. Schwarzenegger to Collect Unpaid Taxes from Dog Breeders Holmes County Exposed offered the plan as an alternative to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s move to cut the state’s animal control costs by reducing the number of days public shelters must hold unwanted pets before euthanizing them. (more)

3/31/09 5 Simple Ways to Prevent Animal Cruelty April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, but there are simple things you can do every day of the year to prevent cruelty. In just minutes, you can help save pets from abuse and make a difference in your community. (more)

Dogs - General
7/11/09 Are Boston Terriers Good Therapy Dogs? They sure are! Just ask patients at Lourdes Medical Center in Philadelphia. Charlie the Boston Terrier does a great job entertaining people! (more)

7/11/09 Microchips reunite pets with their owners in many ways. While they obviously allow vet offices, animal control offices and humane societies to find out the owner's information, they can also help prove who actually owns an animal if that animal is stolen. A perfect example of dogs being stolen, and then being reunited with the owner due to evidence that the microchip provided occured recently with a Tulare woman and her two Boston Terriers. (more)

7/6/09 Golden Retriever Robot is Too Cute to Pass Up It turns out that even if you aren't in a good spot to have a dog, you can still have a dog, thanks to Sega! Elderly folks in Japanese nursing homes are already enjoying their life-like robot dogs as companions. The best thing about them? They don't poop! (more)

6/29/09 Dogs Trained to Help People with Severe Peanut Allergies: This is a great story about adopted dogs who are trained to save the lives of people who have peanut allergies by detecting peanuts where they don't belong!

6/24/09 Americans Consider Pets Family An Associated Press-Petside.com poll released Tuesday found that half of all American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as any other person in the household; another 36 percent said their pet is part of the family but not a full member. (more)

Dog Blogs
6/22/09 M.J. Williams Blog About Puppy Mills Puppy mills have become an area of great concern for those who legitimately breed puppies and for animal rights activists all over the United States and beyond. Puppy mills basically seek to "mass-produce" puppies from relatively few purebred studs and mothers. This is wrong for a number of reasons. First of all, mothers themselves are "overbred" to the point of exhaustion, and then often put down because they can't produce any more. The puppies produced in these places are often kept in deplorable conditions, with overcrowded cages, and too little food or water, as well as inadequate access to veterinary care and grooming. (more)

Working Towards Total Puppy Mill Destruction!

2009-06-29T16:04:00.001-07:00

Strong words, I know. However, the kind of greed and corruption that exists in the dog breeding industry warrants it. I've been posting puppy mill news on my website for a while now, but I thought that the blog format better lends itself to these types of posts. Therefore, I'm copying all of the previous posts below, and will begin posting articles here instead.

6/29: From http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/06/29/daily4.html: Missouri Takes Legal Action Against Puppy Mills:

Missouri officials have located more than 200 unlicensed breeders and rescued nearly 1,900 dogs since February as part of a statewide crackdown on puppy mills.

Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Jon Hagler and Attorney General Chris Koster have teamed up to take legal action against breeders who are not licensed as part of the second part of “Operation Bark Alert.”

“We plan to file against irresponsible breeders and require they comply with the law or shut their doors,” Koster said in a statement.

Koster said his office has already taken legal action against "several" unregistered breeders who were raided by the Department of Agriculture, rescue groups in Missouri and law enforcement officials.

“We want unlicensed breeders to know that in the days and weeks ahead, they will begin to face increasing pressure as we add more bite to Bark Alert," Hagler said in a statement.

6/23 Reputable Breeders Chafe Over Laws Aimed at Puppy Mills
6/23/09 216 Dogs Seized from Puppy Mill Resting at Farm Show
6/23/09 How to Choose a Reputable Breeder and Avoid a Puppy Mill
6/22/09 Group Urges Gov. Schwarzenegger to Collect Unpaid Taxes from Dog Breeders
3/31/09 5 Simple Ways to Prevent Animal Cruelty

Dogs - General
6/24/09 Americans Consider Pets Family

Dog Blogs
6/22/09 M.J. Williams Blog About Puppy Mills