Gear Up for Adoption

Shelters and Rescue Groups have more opportunities than ever to get the word out about the dogs and cats available for adoption but with so many groups vying for attention it's only too easy for some of them to slip through the cracks, even with the advantages of social networking.

The issue becomes how to best take advantage of social networking and any other means of making people aware of all the wonderful pets just waiting for a new home and a new leash on life.  Here are just a few ideas That can help my local shelter, your local shelter, any local shelter or rescue group.

1. Don't underestimate the power of the written word.  Instead of writing a plain description of the cat or dog, let the pet write the description. How much more appealing it is to hear, "I promise to love you forever if you'll give me a forever home" along with a self-description. Open a Facebook page if you don't have one already and put the description there along with a photo of the pet and ask people to Share the picture and bios, then use Twitter to share the description and photo. And don't forget your good old fashioned newspaper. See if they'll give you a weekly adoption column. They may or may not have room for pictures but the descriptions can certainly run. You can do a column featuring two or three a week.

2. Pictures will help. There's nothing more appealing than the sweet face of the adoptee. But those pictures will be far more appealing if you have a volunteer who is a groomer who can make the pet look clean, neat and cute. Another improvement is taking pictures that don't look like police mug shots. Set up a cute photo using props in an area of the shelter. Now use that photo on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as Google+.

Mary Slaney adopted Vinny more than a year ago.

3. Don't underestimate the power of clicker training. You can use a clicker to make life more interesting for shelter pets, teach them manners or a trick and then be sure to brag on all of your social networks how clever the pet is in his self-written bio. This will help your adoptees stand out among the crowd on social networks.

One more tip: don't ignore e-mail posts containing all of this information with a request to forward. Everyone knows people who know people who know people, and so on.  

With a little imagination and tapping into volunteers, utilizing their skills and talent, you can incrrease the number of pets who are adopted.

Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? by Dena Harris

Dena Harris has done it again.  Okay, I'll admit that I'm a fan. Few people can make me laugh as Dena can so when a review copy of her newest book arrived, I settled down for a good read.  I wasn't disappointed. 

In her newest book, Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc., Dena Harris tackles the topic of cat diets the way she covers everything else - with a huge dollop of laughter. Subtitled, A Diet Book for Cats we already have a pretty big hint that this book is written with tongue firmly planted in the cat's cheek.

What's amazing is how well she sticks to the diet book formula but writes it from the cat's point of view more than from the owner's. At the very thought of putting their cat on a diet most owners will stock up on bandages in preparation for the cat's retribution.

From lists and tips to multiple choice questions to determine which type of kitty is reading the book the book is a total romp.  And, yes, there's a cat food pyramid. Be sure to read it carefully. You would want to miss a single quip.

Reprinted with permission from Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? by Dena Harris, copyright (c) 2013. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Ann Boyajian

Take this book for a spin and don't forget it when the holidays roll around and you're looking for a gift for the cat person in your life. It's 113 pages of fun peppered with adorable illustrations! 

Photo of Dena Harris by Blair Harris

To get your copy of Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big?

point your browser to:

https://tinyurl.com/odwtc37

Note: No payment was received for this review. It is purely independent. The blogger received a review copy of the book.

Service Dog Month!

September is Service Dog Month.  It's time to think about those wonderful dogs who make life so much better for their owners. And what other dog gets to be with their owner 24/7? The bond between service dogs and their people is nothing less than heartwarming.  It irks me when animal rights people say that owning a dog is cruel and that no one should breed dogs. The sheer gall of those people, and their uninformed position is irritating.  Apparently, they have no conception of the human-animal bond, of the joy dogs and owners take in each other.  They change the language to cause all manner of problems. Dogs bred to be service dogs are among the finest companions and what they and their owners do for each other is nothing short of miraculous. Those who wash out of the program go on to become pets in loving homes.

Photo courtesy of Guide Dogs of The Desert
These pups will eventually enrich the lives of those  who have a medical
"disability" today....to experience a life full of "abilities" in the future.

The dogs who graduate are paired up with owners who need an assist in any one of a number of ways. These dogs love being with their owners, helping them, which for the dog is like a game. And yet they also seem to understand how important they are.  One great bonus is that when people see a service dog they are much friendlier to the disabled person. 

"There are no current statistic on just how many service dogs are enriching the lives of those who live with disabilities on a daily basis," says Deborah Sands, DJS Consultant Services specializing in service animal public access/education training.  "These dogs are more than 'pets.' They perform 'tasks or work' to be the eyes that guide, the ability to notify a sound, an impending seizure, a diabetic emergency, a severe blood pressure drop or an oncoming anxiety attack. They are trained to open doors, stabilize balance, pick up objects and help someone confined to a wheelchair...and so much more!!! Just ask anyone, be it a civilian or a military veteran who has been gifted with these remarkable and loving canine partners. These specially trained dogs are everyday canine heroes who provide a lifeline to their handlers."

The dogs vary in size. Even the smallest dog can alert to an epileptic seizure, for example. The dogs are matched to the task. And not all are purebred. It depends, again, upon the task. Shelter rescues, for example, often become the "ears" for someone who cannot hear.

Photo by Debbie Sands, Courtesy of  Guide Dogs of America.
Service dogs..those 4 footed love machines...upon graduation with their handlers, will become a seamless "team" forged in a bond whose loyalty to each other will be stronger than steel.

It's easy to see the bond of love as service dog and handler work together. And when the vest comes off at home, the dog becomes a pet just like any other beloved 4-legged family member when off-duty, with plenty of time for play.

I'm glad we have a special month in which to honor these wonderful dogs and bring attention to them.  I hope you'll remember them all year long...

Wanna Play Treibball?!

Get The Ball Rolling
by
Dianna Stearns

Wanna play Treibball?  What's Treibball?  Glad you asked!  It's a super new dog sport that's lot of fun for both dog and person. There's nothing like talking with the co-founder and current President of the American Treibball Association to find out.  

Dianna Stearns, who is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, and the owner of Winn's West Dog Training and Behavior Consulting, LLC, in Northglenn, CO is enthusiastic about this new sport that she describes as, "a quiet, problem-solving game of teamwork between the dog and handler; a one-on-one communication game. It’s not fast or loud, like Flyball, or flashy like agility, so it probably will never have the showmanship quality of those dog sports. But, for many owners, who would like to create a better bond with their dog, and improve their dog’s ability to listen to them and take direction, (even at distance) the sport of Treibball is an outstanding vehicle. For those owners who do like to compete with their dogs, it’s a sport both can participate in without fear of injury Treibball is sort of like herding sheep without sheep, and sort of like soccer...for dogs."

Stearns got interested in it during Fall to Christmas of 2009 when she found some videos on YouTube showing the sport but because there was a language barrier she couldn't understand the dialog. She began writing to Dutch and German trainers who featured Treibball on their websites in an effort to learn more but her mail went unanswered, likely due to the language barrier. 

Because there was no information available, she and her colleague, Mary Manka, decided to figure it out for themselves, watching over 45 videos and visiting over 30 Dutch, Scandinavian and German websites to determine the game's common denominators. As taught in Europe it was basic obedience with some herding hand signals mixed in. Since the basics could apply to anything, Stearns started creating a curriculum that she could introduce her students to Treibball.

"My first class was held in July 2010 and my training colleague, Mary Manka, Hilary Lane and I formed the American Treibball Association in December of that year to promote and establish a structure for the sport in the U.S.," Stearns recalls.

Dianna Stearns and Friend

The sport takes about 4 to 6 months for a dog to learn, depending upon the dog, of course. And dogs need to know basic obedience, like Sit, Stay and Down.  "We work on training the basic skills and cues first, and then increase the dogs’ distance from the handler and work on more precise ball handling as the dogs’ skills increase. In each of our classes we practice to get them ready for a mock-game, by the end of the class. Certainly by 6-8 months they could be ready for competition."

"Puppies can learn the basic skills needed for Treibball, any time from 4-6 months of age," says Stearns "Our youngest class participants have been 6-7 months. For Treibball competitions there are several age categories: 6 months to 2 years, 2 to 7 years, and 7 years and older. Our oldest competitor so far has been 9 years old. The older ones may learn or move slower, but they’re still having fun!" And that's really what a dog sport should be - fun for dogs and owners.

"My goal, as a trainer/teacher has been to introduce the game, and its benefits to a wider audience. While word of the game is spreading among trainers and folks who’ve seen the videos, it’s still a bit of well-kept secret to the general population,"Stearns relates. To that end, Get The Ball Rolling is the book/workbook Deanna Stearns has written, the first comprehensive publication about the new sport. It has just been published by Dogwise.  It's available through them, soon at Barnes and Noble, and for those who can't wait, at Amazon right now: https://tinyurl.com/mxyn9vz

Go to the American Treibball Association's website, www.americantreibballassociation.org, where you'll find a Trainer Directory tab, which lists Treibball trainer and facility members, by state. Interested dog owners can contact the trainers in their area for upcoming class dates and times. "The ATA currently has over 300 members in 6 countries, with new dog owners and professional trainers joining us weekly, but we know not everyone will have a trainer in their area, yet," says Stearns "We encourage dog owners who want to get involved in the sport, to join the ATA at the beginning membership level, get the handbook (as part of their membership) and start working with their dog. As part of that membership they will be invited to join our Yahoo discussion group where they can ask questions and get training advice."

"Treibball is an all-positive, low-impact team sport that handlers and dogs of all physical abilities can play equally. There are no corrections allowed in Treibball, just the use of verbal cues and hand signals; it's all positive and all fun, with the dog working under the handler's control. For training, Treibball requires some space with low minimal cost for equipment. You need a designated goal, a fitness ball 45-75 cm, a clicker and a target stick to train, and additional field space, 8 balls and a larger goal to play the entire game or to compete:

  

The game is played with the dog working off-leash, using his nose, shoulders or the backs of his paws to drive eight fitness balls into a goal area, within 10 minutes. The handler directs the dog which balls to bringing, in which order. The eight balls are laced midfield in a triangle (like in billiards) with the point/peak ball farthest from the goal. The balls can be of differing sizes or all the same size, just appropriate to the size of the dog playing at that time, so dogs of all sizes can play! The mid-point of the balls should be at the level of the dog's nose or shoulder. The game stops when 10 minutes is called or when all eight balls are in the net/goal and the dog lies down within the goal area (like penning sheep). The better the communication between the dog and handler, the faster the time the team achieves. Bonus and demerit points are added/subtracted to the score, based on the team’s performance. The 2013 Sanctioned game rules can be downloaded free from the ATA website.

Stearns says that if anyone knows "a professional, positive reinforcement trainer in their area they’ve enjoyed working with, we encourage them to get that trainer involved, to start a local class. Membership information is available on the website, under the membership tab."

For more information ATA has a website, www.americantreibballassociation.org, a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/americantreibball, and a YouTube channel where you can see videos of students and competitions, www.YouTube.com/AmericanTreibball

Questions can be directed to their mailbox: info@americantreibballassociation.org

Pet-Related Charities

Photo Courtesy of Claire Clayton

In today's economy, every penny counts. Sadly, so many people have not been able to keep their pets because they can't afford to feed their family and the four-legged family member is the one who loses his home to a shelter or, less frequently, to a rescue group.  If they have purchased their pet from a reputable breeder, then the breeder takes the pet back.  It's usually in their contract. No matter the age of the pet at the time, it goes back to the breeder who will either rehome it or keep it.  But what about the shelters?  We know.  They're often overcrowded and they are mostly kill shelters.  There is no new home, just death and overworked volunteers.

There are also people who have a few dollars to spare and want to know which animal related charity is  the "best"place for their hard-earned dollars.  Many are sucked in by expensive television commercials that are sometimes infomercials, produced to tug at the heartstrings and open the wallets of those who can often least afford it, who are on a fixed income but the pictures of sad dogs and kitties calls to them to do something.  

While it's wonderful to donate when you can, where you donate is another matter.  You can look online at sites that monitor charities to see where the money goes but if you do a little reading you can find much more has been exposed in print. For example, did you know that HSUS (Humane Society of The United States) doesn't have shelters? They are mainly a lobbying group and their employees are well paid and have benefits packages we would all enjoy.  ASPCA recently released a video to convince people not to buy a puppy in a pet shop. That's something we can all agree with but the video contains a small child with a dog and nowhere in the video does it show an adult supervising the child with the dog. The child was quite awkward around the dog as one would expect. Before the age of 7 children don't understand that they can inflict pain and must not only be taught "gentle" from the first dog-child interaction but must be supervised very carefully. A bite can happen in a second. If the child inadvertently poke or prods the dog and causes pain, the dog has no choice but to clamp down in pain, the child is bitten and the parents usually get rid of the dog. Others allow their children to maul the dog  or cat and claim the pet is so good with the child. But it's a two-way street. The child has to be good with the pet and it's up to the parents to monitor that. So the ASPCA spent heaven only knows how much money producing a video that is, in my mind, irresponsible because they didn't show an adult supervising the interaction.  When I asked about it I was told they would put a disclaimer at the end of the video.  I have yet to see that. And it's too little, too late. Do I really want to give my money to a large organization with a big staff who produces an irresponsible public service video?  Aren't they supposed to know?  They have behavior people on staff. Weren't they consulted? Then there's PETA who not only have just one shelter but have been documented as killing perfectly healthy young pets. Why?  I guess because they could. They are an Animal Rights group, NOT Animal Welfare and there is a difference.  They also get a lot of money in donations as do HSUS and ASPCA. And there are other big groups as well who have a lot of money.  A little surfing around Google will help you find articles on every organization, along with some facts and figures that might surprise you.

Rescue Vinny owned by Mary Slaney

Where should YOUR money go?  The best donation you can make is to your LOCAL shelter or humane group or rescue group.  If it's small, independent and local, they need help!  They are short on staff and long on needs.  They rely on donations and volunteers. If you can't give money, or can't donate your time, then consider donating paper towels, pet food, toys, and ask them what they can use. There are many ways to help but you and the animals are better served at a grass roots level.  And your donation will be appreciated. It won't go to publicity, or big salaries, or benefits packages.  It will go to help the animals and isn't that the point?  



Please do what you can to help, whatever it is. Anything you can do at the Grass Roots level will be appreciated.  And when those tearjerker commercials come on the TV, change the channel before you find yourself writing a check to a group that already has enough money.  Where do you think those "gifts" are coming from when you donate?  You are paying for that tee shirt, magazine subscription, etc. And that wasn't really what you wanted when you wrote that check. You just wanted to help the dogs and cats, puppies and kittens.  And you really can do that.  In this case it's think locally and act locally.

Heatwave Danger!!!

The East Coast of the United States, parts of Canada and the U.K. are currently experiencing a tremendous heatwave. Here in New England the humidity is unbearably high.  I've written about pet safety earlier this Summer but now, as always, it's imperative that you pay attention. Your pets need to be INDOORS where it's cooler, have plenty of fresh water and be kept safe.  DO NOT leave your pets in the car even for a minute or two or they will die.  At the very least they will suffer heatstroke. 

Please take all precautions.

The nice people at http://www.theuncommondog.com have shared the following infographic with us as a great reminder:

Please be extra careful with your dogs AND cats!  Thank you!!!!

"If I Should Die Before My Dog_____" Book Review

Cover Image courtesy of
Joe and Cathy Connolly

There are some things we'd rather not consider but they are necessary. One of those things is that even though a dog's life is far shorter in human years, we may not outlive our four-legged companion. Most of us have considered, and certainly should do, adding a codicil to our will, or incorporating it into the original, making arrangements for any pets who might outlive us. You do this by not mentioning the pet by name because you don't know who will be with you at the time of your death, but you specify a person who has agreed to look after any pets who are left when you die. And you might want to specify an amount of money to be conveyed to that person to help defray the cost of food, veterinary visits, etc. to the person who will inherit your companion. 

That's good as far as it goes but it doesn't go far enough. Have you considered what you would want to tell the person who will live with your pet and love and care for him for the rest of his life? (I use the pronoun "he" for expediency. Obviously, your pet may be a she or an assortment of males and/or females.) 

Joe and Cathy Connolly have taken the guesswork out of what we should consider in the way of information with their book, "If I Should Die Before My Dog_____" a soft cover book that is at once instructive and a workbook to be given to your companion's new owner.

Not just covering the basics of Name, Nickname, Medical History, Microchip, Food, etc., this book encompasses so much more.  Joe and Cathy have included things you may not have thought about adding such as Things That Scare Me, Toys and Games, My Bed, My Bad Habits, Words I Know, Riding in the Car and much, much more. It also includes a Thank You.

Image Courtesy of Joe & Cathy
Connolly

This is an invaluable book, one that you'll not only treasure for the memories that you will preserve but it will be of inestimable help to the person who will cherish your dog after you've gone and help make the transition easier for the new owner and your dog.

The Connolly's are working on a Cat version of the book which will be a most welcome addition for pet owners. Meanwhile, I urge dog owners to give serious consideration to buying this book now and start writing down all of the important facts about your companion.  There's even a place for pictures.  You won't regret it. Among other places, you can buy this book at Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/jwhluyo

*Note: This review is my opinion.  I was not compensated but only received a review copy of the book so I could read it.