Author: onthepetbeat_uacyqc

6 Common Myths About Shelter Animals (and the Truth About Them)

Adopting a dog doesn’t mean you’re inheriting someone else’s problem. Learn the truth and some common myths about shelter animals.

It’s a sad fact that each year approximately 670,000 dogs are euthanized in animal shelters across the United States. It happens because too many dogs enter the shelter and too few people consider adoption when it comes to getting a new pet. Many buy into one of the most common myths that when you adopt a dog from a shelter you are inheriting someone else’s problem.

The truth is that shelters and rescues are brimming with happy, healthy pets just waiting for someone to take them home. Most shelter pets are surrendered because of a human problem like a move or a divorce, not because the animals did anything wrong. Many are already housetrained and used to living with families.

“When you adopt a shelter dog you are most likely bringing home a dog who has good manners, is leash trained and knows some commands,” said Ellen Ribitzki, kennel manager for the Bloomingdale Regional Animal Shelter Society (B.A.S.S.) in New Jersey.  “In addition, shelter dogs are temperament tested so adopters will have an idea of a pet’s personality―whether he/she gets along with other dogs or with cats and young children.”

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How You Can Help Reform the Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry in New York

 

The first time I visited New York City I was horrified to see horses pulling carriages full of tourists on the busy city streets. I worked with horses for more than twenty years, and I wondered how anyone who cares about the well being of these sensitive animals could force them to work in this environment.

Every day carriage horses are forced to dodge traffic and potholes while being subjected to screeching brakes, car horns, sirens, jackhammers and the multitude of other sounds that can be heard in one of the most congested cities in the world. All so that tourists can enjoy the wonderful sites of New York City.

Those who support the horse-drawn carriage industry in cities say that it’s a long-held tradition that should be preserved. That argument no longer stood up in Guadalajara, Mexico, when earlier this year the municipal government followed up on a commitment to put a stop to animal abuse.

The traditional horse-drawn carriages are being replaced with electric-powered replicas. According to a report that published in the Mexico News Daily, the first 10 will arrive in Mexico’s second largest city this year. A second batch of 22 carriages is expected to arrive in the first half of 2018, and the third and last batch of 23 in one year’s time.

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From Shelter to Service: Search Dogs Help Save Lives

 

This post first appeared on Care2.com

While hundreds of pets were being removed from flood zones in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, search dogs were entering those very same areas to find people who might have opted to stay behind and were now trapped by rising flood waters. The search dogs also quickly combed debris piles that were washed downstream to be sure no one was buried beneath them.

September is National Service Dog Month and a great time to honor the wonderful dogs trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). The nonprofit organization located in Santa Paula, CA recruits and trains shelter dogs and partners them with firefighters and other first responders to find people trapped or buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. Most recently twelve SDF-trained search teams were deployed to help in the wake of the earthquake in Mexico City and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

What types of dogs excel in the SDF Program?

“Our trainers look for extremely driven, toy-obsessed dogs that don’t just want the toy, they need to possess the toy,” said Denise Sanders, SDF Communications and Development Officer. “This drive is what carries them through the process of learning to bark when they smell the scent of a live human—that toy is their reward and they will do anything to get it!”

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Why You Shouldn’t Feel Sorry for Deaf Dogs

This post first appeared on Care2.com

When members of the Deaf Dogs Network were asked what they would like the general public to know about their dogs, the most common response was: “Please don’t feel sorry for my deaf dog.” Deaf dogs don’t know they are deaf or different and with the proper training and care, they are as happy and content as hearing dogs. Just take a look at the dogs in the main image playing together in the Deaf Dogs Rock dog park in Salem, VA if you need proof that these terrific dogs can live happy and healthy lives.

Feeling sorry for deaf dogs doesn’t help them, says Christina Lee, founder of Deaf Dogs Rock, a nonprofit that promotes the care and well being of deaf dogs and assists in finding homes for deaf dogs surrendered to shelters and rescues. In fact, owners who feel sorry for their deaf dogs and deprive them of their independence can unintentionally cause the dogs to develop severe separation anxiety.

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Does Adding a Younger Dog to the Family Revitalize a Senior Dog?

This post first appeared on Care2.com

Our Rottweiler mix, Lucy, was 15 when she passed away. In the weeks that followed we watched Jason, our 8-year-old border collie mix, get more and more depressed. He spent a lot of time laying on Lucy’s bed with his face turned towards the wall. We felt sure that what he needed was a new companion. The problem was making a good match. Jason had only been 6-months-old when we adopted him as a companion for Lucy, and his puppy antics gave her renewed energy.

With that in mind, we adopted American foxhound Bella, a skinny 1-year-old, who had been rescued from a kill shelter in Virginia. She was used to living with a pack of hounds and always wanted to lay beside or on top of Jason. He wasn’t impressed but soon got used to her neediness. The problems started when Bella gained strength and we got to see her crazy playing style. She was too rough for our senior and didn’t respond well to his signals to back off. We had to constantly supervise playtime to make sure things didn’t get out of control.

jasonandbella

We’ve all heard that an older dog becomes revitalized if you bring a younger dog into the family. Is that true? It very much depends on the dog and the family say experts at the Senior Dogs Project, a nonprofit that promotes the adoption of older dogs and provides information on the special care of seniors. In some cases, a puppy will “energize” an older dog, who will become more playful and begin to behave like a puppy herself again. However, some older dog simply won’t tolerate the changes made by another dog in her home.

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Horse Racing is Not a Sport: It’s the Exploitation of Animals

This post first appeared on Care2.com

In “A Day at the Saratoga Race Course: 10 Ways to feel like an Insider” that published on NYup.com, readers are advised to take in at least one race at the finish line because “…not only can you try to spy celebrities in the clubhouse off to the right, it’s a great place to experience the race – the guy with the bugle, the roaring crowd, the straining jockeys, the thundering hooves of the horses.”

I agree that racegoers should pay close attention to the homestretch. Not to experience the excitement of the chase but to see how jockeys thank horses for running their hearts out by whipping them 15 to 20 times before they reach the finish line. As for those who enjoyed the races at Saratoga Springs this summer, I would like them to consider that 19 horses died. They included Angels Seven who was pulled up in the race due to an injury to the left front leg and was euthanized on the track; Brooklyn Major who collapsed and died after the finish of a race; and Fall Colors who fell at the second fence and died on the track. Horse racing is not a sport it’s the exploitation of animals for entertainment and profit.

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Tips for House Hunting as a Pet Owner

This post first appeared on Care2.com

I will never forget how nervous I was the day Solas, my late German shepherd mix, and I headed out to meet the landlord of a studio apartment that I was hoping to rent. The apartment was at the back of the landlord’s home and he and his wife were hesitant to rent to a tenant with a dog. I convinced them to meet my dog before turning us down.

Solas had been bathed and was wearing a cute bandana when we walked up to the landlord’s door. I also brought along her Canine Good Citizen certificate and references from my veterinarian. She made a great impression and we got the apartment. In fact, Solas and the landlord’s granddaughter became great buddies.

Not all tenants with pets fare so well. In an American Humane survey of 93 shelters, “landlord won’t allow pets” was the fourth most common reason pets were surrendered to shelters. And according to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), finding and keeping rental housing lead to the surrender of half a million pets to shelters each year. While the rental housing industry claims to be pet-friendly, HSUS representatives say that it is discriminating about the types of pets allowed. Often there are weight limits or breed restrictions when it comes to renting with dogs.

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DNA Testing can Help with Training and Behavior Modification in Dogs

This post first appeared on Care2.com

What breed is your dog? It’s a question those of us lucky enough to share our lives with mixed breed dogs get asked a lot. And, it was one of the reasons that Cathie Giglio from Orange County, NY, decided to have a DNA test done for Happy, the dog her family adopted from Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary in Middletown, NY. Happy was the only pup to survive when her mom gave birth to a litter after being rescued from the streets in Puerto Rico. The shelter believed that Happy’s mom was part Australian shepherd.

“Since we only knew her mom we were curious about who her dad might have been,” Giglio said. “We also wondered how her breed makeup influenced her behavior and personality.”

Happyandmom

Happy (left) and her mom meet again years after being adopted into separate homes. Staff at Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary believed Happy’s mom was part Australian shepherd. Image credit: Cathie Giglio

According to a research study supported by the National Canine Research Foundation Maddie’s Fund, and Merial, visual breed identification is only accurate about 27 percent of the time, even by professionals. And while DNA test results aren’t one hundred percent accurate, they do provide insight into the breed makeup of mixed breed dogs.

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How to Keep the Peace Among Household Cats

This article first appeared on Care2.com

Anytime we’ve applied to adopt a dog, we’ve been asked to bring our current dog to the shelter to make sure that the two would get along. This type of introduction isn’t practical when it comes to adding a new cat to a multi-cat household. Instead, shelter and rescue group staff ask lots of questions about the temperament of the cats already in the home to help make a good match.

Because cats can be territorial, it’s impossible to predict how groups of cats will get along once living in the same home. And while cats with aggression problems might never be friends, with time and commitment from owners, problems between cats can be resolved according to experts at the Animal Welfare Association of New Jersey (AWANJ). Depending on the severity of the problems, families may need to seek the assistance of a veterinarian and/or animal behaviorist to restore peace to the household.

Lynn Cancro, founder and president of Caring About the Strays (C.A.T.S.) rescue group in New Jersey, believes that how well cats get along in a multi-cat household very much depends on the manner in which they were introduced to one another.

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The Benefits of Adopting a Pair of Kittens

This article first appeared on Care2.com

Reed and Rowan, 6-month-old purring machines, are the longest residents at the Clifton Animal Shelter in New Jersey. The siblings were brought to the shelter with their mom and two brothers who have all gone to forever homes.

Photo courtesy of Clifton Animal Shelter  

“We call them the dream team. They sleep on top of one another, and they purr while sleeping, eating and playing,” said Liz Taranda, vice president of the shelter and cat room manager. “They are lap cats who love to be held together while giving nose rubs to whoever is holding them.”

The brothers are bonded and will only be adopted into the same home. It’s not unusual for shelters and rescue groups to encourage potential adopters to adopt a pair of kittens rather than going home with one cat.

The Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue in San Jose, CA, requires that young kittens be adopted in pairs unless adopters have an existing kitten or young cat at home. According to the shelter, this policy is not based on a desire to increase adoptions but rather to ensure that kittens are adopted into homes that offer the best possible environment for their social development.

There are many benefits to adopting kittens in pairs

Besides saving two lives, there are many advantages to adopting kittens in pairs. Kittens tend to need more time and attention than adult cats and two together will keep each other company. The acclimation to a new home will go smoother, too, because a bonded pair of kittens won’t need separate transitional rooms. All they require is one litter box and two dishes (also true when adopting an older bonded pair of cats).

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