Many of you who visit this website already understand the commitment it takes to be a dog parent. Some of you are seeking more information before adding a new member to your family. As a dog lover, I encourage you to watch this nicely done video and share it widely through your internet connections.
The number one reason that dogs end up in shelters: it is no longer wanted by its owner. There are exponentially more previously owned dogs turned loose as strays or turned in to shelters than there are feral dogs or unwanted puppies.
Dogs who are aggressive chewers can create frustrated owners. Some owners use up all their patience waiting for their dog to "grow out of it" only to find that their dog keeps chewing well into adulthood. Dogs, like their ancestors, are hard-wired to rip, tear, and chew. That’s how they survive as hunters.
If you don’t guide your dog in his chewing adventures, you are likely to have some unwanted damage and destruction as he succumbs to his urges. Relieve yourself and your dog from potential stress by providing affordable, quality, DURABLE, chew toys from K9tuff.com.
This company deserves four paws up for its dedication to dog chewing satisfaction and dog owners’ pocketbooks. All products are rated by durability, use type, and sizing for individual dogs. So confident are they in their products that they guarantee your purchase for 30 days.
We all have had to make budget cuts in recent times. Here’s a way for dog owners to help shelter dogs without having to reach further into their pockets.
Barkin Doggie Biscuits will donate an equal amount of dog biscuits to a shelter for every amount of biscuits that you order. Check out their three delicious choices of fresh mint, pumpkin and peanut butter. A nice way to share the wealth with puppies less fortunate than your own.
Rescue Me Dog commends any organization or individual who helps make the lives of shelter dogs a little more comfortable.
I know times are hard so I am not asking for anything this Christmas. Instead I am asking you to help someone else.
Santa, would you please give my friend at the shelter a wonderful human just like mine? One who needs a cuddly, devoted companion? A human who will let him get on the sofa, laugh at his snoring and take him for rides in the car? A human just like mine who will be his best friend forever?
If that’s asking too much could you at least give him a yard to run around in or a park to visit? I know he’d love that.
Santa, could you give my friend at the shelter a soft bed to sleep on? The concrete looks so hard and I think of him every time I curl up on the fluffy cushion that my family has given me.
And could you please, oh please, give him one of those red rubber things that repeatedly gets stuffed with cheese and dog treats? That thing is awesome!
Oh Santa, just for Christmas, could you at least let him have a few more walks outside and maybe some play time with the other dogs? Could you please send some humans by his cage to tell him that he is worthy and that it isn’t his fault that he is in the shelter?
The more I think of him the more I realize how blessed I am.
Santa, if you can’t give him these things I will understand. But please, if his time is up, could you just give him a little love before he goes?
In the news today, Sabi, an Australian Army bomb detection dog, has been found alive after being declared missing in action for 14 months. Her handler and eight others were wounded in Afghanistan when ambushed by the Taliban. Sabi escaped and was feared dead until she was recently found by a U.S. soldier.
Last night I attended a high school fundraiser for dinner and performance by the school’s music group. The food was served on plastic, china-like dinnerware and the silverware glistened metallic but, too, was disposable. When appetites were sated and tables were starting to get cleared, the emcee made an announcement NOT to throw the plates and silverware away. There were surprised, halted movements as diners realized that indeed, the plastic could and would be washed and reused.
These are the same reactions that I see when intercepting owners that are relinquishing their dogs to shelters. They are shocked to find how easy it is to stop their dog’s undesirable behavior - that they can give their dog a second chance.
In our society, “get rid of the dog” is a saying that is blurted out as quickly and thoughtlessly as “throw it away.” No wonder our shelters are so full and euthanasia rate so high.
With a better understanding of canine behavior, diligent training, and a bit of patience, one can turn any “bad” dog into a good dog. The majority of issues are relatively easy to solve and even severe problems may be helped with the addition of psychotropic drugs.
Let’s help each other recycle our own dogs so the shelters won’t have to.
Though it sounds like a dreaded disease, it is simply a reference to shelter dogs of an apparently doomed color that make them difficult to adopt.
Conjectures abound on why they linger in the shelters longer than other dogs: hard to see in dark kennels, photos don’t show up well on websites, appear more scary or aggressive. Possibly people have a hard time reading their facial expressions though it seems pretty clear that this girl is not too keen on the amorous advances of the boy.
I hike daily with three black dogs and have not found them to heat up any faster than other dogs on the trail. I’m always receiving compliments on their shiny coats - the black being a better contrast to reflective light. My furnishings and clothing are dark - which would be my choice anyway since any dog of any color at my house somehow will get dirt somewhere. And, while my friend’s white poodles return to the trail head covered in tan, brown, or gray, my black dogs always stay…well… BLACK!
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone else loved our dogs as much as we do? Increase the chances of this happening by following the etiquette rules listed below.
No matter how well trained your dog is, put him on a leash when near strangers. People will appreciate your respect for their safety and well-being.
Avoid approaching people or dogs directly when in public. Move off to the left or right to pass by; step off the curb if necessary. Fearful dogs and fearful people will be thankful.
Always, when there is a leash in hand, put a poop bag in your pocket. Carry three: one, a spare, and one to share.
Leave your female dog at home when she is in season. Her pheromones will bring out the worst in otherwise well-behaved dogs.
Ask, and be specific, before letting your dog approach people or other dogs. "Is he friendly?" gives no warning to other dog owners that you are going to let your dog lunge forward.
When you have been invited to a home, event, or activity, ask before bringing your dog.
Until your dog is trained not to jump on people, put him away when guests arrive. Let him out after guests have settled in. Leash or tether him if he tends to nose, poke or paw people for attention.
Your dog would want others to think as highly of him as you do. Don’t disappoint him.
From the day of its inception, Rescue Me Dog has been vigilant in its efforts to arouse public interest in adopting shelter dogs. Thwarting the stigma placed on these dogs by poor representation in sad photos and television ads, we have always focused on the potential that each and every shelter dog has to offer. From clever text for dog adoption flyers, to prose written from a dogs point of view, to our popular television commercial showing shelter dogs outside the bars and in a dog show ring, we have always focused on a dog’s future as a loving family companion.
It is exciting for us to see that others are following suit. The Humane Society and Ad Council have pooled funds for a campaign targeting those who have never considered adopting a shelter dog. They have even conducted research that proves what we have said all along: that most people focus on a dog’s assumed troubled past rather than a positive future and that a shelter experience may be as gloomy as a prison visit. Read more here.
Will your next dog come from a shelter? We’d love to hear your comments.
