I am so flattered at how many people have emailed me for permission to cross post this little essay I wrote. Feel free to share this with everyone you know. People can find the dog of their dreams at a shelter; let’s hope they make shelter adoption their first option.

Hugs to all of you and your beloved dogs!

 

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

 

 

 

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Are you and your dog dreading that next vet visit? Make it a better experience for your dog by giving him a positive association with your vet and vet staff. Both your dog and the staff will thank you.

Pack up some small tasty treats (cubed cheese or cooked meat work well) in an easy-access container. Hold the container out to staff as they approach your dog. Ask them to feed one small piece at a time to your dog. If possible, continue feeding one small piece at a time to your dog while he is being examined.

Even if your dog is delighted with his visits to the doctor, one never knows what may suddenly frighten him so it’s great to have your "ammunition" on hand to keep help reduce his stress.

Handling tips

 

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Dear Mom and Dad,

I love to do anything to see a smile on your face. I will be happy to wear that silly Halloween costume that you just bought me if it will make you giggle. However, would you please keep my time in it to a minimum? If it restricts my movement I might get a little cranky. If it restricts my vision I might get scared. Gather the kids for our photo then, please, undress me and send me to my crate or to a bedroom for the evening. Unless you have exposed me to human costumes and masks before, I could get a little spooked by your friends and their children on this particular night.

Love,

The Dog

 

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Probably one of the best things you can do for your dog this Halloween is to keep him confined indoors. The festivities of the evening historically have included pranks. It would be sad if your dog was the victim of one of them. If you will be answering the door for those cute, costumed kids collecting sweets, confine your dog to a bedroom or crate so he can’t slip out the door. We wouldn’t want Buster to think that fuzzy, bunny rabbit toddler was a giant squeak toy!

 

Where will you find your next ideal dog? Why not try your local animal shelter?

 

 

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I like being in a small town after spending the winters in the city. The lack of traffic, stoplights and Starbucks is a daily reminder that one doesn’t need all that java juice to keep up with their fast cars. Besides, the locals all drive trucks and the maximum speed limit within the whole town is 30 mph, and oftentimes only 20. Fast food means wait 30 minutes for your food then eat it real fast.

 

The purse dogs and status dogs are missing here. Dust-covered cattle dogs and retrievers are transported in the back of pickups or flatbeds with no restraint system. They are left for hours in vehicles while their owners share ranch stories over cold beer at the local bar at day’s end. Behind dirty, nose-smudged windows, they occasionally bark at passersby. After herding sheep and cattle all day they still find enough energy to stay alert and protect their owner’s property.

 

My city dogs wouldn’t know what to do without their three hour mid-day nap. If they so much as step wrong on a rock or have a burr stuck to their belly, they await my rescue. If I leave them in the car for a quick stop to the grocery store they would use the opportunity for an additional nap. Afterall, the alarm system will protect the car.

 

Just what makes our city dogs and our small town dogs happy? Would that small town border collie like to sleep on my couch, get a weekly bath, and ride seat-belted on leather seats in an air-conditioned car with windows rolled up? Would my tender-footed, thick-bodied Labs enjoy hours of running under the hot sun, over rocky soil and through prickly sagebrush dodging angry bovine hooves?

 

I always enjoy seeing the different lifestyles that dogs have and how, through their adaptive abilities and selective breed-types, they enrich the lives of their owners. It’s easy to assume that a dog might not be getting enough exercise, lives in a house that is too small, or isn’t receiving enough training. When I observe the bond between a dog and owner, living by any large or small town standards, eating bargain bag dog food or filet mignon, sporting an unkempt coat or fresh coiffure, I see what they are providing for each other – a respectful friendship with life-enhancing qualities beyond our physical existence. Janine Allen

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Why should I train my dog?

 

There are many people who get a dog and just expect it to know what to do. Afterall, dog is man’s best friend, right? This unfortunate assumption leads to frustrated owners and sometimes to dogs being relinquished to shelters.

 

Reason #1 – To establish communication with your dog

Just as you might have to learn all the nuances of the rules and etiquette at a new job, so does your dog need to learn what is expected of him in his household. The dog has it even harder because he is not born with the ability to understand spoken language.

 

Reason #2 – To give your dog mental stimulation

Dogs who live in the confines of our households and yards get much less exercise and stimulation than dogs running at large. Besides getting a daily walk, a dog needs to use his brain in challenging activities that you present to him.

 

Reason #3 – To redirect a dog’s focus from undesirable behavior

If your dog is destructive, excessively barking or acting nervous or aggressive then you can train him to do something else that is incompatible with the undesired behavior.

 

Reason #4 – To keep your dog out of the shelter

One can easily get frustrated when a dog seems to have an incurable behavior problem. A trainer can guide and support you through your dog’s rehabilitation so that he may remain a permanent member of your family for his entire lifetime.

 

Please visit our Training Guide pages to learn more about training your dog.

 

Janine Allen

Dog Trainer

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Kids out of school with nothing to do? Here’s a list of some things that will encourage compassion for animals and enrich others in your community.

• Feed and walk the neighbor’s dogs while they are on vacation. Your child might even get a little bit of spending money as a bonus.
• If you have a friend or neighbor whose dog never gets walked, offer to do it for them.
• Enroll your dog in an obedience class. Go to the class with your child so you all can have some quality bonding time.
• Bring your obedience-trained dog to visit neighbors and/or seniors who live alone.
• Using non-toxic face paint, put your dog’s paw prints on homemade cards and take to the senior center.
• Visit the local animal shelter and take pictures of adoptable dogs. Make flyers and hand them out at ball games, BBQs, and birthday parties.
• Buy fabric paint at a crafts store and paint t-shirts with paw prints or dog faces. Write the words ‘Adopt A Dog’ in big letters. Give them away to friends.
• Decorate a can or jar with cute dog drawings or pictures. Ask friends and neighbors to drop in spare change. Donate the money to your local animal shelter.
• Make dog biscuits and take them to your neighbors dogs and to the animal shelter.
• Help a friend find a new best friend by going with them to adopt a dog from a shelter.

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Were you thinking of the recent fad of breeding designer dogs? Actually, this term was coined by Rescue Me Dog’s founder, Cheryl O’Leary, out of respect for all the lovely mixed-breed dogs that can be found in local shelters. As a parent of both purebred and pure-cross dogs, she wanted others to know that a dog of any mixed ancestry can provide the same amount of enjoyment and purpose as its purebred cousins. I can’t think of a better word to celebrate the status of our adopted and adoptable mixed-breed dogs.
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The Rescue Me Dog Blog was created to interact with everyday heroes of fellow adopted shelter dogs. That would be you! We cordially invite you to Dog Blog. Play, connect and play more. We know that fellow dog hero’s have tails to tell. Read the rest of this entry »

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