I just came across a very comprehensive website for dogs who have three legs: Tripawds.com

Looks to be a great resource including health tips, assistive harnesses, chat room, message boards, information on cancer, and coping with amputation.

 

 

We dog people tend to gravitate toward each other in kindred spirit. Ahh…. those who share in dog-haired clothing, early morning walks, and silly dog accounts. Fellow humans who have allowed themselves to be vulnerable to a dog’s relentless affection. We share training tips, vet advice, and will undoubtedly have several pictures of our best friends displayed on cell phone screens.

We can’t help but think that our dogs must feel the same way. How happy our dog must be to see another quadruped whose owner spoils her with rhinestone collar and latest hairstyle. We are sure that our Weimaraner couldn’t possibly want to pass up meeting another of the same breed. And what dog living in a single-dog household wouldn’t want the company of his own species?

But do they really want to say hello? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Most of us can understand that not every human likes every human and so goes it with the dogs. And, since we have stuck them on a leash or have confined them to a yard or house, it is our obligation to give them the opportunity to escape an uncomfortable situation. If not for the well-being of the dog, for the safety of others should the dog feel defensive.

Besides the obvious dog who pulls at the end of the leash to escape, here are five things to look for in your dog when introducing another dog:

• Tail between legs, slow evasive movement
• Hiding behind owner
• Yawning
• Head turning away
• Lip licking

No matter how friendly Topsy’s owner says she is or how friendly Topsy actually is, it’s about how your dog feels about the situation at the given time. No amount of forcing your dog to greet the other dog will help him to overcome his discomfort.  It is best to remove the dog from proximity of the other dog as soon as possible or try to distract the dog with toys or treats, consoling if necessary.

It is common courtesy to always ask before letting your dog approach another leashed dog. By all means, if the other dog is displaying any body language listed above, move away despite what the owner might say. That dog’s comfort level is in your hands at that moment.

 

Are you having difficulty understanding your dog’s behavior? Don’t know what to do about excessive barking or leash pulling? Frustrated with your dog’s potty habits? We want your shelter adopted dog to remain in his forever home. If you can’t find the answers to your questions under our Training Support section, send your questions to our trainer.

Email our trainer.

 

 

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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. Read the rest of this entry »

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

 

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?

 

 

 

 

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

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.

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.
Read the rest of this entry »