Happy Doggies Make Happy Humans

6 Suggestions to Help You Adopt a Dog

Isn't this a wonderful photo? These two, dog and girl, are totally together. Gloriously happy as can be.

I'll bet this is a version of what you're envisioning as you begin the process of adopting a dog into your family. I'm here to say, "Yes, this can happen to you!"

My own experience, and that of many, many others is that your special dog is out there waiting for you to come pick her up, and take her home.

Here are my 6 suggestions for beginning your trek on the road to doggie happiness:

Getting Ready to Adopt

1. Take some time to think through why you want to bring a dog into your family. Companionship and fun are good reasons. So are many others. What are yours?

2. You might want to think about your family lifestyle, and what kind of life you can offer a dog.

• Do you live in a home with a fenced in yard? Or, an apartment? Are you working at home or does your employment keep you away from the home 10 hours a day?
• How are you going to walk the dog each day?
• Have you got kids that want to romp around with the dog?
• What size dog are you interested in? Are you more the lap dog type?
• Would the dog live indoors or outdoors? In a bedroom, or in the kitchen? Are you interested in crate training the dog (crates can make great dens--little doggie paradises.)

3. Do you want a dog that's "purebred" with AKC registration papers that you can show at dog shows? Or, would you prefer a "family dog" that can fit in with your daily life?

Choosing Where To Look For Your Dog

4. I recommend you start with your local shelters and rescue organizations. These folks are dedicated to finding good homes for the pets in their care. They've got a wide variety of dogs and if you're patient, you can find the right dog for you and your family. Shelters and rescue groups also have dogs with AKC papers, so don't skip these wonderful resources. (FYI, Oprah recently adopted a purebred Cocker Spaniel from a shelter in Chicago.)

You can look for local shelters on www.petfinder.com and www.pets911.com . Both sites have a facility to type in your zip code and give the geographic radius you are willing to drive to get your pet.

5. Be aware that each shelter and rescue organization has its own rules on what they think will make a good adoptive family. Some have application forms to fill out, references to provide, interviews with family members and current pets. Others go by their personal "gut feel."

• When I adopted Krystal from a private shelter (located through www.Petfinder.com ,) they told me that many shelters would not have let me adopt from them because I didn't have a fenced in back yard. 
• Krystal's shelter told me the reason they decided to let me adopt Krystal was because I provided references with phone numbers and emails (they never contacted them.) More importantly, I also provided the name, address and phone number of the veterinarian I was planning to care for my new dog. For that shelter, my providing the vet's information was the most important piece of information. It showed my sincere intention to provide excellent care for my future dog.  (Much thanks to my friend Karen for handing me her vet's business card when I mentioned I was looking for a dog!)
• Be ready to encounter these types of situations. If you find a roadblock, don't take it personally. Move on to the next shelter. Don't be disuaded from bringing dog happiness into your family life.

6. Six great things about shelters and rescue organizations are:

• They know their dogs and they can help you figure out what the best type of dog is for your family's lifestyle. They're good at this. So be sure to let them help you.
• Shelter animals are often spay/neutered, vaccinated, and have their microchip identification already inserted.
• There are lots of different types of dogs in shelters, so you've got a choice.
• Usually, the shelters know a lot about the dog you become interested in adopting. Be sure to ask "personal" questions about the dog.
• If the dog turns out to be sick, or not a good fit for your family, most shelters want you to return the dog to them. They can then find a better fit or get medical care for the dog.
• Adopting from a shelter supports your community. When you adopt from a local shelter, you create room for another dog to find a new "forever family." 

Krystal and I send you our best wishes on your search for doggie happiness.

Photo by: D Sharon Pruitt

Graduating From Being Afraid of Other Dogs

I've got happy news to share. My dog Krystal has graduated from being afraid of other dogs!

Her "final exam" was doing the K9 3K walk sponsored by the Wake County SPCA. She passed with flying colors.

As we drove into the parking garage, I got a little nervous. There were dogs, humans and kids everywhere. Krystal had never been in the company of so many dogs or humans. 

I decided the only way this could work was if I had a positive attitude and was ready for fun. Before I got the car parked, I started telling Krystal what a good dog she was, and singing songs to her.

Krystal was amazing. She took it like a champ.

The first sign that things really were going well came as we walked down the stairs of the parking garage. We passed several dogs who weren't used to going down stairs. Krystal is fond of stairs, and she kept on task. She didn't start barking or get all territorial. She just kept going down those 4 flights of stairs. All that time I was letting her know what a good dog she was.

The bigger challenge was just ahead. We had to cross the street and go into Moore Square, which was filled with thousands of dogs and their humans. 

Krystal held her own. When we got to the corner, I followed our normal routine and told her to "wait." She waited. When I told her to "cross," she trotted straight across the street. She totally ignored everyone else--her little ears were back in full obedience. It was a sight to see.

As we stepped into Moore Square, I admit to more than a little trepidation. I'm not overly fond of big crowds, so I gave myself a talking-to about remaining grounded and calm so this could become a good experience for Krystal.

Once again, she surprised me. She's always been frightened of big dogs, but she didn't bat an eye. She walked right with me over to the line for the registration tent. There she stood calmly taking in the scene. I was feeding her treats and singing to her.

When the SPCA started the 3K walk, humans and dogs started moving together. I was flabbergasted at the sight of my self-confident little dog walking so peaceably and happily among all these other dogs. Never a whimper or sound of a fear-bark. She was so self-confident that she just moved away when she encounted a dog she wasn't comfortable with.

After about 1/3 mile, the pack energy took over, and all the dogs and their humans began moving in sync. Krystal was smiling, clearly enjoying herself.

I was floating with joy.  Krystal completed the walk with nary a fear-bark or display of territoriality. Our lives were transformed with every step.

--------------------

When Krystal came to live with me 2 1/2 years ago, the shelter told me she had been found as a stray. They thought she had been on her own for 6 weeks. I truly admire her ability to survive that ordeal.

In the world of stray dogs, and 11 lb dog doesn't have much clout. She clearly survived on leaves, twigs, and acorns. The big stray dogs did her no favors, and our first year was filled with massive fear-barking when we encountered any dog on our walks.

I'm very grateful for my obedience instructors at Bon-Clyde Learning Center, who taught me how to work with Krystal. And who stayed for an extra hour one evening to teach me about terriers, and give me techniques to build Krystal's self-confidence and reduce her fear.

Thanks very much. It took us 2 years of love, dedication and training. I used your techniques the entire time. We're a much happier family now.

Oprah's Guide to Adopting a Pet

If you were watching Oprah on Thursday, you were in for a treat. She's added a new family member by adopting an 8 week old puppie, a blond Cocker Spaniel named Sadie.

You could tell Oprah was absolutely delighted to have Sadie in her family. Her happiness was contagious, bringing back memories for me of when I adopted my dog Krystal from a shelter in South Carolina.

Sadie found Oprah during a photo-shoot Oprah was doing at her shelter in Chicago. There were apparently a bunch of dogs for the photos, which will accompany an upcoming O article on adopting shelter dogs. In that special way that dogs have, Sadie latched on to Oprah and nuzzled her way into Oprah's heart.

From the looks of things, Sadie will fit in perfectly with Oprah's media live-style. When the producer brought Sadie onto to the stage, she was a cool composed puppy. Sadie didn't appear to be the least bit phased by all the lights, audience applause, and people calling her name. On top of that, she looked absolutely wonderful in her little spring coat, a Ralph Lauren selection.

Here's the great news. Oprah.com has an entire section on adopting a pet. I've spent some time looking through the content, and I really recommend you spend some time there, especially if you are considering bringing a new pet into your family.

One of the things that makes me feel really good is that Oprah's got all her pet information in the "family relationships" category of her website. She really honors her pets as true family members.

Hotel for Dogs--and Kids Too!

What a great time for dog movies! We've already had Bolt and Marley and Me. Now playing, is Hotel for Dogs. It's the best so far.

Anyone who cares about dogs or kids will thoroughly enjoy this delightful movie. I've posted the video trailer here for you to get a gleaming of what awaits you.

You already know I'm partial to spirited small while dogs. So you won't be surprised to hear that I love Friday, who is the dog star of this show. That said, there are zillions of dog breeds in this movie, and many with well drawn personalities. So every dog lover can find a favorite or two.

This is a family movie, and the adults can thoroughly enjoy it as much as the kids. It's got a well developed plot, with great characters. The acting is superb and so is the production. It's creative and inventive, hilarious and sad--all at the same time.

The Hotel for Dogs shows the best of of the human-dog relationship. We dog lovers already know a solid compassionate relationship with a dog can bring out the best in us. We can become better human beings, living life more to our capacity, having more compassion, and taking more action. Dogs can help us become happier, better people.

The plot turns on that admirable dog characteristic: to live in the moment, make the best of whatever is going on, and still play, have fun and spread the love around.

Two of the kids in this movie show us how amazing humans can be when they live their lives in a doggish fashion. These kids are just as admirable and loveable as the dogs.

Please be prepared to enjoy yourself. About half way through, I was wishing I had my dog Krystal with me. I can't wait for the DVD so we can watch it together. Krystal was found as a stray, and I found her on PetFinder.com, so I'm partial to strays being rescued. After the movie, I was very happy to go home and walk her. We talked dog silliness mostly.

There's so much to this movie, it may become a classic. And, and amazingly enjoyable one at that!

Have fun!

Finding Your Lost Dog

Thanks to Jodi for telling me about the robo-call she recently received regarding her neighbor's lost dog.

When you're looking for your lost dog, you'll do just about anything. Luckily, there are a host of new technology tools to help us find our beloved. Here are some tools for you to use.

1)  www.FindToto.org is a web-based service that helps you find your lost dog or missing cat. It's an ingenious use of internet and direct call technology.

Service Provided:

• Using the address where your dog went missing, FindToto calls 500-5,000 of your immediate neighbors. You decide the numer of calls.
• The call is professionally delivered, using information you have provided--about your pet, and your contact information. 
• Calls can be made within minutes of receiving your order, but message delivery hours meet industry standards for robo-calls.
• Numerous testimonials are on the right side of the home page.

2) Posters. Never underestimate the power of a missing dog flyer. Pet lovers do look at the pet photo and pets are found that way.

Most posters are home made.

My microchip registry service provides the following services when a dog goes missing.

• Creates a personalized missing pet poster that can be downloaded--with a photo of the dog, dog's name and description, and human/owner contact information. You can then hoof it around your neighborhood and town, placing copies of this poster where everyone can see it.
• Faxes that same personalized missing pet poster to all veterinarians and shelters in the area that the dog went missing from.

Be sure to check with your microchip registry service to see if they provide these services. You can contact the vet that inserted the microchip if you can't remember which service yu are registered with.

3) Contact your veterinarian. They generally have a system set up to notify local vets and shelters about lost companion animals.

4) Contact your local pet stores. They often provide search services for a reasonable fee.

I hope none of you ever have to use this information, but I know many people feel better just knowing help is available should you need it.

Photo by Pheezy

Compassionate Action

By Simon Davidson

This is an update of my previous post, Abandoning Your Dog.

I'm happy to see the compassionate and generous ways people are responding to these difficult economic times.

Compassionate action is being taken by the Wake County SPCA in North Carolina, with its response to a dramatic 30% increase in the number of cats and dogs left at their shelter.

Emotions can be high as pet owners reach the wrenching decision to leave their companion animals in the care of others. Many people tell the SPCA they have lost a job. Or they've lost their home, and are moving to an apartment that doesn't allow pets.

These distraught people offer their stories. They cannot afford the vet bills, or they cannot even afford to feed their beloved dog or cat. With the estimated annual cost of a pet approaching $1000, this is very understandable. Many of these people are living on extremely tight budgets.

In response, the Wake SPCA recently started a Pet Food Pantry, assisting people trying to keep their pets. The SPCA asked for donations of high quality pet food for the Pantry to distribute.

The SPCA Pet Food Pantry opened last Saturday and was a huge success. Hundreds of dogs and cats each received a month's supply of food.

Added to that good news, is that today the Wake SPCA has a notice on its website that they received so much donated food that their storage capacity has been reached--they cannot accept any more food donations (monetary donations are always appreciated.)

My heart is warmed by this active compassion and open generosity.

This is an update of my previous post, Abandoning Your Dog.

Are You Ready?

That's the question my friends at United Animal Nations are asking. If disaster strikes, are you ready to evacuate quickly?

They ask this question because their mission is "bringing animals out of crisis into care." When groups of animals are in crisis from floods, fires, hurricanes, or plain old bad shelter management, you will often find United Animal Nations there--setting up and running temporary shelters, calling in their trained volunteers, and managing reunions between dogs and their humans.

One of the most important things you can do for your family and your pets is to plan for a quick evacuation, and practice that plan.

Research has shown that in stressful situations, our brains work best if there have already been some rehearsals. Those rehearsals set up a pattern in our brains. When the time comes to move quickly, an already established pattern can be in our brain database--ready to be acted upon.

Right now, United Animal Nations is trying to assess pet owner's state of preparedness. I suggest you click onto their site, and take their short poll, click here.

Afterwards, you may want to review their excellent ideas and resources for disaster planning, click here.

No Pet Left Behind

by US Geological Survey

Happy news for US pet owners.

The rescue workers in those Iowa floods saved pets as well as humans. The pet rescue reforms brought about by the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina seem to have taken hold.

Even better news is that while Iowa appears to be one of those states that had not established a state-wide disaster pet rescue plan, amazing public officials, private citizens and volunteers stepped up and created temporary shelters.

According to a New York Times article, Beloved Pets, Displaced by Floodwaters, Find Temporary Shelter in Iowa, when the floods overran Cedar Rapids' city animal shelter, they removed all animals to higher ground at the nearby Kirkwood Community College's Animal Health Technology building.

From that beginning, the emergency shelter grew. Displaced people began dropping off their pets to be cared for while they waited for more permanent housing. Calls came in from folks who had to flee the floodwaters, asking for their animals to be rescued. And volunteers began arriving from all over the US.

Volunteers from United Animal Nations were in Iowa, providing emergency shelter services for all kinds of pets. Their blog posts for June and July have some great photos. The Humane Society of the US also had great blog posts in June about their work at Kirkwood Community College.

All this goodness of heart makes me smile. In fact, I giggle everytime I look at the photo above. I keep wondering what that rescue boat would look like if those people had a Great Dane, instead of a cute little cat!

by US Geological Survey

Helping Animals During Emergencies

Do you want to help animals during natural disasters or other emergencies?

My friends at United Animal Nations have announced their 2008 training schedule for volunteers wanting to join the Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS.)

Volunteers learn how to shelter, love and care for animals who are displaced when disaster strikes. They help bring animals out of crisis and into care.

With more than 3500 volunteers in the US and Canada, EARS has an excellent service history. They have rescued and sheltered animals during many types of emergencies--from local shelters that are shut down by animal welfare inspectors, to hurricane Katrina. This training is sponsored by the ASPCA.

In 2008 there will be 13 one day trainings, offered across the US and in Vancouver, BC.

I know these folks personally, and can highly recommend working with them. I'm looking forward to getting trained in Charleston, SC. I hope to see some of you there!

A Formerly Homeless Doggie Speaks Up

Hey Ya'll,

I'm inviting ya'll to join Kaye and me for the K9 - 3K Dog Walk, here in Raleigh, NC. on April 19 at 4pm. We'll start at Moore Square.

We're going to have a blast. Just think of all those dogs and their humans together in one place. Aaaarrrrfff! Barking and butt sniffing galore! And all those dog loving humans--amazing petting opportunities. I can't wait.

I want ya'll to know, this isn't just a fun-fest. We're all going to be there to raise money for that wonderful place, the Wake SPCA.

I'm inviting you to join us in helping rescue and rehome more than 3000 homeless pets this year. What a wonderful thing to do. Help both pets and humans have happier and healthier lives.

All you have to do is click on the banner below, and ya'll will get to our fundraising home page. Ya'll can donate any amount you want. Every penny will help the animals.

 

Please be sure to check out our fundraising page, ya'll will get to read my personal story!

Licks and sniffs for everyone,

Krystal

BC Lottery for the Animals

The British Columbia SPCA is holding their annual lottery for the animals. You may be interested in supporting their work by buying one or more lottery tickets.

There are only 14,499 tickets available. Each ticket costs $20 Canadian, and 3 tickets go for $50.00 Canadian.

The lottery prizes total $50,000 Canadian, and will be distributed throughout the month of May. A special warm-up distribution of $2500 Canadian will occur on April 1, 2008.

For details, click on the image below.

Here are some quick stats about the wonderful work the BC SPCA did in 2005:

• Rescued 57,000 domestic, farm and wild animals
• Responded to nearly 200,000 animal-related calls
• Reunited thousands of lost animals with their anxious families
• Found new, loving families for 21,578 homeless animals
• Conducted 5,914 cruelty investigations
• Seized 1,031 animals for dangerous or neglectful situations
• Rescued 1,574 deer, birds and other wildlife
• Provided humane education for thousands of children through school presentations and youth camps
• Received 201 million hits to the BC SPCA website from users seeking information on animal care and related issues

Their community support within the province shines through their over 4,000 dedicated volunteers and 375 employees.

I am filled with gratitude for these people and the work they do to help animals and their humans have better lives.