HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know that I have little tolerance for people who give up a dog because the new place won’t take them, especially if they have had a cat or dog for years and years. Maybe I am a little too intolerant sometimes. I think my feelings come from two places. I have been through many upheavals in the time that I have shared my life with a dog. I even lost my home and had nowhere to live at one point. Somehow I always managed to find a way to keep my dog. Sometimes it just involved being patient for just one more hour or one more day, and a solution presented itself.

In the past, I debunked the myth that that are no apartments or condos take dogs. I have received mail telling me its not about being able to have the dog or cat, but the cost of the rent. I still say that there are plenty of affordable places out there where you can have a pet. Maybe you will have to give up idea of living in the exact building you are eyeing, but it is possible to stick within your budget and keep your dog or cat. There is a rent comparison tool on the net at Rentjungle.com that shows you if the place you are looking at is high, low, or average compared to the going rates in your area. Also, it will list the properties in the price range. Some you may not have considered before. Of course, you have to check the property sites to see if they take pets, but it is a starting point.

Not all apartments will be ideal. You might have to walk down a flight of stairs to take the dog out. Your cat may not get a picture window to look out of like he’s used to. However, you will continue your lifelong relationship with your pet. Pets are pretty adaptable as long as they are with their favorite person. When things get better, you can always upgrade. A less than posh apartment is temporary, but taking your pet to a shelter or giving them up in another way is forever.

This is the one in a series addressing the top reasons why individuals give up a dog. Sometimes a dog is just behaving like a dog and it is us who are not fufilling our role as caretakers of our pets. There are little things we can do that make a big difference.

There are a lot of situations where a dog has bitten a repairperson, a landlord, or anyone else who could unexpected come into an apartment or home.

You might be expecting them, but your dog isn’t. Remember, to your dog this is like a “break in.” Sometimes, even if you are are present, the dog reacts very differently than if you were receiving a “guest”. Part of it may be your body language. Usually, even though you don’t feel threatened in any way, you are not 100% “at ease.” One also doesn’t go through the same ritual as when greeting someone known to you, so your dog might not get the “all safe” signal. Thirdly, the repair person, technician, or inspector might be walking into and touching areas of the house a regular guest wouldn’t…crawling on the floor, ducking behind a desk, etc.

What is often NOT talked about is not the danger that your dog can be to a person coming into your home, but also vice versa. Some dogs are less dominant and would kiss a burglar rather than defend your home, but they are still at risk. Some repair folks carry a can of dog spray, and do not let their hand stray from it. I am not saying ALL folks do but enough. If your dog went toward them quickly, even if it was in a friendly way, they could potentially squirt them and ask questions later. We had a repair person come recently, and even though I was holding a dog in my arms, he still had his finger on it. Sprays can cause great discomfort to a dogs eyes and nose and can potentially burn or blind in some cases.

There are several ways to avoid a potential situation, from preventing a normally well behaved dog from having to spend time at the pound on bite hold, to preventing a dog from harm from a spray can or a foot.

The first is, arrange for you or someone who knows the dog(s) well to be present during repairs. Otherwise, the apartment or home is off limits.

If you have an apartment, a landlord does NOT have the right to come in at any time without proper notice. Even if they are selling the building and bringing someone through to see it, they must tell you ahead of time. The exceptions are in the case of fire, roof leak, or other major safety situations. Being as it may, when you are not home it is best to get a baby gate and keep your pet restricted to a particular area of the apartment or home when you are not home.

Whether you own a home or rent, crate training is also an excellent idea. This way, when you are home with the dog, he/she feels “safe” when put inside his/her carrier or crate when an expected stranger comes to your home. Or when you are not home for a little while, your dog is protected from a potential situation.

Call to action:

Tell friends and family.
Send a link to this article to a friend or post a link on a bulletin board.
Print up a flier about the benefits of crate training and post it in your apartment building and vet office.

I have written before on the subject of convincing a landlord to allow a well mannered dog or cat to live on their property. There are many properties that do allow pets, but sometimes there may be landlords that don’t allow all breeds. A canine good citizen certificate or a meet and greet with the dog can sometimes win them over. However, I recently found that in the UK, there is such thing as landlord insurance. In the United States, there is renters insurance that a renter can purchase to cover the contents of the apartment in case of fire, flood, or other damage, that would have been covered by homeowner’s insurance had it been available. The insurance in the UK works the reverse way, it seems. The landlord’s insurance may cover damage inflicted by renters, but it also may include a rent guarantee if a rented skips out, or perhaps loss of rent while damages are rectified.

If you are hard up to find a place for you AND your dog to stay in the United Kingdom, perhaps offering to pay a few months of insurance on your unit would put the landlord’s mind at ease.  It will be a good faith act, for sure.  Also, it proves to landlords that they need not worry about renting to someone with a well behaved canine.  Of course, they need to read the exclusions, but major damage may very well be covered, not that they need it, of course.

One of the things some folks don’t bargain for when considering a pet is the issue of shedding. Dogs shed. Cats shed. It is just a fact of life. Sometimes, of course, a dog or cat may shed more than others due to its breed. There are a few ways that you can reduce shedding. The easiest way is the most simple.In fact, it is just as simple as brushing. When you brush your dog or cat, the hairs that have already been released and are ready to drop on the floor are removed, leaving more in the brush.

Vitamin supplements can be used if your pet sheds excessively.  This could be the sign of a skin condition of health issue.  I know several dogs who have developed beautiful coats with the addition of vitamins in their diets.
Special shampoos can also be used to combat shedding. They usually have fatty acids and aloe in them to soothe the skin and coat. If your dog sheds excessively “all of the sudden” and it is not the change of season, you might want to get them checked out.There is a whole slew of other tips at Buydogbeds.org that are really helpful.  Believe it or not, one reason dogs show up in shelters is shedding.  Not every dog, but too often not to mention and make people aware of what a simple fix it is.

These early times in a dog’s life are the most critical in its development. This is when it is easiest to influence a dog’s behavior and teach them the basic commands you’ll want them to respond to over the years. A well-balanced and well-trained dog provides both the animal and the human with a much more fulfilling relationship.

-Expert Dog Training Inc.

Just like the quote implies, going to obedience classes are sometimes the best thing that can happen for you and your dog. When you are able to communicate with eachother in a way that is understood, it is not only the beginning of a lifelong friendship, but it helps open many doors for your dogs. Landlords that are on the fence about allowing dogs are often swayed by a proven obedience graduate. Where do you start?  There are often basic obedience classes held at or sponsored by pet stores. Sometimes they might not fit into your schedule, so a dog obedience school in San Diego has another alternative.  They offer one on one puppy classes in your home at a time that is convenient for you.

The disadvantage to one on one training is that your pup doesn’t receive the socialization with other dogs at class.  The advantage is that the trainer can spend more time focused on your puppy, and may also see how you relate to him or her in their natural habitat.  Therefore, things that they learn in class won’t suddenly disappear when they walk in the door, as you will learn how to communicate in your own home.  You can make up for the socialization by joining a group puppy class or basic obedience later on.

Have you had one on one dog training, or should I say “owner training” in your home?  If so, what did you think?  How did it go?

Jax was a very lucky dog. He was rescued from animal control, but only to meet a worse fate than that.  Someone decided to dump him at yet another county pound. The pound was overcrowded, so they were going to euthanize him right away. Luckily, someone had the presence of mind to scan him while he was lying on the table, about to receive the needle. The microchip was found and the phone call came like a miracle to a lost dog. Jax had escaped death more narrowly than the first time, and he owes his luck to a microchip, but mostly to the man who paid to have it put it when he was transferred to rescue. We just call him the “DogFather.”

If you are a pet owner, you may have heard about HomeAgain. It is one of the top two most used microchip systems in America. When you microchip your dog or cat, or yes, even large bird, it helps you recover them. Collars can fall off or be removed, but a microchip is permanent.  Should someone find your pet, they can take them to any vet’s office, and they can be scanned for a microchip.

During the American Humane Association’s Be Kind to Animals Week® May 3-9, 2009, HomeAgain will donate $1 through BringPetsHome.com for every pet that is registered with them as microchipped.  BringPetsHome.com is a fundraising Web site specifically created to help shelter animals.

HomeAgain not only offers merely a microchip service. You can subscribe annually and have access to a toll free number for medical assistance, and it also provides medical insurance for lost pets.  When your little guy or girl is out there, who knows what could have happened.  They could have been hit by a car, or suffered other injuries trying to get back to you.  The same subscription also includes up to $500 in reimbursable travel expenses if your pet is found more than 500 miles away from home. The medical portion of the insurance includes coverage up to $3,000, less a $50 deductible.

Jax was a dog that I personally knew about, but there are 499,999 other dogs who have been reunited with their families because of HomeAgain alone, not to mention other kinds of chips. Visit the Home Again Web Site to read other happy reunions.  The stories will warm your heart, as well as it might convince you to choose microchipping.

A concept that has grown from a fad to a given is Dog Day Care. Once something people scoffed at as a luxury of the well to do has become an important tool in helping people own a dog. You may ask how it helps people have dogs. Sometimes you will see someone posting an ad stating that they have to give up a beloved dog because they now work days that are too long for the dog to be able to expect to “hold it” or the home loses one of the caretakers through death or divorce. Some people try the alternative of setting up doggie pads in a room, but when a dog goes from being social to being alone 24/7, you may see some bad habits crop up, or even more so, a dog that is very well trained may not relieve themselves in the house even in an “okay” area and risk illness.

For me, it wasn’t an issue about what to do during the day, but what to do when I went out of town. Most of the time, I brought my dogs with me, but occassionally an event came up like a wedding where the dogs would not be welcome, or if the distance of travel would be difficult. With the cost of taking smaller dogs in the cabin of the airplane climbing from $75.00 to $150.00 each way, sometimes it only makes sense to bring them if you are going away for a whole week rather than just a night or two. One may ask why not let them stay with a relative? Well, relatives aren’t always reliable. They may be going to the same event you are, for one. Secondly, sometimes if they are not “dog people,” they may be okay for a few hours but when you pick your dog up, you find that they haven’t eaten a bite out of nervousness or have been fed coffee cake.

With a Dog Daycare set up, you can drop your dog off in the morning a few times a week and he/she will get the bathroom breaks, socialization, meals and atttention he/she needs to thrive. Often, Dog Daycares have overnight services too. One of the popular places to go is Camp Bow Wow. It is a national chain now, with locations in many states. So far, I have heard good things about reader experiences there.

I recently discovered that you can own your very OWN Camp Bow Wow.  Of course, if you owned your own, it wouldn’t mean that it would just be your exclusive place every time you wanted to take your dogs there, but of course you would have to staff it and run it as well.  They offer franchise opportunities, which is certainly a better deal in the brain department sometimes than trying to figure things out from scratch.  In fact, you may already have some built in customers monitoring the website, waiting for something to open up in their area.    So, if you have excellent dog manners and have dreamed of having a business that worked with animals, maybe it is something to look into!

Recently, this post was featured as a “Best of Craigslist” at  http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/bos/762808006.html.  The author is not listed, but I would like to thank them.  All I know is that they are somewhere in the Boston area.  If everyone would read this when considering giving up a dog or a cat, there would be a lot of less heartache at the shelters

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I have a great dog. He’s a little on the fat side, but he’s really active. He’s great with kids, unless they try to pull his nubby tail. He’s really friendly to people who have food. He loves to have his teeth brushed, but is resistant to having his feet touched. He can smell a little doggy, and the tooth brushing does not appear to improve his breath, but I’ve smelled worse. When I read some of the things on this board, I wonder about other dogs out there and how they fare in the world. I’d just like to say the following:

* I recently moved. I found an apartment that was in a great neighborhood in a building with other dogs and dog friendly folks…..this was because did a little work and looked for a place that was right for me and the dog, and stumbled over this fantastic place where I now live.

* I recently got a new job that requires that I spend more time at work. I was worried that this would negatively affect my little pup, so I make an effort to get up earlier so that we can go for a good walk before I leave, and I arranged for someone to spend time with the little guy for a while during the day while I’m at work. My career chugs along and my little guy is still happy.

* I live in a tiny, tiny apartment, but this does not negatively affect the dog in any way. Granted, he is a little guy, but the fact is that between walks before and after work, and extended play time outdoors in the evening, the size of the apartment doesn’t hurt my pup’s quality of life (or mine, for that matter). He has never chewed up anything I own, broken anything in the house, or done any damage to any structure that I have lived in. He does bark a bit when people walk by my kitchen window, but mostly that’s because he’s crazy. Or maybe because he thinks that everyone loves him and maybe that person wants to come in and pet him or give him a treat. I don’t speak any dog, so I can’t ask him.

* I don’t have a high paying job (or career, for that matter), so I don’t have a lot of disposable cash, but I do have money saved in case the dog has a minor medical emergency, and the information for Care Credit in case he has a major medical emergency.

* Admittedly, I don’t have any kids (I am both unpleasant and squishy, which makes finding a baby daddy trialsome), but I distinctly remember having pets when I was a kid, and I have six brothers and sisters that my mom had to watch over. She seemed to do OK with seven kids and a dog, and while I find her an extraordinary human being, I don’t think that she has any kind of pet-care superpowers.

My dog makes me laugh and he cuddles up against me and he provides me with an opening to meet some very nice (and some very interesting) people when we’re out walking and he hides under the blankets when it thunders and lets me feel like I’m soothing him and he brings me toys to play with when he gets bored and he rolls over in the grass and reminds me how much fun it is to be alive. He gives me all of this and more, and all I do is walk him, feed him, and play with him.

I hope that all the people who post their dogs for adoption on this list have done every possible thing that they can do in order to keep it before they give up on themselves. I just want to say to all of you who think that it’s too hard to take care of you pet: YOU CAN DO IT! Your pet believes in you, and I believe in you, too!

I know this is someone’s cat. She is not a feral or a wild cat. Feral cats just don’t tend to wear pink flea collars.

She was at a lady’s house, scratching at the screen. The woman’s instinct was not to check her neighbors to see if their girl had gotten out somehow. Her immediate instinct was to call someone to come get her and take her to the pound because she might rip her screen. If only had she bothered to make a phone call or two. It would not have cost anything to make a few local calls.

Now, this pretty kitty sits at the shelter, hoping her people think of coming to the county pound to look for her.

It is both the mindsets of the owner and of the finders, if only shifted, would save many, cats, from being stuck in this predicament.

Of course, the obvious response is to blame the finder of the cat. Personally, it would cost her little to nothing as far as time and money to simply call her neighbors to find out if any of them were missing a kitty. It could have been a quick reunion.

The other side of this is the owner. I have covered the benefits of your cat being an indoor cat, of course. What disturbs me in this case is the assumption many people have that the “cats always come back.” Panic or even mild concern doesn’t seem to set in, if it does, until the cat is gone for a few days. There is an even an old folk song called “The Cat Came Back.”

Unfortunately, waiting a few days may be way too late, being that in some counties, they are only obligated to hold strays 2-3 days. If your cat shows up at someone else’s house, they are likely to be seen as a nuisance and it is likely animal control will be called. Some facilities hold a cat or dog as long as they have room, some don’t. What that means is that your cat could be long gone by the time you think to mobilize a search for them. Either they have a new home or they are euthanized. Or, it is possible your cat could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and could have been attacked by a coyote, other cats, or could have been hit by a car.

I am not trying to scare you, but it is unfortunately true.

For cat owners or those considering a cat:
Spay or neuter your cat. It removes the extra motivation to wander.
Consider making your cat an indoor cat.
Put a tag and collar on your cat, so if God forbid they get out, it clues someone in to the fact that someone would want them back.
Microchip your cat. Not everyone checks, but shelters are likely to.

For those that find a cat, before you call animal control:
If they approach you, they are probably someone’s cat rather than feral.
Check for tags.
Call neighbors. Remember those behind you, not just on your block. Give people a reasonable time to respond. Some people are not home during the day.
Pay attention to lost cat ads.

The tone of this message was not to “place blame,” but to make it clear that we are ALL in this together, whether we own a pet or not.   By doing something very small, we can all prevent one more life from being ended, one more from being lost.

One of the top questions I receive from potential adopters of shelter dogs is “Is he/she housebroken?”

My answer to that is “Maybe.” More likely this is my answer:

A shelter is a very stressful or a very foreign environment for a dog. Dogs that are reliably housebroken often have accidents there because they are out of their element. Or their domain is a kennel and not a regular house. A dog that has never been house trained could “hold it” at the shelter because they are equally as stressed. When you take a dog home, for the first week or several weeks, they may not have any accidents even though they are NOT house trained. Or, they could have accidents even though they are normally reliable. They do not know your house and the smells. Most of all, they may not know where the door actually is, or who they should “tell.”

The good news is that dogs aim for approval. Treat a dog that is new as if they have never been trained. Crate train from square one and be absolutely consistent. If the dog sits by the door when they need to go out, don’t just let them out. Praise them highly so they know it is what you expect of them.

At left:  She had a home with a family once, but needs to learn the “ropes” at her new home.  She is a sweet, 40 lb mixed breed dog who is very affectionate.  She has  few wrinkles that leads the shelter to believe that she has some Shar Pei in her.

Please consider adopting her today! Dog number #13008

Heard County Animal Control Center
11818 Ga Hwy 100
Franklin, GA 30217
Phone: 706-675-3570

The commitment you make to a pet when you bring them home is for the rest of their life. I don’t mean to lump everyone who must give up a pet into a category of “evil, senseless people.” There are a few legitimate reasons why someone has to give up their canine, feline, avian, aquatic or…what is a similar word for rabbits? I can’t remember.  Of course, sometimes people die, and the family needs to look for a rescue or a new home for the person’s pet.  Or they have a huge heart and take in all the animals that are dumped in their neighborhood and at a certain point must find good homes for some so they can take care of the rest in a much more thorough, financially feasible, and fair way.

One of the most common reasons why people give up a pet is because they are moving. I find this reason 98% of the time wildly unjustified as there are more and more landlords who accept pets, and pets travel with you on that long trek across the country much easier than you think.  Often, these poor animals end up at the shelter or get passed to someone in great haste at the last minute due to the pet owner not thinking about their pets until the last minute.

There are many ways to insure, through proper foresight that you and your pets are never homeless.

One that you may have thought about is budgeting for emergencies or not purchasing a home that is way beyond your monthly means. One other way that you may not have thought about is finding a title insurance company when you purchase a home, farm, or condo. In most states, you are required to if you have a mortgage. However, if you inherit a relative’s house, buy a house cash, or if the owner holds financing for you, you may not and should consider the help of a title insurance company .

It does not protect you from losing your home if you cannot make payments, but it protects you from any “surprises.” Although title officers at the title company are knowledgeable and acting in good faith, it insures that when the property has changed hands years ago, there is nothing from the past that prevents you from the uncontested enjoyment of your home.