Canine Connection

Something interesting is going on at the Safari Zoological Park in Caney, Kansas. Apparently, a white tiger gave birth there and than refused to care for her newborn cubs. Not wanting to lose the three tiger cubs, the zoo’s owner found a Golden Retriever who had just weaned her puppies to replace the cubs’ mother. Isabella the Golden Retriever is now caring for the cubs as if they were her very own.

The idea of this just fascinates me. At shelters I’ve worked for in the past, I remember placing orphaned puppies and kittens with mothers (of the same species) whose babies had been weaned, usually with excellent results. I just don’t think it would have ever occurred to me to replace a wild mother with a Golden Retriever. Pretty wild. I’m curious to see how the cubs do under Isabella’s care especially as cats and dogs have different nutritional needs. And poor Isabella. I hope they find an alternate means of getting the tigers fed once their teeth start to come in!

You adopt a dog, you bring him home, and you live happily ever after. Or at least that’s what you imagine when you start thinking of adopting a dog. The reality is usually a bit different. You may find your “perfect” new pet isn’t housebroken, is fearful of men, gets possessive of his toys, seems aloof, has a medical condition, or has just plain old bad manners, just to name a few potential issues. For some people, finding the reality doesn’t measure up to their expectations makes it difficult for them to live with their new dog.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give to dog owners dealing with problems with their new dog, aside from seeking the help of a trainer, is to give it time. Expect a period of adjustment when you bring home your new pet. Dogs from rescues and shelters come with a lot of baggage. Many have been through more than one home, and living in a shelter is a highly stressful experience for a dog. Moving into your home can be scary, and your new pet is certain to be uncertain of what to expect.

How long should you expect it to take for a dog to adjust to your home? The answer varies from dog to dog. I’ve brought dogs home to foster who acted as if they had lived in my home for their whole life from the minute they walked through the door. My own dog, Maggie, was extremely shy, and it took her almost two months before she started to feel at home. If I had given up on her after only a few weeks, I would have given up one of the best experiences of my life – sharing my life with Maggie.

I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t give up. When you adopt a new dog, go into it with your eyes open, and expect it take up to two months or more for your dog to adjust to his new home. In most cases, you’ll be glad you did.

Apparently restaurants in Beijing are planning on catering to the tastes of tourists who will be visiting during the Olympic Games by taking something off the menu – dog meat. It seems the Food Safety Office in Beijing has placed restrictions on the over one hundred official Olympic restaurants banning dog meat from being served to customers. A request has also gone out to other restaurants and hotels in the city asking them to take dog meat off the menu.

I eat meat, so I guess it’s kind of hypocritical to comment on the tastes of people from other cultures. Who am I to say that the life of a dog is more valuable than the life of a cow? I can’t help it, though. Dogs have always held a special place in my heart, and it’s hard for me to imagine them treated as livestock. My hope is that the ban will catch on, and restaurants will continue to keep dog off their menus long after the last Olympian has left the city.

There are a number of really wonderful organizations who go the extra mile to help out dogs in need. With my Rescue Me posts, I thought I would start highlighting some of these rescues and shelters. My recent post about Michael Vick, made me start thinking about some of the wonderful, loving pit bulls I have known, and about the bad rep these dogs have. With this in mind, I decided to kick off my Rescue Me posts by highlighting a pit bull rescue organization.

Introducing: Bama Bully Rescue

Who They Are: Bama Bully Rescue is a volunteer-run pit bull rescue group located in Alabama.

What They Do: Bama Bully Rescue works to place abused, abandoned, and neglected pit bulls into loving new homes. They also work hard to educate the public about these wonderful dogs, and dispel the bad rap many of these dogs have gotten over the years. This organization also works hard to promote responsible pet ownership by offering advice about training and behavior and health issues.

How You Can Help: Bama Bully Rescue needs loving families to adopt their wonderful pit bulls. They also need volunteers to foster the dogs they rescue until they find a forever home. Even those outside of Alabama can lend their support by adding Bama Bully Rescue to their MySpace friends list.

Learn More: BamaBully.org

With a busy writing business, two preschoolers, my husband, and my pets and home to care for, I haven’t been able to consistently offer my time to volunteer with any local animal welfare organizations. I was thrilled when I came across the opportunity to foster a dog through a rescue group called Labs4Rescue. This group pulls labs and lab mixes from high volume shelters and finds them loving homes.

Yesterday, Billie Jean came to us. She is an eleven month old lab mix, and about the cutest dog you can imagine. She looks just like a yellow lab except for her size. Weighing in at only about thirty-five pounds, Billie Jean will probably keep her puppy look for the rest of her life.

Billie Jean is a sweetheart, but the poor thing is very shy. She’s gotten comfortable enough with me to let me pet her and cuddle her a bit, but she’s terrified of strangers, especially men. This little girl needs a home where the family can be patient with her until she’s ready to come out of her shell. We’re hoping she finds a home to call her own soon.

If you’re looking for a way to help out animals in need, this might be the perfect opportunity for you, too. Check with local animal rescues to see if they need foster homes for their adoptable dogs.

Teaching your dog to lie down on command is fairly simple, and is usually accomplished in a fairly short period of time. There are two ways you can teach your dog “down”. The first is something you can do if you’ve already introduced your dog to clicker training. If so, you can capture the behavior you’re trying to teach by following a few simple steps:

• Wait until you see your dog lie down on his own. Click the clicker immediately, and give a treat.

• After you’ve done this a few times, start giving your dog the command “down”. Wait until your dog lies down, and then click the clicker and treat. You’ll be amazed watching as your dog catches on, and the time between giving the command and having the dog perform the behavior decreases.

If you don’t use a clicker or would rather use a different method, you can lure your dog into a down. This is also done with just a few simple steps:

• Start with your dog in a sitting position, and hold a treat over his nose just out of reach.

• Give the command “down”.

• Slowly move the treat from the tip of your dog’s nose down toward his feet, holding the treat close to your dog’s body. As you move the treat down, your dog will follow it with his nose, sinking into a down position as he attempts to reach it.

• As soon as he is completely down, let him have the treat.

• If you’re dog is having trouble with settling into the down right away, start smaller. Let him follow a treat to chest level before giving it to him. Slowly increase how far down he is following the treat until he is lying down completely.

• Practice, practice, practice. Just because your dog lies down a time or two doesn’t mean he completely gets it. Be sure to practice for a few minutes each day to make sure your dog has the “down” down pat.

An interesting item caught my eye in the Valley Morning Star this week. It started when a Texas animal shelter decided to promote overlooked animals with a “Black is Beautiful” campaign. Shelter workers have long been stumped by potential adopters walking past the cages and kennels of black dogs and cats without stopping to take a second look. Although people cite a number of reasons for not adopting black dogs or cats, it boils down to many wonderful pets being euthanized in shelters.

While the shelter staff’s hearts were in the right place, the campaign was considered in poor taste by many, especially because it coincided with a weeklong celebration commemorating the end of slavery in Texas. When she realized what a controversy the adoption program caused, the shelter director put an end to the campaign.

I really don’t believe the shelter meant any disrespect to anyone with this campaign. It’s a tough job to come up with new ideas to promote adoption from shelters, and it’s a simple fact that black animals get overlooked for adoption time and again. I think the idea was probably not as well thought out as it should have been, but I can’t help but believe the staff had nothing but the best of intentions. And maybe the campaign will work after all. With all the controversy it has stirred, perhaps people will look at new eyes with the animals waiting in shelters for a new home.

~ The For the Love of Dog Blog over at Dogster.com is providing a coupon code for a 10% discount at The Honest Kitchen, a company which offers healthy, dehydrated raw pet foods. (get coupon code here)

~ Got gas? According to the The Daily Woof, there’s a good chance you live with a Bulldog or German Shepherd. No matter what your dog’s breed, there you’ll find tips on what you can do to put an end to the noxious fumes. (read it here)

~ Over at SanDiegoPets, you’ll find a review of Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain by Martha Sherrill. Sounds like great fiction, especially for us dog lovers! (read review)

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A story in the Daily Press today, reported that a young Marine was expelled from the Marine Corps for tossing a puppy over a cliff while on patrol in Iraq. A second Marine was disciplined for being involved in this horrifying action, as well. What makes this behavior even worse is that it was captured on video and posted on YouTube for all to view and enjoy. Unfortunately, viewers numbering in the tens of thousands watched this video before YouTube pulled it from the site.

Have the horrors of war so desensitized this Marine to violence that he thought harming this dog was nothing but a bit of fun? Or was this part of his personality before getting to Iraq? I don’t know if I find it more frightening that this individual found pleasure in the pain of this creature, or that so many thousands of people decided to watch the video on YouTube. I’m hoping that most of the people who viewed it were drawn to the video like some people can’t help but slow down to look at a car crash. I’m hoping this because the alternative is too disturbing – that we’ve become so desensitized to violence that we can find entertainment value in such a violent act.

There was some new news today on former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Vick who is currently serving a twenty-three month sentence after being convicted on federal charges related to dog fighting, will not be standing trial on the state level until after he is released from prison.

As the Anniston Star reported today, the Commonwealth’s Attorney decided it was not worth the expense to transport Vick and the other defendants who are currently serving sentences on similar charges to Virginia for trial. Vick and the other defendants will have charges brought against them once they have completed their federal sentences.

Personally, I am happy to see that this crime is being taken so seriously. I’ve handled several dogs who have been the victims of dog fighting, and it wasn’t pretty. Vick’s conviction really brought light to this issue, and I think now many people are much more educated about what a serious crime this is.

For more information about dog fighting, visit the HSUS website and get the facts.