Month: May 2009

Welcome back for another week’s addition of Good News In Pet Adoption. This week lots of positive stories have emerged. Highlights included, two college students raising money with twitter to save a Dog’s life, Vets teaming up with shelters to offer pets care, and how an adopted pet named Boo helped his owner get help after a icy fall.

Stories from 5/23 – 5/29

– Two Texas college students raise money through twitter to pay for a dog’s surgery.
http://mashable.com/2009/05/24/twitter-dog/

– The Dog Valor Awards – Several stories profiling of dogs helping their owners in tough situations.
http://www.beloblog.com/KHOU_Animal_Attraction/2009/05/the-dogs-of-val.html

– A local police department rescues a dog from his death bed and makes him one of the squad.
http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=305363

– San Francisco Vet reaches out to help shelters care for pets.
http://www.pr-inside.com/teaming-up-to-help-shelter-pets-r1277190.htm

Having trouble deciding if it’s a smart idea to purchase pet insurance? Not sure which plan or provider is best for you? Choosing pet insurance should be evaluated much like choosing insurance for yourself. Here are a few questions to consider…

• How does each policy handle pre-existing conditions?
• How many repeat vet visits for similar treatments are covered?
• What about inherent diseases and anticipated conditions?
• What are the policy coverage options and claim processing turn around times?

For more on this topic, check out our blog article on how to Prepare for You Pet’s Vet Costs.

Hello from Adopt-a-Pet.com! We are proud to bring our readers a brand new post series today titled “Good News In Pet Adoption.” What is the purpose of this new post series? It is to provide uplifting news from around the country about pet adoption.

Whether you’re looking to adopt, or a volunteer in a shelter the problems of pet overpopulation can seem overwhelming, and no one can do it all. We want to help keep morale strong and inform everyone of good things are happening in the name of helping some of our furry friends.

Stories will come from around the country discussing topics such as people reaching out to help shelters, and entertaining stories about the pets that are being adopted everyday.

Here are a few positive stories from the past two weeks.

– 200 dogs rescued from puppy mill arrive at LI shelter

– Zach Wilson, 9, and his mom created the Central Florida Animal Pantry

– Youngster helps Shelter with bake sale

– Some animal rights advocates working to strengthen new puppy mill bill

– Students bring in Pennies for Pets

Moving can be an incredibly stressful event for you and your family. Often, we’re so wrapped up in the stress we’re feeling that we forget that this is a difficult time for our pets, too!

Pets are truly creatures of habit, and change can be very scary and unsettling for them. In addition, pets are extremely sensitive to our moods and emotions, and they are affected by all the upheaval going on inside us before a move worry about getting everything done in time, concerns about finances, fears about adjusting to a new job or a new city, sadness at saying goodbye to your old home or your friends and family… all of these things we feel are picked up by our pets, too. Then, when we pack, all they know is that not only are we upset or excited, but everything familiar to them is disappearing, too.

There are ways to ease the transition, though. First, try to maintain your pets’ normal routine as much as possible. Make sure your pets are getting enough exercise during this period remember, a tired pet is a well-adjusted, happy pet. A good, long walk or hike can do wonders for your pets’ stress levels (and yours, too!). Here are some other tips for a safe and = successful move with your pets:

Before you move:

• Find out your new city or county’s pet licensing requirements and apply for a license
• Before you pack, make a set of photocopies of your pets’ license, microchip documentation, and proof of spay/neuter and vaccines. Keep them in an envelope in your glove compartment, or in your carry-on luggage, if you’re traveling by airplane. Also keep a recent photo of your pets, in case they get lost.
• Have a new tag made for each of your pets, and attach them to their collars. Even if you don’t have a new home phone number yet, put your cell phone number or the number of a close family member on the tag. If your pet should get lost during the move, it is crucial that whoever finds him can reach somebody right away.
• Take a few minutes to locate the closest 24-hour emergency vet clinic to your new home. Any veterinary office in your new town should be able to give you this information. Print out a map and directions from your new home to the emergency vet and keep a copy in the glove compartment of all family cars. Tuck a copy into your wallet, too. Make sure you do this before you move, since you may not have phone or internet access when you first arrive—trust us, emergencies can and do occur any time. The last thing you want to do if your pet needs help is to scramble to figure out where to take him or her!
• If your pet has a microchip, call the microchip company and update your contact information.
• Pack pets’ food, dishes, and other important belongings in boxes that will be easily accessible right away, and label them clearly!

Today, the world’s oldest dog turns 21.  Chanel, a dachshund who lives with her owner on Long Island, NY, wears goggles to protect her cataracts and long ago faded from red to grey.  She still is a much-beloved family member, though, treasured every bit as much today as she was when she was adopted from a shelter in Virginia as a puppy.

Every dog should be as lucky as Chanel.  In an idea world, all dogs would have a warm, safe home in which to grow old.  All dogs would have a loving family to take care of them in their later years.  Unfortunately, through a variety of circumstances, many senior dogs end up in the animal shelter.  Sometimes their owners, also elderly, must move to a care facility that doesn’t accept pets.  Sometimes, owners can no longer afford to care for a dog that needs age-related medical procedures or medication.  Sadly, in some cases the owners simply want a newer, younger dog.  It’s tragic, but true.

In honor of Chanel, let’s make today Adopt a Senior Dog Day!  Seniors make wonderful companions and they have so much love to give.  Please go to the “Search Dog” page, enter in your zip code, and select “senior” from the age menu.  Find a wonderful senior dog in your area.  If you can’t adopt that sweetheart yourself, post a link to the dog’s information page on Facebook, Twitter him/her out to your followers, or simply email a link to all your friends.  Let’s get those beautiful seniors out of the shelter and into the loving homes they so richly deserve!