Month: May 2011

Just like humans and other animals, cats go through very distinctive formative periods in their lives. Kittenhood, pre-teen/adolescent, teenager, young adult, mature adult, and senior ages all include important differences and a loving educated cat owner that recognizes and responds to each appropriately will help their cat live the richest and happiest life possible. So what about those often troublesome teenagers? They aren’t tiny baby kittens exploring and learning like little furry sponges, nor are they out-of-control wild young adolescents, but rather like human teens, their feelings can be very sensitive. Easily hurt but also quickly consoled, they require a bit of special nurturing at certain times to help them along their path to being a happy, well-balanced adult cat.

Our friends over at the wonderful Way of Cats blog explain teenage cats through an example with their 8-month-old kitten Tristan. ” Last weekend, I made meatloaf. Which meant eight month old Tristan got locked in the bathroom. Most of the time he perches on the cat cabinet, or the kitchen stool placed near the work area, and simply watches like a Good Boy. He gets a few reminders and he’ll ignore brownie batter. But the combination of raw hamburger and my mixing it with my hands means if his curiosity gets the better of his common sense, there’s not a lot I can do about it.

Thus, I do a pre-emptive strike; and put him somewhere else.

This simple precaution is an excellent kitten approach; past a certain point, they aren’t learning anything, and we are getting exasperated, so it’s time for the lesson to be over. Then we can complete our task, and they can ponder their lesson, or not, depending on their age.

Our kitten needs raising in a way that acknowledges their needs and limitations. So if we find ourselves getting frustrated, both we and the cat need a “time out.” In this case, I started by assembling my ingredients. When Tristan persisted in getting on my kitchen cart, I was able to put him away before my hands were too messy to do so.”

You can read the rest of how Way of the Cats manages Tristan’s hurt feelings at being confined away from the hamburger (for his own safety) at http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/the-teen-years-in-cat/13304

kitten photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/721201

If you’re looking for a different kind of pet to adopt, consider a ferret! Ferrets make great pets. They can be loving and sweet companion animals, not to mention loads of fun. Since ferrets are not as commonplace as other pets, they are sometimes harder to read as less might be known about them. Read on to discover some ferret behaviors that may seem alarming to the uneducated ferret owner or observer, but are actually quite common.

Ferrets can sleep so soundly they can seem dead. Ferrets spend 14–18 hours a day asleep and are most active around the hours of dawn and dusk. Sometimes ferrets tremble when they’re anticipating something or excited. Rest assured this is normal, as these little fellows are not shy about their exuberance! They perform a frenzied series of sideways hops, often bumping into things and trembling when they’re happy. Another normal ferret behavior is that they drag their tooshies after using the litter box.

These and other behaviors which might seem unsettling to new owners are actually all regular ferret activities. You can learn more about ferrets and what ferret behaviors really mean by clicking here.

Ferrets are silly, adorable animals that make great pets! You can find a ferret to adopt by using the “Other Pets” search on Adopt-a-Pet.com and then selecting “Ferret” as the species in the small animals section.

Adopting a pet is one of the kindest things you can do! But we know that not everyone can bring in a pet right now. Luckily, there are still many other ways you can make a positive impact to help the shelter and rescue pets in your community. Here are nine ways you can make a difference for adoptable pets today:

1. Volunteer: The shelter can be an extremely stressful atmosphere. A foreign place and small space, other stressed animals, endless barking, a constant influx of new animals and people – it can be a very unnerving experience. As anxiety grows, volunteers who come walk with, play with, and love on animals become a saving grace for many pets. The attention and interaction that volunteers can offer brings much needed comfort to shelter animals. Consider volunteering at your local shelter and enjoy the rewards of helping improve and enhance lives!
2. Donate: Whether you have $10 a month to spare, supplies you can donate, or have collected newspapers in your neighborhood to give, your local shelter can use and will appreciate it! Most shelters and rescue groups have a wish list of materials they need in order to keep saving lives. Instead of throwing away that old blanket, check with your local shelter to see if they need it. Reach out to your friends, and have a towel drive or ask everyone to donate one small bag of dog food. Instead of birthday gifts, have your friends donate to a rescue group of your choice.
3. Foster: If you can’t adopt a pet yet but want to enjoy the company of an animal, consider fostering a lucky dog, cat or bunny! Foster homes are the lifeline for rescue groups, allowing them to save animals and keep them safe while looking for their forever home. Fostering a pet can be so much fun, and it’s a great way to get your furry fix without making the adoption commitment. When you foster, you’re a pivotal part of the animal’s rescue, offering rehabilitation and love while they way for their forever family.
4. Take pictures or video: Animals is shelters and rescues need glamor shots! A picture is worth a thousand words and a beautiful picture can make the difference between adopted and waiting. Even more, nothing captures a pet’s personality like a video! Shoot a mini pet movie and you’ll be creating an excellent way to capture a pet’s personality and help adopters fall in love. Use a regular digital camera with a video setting, and no editing software needed – it’s easy and it really helps. So get those cameras charged and ready!
5. Be a techie for the animals: The internet has made pet adoption a whole new ball game. Having bios, photos, and video of animals who need homes increases their exposure and their chance at adoption. You can also do some “social PETworking” by posting a shelter pet on your Facebook page or via TwitterACritter and in doing so, you will be spreading the word about specific pets and help save them. Networking animals online helps them get adopted or rescued, right from your very couch or desk chair!
6. Spay or neuter your pet: By simply taking responsibility for spaying or neutering your own dog or cat, you’re doing your part to fight pet overpopulation. There are so many reasons to spay/neuter your pet, from behavioral advantages to health benefits to social consciousness. There are many low-cost clinics if financial matters are a concern, and even organizations that will help cover those costs for you. By spaying or neutering your animals, you’re a part of the solution and we thank you for that.
7. Link it up: Ask animal-related businesses in your area to post a link to Adopt-a-Pet.com on their web sites! By adding a link to our nonprofit website, people in your community can find adoptable pets and get involved to help their local shelters or rescue groups. Google to find out trainers, groomers, pet stores, dog parks, and veterinarians, in your community and politely ask them to add a link to Adopt-a-Pet.com to their website! It’s easy and oh-so helpful for promoting pet adoption – widgets and search boxes can be found at http://www.adoptapet.com/public/links/index.html
8. Adopt and commit: When you’re ready to bring a pet into your life, please choose adoption as your only option! You’ll want to make sure you’re ready for the long-term commitment to have a pet, as the greatest gift you can give homeless pets is simply to keep your own for life. If everyone did this (and spayed and neutered them), the number of pets in shelters would be drastically decreased! Remember that no pet is perfect and all require a little work and a lot of love – please stick with them through thick or thin just as you would with a child. Animals are not disposable, and when you make a lifelong promise to your pet, that’s one fewer animal in a shelter. If nothing else, feel GREAT about being wonderful to your own furry family members– you may not be able to save every animal in the world, but it means the world for the ones you do save.

In a recent issue of one of our favorite magazines, Rally To Rescue, we read a particularly inspiring article about rescued dogs and cats who in turn, helped rescue their rescuers! There’s Champ the Beagle who was found nearly burned to death, a Siamese cat who repeatedly pounced on his owner until he woke up to save him and the rest of his family including two other felines from a house fire, a Cattle Dog who’s barking was a life-saver instead of an annoyance, and a kitten with a rare bloodtype who helped save another cat’s life. You can read all about these amazing animals and their full stories at http://www.rallytorescue.org/articles/article.aspx?articleId=147

Can you tell if your cat is upset? We don’t mean angry, that is usually an easier emotion to read – but upset, as in unhappy, disappointed, or worried – or as Webster defines it, “emotionally disturbed or agitated.” Cats have many ways of telling their human caretakers that they are upset, but if you aren’t familiar with the intricacies of cat behavior and language, or if you just adopted your cat and you’re still learning to communicate with each other, it can be a bit of a challenge, and you might miss some of the clues that will tell you that your cat is upset – and miss out on being able to help them be the happy content cat you want them to be!

The wonderful Way of Cats blog writes in detail about some of the different ways cats communicate distress. Their article’s insights start out with:  “If we have a close relationship with our cat, signals get through pretty well. I know when any of our crew is unhappy; but the ways they show it will vary among different cats.” They then go on to describe the various categories and displays of upset behavior signals in their delightfully witty and enlightening way. You can read about how upset  cats use Complaining to management, Yelling for help, Catching our eye, Hanging around and Bad Behavior in detail at http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-the-cats-upset/13053

Do you know how to give your pet first aid? It is estimated that 92% of dogs and cats will experience an emergency during their lifetime. Pet first aid is the immediate care given to an animal that is ill or injured and generally requires follow-up veterinary care. Vets are the experts, but they are rarely on the scene when something happens to your dog, cat or other pet, so by reacting quickly, effectively and confidently before professional medical care is available, you may save your best friend’s life! Our Adopt-a-Pet.com spokesperson Dr. Pia Salk recently posted a series of Pet First Aid articles on her blog for MarthaStewart.com after speaking to pet first aid expert Denise Fleck. Pia took Denise’s pet first aid and CPR class, and shares what she learned in three articles. You can read them here:

Pet First Aid – Part I

Pet First Aid Part II

Pet First Aid Part III

We read this inspiring story in an issue of Rally to Rescue and thought you’d all enjoy reading how one person can make a huge difference in dogs lives! Day after day, Mikael Hardy passed by the same yards and saw the same dogs. Making deliveries as a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels in Greenville County, S.C., she saw the dogs alone, looking bored and neglected, living on the ends of oversized chains. Hardy noticed that the dogs were often chained quite a distance from driveways, paths and doorways, where people would frequently pass. The dogs’ lack of socialization led to further neglect. Whenever someone tried to show them interest, they undermined the attention by jumping up and making the interaction unpleasant. Visits were infrequent, however, loneliness was the least of the problems caused.

“The neglect contributed to the dogs being underweight and malnourished,” Hardy says. “Their water bowls were usually either empty or green from the growth of algae. The dogs often had heartworms, and were starved for love.”

Fed up one day with seeing so many dogs face these potential hardships, Hardy stopped her car outside one of the houses. She went to the front door and knocked. When the owners answered, Hardy started talking, trying to convince them to bring their dog inside or at least build a fence and let the dog off his chain. For 18 months she knocked on door after door. The response she got was always the same: “Dogs live outdoors, and fences cost too much.”

It was in the middle of one such conversation that Hardy became particularly frustrated. She stopped trying to persuade. She threw up her hands and blurted, “We’ll do it. We’ll build a fence for you.” She hadn’t paused to think how that might happen, but when the homeowner accepted the offer, Hardy committed to the task.”

Read the rest of Hardy’s story to find out how she did it at http://www.rallytorescue.org/articles/article.aspx?articleId=150

I don’t know about you, but every time I’m at Home Depot I’m drawn to the adorable mini-barn storage sheds that line the parking lot, and my future animal sanctuary dreams kick back into overdrive… well one amazing woman in Pasadena, CA has already turned that dream into a special reality! Her Cat Cottage Senior Sanctuary is an inspiration to cat-lovers who wish they had more room to be able to adopt more cats – and maybe a bunny or two! All you need is a small space in your backyard, some DIY skills or handyman help to add heating, A/C, and cool cat customization catwalks and perches, and voila, instant cat sanctuary – and home office or guest room with en-suite feline company! We found out about this amazing cat getaway on one of our favorite blogs, Modern Cat – click here to see all their photos and let us know if you’re inspired to make your own cat cottage!

National surveys of pet owners show that only 25% of pets are adopted from shelters. Potential pet owners often believe that shelters are overwhelming and depressing, and that shelter pets are pets with issues – not realizing many shelters are now bright friendly modern facilities with up to 25% purebred pets and most are wonderful healthy friendly family pets who were just displaced due to no fault of their own. Enter a “new” kind of pet adoption center – the storefront! Last week we interviewed  Found Animals about their Adopt&Shop retail pet adoption center located in a mall, and this week we talk to Sante D’Or, who have a successful and very different type of pet adoption center and sanctuary, in what used to be a retail record store!

What is the goal of your pet rescue’s storefront location?
To bridge the gap between rescued animals and their potential adopters, as well as invite supporters and interested parties to see first-hand how we operate and how our animals are treated.

How did you come up with the idea for having a storefront?
It seemed the most logical solution for an efficient adoption process and operation transparency.

What’s it like inside?
We are mostly one large room, with a small front entry space for merchandise (t-shirts and tote-bags) and literature, and then a small back room where new animals can be acclimated, or sick animals can be separated for treatment.

How many paid staff & volunteers are in the store daily?
We have only one paid staff member, our Executive Director, who runs the rescue facility full-time, and we are otherwise entirely volunteer-run. Volunteers care for and interact with our animals during two shifts each day, seven days per week. The shifts are mornings 9-12 and afternoons 4:30-6, and our Executive Director is on-site during the in-between hours. Additionally we have a Vet Tech in weekly to examine each animal’s health.

What are the store hours?
12-5pm, Friday-Sunday.

How do adoptions happen from the store?
Application, consultation with our Executive Director and then a home check. Our Director also offers consultation during the transition to assist with any concerns and the bonding of new and existing animals.

How long are the pets left alone when the store is closed?
They are only left alone over night, at which time they are tucked away in their cages for safety and so that we can monitor eating and behavioral habits in the mornings to ensure optimum health. When volunteers are there to clean in the mornings and afternoons, the animals are able to run free and play and exercise. While they do have to be left alone during the nights, they have daily one-to-one interaction, exercise and socialization. While no rescue facility can take the place of a forever home, it is truly the next best thing.

When did it open?
We were founded in 2003, but our storefront was opened in 2007.

How many adoptions has your store had since it opened, and on average?
More than 1400 since opening, and we average around 8-10/month.

Where do the pets come from?
Almost anywhere. Many are either dumped at our doorstep, found by volunteers, or surrendered by owners. Others come from our vet who contacts us when there is a situation with a client who is unable to care for an animal or is requesting euthanasia for a healthy animal. During kitten season, we also have numerous people calling and stopping by with litters they have found on the streets, by dumpsters, on hiking trails, etc. We have multiple calls per day from people seeking assistance with strays or turn-ins. We actively seek to quickly secure loving, forever homes for as many animals as possible and increase our outreach capabilities so that we can assist in more of these situations.

Who planned the design of the store and/or the business plan to make it viable?
Our Executive Director and Board of Directors.

How did you find the location?
We are celebrating the 1-year anniversary of our new location. Our Executive Director and Board President sought out the location, as we were having difficult building challenges in our former space.

How much did it cost to get it up and running?
There were only a few costs associated to making it “animal friendly” which were funded by donations.

How much are the monthly or annual operating costs to your organization?
We average roughly $8,000/month, depending on vet bills and number of animals.

How does it generate income, and does that cover your costs?
Grants, donors and fundraisers. While we do cover our costs through these avenues, we are actively working on more sustainable funding initiatives to enable progressive, long-term growth.

If you’d like to visit the Sante D’Or storefront adoption center, they are open to the public from noon to 5pm Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and by appointment during the week.
3165 Los Feliz Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
http://www.santedor.org

To train a puppy or dog to walk next to you on leash takes a lot more than just clipping a lead to their collar or harness and expecting they’ll follow you! This comes as a surprise to many new dog and puppy owners. Puppies may just sit there as you pull on them, looking confused, or may take off after an interesting sight or smell pulling you along behind them. But this doesn’t have to happen! In this article, I’ll cover one technique for teaching a pup how to walk next to you, so you and your dog will be happily walking along together very soon!

I’ve used this technique on many foster pups with great success. It works best  with dogs that aren’t super shy or super hyper, and who are treat, praise, or play motivated. (For others,  consult a professional trainer.) When reading this article, “treats” can be food treats, but also verbal “treats” (i.e. verbal praise) or playing with a highly valued toy.

You’ll see the steps take about 2 weeks. Some dogs can go through the steps more quickly, but rushing can lead to failure! Take your time and enjoy the process. To make the instructions below more easy to follow, I’m calling the example pup “Rover”.

1. Get Rover used to dragging a short lead around: This is while you supervise, not holding on to the leash. I use a 4-foot length of lightweight cotton rope (so there’s no leash handle to get caught on things), soaked in a puppy-no-chew liquid. Attach to Rover’s collar, and immediately start a game with another toy, feed him treats, and/or work on teaching “sit” and “come” while you walk around to make “leash time” fun, and to distract him from the new sensation of the rope dragging on his collar.

Do about 5 sessions a day, each 5 minutes long, for about 5 days. This works best in a place that Rover is used to, like his own fenced yard or kitchen, so he is focusing on you, not on new interesting smells.

2. Get Rover used to someone holding the end of the lead: After 5 days of playing and ignoring the rope dragging, pick up and hold the end of the rope while you do more 5-daily 5-minute play/training sessions. Try your best to NOT PULL ON THE LEAD! So sometimes he’ll be following you, other times you’ll be following him. Do this for another few days. Switch to a regular leash.

Trainer’s Tip #1: Don’t use a “retractable” extending leash. The changing leash lengths will often teach unskilled leash walkers to pull to get more slack. They are also unsafe as dogs/puppies can dart out into traffic or after a squirrel or cat, and with more than 6 foot of leash, you have no control even if you’ve put on the brake. If you must, they are safest used only within large areas like parks or beaches.

3. Teach Rover that tiny tugs on the rope mean come towards you: Try this on yourself… if someone pulls steadily on your arm, what is your natural reaction? To pull away from them! This is the same for puppies and dogs. So use tiny tugs, not a steady pull. I like teaching a word for this, and I use “here”… I find this blends well into “heel” later if you’d rather use that word for the command to walk next to you without pulling.

These sessions I make shorter, about 2 minutes. You can add them on to the end of your #2 exercise after a day or two of those.

While on a slack lead, give a tiny tug (think of someone tapping you on the shoulder to get your attention) and immediately say “here” and TURN YOUR BODY AWAY at the same time you reward with a treat, so you are not directly facing Rover. Think about this: if you are out walking with your dog on leash, are you facing your dog head on? No. You will be walking along with Rover beside you or a little behind you, and when you want to go a new direction, when you step away Rover may feel a tug on the leash as you are not facing him.

Rover doesn’t even have to move towards you at first. Think of it like “hey, (tiny tug) look HERE I have a treat for you in my hand next to my leg!” Also, by immediately, I mean right after each other, it’s like a tug-here. Timing in training is so important! Over the next few sessions or possibly sooner, you will see Rover quickly associate a tiny tug with a treat, and at the tug, will look up at your treat hand and even move towards it.

4. Get Rover to follow you after a tug: Now you can add a small step away from him Rover in between the tug and treat. Take a small enough step so the leash is still slack after the step. So… tug-here, step, treat. Look mostly where you are going, not at Rover. You are luring him to follow you. When Rover moves towards you, then next time add another step away… tug-here, step, step, treat. Rover eventually will be following right along next to you, anticipating that treat! HOORAY YOU TAUGHT HIM TO WALK ON LEASH! Now you just need to cement that behavior for longer durations and in new places, so keep reading.

Walk around doing this exercise, staring with 2 minute sessions, gradually adding in more steps between treats and lengthening the sessions up to 5 minutes. If Rover looses interest because of too many steps (or he’s full of treats), stop the session for at least a few hours until he’s hungry again, or the next day.

5. Get Rover to walk on leash in other places: It’s one thing for Rover to walk on leash next to you around your kitchen or yard, and quite another out in the “real world” with new exciting/scary distracting sights, sounds and most importantly for a dog – smells! Gradually try one new location at at time. The first few sessions in new place, do your best to have Rover really hungry so he’s more likely to focus on you and your treats, like first thing in the morning before his breakfast.

Trainer’s Tip#2: Dogs don’t generalize well so be patient if it seems like Rover totally forgot how to leash walk! He didn’t, he just needs to set the behavior in a new environment and you’re there to help him with that. Patience and gentle, positive energy will help him realize he can walk on leash just as he did in his kitchen, but now in this new awesome environment. Be prepared with higher value treats as you move to the outdoors. The greater the distractions, the greater the rewards should be for him to realize the best behavior is always based on checking in with his handler.

The first new area could be your front yard, or a short stretch of sidewalk right in front of your house. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until he is walking and following you. You can also add in other training exercises (sit, come, etc) while in that new area. This might take a number of sessions/days.

Try to pick a quiet time for the new area where you’ll be less likely to have people or other dogs adding to the distractions.

You might want to start off by letting him have a minute of ‘free time’ while on leash but not focusing on you, to smell the entire new area before you start “work”.

Trainer’s Tip #3: Plan a few “free time” sessions (at times YOU decide) during your walks when he can just relax, be a dog, sniff and engage in silliness! That way he won’t try to force those times himself.

Don’t let Rover pull you around! If he starts pulling, get him to refocus on you. If he won’t refocus, take a step back to the kitchen/yard and do another few days of reinforcement, then try the new area again. Teach him can only sniff and explore if he’s NOT pulling on the leash. You will have to be the judge, and the positive, patient leader.

Soon you will be walking along with Rover happily next to you on leash, where ever you want to go!

Trainer’s Tip #4: Once Rover is walking with you on leash, you can start pairing down the treats. Sometimes he gets one for walking on leash next to you, sometimes he doesn’t. It’s kind of like us when we play slot machines!

Written by Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Jennifer Warner with
tips by Katya Friedman, CASI Certified Dog Trainer.