Month: September 2015

“Hello! I would like to thank your organization immensely for introducing my husband and I to our two little loved ones, Artie and Ella. With the recent passing of my husband’s 17 year old Golden Retriever, we knew it would take some time and a lot of research before we were ready to adopt. I signed up to receive emails about any puppies available for adoption near us and up popped Artie and Ella. We knew we wanted to adopt a mixed breed and these little ones were Husky/German Shepherd mixes (at least that’s what we think) and were perfect! We emailed the rescue Monday morning and were able to adopt them on Tuesday evening! It’s been fun and challenging raising these two but we wouldn’t change it for the world. They are now in training classes and are very smart! We’re in agility classes and basic obedience. Artie acts more like a Husky while Ella has the temperament of a German. People would stop us on the street to ask where we got them and we would always say Adoptapet.com! Thank you again, here are a couple cute photos :)” — Even more photos below!

Thanks Kate C. for sending us your Happy Beginnings adoption story and photos!

We’d love to hear your Happy Beginnings story too! Send your pet adoption story to info@cms.adoptapet.com with a photo or two, and tell us how Adopt-a-Pet.com helped you with your adoption. Thank you for adopting a pet and saving a life!

 

Our pets enjoy our backyards as much as we do, whether they’re digging, running or laying in the grass on a sunny day. So, here are some quick and easy yard maintenance tips to help you keep your entire family yard-happy — the furry and the non-furry alike!

 

#1 Manicure it.

Give your lawn a deep manicure before you even think about mowing it. Just like the underside of your nails, your lawn can accumulate a lot of nasty stuff. Have dead grass and leaves piled up over the last few months? Remove them with a rake or another gardening tool. Manicuring rejuvenates your lawn and helps it to grow without any obstructions.

 

Inclement weather and pet use can pack soil down. So, you should also think about aerating the lawn to freshen and feed the earth. The cost to aerate a lawn is about $120, depending on its square footage. You can also do it yourself, though professional equipment is proven to better move the soil.

 

#2 Mow it.

Once you’ve spruced up the surface of your lawn, it’s time to mow it. Too-tall grass makes it difficult for dogs to move around, and too-short grass is susceptible to damage. So, aim for grass about 1/2 inch high, unless you’re working with a newly seeded lawn. In that case, you’ll want to give it more room to grow — keeping the length at about 3/4 inch until it’s settled. Want to put those grass clippings to good use? Dogs love to roll around in them. And they also work well as a natural garden mulch.

 

#3 Weed it.

To keep weeds from growing back quickly, pull them up from their roots. Many weeds and plants are potentially harmful to pets — including surprising varieties such as daylilies, daffodils, foxglove and morning glory. Closely monitor your pets to make sure they don’t eat poisonous plants when they’re outside. Even when you think you’ve eradicated anything harmful, pets are mysteriously good at finding the things you may have missed.

 

#4 Soak it.

Give your lawn a thorough soaking to keep it fresh and green. Water plants, trees, shrubs and garden areas while hosing down any problem areas in your lawn. If you’re pressed for time or live in an area prone to drought, consider installing a sprinkler system. A sprinkler system is a good investment because you can time it to water early in the morning, when there’s less water evaporation, and also schedule watering in accordance with your county’s water schedule. Plus, watering early gives your lawn more time to dry off before you let the pets out to play.

#5 Hardscape it.

Don’t forget about the hardscape areas in your backyard — rock beds, gravel pathways, stepping stones, etc. If they’re looking worse for wear, fix them up. Your backyard may be a playground, but you’ll have to teach your pets to leave certain areas alone if you want to keep it looking good.

 

#6 Leave it to the pros.

If you don’t have time for all of this maintenance, you can always get a lawn and garden care professional to come out to your home. This affords you more time to spend with your family and pets. Plus, if there is a major problem in your backyard — patches in your grass, pests in the garden, etc. — a professional has the experience and the equipment to resolve it quickly.

 

Written contribution by Andrea Davis, Home Advisor.

“I just want to say thank you to your organization for helping to connect me to my new pet dog Abigail. She is beautiful and an amazing animal. She is still acclimating to her new home but I absolutely love her. She looks around and is hesitant to approach anything but I keep telling her, “Yes baby, this is your home, these are your toys, this is your blanket, no more shelter and no more sharing. Everything here is yours.”

I had been looking for a dog to adopt for a few months when I came across Adopt-a-Pet.com on the internet in Oct 2014. I received numerous notices regarding available pets. I went to the shelters to spend time with the dogs when possible but none were quite right for me. I believed (in my heart) that something would click and I would immediately know MY dog. And that’s exactly what happened. I received a notice in September 2015 on a Tuesday, went to the shelter on Thursday and brought her home on Friday. My search took almost a year but my new pet was indeed worth the wait. Thank you again Adopt-a-Pet.com. I am attaching a few pictures of my Beautiful Abigail.”

We’d love to hear your Happy Beginnings story too! Send your pet adoption story to info@cms.adoptapet.com with a photo or two, and tell us how Adopt-a-Pet.com helped you with your adoption. Thank you for adopting a pet and saving a life!

Teaching your dog to “leave it” is training your dog to stop doing something. A solid “leave it” skill can be important and even save your dog’s life! Dogs are fast and get into things they shouldn’t very quickly – as illustrated by my foster puppy in the photo above! You can often head off potentially dangerous situations with a good “leave it” in advance.You can start with training a very simple “leave it” command, and have that command then expand to cover other situations where you want your dog to stop doing something and focus on you. Here’s how…

Examples

Leave it: Do not eat that trash on the ground

Leave it: Do not go near that scared child

Leave it: Do not pick up that ball so I can throw it for you

Leave it: Stop staring at that cat/squirrel/____.

You’ll notice in the last example, the behavior is staring, not lunging and barking. I prefer to use “leave it” to stop a behavior before it happens. After a behavior happens, I prefer to use different commands. Like if they’ve already picked up trash or the ball in their mouth, I teach and use a “drop” command. If they are already too happy meeting a new person, I’d probably have them “come” to me and then “sit.”

….

HOW TO TEACH “LEAVE IT”

There are several ways you can teach a “Leave It” command. This is just one way I’ve found that is easy for new adopters to use, for a dog that is food motivated (wants to eat food or treats). If your dog hasn’t learned “sit” and “stay” commands yet, you should teach those first.

I like doing this in the kitchen, as it’s where I or an adopter might likely use this command, to stop a dog from eating dropped food.

1. Get a handful of low value treats, like kibble or bits of carrot.

2. Attach a leash to your dog’s collar or harness.

3. Step on the leash to hold him in place, without you being pulled around. (Helps to wear shoes like sneakers with a grippy sole to hold the leash in place.)

Tip: Stepping on the leash works for dogs up to a certain size. If you have a bigger or stronger dog, you can hold the leash just try to lock your hand at your hip and not move. The reason I like stepping on the leash is there is no give which makes the dog think his actions are going to get himto the treat. 

Don’t make him sit or give him any other command — it isn’t likely your dog will be already obeying a sit command when you drop something he shouldn’t eat in a real life setting.

4. Drop one low-value treat a few feet away, out of reach of your dog. Immediately after you drop it, say “Leave It” and wait.

Normally, your dog will try to go after the treat. You just stand there calmly while the dog tries and tries. Eventually, they will look away from the treat or pause or turn to you, trying to figure out how to get off the leash or to ask for help in getting the treat.

The moment they stop focusing on trying to go after the treat, even if it’s just a pause for a nanosecond, say, “Good dog!” Often they will then look at you if they are not already. If they look at you, repeat “Good dog!” again, and give them a treat out of your hand.

So you are rewarding him not focusing on the treat.

Repeat #4 four times. That’s it for the first session! You can do two or  three sessions spread out during the day.You don’t want to over do it. (Pick up the four treats you dropped but don’t give those treats to him.)

Your dog will learn that if you drop a treat on the floor, what they do to get a treat is look at you. Some dogs pick this up almost immediately, others it can take a few days or even longer. Once your dog looks at you when you drop the treat and say leave it…

5. Advance to your dog on a looser leash, repeating the dropping and leave it command. Take as many days as you need to work up to the dog not on leash at all, leaving the dropped treat and getting one from your hand instead.

Now you can up the value of the dropped treats to something yummier! Just make sure you have the same or even more yummy treats in your hand.

Now you can start practicing this out on your leashed walks, using items other than food, like toys and other things that your dog wants to go up to outside, You are using “leave it” to mean “leave it alone — pay attention to me and you get a treat.”

Now you’ve taught your dog the super-helpful “Leave It” command!

Introducing a pet when you have children can seem daunting, but rest assured that the pet friendly experts at your local rescue center will guide you every step of the way. Meanwhile, here’s some basic, tried-and-true advice to help you to ensure that the dog you bring home will blend.

Train your children Yes, we all know the importance of training your dog (it’s one of the most vital things you can do to make your relationship a success), but it’s equally important to teach your children how to interact with dogs in a safe manner. Before you bring any dog home, make sure your kids know how to approach a new dog: extend a hand, palm down, and allow the dog to approach and sniff. If the dog gives your child the “okay” signal (wagging tail, kissing, no signs of aggression, fear, or nervousness), your child should pet the dog on his side rather than reaching over his head. There’s plenty more on this subject later in the book, but the golden rule is quite simply to teach your kids to treat their dog with the respect and gentleness she deserves.

Choose an adult dog Puppies are great, but they’re not ideal for very young children. They mouth tiny hands with pin-sharp teeth, they jump, and they’re also easily injured. Also, contrary to popular belief, you can’t always tell what personality traits your puppy will develop. When you adopt an adult dog, what you see is what you get. It’s much easier to tell if an adult dog is already great with kids than it is to guess if a puppy will grow up to be.

Adopt from a rescue center Many rescue organizations keep their pets with foster families who have a chance to observe their dogs around children and other animals, so rescuers have a pretty clear picture of their pets’ personalities.

Be responsible If you’re adopting a pet for your kids, understand that the responsibility is yours. Kids, by their nature, often tire of things that were once new and exciting, including pets. You will most likely end up being the one who provides most of the pet’s care.

This article is an excerpt from Adopt-a-Pet.com’s book, The Total Dog Manual. For more great tips on all things dog, pre-order the book now on Amazon!

The folks over at Neato not only make really neat robot vacuums, but they also made this really neat infographic to help pet parents clean up and remove pet hair from every surface! We don’t mind a little pet hair on our things, it’s just part of owning pets, but we also like to keep our homes and offices spic and span, which includes regular removing of pet hair. We knew a few pet fur eliminating tricks learned some new ones reading through these pet hair removal tips, and now you can too!
Infographic courtesy of Neato