Author: Jennifer

Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Thinking about what I am thankful for fills my soul with joy and gratitude. I am thankful for everyone who’s adopted a pet. Thankful for the kindhearted people who dedicate their lives to saving and caring for homeless pets. Thankful for volunteers and staff at shelters and rescues. Thankful for generous people who open their wallets along with their hearts to support animal welfare with their donations. Thankful for good Samaritans who stop whatever they were doing to help a lost pet they see running or injured in the street. Thankful for kind veterinarians who donate their skills and discount their products to help pets and families who couldn’t afford to care for their pet otherwise.  Thankful for philanthropic-minded executives at companies who sponsor and donate to non-profits — like ours, making our free services for shelters, rescues, and adopters possible. Thankful for people who’s kindness to animals extends to their plate, especially on this holiday, and who celebrate with delicious animal-free fare. And last, but not least, I’m thankful for the love of my friends, family, and all my pets! As the staff here at Adopt-a-Pet.com are feeling thankful, we thought this would be a great time to share some of our favorite personal pet photos. This is Adopt-a-Pet.com team member Dana and her dog Joey taking in a gorgeous view from the peak of a hike.  Don’t they look thankful for their friendship, their health, and that incredible view? We invite you to share your favorite personal pet photos with everyone on Facebook too! Post your own pet photos to our Adopt-a-Pet.com Facebook wall here or you can easily tag us in a photo (set its privacy to public so everyone can see!) or post on your own wall and include the hash tag #ThankfulForThisLove. Happy Thanksgiving!

Imagine you’re a happy kitten. You play, run, jump, bat toys around, and when you’re all played out, you snuggle with your feline and human friends, kneading them with your paws like you did your mom when you were nursing on her. Life is good. Then one day you’re taken to the vet, where you go under anesthesia, then wake up in terrible pain. The end of all your toes have been cut off! 

You try to stand up and walk, but pain shoots up from your amputated toes, despite the pain medication which makes your vision blurry and your stomach clench. You try to go get a drink, but there’s a huge plastic cone around your head, tied tightly with gauze around your neck. Your litter box is there, but it’s filled with shredded newspaper, not the litter you as a good kitten know you should use for the bathroom. You try to dig to see if maybe there is litter under the paper, and as your paws hit the litter box bottom, more searing pain shoots up from the missing ends of your toes. Every step is painful – even balancing to walk is difficult. You give up and lie down, wondering when this nightmare will be over, not knowing the pain may last for days and weeks, and maybe even the rest of your life.

Sadly, this is not a made-up horror story. Every year in the United States, pet owners allow veterinarians to declaw their cats. Each cat is an individual. Each veterinarian has a different skill level and technique when performing a declawing operation. There is no way to know how much pain your cat or kitten will be enduring for the rest of their life if you have them declawed. Please, don’t declaw your cat! Instead, humanely train them to scratch where you want, and use vinyl nail caps instead.

Black Friday in the US is the Friday right after Thanksgiving. Many of us  get a holiday day off from work or school, and what better way to spend that free day than… shopping for a new pet to adopt! Just like retail stores, many animal shelters offer special sales to kick off the holiday pet shopping season on this day. Just because you shop for a pet to adopt on Black Friday and appreciate a good deal doesn’t mean you take the responsibility of adopting a new pet any less seriously! Why not have a little fun with joyful season of giving by giving a homeless pet a loving new home for the rest of his or her life. To go along with the Black Friday theme, some shelters and rescues may offer even more special promotions for black pets! Black cats especially will often get a wonderful package or present to go along with them this time of year, since some organizations put them in the back around Halloween to keep them safe from impulse or novelty adoptions. We happen to think black pets (well, all pets!) bring luck and joy into their new home. Black Friday just happens to be a fun day to go on, indulge yourself, adopt a black or any-other-color pet from your local animal shelter or rescue!

Knowing how to cut or grind down your dog’s nails is an important skill for any dog owner… or knowing your can afford to take your dog to a groomer or vet to have them trimmed every four to six weeks! I’m sure I inherited part of my fear of clipping a dog’s nails from my mom. She loved big black dogs, and we had a pair of adopted big black mutts for most of my growing up. Though they had some white toes, all their toe nails were pitch black. In case you’re not familiar with the mechanics of trimming a dog’s nail, it is very important that you only trim off the tip. This is because, just like a human finger nail, if you trim too much off, you cut the “quick” which in a dog, just like a human, hurts tremendously, and can bleed copiously! When a dog’s nails are white, you can usually see the pink quick inside, and know how much or little you can safely trim. Black nails though, you have to make an educated guess, and with a wiggly dog, even your best guess can get thrown off, and ouch!

Almost all dogs’ nails need to be trimmed on a regular basis, usually about once a month. It does depend on how fast your dog’s nails grow, and how much walking and running they are doing on rough surfaces like asphalt, and if they have their “dew” claws  – those nails higher up on their legs which don’t receive any wear. Nails that aren’t trimmed regularly will keep growing, even to the point of growing around in a circle and into the pads of their feet. Not good! Even nails that are only trimmed occasionally, if too long can cause a dog’s feet and joints to take unnatural stress when they walk, causing pain both short and long-term. 

Many dogs don’t like their feet to be touched at all, often because someone at one point painfully trimmed their nails and got their quick. If you have adopted a new dog or puppy who doesn’t like his feet being picked up, you can…

Get your dog comfortable with paws being handled first!

1. Pick a time when your dog is most relaxed, like at the end of a day, after lots of exercise, when they are lying down for a nap. Gently touch your dog’s front paw and reward with treat and verbal praise. Repeat daily until you can touch all paws.
2. Pick up your dog’s front paw and let go right away, reward with treat/praise. Repeat with all four paws. Practice once daily for a week.
3. Pick up and hold your dog’s front paw for a few seconds, and reward with treat/praise. If your dog pulls his paw out of your hand, allow him to do so, but he doesn’t get the reward. Repeat with all four paws. Practice once daily until your dog lets you hold each paw for about 20 seconds without pulling it out of your hand, then add in gently squeezing each toe so the nail extends out.
4. Some dogs are afraid of the “click” noise the nail cutters make (or the whir of the nail grinder, if you use that instead). Ask your dog to sit and focus on a treat in your hand. With your other hand, make the click with the clippers (or turn the grinder on then off) and reward with a treat. This is like clicker-training your dog but you are clipper-training them instead! Repeat a few times, then practice daily until your dog is relaxed with the click/whir noise.

Now you are ready to trim your dog’s nails!

If this is your first time ever trimming a dog’s nails, I suggest having a professional groomer, or an experienced vet or vet tech, show you how the first time. If you have a nervous, big, or energetic dog, having someone help you can make the task easier if they can hold the dog still, or even just feed them treats as you trim their nails. I personally prefer to use a nail grinder. They sell pet nail grinders, but pro groomers most often use a two-speed dremel, which is a handheld rotary tool, on the low setting (6,000 RPM) with a sandpaper bit.

How to trim your dog’s nails…

1. Choose a time when your dog is most relaxed, like at the end of the day or midday nap time. Pick up your dog’s paw and gently squeeze one toe, so the nail is extended. See before photo below. 
2. Using a nail clip or a grinder, cut off or grind down the very tip of the nail. If your dog has very long nails, you still only want to take off the very tip. (You can trim them every other week so the quick will recede to make the nails shorter over time.) If you are grinding, allow the grinder to do the work, don’t press the nail hard into the grinder, and use 1 to 2 second pulses against the nail, to avoid overheating. You want to angle the cut so that when the dog’s is standing, the cut is slightly tilted up, almost parallel to the ground.  See photo below. 
3. Reward your dog after each nail with a treat and/or praise! 

While it’s wonderful to show your appreciation to shelter and rescue staff and volunteers at any time, it’s great to also have a special week every year to celebrate the important work they do saving and caring for homeless pets. In 2013 National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week is November 3rd to 9th.  Inspired by the 7 days of this special week, Adopt-a-Pet.com has come up with 7 ways you can show your local shelters and rescues how much you appreciate the role they play in your community! You can pick one, two, try them all, or come up with your own ways to show the kind-hearted folks who have dedicated their lives to helping homeless pets how much their time and efforts mean to you and your family.

Shelter and rescue staff and volunteers are on the front lines of animal rescue. Day in and day out they are dealing with abandoned, abused, hurt, sick, and suffering animals — and people who are often in very difficult situations too. “Compassion fatigue” is just as common as it is in other professions that kind of high-stress work. For those compassionate souls who’ve chosen to work or volunteer in animal welfare, the numbers of homeless animals and people who can’t or won’t keep their pets can feel overwhelming. Sometimes it takes only a very small gesture of appreciation… a word, a note, a warm smile… that keeps them going.

Here are 7 ways for 7 days you can show shelter and rescue staff and volunteers your appreciation!

1. Send a thank you card. Or a letter. Put it the mail or drop it off at your local shelter. Yes email is easier, but a physical card or letter is more likely to have a longer lasting effect and be seen by many more people. If you have kids, enlist their help in making a thank you card!
   At the shelter where I worked, they would pin thank you cards and letters on a bulletin board by the copy machine, next to the door. Every time I made a copy or walked in and out of the office, my eyes would go to that board to see if anything new had come in – and that could really turn my  day around! 
2. Shake their hand. You can say thank you or nothing at all. A warm caring handshake is a wonderful way to show your respect and appreciation! 
3. Use your words. Tell them that you appreciate them, in person. You can keep it simple, but a few genuine words expressing why you appreciate what they do can mean so much. “Thank you for working so hard to keep these kennels clean,” I heard one visitor say to a shelter maintenance worker. You should have seen how he stood up tall and smiled at that compliment! 
4. Write a positive review. Did you have a good experience visiting or adopting your pet from a local shelter or rescue? Let others know by writing an honest review on their Facebook page, Yelp, Citysearch, or your local business review website. 
5. Give a gift. It doesn’t have to be expensive… at the shelter where I worked, vegan baked gifts were a huge hit and enjoyed by all the staff and volunteers.  (Some city and county departments have strict rules about employees being able to accept gifts, so you may want to check first.) If you own a local business, how about presenting your shelter with an award, proclamation, or plaque?    
6. Send a photo of your adopted pet.  If you adopted a pet, taking a happy photo and sending (mail or email) or sharing on social media is one of the most encouraging things you can do for shelter and rescue staff and volunteers. They dedicate countless hours, dollars, and tears with that one goal — finding a pet a new loving home. Your happy adopted pet photo (we call them “Happy Beginnings”) is possibly one of the easiest and most heart-warming ways to show your shelter and rescue appreciation!
7. Last but certainly not least… adopt a pet! We can’t think of a better way to show your appreciation for shelters and rescues, can you? You can find a pet to adopt at your local animal shelter or rescue at http://www.adoptapet.com

 While we all can enjoy the unconditional love a companion pet offers, cats can make ideal companions for senior citizens. Pets can offer loyalty, provide joy, and give unconditional love. They can also make excellent nap buddies and lap warmers! Retired senior folks often have more time to spend on caring and loving for their pets than working households. Pets don’t judge people based on how old they look or physical limitations. Instead, they only know they have someone to love and who loves them back. A pet’s devoted and affectionate nature can make a senior owner happier and even healthier. Medical professionals who work with seniors have long noted the benefits a pet can make in the life of an elderly person! Here are some of the amazing benefits a pet can bring to a senior person or household: 

• A pet offers a sense of well being and independence, helping to prevent stress, depression and loneliness.
• Being responsible for another living creature can add new meaning and purpose to a senior’s life.
• Caring for a pet with activities such as feeding, grooming and walking helps people stay active, both mentally and physically, and thus enhances and increases the quality and quantity of her life.
• Numerous clinical studies verify that owning a pet can benefit a human’s physical health. For senior people that results in lower blood pressure, decreased stress, reduction in bone loss, lower cholesterol levels, and improved blood circulation.

Yay! It’s time for another Happy Beginnings story, about a homeless pet that found a new loving home, thanks to Adopt-a-Pet.com. If you adopted a pet that you found thanks to Adopt-a-Pet.com, we’d love to hear from you! Send your adoption story and photos of your adopted pet to info@cms.adoptapet.com. Now back to our story… Lillian writes: “I found my pet on Adopt-a-Pet.com. Last year my Silky Terrier, Cody, was diagnosed with lymphoma and sadly had to be euthanized. I was so heartbroken. I swore that would not get another pet, I would be tied down, it’s too painful when they die etc., etc. But before I went on vacation, I put in some criteria using Search Saver on the Adopt-a-Pet.com website. When I returned I had an e-mail from Adopt-a-Pet.com, there was this dog called Brownie. I sent the e-mail to my friend, who is a huge dog person, one of her dogs is a rescue. My friend said to call that I have nothing to lose. I called, spoke to the person at Animal Friends of Connecticut and told her that I was interested in Brownie and would like to come and see him.  I made an appointment, had my application in hand and my friend and I set out for the long drive to Avon, CT., to the vet that had Brownie. Prior to going to Avon CT., I had a home visit done by a local rescue, so all AFOC had to do was call them.

Brownie came into the room at the vet’s and was very excited and nervous. His story was that some family gave him to some guy because they were moving, but the guy had two big dogs and was afraid Brownie would get hurt, so he surrendered him to AFOC.

Brownie was neutered, had his shots and I had a month to bring him back if it didn’t work out. I remember thinking, how could you keep a dog for a whole month then give him back. I adopted Brownie and we left for the drive home after the assistant wished Jack a nice life.

The rest of the story:

Jack (a.k.a. Brownie) just had his anniversary/birthday on July 7th he is about 3 years old. He is the most wonderful dog, I have had 3 dogs but he beats them all. He is loving, happy, protective and king of the house. He is such a joy, my family has fallen in love with this little guy and when they visit he just goes bonkers. I never thought that I would feel this way about a dog that didn’t start out as a puppy from a breeder. By the way, Jack is part Jack Russell and part Shitz Tzu (sp?).

I recommend adopting to anyone who is interested in rescuing/adopting a pet, besides there are too many animals that need a loving home. I have not regretted rescuing Jack for one second.”

Does your pet like being dressed up in silly costumes and making you smile? I know my dogs do! They might not be thrilled with the process of getting the costume on and perfectly adjusted, but once the velcro straps are secure, you should see how they strut around! They especially love the “treat” part of our in-house trick or treat sessions that come with the costume wearing too. My coworker Dana’s dog Estelle, pictured here, shows off her costume – and her wonderful doggie smile shows how much she’s enjoying looking super cute too! So far my cats have preferred to supervise rather than joining in the fun, but I have seen some adorable photos of my friends’ cats in costumes. Picking the right costume for your pet and getting them comfortable wearing it for the full duration of your trick or treat rounds or Halloween gathering can take some planning and training. If your pet has never worn a costume, you should start out slowly, working your way up to more elaborate costumes, like the full Elvis bodysuit with wig and sunglasses! Here are some tips to keep the horrible howls out of your Halloween pet costume fun.

PET COSTUME TIPS

1. First try a costume that can be taken off quickly, like those with velcro straps. (Examples: Football, Shark Fin, Angel Wings.) Let your pet smell the costume, and give them treats so they associate the costume with good things. For dogs, ask them to sit and stay, and reward them as you put the costume on.
2. The first time you put the costume on your pet, have them wear it for just 10 seconds. Gradually increase the amount of time your pet wears the costume. Never leave your pet unsupervised wearing a costume, for any length of time. If your pet continues to struggle or seem unhappy or scared after one or more short sessions, wearing a costume might not be fun for them, and of course never something you should force them to wear. Costumes are meant to be fun!
3. If you have an active dog, playing with a toy or taking them for a walk after you put the costume on can distract them from wanting to get the costume off, and get them used to the feeling of it being on, so they ignore it like they do their collar.
4. Most cats and dogs love to be admired and told how cute they look, so don’t forget to lavish them with compliments about how adorable they in their costume.

Yappy Howl-o-ween!

awe·some adjective \ˈȯ-səm\ = terrific, extraordinary, vs. fail·ure noun \ˈfāl-yər\ = lack of success. If you’ve ever volunteered as a foster home for a shelter or rescue, you may have heard the term “foster failure” when a foster home decides they’ve fallen so deeply in love with the pet they are fostering, they decide to become their adoptive home. The word ‘failure’ of course has a very negative meaning, a lack of success says the dictionary. The negativity was protested by a foster failure volunteer at a rescue where I volunteer. “I don’t feel as though we failed as foster parents. It shouldn’t be called foster failure. It’s foster awesome!” All the other volunteers and I couldn’t agree more, and ever since we have called a foster volunteer adopting their foster pet “foster awesome!” I myself was recently a “foster awesome” (click for my story about adopting Gizmo, my super senior sweetie) and it was definitely a terrific and extraordinary experience.

Fostering can be a wonderful way for a home to help possibly many pets get the care and love they need to flourish in a home environment, to learn about their personalities, likes, dislikes, and work on their training to polish them up to make them shine as an adoption possibility. It can also be a way for a family to live with one or more different pets to see if they are the best match for their home. This can be really helpful especially if their home may have a particular challenge, like a resident dog or cat that is very selective about which other pets they accept versus really enjoy.

Some local shelters and rescues allow their foster home volunteers to select a pet to foster, while others operate in a less democratic way, depending on the type of animals they have and where the animals are housed if they don’t work out in a foster home. (A small dog rescue might only let their foster home volunteer foster small dogs, for example.)  Each shelter or rescue is different. That is true too of how much involvement they allow their foster home volunteers in the adopter screening and decision making process. Some shelter foster volunteers have zero participation, while some rescues may leave all the interviews, home checks, and final decision up to the foster volunteer. You can ask the rescue or shelter how their foster program works before fostering for them of course!

Signing up in the Adopt-a-Pet.com volunteer database is a great place to start if you’re interested in becoming a foster volunteer, and maybe one day, a foster awesome!

Puppy and fireworks clipart credit: sweetclipart.com

Pets are amazing in so many ways, and one really remarkable way is how they handle a disability like deafness. Though cats and dogs who aren’t deaf use their excellent ability to hear sounds to interact with the world, including humans and other pets, partial or fully deaf pets use their other senses to make up for the one that they are missing! You can search for special needs dogs or cats that need homes near you by clicking the “Has Special Needs” check box on our Search Dogs and Search Cats pages.

Sight, smell, taste, and touch including feeling vibrations often take over and make it almost impossible to tell a pet is deaf, except by their non-reaction to sounds that occur without any other cues. For example, a fully deaf dog wouldn’t hear their person whistling for them to recall, but they can be taught a hand signal to come running just like a dog with full hearing would. Understanding their limitations (like a deaf dog shouldn’t be off-leash in a non-fenced in area) and the work-arounds allows deaf pets’ owners to enjoy full and happy lives together.

People that adopt pets with special needs like deafness often say that their pets don’t just have special needs, but are special pets in the most positive of ways! It might be because deaf pets often pay more attention to what they see, smell, taste and feel, which puts them more in tune with their immediate surroundings, including their human family. 

Check out DeafDogsRock.com for some great deaf dog training videos and more information too.