Pet Adoption Teaches Good Parenting

Adopting a companion animal provides a fertile opportunity to teach important values to children. The decision to devote your resources and care to an animal in need sends a very clear message about the identity of a family and its underlying values. It is a great time to explore who you are as a family and what you stand for. It is through this process that a child learns things like, “We are a family with an important choice to make, and we are going to use the power of this choice to save a life.” This teaches kids about personal responsibility and their impact on the greater good as they make choices in life. Children need to feel they can impact their world. We need to give them opportunities to do so in positive, pro-social ways. Adopting and caring for an animal can plant the seeds for that ethic.

Conducting a family meeting to determine if you can meet an animal’s needs, is a good place to start. You should explore issues such as whether a landlord permits animals, how much exercise the animal needs, how to provide for medical care, who will be responsible for feeding, training and walks, who will care for the animal on vacations, whether you have imminent plans to move, etc. Such a conversation conveys the importance of planning for the long term Navigating potential obstacles and committing to get through them– for better or worse– is an important step in conveying to your children, the inherent value of this new family member’s life and well-being.

Answering these initial questions will also help determine what sort of animal would be a good match for your family. Don’t hesitate to enroll the help of a local rescue group in making this decision.

The decision around which animal companion to add to a family can provide for fruitful debates about your family’s values. Perhaps yours is a family who is willing to provide a home to an older pet who has found himself in a shelter due to a move. Or perhaps you are willing to provide for a cat who has lost an eye or even a limb. This conveys that you see past age and physical ‘limitations’ and can appreciate another being’s inherent worth. This teaches about acceptance and offers children a chance to witness the inspiring resilience in all animals.

Perhaps your family is willing to provide a home for a pit bull or other breed disadvantaged by misconceptions and negative stereotypes. This teaches kids about pre-conceptions and difference. It also encourages them to learn for themselves and not buy into a public perception that may be biased or misinformed.

Finally, for kids who are adopted themselves, adopting a pet provides an opportunity to talk about their feelings while also confirming a family’s positive regard for others in need. Similarly, for a child who is hearing impaired, or who has a condition such as diabetes, adopting an animal with a similar condition (provided the resources exist to properly manage it) can be therapeutic and enriching for all involved.

There is no limit to the great lessons that you can teach when you opt to adopt. It benefits all involved and lives on in the growing minds of the children who participate. The ripple effect of this family activity will undoubtedly foster compassion for generations to come!

In Kinship,

Dr. Pia Salk

This article was originally published on Pia’s blog The Daily Wag.

PiaPia blogs often at The Daily Wag on MarthaStewart.com, the home of episodes from Francesca and Sharkey – Martha Stewart’s two dogs. Dr. Pia Salk is a psychologist, animal welfare advocate, and expert on the human-animal bond. Pia frequently highlights the important role that animals play in our lives and how our societal treatment of animals conveys important messages to our youth. In her own work, Pia often credits the animals as being “the real therapists.”

Dog & child photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/783864

The Plight of These Sensitive, Majestic Creatures…Horses

horsesAs a little girl growing up in New York City I did not have much interaction with horses. I recall seeing the carriage horses waiting for tourists outside of Central Park and felt a sadness as I knew if they had a choice they’d likely choose to be running in pastures with their kin. Through my work in rescue, I’ve become increasingly aware of the plight of these sensitive, majestic creatures. Too often the needs of humans trump even the basic needs of these gentle giants. And it takes gentle humans with giant dedication to remedy this. Tawnee and Jason Preisner, founders of NorCal Equine Rescue, are just such dedicated souls. They live and breathe their commitment to all animals and are true angels to horses in need.

While the contribution made by Tawnee, Jason and everyone at NorCal Rescue to the greater good for horses is far-reaching in and of itself, this duo’s commitment to making a difference permeates everything they do. Having seen how hard it was to adopt out pairs of horses who loved each other and needed to stay together, Tawnee and Jason decided to adopt a sibling group of humans so they could be together!

They also live a compassionate lifestyle that includes not eating animals and always rescuing others in need if the situation presents itself. Just this week they bought an emaciated goat being sold for $5 at auction. Sadly, the little guy was so weak that he did not make it through the night. At least he passed away amid kindness, with Tawnee stroking his head.

Read the rest of this the post by clicking here.

PiaPia blogs often at The Daily Wag on MarthaStewart.com, the home of episodes from Francesca and Sharkey – Martha Stewart’s two dogs. Dr. Pia Salk is a psychologist, animal welfare advocate, and expert on the human-animal bond. Pia frequently highlights the important role that animals play in our lives and how our societal treatment of animals conveys important messages to our youth. In her own work, Pia often credits the animals as being “the real therapists.”

You can find a horse to adopt near you at
http://www.adoptapet.com/other-pet-adoption#horse

horse photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1213087

Special Needs Animals Being Given a Second Chance

Pia While I always love to hear about an animal being adopted from the shelter, the stories of special needs animals being given a second chance especially warm my heart! “Special needs” actually covers a broad spectrum of conditions and abilities. Some special needs animals require continued care such as assistance with walking or ongoing medication for conditions like diabetes or seizures. Others require little or no additional care. While animals who are deaf or blind occasionally need some extra protection or guidance, they typically adapt remarkably well, and few humans would even detect their limitations. Similarly, the loss of one limb typically does not limit an animal at all.

While adopting one of these very special creatures is a great idea, one can also foster them for local rescue groups. Finding temporary foster homes for these animals is always a huge need and of great help as they are being fully assessed or recovering from a procedure or amputation. If you’d like to adopt or foster a special needs animal in your area simply check the ‘special needs’ box when searching for your new best friend on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

Another great reason to consider adding a special needs animal…finish the post by clicking here. Pia blogs often at The Daily Wag the home of episodes from Francesca and Sharkey’s Martha Stewart’s two dogs.

The Myths of Sheltered Pets

Many people make negative associations about pets that are in animal shelters. Often the animals in shelters aren’t there because they  have difficult behavior or health issues, it is because they have become a victim of circumstances beyond their control. Here are a few of the most common reasons pets are found at animal shelters. We hope this helps you to clear up some of the common misconceptions and myths about shelter pets!

#1: Moving is the number one reason pets are given to a shelter. While moving is sometimes an excuse used by owners that simply no longer want their pet, since pets can of course move with their families, many companion animals really can’t move with their families. They are relinquished because an owner has died, is relocating to a senior-care facility, or has no choice but to move into low-income housing that prohibits their pets.

#2: Cost of regular pet care. Especially in today’s economy, families often are forced to move in with other family members where their pets are not allowed, or cut back drastically on their living costs, including being able to feed and care for their pets.

#3: Lost pets. One of the most avoidable reasons that pets find themselves at the shelter is because they got lost and did not have a microchip or tag to facilitate a reunion. Some pets are lost for months, and end up in a shelter after their family has stopped looking for them.

#4: Adolescent pets are the most common age group seen at shelters. Often families buy or acquire an adorable puppy or kitten, not realizing the time and effort needed to care for and train a young pet.

#5: Pets as gifts. Especially pets  given as surprise gifts often end up in a shelter either because recipients were not involved in the selection process, the pet is not a match for their lifestyle, and no one planned to care for them.

These are just a few of the real reasons wonderful adoptable pets end up in an animal shelter. You can find a pet like these in your local animal shelter or rescue by using the searches available at http://www.adoptapet.com and give a deserving pet like these a loving home.

Shepard Fairey Obey ADOPT collars & leashes now on sale

Now you can promote the ADOPT message in the hippest way possible! The adoption-supporting OBEY Clothing company has chosen Adopt-A-Pet.com for their latest OBEY AWARENESS Campaign. Shepard Fairey and his OBEY Clothing team share a commitment to helping homeless animals, “Millions of animals urgently need us to take the lead and speak out on their behalf,” Said Fairey. All profits generated from the sale of OBEY AWARENESS Adopt-a-Pet.com products go directly to support the cause.
http://shop.obeyclothing.com/c-126-adopt-a-pet.aspx

For more hip Shepard Fairey adoption-supporting gear, like signed prints, stickers and shirts go to: http://muttslikeme.adoptapet.com/get_image/index.html

And stay tuned for more rad ADOPT merchandise by Obey Clothing!

Get Your Furry Fix by Fostering

Dr. Pia SalkFrom the brilliant Dr. Pia Salk, who has extensive experience fostering pets: If you can’t adopt a pet but want to get a temporary furry cuddle fix, support the work of your local rescue groups and save lives, then fostering is for you! Fostering is one of the most compassionate and rewarding actions an animal lover can take. The availability of a foster home can make a life-saving difference for a homeless animal. While many people envision rescue groups as having large facilities and a full staff, the reality is more grass roots than that.

Many rescues groups are only able to take in as many needy animals as they have fosters for. Rescue groups work tirelessly to find homes for the animals in their care and to network the ones in municipal shelters, but all too often the time needed to find a home exceeds the time an animal has left. Foster homes provide the critical time needed to connect the dots between an animal in need and an adoptive home.

Foster homes help not only by saving lives, but in other ways too. By getting to know a pet’s personality, a foster helps the rescue group properly place that pet into a suitable home. A brief stint in a safe environment can also help provide the socialization needed to facilitate a smoother transition into a new home.

And let’s not forget the fun part! A foster parent gets to have a furry fix for a stint without the life-long commitment that may not suit their lifestyle.It’s like getting to spoil your niece and nephew when they come to visit!

Anyone interested in exploring foster should contact a few rescue groups in their area (click here to find rescues near you). The rescue can share info on their requirements and schedule a time for a home visit. Ask them to help you establish the kinds of animals you can accommodate and a time commitment that meets your lifestyle. If you’re partial to a certain breed, you can also consider fostering for a breed rescue.

You can also sign up to volunteer on Adopt-a-Pet.com’s volunteer registry, and select “Fostering” as one of your interests.

What a great way to advocate for the animals!

Happy fostering!