Old Dogs and New Homes

Doggie hospice is a good thing.
I would like to learn more and start a brainstorming session on what we could do in a shelter envirionment to make seniors more comfortable. I know that more dogs will get to the shelter than the hospice so, first things first.... This is our Honey that you may read about from time to time here, the light of our days, gone so quickly with cancer. A big boy at 145 pounds we never new he was sick , even the vet check 2 weeks before his death revealed nothing. In his case there was nothing to be done, he went from sleeping behind my computer chair every night to hiding in my heart forever I mention him because of his other problems, and how we as a society prepare for those dogs we just can't turn loose on unsuspecting adopters.
For the first time in my life I am looking at the fact my dogs may well outlive me, and how do I plan for of them when I am gone ? Two of my babies have a breeder that would keep them until a suitable home was found, but what about my Oreo ? She, like our Honey and many dogs these days has a lot of baggage. She carries strong genetic defects, I will say to the breeders credit, as soon as the litter was three month's old; both parents were nuetered and kept as pets in their home. And the puppies were released to homes with a written guarantee of nueter and a $300 deposit to be returned, when the nueter was performed. All but Oreo sucumbed to some variation on the immune responses by the age of 7. She is 8 now, her beautiful mind is still that of of a healthy dog, but her body is giving her grief. We ride the rollercoaster and stay in touch with the vet. I have loved dogs long enough to let one go if need be for the sake of the dog. But, what if I go first.... I have a friend who believes any dog can be rehomed, and I wonder at the thinking that goes with that. We chatted about her theory and my experience and she offered to take Oreo in the event I went first. A couple of heart attacks will give you the insight needed for these discussions, trust me.
All about Oreo. Because her system did not tolerate the anesthsia her tear ducts failed, the next surgery the salivary glands quit, The anal gland became a hot bed of chronic infections and had to be removed, followed quickly by other prolapsing parts.
When is when ? All of these problems were painful, there was nothing we could
" let her live with " at least not in good conscience. Her structural problems, workable in youth are now taking a toll, but those expressive eyes......When is When ?
Luckily, for me and Oreo I am retired, I can put the eye ointment in several times a day, at one point it was every 2 hours round the clock. If I was busy cooking or sewing she would bring her
" med basket" to me. She knew how to push the pain away. Later the underbelly and private parts needed cleaning a couple of times a day and antibiotic cream applied. To compensate for the lack of tears we keep steam in the house 24 x 7 which of course, aggravates the yeasty ears we have fought with since getting her. The romps in the park are much shorter these days, but she still goes, when she gets enough of the breeze in her eyes; she heads to the car, pronto. We come home and put extra ointment in and she confirms it was a necessary thing for her soul, and I agree. Her beloved Canyon is a real treat, the picture in my posts show her with our hiking buddy. she lives for rummaging through the arroyo's and grossing me out with the odd treasure. Her and a partner Oz run relays with a very old antelope leg..... When is When ?
I kept a log for a while, just to see if placement was viable should I become incapacitated, it isn't hard to track the time. ( about 3 hours per day ) We have a routine here I reccomend to any hospice. She is never treated outside of her " treatment room" she had begun to duck when she saw us coming, so we came up with that for her piece of mind. We go into the front bathroom and call her, we are never deceitful, we do the eyes the ears, the vulva; and thank God no more anal gland ! Then we come out get in the van and go for a ride, usually to the root beer stand for her little corn dog bits, or the park for a couple of ball tosses.
At this point in time her quality of life is good, she is comfortable and has a great attitude, anybody just seeing her on the street or in the car would think she was a good candiate for rehoming, based on the reality, would you? Our vet bills, just for her, have averaged $3,200 ( per year ) for the past 4 years. One medication is $ 70.00 per month, the others come to about $ 150.00. None of these are luxury meds, without any of this treatment she would be much pain. The last go round on the eyes, the vet said " if we can't get a response from this med, we have to let her go, this is just to painful "Thank God, the Tacrelemis worked, no tear production, but it does keep the eyes lubricated when absolutely nothing else has. I want you to think about this little sweetheart when you hear about banning Owner Requested Euthansia in public shelter systems. Picture this princess in a concrete kennel with no care. The idea that she could end up in some " no kill" facility as a " pity fundraiser is all to real. Trot her out for the press corp, trumpet her adoptions and hide her returns..........When Is When ?
If you love your pet, put it in writing.
For a great Oreo shot scroll to older posts and find This is your blog.....

Purebreeds, Legislation and No Kill

A few people have mentioned that our guys don't look like pound puppies, they're not. If we hope to effect a life time change in how animals are cared for we have to look at the people in their lives. There is a myth being perpetrated by No Kill that purebred's are the enemy, Helllllllooooo.... a dog is a dog is a dog, same with kitties. People who are dedicated to pound puppies are not going to rush out and get a poodle, and vice versa. I have worked with dogs all my life, I have bred and trained, owned a boarding kennel and done fostering. These things are not at odds with each other. I love big black dogs. Currently the shelters are full of big black dogs, so I must be in the minority, or am I?
I have spent a lot of time on the black pearl site, and she does a great job of explaining the problems of black dogs in shelters. The whole Black Dog Syndrome as it is referred to there is well thought out and presented. I am just not sure I believe in it. Black is the predominant color in the dogs we have selected to breed. And, dogs lacking pigment have other health related problems. dilutes are prone to many weaknesses, and yet as I click away here, the doxie breeders are going for " blue" People who get the dog who best matches the life they live will be more likely to keep the dog. The breeder from whom I purchased my Newfies will not sell to people who do not own their home, this is a big dog and it goes through a pretty active puppyhood, & gardens are in serious danger till the adolescent period ends. Landlords frown on that so a permanent home is the first requiste.
I am a master gardener who loves opposing interests I suppose. The Jasmine will come back and the puppy will grow up, but not everybody shares my views. Kennels and crates abound these days, but I stand firm in my distain of them except for a transition period when adopting and the animal is used to it and finds it comforting. The way a dog learns to avoid certain behavior is to
" do the behavior, and be shown the error of their ways " It is all show and tell for animals. When our 185 pound boy brings me a dwarf crab, complete with buds; we put it back. Calmly so he understands what is expected, you walk with the object back to where it came from, put it back and stay there till the dog understands it is not a toy. This isn't rocket science, think of learning a foreign language, same thought process. Dogs end up in shelters because people do not want to take the time to train them, or there is a lack of funding or time for a formal class, a dedicated trainer will offer a discount or even free ( I did ) for shelter dogs. The other major problem is, we act like breed doesn't matter, yes it does. Oh yes it does. My breeder wanted to know why after 41 years with GSD 's I wanted a Newfie. I sensed I had one time to get the answer right.
I have shown and raised German's all of my life and from time to time been blessed with many other breeds through boarding and training. I have always loved Newfoundlands, they are very smart, and extremely tractable & forgiving. I had always wanted one as a therapy dog for children, little realizing that geriatric folk love them as well. Now we are learning carting and how to listen to children read. German Shepherds are wonderful, I can't imagine that we will ever live without one, but they really aren't that fond of the limelight. Our Oreo, is as socialized as any dog could be, but her personal preference is " just us" she would do schools and hospitals if I asked, but it is not her choice; so why put her through it?
This is where shelter staff can make a big difference. Educate the staff and let them guide the adoption process. don't put the aging Cocker with the house full of kids. Understand the prey drive of certain breeds and never put them with cats or small dogs. Actually, not to disturb your peace of mind to much, crawling infants are often percieved as prey. Lab's really do need to work, and poodles are far to smart to lay around the house without a job. Terriers are high energy and and they are not going to " mellow out" so quit telling clients they will.
Big dogs dig big holes, and make big poo.. so be responsible, if you have a dog you don't want due to personality disorders, nobody who is mentally healthy will want it either.
Have a great day, hug a critter, and be of service where you can.

There is a solution

Can we get along ? This blog has been reading other blogs and it doesn't look pretty in the " sphere", as Josh commented earlier, we need and want to place healthy animals. The big ones are harder to rehome and do get passed over, maybe more volunteer time would help them get trained and exposed .

Untill we all wake up in a perfect world we must learn how to function in the one we have. I personally wish we had more private shelters capable of keeping animals longer in a situation that provided for the mental and physical well being, but there is a period of time where no matter how nice the accomodations the dog or cat needs personal attention to thrive. The tolerance for lack of interaction varies from amimal to animal. A kenneled dog is a kenneled dog, I hope that isn't to complex.

I feel sorry for strictly" breeding" dogs, it is not the life I would choose for my guys, and everyone knows puppy mills are bad places. But, what about the big fancy breeder, where it is one dog to a run, food and water are not an issue, but the dogs just sit ? How does that vary from the guy who gets a lab for hunting and tosses it in the pen out back. Neither he or the dog ever set eyes on a duck. At what point does the backyard dog lose its will to go on, and just lay depressed in the corner of a very roomy kennel.

Having the dream of saving adoptable animals is a good thing, but only if we have a plan for when is " enough" because over time adoptability fades. If the facility is so hung up on numbers that it is clouded in it's vision for animal welfare, it goes from no kill to slow kill. When animals are turned away because the shelter is full, I promise you the quality of life for the in house critters goes way down. When the shelter runs at full capacity care gets the short stick, you just can't keep up with meds and mats. The quality of food deteriorates so more can be fed, and the mission gets lost.

Small shelters with limited intake have a much better chance of rehabbing the animal. I have studied 20 years worth of no kill stratagies and they all go bust in about 18 months, max ! Then you see the purge, and the guru's pop up in another city. I have 3 wonderful dogs here, I have been blessed. If I up it to 5 dogs, everything goes downhill quickly. I have dog sat for friends and with 5 dogs , there is no daily brushing, limited individual attention, and they begin to feel the pinch on their personal space. I hear the volunteer gong, but that isn't a home, it doesn't belong to the dog and the dog knows it is living in limbo. For a dog or cat that means fear.

Animals live in the moment, they're way ahead of us on that, never saw a dog with a 401 K. I have seen happy dogs living in apartments, and along the trails with the hobos . The key ingredient is being a part of the world around them. But when the animal becomes an object to be stored, it doesn't have it's place in this world, it is broken. In my personal relationships with my dogs, I have made them a promise. They don't have to prove to me they are in pain. Haven't you heard people say " Well I don't think he is hurting yet " When our old Honey bled out we rushed him to the vet, he had been vet checked 2 weeks earler as fine for his age, a bit chubby, but good. The heretofore hidden tumor was asymtomatic, but now we knew.

Our decision was that he had been a good friend for a long time, the cancer was confirmed, and we gave him up. It was so sudden we cried for month's, it was so far from anything we expected to happen to such a big healthy fella. He was so afraid of what was going on with his body that fateful night, we could never make him go through it again. So no, I don't understand someone taking a dog with cancer to the shelter, and I don't understand the shelter adopting it out. Animals trust us to take care if them, we need to grow up and do that, or deal with the fact that we can't. But putting sick dogs in a shelter system is shameful.

So if you want to open a shelter and save a few dogs, good with me, but be able to take care of the ones you are entrusted with and let me know if it works more than 18 months.......

Happy Saint Patrick's Day !!!

Take a friend to dinner, and bring home some bones.

Thank you all for the support we have received, we will continue keep you informed on key issues as we get the news. If we post everyday it becomes repetitive since there is only so much information out there; however we do research every day.

The placebo of the No Kill Community

We all want to pretend the Rainbow Bridge is located elsewhere. Many need desperately ( it seems ) to believe every animal will find a loving home, and will pass with a kind death. In the face of all the evidence to the contrary, the illusion persists. There is much talk of a No Kill Community, well communities are made of people not shelters and rescue groups. The will of the community for a no kill situation would be, not the numbers taken from a shelter; but the numbers kept in the home. That is how you judge a no kill climate. When you have a small number of people trying to regulate the behavior of large numbers of people, failure is inevitable. It has to be the will of the people to create a pet safe envirionment. For most areas there is not a true public appetite for no kill, or the shelter's wouldn't be full in the first place; so we are bombarded with the clamoring of a few, trying to direct the will of the many.

All laws are born somewhere, it is good that we have anti-cruelty laws, but those came with the defination of what is cruel. There are codes and regulations for for many aspects of animal welfare, but you can't make a person keep an animal they don't want; and to assume every person giving up a pet really wants to keep the pet , is ludicrous. Often the problem is caused by the owner, but you cannot solve a problem with the thinking that created it. Perhaps a dog is a chronic barker, well the people who own the dog either want the dog in the house or they don't, you can't " educate" people into wanting a house dog. They can be cited and talked to, but the truth is; when the complaints keep coming and they really don't want a house dog, the dog is heading to the shelter. How honest the person is with the shelter; and how honest the shelter is with potential adopters determine the dog's fate. Nobody wants a nuisance dog, nobody can take the kind of heat that behavior brings. I have watched many adoptable dogs go " lost " in the shelter enviroment, There are so many dogs returned, that will sooner or later get put down, and dogs that may have made it never get a chance.

In almost 40 years of working with dogs; I have never seen the levels of dysfunction that we are seeing today. Month's of rehab on one dog, and how many are destroyed while the one is being rehabbed. we need to get over the illusion that every shelter animal is savable, some are suffering a mental or physical anguish, and as we prolong that, others are dying. It is selfish and unfair to be so absorbed with numbers.

A great day at the dog park !!

Lots of dogs playing, it was a fun day, and most people had control over the guys they brought. We played with a pair of Great Danes , and met a Beagle visiting from California for the week end. I think I had met the Danes at the Dog Daze at Idlewild.

It would be nice if we could copy parks back east, and have a register list and a gate. People are much more responsible if they have to sign in. One couple there had four dogs, all pleasant, all pooped and not one time did they pick up; not nice. After the Rancho San Raphael party, we drove to Idlewild and followed the path to a picnic spot, the dogs played in the Truckee as we had lunch.

Responsible owners have happy pets. Biggest frustration (still) people bringing small children into the dog park It is an accident waiting to happen, and it won't be the dog's fault. The only solution I have is to very politely leave, there is no point in making a scene, but it is annoying when you have just settled in for the play date. the little park at University Terrace and Washington is great for finishing the interupted romp, and it has a picnic table, so keep driving til you find the perfect spot.

Oreo

This was originally posted February 13, 2008

A while back I had done a post on a very sick animal, that ended up at the pound. In the process of trying to edit a simple misspelling I wiped out the post. Here is what remained in my draft folder, I did lose some comments and I do appologize.

Butters lives in Indiana, a long way from us and our little blog. I just received a comment / question on helping injured animals in shelter. As I prepared my response, it occurred to me that when I get a comment I don't know what zip code the author is writing from. So, rather than offer a specific URL, I recommend that you contact the shelter where the animal you want to help is located, directly.Even though we have several worthy charities in Northern Nevada, I kick a couple of bucks to a Pitbull rescue in Las Vegas. I just know of their work, and it keeps me from feeling conflicted in my dealings with our local shelters. I would remind the reader that most municipal facilities have a limited fund for the extra care some clients might require. When I called about the" lumpy, bumpy" dog I mentioned in an earlier post, the owner had been contacted and the situation is being taken care of. For non profits I use the Charity Navigator or Guide Star to make sure my small donation is put to the highest use. Rescue groups are often in need of help, but they are difficult to rate, so trust your local knowledge and perhaps your vet for decisions on where and when to donate.I defer to the decisions of staff since they are on the frontlines, and know the details of an animals condition that I may not see on a website, by putting the gift into a open fund they can use it for the animals they feel would benefit most

There is a misconception that governments have an unlimited budget for treating an injured animal, that is false. In most Municipalites there is a very small privately funded " pot" when it is gone, there is no more unless people donate. Also the animals in a non profit do not have a guarantee , funding is funding, and when the non profit keeps taking animals without any allowance for medical costs, there will be an ugly surprise.

Solving local problems locally

While it is great news that Florida has chosen NACA for the guide lines to realign their shelter ( see link ) remember that all shelters are somewhat unique to the geography of the place. I don't think any shelter should give all of it's authority to an out of area agency. The people making the decisions should be living with the consequences. I haven't heard lately how King County is faring, but I bet there are things to be concerned about up there. No Kill has crept into the verbiage and soon the coffers of the county will be tapped out. One of my biggest concerns is that all the local staff gets the boot, the ones that have dedicated their lives to the community, and know the economic conditions.
No Kill creats a tremendous financial and emotional burden on the surrounding community, at the expense of the animals. The longer an animal is kept, the more behavioral and health issues there are. Maddies Fund talks at length about the dangers involved with long term storage, yet is optimistic in the ability of the animal to be rehabbed in a few month's. If the average citizen had a few months to spare for loving their animals, that might work. The volunteers up here are tired, stressed and full to the max. When you see websites asking for ( any ) room in the garage, basement etc. to store these babies till they find their forever home, that is not a rehab situation. that is a storage problem.
From our view as three hardworking pooches, we would like to see a compassionate community, where each animal is offered a safe humane lifestyle while in shelter care. I think if more people really knew where "Roscoe" was ending up, they might think before dropping him off on Longley Ln. A large number of these animals are released into unsupervised rescue / foster envirionments. Not all of these places can provide the care needed for a healthy safe rehabilitation, crates might be safe, but they are not a long term solution.
Coming soon, shelter dogs at the dog parks; what do you think ?

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