Making Families, One Pet at a Time

This is the time of year when many of our adopters reach out to us to tell us stories about their Pets Lifeline cat or dog. Many of these stories are funny, some are wrenching and others are bittersweet. All of them, however, remind us why we are here. We're here to help an animal ride out a bumpy time in his life until he can become part of a real family.

Remember Blue?

Blue was a young, beautiful purebred Black Lab that was picked up as a stray in Sonoma Valley. We expected his owners to come looking for him and reclaim him in short order, because he was such a beautiful young dog. Sadly, no one did.

After a few days at the shelter it became clear that Blue was victim of a subtle form of neglect that is seen in too many young animals. He was simply an untrained adolescent that had not been exposed to the world. Now he was getting big, hard to handle and nervous when out and about.

Dedicated volunteer handlers worked with him to help him gain confidence and experience. Adoption volunteers and staff worked hard to find an adopter for him. Months passed and no one took him. We stepped up our efforts to get him out there and known and finally, one day in October, a wonderful couple came all the way from Walnut Grove, near Monterey, to meet Blue.

Judi and Greg instantly fell in love with Blue and adopted him. Just a short while later, we received a package in the mail. The package contained photos of Blue swimming in the pool, camping, playing with his canine sister, practicing his obedience moves and generally having a blast! Also in the package was a letter from his adopters and a letter from Blue himself. Here is some of what his loving family wrote:

~"Blue has adjusted and adapted to us and our home so well. He is smart, friendly, curious and such a goof at times!"

~"He has totally mellowed out and he minds wonderfully."

~"He has some really funny things that he does...like when he's sprawled out on the kitchen floor and you go to step over him, he grabs your ankles with his front paws and wants you to rub his tummy!"

~"We love Blue to death and we are so happy that he is part of our family!"

Blue certainly looks happy about this happy ending!

11th Annual Santa Paws

The Shelter on the Square will be the location for this year’s 11th Annual Santa Paws Photo event on Saturda,y December 5, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Professional photos of you and your pets taken with Santa Claus will be available for a $20 donation to the Shelter. Custom holiday cards will be available for purchase.

Please bring your favorite pet to the Sonoma Index-Tribune building's west side entrance at 117 W. Napa St. and take a family photo with Santa Claus! Ho, ho ho!

¿Hablas Español?

Yesterday, my good friend and wonderful shelter volunteer Alice Fisher did us all a great service. She appeared on KSVY, as a guest of radio host "El Guapo," to tell the Spanish-speaking listeners about the services we offer here at Pets Lifeline. ¡Muy bien! ¡Gracias!

My Spanish is a bit rusty but I know that for many members of the Sonoma Valley community it is a first or a favorite language. So we are working to make Pets Lifeline more user-friendly for Spanish speakers. We now have a few handouts available on our web site that address common pet issues en Español. You can find them here. We also have the Google translation tool available on the site and on this blog. I know, I know...automatic translators are far from perfect but we still hope it might make it easier for some people in our community to find help or answers when they need it.

And if you want to help me in my quest to be the best official greeter ever at the Pets Lifeline Shelter, and you are bilingual, consider joining us as a volunteer. And if you are not bilingual, no worries. We need you too! Go online and sign up to join our team.

Got a good dog? Prove it!

I just learned that Pets Lifeline will offer the Canine Good Citizen test on July 25th for $20. All proceeds will benefit the Shelter and, let's face it, your competitive side wants to get out there and show the world that your dog is, in fact, a respectable member of our community. Getting a CGC certificate is the way to do it!

500,000 dogs have been certified since the AKC started the program in 1989 and most dogs, with 6 to 8 weeks of training (attending a class one-hour per week and the owner/dog practicing 15-minutes per day), can be ready to pass the CGC Test. The CGC is a 10-step evaluation that tests basic obedience such as recall, polite walking, polite greetings and acceptance of handling. The program also requires dog owners to sign the Responsible Dog Owner's Pledge.

We know that training enhances the bond between people and their dog(s). We also know that dogs who have solid training are a joy to be around -- they respond well to household routines, have good manners around people and other dogs, and they enjoy the company of the guardian who took the time to provide training, intellectual stimulation and a high-quality life. Rarely are these the dogs that are abandoned in a shelter like PLL.

So make the commitment and get on out there and take a basic dog training class with your pooch so that every dog in Sonoma Valley can become a ‘good citizen’ – even if they don't take the test -- you'll know.

Or get a cat. Felines are naturally good citizens!

Research Shows "Canine Guilt" is All in the Mind of the Human

A report out today from the BBC News presents some scientific evidence that, contrary to the belief of many dog owners, they cannot accurately identify when their dog is "guilty" of doing something wrong.

The research, Canine Behavior and Cognition, looked at how dog owners interpreted their pets' expressions, when they believed that the dog had stolen and eaten a forbidden treat. As it turns out, humans project their own emotions onto dogs if they believe their dog to have broken a rule, researchers found.

You humans sure are coming a long way in your understanding of us, your beloved animal friends!

Read the whole article here and check out this link to pictures showing some pretty guilty dogs!

Biting Commentary

Spring is in the air and that means several things. Kittens, of course! But we've already talked about that. It also means its time for National Dog Bite Prevention Week -- May 17-23.

Approximately 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually and the majority of these victims are children bitten by the family dog or another dog that they know. Dogs most likely to bite include those not spayed or neutered, not properly socialized, and those that spend their lives chained in a backyard or otherwise lacking in attention. However, any dog, regardless of breed, has the potential to bite in specific circumstances.

Some of my best friends are dogs and they assure me that they would rarely bite out of the blue. A growl is often one of the final signals. So don’t punish the growl. Take the message and get help immediately from a qualified dog behaviorist before someone gets hurt.

The good people at Pets Lifeline recommend that guardians reduce the chance of a bite incident through spay/neutering their pet, providing regular veterinary care, proper dog training and socialization and by educating themselves on bite triggers and canine body language.

Doggone Safe, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bite prevention education recommends the following to keep the kids in your home or neighborhood safe:

The 3 Most Important Things to Teach Kids
1. Dogs Don’t Like Hugs and Kisses – Teach your kids not to hug or kiss a dog on the face. Hugging the family dog or face-to-face contact are common causes of bites to the face. Instead, teach kids to scratch the dog on the chest or the side of the neck.
2. Be a Tree if a Strange Dog Approaches – Teach kids to stand still, like a tree. Trees are boring and the dog will eventually go away. This works for strange dogs and any time the family dog gets too frisky or becomes aggressive.
3. Never Tease a Dog – That includes never disturbing a dog that’s sleeping, eating or protecting something.

The 2 Most Important Things Parents Can Do
1. Supervise – Don’t assume your dog is good with kids. If a toddler must interact with your dog, you should have your hands on the dog too. Even if your dog is great with kids and has never bitten – why take a chance?
2. Train Your Dog – Take your dog to obedience classes where positive-reinforcement is used. Never pin, shake, choke, hold the dog down or roll the dog over to teach it a lesson. Dogs treated this way are likely to turn their aggression on weaker family members.

The 3 Most Important Things Dog Owners Can Do
1. Spay or Neuter Your Dog – Neutered pets are calmer, healthier and less likely to be aggressive. Neutering prevents unwanted dogs that end up in shelters or in situations where they may grow up to be poorly socialized or aggressive.
2. Condition Your Dog for the World – Give your puppy lots of new positive experiences. Train using positive methods.
3. Supervise Your Dog – Supervise your dog at all times around children. If visiting children are bothering your dog, put the dog away or send the children home.

For information on summer puppy socialization and dog obedience classes and summer camp for kids to learn animal safety, call one of the wonderful staff at the shelter at 707-996-4577 or visit www.petslifeline.org.

Stay Safe!

Cats Rule and Dogs Drool!

Did you know that cats outnumber dogs by nearly 10 million, making them America's #1 pet?

The recently formed organization called CATalyst Council is working to raise the stature of America’s number one companion, the cat. A week ago they announced the CATalyst 2009 Top 10 Cat-Friendly Cities. The CATalyst Council, a coalition of the veterinary community, academia, nonprofits, industry and animal welfare organizations, hopes to call attention to how much the cat is loved and cared for in these cities, and set the bar for other cities to follow in the annual rankings. The cities named include two cities in California: San Francisco and San Diego, followed by Portland (Ore.), Denver, Boston, Seattle, Tampa, Phoenix, Atlanta and Minneapolis.

The list was compiled after reviewing the top 25 standard metropolitan areas for such data as cat ownership per capita, level of veterinary care, microchipping and cat-friendly local ordinances. Extra points were given to cities with mayors who have cats.

Can Sonoma make it to the Top 10 next year? Maybe with your help. Come and visit some of the wonderful cat companions we have available for adoption at Pets Lifeline today!