I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a Great Dane would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one person's mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.~ Author unknown

My wakeup call was when I was visiting NYC. I was staying up around the 15th floor and one morning looking out the window I saw a large tractor trailer pass by....what caught my eye was there was no top to it but its colorful contents filled it to the brim. Fill to the brim with the bodies of dead dogs piled on top of one another and the colorful contents were all their beautiful colored coats. The truck to passersby on the street level blended in with the surrounding traffic so they went  about their business oblivious to the cargo contents of that truck winding its way to a final destination. If the truck would have been made of glass I'm certain there would have been a shocking outcry. But the sad part is that most folks just don't want to know what happens to all those animals that enter the shelter or how their food supply is obtained or how our oceans get polluted. This coming year make a difference in this world…. be informed, you are here for a reason.

 

 

 

I know a man who took his leash-aggressive dog to a "really good bird dog trainer" who told him the dog could be made less leash reactive (i.e. dog aggressive when on a leash) if it was trained with an e-collar.

Did that work? Nope. In fact, that's probably never going to happen.

I explained to my friend what he needed to do, but I could see his interest in finding a solution fading with every word I uttered. You see, it was very clear to him I was talking about a process and he wanted an event -- a common disconnect in the world of dogs and dog training.

I explained the process of making a dog less leash reactive. To begin with he should not feed his dog for a full 24-hours or more in order to increase the dog's food motivation.  Then he should take his  dog to a large park and, because he was having a hard time controlling his large powerful dog, he should firmly tie the dog's much-shortened leash to a bench. Then, every time a person or another dog approached from the far end of the park, and the dog took notice, he should click his tongue and direct the dog's attention to his face, and then treat when the dog looked at him and not the other person or the dog. Once the dog got the idea that it should look to the owner for a treat and that when it was calm it would get a treat, he should then move to a new position in the park.  Now, with the dog tied to another bench where people and dogs might happen to approach a little more closely, he should repeat the exercise making sure that the dog is always well motivated by hunger and is only treated when it looks to the owner and remains calm.

When the dog seems to have that routine in hand, the owner should walk the dog around the edge of the park but still keep it pretty far from people and other dogs (at least initially), making sure the dog looks to him and sits every time a dog rotates into view within a certain distance. Again, click, praise, and treat every time the dog look to the owner, remains calm, and sits.  If the dog does not sit, walk away from the foreign dog in question, and do not treat and do not praise.  Ignore the dog and remain totally calm.

I stressed this routine had to be done every time, and this was how all the dog's food and other rewards had to be delivered for the next month. It was not going to be an overnight miracle, but if he was consistent and the dog remained hungry (feed a little less!) the dog would learn that the way it got food was when it saw a dog or a person, if it looked at the owner and sat, it would get a food reward (which would later be reduced to a pat and praise sometimes, and a "jackpot" food reward at other times).

Of course my friend was not really looking for this kind of instruction. He was not looking for a process that involved this much work and time. He was looking for a "trick" -- a five-second miracle that did not actually involve spending time and energy on the dog.

And isn't that the problem so often?

People want a dog that's totally calm and obedient right out of the box.

But dog's don't work like that, do they?

People want an animal that will not bark, will not dig up the garden, will not bite the neighbor, and which they can leave at home for 20 hours a day without too much thought.

People say they want a dog, but they need a cat, and they deserve a goldfish.

The simple truth is that dogs are a tyranny, and they are not really suited to the modern world of long hours at the office, and a run to the gym before a quick dash to the Whole Foods for aged balsamic vinegar.

If you live that kind of life, what time does that leave for the dog? It leaves the dog with maybe 10 minutes between the start of Law and Order and the shower. But that's not enough time! That's not enough exercise! That's not enough instruction of any kind.

And so people go to dog trainers, and trainers are put in a frustrating position because what every trainer agrees on is that the dog in front of them deserves time, exercise, consistency, and opportunities to achieve awards for success.

But do people with problem dogsreally want to give their dogs time and exercise?

Too often, the answer is NO.

Whatever they say when asked the question is irrelevant; in their day-to-day actions they provide the only answer that counts.

And so the dog "trainer" is left unable to say what he or she really needs to say: "You are lazy and undisciplined, and that's one of the reasons your dog is crazy and undisciplined."

A dog trainer cannot say this, of course, or they will lose their clients and never get another. 

Instead they have to suggest they have "secret knowledge" or a special or "new" system or "philosophy" of dog training.  But the secrets are not really very secret, are they?  And is any part of dog training really new?

The real core secret is that the owner has to be willing to exercise his or her dog, and to put in the timevery consistent and well-timed communication. The vast majority of this communication should be earned rewards with perhaps a few mild aversives to bust off self-reinforcing unwanted behavior. 

But can a trainer make the physically lazy and undisciplined physically industrious and disciplined?

Can a trainer change a person's priorities or increased the number of hours in a day?

Not generally.

And so most trainers show their clients how to do a few basic obedience tricks, and perhaps they show a few rudiments of operant conditioning. That's all well and good, but you can learn the basics of that from a book and a video, and you will only get good with practice and focus -- the very things most folks are so very bad at to begin with.
.

From: Terrierman's Daily Dose

Please add PETCO ([email protected]) to your email address book.View as web page
Summer, 2011Your gift of as little as $30 can feed a homeless animal while they wait for a forever home.




There is a volunteer at my local animal control facility. Some days, as part of her job, she is responsible for assisting in the euthanasia of unwanted animals. On those days, she does her best to calm their fears, help bring a touch of kindness to their last day. As their eyes close for the last time, she softly murmurs, "Sleep in peace. God is awake."

She then honors the fallen pets, spending the rest of her day trying to prevent more unnecessary deaths by educating people on the importance of spaying and neutering.

Every year in the United States, 3 to 4 million homeless dogs and cats are needlessly put to death - that is one nearly every eight seconds. The PETCO Foundation raises millions of dollars every year and supports more than 7,000 partners across the country to benefit homeless pets. But it's not enough. It's never enough. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much money we raise , no matter how many charitable partners we assist, there are just not enough resources to save them all.

By spaying or neutering just one feral cat, in two years, we will stop 144 kittens from being born into a life devoid of love or shelter and full of starvation, disease, neglect and fear. By spaying or neutering just one cherished family dog we will offer hope to 18 more by creating space in a shelter or in a home.

The PETCO Foundation's National Spay and Neuter Drive, which runs June 26 through July 30, in all PETCO stores and online, supports of all of our spay/neuter partners and helps us strive for a future in which no adoptable animal is euthanized.

If you have a spay/neuter initiative, we hope you have taken the opportunity to partner with your local PETCO store for this important fundraising event. If you haven't, please keep this timeframe in mind for next year and, in the meantime, take a moment to apply for an online grant through the PETCO Foundation.

Thank you for your continuing efforts in Spay/Neuter initiatives, education and advocacy. Your tireless works is creating a legacy of hope and healing and providing a lasting impact for homeless pets.

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." Victor Hugo

Sincerely,
Beth Mars

Turning Japanese

Taken from the Terrierman's Daily Dose

U.S. blood and treasure are spent propping up oil-soaked totalitarian regimes in the Middle East, but no one ever suggests that population growth is part of the problem.   Instead, the problem is "consumption" or "the oil companies" or "the politicians," but never lack of birth control, or pro-natalist policies that subsidize large families, or runaway open-border immigration back home. It's a horrible bloody mess in the Middle East, but what are we to do?

In Asia, wildlife habitat is pushed to the edge but no one ever blames population growth as the core problem or suggests family planning as the solution.   What has happened to the tiger and the panda is ascribed to "habitat loss" -- a generalized problem without a causal agent. So sad, but what can anyone do?

we have three failing nuclear reactors spewing radiation.  We are told the causal agent is an earthquake and a tsunami. 

but why does Japan need nuclear energy at all?  

of course, is the same reason we have nuclear reactors in the U.S., and why we have strip mining and mountain top removal in Kentucky, and offshore oil drilling in Louisiana, and aquatic life-killing electrical power dams in Maine.

and push them into creeks in Kentucky.  We soak our fuel rods in water pools and bury our nuclear waste in mountain caves.  We strike another species off the endangered list and add another to the extinction roster.

is talk about population growth. 

about global warming while

.  

dedicated to every obscure battle of World War II, but not once do these stations explain why Japan bombed Peal Harbor

.

all over again.

We might bruise someone's feelings.   We might bump into someone's life mistakes, or their religious views, or their self-centered, ego-besotted, rationalizations for procreation. 

, things might get a little

at some point. 

So instead of having an uncomfortable conversation, we push our rubble into landfills and buy bottled water because we are worried our dumps might be leaching toxins into the groundwater.

We send our sons and daughters to die in the desert, and then we collect our dead and wounded and fly them 6,000 miles back to the U.S. 

We clear-cut our forests in order to make the paper needed to send a million direct mail letters to people decrying the speed of species loss.

along the shore to try to contain the oil spills, and we dump chemicals into the ocean to try to disperse it even as we dream of problem-free nuclear reactors that will bring us unlimited power forever.

about the current nuclear mess in Japan is that after World War II Japan slowed its population growth. 

the country was already over-crowded, wasn't it?  

was so crowded with a population of 65 million in 1931 that it sought to invade lands beyond its borders. 

Japan's population  had climbed to over 125 million, and it is even larger today.

the Land of the Rising Sun is now ringed not only with earthquake-prone slip faults, but also with nuclear reactors. 

the talk is all about nuclear engineering.... how if only the Japanese had only put the generators on higher ground, or put the fuel rod containment pools further away, then everything might have been different.

don't talk about why the reactors are there at all.  That conversation might get a little

.

it's not just about Japan, is it?   

wants to talk about why we continue to prop up Middle East dictators, or why we rip down our own mountains, or why we poison our own waters, or why we feel the need to build more nuclear reactors. 

  That's mostly fueled by immigration, and immigration is a conversation that is a little to

for us to have right now, isn't it?

when we had a population of 200 million, and we are doing worse with 300 million, and we are quickly headed to 500 million by 2050, but let's not talk about that.   The crisis of the moment isn't here in the U.S. is it?  it's over there in Japan.  How come

couldn't see this horror coming?  Talk about myopic!  Talk about bad planning!

.

 

                                               FIGHTING DOGFIGHTING

February 20, 2011 3:26 AM

With population growth and a rise in recent animal incidents, Onslow County officials say Animal Control would serve residents better as an independent creature. Animal Control has been a division of the county health department since its inception, but a vote Monday by the Board of Commissioners could change that, establishing the Onslow County Animal Services Department and creating a new volunteer position of animal cruelty investigator. Animal Control has historically been a part of the health department because of the role played by the county health director in rabies and vicious animal cases; but as Onslow County grows more urban, the challenges facing Animal Control have increased, said County Manager Jeff Hudson. “Animal populations have grown with our citizen population,” he said. “Moreover, the amounts of abuse, neglect and animal attacks have appeared to rise over time.” In developing an answer to the problem, Onslow County government has the option of enhancing Animal Control by transitioning the agency to its own department, which would provide both road-officer services and operations at the county animal shelter, according to information provided by county staff. Hudson said an advisory board would be created to allow residents a voice in how the new department would be run. The department would coordinate volunteers and nonprofit agencies to supplement county employees, especially the animal cruelty investigator — a position recognized by state law — who will work with law enforcement to identify and help prosecute cases of neglect or brutality towards animals. The new department would be led by the new position of Animal Services Director with administrative and financial duties handled by an administrative assistant. Hudson said the change would cost $41,000 for the rest of the fiscal year and then around $99,000 each year after that with most of the money going to pay for two new positions. "A portion of that would be off-set by fees collected by the new department," he said. The commissioners will discuss this and other matters Monday during their regularly scheduled 7 p.m. meeting at Jacksonville City Hall on New Bridge Street.   Contact Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or [email protected].

Kristin 

      Thank you for contacting me in the hope of finding placement for your dog because of your future deployment. I am going to try reaching back to you in the hope to reach the hearts and minds of our military that I so love and respect.  The reason I am doing this is because you obviously love your dog for this is the first time I have had someone trying to re home their pet giving a rescue group a several month time frame in which to do so.  I will continue to post out for your dog in hopes we can find placement, however the bigger issue is one that I am sure you and others on the base perhaps are not aware of, as I and many others were not aware.  My goal is for change and being of the military you can be of great influence by just asking others to email this information to their friends, contacts and perhaps commanders. Perhaps someone on the Base would help us put together a video or plan of action that would bring to light the terrible reality of what is truly going on here in Onslow.  Perhaps this could be my point paper.

     I have had the pleasure of having a dog most of my life and I know the comfort, love and  joy that they bring .  I see the young military people alone, with their friends or families enjoying life with their pets as we all do.  However, the difference that not only makes them great, but can also bring tragedy is that they are military and are often called upon to leave their pets to defend our country.  I was once a part of this military life living mostly in the Middle East many years ago. What I would like to expose to them is another harsh reality here in Onslow that perhaps they are not aware of concerning the pets they must leave behind.

Jacksonville and Onslow County are greatly influenced by the presence of our military bases and the tax ratables that they bring to our community.  But being that they are military, their lives are very transient and that's why the retail businesses prosper and, at our community animal shelter, animals suffer.  At one time, our politicians made an agreement with the military to handle or help control the problem of their pet population.  What do folks think happens to all the pets of this very large community upon deployment or discharge.  Yes, pets are turned into the shelter in every community, but I never realized the extent of this tragedy until I moved to the South and realized the shame of what happens to the animals here because of laws not passed or, if passed, not enforced to prevent such tragedies.

. Perhaps there will be more concern when it tops the magical million dollar mark. Not only is this a problem caused by all the animals brought over by the military to the shelter for disposal that in most times ends in the death of the animal, but is also caused by the uneducated or uncaring folks who let their unsprayed and unneutered pets run free reproducing year after year litter after litter resulting in a frightening geometric progression in the number of helpless and innocent animals.

Did you know that an unsprayed female and her mate and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 of the litter surviving, can produce 11,606,077 animals in 9 years?

And God forbid that any of our local hunters contribute by licensing their animals, no that's the responsibility of all the other folks in town who find the hunting dogs in great population in the shelter, tied to a tree or left to die or just plain shot in the head.....`cause that dog don't hunt’.  Do you really think a hunter is going to rescue his dog from the shelter when it is going to cost over $100.00?  Oh yes, and how do we explain to our children why all those dogs are lying dead along the highway or narrowly escape hitting one ourselves.

Yes, the entire county supports their love of the hunt!

     We are fortunate here in Onslow that  we still do not have a gas chambers in which animals are stuffed in to die; however, it has been expressed to me by an official in Animal Control that he wishes he still had this means available to him.  But we still do heart sticking.

 

     Did you ever see a pregnant dog at the shelter or very young puppies or kittens?  No, because they are a liability, they are killed immediately along with any female dog that goes into heat while being housed there.  If you are wondering why they don’t vaccinate, it is because their stay at the shelter is generally two weeks or less before they are killed if not adopted. The cats and kittens do not share in this time luxury, their stay at the shelter is just a matter of days before being killed.   Why should they incur the expense of vaccinating the animals at the shelter when they are going to be killed during the two week stay they are there.   So therefore the risk of the puppies dying from diseases, one of them being Parvo, is very high because of them not receiving vaccinations. 

    

     Many in the rescue community work with surrounding county shelters because they do vaccinate their animals and therefore they can hold them longer and actively work with rescues in providing spay/neuter vouchers at little or no cost. There is even an organization in Onslow called Friends of Pender.  Does that seem somewhat strange to you?  Why do people who live in Onslow help the shelter outside our county and not the one in our county?  The reason is some of the reasons previously mentioned.  The other shelters vaccinate and welcome volunteers, have fundraisers, actively work with many rescues and transport services, apply and receive grants because of their efforts and low kill rates.  They are pro active, not reactive in their rescue efforts.

 

     There are a few great folks at the shelter who try and work with rescues despite the overall attitude of doing the opposite by the management.  This attitude is probably the result of the unending amount of animals brought into the shelter every week and of being reactive and not proactive. How can other shelters that are substantially underfunded with substandard facilities make such a difference in the lives of the animals in their charge?  When they make a call of help out to their community the funds and gifts are overflowing.   At Onslow, even though they are rabies certified vaccinators, no low cost rabies clinics are held.  Plans are far in the future to establish a low cost spay and neuter clinic to have an impact on the population explosion in our county.

     There simply are not enough rescues, fosters or people to adopt these animals.  Contact the Politicians who pass the laws for our community and demand a change!!!!! Enact laws for mandatory spay and neuter at low cost clinic, rabies vaccinations, and licensing and control large volume and back yard breeders.  Ban stores from selling animals from puppy mills that make their profits off the suffering of these animals.  As of Jan. 1, 2011, Illinois pet stores now must disclose information regarding every animal they sell and will no longer be able to hide the fact that they purchase their dogs from puppy mills or large puppy brokers.  Lets us do the same here in NC.

     There are many simple reforms that we are currently presenting to the Director of the Health Department and some of our devoted county commissioners, but we need the support of our community.  After all, you are the folks paying for it - approximately $100.00 per dog for the two week stay, if he's lucky, at a shelter that discourages volunteers.  Why is that?  Because they want the volunteers to scrub out the cages and not take the dogs for a walk.  Besides who could handle every Thursday 25 to 35 dogs being marked for death and killed the following Friday morning. I believe that the cats have a much shorter cage life than the dogs as they are being sold to laboratories.

  

     Please go to our web site www.oc-paw.com and to the page LETTER FROM A SHELTER MANAGER to get a small understanding of just what is happening here in our very small part of the world.  Standing together we can make a difference for the change that is needed.  Remember you elect the folks who make the laws for our community and are charged with enforcing them.  If you don’t like something, change it!  Every year I read letters such as mine hoping to let our community be aware of these problems, but there is no change.  Will you be the change to make the difference? There is a grass roots meeting on the 18of January at the Auditorium of the Health Department in Jacksonvill612 College Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540e .  Please be there at 6:30pm.

 (Face Book) Onslow County Partners for Animal Welfare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberley Alboum sent a message to the members of .

January 10, 2011 at 10:47am

Subject: Get to know your new representatives!

The NC Legislative website is updated with our new 2011-2012 legislators! It is important that animal advocates send an email of introduction to new legislators and remind those that were here last year that we will continue to work on

animal welfare issues

in this new session.

Find your reps here!

Please reach out to your representative both in the NC House and Senate and let them know that you are concerned with animal welfare in NC. There has never been a more critical time for you to contact representatives! The landscape of our legislature has changed drastically, and we need to make sure that new members are aware of the large animal advocate community in NC. By introducing yourself now, you will open the door for communication as we move into the legislative session for 2011. These are the people that you will be contacting when our bills are up for a vote. We must create a solid foundation that is respectful and constructive. Even if your representative is not new, it is still a good time to contact them and let them know what we will be working to accomplish in 2011.

Sample:

Hi. I am ___ from ___. You are my representative and I want you to know that I am concerned about the following issues in our community:

1.

Puppy Mills

– NC is now a

puppy mill state

as we have no regulations for commercial

dog breeders

.

2. Enhancing our

animal cruelty

statutes – We must provide tools for law enforcement to stop senseless animal cruelty in NC.

3. Enhancing our felony cock fighting laws- Cock fighting is a form of animal cruelty that brings crime and drugs into our communities.

4. Ban fox and coyote penning – This is a “sport” that combines dog fighting with

canned hunts

, both of which are illegal in NC.

I look forward to working with you in the 2011 session to address these concerns.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

District XXX

To reply to this message, follow the link below: