The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Portland area shelters receive $1 million grant for saving animals

Moving toward a No Kill Nation

The Portland area shelter alliance has been rewarded with a $1 million grant from Maddie’s Fund, a California nonprofit focused on ending euthanasia of healthy and treatable pets.

Rich Avanzino, president of Maddie’s Fund, called it “a model for the nation.”

Since 2010, it has not euthanized any healthy dogs or cats. It's also cut the number of treatable pets killed by more than 75 percent. Last year they spayed or neutered 10,000 pets.

This year the alliance has vowed not to kill any pet with a treatable condition, such as a broken bone, or one that needs leash training. After that, it will work on saving animals with manageable conditions, such as diabetes or a behavior issue. 

 "Until we can say in good conscience that we've saved every single animal that's savable, we're not going to rest," said Britta Bavaresco,  co-founder of the alliance.

To help with behavioral issues the coalition would like to create a team of trainers to go from shelter to shelter to help the dogs unlearn bad habits nd learn to trust people.

"We know they could make good pets if we spend the time and resources on them," Bavaresco said. Source

H/T to Pam

Dogs seized from Ariel Castro are in custody…waiting…

Three small dogs that belonged to Ariel Castro are being held in foster care until the three women he held captive for over ten years have an opportunity to decide if they want to take the dogs into their homes.

A Chihuahua was seized from his car when he was arrested at a fast food restaurant shortly after the women escaped. Two other Poodle mix dogs were found at the home.

John Baird, chief Cleveland animal control officer, believes that the women may have bonded with the dogs in captivity and would be important to them as they adjust and acclimate to freedom.

 

"It kind of makes sense, maybe that there were three dogs, three women. They may have bonded with these dogs and we would like for them to have a shot at them if they want them, just because it was something they could attach themselves to."

The women will have as much time as they need as the dogs are being well cared for in foster homes in the meantime.

The Poodle mix dogs had matted hair, but all three dogs were in good health and well fed when they were found.

None of the women has spoken publicly and each has asked for privacy. Source

Here is a picture I'll bet you never thought you'd see

Reddit user I2izzo took this photo of a dog and duck going for a swim. The two have had a serious bond for at least three years.

The duck is too fat to fly and apparently swimming is too much of an effort so he has taken the dog as his lifelong buddy.

“Dude, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen ducks like you swimming.”

“No, no. Ducks drop like a rock. Just keep paddling. You’re doing fine.”

“In fact, I’m pretty sure they can fly too.”

“Fly?  What nonsense is that?”

Some Reddit  commenters are seeing a sexual component here, but we are not going to touch that.

H/T to Carl

A Chihuahua is everything a big dog is…

Just in a smaller package.

The Chihuahua has replaced the Pit Bull as the main throwaway in San Francisco Bay Area  animal shelters.

This is Sausage. From the website

Sausage came from a home that had far too many dogs receiving far too little attention. He is a very sweet dog that will need an adult only home and an adopter that can help him gain confidence. Sausage would likely do better in a home with a second dog. He weighs about 7 pounds. 

Thanks to Lisa Brown of Dogs N Paws for starting this blog hop to help shelter animals. Find a cat or dog at your local animal shelter and feature them on this Blog Hop! Come join the fun and help a furry friend find a forever home!

Camera crew spots tornado survivor's missing dog

In the middle of an interview with Barbara Garcia, a Moore, Oklahoma tornado survivor, a member of the CBS camera crew spots her dog in the rubble around her.



"I thought God just answered one prayer to let me be OK," Garcia says, her voice shaking, "but he answered both of them."

More on an Animal Abuser Registry

It is easy to become incensed at the light punishments given to people who are convicted of committing even the cruelest acts of animal torture and death. Too often they are just given suspended sentences and community service.

And even worse, there is nothing to prevent them from acquiring another animal to abuse, even if they are ordered not to have a pet for a period of time.

People who abuse innocent, helpless animals are wired wrong. They are cowardly sadists. Maybe they can change, I have a hard time believing it.

But prisons are full of people who pose a real and present threat to the public. Giving long sentences to animal abusers doesn’t seem to be the answer. For that reason building a database of animal abusers that would be available online seems to offer several possibilities.

 

The registry would be available to shelters, rescues, breeders, as well as the general public.

Like the registry of sex offenders, it identifies the people convicted of the crime without accusing them of any future wrongdoing. It lets the public know who and where they are.

The main intent is not to shun or shame the abuser, but to protect the animals. Just as the Megan’s Law registry is designed to prevent convicted sex offenders from being hired as child care workers or trusted as friendly neighbors to children, the animal abusers registry is designed to protect animals from being owned by convicted animal abusers.

The Michigan legislature is considering setting up a registry, the first in the country. A $10,000 grant is available from an animal charity for a start up. A district attorney Animal Crimes Unit has agreed to host the database. Any costs in keeping the database up-to-date and online could be paid for from fines levied on the abuser.

 

So why is Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of America’s wealthiest organization for animal welfare, using his resources to defeat the idea of a registry?

No real surprise.

Nathan Winograd outlines in full detail the misguided reasoning and hypocrisy through the years of Wayne Pacelle in “Putting Abusers Before Animals Is Business as Usual at the HSUS.”

Winograd chronicles how Pacelle has consistently put abusive people before abused animals, including the high profile Michael Vick case.

According to his evil henchmen, Michael Vick enjoyed torturing and killing dogs in the cruelest ways possible.

Pacelle solicited money from the public for the HSUS to take care of the Vick dogs, while using his influence to have them all killed. He maintained that none of the dogs could be rehabilitated.

He was wrong.

 

 

Then he struck a deal with the abuser. Taking the “Wayne and Mike Show” on the road, he devoted much of his time and energy to rehabilitating the image of Vick.

Vick was allowed back into the NFL with a multi-million $$ contract.

 

Has Vick reformed?

He will probably never again torture a dog for fun, but then O.J. Simpson will probably never kill his wife again.

Marine handler united with his dog in a surprise ceremony

Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach, a dog handler in Afghanistan, made a promise to Casey, the yellow Lab who was a constant companion.

"I promised her if we made it out alive, I'd do whatever it took to find her," Gundlach said.

During the 150 missions Gundlach and Casey performed together, she never missed an explosive. He gives her full credit for making it back alive.

On Friday, thanks to some great people in Iowa who believe that as long as there are veterans, they should do everything they can to help them, 25-year-old Gundlach was able to keep that promise.

Ever since leaving active duty to take classes at the University of Wisconsin, Gundlach had been trying to adopt 4-year-old Casey. He learned that Casey had finished her service and had been sent to the Iowa State Fire Marshall’s office where she was being used to detect explosives.

Gundlach started a letter writing campaign to State Fire Marshal Director Ray Reynolds, explaining his connection to the dog. He even has a tattoo on his arm showing Casey with angel wings and a halo sitting at the foot of a Marine.

"He's been putting a case together for the last two months, sending me pictures ... it just tugged on your heart," Reynolds said.

So Reynolds planned a surprise to bring them together. First he arranged for the Iowa Elks Association to donate $8,500 to buy another dog for the agency.

Then Reynolds came up with a ruse to get Gundlach to Iowa. He told him he needed to come to the state capitol to plead his case for reuniting with Casey in front of a "bureaucratic oversight committee."

When Gundlach arrived with his parents, they were told the meeting had been delayed and they were invited to join a celebration for Armed Services Day. There, hundreds of military, law enforcement officers and civilians were seated.

And then they brought out Casey.

When Gundlach saw Casey, he put his head in his hands and cried.

She licked his face, wagging her tail furiously.

"It was a total surprise," he said. "I owe her. I'll just try to give her the best life I can." Source

H/T to Pam

So you think your dog can dance

Some dogs not only dance, but make up the own choreography.

What goes in doesn’t always come out easily…

As Winnie the Pooh and an 8-month-old puppy named Lexi from Portchester, England found out.

Owner Vicky Lovelock and neighbors tried unsuccessfully to maneuver the puppy from the cement wall.

Then it was animal rescue specialist, Anton Phillips from the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, to the rescue. With hammer and chisel in hand, he chipped the block away in order to free Lexi without harm. The story

 

Getting their heads stuck is not unusual for curious puppies.

This is Angel, a 5-month-old German Shepherd, who had to be rescued a few years ago by another fire department animal rescue specialist.

Who can forget those fun times with puppies discovering their world?

Animal Abusers Registry--an idea whose time has come

We’re so often angered by the light sentences given to animal abusers.

A bill pending in the Michigan state legislature would require people convicted of animal abuse to register with the state, similar to Megan’s law which protects the public by identifying sex offenders who may be living among us.

The Animal Abuser registry would be available to shelters, rescue groups, pet stores, breeders and the public. If it passes, it would be the first such registry and hopefully other states would pass similar measures as they did with Megan’s Law.

A non-profit organization has pledged $10,000 to cover start-up and a database would be hosted as part of a district attorney’s Animal Crimes Unit.

Seems like a win-win for taxpayers, for animal lovers and most important for the animals.

 

So guess who is using his considerable funding and influence to oppose this law?

If you guessed Michael Vick’s BFF, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, give yourself a gold star.

 More 

30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog--A Book Review

30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog, The Loved Dog Method, by Tamar Geller—A book review

This is embarrassing.

I received this book several years ago to review and had been looking forward to reading it. Then it disappeared.

I thought it had mistakenly gotten mixed up with sacks of books I had donated until recently when I found it in one of the five bookcases crammed with books that I may re-read but probably won’t.

 

Now that I’ve offered a glimpse into my disorganized life…the review.

 

Tamar Geller grew up in Israel. After serving as an officer in the Israel military intelligence she dedicated her time to observing packs of wolves in the wild. From this experience she developed her techniques of dog training. Her methods are based on love, play and mutual respect, not on dominance and aggression.

Geller’s main claim to fame is her experience being filmed training Oprah Winfrey’s dogs. Which she mentions. Repeatedly.

There really isn’t much in the book that is new to people who have enjoyed success in turning a rowdy puppy into a good citizen, but for people who have little experience with dogs or those with problem dogs, this book would be quite helpful. 

She not only outlines concrete activities, but she makes training or coaching a dog sound like the most fun a person can have. I do like the term coaching.

 

The cornerstone of her book is that success comes when the seven basic needs of a dog are met: sense of security; companionship; understanding the hierarchy; excitement and surprises; physical stimulation; mental stimulation; love and companionship.

She gives some excellent advice on how to stop unwanted behaviors, jumping, digging, excess barking and she also covers topics like choosing a dog, agility, nosework, diet and much more.

I did feel she spent too much of the book talking about cruel trainers and their emphasis on pain and dominance. It was almost like she was presenting herself as a pioneer of positive training methods, methods which are now mainstream in dog training today. 

30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog is a complete manual, it’s fun to read, her enthusiam is contagious, and there is an index for further reference.

It’s a good day in Colorado for dogs

The governor has signed two dog-friendly measures into law.

The state has adopted shelter dogs and cats as the official state animals.

And while police dogs are being conditioned not to alert for marijuana, a measure requiring police to undergo training designed to prevent dogs from being shot unnecessarily is now law.

After several recent deadly dog shootings seem to show that officers needed help in identifying threats, the legislation requires law enforcement departments to offer three hours of online training to recognize dog behaviors and use nonlethal methods of control.

All 100 lawmakers supported the measure which may be the first of its kind.