Archive for the 'Pet Adoption' Category

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Last March when I was making jokes about the new Twitter toy by Mattel called Puppy Tweets, describing in a post about how your dog can make money online with this cool new toy, I was only half kidding about the whole thing. Although stranger methods have been known to cause things to "go viral" and go on to succeed at making money online using the power of social media. Any device, toy or not,  that professes the capability of  detecting what a dog is up to and then turns that into pet micro-blogging on Twitter with 140 character pet witicisms, is going to get MY attention!

So I am thinking that this could be a huge marketing tool for animal shelters. I keep thinking that if a dog could make money online for his owner (which is a stretch unless the dog can talk or count or something) why couldn't he make it for a good cause as well – supporting his fellow dogs, homeless dogs like little Beatrice here and ones in shelters that are in need of a good home?

I think there is an interesting concept taking shape here even though Mattel keeps saying that it's only a toy, Puppy Tweets just may have the potential to really help our shelter pets by raising more awareness of adoption versus breeders or pet stores.

Puppy Tweets is not available until fall 2010, my pre-order with Amazon was made months ago, this for a toy that resembles a dog-tag that your puppy wears on his regular dog collar. By communicating puppy "tweets" from the dog tag via your computer, some 500 unique micro-blogs such as I'm hungry, I want to play, scratch my tummy, let's go for a walk,  guess what I'm licking now, etc can be posted to your pooch's Twitter account. The logistics still need to be worked out for this crazy idea of mine but the time it's taken waiting for the toy to debut has given me food for thought. (more…)

You’re a pet lover so you already understand the many benefits of having furry family members. They bring joy, companionship and comfort to our lives every day. But did you know that multiple pets can enrich each others’ lives as well as yours?

With some exceptions, pets are generally happier in pairs. Two pets may entertain one another and learn from each other while you’re away. Adding a dog or cat to a single pet household can help reduce the incidence of separation anxiety, which often arises from the fear of being left alone. An additional pet can also help revitalize an aging or older dog.

If you’re considering adding a new Pet to your family, here are some tips to help make the transition easier and more successful. Please also ask your vet for advice on the best way to introduce a new pet to your home and family. (more…)

I didn't know this about high-energy dogs, the fact that they are the ones most dumped because they are just too much work but I guess it makes sense, not that they are abandoned, but why. They just demand too much from owners that don't, won't or can't do what's necessary with a dog that requires more than just a lap to lay in.

Thousands of shelter dogs are deemed unadoptable and are put down because they are too high-energy for their owners. Fortunately there are programs out there that teach shelters and rescuers how to identify dogs that are candidates for service work and these dogs are proving that even with questionable parentage and unknown history that they are well-suited for a life as a service dog.

It's hard to believe that  someone could give up a dog for this reason because my high-energy dog keeps me healthy and active. He knows how to nudge my hand away from the computer when it's time to go chase a frisbee, so I smile, hit the save button, and off we go. (more…)

Publicity for Pet Adoption – Raising Awareness for Dogs in Shelters

The beautiful and talented actress, winner of two academy awards, is the new face of Iams Home 4 The Holidays pet adoption campaign, an initiative established in 1999 that has helped more than 3,278,143 families experience the joy of pet adoption, including 1.2 million pet adoptions this past year alone.

It's great to see someone like Hilary Swank, a celebrity, step up to the plate and use her popularity to promote a worthy cause such as finding shelter pets homes and kudos to Iams as well for supporting the cause of animal adoption.

My dog Duke is a shelter dog, adopted from an animal shelter in the town where I live. He was neglected and almost died, as you can see by this picture (taken on just the 2nd day I had him) the vet, Dr. Tom Flack was checking for a pulse. MY heart almost stopped when I saw the final bill! But it was worth every penny.

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My Dog Had Me At Hello

Had I known then what I know now about the right and wrong ways to approach pet adoption I might have been tempted not to have adopted my chocolate lab Duke from the animal shelter. My bank account would have thanked me but I would have been haunted by his almost certain demise. But even if I had been armed with the latest information on how to adopt a dog I still would have made the same decision – he had me at hello.

But thanks to all the information that there is out there about pet adoption you can avoid the mistakes I made when I got Duke. As you can see from the pictures featured here (taken just a day after adoption) Duke is obviously a very sick dog. He is fine now but it was close. I even ran into someone later that had seen Duke at the shelter but declined to adopt him because he was so sick! And be careful, dogs adopted from the shelter will be so grateful that they will hide their worst symptoms from you until their illness is so acute that they almost die and because they are getting a second chance at life be prepared for a little separation anxiety until you have had them awhile.

All dog breeds are worth consideration, not just the ones suitable for the Westminster Dog Show. In fact, you are more liable to find a more durable, more healthy mutt than you are a pure bred dog. Like any simple machine, there is less to go wrong, hips, joints, etc.

Pet Adoption From An Animal Shelter Is Recommended

Pet adoption compared to 06 and 07 is down because of our economic situation because pet ownership can get expensive, even with a healthy dog or cat. Unfortunately pets are still coming to shelters in record numbers, due in part to the same economic issues so it's more important than ever that if you are considering pet adoption that you do so from a shelter.

Even the Dog Wisperer himself has spoken about it. These dogs and cats at the shelters need our support. When you adopt a pet its for life.

Of all the "How To Adopt A Pet" videos out there I liked this one the best:

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