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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.

A  Social Media Experiment Gone to the Dogs

I can write these trite little headlines but the truth is that if social media can elect a president of the United States, why can't it be used to help our canine friends. I am a strong advocate of the Payson branch of the Gila County Humane Society and wholeheartedly support their cause to find every dog and cat a great home and to provide the love and care our animals deserve while waiting for that to happen. However, volunteers and staff can only do so much with what they are given so it's up to people like me, serious animal lovers,  to think of more creative ways to get people involved in our cause.

Since discovering Puppy Tweets, this idea of mine might not be new or original but for my hometown animal shelter, it might just help spark a new movement that will help accelerate the plans to build that new animal  shelter that we (and our furry friends) so desperately need.

I'm going to invite all of my dog-loving readers, animal shelter friends on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube,  blogger friends of mine and other social media nuts to examine my plan, play devil's advocate, then help me figure out how it can be accomplished, then make a presentation to the animal shelter board here in my home town of Payson, Arizona.

Here is how I see it taking shape, the devil is in the details.

In a nutshell it involves corporate sponsorship of animals in shelters. It's something that's been done successfully in zoos and I think the idea is a good one, especially now with Twitter being so popular, pet ownership is at an all time high and Puppy Tweets is something we can start with that was made for the occasion – that of using social media applications to help network a dog or cat's availability for adoption!

At any given time there are between 40 and 50 adoptable dogs in the Payson Animal Shelter. What if we were to put a Puppy Tweet dog tag on each dog in the shelter that's available for adoption? Mattel says that they are going to cost about $39.95 each so what if we were to ask a Payson business to sponsor a dog with a Puppy Tweet?

We would ask for a dollar amount greater than the cost of the tag that covers the purchase of the Puppy Tweet and for their "corporate sponsorship" contribution we offer them a whole lot more, with the money going toward the new shelter:

(And here is where all you marketing genius's out there can take the ball and run with it.)

How about in addition to the pet sponsorship, along with that the company gets a free Google blog for their business, prominently featuring their new corporate mascot, Jake, Duke, or Fido, and the training in how to manage the blog and integration with Twitter. A Twitter feed to their blog with their sponsored dog's tweets would be cool and easy to do. And the best part is that when the dog finally is adopted by a loving family their blog keeps on working. The company sponsor is then assigned a new dog, while posting occasionally about the previous dog's new life and family. Kinda gets me all weepy!

The sponsoring company gets exposure via the town's newspaper and a link to the shelter blog for their business.

The business uses the blog to promote their products and services as well as networking their sponsored pet's availability for adoption among their customers and followers.

The possibilities are endless. Does anyone out there know of an animal shelter who has expressed a similar idea, a plan where corporate sponsors are solicited to "adopt" animals in the shelter. sort of an adopt a highway program adapted for shelter pets?

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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.

1) Consider the type of pet that will make the best addition to your entire family. For instance, if you already have a cat and would like to add a dog to the family, consider a breed with a calmer temperament. If you’re adopting an older dog, consider one that has been raised with or is friendly toward cats.

2) Make sure all pets are healthy and current on their vaccinations and test negative for parasites.

3) Before bringing your new dog into your home, try introducing them on neutral territory, either at an unfamiliar park or in a neighbor’s yard where they are likely to be less territorial. Many shelters can set up a meet-and-greet between the Pet you have and the one you are interested in adopting to make sure they are compatible.

4) Make sure to spend quality time with all Pets, both reassuring your existing Pet and bonding with your new Pet. Make sure they get time alone with you as well as time together.

5) Give plenty of positive reinforcement for good behavior.

6) If behavior problems persist, consult your vet for advice.

7) Considerations should also be given to additional investment in both time and costs associated with food, grooming, boarding and veterinary care.

The only thing better than one cat is two or three more!

Courtesy of: Banfield Veterinarian Hospitals

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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.

Reading an article in USA Today I discovered that someone is doing something about this dilemma and at the same time discovering that some of these high-intensity dogs might be candidates for service jobs such as search and rescue. A dog doesn't have to have impeccable breeding to be talented and hard-working.

Sherry Woodward, an animal-behavior expert at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah has helped hundreds of dogs go from shelters to search and service jobs, spending time with a search-and-rescue handler to learn about the traits that indicate that a dog is a good candidate.

Her current project, Ollie, a border collie mix, was abandoned by his owners with a note saying that he was a wonderful and loving dog but they just couldn't deal with the fact that he needed lots of exercise and attention. I have a few words I would like to say to these people but Sherry did better than that and got him adopted.

Other groups like Sherry's that are rescuing "throwaways", groups such as Freedom Service Dogs, a program that places about 20 service dogs a year, all rescued or donated. The Search Dog Foundation which has trained firefighters for disaster search work, matching them with service dogs.  All of these groups have discovered that shelter dogs have what it takes to make excellent service dogs.

The bottom line is that these programs save lives. I applaud them for their efforts and ask our readers to visit their websites and donate what they can so that this work can continue.

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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.

Duke eventually pulled through and is now a happy and contented (spoiled) choc lab and the greatest dog that ever let me call him friend.

I support the efforts of the Humane Society and animal shelters everywhere so when I see things like this I get upset: I found this nonsense in the Letters To The Editor section of our local newspaper. It seems there is a group of people protesting our town's Humane Society because of their endorsement of a training clinic where dogs would be trained to recognize and avoid rattlesnakes. They claim that the training is inhumane to the snake and therefore should be stopped.

I am all for protesting against inhumane treatment to animals of all stripes, including snakes but this isn't really a protest about inhumane treatment of rattlesnakes, it's a special interest group involved in the politics of building a new animal shelter here trying to raise awareness by the most outrageous methods it can drum up. Nobody in this Arizona town would be against training their dogs to avoid rattlesnakes EVEN if it cost the snake it's life, however, that's not the case at all. The snakes used for this training program are treated well and live to strike another day.

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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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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