A Close Look at the Good Work of Those in Rescue
Its early in the morning of New Years Day, but Jacky Eckard, president of Safe Harbor Lab Rescue in Golden, Colorado, is already at work. We have a dog that was surrendered the day before yesterday, she says, and was brought in to be spayed, so Ill be picking her up and taking her out to her foster home where shell remain until she gets adopted. Ill also be working with some of our…
Why So Many Dogs Need Rescuing
Unplanned litters are the main source of pet overpopulation, according to PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin Program (petsmartcharities.org/rescue-waggin). Imagine if every person living in New York City was actually a dog or cat, says the organization, which partners with literally thousands of adoption groups across the country to help homeless animals get adopted. Thats about the number of pets that will end up in shelters in North America this year. Of those 8 million pets, half…
How Dogs Build a Community
Carla Barlow, Tony Beadle, Rick Daniels, Meg Durkin, Tom Hughes, Anne Kimball, Brendon Potter, Jeff Sullivan, Sarah Murphy, that guy Chris with the three kids on Lincoln Street, Penny and her playful terrier Willie, Liz with the two yellow Labs, Charlene in the park by the cove with her little black and white mutt Lucy (the one whose brother is a drummer), Steve with the Golden Retriever Fiona…. These are just some of the…
The (Traffic) Ties That Bind
Though only 11, Jean Fernandes of Itajai, Brazil, raced out into a heavily trafficked road to rescue his dog last December. The tiny terrier, Little Mel, had escaped the familys yard and darted into the street, where she was hit by a motorist who did not stop. With no thought for his own safety, Fernandes managed to halt traffic so he could rescue his dog from further injury and bring him back home to…
An Older Dog Can Make a Better Pet
People often find that an older dog, when adopted, seems to know somehow that his new owners gave him a home when no one else would. Many people form a close bond in short order with their older adopted dog precisely because the pet shows them a depth of affection that a younger animal might not yet have to give. There are also a number of other reasons adopting an older dog rather than a puppy might be the way to go.
But Wasnt An Older Dog Dumped Because He Didnt Make a Good Pet?
People often assume that if an older dog has wound up in a shelter or kennel, it means he was an incorrigible animal, unable to fit into a human family and finally needing to be given up. But in just about all cases, mature dogs are relinquished not because of something about them but because of something about the people to whom they belonged. Sometimes, sad to say, its simply that the novelty of having…
Dying at Home
John McKee had sons of his own, and I have a loving father, but when my wife and I moved next door to John almost 20 years ago, something other than blood brought us to those roles like two puzzle pieces that had gone missing but unexpectedly made their way into each others waiting spaces. It satisfied in the way that only completing a puzzle could. Pick a day, and you might have seen…
Gentle Into That Good Night
Your dogs heart disease has progressed to the point that there are no more medicines to try, no higher dosages to give, no more procedures to perform. Or her liver failure has reached a tipping point; the toxins are building up faster in her body than they can be cleared. Or her dementia has crossed a certain line - she interacts with you much less frequently and now spends a lot of her time…
Euthanasia At Home, Too?
Because euthanasia is an option when it comes to our dogs, chances are high that euthanasia is in your dogs future. Very few dogs succumb painlessly in their sleep, and most people actively choose to take a dog out of her suffering rather than wait for a painful death to come naturally. But where will the euthanasia occur? …
Not Just Family Members But Professional Colleagues
Regular readers of this page are by now fairly well acquainted with my canine family members, border collie Franklin and shiba inu Rosie. What you may not be aware of is that they not only number among my loved ones but also are my office mates. While I frequently interview veterinarians on the campus of Tufts Cummings School and watch them performing ultrasounds of dogs and overseeing pets on dialysis machines and other apparatus…
At Google, Ben & Jerrys, and Other Firms, Every Day Is Bring Your...
n One of the perks of working for Ben & Jerrys, the gourmet ice cream company with corporate headquarters in Vermont, is the three free pints of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sherbet that employees may take each day. But for some Ben & Jerry staffers, an even bigger perk is being allowed to bring their dog to the office. …
Is a Retractable Leash the Way to Go?
For situations in which a dog needs to be on a lead, he says, you need [more of] a solid bridge between you and the dog for proper control at all times, adding, if your dog can go 15 or 20 feet in front of you and 15 or 20 feet behind, theres not a lot of leadership from you. Youre handing over to your dog an unusual dose of freedom. Thats okay if youre walking down a hedgerow looking for rabbits. But when youre out in public, a retractable lead surrenders control to the dog, giving him too much autonomy to make bad decisions.
