This video says so much. Just watch it.
This is what we do in rescue. I wish more people would help so less dogs would suffer and die. If you help, thank you. If you don’t… well, suffice to say, I just don’t understand.
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Category Archive for education
One thing that has been on my mind a lot is Humane Education. I was very excited during the summer, because Snickers and I had plans to work with our local shelter’s humane education program. I was really looking forward to starting school visits in the fall. Well, long story short, the shelter doesn’t really have a program. They have good intentions, but right now the only visits they wanted our help with were for fund raising events. That got me thinking long and hard about humane education, how important it is, and how no formal, organized plan to teach our children empathy towards animals really exists. An idea popped into my head and I’ve been formulating a plan. I plan to start a new, national, non-profit organization to promote and support humane education – specifically to teach compassion and empathy for companion animals – in the public school systems across the US. I’m considering naming it Animal Educators Alliance. I know it sort of sounds like people who educate animals though, so I’m not entirely sure. It means animals who ARE educators. We’re not just teaching about companion animals. The animals ARE the teachers. What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Have any better ideas? The primary objectives of the organization will be:
Ambitious? Well, yeah. Impossible? I don’t think so. Thoughts? Volunteers? Multiple people, for various reasons, have asked me for a post-event review of Meet the Breeds, so I decided it would be easiest to post it here and just point people this way. I’m going to include some of the pre-planning information also, as I’ve been asked by a couple folks for advice on planning similar events. Before – Planning for the EventMeet the Breeds is an AKC event, with only the national breed club for each recognized breed being invited to participate. The purpose of the event is to help the public understand the differences between breeds directly from breed experts. That meant I needed decor, materials and volunteers all up to the task of educating the public about our wonderful Shibas – their history, their characteristics, where to buy a puppy, how to adopt a rescue and more. Decor and SuppliesSince all the events I’d planned and manned in the past were for NYCSR, I needed new booth decor and materials for this event. Luckily for me, I know a wonderful designer – my friend Scott Lauben – who also created the banners, brochures and other materials for NYCSR. I had photographs of banners used at events on the west coast and wanted to do something similar but unique. Scott did an amazing job creating the banners and signage you see in the photos below. I borrowed most of the booth supplies from NYCSR, only purchasing what was necessary to go with the new banners. The club also donated black club t-shirts for the volunteers so we all had matching tees to help set us apart. Printed MaterialsSince this wasn’t a rescue event, I left out some of my regular rescue materials and created some new ones. Here’s what we had:
Volunteers and DogsNone of the planning or materials would be worth anything without great volunteers to make it all happen during the event. I was lucky enough to put together a great group of people from the Shiba Club of Greater NY, NYC Shiba Rescue, and the NYC Shiba Meetup. I want to say thank you to Kathy Mahoney, Barbara Leung, Molly Sumner, Antoinette Crudo, and Kathi Willi-Melton. I want to add a special thank you to Kathi’s husband, Matt Melton. We recruited Matt on Saturday morning to take a sick volunteer’s place. He was a huge help and ended up working all day Sunday too. So, Matt, you get the gold star for being so easy going about being recruited to work all weekend! Physical Set UpJavits was open all day Friday for early set up, so my friend Kat Mahoney and I spent the afternoon and evening setting up the booth. We played around with several different layouts. Normally, for rescue events, I put the table along one side with the rugs and ottomans in the remaining area. This is partly because we’re selling items at rescue events and I want them easily accessible. For this event though, I wanted to be sure passersby could see the banner on the front of the table, so the table went along the back. We put it at an angle to cut down on the amount of space lost behind it (plus it looked cool that way). We put the ottomans up front, with the plan being to keep one or two dogs on each ottoman during the whole event. During – Surviving the ChaosThe actual event was amazing. The aisles were jam packed practically the entire time. Our booth was mobbed. Several people mentioned that we had one of the busiest booths (more on that later). The crowd at this event was different from the crowd at a Pet Expo, pet fair, or even Responsible Dog Ownership Day. First, attendees couldn’t bring their own dogs, so they were more focused on the event itself. Secondly, it really felt like a large percentage of attendees were there to learn about the various breeds. I’ve never been asked so many intelligent questions about Shibas in such a short period of time! I was really impressed and excited by some of the people I talked to. We had six dogs each day with three crates under the table for them to get breaks from the crowd, but they were still exhausted about two thirds of the way through the day each day. Events like this are hard – even for the most social dogs – and this one was noisier and busier than most. Snickers never wants to go in the crate during most events, but he actually asked for a couple breaks during this one.
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After – The PostmortemBreaking DownBreaking down and getting out of Javits on Sunday night was a nightmare, mostly because Javits only had one small elevator for most of us to use (only the folks with the big trucks were loading out through the freight exit), but also because no one but Kat stayed to help me break down and we were both ridiculously exhausted at that point. What I LearnedI’m hoping this will become an annual event, so I made mental notes all weekend regarding what went really well and what we could do better next time. In the interest of helping other people with similar events, here is what I learned.
I think that’s everything. If I missed anything or you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to answer!
Aimed at helping the public understand the differences between breeds directly from breed experts, the Meet the Breeds event is the world’s largest showcase of dogs and cats with 160 dog breeds and 41 cat breeds being represented. The event will host 115,000 square feet of dog and cat revelry, including; grooming, agility and obedience demonstrations, law enforcement K9s, an animal art show, an educational cat show and much more. The event will be held in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center located on 11th avenue between 34th and 39th Streets from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17th and Sunday, Oct. 18th. For more information and tickets, visit meetthebreeds.com. If you’re in the area and have the chance to stop by, Snickers and I would love for you to visit the NSCA booth and say hello! (And, to answer the most frequently asked question, no, unfortunately attendees cannot bring pets.) I get email once or twice a week asking for advice on finding a Shiba puppy. I’m glad when people ask, because it means they are trying to buy a pup the RIGHT way, but on the other hand, I know there aren’t enough puppies from good breeders to go around and that frustrates me. So many people buy puppies from pet stores and back yard breeders because they don’t know any better, but then – even worse – people who DO know better, to some degree, get frustrated and impatient and end up buying a dog from a less than ideal source because they don’t want to wait. Shiba puppies seem to be more popular than ever lately. I don’t know about other areas, but in this part of the country, that extra demand is being readily filled by a breeding operation who markets themselves as an "aw shucks" kind of family business but in reality they’re a mill… the majority of their dogs are poor quality, they produce WAY too many litters at a time, they sell to anyone who’s buying (they even take paypal deposits!), and they’re well known not to return phone calls if/when a puppy has any health or behavioral issues. I’ve been attempting to fight the good fight against this establishment for over two years now but it seems they’re just producing more pups than ever before. Why? Supply and Demand. Legally, dogs are property. Puppies, it seems, are simply another commodity to be produced as cheaply as possible and sold for a profit. What does this mean for the poor souls being created for profit? I can tell you, it ain’t good. *sigh* So, let’s talk about why people are buying puppies when there are so many dogs dying in shelters. And what can we do it about it??? (Hint: the answer is WE CAN EDUCATE CONSUMERS.) Puppy vs Rescue DogI understand the desire for a puppy. I really do. Snickers came from a breeder. My daughter was 8 when we started discussing a dog – her first – and I wanted her to have the full puppy experience. I also wanted a purebred dog for the added security of knowing what I was getting (to a certain degree) in regard to size and temperament. We spent months deciding on the right breed for us, more months searching for a responsible breeder with puppies planned and not spoken for, and then another few months waiting for him. Was it worth it? Absolutely!!! Does that mean I think that’s the only way – or even the best way – to add a family member? No. Two years later when we were ready to add a female, we adopted a sweet little rescued girl who needed a home. We adore her every bit as much as we do Snickers and we didn’t have to deal with all the puppy nonsense again! Adopting a dog can be every bit as wonderful as buying a puppy. There are some situations where a puppy is even the wrong decision, but an older dog could be the perfect companion. If only people KNEW more about their options and understood the repercussions of purchasing from backyard breeders, mills and pet stores. A reputable breeder with available puppies can be tough to find, depending on the breed you are interested in. But you want a puppy NOW! What do you do? How to FIND a Responsible Breeder
How to SPOT a Responsible BreederA responsible breeder does NOT sell their puppies to just anyone with cash in hand! Many unsuspecting people buy puppies from people who seem to be responsible breeders, but are not. Too often, the result is a puppy in poor health or with temperament problems that may only surface after time. A responsible breeder is someone who:
Is it worth the wait to get your next family member from a responsible breeder, instead of purchasing from a puppy mill, pet store, or backyard breeder? Absolutely. If you would like a printable non-breed-specific version of this, please download Responsible Breeder vs. A Puppy Right Now. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how to recognize a reputable purebred rescue group. Snickers and I spent last weekend at Fido’s Festival in Woodstown, NJ. We were there with NYC Shiba Rescue to talk to people about Shiba Inus, Shiba rescue in particular, purebred rescue in general and responsible dog ownership. I really enjoy working at these events. Not only do I get to talk to people about the breed that I absolutely adore and about purebred rescue groups and how important adoption is, we also get to try new things and meet new people. We’ve made friends with rescue groups, vendors and other Shibas at events in the past. Last weekend we talked with the founder of a fantastic new sanctuary named Seer Farms. Seer Farms is being established for the purposes of intervening when families are in crisis and need support for their pets and to enable multi-species animal rescue and placement. I was incredibly impressed with what they have accomplished so far and hope to have the opportunity to speak and collaborate with them in the future. Although we spend the majority of our time in the booth, we do get out and walk around some also. Snickers and I usually discover a new product – treats, toys, etc. (even seafood/crab cakes at one event) – that we really like. One in particular is an event-only bonus for Snickers. For a job well done, he gets to enjoy a Muttkin from Annie’s Pooch Pops! Dr. HarveyAt this event, Snickers had the honor of meeting Dr. Harvey Cohen (and family) in person. Dr. Harvey is the founder of Dr. Harvey’s Healthy Formulations and makes the pre-mix that I use to cook Snickers and Secret’s food. We attended Dr. Harvey’s lecture where I learned how important it is to rotate the protein in their diet (which I haven’t been doing), to refrigerate my oils, and about various supplements. What Snickers liked though was going to Dr. Harvey’s table and getting TRIPE SAMPLES! Wow was he happy (and wow is it stinky)! I now have tripe treats stored inside two Ziploc freezer bags in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator. I can’t smell them in there (thank goodness) but Snickers still can! Oh, and I finally rotated proteins this week! Lure for the CureThe most exciting part of the weekend for us though, was when Snickers got to try out lure coursing for the first time. The National Canine Cancer Foundation travels to various events and puts on "Lure for the Cure." Attendees can try out an abbreviated lure course and the money goes for canine cancer research. (The Lure for the Cure course was a u-shaped enclosed course – much smaller than a real lure course would be.) Lure coursing is a canine sport created for sight hounds. The concept is pretty simple really… a course is laid out with a mechanical lure (in this case a wiggly, squeaky fuzzy squirrel tail toy) on the ground. The lure is then shown to the dog who chases it around the course. I’ve seen Snickers chase squirrels and chipmunks when we lived in Indiana so I already knew he has a high prey drive. I had no idea HOW high though! Saturday was too hot; we wandered by the lure course to check it out, but it was a million and one degrees out and muggy to boot. Sunday was gorgeous though, so on Sunday morning, we went. I paid for 3 runs and we got in line. Snickers didn’t have much interest in being in line though. He wanted to go check out everything else; he had no idea that Something Good was going to happen in a few minutes. Finally, we were next in line. He watched the dog in front of us run the course. He was interested. The guys managing the course were great. We entered the course and I told them this was Snick’s first time. Snick seemed interested but not crazed. They ran the lure in front of his nose – back and forth a few times – wiggle wiggle – oh boy! It took off. I let Snick go and HE took off. Ten and half seconds later, he was at the end of the course and he and I were both HOOKED. I brought him back to the beginning and held him. This time he was totally excited, pulling and quivering. His second run only took 9.35 seconds and his third… only 8.64. I have NEVER seen Snickers that excited and moving that fast! btw, that was nothing compared to the 6.5 and 7 second runs some of the rescued greyhounds were doing later in the afternoon, but, you know, it is their sport after all. Watching my sweet doggy turn into a primal hunter/killer was something else. At the end of his second run, he actually got the lure in his mouth and was KILLING it. I used to wonder if he would really kill a squirrel if he caught one. Well, now I know. He definitely does NOT want to play with them. When his third run was over, I couldn’t drag him away. I had to pick him up and carry him to get him to leave! We actually went back two more times during the day. When we were standing in line the second time, he was SCREAMING with anticipation. He couldn’t WAIT to get out there and run again! He made a total of 11 runs during the day and his fastest time was just over 8 seconds. He was exhausted by the end of his last run and he slept extremely soundly during the two hour drive home at the end of the day. I started searching that day for a place that holds lure course practices and allows non-sight hounds to participate. I have one lead on a place in Jersey but it hasn’t panned out yet. If it does, I promise to get video at some point and post it. If you have a sight hound or any type of dog who was bred to chase or to hunt and kill, believe me when I say that if you ever get the chance to try this, DO IT.
Please check out Fido’s Festival taking place August 29th & 30th in Woodstown, NJ. Advanced tickets are only $9 per adult and there will lots of demonstrations, events, experts and shopping! (Dogs and children under 12 attend free.) And, of course, Snickers will be there doing his thing for NYC Shiba Rescue along with some other great NYCSR volunteers and dogs. What more could you want? I haven’t been writing as much as I’d like to recently. I’ve started and stopped – and restarted – this particular post a few times over the past several weeks. Most of you already know that my passion in life is the welfare of companion animals – dogs in particular. Second only to my family, my rescue and public education goals are what drive me. Most of my personal goals are wrapped up in my desire to better the lives of as many dogs as possible, in the present and the future. Lately I feel like everything is moving backwards.
Sometimes I feel like I’m slamming my head against a brick wall and losing ground every day. I wonder why I bother. It would be SO much more fun to just play with Snick. Of course, I’ll never let myself give up. WSBTV in Atlanta aired the following expose’ regarding the Humane Society of the United States. Apparently, they’ve removed it from their website after pressure from HSUS and they’ve posted a clarification. Note the clarification only addresses one small piece of the story. Apparently, the rest of the story stands. Having grown up in the rural south, the first time one of my New Yorker friends mentioned doggy daycare to me, I was astounded. Why would you pay for such a thing??? Heh. Little did I know that in a few short years I would be doing exactly the same thing! (See Snick’s recent post about how he spends his days for more info on that.)
I feel like going to dog runs and to doggy daycare was an important part of Snick’s socialization and part of why he’s so good at handling different situations. On the other hand, I realize what I first thought about “they’re pack animals, they should play in groups” doesn’t necessarily fly. Throwing a bunch of random dogs together in an enclosed space (run or playroom) is about as non-pack-like as you can get. A pack is like a family with a cohesive structure, rules and hierarchy. A playgroup may work out some quick and dirty rules, but nothing long term. I wonder if everyone other than the extremly self-confident dogs must feel very overwhelmed in situations like that. I’m not really sure and it makes me wonder if daycare may be right for a much smaller percentage of dogs than I originally thought. (Case in point: Secret is uneasy at the dog run and would most likely HATE doggy daycare.) So, what do you guys think about doggy daycare?
Do tell! Sometimes a topic for a blog post has to jump up and down in front of me waving its metaphorical arms, before I realize I need to write it. This was apparently one of those times. First, someone on Twitter asked Snickers (@snick_the_dog) about puppy nipping and teething, which we did cover in Dealing with Puppy Biting and Chewing. Then someone on Yahoo Answers, asked How to teach a Shiba Inu Bite Inhibition? Lastly, it came up briefly on my favorite breed-specific mailing list, Shiba-L. What Exactly Is Bite Inhibition?Pups usually learn bite inhibition – as it pertains to other dogs – from playing with their litter mates and their mother. They learn from their interactions how much force is too much and they learn to make a conscious decision to limit the force of their bite. They have to learn to translate that desire not to injure others to humans as well. Bite inhibition in companion dogs is much too important to leave to chance. I am fairly convinced though that many dog owners do exactly that. Of course, they are surprised when the dog eventually bites someone and then it is the dog who pays the price for their negligence. Too many people don’t respect how much damage a dog can do. Even a small dog! If our companions are not raised to have a STRONG inhibition to bite humans, they can inflict serious pain while reacting instinctively. Two Examples of Inadequate Bite InhibitionI evaluated a Shiba for rescue last summer who was being given up AFTER SIX YEARS because she bit her owner in the face. The problem was, it was the owner’s fault. The dog was a great dog with a nice temperament and even came from a good background. The owners, however, had not socialized her with other dogs and treated her like a human, not a dog. Consequently they didn’t know anything about dog body language. The owner startled the dog and then leaned over her in a threatening manner. The dog reacted by biting and then looking horrified that she had bitten her beloved owner. The damage was done though – the owner was never comfortable around the dog again and gave her away. A less drastic, but still frustrating, example of poor bite inhibition happened to me a few days ago. I was at the local dog run near my new apartment. There was a super overweight lab there who kept jumping up on my daughter and me. When I put my arm out to try to block the dog, he grabbed onto my wrist and hand with his mouth. He only barely scratched my skin, but his intention was clearly to hold onto me with his mouth. So COMPLETELY unacceptable. His owner was unfortunately clueless about how bad his dog’s behavior was. An Example of Excellent Bite InhibitionEven when Snick is snuggling with me, I’m careful not to startle him awake. I was incredibly grateful for his bite inhibition a couple weeks when he was surprised in his sleep. I walked into my bedroom and he was curled up sleeping on my bed. I bent over to give him a kiss. At exactly the same moment, Secret launched herself onto the bed and LANDED ON HIS TAIL. He jolted awake all fangs and fury only centimeters from my face. Yikes! Luckily, his reaction to seeing me so close to his teeth was as immediate as his displeasure at being stepped on and he stopped himself before accidentally biting me. Nasty facial scar avoided. Tips on Teaching Bite Inhibition
In addition to self control, dogs need to learn self confidence. Many dogs bite to defend territory or because they are afraid. Raise a confident, well-socialized dog and he is a lot less likely to ever feel the need to bite. Bond with your dog. If your dog sees humans as his key pack members, he is more likely to understand that biting humans is undesirable. Don’t put your dog in any situation he can’t handle. Protect your dog from having to defend himself. If your dog is confident that you will take care of him, he won’t feel like he needs to protect himself and is less likely to bite out of fear. Don’t startle your dog – or let anyone else startle him – especially when he is sleeping. If he’s going blind or deaf, pay special attention to how you interact with him. Read your dog’s signals. Most dogs communicate multiple warnings before biting and will only bite as a last resort. Are you paying attention to what your dog is "saying" when he or she is stressed or in an unusual situation? Have you learned enough about canine communication to send your dog calming signals so he doesn’t worry as much? Be your dog’s defender, his teacher, his advocate and his friend. Today brings us to the third installment of the One Question Interview series. Today’s answer is from Aurora Piacentino, Director of Operations at Liberty Humane Society. Question: If you had the opportunity to communicate and teach one concept to all dog owners everywhere, what would it be and why?Answer from Aurora PiacentinoProbably something you would expect from the Director of an animal shelter – the importance of spay/neuter in pet quality companion animals. I think that by this point, most people have probably heard that they should spay or neuter their dog, but most don’t know why. They might have some vague idea of health benefits or pet overpopulation, but those are concepts that most people don’t apply to themselves, "My pet is healthy, why should I worry?" "Too many animals? That’s why they have animal shelters, they find good homes for them!" Pet owners should understand that keeping a dog intact, breeding dogs as well, comes with some very real health risks that can affect healthy adult dogs. With each heat cycle a female dog goes through her chances of developing mammary tumors and a horrific uterine infection, called Pyometra, increases. Pyometra often is diagnosed in later stages and most often requires expensive surgery, fluid therapy, antibiotics and other supportive care to treat. With pregnant dogs, there is always risk that complications could arise during birth – potentially risking both mother and puppies lives. Male dogs that are not neutered can also experience health issues directly related to remaining intact such as Prostate or Testicular Cancer. All of these conditions have the potential to not only significantly affect your pocketbook but to drastically reduce the quality and length of life of your companion. Pet owners also need to understand that each and every litter born has an effect on their pet community. It simply does not make sense to bring more dogs needing homes into a community where there are already homeless dogs looking for families to adopt them. We do have animal shelters for those unlucky animals that find themselves without a place to call their own, but the dog owners in the community can help the cause by choosing to spay and neuter and thereby reducing pressuring the system, so to speak. It’s up to the animal shelter to provide information on low cost options, but the dog owner must take that next step and do the responsible thing. They have to cast aside fears that simple surgery will change their dog’s personality or physique (both notions that are completely false) and make the decision that they will be a part of the solution. About Aurora Piacentino For more information on Liberty Humane Society and to see the many animals in need of adoption, please visit www.libertyhumane.org. Sunday, May 3, from noon to 5pm, Snickers and I will be participating in the 30th Annual Pet Fair hosted by Trailside Nature and Science Center. This will be our second year participating with NYC Shiba Rescue, helping to educate the public about purebred rescue and responsible dog ownership. About the Fair For more information on scheduled demonstrations and exhibitors, please call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. In no particular order, here are a few dog-related societal improvements that I feel would have immense benefits for companion animals and the humans who love them.
OK, that’s more than a few. What are some things you would love to see happen that would benefit our companion animals and ourselves? When I wrote the mission for Jenna & Snickers (.com), I defined my own personal idea of responsible dog ownership. I listed ten basic requirements that I feel our dogs deserve from us. I expanded on one of those in the post about Making the Most of Companion Identification Methods. Today, I want to expand on four more.
These four things have a common theme… you can’t accomplish any of these without spending time with your dog. A lot has been written about bonding with your new dog or puppy. As a result, I think we tend to think of bonding as a one time process – something to accomplish and then check off the list. It doesn’t work that way though. If you really think about it, it’s illogical to think that it would! Bonding with your dog is like maintaining any other friendship or family connection… you won’t really have a relationship unless you put time and effort into it. Your bond with your dog needs to be nurtured over his or her entire lifetime. I don’t mean just hanging out on the couch together either! If all the time you spent with your spouse or kids was spent watching television – never talking, doing chores, enjoying hobbies or vacations together – what kind of relationship would you have? Our dogs are part of the family too and they deserve more than cursory pee walks and a pat on the head at meal time. Interact with your dog on a daily basis. to not live an isolated lifeDogs are pack animals. (Just because every "expert" out there is spouting it, that doesn’t make it any less true.) They are extremely social beings. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every dog has to have another dog around 24/7 (although, personally, I know Snickers is much happier if he has another dog to keep him company when I am not home). It does mean, though, that dogs need relationships and social interactions. Dogs have evolved to see us as pack members (just as many of us think of them as family members) and they need us. I strongly believe that most dogs should live indoors with their families, unless they are working dogs and live with other dogs in an outdoor kennel. Either way, they need to LIVE with their social group, not just come in for a few hours of interaction after dinner and then be sent outside to be all alone again. I also feel that leaving a dog alone for 10+ hours a day, five days a week isn’t acceptable. Have I done it? Yes, when Snick and I were living alone and I was working long hours, he often spent 10 hours alone in the apartment waiting for me. Did I like it? Not one bit. I started fostering for NYCSR shortly after T and Secret moved to Florida, so he had a foster dog with him. When we didn’t have a foster at home, I took him to doggie daycare a couple days a week (since that was all I could afford). I did my best to give him opportunities for mental exercise and social interaction. proper socialization with people and other dogsPuppies need to be socialized with all sorts of people and in all kinds of situations. They need lots of interaction, exercise and attention. Most of us make exceptions to our daily routines when we have a puppy. We run home at lunch time to give the puppy an extra walk. We make time for a long morning walk so the puppy doesn’t eat the house while we’re out. We spend time playing tug of war before bed. As the puppy grows, many of us go to puppy kindergarten socialization classes, basic obedience class, etc. When the puppy reaches about two years old, he/she finally starts to calm down. The lunch time walks are a thing of the distant past. We can get away with shorter morning walks (and therefore get more sleep) and we don’t necessarily have to play tug of war every night. This is the point, I think, where the human/dog relationship can easily stagnate… because the dog doesn’t need as much attention and exercise to stay out of trouble, it isn’t foremost in our mind and may become less of a priority than it should be. appropriate levels of exercise and mental stimulationI am repeatedly amazed by how many dogs are bored and overweight. The percentage of obese dogs in this country is probably as high as the percentage of obese humans! Dogs need to get out and move around to stay healthy, just like people do. Don’t just let your dog out in the yard. Snap on the leash and go exploring together. Go in the yard and throw a frisbee. Jump in the car and drive to a park for a walk in new territory. Going to new places not only exercises the body, but when your dog uses his senses to explore, he is exercising his mind also! Mental and physical exercise doesn’t have to all be outdoors either. You can play fetch, tug-of-war, chase and all sorts of games at home with your dog. basic companion training (at least sit, stay and come)Speaking of indoor games… More to come on basic companion training later An important part of responsible dog ownership is providing your dogs with preventative veterinary care and immediate attention to injuries and illnesses. People often ask me what I mean when I say my dogs are on a limited vaccination protocol or I mention other limited medications. Basically, I try to give my dogs the least amount of prophylactic chemicals that I feel will still do the job. This does not mean that I am not responsible in the care of my pets. I have put a lot of thought, research and consideration into these decisions. NOTE: I am not a vet or a medical professional of any type. This is my personal opinion. I’m writing about it because people have expressed interest in my choices and why/how I made them. You should talk to your vet before changing the dosage or frequency of anything you give your dog. VaccinationsCanine Distemper & Parvovirus Most vets use a combination vaccine. I prefer that my dogs receive the least number of diseases in the vaccine. The only diseases I’m OK with being included in my dogs’ Distemper and Parvovirus vaccination are Parainfluenza and Adenovirus. Rabies Other Related Links
Heartworm PreventativeMy Shibas get heartworm preventative (brand and dosage as recommended by my veterinarian) every six weeks, during spring, summer and fall. Once the first frost comes, I discontinue until spring. The only time I make an exception for this is when Snickers and I are actively doing animal assisted activity visits. When we were visiting elementary school classrooms, my vet recommended we continue hw preventative year round because it also protects against roundworms and hookworms. (Apparently, most roundworm victims are children.) I’ve read multiple articles about 45 day schedules being acceptable, but I can’t find any of them right now that don’t require subscriptions. Talk to your vet. My vet in NY said that the meds recommend 1x per month because (1) it is easier for people to remember and (2) a monthly schedule is still safe if you forget and do it late. Flea & Tick PreventativeWhen we were living in Manhattan, I didn’t use topical flea & tick preventative regularly. If I was taking the dogs outside the city, I would treat them with Frontline Plus a day or two before leaving (unless it was winter time and therefore unnecessary). Now that I’m living outside the concrete jungle, I follow a six week schedule for flea & tick preventative. I treat them the Sunday after their heartworm preventative is given. If you live in an area where fleas and ticks live year round, you should continue preventatives year round also. hello everyone, in case you are wondering, i am writing this the way i do most things… making mom do it with Shiba mind control. she wants me to share my point of view on things. i told her ok as long as she does the work of typing it. typing on the laptop is impossible when you have paws. i told her to type the way i tell her though without editing to make it perfect. besides, jaqi said that mom agreed not to edit her posts, so i dont think she should edit mine either. today i am thinking about how city dogs live. i lived as a puppy and most of my life in our apartment with one bedroom near Times Square (that’s in new york city, the best place to find fresh meat on the sidewalk). now i live in a big house with corn and soybean fields all around but not many people or fresh meat. (i watch the cows across the street, but they dont look so tasty.) in new york city there are these people called tourists. theyre like regular people, but they dont seem to know where they are, they act strange and wear bright colors. i have heard tourists say things like it is cruel to have a dog in the city and a dog cant live in a small apartment. i have even heard new people (sort of like tourists but they dont go home), say i miss my dog. i gave him away when i moved here. it would have been selfish to bring him. first, for those people who move without their dogs… if my mom moved anywhere and left me behind, i would have a broken heart. luckily, she loves me too much to ever do that. now, for anyone who thinks dogs cant live happy in the city… you are nutty. i loved living in the city. our small apartment was great because i could see mom almost no matter where she went. now, in the house, i have to get up and follow her when she changes rooms. when we went outside, there were lots of people around to pet me and lots of fun things to do. i got to go in stores and eat at sidewalk cafes. we had dog runs that we played in. i had really close dog friends and human friends that i visited and played with a lot and a big group of shiba pals to play with too. we went for really long walks around midnight every night when the streets were quiet. mom took me to lots of places with her. i even went to the office a lot and played with mom’s work friends. i live in the country now. we have something called a yard. it is sort of like a dog run but it is way bigger and no one visits it but us. i like it a lot because i get to chase squirrels and cats and chipmunks. mom and aunt debbie build fires and cook hotdogs sometimes, which is almost as good as scavenging street meat! i dont get to go for long walks though because mom is afraid of the dogs that are outside without humans. she is also afraid of the dark. it gets dark here at night, so we cant take our long bedtime walks like we used to. i dont like that we have to get in the car and drive to go to a real dog park to play. i do have a small group of shiba pals here and we go hiking, which is fun. mom says ize healthier here from clean air and my fur is cleaner too. my skin itches right now though; our nice new vet said that’s from something called ragweed and it will go away soon. something i dont like about the country is that people dont take their dogs many places here so i cant go in the stores and stuff. mom says i probably cant go to work with her when she starts working again either. anyway, i am saying that i would be happy living anywhere with my mom and the two places i have lived both have good and bad things about them for dogs. i hope i get to live in other places. as long as mom is there and we are doing stuff together, i will be happy. i think most dogs who love their humans probably feel the same way, so dont move without your dog. and dont say it’s mean to have a dog in the city. city dogs live great lives! thats all for now, One of the bullets listed under Responsible Dog Ownership on our mission page says that I believe our canine companions deserve at least one form of identification (tags, microchips, tattoos) in case they are lost. Although tags are the easiest solution for someone to see and read if they find your dog, collars can break or slip off and are not always enough. According to the American Humane Association, only 17% of lost dogs find their way back to their owners. 17%!!!!! Microchips and tattoos are more permanent solutions than ID tags and give your dog a much better chance of being returned to you if they end up in a shelter. I recently received an email from a Shiba friend suggesting I write about microchips. She said: "I have been involved with several Shibas and 2 Schnauzers that were lost. I took them to a vet to check for a microchip. They all had one. However, when I contacted the number on the microchip it was outdated. … These dogs were all re-homed because no one thought to change the pertinent information." I had similar experiences when I was working with NYC Shiba Rescue. Most of the dogs we received were not chipped. We received several who were, but when we checked, the chip’s weren’t registered. One chip led us back to a pet store. They tried to contact the people who bought the dog from them, but the info they had was out of date. Microchips are more permanent tha collars, but what good is a microchip if you never associate any information with it or let that information get out of date? None whatsoever!!! Moving is a hectic chore – so much to do, so little time. However, my guess is that when you have JUST moved to a new area is the time you are most likely to lose your dog. If your dog gets loose accidentally and runs, he won’t know where he is when he stops running and tries to go home. Nothing will smell or sound familiar and there is almost no chance that someone who recognizes him will spot him. Please, please, please… when you get a new puppy, change vets, change phone numbers or move, update the personal information associated with your dog’s microchip. Also order new tags for your dogs collar ASAP. How Microchips WorkA pet’s microchip is simply an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip. RFID chips are used for all sorts of things: Continue reading Making the Most of Companion Identification Methods My mind at the age of 10 worked very much like this. I thought it would be simple, but taking care of a dog was much more difficult than I had imagined. I had no idea what I was getting into and ABSOLUTELY no idea how hard it would be to take care of a puppy. As a child I didn’t have much knowledge of exactly what feeding, walking, and loving him really meant. I didn’t realize how much of your life included the dog or how important my puppy would end up being to me. When I first got Snickers I was very surprised at how hard it was just to be in the same room with him. He was chewing on everything and was always having accidents in the apartment. I had been expecting a sweet, little, well behaved puppy. That definitely shows how little I knew about dogs. After some time Snick started to become the smart, wonderful, calm doggy he is today. Of course Snickers turned out to be my mom’s dog since she was the only one who actually knew how to take care of him. After a while I started to understand the dog world, the reason for having a furry friend. They give you something to look forward to on a hard work day, they keep you busy, and are always there for you. The best friend a girl could ever have. I’m glad I get to have a best doggy friend to cheer me up and keep me busy. I never would have guessed having a dog could make someone so happy. Recently, someone on a Shiba board asked for recommendations for a good vet to neuter their dog. One of the responses was "Why do you want to do that to your dog? If you are a responsible owner and control your dog, there is no reason." Well… there are more than a few reasons why truly responsible owners have their companions spayed or neutered. Even if “you are a responsible owner and control your dog” there is no guarantee that your dog will never be loose without permission (how many of us have had our Shiba slip or break their lead?). If you aren’t there to control your dog, you can’t be sure he won’t impregnate another dog (or get pregnant if she’s female). Dogs that are not spayed/neutered are not welcome in as many social situations (like daycare and some dog parks) and therefore can’t be as well socialized and enjoy as many fun activities. Unneutered males are attacked more often by other males – regardless of how well behaved the unneutered dog in question may be – because other dogs can smell the testosterone and it makes them more aggressive and defensive. Unneutered males are more likely to develop prostate cancer. Unneutered males can develop testicular cancer. Unspayed females are more likely to develop breast cancer. The odds of all these things are pretty low, but why take the chance? I will admit, I am absolutely pro-spay/neuter, although I am not a fan of early spay/neuter. (I waited until Snick was 14 months old to have him neutered because my personal conviction is that no hormone production should be altered until after the dog is physically mature.) I have seen too much pain and suffering caused by the overpopulation of companion animals in this country – overpopulation caused by irresponsible owners, backyard breeders and puppy mills – to not be pro-spay/neuter. I don’t believe anyone should own intact dogs other than responsible, knowledgeable breeders who are breeding selectively to better the breed. I strongly encourage everyone who loves the breed in general and their dog in particular to have their dog spayed or neutered. |
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Copyright © 2008-2010 Jenna & Snickers 
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What will Snickers and I be up to this weekend? We’ll be at Meet the Breeds! The 
Snickers and I will be at an event in South Jersey in a couple weeks and we’d love to see you there if you’re in the area.
Shibas being Shibas, I’ve met a lot of people over the last few years who were surprised Snick goes to daycare, but HE LOVES IT! His daycare in Chelsea called him "a party animal" because he would come in the door non-stop energy and keep it up till I showed up to get him 11+ hours later. He had just as much fun at his daycare in Indiana too. I was worried the first day I took him… he’d grown up at the daycare in Chelsea, but I wasn’t 100% sure how he would react to a room for of new dogs in a new place. I shouldn’t have worried. Snickers = PARTY ANIMAL at daycare apparently. I went out of my way to take him to daycare occasionally there, even though I was home all day. He enjoys it!
One of the best pieces of advice anyone gave me when Snick was a puppy was regarding how to teach him not to bite and play so rough with my daughter. He thought of her as a litter mate – an equal instead of a superior – so we used that to teach him. Whenever he played too rough and bit her too hard, she would YELP like a hurt puppy and then turn her back on him and ignore him for about 10 seconds. It worked like a charm. His puppy brain completely understood and he totally stopped biting her in about a week. What I didn’t know at the time was that this great advice was based on the excellent training method of Dr. Ian Dunbar. 
