Jenna & Snickers

Jenna & Snickers Promote Humane Education and Responsible Dog Ownership

Delta Society and Snick the Dog

Snickers and I have been registered Delta Society Pet Partners since early 2008. I don’t think I’ve ever posted about why we became Pet Partners though. As I was filling out our renewal application a few months back (Pet Partners have to be re-evaluated and renew your registration every two years), I was thinking about the reasons I had originally signed us up and what Snickers and I have both learned in the time since then.

Usually when people hear “therapy dog” they instantly think of nursing homes. It is true that many therapy dogs visit nursing homes – which is awesome – but that’s not what Snick and I do. I am passionately committed to changing the future of companion animals by educating the public. Snickers loves kids. Those two facts together, led to my interest in humane education in schools. Schools, like most nursing homes and hospitals, require that dogs be registered therapy dogs (with a group providing insurance during visits, such as Delta Society) before allowing them to visit. Snick and I originally pursued becoming registered with Delta Society, so we could visit schools.

We were still living in NYC when we first became Delta Society Pet Partners and our first “job” was weekly visits with several different classes at the Gillen Brewer School in Manhattan. Visiting at Gillen Brewer was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot about the difference one person can make and I also became much more aware of how empathetic Snick is and how well he communicates – not just with other dogs, but also with people. We’re not visiting schools yet in Tupelo, but we have visited a temporary shelter for abused/displaced/neglected kids, so Snick gets his kid fix. We’re also working on becoming a R.E.A.D Team (where DID I put that manual anyway?) and then we’ll be participating in the reading program here in Tupelo.

What I’ve come to realize in the time that Snick and I have been Pet Partners is that (1) it’s critical to have a live animal on hand when you talk to kids about having empathy for animals and (2) it takes way too much work to get involved in helping to teach children how to treat animals. That’s why I’m trying to learn everything that I can, so I can build a national non-profit organization to support the use of visiting animals in public school humane education programs.

Merry Christmas (To Me)!

hai peeples, Snickers here!

one of my Shiba friends on Twitter had the brilliant idea to haz a secret santa wif each other. we called it #secretshiba. one peeple drew names for us and told us who to send a gifty to. i opened my #secretshiba gift this morning. it was so much fun, i wanted to share it with you!!!


After we were done with #secretshiba we got in the car and went to my grandpeeples house. (this iz the first time in my life i haz lived so close to my grandpeeples. iz very exciting to go see them all the time) in the middle of all the gifties being exchanged between the peeple me and Secret each got one too!

mom helped me unwrap my gift

FUN TOY!!! mom played wif me

then secret got a gifty. mom helped her too.

secret ran off with her toy to keep it away from me.
(i played wif it later)

after all that, i haz a sleepies

Question: How To… Rescue, Volunteer, Start A Group, etc.

This is a question for anyone successfully involved in rescuing animals, regardless of animal type and whether working with a rescue group, with a shelter or independently. If someone asked you to give a speech or write a blog post or write a book about how to start doing what you do, plus some key points about keeping up the momentum, what would you include?

Yes, I’m compiling a list for use elsewhere and I need lots of input.
Feel free to say as little or as much as you want.

So… You Email and You Post But No One Saves That Dog?

Rescue is hard work. It’s disheartening, frustrating and heart breaking. You don’t get to choose when dogs need you and you have to see some of the worst of humanity. Luckily, there are heartwarming moments and just enough warm fuzzies to keep most people going.

Online Tools Benefit Rescue

The Internet, email, World Wide Web, sites like PetFinder.com and now, even Facebook, have added a whole new set of tools to the process of finding homes for shelter dogs. When I founded NYC Shiba Rescue in 2007, I never could have accomplished it without email, Google Docs, meetup.com and nycshibarescue.org. I have enormous respect for the “old school” rescuers – back when you just went to the shelter, loaded up with all the dogs you could take, took them home, and then tried desperately to find homes for them. I will admit, I couldn’t do it that way. With electronic communications, digital cameras, and websites though, the process is a lot more streamlined. NYCSR, for example, finds out almost instantaneously about Shibas and Shiba mixes in shelters all over our region of the country. We can coordinate with far flung volunteers to save those dogs. We can campaign for foster homes and solicit donations online. We post our available dogs on our website, petfinder.com and other sites. We get adoption applications electronically. It’s all good.

All of that online work is communication and coordination though. The real WORK still has to be done in the physical world. Shelter dogs have to be evaluated. They have to be transported to foster homes, taken to the vet, moved between homes, and taken care of by foster families. They have to be taken to meet potential adopters and eventually taken to their adoption day! Supplies have to be carted around. Events have to be attended. All of the online tools and social networking make the communication, coordination, and “advertising” part of rescue so much easier, but they don’t take the place of the actual rescue work.

Armchair Rescue Through Social Networking

One activity that email and social networking has given birth to is what I call “armchair rescue.” There are few things more frustrating to many people I know than armchair rescuers. Mostly they just forward emails and post information about dogs in need on sites like Facebook. I’m sure these good-hearted folks truly believe they are providing a useful service, but for the most part they aren’t accomplishing much of anything. They “network dogs” with a zeal and passion that I would love to see funneled into action instead. At its best this “networking” brings dogs to the attention of people who may not have seen them otherwise (although usually these people aren’t able to help because the dogs being posted are frequently not adoptable by the general public). Most of the time, I suppose it is essentially harmless, but it’s still extremely frustrating.

Why, You May Ask, is it Frustrating if it is Harmless?

It’s frustrating because if they really care, we would like their help! Many armchair rescuers will inundate rescuers with fb posts and email asking “how can we help this dog?” When given an answer that involves any real world effort on their part though, they always have reasons why they can’t do anything. If/when the dog is saved, they say how happy they are that “we” were able to help. If the dog can’t be saved, they blame the rescuers. Either way, they feel good about themselves, feeling as if they’ve “done their part.” Well, here’s a newsflash… rescue groups already know about these dogs. Posts and emails by armchair rescuers aren’t telling us anything we don’t already know. They are however wasting our time by making us respond to email, block spammers on Facebook, and explain to the 20 OTHER people who saw the post or email that we already know about the dog and that we’re doing what we can, etc.

One of my Shiba rescue friends voiced the frustration best a few days ago when she said “If you aren’t going to step up to the plate, then get out of the game!“

It May Not Always Be Harmless

So many times I’ve read where people on facebook have made up fantasies about “the sweet angel of a dog” and how all they need is love, when, in reality that dog has a Level 3 or 4 bite record and really should only go into a very experienced foster home. It worries me that all this networking may result in dogs ending up in inappropriate homes.

Even when you go into a shelter and evaluate a dog hands-on, you can’t be absolutely sure that you’re getting a valid read on its temperament. You definitely can’t tell from one photo that a dog is a sweetheart! (PS That sweet “smile” you are all commenting on, is a reaction to stress… not an indicator of temperament.)

Ways For Anyone to Step Up

Here are a few hints on how to really help save dogs. Whether you have a lot of time or a little, whether you can foster or not, whatever your circumstance, if you really care, there is something you can do to help.

Volunteer with a local shelter or rescue group!

  • Provide a foster home if possible
  • Conduct home visits
  • Conduct shelter dog evaluations
  • Help coordinate and/or drive transports
  • Answer email inquiries
  • Help with recruiting other volunteers
  • Help with bookkeeping and other administrative tasks
  • Help with fund raising
  • Write press releases, blog entries, descriptions for petfinder.com, grant proposals, etc.
  • Volunteer at events

(Can’t do any of those things? MAKE A DONATION.)

Transport!

Have a car? Check out the numerous rescue transport groups and start volunteering to drive a leg of a rescue transport when you can. Help a dog get to safety. (Don’t have a car? MAKE A DONATION.)

Donate!

Last, but not least, MAKE A DONATION. Rescue isn’t cheap and a lot of the people involved in rescue and transport are working hard to make ends meet. If you can’t donate your time, donate your cash, because they could sure use the help.

Anipal Photo Hunt #16: My 2nd Job

Join the Anipal Photo Hunthi peeples, snickers here!

this my second time to participate in my furriend cokie the cat’s anipal photo hunt. this week the subject is “my second job” meaning the job AFTER taking care of our peeples. after taking care of mom and girl, my job is helping educate people about responsible ownership of companion animals and also about shiba inus. here are some piktures of me doing my job!

Meet the Breeds in NYC October 2009

Responsible Dog Ownership Day in NYC Sept 2007

Responsible Dog Ownership Day in NYC. September 2007

i haz a third job which is visiting kids in schools and other places as a registered Delta Society Pet Partner (therapy dog) but i dont have any good photos to post of that. i hope you enjoy the blog hop!

happy birthday to me, happy birthday…

hi peeples, snickers here!

today is my birthday! i am seven years old! mom does not like that i am now a “middle aged” doggy but i like the number seven. it sounds mature even though ize as silly and playful as ever. seven seven seven… see? it sounds good!

to celebrate my birthday this year mom got this nifty drawing of me from her friend kristin at bohopets.com. it would also seem that mom iz buying me a house because i heard her talking about how she iz going to frame this piccy and hang it on the wall! (well really the house is probably for the whole family but the yard iz for me!) i do like my special drawing and wanted to share it with you.

luv and shiba kisses,
snickers

To My Dogs, Thank You For…

I don’t usually do Thanksgiving posts, but the answers to our One Question Interview series this week have me thinking about how much my dogs have changed my life. There are a lot of things in my life that I’m thankful for – family, friends, health, etc. – but this post is specifically for my dogs.

To Snickers, Secret and Brandy (R.I.P. Brandy), Thank You…

  • for always being happy to see me
  • for always coming back if you somehow become disconnected from me when we’re outside
  • for (Snickers, at least) being a wonderful travel companion and never nonplussed by big moves
  • for hating to walk in the rain (because I hate it too)
  • for all the insane romps in the snow that I almost certainly wouldn’t have taken without you
  • for sleeping in with me on the weekends instead of waking me up on our weekday schedule
  • for introducing me to so many wonderful people
  • for showing me the joys of volunteering in my community
  • for teaching me why animal rescue is so vital, even if it is heartbreaking
  • for the crazy noises you make when I prepare your meals (because it makes the effort worthwhile)
  • for the compassion and empathy you’ve taught my daughter over the years (and for not minding too much when she occasionally forgets to walk you)
  • for protecting me from the things that go bump in the night
  • for making me laugh Every Single Day

But Maybe Not So Much…

  • for shedding like neverendingfurmachines all over my apartment
  • for the occasional trip to the doggy ER
  • for your uncanny ability to delay any and all farting until guests come over
  • for costing a small fortune to feed fresh and organic foods
  • for making me late for work when you take your sweet time to poop on our morning walk
  • for (Secret) practically knocking me down almost every night while running to the kitchen for dinner
  • for always running to the rug before throwing up instead of just doing it on the hardwood floors
  • for not living forever

To My Dogs,

Thank you for existing. Have some turkey.

Love,
Me

One Question Interview with Cathleen Schine

Question: What do you think is the most significant change that companion animals – dogs in particular – bring to society and/or our individual lives?

Answer from Cathleen Schine

I think the most significant change that companion animals – dogs in particular – bring to our lives is, ironically, an expansion of our human interaction.

Of course there are other important changes that dogs give us–an awareness of one’s ignorance of the complicated language of pee, for example; or a realization of how little room on a bed one really requires. And there is the intensely personal change: the sudden epiphany, the overwhelming love for a dog, a love that is unquestioning and undeterred by loud barking, muddy paws, slobber and gnawed chair legs. Inexplicable and boundless love. But I have a feeling people living with dogs have always had these feelings. What is different, perhaps, about living with a dog in this day and age is that dogs bring people together. In cities and even in suburbs, they’ve sort of taken the place of the church picnic or the social club or sitting on your front porch. Now, you walk your dog and you meet other people walking their dogs and you fall into conversation and you realize that you have lived two doors down from this person for five years and never spoken before. But because you have gotten a dog, you now have a neighbor as well. In New York City, everyone with a dog stops to talk to everyone else with a dog. It turns the city into a small town.

About Cathy
Cathleen Schine is the author of the internationally best-selling novels The Love Letter (1995), which was made into a movie starring Kate Capshaw, and Rameau’s Niece (1993), which was also made into a movie (The Misadventures of Margaret), starring Parker Posey. Schine’s other novels are Alice in Bed (1983), To the Bird House (1990), The Evolution of Jane (1999), She is Me (2003), The New Yorkers (2006) and, most recently, The Three Weissmanns of Westport (2010). In addition to novels she has written articles for The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and The New York Times Book Review, among other publications.

For more of Cathy’s writing, you can visit her blog at cathleenschine.com

One Question Interview with Zennia Barahona

Question: What do you think is the most significant change that companion animals – dogs in particular – bring to society and/or our individual lives?

Answer from Zennia Barahona

The most significant change that companion animals – dogs in particular – bring to society and/or our individual lives is unconditional love. There truly is no other relationship that we can even hope to have between ourselves and another human in which we will only always receive a pure un-selfish love. It’s said time and time again, but my dogs have never judged me when I’ve made mistakes, been lazy, have a bad hair day or am grouchy. They love me all the same and with the most pure enthusiasm. They always think I’m just the best thing ever and the feeling is mutual.

Living a little bit more by their example hopefully has a ripple effect and that makes it bigger than just me.

About Zennia
Zennia Barahona is owned by three Shiba Inus: Mox, Molly and Luna (the two former being NYCSR Alumni) and resides in Jersey City, NJ. She is one of the founding board members of NYC Shiba Rescue and is active in both Shiba rescue, education and awareness as well as her local community grassroots efforts. When not fighting animal welfare crime by night (and weekends) she’s an executive producer in the television and film industry by day in New York City. And yes, she has failed Fostering 101… twice.

One Question Interview with Heather King

Question: What do you think is the most significant change that companion animals – dogs in particular – bring to society and/or our individual lives?

Answer from Heather King

The benefits that companion animals bring to us go far beyond the values and lessons learned from caring for the life of a living, breathing animal. Being a dog owner changes your life for the better because they provide unconditional love and protection—something that once experienced is hard to live without.

I have the privilege of sitting on the board of Intermountain Therapy Animals. Their mission is “enhancing quality of life through the human-animal bond.” It’s an international group of volunteer animal-assisted therapy teams who visit patients in hospitals, children in schools, seniors in retirement homes and others to share that unconditional love and comfort a pet can bring. Each board meeting, our volunteers share stories of patients who exhibit positive physical reactions to the animals and will often allow treatments if a therapy animal can be present, or children who improve their socialization and reading skills by reading to dogs, or seniors who respond with smiles and memories of happier times while giving a dog a pat on the head.

Additionally, research suggests that animal owners themselves are often more compassionate, more forgiving and generally calmer in demeanor. Perhaps most importantly, animal owners are generally healthier—both physically and mentally, at least partly because of their interactions with their dogs.

Personally, I’ve also learned to put others’ needs (both animal and human) ahead of my own. For me, the physical and emotional bond between myself and my dogs has gotten me through good times and bad, relationships, moves, etc. and all the while provided a constant support that could be counted on no matter what circumstance I was facing.

In truth, I believe that pet owners reap far more value from the companionship their animals provide than the animals gain from us. Their ability to love unconditionally is a skill we should be so lucky to learn from them.

About Heather
Heather L. King is a freelance writer and full-time marketing communications manager for an engineering firm. She has been actively involved in raising funds and awareness for numerous charitable and professional causes over the past two decades. She is currently a board member of Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA), which specializes in providing animal-assisted therapy in the areas of physical, occupational, speech and psycho therapies, as well as special education. She is the social media advisor to ITA and heads their Twitter account (@ITAorg). Ms. King also provide social media expertise to Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue Inc. by running the organization’s Twitter account (@RMGDRI) in addition to actively raising funds and awareness for Great Danes in need of forever homes throughout the Rocky Mountain region.