Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan

02/07/2025

FROM TEDDY’S RECENT REPORT:

TEDDY IS GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS AND KIDS, HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE CAT WHEN IT WAS IN VIEW. HE WILL WHINE BARK AT THE GATE. SLOWLY INTRODUCE TO TEDDY TO YOURS.

Three weeks in and Teddy continues to show improvements on everything that were teaching him. His walking is coming along very well. Just slowing him down a bit is working on everything else when it comes to his walking! It’s really nice being able to see the improvement when it comes to his walking, especially since it’s only been three weeks. So that being said, we still get another seven weeks so we are really looking forward to see just how far we can get him by the time it’s time for him to leave.
So his commands are coming along very well to his SIT, DOWN, and STAND are now on verbal! So now we take the show on the road and GENERALIZE it, meaning that no matter where we are, or what is going on, when we say SIT or DOWN, he will comply. His LEFT SIDE, RIGHT SIDE, FRONT, and even MIDDLE are coming along very well. We have also started to send Teddy to his PLACE MAT, and CRATE from a short distance too! We can also send him to a TOUCHPAD that is also a short distance as well. So as you can see his training is coming along very well! Nothing is set in stone just yet, but he is showing so much promise! So we will continue to push him to see just where this little guy can get.
Okay so DOGGY BOOT CAMP is a real thing, Teddy is making so much progress, it’s really nice to see. His manners are coming along very well too. All this is for Teddy to become that well-mannered pet that can adjust and be welcomed into just about any home! We have started to teach Teddy OUT, FETCH, and LEAVE IT too. Just to mention a few, but Teddy is really becoming a well-mannered puppy. He’s also played with a few dogs too, BINGO 51 pounds DOTTIE 50 pounds and ROXY 45 pounds. He plays very well, and we can recall him off the other dogs as well. So then we let him play with all three at the same time and Teddy still did very well. That being said, we’re hard at work on little Teddy, so please stay tuned in, great things are still to come….

FOR MORE INFO AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

PLEASE SHARE TO HELP TEDDY FIND A FOREVER HOME!

Michigan Department of Corrections Humane Society of Elkhart County

02/07/2025

For every person who Votes for Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan, My Giving Circle will donate $1 AND for the first time ever, they will give $2 for every donation we receive too, but it's only for the first 5,000 people - so Vote and donate now!

Thank you, everyone, we greatly appreciate your love and support!

Plus MyGivingCircle will donate $1 this weekend only

02/07/2025

RPSM is in need of foster homes near Lagrange County, IN to foster dogs chosen from our partner, Ark Animal Rescue and Adoption to enter the RPSM Canine Companion Program to learn their manners.

Every 10 weeks, dogs from our partnering shelters enter training with skilled inmates to learn their manners.

Before the dogs enter 10 weeks of training, our dogs spend time in foster homes to decompress from shelter life, allowing fosters to learn more about the dogs before they become available for adoption…their likes, dislikes, and more.
RPSM provides everything you will need: food, treats, crate, collar, leash, heartworm/flea/tick preventative medication, and more if you may need it.

If you are able to bring your foster to Coldwater, MI on the day they enter training, then you may qualify to be a foster.

To learn more and submit your foster application today, please go to:

https://rpsm.org/foster-2/

02/06/2025

***UPDATE**KORA IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AS SHE HAS AN APPROVED ADOPTER!!

FROM KORA’S RECENT REPORT:

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS AND KIDS. HAS NOT MET CATS SO INTRODUCE HER SLOWLY TO YOURS.

This was a really good week for Kora. Every day she appears to come more and more out of her shell. Her engagement is really good and she enjoys training for extra kibble. We have cemented in the Sit and Stand commands from various positions. We started her out using the place mat but have slowly faded her off the place mat. We are continuing to generalize it in different areas and distractions. The Down command has been the most challenging. She will go to her place or the crate and lie down, but luring her into the position is still a work in progress.
Kora continues to get her daily walks in and walks really well. We continue to work on her leash pressure and we are going to have her Stop and Sit when we stop. She pauses at the doorways and never bolts out. She continues to show really good house manners. She does love her scratches and will nudge you for more. She loves her attention. She continues to socialize around the compound and has become a fan favorite, especially in her new coat and booties. She is such a rock star.

FOR MORE INFO AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

PLEASE SHARE TO HELP KORA FIND A FOREVER HOME!
Michigan Department of Corrections Humane Society of Elkhart County

02/06/2025

Did you know that every time you shop on Walmart.com, you can now round up your change and donate it to REFURBISHED PETS OF SOUTHERN MICHIGAN? Learn how small acts can lead to big impact at
https://www.walmart.com/nonprofits/c3a81ac8-b1d7-4bd5-b475-a37f954aae8a/profile

02/05/2025

FROM CHIDI’S RECENT REPFROM CHIDI’S RECENT REPORT:

CHIDI IS GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS, KIDS 8 YRS AND OLDER, HE HAS NOT MET CATS BUT SHOULD BE FINE IF INTRODUCED SLOWLY

Chidi is continuing to put his trust in us. He was allowed to play with a number of the other dogs in here. He is a gentle giant and plays well with the smaller dogs as well with those who are almost equal to his size. He displays his playful side letting us know it’s in there, we just have to draw it out of him. We will continue to let him play, building his confidence as well as exercising him on his daily walks.
His threshold to noisy places such as the weight pit is decreasing. He actually went in it momentarily. He has also been working on going upstairs, which he had a real problem with when he first arrived here. He is getting better with them also. All and all, Chidi is making small improvements with each passing day while with us. We look forward to the coming week with him. He also had his heartworm meds and flea and tick meds on Saturday, February 1.

FOR MORE INFO AND TO SUBMIT YOUR APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

PLEASE SHARE TO HELP CHIDI FIND A FOREVER HOME!
Michigan Department of Corrections

02/05/2025

It's !

RPSM Volunteers and Trainers are very thankful for the donations people make to help us take care of the dogs that enter the training program every 10 weeks!

Please read the Thank You from TEAM #14!

RPSM trainers currently need Dog treats for the dogs they train. RPSM goes through approx 100 pounds of treats (140 to 154 bags of training treats) for the 14 dogs that enter training to learn their manners before being adopted!

Treats are on our wish list:

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3GT77EBLVGX42?ref_=wl_fv_le

Chewy:
https://www.chewy.com/g/14-1999592_b69095986?utm_source=partnerize&utm_medium=shelters&utm_campaign=1011l139858&utm_content=0&clickref=1101lyJcBEbH&utm_term=1101lyJcBEbH

Send your receipt to [email protected] so we can thank you. All items will be shipped directly to us! Thanks for your help! RPSM is a 501c3 Non-Profit and we rely on donations to keep our program going. All donations are tax deductible.

02/04/2025

FROM ATLANTIS’ RECENT REPORT:

ATLANTIS IS GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND KIDS

Again it is needless to say, but Atlantis is doing a fantastic job with her training/commands. She has been following all of our directions with no problems, it is as though all she wants is to please us. Of course she knows that whenever she does good, good things happen for her, good treats. Atlantis is, to say the least, a very well-mannered dog. She doesn’t destroy anything of ours though occasionally she might chew up one of her plush toys, but other than that she leaves everything alone.
Atlantis continues to do a great job with receiving love/attention from most people on the compound. She really enjoys all of the attention she gets; let her tell it she is the top dog of them all. Atlantis is so well loved that she gets nothing but love whenever she hits the yard. The people enjoy giving her commands and to just love on her.
Atlantis no doubt is continuing to do an amazing job with some of the other dogs here in the program. She hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting all of the dogs, but hopefully in due time she will. The ones that she has met she enjoys going out in the pen to play with Dottie, Bingo, and Daisy. Atlantis plays good when she plays with three dogs, however she plays best with one-on-one.
As you know Atlantis is potty trained, and crate trained. Overall, Atlantis is one amazing little girl, we are sure you will find her just as amazing as we do. You can’t help but enjoy her, especially once she becomes one of your family members.
Known commands: come, Heel, Sit, Stand, Down, Place, Crate, Stay Wait, Left Side, Right Side, Front, Middle, Leave It, Out, Up, Off, Fetch. We are working on Shake, Over, Under, Roll Over, Bang-Play Dead, Night-Night and Sit Pretty. This concludes the weekly for February 2, 2025.

FOR MORE INFO ON ATLANTIS AND TO SUMBIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY! PLEASE SHARE TO HELP ATLANTIS FIND A HOME!
Michigan Department of Corrections Ark Animal Rescue and Adoption

02/04/2025

***UPDATE**KORA IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AS SHE HAS AN APPROVED ADOPTER!!
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THE FOLLOWING DOGS ARE AVAILABLE FROM RPSM:

TEDDY – 1 yr old Male Lab mix, weights 48 lbs. Good with dogs and older kids. Is interested in cats that were in his foster home. Introduce your slowly.

CHIDI – 1 yr old hound mix, weights 80 lbs. Good with other dogs, cats, and kids.

ELEANOR – NO TRAINING – 2 year old Beagle, weighs around 22 pounds. Good with other dogs, cats, an kids. Eleanor will require a standard fence to keep her safe.

ATLANTIS – 1yr 9mo. Old Shephard mix, weights 50 pounds. Good with other dogs, cats, and kids.

KORA – 3-year-old Pitbull mix that weights 48-pounds, Good with other dogs and kids, has not met cats so please introduce her slowly to yours. Due to her allergies, Kora may need ongoing care like medicated baths, allergy medication, and a special diet.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT ANY OF THESE DOGS AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

Michigan Department of Corrections
Humane Society of Elkhart County
Ark Animal Rescue and Adoption
Dogs of the MDOC

02/04/2025

Do you have a good picture of your pet? When you order a custom Pet Portrait from Andy's Paw Prints you get a beautiful keepsake or memorial portrait. They have 8 styles to choose from and there is something for everyone.

As an added bonus when you purchase, they will make a donation to help a rescue or shelter like RPSM. Please select RPSM from their list of partners so that we will receive a donation (at no extra cost to you)!

www.AndysPawPrints.com

Andy's Paw Prints


Please share!

02/03/2025

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/blue-ridge-beef-natural-mix-recall/
January 31st, 2025 – Blue Ridge Beef is recalling 5,700 lbs of its 2 lb log Natural Mix due to a contamination of Salmonella. The issue came to light when samples of the product were collected on January 8th, 2025 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and tested positive for Salmonella. The firm was notified by the FDA on January 27th, 2025.
What was recalled?
Product: 2 lb log of Blue Ridge Beef Natural Mix
Lot number: N25/12/31
UPC: 854298001054.
The recalled products were distributed between January 3rd, 2025 and January 24th, 2025. They were packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York State, Tennessee, Rhode Island.
Lot numbers are stamped in the clips on the end of the chubs/bags.
What to do?
Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return to the place of purchase or destroy the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access.
Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers.
Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with recalled food. For more information contact [email protected] or 704-873-2072

See a complete list of all dog food recalls and FDA warnings since 2009, as tracked by the editors of the Dog Food Advisor.

02/03/2025

$5 New Member Shopping Bonus! Join now, when you make your first purchase within 30 days, we'll give you an extra $5 bonus for Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan. https://www.iGive.com/RefurbishedPetsofSouthernMichigan/?p=19992&jltest=1

Since 1997, iGive.com helps you support Your Favorite Cause with your shopping. Free. Over 1,600 stores pay for it. You can support ANY cause, including new causes that you can add to our list of over 100,000 causes and charities. Change your shopping for good.

02/03/2025

RPSM still has dog mats in our online shop! The dog mats are made with rolled foam and an awning material on the bottom.

These mats measure at approx. 33” x 26.5” x 1”. These are the perfect resting places for your dog.

These mats were made by the RPSM dog trainers to support the Prison Companion Program through Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan.

$25 plus shipping!

Head over to our website and get yours today! They won't last long!

https://rpsm.org/shop

02/02/2025

02/02/2025

Did you know that RPSM has a new blog?

Our 2nd blog post has been uploaded to our site: How Our Foster Program Partnership Works

Check it out today:
https://rpsm.org/blog

02/02/2025

***UPDATE**KORA IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AS SHE HAS AN APPROVED ADOPTER!!

02/02/2025

FROM TEDDY’S RECENT REPORT:

TEDDY IS GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS AND KIDS, HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE CAT WHEN IT WAS IN VIEW. HE WILL WHINE BARK AT THE GATE. SLOWLY INTRODUCE TO TEDDY TO YOURS.

So we have had another very productive week with little Teddy. From his walking, well now that it hasn’t been too cold, we have been starting to slow Teddy down on his walks. Not that he pulls too hard or anything like that, it’s just NOT to where we would like it just yet. So we have been using the word LOOK and AH-AH now when he gets a little ahead or a little excited. With each command when he looks we reward him for staying focused on us, and also training him to stay in HEEL position. It’s only been a couple of weeks, and he is already showing promise. So we will continue to work on his walking so he will not pull and or not get too excited or distracted on our walks.
As for our commands like SIT, DOWN and STAND, Teddy is just about to take things on verbal with those. His PLACE training is REALLY coming along too! Again Teddy is a smart puppy, with a lot of energy, so we try to channel that into his training and so far things are coming together. We have started LURING him into positions and he is picking up on those very well. LEFT SIDE, RIGHT SIDE, FRONT, and MIDDLE, he wasn’t taking too kindly to middle, but within just a few days he now goes between our legs with a little lure. We have also started working with the TOUCHPAD, where we can get him to go put his front feet on. We use this to work on our heel work and positioning when it comes to our LEFT SIDE, RIGHT SIDE commands. Again he is picking up on this very well too. In the coming weeks we will slowly start fading the lure, and start putting these commands on verbal. This usually takes a couple weeks but let’s just see how long it will take Teddy to get to this. We are excited about the challenge so let’s see.
That being said, Teddy is a dog with high energy, just being able to tap into that the right way can make a huge improvement on his training, and his way of life. Slowing him down is working, but he still needs his exercise just to get some energy out. We have introduced him to a few dogs, and in the coming days we will introduce him to a few more. He does love his playtime. That being said, DOGGY BOOT CAMP is in full swing, so please stay tuned in, GREAT things are to come with this guy. Please be safe and we will take care of little Teddy….

FOR MORE INFO AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

PLEASE SHARE TO HELP TEDDY FIND A FOREVER HOME!
Michigan Department of Corrections Humane Society of Elkhart County

02/01/2025

***UPDATE**KORA IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AS SHE HAS AN APPROVED ADOPTER!!
--

FROM KORA’S RECENT REPORT:

KORA IS GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS AND KIDS. HAS NOT MET CATS SO INTRODUCE HER SLOWLY TO YOURS.

Kora had a very good week of training. She is caught on to the marker system and is working very hard. We have had very good success in luring her into most of her basic command positions. We are still working on a few of them. Our best training happens in the recreation room when both trainers work together. We have a method where we will call her back and forth on recall and then have her perform at least one lured command before being called back to the other trainer. This keeps her motivated and excited to train. Kora is a sweetheart and loves to please the people she is around. Kora has made big strides in learning the Sit and Stand commands this week. She does really well on the touchpad and Place command. We will continue to work with Kora, mostly at her pace, and have tons of fun with her.
Kora has excellent house manners. When we have to leave her for any period of time she will go to her place or crate and go to sleep. She loves human affection and appears very curious around the other dogs. She started her meet and greets with several of the dogs this week and is doing very well. We look forward to the upcoming week.

FOR MORE INFO AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ADOPTION APP, PLEASE GO TO HTTPS://RPSM.ORG TODAY!

PLEASE SHARE TO HELP KORA FIND A FOREVER HOME!
Michigan Department of Corrections Humane Society of Elkhart County