Going Mutts

06/04/2023

Update--ADOPTION PENDING!!!
If I can find an interested home, I would like to save this Mexican street dog & bring her home to a family. She is probably around 2, zero bad habits or vices, spayed & has an extremely gentle, sweet, grateful personality. A local dog advocate picked her up off the streets pregnant with 8 puppies & brought her to the spay clinic. I'm pretty dog savvy and see her to deserve a much better life. If you see this and have any interest please message me for more info. I currently have her staying with us and she is very good. There are no available animal shelters here.
(This pic was when I 1st met her at the spay clinic, thus the number taped to her head).
She has no name, give me name suggestions in the comments

20/01/2023

Let’s set the scene. This may become a bit sensitive for some, and I apologise in advance.

You’re out somewhere. You might be at a restaurant, a bar, a public park on a sunny day enjoying the sunshine with your family. It may be that you’re on your way home from work or trying to catch the bus. You’re just minding your own business.

Suddenly, a person comes straight up to you. They give you anxiety. What is this person going to do? I don’t know! The person is walking with a friend and the friend sees you’re a bit anxious and calls out to you saying “Don’t stress, she/he’s all good!’’ ��But they keep approaching you. And when they finally reach you they randomly hug you. Touch you. Walk circles around you. Start talking to you. Don’t let you leave.

What would you call that? Harassment? Assault in severe cases?
How would this make you feel?

Now, after the initial shock you find your courage and you ask the person to go away. Leave you alone. But the person doesn’t stop and instead touches your arm or your hair. “Oh come on, we’re alright. I’m not doing anything bad I’m friendly! Just let me be around you.’’��You get upset and might push the person. Shout at them. If you’re a bit more of an assertive person you might punch them. Who knows.
�Then the person and the friend get upset. Well? WHY are you here then? What are you doing in this public space if you don’t like being around other people? You have no business to be here, minding your own business in this park with your family without allowing me to sit with you, play with you, touch you, talk to you. Actually, you know what you should do? You should be more social! You should go more often to random groups of people.

_______
Do you see what I did there?
If you thought any of the above situation is not okay (and I sure as heck hope you do), then why do we think it’s okay to let dogs run up to strange dogs and say ‘It’s okay he’s friendly’?

What we do in the dog world is the exact opposite what we should be doing. We label the harassed dog as aggressive and the harassing dog as the victim.

Dogs have emotions. They have feelings. They have their own characters and personalities. There are many, many dogs that are not interested in making new friends or being with dogs they don’t know they can trust.

And sure, some dogs love playing with other dogs. Those are the extraverted dogs. Just like we have people that LOVE hugging or love making new friends even as adults, but to be honest.. how many of those people do you know? I think if you put it into a % its lower than the people that rather just are with their select group of people and be left alone by random strangers in public spaces.

So don’t assume the dog your dog is running towards on the beach, is willing to play with your dog. Being in a public space means you need to have your dog under effective control. And if you can’t call your dog back, it should be on a long line until you can.

01/09/2022

16/05/2022

13/05/2022

Hi, this is Erin. Wolfgang said I could use his account today, but it could not be a habit.
I’ve been trying to find more tangible ways to help curb pet obesity (and I’m referring to extreme obesity in pets, not pets that just need to lose some weight). I think the main way to help limit the number of obese pets is for pet obesity to be a more universally recognized form of abuse. One way I think that can happen is to bring more awareness to the issue. I wrote this blog article on our experience with obese dogs (link in bio and in our IG stories) for The Grey Muzzle Organization , which makes grants throughout the United States expressly for programs designed to improve the lives of at-risk senior dogs. (Bella, Rosita and Roxy were all fostered through Forever Loved Pet Sanctuary which has received a grant from Grey Muzzle. https://www.greymuzzle.org/grey-matters/health-and-well-being/keeping-senior-dogs-shape-how-help-your-dog-live-longer-healthier

Although the pictures in the article are of dogs that we’ve helped since setting up Wolfgang’s Instagram account, the reason we felt we could help Wolfgang was only because we had adopted two obese beagles prior to him.

In my opinion, emaciated pets are generally seen as being abused. However, the health implications of morbidly obese pets are just as serious as emaciated pets. I think there are lots of societal reasons why we are reluctant to view pet obesity as neglect or abuse, which ultimately is a disservice to the animals.
I don’t hold any delusions that we are making a dent in this issue, but we do hope that by trying to keep the issue in conversation, that maybe perceptions on how obese pets are viewed can start to change.
Thank you for the continued support you show me, and the down to clown 🤡 pack. Your encouragement makes it easier to help the dogs that need to lose weight. 🦄🦚🦕 🦩 🧸

08/05/2022

12/04/2022

This is a good illustration of puppy socialization needs, shared from Good as Gold Training, but I would also add that all of the listed exposure and experience needs to feel *safe* for the puppy. If s/he is nervous, tentative, or fearful the fear should be handled by backing off a little and reintroducing very slowly and with lots of praise, food and patience. Sometimes, for the sake of "socialization", owners push their puppies too far and too fast, and it can backfire. Good socialization requires that we "read" our puppies and help them feel safe as they navigate the sounds, textures, people and animals in their new world.

02/04/2022

01/04/2022

As any pro pet sitter or dog walker will tell you, running a pet-care business is no joke!

➡Here at PSI, we always say that pet sitting isn’t for the faint of heart—and on a day that typically focuses on jokes, we want to stop and thank professional pet sitters and dog walkers for the serious work they do!

For any who have ever wondered, “Is pet sitting (or dog walking) a real job?” The answer is ABSOLUTELY.✔

👉Professional pet sitters and dog walkers are small-business owners—vital contributors to their communities and local economy.

👉They have a business license (where required), pay taxes, are insured, bonded, and trained in pet care and pet first aid.

👉They work year-round to ensure pet parents can have the peace of mind offered by quality, reliable pet care when long work hours or travel keep them from their beloved pets.

Being a professional pet-sitting or dog-walking business owner is more than dog walks and cat cuddles.

👉Ask any professional pet sitter who has missed holidays with their families, extended pet-sitting visits to ensure an ailing pet was comforted or felt the loss of a client’s pet passing.

👉Or better yet, ask one of the hundreds of thousands of pet parents who benefit from the services of professional pet sitters and dog walkers every year.

👉Ask the pet owner who was alerted by his professional pet sitter that his dog’s behavior was unusual and recommended an emergency vet visit—saving the dog from dying from canine bloat.

👉Ask the pet parent who was able to call her pet sitter at 2 a.m. when she learns that her mother—on the other side of the country—has been admitted to the hospital in critical condition and is able to secure pet care as she rushes to the airport.

👉Ask the family whose professional pet sitter has graciously agreed to sit with them as their 15-year-old cat with late-stage chronic renal failure has to be euthanized.

Spend a day with a pro pet sitter or dog walker and you’ll know what those of us at PSI know without question:

♥Pet sitting is no joke! It’s a career…a lifestyle…a passion.♥

THANK YOU to the pet sitters and dog walkers making the world a better place for pets and their people!

27/03/2022

Experts said habits like approaching unfamiliar pets, using an extendable leash, and forgetting to pick up waste can be unsafe or even dangerous.

18/03/2022

27/02/2022

Every time I foster a feral mama, I’m surprised by how many people long for her to change her tune and suddenly become a lap cat. Why can’t we all love and appreciate these feisty, feral felines in all their sass and glory? I adore her grit, her protective nature, her wildness.

The anthropocentric notion that cats can’t have a good life unless they live as a companion in a human home is responsible for problematic policies that result in community cats being killed (when they could just as easily be spayed and cared for in their colonies, where they are happiest) and I think it’s every cat advocate’s job to push against that damaging rhetoric. Mama Angel Kitty comes from a local cat colony with a family who cares for her, and I know that when her babies are weaned and it’s time for her to be spayed and returned, she will be deeply happy to be back home. “Home” means something different to each of us — and I think it’s so important to respect feral & community cats and meet them where they are! She’s a strong, independent lady, and I love to see it. ♥️

I know this is a complex issue that is new for many people, so I’m going to recommend several videos you can find on my channel that I think will help if you want to learn more:

“Feral Mama Returns Home”

“Why Are Some Cats Feral?”

“Full Circle: Finding a Kitten’s Family”

“How to Care for a Feral Mama and Babies”

“Leave That Cat Outside”

“Reuniting a Feral Mama and Babies”

“How to Trap a Feral Cat for TNR”

“How to Save the Most Kittens Using the Full Circle Strategy”

“Webinar: Feral Felines & Kittens Found Outdoors”

25/02/2022

22/02/2022

22/02/2022

20/02/2022

This GoFundMe supports the financial cost of Kona's veterinary care following eme… Anne Kimberling needs your support for Help support sweet Kona's recovery!

13/02/2022

06/02/2022

My dog doesn't like the backup alarm on the Amazon trucks. We're working with him on this.

It’s always good to have lots of positive “tools” in your training tools box. Counter conditioning is one of them! 🐕

BAT is another, and they play well together. I prefer to use CC/DS for sounds and things like trucks that a dog doesn't need to have a nuanced conversation with. BAT is awesome for having a dog learn real social skills. If you really like CC/DS, you can do that first and then finish off with BAT.

This graphic is from the Ahimsa Dog Training Manual.

Get this handout in printable form for FREE, along with several other handouts, on my Academy site. Most of those are available in different languages, too. school.grishastewart.com/courses/handouts

31/01/2022

The pupularity contest is back! Vote for your favorite doggo in Puppy Bowl XVIII, and don't forget to watch the big game on Animal Planet or discovery+.

21/01/2022

10/01/2022

Unfortunately, this morning, Sprite suddenly passed over the rainbow bridge. Sprite suffered from seizures her entire life and her dad loved her so much. She holds such a special place in our hearts and we're so heartbroken to see her leave us. Please keep her dad in your hearts and minds as he is just devastated by this loss.

🌈 💔

09/01/2022

UPDATE: Yesterday Admiral was at the vet for his bronchial condition/cough. Between his e-rays, bloodwork, exam, and Tebow's ashes to be returned to us, another $400 has been spent. If Admiral's blood work comes back with no issues, it will be good for him if we go ahead with a dental. The beginning of 2022 is off to an expensive start. If you can donate, even a few dollars, will help replenish our savings.

So many organizations have already started the Betty White Challenge to donate money to an animal rescue on her birthday (January 17) to honor Betty's love for animals. So, today we too will start our fundraiser and run it through Betty White's birthday.

Why are we asking for your help... Between December 29th and January 4th we incurred about $3400 in vet bills. (Bunny's emergency room visit on the 29th and surgery/dentals for Lonnie and Marcia) Although it didn't break the bank, it has depleted our saving significantly.

We are blessed to have the most wonderful, generous supporters and I cannot thank you enough. If you would like to help by making a donation (any size donation would be appreciated), please use the donate button below.

Thank you!

31/12/2021

Dog found hiding on a porch on Marshall Dr

“Another photo, pup is very scared but safe with rescuers ❤️ https://t.co/UfPWKJyKpn”

31/12/2021

“please share. we are absolutely devastated that we couldn’t get to him before they shut down the area ”