Angels Howl Canine & Feline Behaviour

20/09/2022

ADOPTION ALERT
Adorable Milo found his forever home. Happy ending for Milo.

20/09/2022

20/09/2022

19/09/2022

ADOPTED!!!

19/09/2022

19/09/2022

19/09/2022

24/08/2022

Grahamstown- Tonga is a 17 month old boerboel female looking for a new hme. She is great with kids and an excellent watch dog, but unfortunately she fights with their other female Staffie. Would do well with a large breed male dog. She is spayed and fully vaccinated. Happy for a probation period. Please contact Amdrew on 082 398 0285. An adoption application and homechecks apply

24/08/2022

23/08/2022

23/08/2022

AN URGENT APPEAL FOR YOUR SUPPORT
If there is one thing animal welfare has taught us, right down to our core, is how to BE BRAVE. Despite all odds. Despite the adversity. Despite the impact of economic downturns and dwindling donations. It is the only way we can continue serving the animals in our care. We push forward and march on, often hanging onto just a sliver of hope.

2022 has been difficult for everyone. For animal shelters, it has taken an already under-resourced, overpopulated space and brought many shelters to their knees. And as emigration, downsizing and the financial squeeze accelerates, the numbers of unwanted, lost, abandoned and surrendered animals SOARS.

As we approach the end of AUGUST, we need your help to get through another pressure period. We are holding on until month-end where our debit order cycle will bring a small margin of relief again.

CAN YOU HELP US?
We know that pay-day is still a few days away, and this is the worst time to ask for help. However, we have no choice.

IF YOU ARE ABLE TO ASSIST with a donation, no matter how big or small, we include our bank details below.

PAWS R US (SA)
Standard Bank
Cheque Account 402 263 510
Melville Branch Code 00 6105
Ref: FUNDS CHASE
PoP to [email protected]

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY IN YOUR NETWORKS - we have seen the magic that comes when humans rally together, over and over again.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING CARE & SUPPORT.

*PAWS R US (SA) is a shelter for surrendered, unwanted and abandoned dogs and a registered Non-Profit Company. We have been saving and blessing lives since 2011, and we are based in Midrand, Johannesburg.

23/08/2022

13/07/2021

I hope you are all happy & healthy & keeping safe.

We have covered nature vs nurture, critical learning periods & questions to ask breeders /rescue group.

You are nearly ready to bring your puppy home...

You need to decide on which food you will feed your furry angel. I always suggest a high protein, low grain food, as this is closest to a natural diet.

A lot of people like a raw diet, but vets I've spoken to don't recommend a raw diet, due to bacteria like salmonella, which can cause serious illness.

Another important thing to note is that changing your furry angel diet can cause an upset tummy, so diet changes must be done slowly. Vets recommend changing the diet in increments is 1/4 of the serving... Begin with 3/4 portion original food & 1/4 portion new food, use this for 3 - 4 days & check for signs of an upset tummy. If everything goes smoothly, your next portion will be 1/2 original food & 1/2 new food for 3 - 4 days & repeat the process until the full serving is the new food.
When adopting a puppy or kitten, I recommend getting about 2 week supply of the food they were fed at the breeder / rescue centre, this allows you to slowly introduce new food. This is not always possible.

If you see that your furry angel seems to be having an allergic reaction to the food, check with a vet. If there is serious health risk, your vet will advise immediate change of food. If it is a mild reaction, they will advise a gradual change as described above.

Please try not to change the food too much, I know people who have lost their puppies simply because they kept changing their diet, never giving them time to get used to the food, even when they were advised to use the method above. The puppies became malnourished & dehydrated & passed.

My baby girl Kiara had such food allergies & although it was worrying, I knew that it was best to take it slow... Once I tried a new food brand following the above method, I gave her at least 2 -3 weeks, depending on her reaction to the food, before changing the brand again.

It is very important to feed your furry angel age appropriate food.

Most dog breeds need to be on puppy food for 9 months.

Large breed & giant breed dogs need to be on Puppy food for 2 years this helps reduce the risk of hip & elbow dysplasia as they get older.

Once dogs reach 7-8 year old, they need to be put on senior food, this ensures that they get the correct nutrients to keep arthritis at bay longer.

Once you begin noticing your furry angel is slower getting up / moving slower, you can get a range of joint support supplements & treats from vets, pet store & even checker & pick 'n pay...

Remember to leave comments on topics you would like discussed & to leave a review.

Next time we will begin discussing training... When to start & training methods.

Till next time in love, light, joy & serenity

11/05/2021

Hi, I hope you are all doing great & keeping warm with the cold beginning of winter blowing in.

Today we are going to talk a little about temperament...

The age old question of Nature v. Nurture comes into discussion here.

There are so many dog breeds, because people look for so many different characteristics, both in physical appearance & personality. After all a working dog can't be a playful, easily distracted dog, lives may be at stake... But when the family dog acts like a clown, we often laugh & sometimes & play with him, after all play is one of the integral parts of building our bond with our furry angel.

A family dog needs a calm even temperament, with a long line of males & females from both their mother & father that have a clam even temperament with people (adults & children) & animals of different species & sizes...

It is very important to ask how the criteria for the litter was judged, because nature definitely contributes a lot to what we can nurture in our furry angels. If there is any aggressive behaviour, no matter how slight in the line, it can be intensified, if you are a novel pet parent, or have had dogs with even calm temperaments before & are unsure how to help him work through it early in life.

An excellent example is one of my dogs Hannah - I have 6 dogs.
I was contacted by a family to assist with Boerboels litter mates - a male & a female.
It was an excellent home, all the furry angels were well looked after & the Boerboels were enrolled in a training school. Hannah however began reacting to the high pitched bark of the Foxy & there was a serious attack & the Boerboels began attacking each other. We worked with the Boerboels, teaching them to be calm & after few weeks had them playing together & chewing on chew toy next to each other... We began moving forward to reintroduce the smaller dogs & had another incident & the family, was beyond anguish... They asked me to adopt Hannah.

In the beginning, I kept her separate from my fur babies if I was out, but worked with her extensively when I was home & eventually felt that I could trust her alone with my furry angels, at first only for a few minutes, then an hour & finally the whole day. We were incident free for 3 years.

One day I came home & Kiara wasn't at the gate with everyone else & I noticed that something had happened in the garden by the gate, but I still didn't know what, until I found Kiara... She was badly attacked & in shock...
After getting her to the vet, I spoke to my neighbours, & could piece the story together. Someone came up to my gate with a Pitbull & out of frustration, Hannah snapped & turned on Kiara, & the other dogs also attacked... I began working with Hannah & kept Hannah in the court yard, but she she got out... I had 3 serious attacks in 3 weeks & nearly euthanized Hannah after talking to her previous owner... I now keep Hannah separate from Kiara & Sheena. I can never take the chance of another attack...

I also received news that Hannah's brother had also attacked one of the dogs he used to get along with, even though Hannah was now with me...

This is definitely a case of breeding being an underlying issue & eventually nature over ruled what we had nurtured...

Both Kiara & Sheena have fully recovered & are happy & healthy again.

Please make sure to ask the questions about parentage before adopting...

Until next time, may you, your life & family be filled light, love, joy & serenity.

27/04/2021

Sorry for the long gap between posts... I just can't seem to get back into the swing of things...

Let's look at habituation today.

Habituation is the process that familiarises a furry angel to his environment. As with socialization, habituation should begin at 3 weeks old, when puppies begin to explore their environment. The breeder should begin introducing puppies to sounds that he will hear in his life he vaccum cleaner, thunder, loud noises, etc.

When you bring your furry angel home, you need to give him a day or two to get used to his new home. Once your puppy has settled in & is feeling safe to explore his new environment, it is important for you to continue to introduce him to new sights & sounds. The more your puppy is introduced to before caution & danger awareness sets in at 49 days, the better he will cope with new situations.

Remember that any environment you will take your furry angel to becomes his environment while he is in it. By taking your young puppy to the vet a few times for a simple visit & allowing him to investigate the area, when nothing bad is going to happen (like shots) helps him to be calm on future visits. This way he learns that good things also happen at the vet.

If you adopt an older dog, you can begin to introduce him to different environments, by watching his body language, you should be able to identify how confident he is. Depending on the situation that he came from, it may be a longer, slower process than when you begin with a young curious puppy.

I always recommend that you take your furry angel with to parks & visit friends & family, where you can, this builds his confidence with new areas, people & situations.

Like socialization, habituation is an on going process, that should be maintained throughout his life. if you stop once he matures, he can loose confidence.

Remember always be patient, kind & consistent.

May the colours of life paint your soul with love, joy & serenity &may the path of light lead you to your dreams.

04/03/2021

Please sign this important Parliamentary petition to stop air shipments of horses exported for human consumption, due to ongoing animal welfare concerns inherent in this practice: https://tinyurl.com/wkz84n5w

04/03/2021

Hi everyone, I apologize for not posting since November we had 4 tragedies & things have been in turmoil... 2 of these passings were my Sister & our youngest brother & I've had some difficulty coming to terms with their passing. I tried to do the post numerous times, but couldn't stay focused.

In my last post I summarized the stages if development, in this post, I'm going to give tips on socialization.

Unfortunately a lot of people think a dog is socialized if they have 1 or 2 dogs at home & is comfortable with people who come to their home...
This is not socialization, as the resident dogs are part of their pack & visitors are tolerated because you allow them into your home.

The socialization phase begins at 3 weeks, a reliable, responsible breeder, would begin socialization, as puppies can not be homed until they are a minimum of 8 weeks old (10-12 weeks is preferable)

The more people & animals a puppy comes into contact with in the better socialized he will be, even if the breeder didn't begin socialization, all is not lost. Remember that at around 49 days hazard avoidance begins to develop - this means from 49 days to around 9 months of age, your puppy will look to you for clues of how to react to people & animals.

From the day you bring your puppy home, it is important to take him to places where he will see & interact with different people & animals.
Puppy obedience training is a good start to socialization, but socialization doesn't end after the 6 - 8 week course is complete.

When socializing a puppy, you need to try to come into contact with different ethnic groups, men, women & children (of different ages). You need people who wear glasses, ball caps & men with beards, people with long & short hair etc

Many people only think of socializing their puppy with people & dogs, but the more animals you introduce your puppy to the better...
If your puppy is used to dogs, cats, bunnies, lizards, birds etc, he will be less distracted on walks & when he goes to the vet, this also makes him easier to control in unusual circumstances e.g. an neighbors animal getting into your yard, or encounters with people & animals on the walk

Socialization is also a great confidence builder for timid puppies.

It is possible to socialize an older dog / reactive / fearful, through the process of desensitization, the duration of this process depends on the dog's age, history & the owner. This is the process used to help strays to trust people & also used to assist dogs if all ages work through fear of different stimuli, like thunderstorms...

Please remember to leave comments on any subjects you would like info on, or any questions you may have.

You are welcome to leave a review, its great to know when you are doung well & important to learn where you have a short fall, as this helps us grow.

In my next post, I will cover habituation.

May you all be abundantly blessed with love, light, joy & serenity.

10/11/2020

In order to understand the behavior of our furry angels, we need understand where they come from & how early experiences shape them.

I'm not going to go into the domestication of dogs at this point, if any followers want to me discuss this topic, please leave a comment.

There are many different ways to group the stages of development & if you Google many posts have more stages than I've listed below. This is a breif guide to show you at what ages to begin socialization, habituation & training.

The first 2 weeks in a puppy's life is known as the Neonatal stage. During this stage all puppies are blind, deaf, can not illuminate waste, can't keep warm, they totally dependent in their mother. They crawl in a circular pattern moving their head from side to side. They grow in size & strength

2-4 weeks - Transitional phase, this stage sees rapid physical changes. The puppy's ears & eyes open, their pupils react to light. They can crawl forward & backwards, they learn to stand, lap from a dish & can eliminate waste & are able to keep warm themselves. Puppies slowly begin to investigate their world around 3 weeks.

3-10 weeks - Socialization phase, it is a critical phase in learning. During this phase puppies begin to practice body postures, facial expressions & vocalizations. They feel the effects from litter mates practicing the same & thereby learn how their behaviours are accepted. During this time socialization & habituation are extremely important to help the puppy build confidence & teaches them how to cope in the world they live in.

Around 49 days of age, hazard avoidence begins to set in & puppies begin to learn to fear unfamiliar items, situations & sounds. The way mature dogs will react to new situations depends on how much they were introduced to between 3-10 weeks & how their owners react to situations, sounds etc after 49 days.

10 weeks -9 months is the juvenile phase, this is where basic obedience & setting rules is important, as it teaches the puppy what is acceptable behavior. Reinforce positive behavior with treats, play & walks. The puppy also learns what will happen if his behavior is undesirable, use punishment like ignoring undesirable behavior, putting him out if he had an accident in the house. Avoid punishments that will make him fearful. Consistency is important.

In my next post I will cover habituation & socialization & you will begin to understand why some furry angels are fearless & others seem to be afraid of their own shadow.

Till next time in love, light, joy & serenity.

30/10/2020

DID YOU KNOW?

Dr. Rudolph Zinn from UNISA’s School of Criminal Justice conducted research into understanding and preventing house robbery in South Africa.
Based on in-depth interviews with convicted robbers, this below is part of what he found:

These security measures are a major deterrent to crime.

✅Electric fences
✅Detection beams
✅Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

✅DOGS THAT SLEEP INSIDE THE HOUSE
🐾🏘 Robbers consider this to be the biggest deterrent of all‼

So not only will you be alerted by your dog that is inside, you can also protect them as you are responsible for them and not they responsible for you. Many animals get killed, hit, cut, poisoned during or prior to these robberies. If your animal was hurt, YOU FAILED THEM!

23/10/2020

Animals are more than a passion for me, they are more than a responsibility or a way of life... To me every being I have the privilege to meet & work with is a teacher & freind, to be loved & respected, it doesn't matter if they have fur, or scales, no legs, 2 legs, 4 legs, or 8 legs... As such I believe that I have an obligation to do the very best for every person & animal I encounter, no matter how long, or fleeting our colabiration...

I am a canine & feline behaviorist & do everything from walks, basic traing, stimuli desensitization, behavior modification...anything you or your angel may need.

I'm also involved in rescue work & offer pro bono services to rescue organizations, to try to ensure that when an angel is homed, they go to their forever home able to cope with living in a home... We often forget how stressful a shelter environment can be... Some of our furry friends find it difficult to adjust to being loved & accepted after being abused, abandoned & locked in an enclosure - even when that enclosure is protection against abuse, starvation.

I also work closely with a number of vets, Suzie & Mark the amazing owners of K9 Bliss luxury dog hotel (small dogs) - and am in contact with the best animal physio therapist - Sian owner of Happy feet animal physio therapy, as well as many other professionals involved with any type of work with animals of all shapes & sizes.

I created this page to help answer general questions & explain some of the jargon / phrases used. Although every situation is unique & many require a more than a general fix, getting the general ground work in place can reduce & can prevent behavior issues - especially when introduced early & is constantly built on.

I will also share tips that breeders, vets & trainers often forget to mention, as well as some tips from personal experience.

Every 2 weeks, I will post about a topic, I will begin from puppy & work up to adulthood. Please ask questions & leave comments on any topic you would like me to cover. From the posts, you will begin to see the types of questions you need to ask yourself before adopting a pet & the type of questions you should ask from the person / breeder / rescue group you are adopting from.

Please feel free to leave a reference, this helps grow & improve the service.

Till next time may you find love, light, gratitude & serenity 💙🐾