This is the first in a two-part series about adopting a shelter dog – knowing what you’re getting into and can expect. In this post, I’ll take you through what to expect at the shelter, and in Part 2, if you find the right dog, what you can expect when you get it home and how to prepare.What Kinds of Dogs are at the Shelter?There are literally all kinds of dogs at shelters, and by shelters, I’m referring to the city or county public shelters usually know as Animal Care & Control (ACC). Whether short...
If you think that only first-time dogs owners make all the mistakes, rest assured that is not the case. I saw this post recently on one of my social media feeds. In short, the owner of two Bernese Mountain Dogs, aged three years and one year, wants to rehome younger of the two. Why? Because the older dog, who is recovering from double elbow surgery, and going to physical therapy can’t handle the puppy exuberance the of one-year-old.But, wait! There’s more!After the initial rehoming post, the owner has now paused the request, because her husband...
I’ve owned, loved and cared for dogs for over 30 years, and I want to help you form and have the same special relationship with your pup that I’ve had with all of mine. And that includes dealing with the problems that occasionally crop up that leave you wondering “am I the only one with this problem” – no you are not.Let’s talk. But first, know this. If you surrender your dog to a shelter that’s run by your city or county, know that this kind of shelter is a kill shelter, because that’s the...
Should You Adopt a Rescue / Shelter Dog?At the time of this writing, now that we’re just a couple of days away from Christmas and then the New Year’s holiday, some of you may be making the final decision as to whether to adopt a puppy or a dog, whether to yourself or family. And should you get a rescue, shelter dog? Well, I’ll answer that question with a question – are you prepared mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically to care for dog. I have an 8-part YouTube series, To Puppy or Not to Puppy,...
No One CameWhat do these dogs have in common?They were all dumped by their owners at a shelter.They were all euthanized.From Left to Right:Honey, 14 yrs old. Yes, you read that right, dumped at 14 years old. Why? Because a child acted out at a family gathering and the dog nipped, probably out of fear.Knotty, 2 yrs old. Dumped because he’s fearful. Rip Roy, 1 yr old. He was heartworm positive, and too much trouble.Milo, 2 yrs old. The owner never bothered to train him and he was a handful.According to a recent study, less...
Adoption is forever – If you’re not prepared, don’t do itThis short video, that a friend of mine shared on Facebook, has haunted me and struck a nerve. The video is about 4 minutes, but is very powerful, and has over 39 million views. The ending is unexpected and the film says more about adoption in three minutes than some films, speeches and websites can say in paragraphs and pages. If you know someone who is seriously considering adopting a pet, please share this video. So many people who want to adopt pups, start out with a good...
Passing along a blog /vlog that is worthy of your timeBeing a long-time dog owner, I am always a sucker for the websites that have anything to do with all things dog, or animals in general (except reptiles — can’t get into those).I’ve been a long-time follower of this site, The Orphan Pet, which began as a blog in my inbox one day, and then later developed into a YouTube channel, Patreon, and a Facebook page as well.The Orphan Pet is a labor of love by Valia, the owner of the channel, the photographer, videographer and most importantly, the storyteller. Valia...
Rufo, the shelter dog, waits six years for his perfect personThis is a brief story and video that will warm your heart and feed your soul.I found this originally on Lifewithdogs.tv, which, by the way, is a great site for both informative videos and et cetera if you love dogs.We’ve all read the “Lassie, Come Home” type of stories and seen the woman rescues a dog, man loves dog videos, and this one is in the latter category. But, this one IS different. A municipal shelter homes a dog, Rufo, for six years and doesn’t give up...
