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...
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...
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...
No One Came What 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...
Adoption is forever – If you’re not prepared, don’t do it This 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...
Passing along a blog /vlog that is worthy of your time Being 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,...
Rufo, the shelter dog, waits six years for his perfect person This 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...