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Recent Articles
Adopting an old dog - Are you crazy?
On Degenerative Myelopathy(1) - The Silent Killer
Archived Articles
On Dogs, Pets and Pet Lovers
Dog And Dog Rescue Articles
Featured
Article
Service Dog versus Therapy Dog - Facts and Fiction Explained
Adopting A Shelter Dog - Introduction To Selecting the Right Match.
Adopting A Shelter Dog(1) – Informed Adoption Is Better Adoption
Adopting A Shelter Dog(2) – The biggest mistakes people make.
Dog
Rehabilitation Tutorials
In
Memory of Windsor King MacArthur
(archived and
unpublished writings of the King)
Updates on Windsor and his condition
The King Is Dead - Long Live The King
Celebrating A Life - The Life and Times of Windsor King MacArthur
Book Ordering
E-mail us at boar...@gmail.com
For pet related links click here
or on any of the pages below.
Featured
Article
Shelter Dogs Make Great Pets Too
How To Adopt The Perfect Puppy And Live Happily Ever After.
Avoid common
mistakes in selecting a rescue dog.
Is
the title of the first tutorial in a series of books on adopting,
rehabilitating and training dogs. The principles explained in these
manuals do not only apply to shelter dogs but also to dogs from
breeders or from other sources.
Every year hundreds of thousands of dogs end their life in a dog shelter somewhere in the United States. Annually, an estimated three to six million dogs and cats land in animal shelters. Approximately 25 percent of these dogs are purebred dogs.
Nevertheless, fewer than fifty percent of all dogs caught up in the dog pound system are lucky enough to find a new family. The remaining perish in animal shelters all across the United States.
Most of them are young, healthy and people friendly. And the overwhelming majority of them gets along fine with other animals.
Even so, many people still still succumb to the lure of a cute puppy in a pet store window. Little do they know that nine out of ten dogs in a pet store were bred and spent their first few weeks of life under squalid conditions in one of the estimated 4,000 puppy mills in the US. Others come from puppy mills abroad with equally, most likely worse, abhorrent circumstances.
Yet, prospective dog owners and pet guardians continue to overlook an excellent source for a dogs or puppies. A resource that is local, easy to get to and the least expensive way of finding the ideal new member of the family: The local animal shelter.
Metropolitan areas operate dozens of them and even in rural areas animal shelters are normally within easy reach. Dog pounds house anywhere from 50 to several hundred dogs at a time. The largest can accommodate close to 500 animals.
Why then are future pet owners not flocking to shelters to search for their ideal dog?
The answer lies in a
number of perceived flaws of dog shelters and their charges.
First, in the mind of many people the term 'dog pound' is associated with negative images of mangy, matted, filthy mongrels and vicious man eating pit bulls. The truth is far from it as we have seen above.
Secondly, a visit to a dog shelter does not necessarily count among the most pleasant experiences. Pound are noisy, very noisy, smell bad most of the time and depressing because of the number of animals housed in cramped quarters. Many of the dogs clearly show signs of depression and sadness. Some cry like babies.
Furthermore, most people do not know that a high percentage of dogs in shelters are actually purebred animals. Prospective dog guardians who want or need a purebred dog will therefore most likely look somewhere else.
And finally, the task of discovering a good dog that best suits your needs and expectations among hundreds of animals is a difficult and confusing task. Many become overwhelmed and give up on shelter dogs just for that reason. In addition, fear to pick the wrong dog and to be unable to handle his 'issues' is another deterrent.
This tutorial “Dog Rescue And Adoption Secrets - Ten Common Mistakes To Avoid When Selecting A Dog For Adoption” is meant to ease those fears and to assist you to apply sound principles, experience and common sense to a formidable task.
For many years the author has tested and evaluated dogs of all breeds, sizes, backgrounds and temperaments in shelters large and small, urban and rural, for a successful, well established large dog rescue group in Southern California. He is still on the job almost daily giving new hope and new life to many of the most disadvantaged and misunderstood shelter inmates. He was and is for many their last hope and the bulwark between freedom and death in a back room of the shelter.
Let his words and encouragement guide you in the search for the ideal companion pet and lead you to the right decision.
The
first tutorial in this new series is now available under the above
title on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as an electronic book for the
price of $ 5.95.
Check it out at
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Shelter+Dogs+Make+GReat+Pets+Too&x=0&y=0
and
http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/shelter-dogs-make-great-pets-too---how-to-adopt-the-perfect-puppy-and-live-happily-ever-after/11038139.
On Degenerative Myelopathy(1) - The Silent Killer
This article first appeared as a post in the
blog LucysVoice more than a year ago. It is still widely
read by guardians of a dog that is afflicted with this insidious,
silent killer. Degenerative Myelopathy is a disease of the nervous
system in the spinal cord. More
. . .
Celebrating
A Life - The
Life and Times of Windsor King MacArthur
A
final tribute to an extraordinary companion and loyal friend on
his passing. This brief storyboard depicts highlights of the short
time Windsor had to share with me. It reflects his indomitable
spirit and his boundless love of life, passion for people and his
dedicated service to dogs in need. This sense of duty and this
dedication to service were with him to the last moments of his
life. Neither pictures nor words can truly fathom the depth of his
commitment to humans and animals alike. Let us celebrate his life
with pictures of his happy times. For he was a happy dog.
As
such he shall be remembered.
On
Dogs, Pets and Pet Lovers
Pets writing for
pets about shelter experiences, their rescue, how they survived,
how to adjust to life in a new family, dog training and much more.
This is the place where your pet author can say it all. Useful
information about dogs, rescued dogs and plain old doggone fun.
Laugh with our furry companions and feel the strength of our
closest companions on four paws.
Adopting
an old dog - Are you crazy?
Please read this passionate
argument by a Senior Dog on behalf of his seasoned peers in favor
of adopting mature dogs.
Updates
on Windsor and his condition.
Windsor tells all about
his disease and how he is coping with it every day. His remarks
can be an inspiration to dog guardians and pets alike.
Meet
Windsor's Friends
Doggie Fun in the Sun
The
King Is Dead - Long Live The King
Eulogy for Windsor
upon his passing.
