WAGS IN THE WINTER

The cold season here in New Mexico lasts well into this month. While bigger dogs with thicker coats might actually prefer the outdoors in February, smaller pups are more susceptible to the cold winter air. Of course, the best and simplest option is to keep your dog indoors for the majority of the day, but for many of us, leaving Fido outside is our only option while we go to work; here are some tips and tricks to make the cold days easier for your dog and for you. Invest in a doghouse. This may seem like a no-brainer, but a well-insulated doghouse can make a world of difference for your dog. Probably the best thing about dog houses is their ability to keep the wind away, so your pooch won’t feel the blustery breeze in their eyes or ears. If you want to go the extra mile, elevate the house a few inches off the ground so that the floor won’t be in direct contact with the (possibly frozen) ground.

Heated dog beds are all the rage. Inside their snazzy house, your dog is probably going to want a soft, warm bed to curl up in…why not go all out? Most heated dog beds are reasonably priced (under $100), and are a step above the one you have indoors—they need to be in order to withstand the harsh winter elements. Sweaters and booties and hats, oh my! Yeah, you might not be super keen on the aesthetics of dressing up Bruiser or Spike in a fluffy sweater, but the practicalities of it are hard to argue with. Whether it’s humans or our furry best friends, layering is everything. Maybe you and your pup will learn to love that super cozy argyle sweater.

Haven For Hamsters

It’s been nearly 16 years since Cindy Cribbs started Haven for Hamsters, a small rodent sanctuary here in Albuquerque; she hasn’t looked back since one fateful day in 2007. “There was a hamster at ABQ Animal Welfare, and I had asked them jokingly, ‘Who brings a hamster to the dog pound?’” she says. As it turns out, the hamster had come from a pet store when he didn’t sell—hearing the struggle of hamsters who get turned over by pet stores or owners who don’t have the resources to care for their pet any longer inspired Cribbs to make a space for those animals who needed it.

When Haven was in its infancy, dwarf hamsters were extremely popular as pets, which was a big part of the founding of the rescue. Baby hamsters are so appealing because they’re cuddly and cute, but according to Cribbs, once they hit four or five months, the aggression starts to kick in. “People (who got hamsters as pets) had to get rid of them because they were biting their kids, they didn’t know what to do with them, so we started taking in all of these aggressive hamsters,” says Cribbs. “At the beginning, that was 90% of what we had.”

Nowadays, Cribbs only has three hamsters living in the rescue, which she runs out of her house with her mom Phyllis. The other 58 rodents are guinea pigs— so what gives with the name? “We had a petition fairly recently as to whether we should change the name to something that reflects our current population,” says Cribbs laughing. “That was struck down pretty quickly—people have really gotten accustomed to ‘Haven for Hamsters’ so we just stuck with it.”

Parents in the market for an easy pet to get your kids instead of the oft-begged for puppy, beware. Hamsters and guinea pigs are great for children over 7 or 8 years old because the kids can be taught how to properly handle them and play with them, but don’t think your kids are going to do all the heavy lifting in the care department. “We never recommend the parent get a hamster with the assumption that it’s going to stay in that child’s room and they’re going to take care of it—it’s not going to work,” says Cribbs. “I fell for that when my kid was 22 years old! If you get a hamster, the kids are going to enjoy it for a little bit and then they’ll lose interest and it’s going to be yours.”

Haven for Hamsters is an organization committed to helping their residents live fulfilling and happy lives, and although Cribbs doesn’t have some of the resources that government-aided facilities have, she powers through the struggles thanks to the support of the local community as well as the love she has for the rodents living under her roof. For more info on how you can help Haven for Hamsters or adopt an eligible pet, visit havenforhamsters.webs.com. —ET