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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Spring 2010 FamilyFriends features & VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1
18 Cover Story
A Soldier’s Devotion 22 Cover Story Charlie Watson’s War 25 Dogs are the New Kids 44 Villalobos Rescue Center 48 Dog on Film: Documentaries Spotlight Pit Bulls and BSL 50 Pryor’s Planet 52 Mariah’s Promise Animal Sanctuary 54 Dealing with Breed Specific Legislation: A Call for Action! 56 The American Pit Bull Terrier: Lord of Our Affections, Scorned Symbol of Our Shame 92 Spay and Neuter Laws: Humans Debate While Dogs Die 128 Puppy Mills: Unacceptable Cruelty
Fauna
columns 96 98 102 104 107 108 111
22
Photo by Eddie Watson
112 115 116 118 120 122 124 126
8 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Landscape
A Vegetable Garden for Dogs Nutrition
Why do you Really Need a Prescription for your Dog’s Food? Health
Swine Flu Pandemics D r.’s Corner Otitis in Dogs W ellness Your Dog’s Diet W ellness Chiropractic Care for Dogs D og News: Denver Doctor Wins a Million Dollars H ygiene Get the Facts on Dog Poop H ygiene Making Your Dog’s Hygiene a Priority Too! K 9 Design Components of a Dog’s Dream K9 Kitchen D og Training Trainer Doug Simpson D og Training Trainer Michael Wombacher D og Training Trainer Alana Stevenson D og Law Dog Fighting and the First Amendment D og Law Is Your Animal Shelter Humane?
TABLE OF
CONTENTS (cont’d) Spring 2010
the dog scene 58 HAPPILY EVER AFTER Preston
the dog scene (cont’d)
60 HAPPILY EVER AFTER Thelma and Stanley
62 HAPPILY EVER AFTER
86 DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Flower
Tom McPhee
64 CELEBRITY PROFILE
88 NON-PROFIT
66 CELEBRITY PROFILE
90 NON-PROFIT
Debra Skelton
Grey2K USA
Dr. Jennifer Jablow
Humane Society of Elkhart County
68 DEAR MELISSA
Celebrity Pet Communicator
departments
70 ARTIST PROFILE Scotlund Haisley
12 Publisher’s Note 14 Our Contributors 132 Bedtime Books to Read
72 ROLE MODEL
Kristina Bowman
74 ROLE MODEL
The Pixie Project Founders
76 DOG SHOPAHOLIC Kristy Schroeder
78 NEW PRODUCTS
Check Out What’s New!
82 TRAVELING IN STYLE
46
Lexus HS250 Hybrid
84 WORKING DOGS The Beagle Brigade
10 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Photo by Lisa Scarsi
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Publisher’s Note
Founder/Publisher Jamie M. Downey Associate Publisher Heather Green Associate Directors Sharyn Berglund Nancy Allen Editor in Chief Jamie M. Downey Editorial Director Lauren Wineberg Art Director Jane Brunton Senior Editor David Revierter Photographer Heather Green Managing Editor Casey Rodarbal Photo Editor Shannon Worgan
Jamie M. Downey, Founder/Publisher with Cheyenne, Chester and Cassie
2009 was supposed to bring about change, but ended up being a year of chaos, with jobs lost, homes foreclosed, big businesses and small businesses going out of business, and animals being dumped at shelters in horrifying numbers. Animal advocates and rescues are dog-paddling as hard and fast as they can to save these dogs, now left homeless due to the economic recession that swept our country. Throughout this tidal wave of pandemonium that crashed in every state, people started to understand the true meaning family and friends; their bank accounts might have been empty, but their relationships were rich with love and trust. As many families faced a personal crisis; loved ones—family and friends—stepped up to support those in need. Families came together to help one another, as siblings or relatives struggled to get back on their feet, and many people realized how lucky they were—not because they had lost their job or home, but because they had a family that loved them and would always be there for them and their beloved pets. The forecast for 2010 is looking a lot brighter. There's a beacon of hope flashing for people and pets as the economy starts to recover and stability is slowly restored in America. This issue focuses on family and friends for dogs. The American Dog has never wavered in our commitment to people who include their dogs as full family members, bringing dogs into the house and onto the bed! Dogs are family; so much so, that parents are opting to have canine kids and forgo the real children. The spring issue showcases some great dog parents and the costs involved in taking care of Fido, as well as featuring the infamous Pit Bull—but giving you all the good news fit to print! Pit Bulls have gotten a bad rap for so long that it’s time for all media outlets to step up and portray this breed for what it really is: a smart, loving, playful, and loyal dog who acts like a big baby and just wants to be loved! I hope you enjoy this issue and, as always, if you're able to open your heart and home to rescue a dog, either by fostering or adopting, please do! There are millions of dogs looking for a home and someone to love. Jamie M. Downey
Heather Green, Associate Publisher with Bella, Remington and Jaidyn
12 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Senior Copy Editor Deborah Johnson Copy Editor Christiana Nelson Advertising Director Jamie M. Downey Production Coordinator Kim Thornton Distribution Manager John Haddock Business Manager Ann Jamison Subscription Manager Wanda Hoff Web Site Design/Manager Jen Griggs-Sebastian Contributing Photographers Shannon Worgan, Eddie Watson, Lisa Scarsi, Shane O’neal, Carole Raphaelle Davis, Andrew Goldman, Customer Paradigm, Christopher Appoldt, Leslie Karnowski, Gerald Nino, Matthew Eggert, Jeff Spinner,Kathy Milan, Lara Bierner, Don Burke, Lara Blair Contributing Writers Dr. Michael Fox, Dr. Leonard Jonas, Dr. Nancy Brandt, Julia Szabo, Carole Raphaelle Davis, Anna Morrison-Ricordati, Gabriela Sandoval, Marshall Tanick, Scotlund Haisley, Tamra Monahan, Doug & Elizabeth Simpson, Jim Willis, Deb Dempsey, Michael Wombacher, Alana Stevenson, Lori Moreland, Julie Bielenberg, Elizabeth Bublitz, Melissa Bacelar, Paula Blanchard, Lisa Anne Burns, Toni Phillips, Jeff Theman and Kevin Green. How to reach us: The Dog Publishing, LLC, Dba The American Dog 20269 E. Smoky Hill Rd. #B-136 Centennial, CO 80015 Phone: (303) 840-6111 (Colorado) info@theamericandogmag.com www.theamericandogmag.com For advertising inquiries advertise@theamericandogmag.com Letters to the Editor/Story Ideas: Email to: editor@theamericandogmag.com
Subscription rate is $20 per year within the United States, Add $20 postage per year for Canadian subscriptions. We do not ship to foreign countries. U.S. funds only. Subscribe online: www. theamericandogmag.com
Subscribers: If the postal service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Email change of address to: subscribe@theamericandogmag.com Postmaster: Please forward change of address to: The Dog Publishing, LLC 20269 E. Smoky Hill Rd. #B-136 Centennial, CO 80015 Copyright 2010 No part of this publication may be reproduced without expressed written permission of the publisher. No part may be transmitted in any form by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Publisher accepts no liability for solicited or unsolicited materials that are damaged or lost. Views expressed by editorial contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
Our Contributors Dr. Michael Fox
Vererinarian Dr. Fox earned his veterinary degree at the Royal Veterinary College in London. He also holds a Doctor of Science in Ethology/Animal Behavior, and a PhD in Medicine from London University and is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Dr. Fox is a syndicated columnist and the author of more than 40 books on animal care.
Leonard D. Jonas, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Julia Szabo
Columnist, Author, Animal Advocate Julia writes the Pets column for the Sunday New York Post. A member of the advisory boards of North Shore Animal League America and The Toby Project, she lives in New York with her beloved family of rescued dogs, who appear in her new book, Pretty Pet-Friendly: Easy Ways to Keep Spot’s Digs Stylish and Spotless (Howell Book House).
Veterinarian Dr. Jonas practices small animal dermatology, specializing in the management of allergic and immune mediated diseases. Board-certified in Small Animal Internal Medicine, his research has been extensively published. In 1984 he founded Wheat Ridge Veterinary Specialists which has grown through the years to now include ten board-certified specialists in four different disciplines.
Carole Raphaelle Davis
Anna Morrison-Ricordati
Deb Dempsey
Attorney at Law Anna Morrison-Ricordati is an attorney practicing animal welfare law and general civil litigation in Chicago, Illinois. Her practice includes overturning dangerous dog rulings to assisting animal related notfor-profit organizations with various legal issues. As an advocate, Anna seeks to protect animals from abuse under existing laws and further seeks to extend animal protection through legislative change.
Gabriela Sandoval
Actress, Author, Animal Advocate Carole Raphaelle Davis is an actress, animal welfare advocate and author of The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife. Carole is currently working on a new book and an investigation of pet factories that supply the public through pet shops and the Internet. Her Web site is: www.HollywoodJinky.com.
Business Owner, Writer Deb is co-owner of Mouthful’s Pet Boutique, a hip and trendy shop located in Denver, Colorado and her company also manufactures their own line of natural treats for dogs and cats. Deb spends a huge amount of time researching pet health, nutrition, wellness and hygiene for all the products, foods and treats she carries in her store and keeps abreast of all the information regarding the pet industry.
Attorney at Law Attorney Gabriela Sandoval is licensed to practice law in Colorado and Virginia. In October 2007, Gabriela turned her mission to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society into a reality by launching her own child and animal focused law practice. For more information, visit her Web site at www.animalawyer.com or call the Denver office at (303) 954-4580.
Lorileigh Moreland
Marshall Tanick
Melissa Bacelar
Attorney at Law Marshall is a senior partner at the law firm of Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, P.A., in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and Stanford Law School. He has represented dog owners and pet-related organizations for more than two decades and has been involved in landmark litigation invalidating breed-specific bans.
Actress, Producer, Model, Writer Melissa has been rescuing dogs in Los Angeles for the past 6 years and realized that she could communicate with animals through her rescue efforts. She donates 100% of the money she earns as a communicator to help homeless animals and is excited to help The American Dog Magazine’s readers talk with their pets.
Doug and Elizabeth Simpson
Michael Wombacher
Dog Trainers Doug and Elizabeth Simpson have been working with animals all of their lives, and love to share their natural method of dog training with the goal of creating as many happy families as they can. They live on a wonderful little animal haven in Boulder, Colorado, and have been featured in many magazines, television shows and radio.
14 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Business Owner, Writer Lori (along with her Newfoundland Magic) established Pet Empawrium & Spaw in 2002 for furfamilies with discriminating taste and aboveaverage involvement with their canine (and feline) fur-children. She now brings her knowledge, passion, and customer service to Arvada, Colorado.
Dog Trainer Michael Wombacher is an author, lecturer and expert dog trainer for Bay Area celebrities and families, with over 20 years of hands-on training experience. Michael has written two dog training books, and offers the only digital book on how to prepare your dog for the arrival of a new baby, entitled Good Dog, Happy Baby. He is currently working on his first TV show.
Biovet Testimonials Kaya, a 13-year-old Husky-Lab mix. She had severe hip and arthritis pain in her hind legs. Four days after taking the Biovet Antioxidant Pet Wafer, her pain subsided. After just seven days, she is able to walk normally. Thank you Biovet! - S. Lamb Hopi, a 15-year-old yellow lab. She had lost her strength in her hind legs. Thanks to Biovet Pet Wafer, her quality of life has improved. She is back to chasing cats again. - D. Durazo The Biovet Pet Wafer has brought back the sparkle in my dogs’ eyes. Their coats are soft and silky again, thanks to Biovet. The best part is that they look forward to their daily “treat.” They love the taste. - T. Costa Riley is half bull mastiff and half lab. He has Lymphoma, and the Chemo has made his hind legs weak and wobbly. Thanks to Biovet Dismutase, he is improving. Thank you, Biovet. - E. Cushing A 10-year-old Border Collie Mix could not stand on his hind legs. The right leg had atrophied and he could not put weight on it for two years. Thanks to Dismutase, in two days he was walking. In just one week, he was putting weight on the leg he had not used in two years. - M. Mitchell Sylvie, a long-haired miniature Dachshund, had become paralyzed in her back legs. Thirteen months after surgery and twice-daily doses of Dismutase, Sylvie walked again! Thank you, Biovet. - M. Fisher
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COVER STORY
A Soldier’s Devotion to Find her Dogs a Home!
18 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
What Happens to the Dogs at Home on U.S. Soil, When Their Soldiers Get Called to War? The American Dog reports
S
Photo by Heather Green
ergeant Kate Ferencik was just sixteen years old when an Army recruiter came to talk to her high school class about joining the military. Kate fell in love with the idea of being a soldier, serving her country—and getting to drive the big trucks! After graduating high school early at 16, Kate enlisted in the Army as soon as she turned 17 and has never looked back. That was in May of 2001, and she is currently a Sergeant and Squad Leader of nine soldiers. Prior to taking on this responsibility, she was living her dream of driving the big rigs and was assigned to the HET (Heavy Equipment Transport) unit. “These HET’s are designed to haul the M1 tank and this truck/trailer has 40 tires," she says. "The HET is called the Cadillac of the military vehicles because it is very large on the inside and the soldiers could stretch out. I loved driving it!" Kate’s first deployment to Iraq was in February 2003; she was just 19 years old. She recalls that “Iraq was hot, 150 degrees hot, and the worst part was when our unit arrived there we had to live in tents on pallets with no air conditioning. There was no air conditioning in the trucks either, so we would just drive and sweat with the windows down. There would be huge sandstorms, and sand would go everywhere—in your teeth, your ears, down the back of your neck, everywhere. We drove over two million miles as a unit and by the end of our tour in April 2004, I had seen every part of that country at least twice.” The good part was that Kate met SFC (Sergeant First Class) Steve Ferencik, while on duty in Iraq; he is her husband now. Recalling conditions in Iraq, Kate explains, “Southern Iraq is pretty ugly. It’s just plain desert, but it was an unreal dose of reality to me to see how these people lived in mud huts with no electricity or running water. Although, I must say that the nights were incredibly beautiful; I could see every star in the sky. It was amazing to me that I was in a country so rich in history. I went on a tour of one of Saddam's Palaces in Baghdad. I can't think of a word to describe how rich and just beautiful it was. Standing on top of the palace, looking out at Baghdad, I felt sick about all of the money that was put into one of the many palaces of Saddam, when the countrymen and—women were so incredibly poor. We would drive and there would be nothing for miles, and people would be lining the road, waving at the convoys. We would stop to change tires or take a break, and we had Iraqis hugging and kissing us, shaking our hands. They would say, 'Saddam is Ali Baba' (a thief ), and I can't help but agree with them.” Kate tells us, “This experience was life-changing for me. We were there to help these people and they loved us for it. Here I was, complaining about the heat, or that my CD player was
skipping because of all the sand, but I really had nothing to complain about compared to them. I had food and shelter. I had a beautiful house at home that was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I had a TV, a couch, and a bed of my own. This had inspired me even more, and I realized that I could never leave the Army, because this is what I was born to do. I am a member of an elite force, the United States Military, and I serve so that my family doesn't ever have to know this type of poverty, fear, and disgusting conditions that the Iraqis know and live in.” Both Kate and her husband Steve were informed in September 2009 that they were both being deployed overseas to a war zone and would be gone approximately 12 months, plus an additional three months for training. Since this military couple has two canine kids—Nicki, a Belgian Maliois, and Lidas, a Catahoula—their first and foremost thought was making arrangements for the safety of their dogs and finding them a temporary home until their return to the United States. “I put out a call to all of my friends and family asking if they knew anyone who could or would watch my dogs for me, and I also sent out a blast on Facebook, a few times," Kate says. "About a month later, I found a friend who offered to take care of Lidas, but I couldn't find anyone who could handle a high-performance dog like Nicki. After a long while, Staci of Homeward Bound K9s and I got in touch and I told her of the trouble I was having with finding a home for Nicki. Staci has had a lot of experience with dogs like Nicki, so she volunteered to take her for the 15 months of our deployment." It can be tough bordering on impossible to trust a stranger with your beloved dogs, but Kate lucked out. "I trust Staci immensely and I know that she keeps her dogs in the best condition," she explains. "She cares for all of the dogs in her kennel as if they were her own, and I believe that Nicki will be very well situated there. I had taken both of my dogs and ensured that they were completely healthy and up to date with vaccines, and let their vets know what was happening to them, so that in the event of an emergency they would be well taken care of. Finding a home for them was so difficult because I want them both back when I return. I could have probably given them both away very easily, but it's not right for me to have to lose my dogs because I'm serving my country. These dogs are my family, and I can't just give up my family so easily." When we asked Kate if the military offered any assistance with family pets for soldiers who are shipped overseas, she replied, “To the best of my knowledge, there are no Army programs that assist you with finding your pets a temporary or
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 19
permanent home. This is an issue that is not really talked about or brought up as part of the pre-deployment briefing/training, and it is extremely unfortunate. I think that most single soldiers who have pets tend to just bring their dogs to the shelter because they have trouble dealing with, or don't necessarily have the time to deal with, getting their animals taken care of." Thankfully, the shelter was never an option for Nicki and Lidas. "It took me three months to find a home for both of my dogs," Kate says. "I had a conversation with my Platoon Sergeant and told him about this interview, and he mentioned that he has had his cat for eight years but didn't know what he was going to do with him. All his family are over a thousand miles away in Texas and he is a single soldier, so he had decided to just bring the cat to the shelter. I told him that I would try to find his cat a foster home, but this would never have even come out had we not had this conversation about what soldiers can do with their pets when they get deployed.”
For military families that need help with taking care of the family pet here are some organizations that help: www.4militaryfamilies.com www.petsinneed.org www.netpets.org www.operationnoblefoster.org www.guardianangelsforsoldierspets.org
Editor’s notes:
pure Kindness green tripe pet food
www.tripett.com
Sgt Kate Ferencik has always shopped at Pet Empawrium in Arvada, Colorado for her dogs’ food and treats. So when Kate mentioned to shop owner Lori Moreland that she had to find a foster home for her dogs since both she and her husband were getting deployed overseas, Lori immediately offered to donate all the food to the foster family in Colorado that would keep her dog safe in a home and out of the shelter. Now that Lidas has found a home in Colorado for the fifteen months mom and dad will be gone, Kate doesn’t have to worry knowing that Lidas will still get to chow on her favorite high-quality, nutritious food as always, and Lori Moreland is proud to be able to contribute towards a member of our United States military, even if it is the family dog! Please visit www.petempawrium.com for more information. The American Dog also wanted to mention that Sage Valley Pet Center in Golden, Colorado has been offering amazing, deeply-discounted, boarding packages to the members of the military who are deployed overseas so they don’t have to take their family pet to an animal shelter. Sage Valley has kept many family pets for six months to a year when the soldier had lost hope of finding a home for their beloved dog—with no family or friends available to help. And Sage Valley treats these military pooches like royalty, spoiling them with three walks a day and tasty snacks. Tom Allen, co-owner of Sage Valley tells us that, “I am thrilled to be able to help our military save their pets, it’s the least I can do while they go risk their lives for us.” Contact Sage Valley Pet Center at (303) 279-6969 or visit them on the Web at www.sagevalley.com
www.petkind.com
Charm of Sergeant Kyle A. Colnot, killed in action on April 22, 2006 created by ForeverLoved.com for Project Never Forget (877) 256-8331
20 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
BabyFaces.com Inc. is proud to announce Project Never Forget, where families can receive a free silver three-dimensional charm of their lost service member. The company makes charms for the families of our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines” said Joel Ragan, founder of Project Never Forget. All the next of kin needs to do is go to www. projectneverforget.com and request their charm. Once the verification process is complete, the charm will be created. There is a limit of one free charm per soldier. Call 1-877-256-8331 for more information.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 21
COVER STORY
Charlie Watson’s War How one brave soldier fought to make his “Baghdad Pup” an American Dog By Julia Szabo
W
hen Sergeant Edward "Eddie" Watson first met his dog Charlie, the blackand-white mutt was a tiny, helpless, stray puppy struggling to stay alive in a war-torn country. The year was 2007,
22 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
and Watson was on duty in Iraq with his team patrolling a neighborhood torn apart by violence and bloodshed. Military regulations prohibit servicemen from keeping dogs as pets, but Watson couldn't turn his back on the defenseless mutt in a war zone, so he and his fellow soldiers took care of him on the
QT, and Charlie grew strong and healthy. When it came time for the soldier to return home after a 15-month deployment, Watson had no intention of leaving Charlie behind—and no legal way to bring his new best friend back with him. So Watson created a weblog about his mission to save his dog, making his wrenching dilemma known on the Worldwide Web with postings that would have melted hearts of stone. Happily, SPCA International provided an assist, initiating a program called "Operation Baghdad Pups," whose mission is to transport dogs like Charlie safely to the United States. Thanks to SPCAI, Charlie touched down on American soil about a month before Watson did, arriving here on February 14th, 2008—a memorable Valentine's Day indeed. "Charlie is pretty much the poster boy of Operation Baghdad Pups," Watson says with pride. Fittingly, America's capital was the first leg of Charlie's journey to becoming an American citizen. In Washington, DC, Charlie was fostered by a kind volunteer until the day he was reunited with his sergeant. Today, the military man and his faithful friend live together in Arizona, where Watson is studying to be a nurse. He and his fiancee Melissa Andrews also share a 7-year-old Chihuahua named Billie Jean; the canine odd couple are great friends. To guess by his appearance and demeanor, Charlie is a good part Border Collie, which means he has intelligence and athleticism to spare. To keep his dog gainfully occupied both physically and mentally, Watson wisely enrolled him in agility classes, which the two attend together once a week. He also plans to investigate getting Charlie instinct-tested for herding trials, to satisfy his inner sheepdog. It's an interesting reversal: Now that Watson is no longer seeing active duty, his dog seems to be taking up the slack. Agility classes are reminiscent of basic training, in which soldiers are required to navigate an obstacle course, so Charlie's in the army now!
(OPPOSITE) Charlie on patrol in Iraq 2007. Photo by Edward Watson. (ABOVE) Charlie and Ed in Iraq 2007. Photo by Brandon Bush.
Like all good American dogs, Charlie enjoys going on road trips, and he's a model passenger. "He does great in the car, especially on long trips," Watson says. "He just finds a spot, makes himself comfortable, and lies down the whole time. He's not big on hanging his head out the window—he might put his nose out for maybe a minute. That's how he is with everything: he's a real laid-back and easygoing kind of dog." So far, Charlie has traveled through North Carolina and San Diego, but for him, there's really no place like home, the Grand Canyon State. Dogs are happiest when they get to spend their lives in a place where the climate matches the one they instinctively know. Some like it cold, like Saint Bernards and Norwegian Elkhounds. But Charlie's comfortable with the heat of his native desert land, so he's happy to live in one of America's hottest regions, where temperatures reach as high as the hundreds. "For the most part, he'll be outside," Watson reports. "He comes inside from time to time, to check up on us and see what we're doing, but he's definitely an outside dog. When we were in Iraq, he lived outside, so that's what he's used to. He's got free range to come in and out of the doggie door, but he definitely likes being outside more." The desert-like atmosphere of his new home surely helped Charlie transition from "Baghdad Pup" to American Dog. Here's where you'll find this lucky K9 on any given day: chilling out and enjoying the peace of mind that comes from living in the land of the free ... at last. For more information about the SPCA International or if you would like to make a donation to help transport more pups back to the Unites States visit: www.spcai.org www.baghdadpups.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 23
! s DOGS d i K w e N are the
Jamie Downey pictured with Cheyenne, Chester and Cassie Photo by Heather Green
“I love my dogs!
They are the best roommates and make great workout partners. I always have a four-legged kid to snuggle, hang out with, take on vacation - plus they are fabulous bodyguards! I love cooking for them and they never talk back, especially when I’m watching a movie; now, if only they could learn how to fix a cocktail!” ~ Jamie Downey By Jamie Downey
T
he majority of people adore children, although some adults prefer to do without the real kids and instead opt to become “dog parents” of kids who have fur. There are married couples who have made the well-thought-out decision to have dogs, not kids; married folks who want both; "empty nesters" whose children are all grown up and have left the roost, so now the dogs have become their substitute children; and an abundance of single guys and gals that just love dogs and want to have a best friend to hang out with! With millions of homes overflowing with dogs, today’s parents tend to recognize their beloved pets as family members, deserving of the same sort of services that parents would
demand for their children. Dogs are family, and dog parents want to make sure their four-legged kids have a balanced and full life enriched with all the deserving amenities money can buy. Dogs are the new kids, and many dogs have a social calendar bursting with play dates, sleepovers, and outings to the dog park. Dog parents have many of the same issues that human parents face with regard to deciding on where to locate the best education, training, doctors, health insurance, nutrition, hygiene, friends, and the right school, as well as determining which neighborhood has the most amenities for dogs. Being a parent is great—especially when you have kids with four legs!
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 25
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Everyone Loves
! S D I K
The Cost of Raising Kids: Two-Legged and Four-Legged!
T
here is no question that parents consider their children a priceless commodity, so let’s compare the total costs of raising an incorrigible two-legged child and what those parents can expect who opt for a precocious, four-legged bundle of fur! Food, clothing, shelter, medical attention, and education are all essential to rearing a child and according to the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, typical families (making $56K to 98K) will spend a colossal “$221,190 to raise a child from birth through age 17.” That’s a whopping quarter of a million dollars before college for one child. Their survey also points out that you can factor in another “$105,000 for a four-year college education at an in-state public university.” And, that’s assuming there are no expensive medical bills during the 17 years or that Junior doesn’t beg you to attend a fancy, private college like Harvard, with a price tag of $50,000+ per year! There you have it, a real kid, the two-legged variety, will cost you a hefty $325,000 for the next 22 years, and I’m sure will be worth every penny. Now, let’s jump over to the dog side and see how many greens you’ll be spending on one of these fur babies, which will prove to be a lot less stress on the wallet (over $300,000 less)! Many of the pet information sites on the World Wide Web will gladly provide you with a breakdown of everything you’ll need to know from dog food to vet bills to yearly vaccines and boarding fees, and there is a plethora of advice regarding the total expenses involved in how much a dog will cost you over your pet’s lifetime. According to the Web site, www.petplace.com, contributing writer Alex Lieber chimes in with his article, “Lifetime Costs of Dog Ownership,” which talks about the average cost of a dog over his lifetime. Alex states that “small to medium dogs have an estimated life span of 14 years and cost up to $12,700
26 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
while large to giant-sized dogs [have an] estimated life span of 8 years [and] can cost up to $7950.” Another Web site, www.dogfriendly.com, for dog owners has a post sourcing information from IBISWorld stating, “that the total cost to raise a dog for the full duration of their life (an estimated 13 years) is $13, 330 and that breakdown includes dog food, vet bills, boarding, vaccines, heartworm and misc fees.” Just to get a third opinion, I checked out Doctors Foster and Smith, catalog dog-supply merchants with their own Web site, www.peteducation.com; the information provided on their site tells us, “the total cost over the life of a 14 year old dog would average $12,468, but this figure could double or triple in places like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas.” If you average the charges stated from all three reports, then it would cost an approximate $13,000 over 13 years to raise a pooch from puppyhood through his senior years. Now, of course, I think these dollar amounts need to be a lot higher; add $20,000 at least, because they aren’t taking into account the higher-quality, all-natural dog food you should be buying; the nutritious, organic dog treats your canine deserves; and the essential grooming appointments deemed necessary every month. The surveys also didn’t factor in doggie daycare, which teaches your dog socialization skills, or the absolute life-saving professional dog trainer you’re going to hire to teach your dog manners. This issue focuses on family and friends, for our dogs, and we invite you to take a stroll through the following pages, where you’ll meet some great, responsible, exceptional dog parents whose dogs are their children. We're happy to indulge our readers in all the wonderful conveniences that are available for dogs in today’s marketplace!
Extracurricular Anthony “Tino” Sanchez with Buster, Boo Boo, Shorty & Rockie
s e t i v i t c A
Photo by www.shaneonealphotography.com
“Some might say dogs never talk back, but Buster says otherwise, and often. Some might say you need not buy them clothes. But my
dogs have more accessories and more flair than the waiter in the movie Office Space. Some might say dogs are lower-maintenance than kids, but Boo Boo has the power to clear a town hall. Some might say I don’t know what it’s like to have kids; maybe not, but if this is any indication of what’s to come then I can’t wait.” Check out www.peaceloveandpitbulls.com.
P
articipating in extracurricular activities after school will not only encourage children to stay out of trouble, but also teaches important values like teamwork, cooperation, responsibility, and discipline. The kids often make lifelong friends with their “teammates” and have a feeling of belonging, which can boost their self-esteem. Kids are fortunate that a multitude of sports are available for them to play: soccer, football, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, and track. The more academic tykes can join a school club with other kids who share the same interests, participating in chess, drama, choir, music, photography, or debate. As with kids, extracurricular activities are very important for dogs. Physical exercise and mental stimulation will alleviate
your dog’s boredom and help him refrain from indulging in destructive behavior. Dogs have a lot of energy and need an outlet to relieve stress, and they enjoy any outdoor activity where they can run, fetch, chase, and just be a dog. Dogs also get bored, so playing games such as having them search for hidden items, laser-light chasing, or teaching new tricks will keep their mind occupied and invigorated. In today’s pet-friendly society, every state has scores of dog clubs with activities that would surely interest your canine kid. There is agility, dock diving, fly ball, disc doggin, schutzhund, retrieving, canicrossing, bikejoring, and skijoring, plus many hiking groups allow you to bring you best friend along too! Make sure you take time for your dog to have fun and get out there and get physical!
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 27
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Importance of
n o i t i r t u N
Kevin & Heather Green pictured with Bella, Remington, and Jaidyn
Photo by Shannon Worgan
“Our dogs are spoiled-rotten children with fur; however, the best thing about them is the way they make us laugh. Even though
we would love for them to do some chores around the house, the only duties they are charged with are lying in the sun, alerting us to visitors, eating (of course), and keeping our spirits high. Our lives would be quite empty without them.”
A
s a parent, you are continually bombarded with advertisements on television appealing to you to buy unhealthy food loaded with chemicals, additives, preservatives, sodium, sugar, fat, and calories. Many of these catchy commercials advertise fast-food restaurants and are targeted towards children, which—as many consumers rightly suspect—contributes to childhood obesity. Being overweight as a child can lead to a myriad of health problems including diabetes, bronchial asthma, sleep apnea, and chronic pain. As a parent it is your responsibility to not only buy wholesome, nutritious food for your child, but to make eating healthy part of your lifestyle. Children learn by example, and it's much easier for a child to develop good eating habits if taught at a young age. The same parental obligation applies for your dog too. Since dogs can’t read labels, they depend on you to choose fresh,
28 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
all-natural, or organic cuisine which will keep them healthy, fit, and strong. Pet food advertisements and TV commercials, like the ones targeted at kids, can also be misleading and exaggerated, so it's up to you, as your dog’s guardian, to provide and care for Fido’s dietary and nutritional needs. The problem with many of the commercial dog foods on the market is that they contain the same bad chemicals, preservatives, and fat in human food that can lead to all types of cancers in dogs. As the dog parent, you need to educate yourself about the good ingredients in dog food and avoid the bad stuff some manufacturers use as fillers. With a proper combination of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, essential amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, you can design the best diet for your dog’s health, to ensure he lives the longest, happiest life possible.
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
What are
Doug and Elizabeth Simpson with Tsavo, Griffin, Brio, Cooper, Carson, Loki, Whisper, and Cowboy
Photo by Andrew Goldman
s d n e i Fr For?
“When we come in from a long day of work looking disheveled and stinking of the barn, there are eight
beautiful, happy faces who still want to snuggle up to us and make sure we feel loved. Unconditional love means they care about who you are and not how you look - or smell!”
H
uman being are very social creatures who crave the companionship of others; therefore it’s important for children to develop social skills at a very young age. This will nurture them emotionally and help them grow socially. By interacting with friends, children learn how to give and take, share, make decisions, and play nice. Children that have friends usually flourish with greater self-esteem, have a more positive attitude, and laugh more often. Every child longs for that best friend they can share secrets with and talk to about anything and everything; that “best friend forever” who will always be there for you through thick and thin. Encouraging your children to make friends and to be a good friend will ensure that they'll know how to make friendships that will last a lifetime.
30 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
The importance of friends for your dog is also significant, because dogs are very social pack animals who enjoy the company of other dogs, as well as their human family members. Since dogs are considered man’s best friend, it’s only fair for the dog to have a best friend. Four-legged kids make great friends because they are extremely loyal, have a strong desire to please, never get tired of listening to you, and shower you with unconditional love. By socializing your dog, you are teaching him to get along with others (dogs) —and in many instances, dogs need some training to learn to share their toys too, just like kids. Although socialization takes patience and time, it is an investment that pays off when your dog is happy, with lots of boisterous buddies—and you’ll be a proud parent when your dog gets invited to a sleepover with one of his best friends!
What the
est BNeighborhoods
Bruce Miller pictured with his three girls Dharma, Emma, and Daphne
Photo by Heather Green
Offer!
“My three girls bring a lot of joy into my life. At the end of the day, Emma, the smooth Fox Terrier, joins me on the couch; Daphne, the Afghan, wants to be petted for a few minutes then settles in on her bed; and Dharma, the Greyhound, needs and wants very little in the way of attention. Like kids, they sometimes argue about who should get a treat first, but unlike kids, I don’t need to worry about them wanting to borrow the car! Although I love children, especially my nephew and niece, I feel quite lucky to have kids of the four-legged variety.”
D
etermining the best neighborhood to live in is a top priority for mindful parents with children. Many families will base their decision on what district has the best schools; what type of sports and recreation facilities are available; the close proximity to parks, hiking trails, and baseball fields; the safest neighborhoods with the lowest crime rates; the availability of restaurants and shopping centers nearby; and whether there are other children living in the immediate vicinity, so their bright-eyed-and-bushytailed kids will have amiable friends nearby to play with. Every parent knows, when choosing a home to live in, that a child’s needs come first. And every mom and dad always want what is best for their baby— and will pay to get it! When you are a parent with dogs, the same criteria above are important when determining what digs you and
Fido are going to call home. The biggest priorities for those with dogs: is the nearest park within walking distance; where are the hiking trails; how many miles to the friendly neighborhood dog park; where is the closest lake or body of water; and most important, neighbors who love (or at least don't dislike) dogs. Dog parents want to ensure they live in the best neighborhood possible for the safety and comfort of their canine kids, and also want to have the fundamental services of doggie conveniences accessible within a short distance. At the top of the list are your neighborhood specialty pet boutique, doggie daycare and boarding facility, and grooming shop with topof-the-line spa treatments. Once all these amenities are in the same neighborhood, life is good for dog and parent!
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 31
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Personal Hygiene is a
! s d i All K
Necessity for
Tom Allen pictured with Summit
Photo by Heather Green
“I do love my boys!
So much that, if I ever had kids, I can’t imagine I could l love them any more than I love my dogs. Their unconditional love for everything in this world is inspirational. They never judge, feel they deserve more; ask for more than they need, or require a separate savings account to fund their ongoing education. On the contrary, they selflessly continue to educate me. They have taught me so much about life and what is truly important in this world. They cherish every moment, live it to the fullest, and they share. Our time together truly is a privilege, and I am extremely fortunate that they chose to adopt me.”
I
t’s important for kids to learn lifelong habits of good personal hygiene, and by teaching them the basics, will help keep them clean and healthy. Some of the most important habits to practice would be washing their hands, which is without a doubt one of the best ways to prevent germs from spreading. More good hygiene lessons: cover their nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing, or cough into their arm; don’t pick their nose; brush their teeth after breakfast and dinner; don’t forget to floss; keep fingernails trimmed and resist the nail biting urge; hair needs to be washed, brushed every morning, and cut every four to six weeks; take baths regularly; and wear clean clothes daily. These are all essential grooming habits to develop early in life, which will help children grow into healthy adults. A child learns by watching, so make sure you lead by example and practice the good hygiene you’re preaching.
32 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Because dogs are just like children, they also require regular grooming; taking care of their personal hygiene needs is a must. Since dogs can’t brush their teeth or bathe themselves, they depend on you to keep them clean and pretty. Some of the more routine habits you should get accustomed to practicing are keeping ears clean and free of debris; brushing their teeth every day; removing tear stains from eyes as necessary; trimming nails every few weeks; brushing hair to keep it matfree; and bathing dogs regularly so they stay clean and smell good. Don’t forget weekly checkups, which are also a good time to examine your dog for fleas, other external parasites, or any lumps or rashes on the skin. Just like you, dogs love to be pampered, and regular grooming will keep your dog clean, healthy, and looking fabulous!
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 33
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Health Insurance for
Kids or Pet
Insurance
! s g o D r o f
Kevin Rooney, Carole Raphaelle Davis pictured with Jinky, Lamby, Finley and La Mouche Photo by Heather Green
“My friends
have real kids - they have a lot of heartache. I like my dog kids because I know my girls are not going to run off and get pregnant. My boys aren’t going to grow up and burn the house down, get arrested, do drugs, or hang around with the wrong crowd.” --Carole Raphaelle Davis
“No matter how old my dog children get, I can make out with them and sleep with them and not get arrested.” --Kevin Rooney
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roviding health insurance for your child ensures that you don’t have to worry about sky-high medical bills if accidents or injuries happen. When a child has medical coverage, it makes it a lot easier for parents to have their children treated for illnesses, get vaccinations, obtain prescription medicines, and have better access to preventive care. Children are better equipped to do well in school, and also miss fewer days of school, which means parents miss fewer days of work. Having health insurance is peace-of-mind protection and, overall, children will benefit from long-term savings in health care costs. Many dog parents consider Fido a member of the family, and
opt to provide the same health coverage for their dog that they have in place for their child. Dogs suffer accidents and illnesses just like their two-legged siblings, and having pet insurance can help prepare you for unexpected veterinary expenses down the road. There are at least a dozen pet insurance companies that have programs available nationwide, offering affordable monthly payment plans, low deductibles, and protection against your pet’s future healthcare costs. If money is tight, then it might be wise to invest in an inexpensive policy of health coverage with a low monthly payment, so you’ll know that in the event your dog needs to go the vet’s office, you’ll be financially prepared to provide the best care possible.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 35
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
CHILD-PROOF the House for
Kids and
A
ll parents know how inquisitive little tykes love exploring and will get into anything and everything as soon as your back is turned. So creating a safe home environment for babies and toddlers is a top priority for mom and dad by removing potential hazards and thus averting accidents. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, “about 2.5 million children are injured or killed each year by dangers right in their own home.” That’s why it is of the utmost importance to child-proof your house. Child-proofing involves using basic items like child safety gates, latches on cabinets, and locks on doors. Parents will also want to cover electrical outlets with safety plates and remove furniture with sharp edges, breakable items from low shelves, cords from curtains, and small objects that babies could choke on. You can never be too careful, so there are professional childproof experts available for hire to come into your home and make it safe and secure for the little ones living there! Dog parents also know the value of dog-proofing the home,
36 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Dogs!
whether you have a puppy or a full-grown, 100-pound, four-legged kid. Many dogs will get into mischief as soon as you leave the house and it’s not unusual for a dog to suffer separation anxiety (translation: destroying furniture or house) while you’re away at work or gone for extended periods of time. Responsible parents should install safety precautions for dogs just like they do for toddlers, and go room-by-room to ensure there are no lurking threats of danger to the dog. Make sure you don’t have toxic plants in your house; don’t leave harmful or deadly foods such as chocolate, raisins or grapes within reach; and lock up all poisonous chemicals and pesticides. Prescription meds should be put away, up high on top shelves; remember, dogs can counter-surf so make sure nothing hazardous is left out for them to grab. Dogs have been known to chew electrical cords which could electrocute the dog or start a fire, so making these cords inaccessible is best. Some parents prefer to crate-train the dog to keep him safe while they’re gone, but just taking the proper precautions to ensure your home is safe for Fido is money well spent!
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Best
The Education
Money
can
A
s parents, we want our kids to excel in everything they do, whether it is playing an instrument or participating in sports, and we definitely want them to be smart and attain academic success in the classroom. In today’s fast-paced and overly competitive society, the need for exceptional grades and good study habits learned at an early age has become paramount to achieving fame, fortune, and prosperity later in life. The benefits of a better education will also allow a child to expand his or her horizons and become more open-minded and well-rounded as an individual. That’s why parents will buy all sorts of educational games or computers at a very early age to help their children develop and enhance their scholastic skills. What mom or dad wouldn’t burst with pride when their little baby gets accepted into an Ivy League college? This explains why they happily pay for the best education money can buy!
38 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Buy
A good education isn’t just for the two-legged kids. Dogs need schooling too, and you can never start early enough or spend too much time training your dog or teaching him new tricks. Your dog will enjoy going to school, a.k.a doggie daycare, and meeting new friends while spending time learning how to socialize with others, behave in a structured, friendly environment, share toys, learn new commands, and show off their athletic prowess to anybody watching. Most parents delight in telling other dog-loving peers that their pooch gets very excited when he knows he’s getting dropped off at daycare, because he gets to spend the day playing with friends while learning manners and proper dog etiquette.
DOGS are the NEW KIDS!
Saving for the Kids’ College Fund is the Same as Saving for your Dog’s Future
s l l i B l Medica
Courtney Corvan Alovis and Will Alovis pictured with Shanti
Photo by Heather Green
“Having our four-legged kid gives us the opportunity to experience parenting while also allowing us to
O
maintain a level of independence that fits with our lives and careers. As with a child, the love shared between us and our four legged kids is unconditional.”
nce you have a child, you should start putting money away for their college tuition. This requires a long-term savings plan to accumulate the amount of money which will be needed to fund a four-year college education. There are many options on the market, and you should probably consult with a financial planner to decide which fits your budget; a College 529 plan, an Education IRA, a Regular Investment account, savings bonds, or saving money through a state college fund program. It is important for parents to start saving for their kid’s education as early as possible since college is very expensive, and will most certainly be a lot more costly, 18 years from now! When you include a dog in your family, you are making a commitment to your dog for his lifetime care, and that will include future medical bills which could stretch into the
40 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
thousands of dollars. Pet health care costs are on the rise, and with advances in veterinary medicine, dogs are living longer, due in part to life-saving surgeries that are available today. Just as the importance of saving for your child’s future college education, you should set aside a separate savings account for your dog that you contribute towards monthly, that way you can avoid the shock of receiving an unexpected $3000-$4000 vet bill in the future. As dogs age, they encounter the same health problems as humans, and some common dog surgeries are for Cataracts, Hip Dysplasia and Gastroplexy. Also, the leading cause of death in dogs is cancer, and that could cost as much as ten thousand dollars or more in treatment, to prolong your dog’s life. The smart option now, is to start planning for those future vet bills, so you will be able to take care of your best friend, and be prepared for any medical emergencies that you encounter during his lifetime.
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42 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
THE
MISUNDERSTOOD PIT BULL
Mother and daughter, Roxy and Lily Daughter Lily pictured in front Photo by Heather Green
Pit Bulls Rock! • • • • •
Affectionate • Athletic • Courageous • Energetic Friendly • Humorous • Intelligent • Loyal Loving • Noble • Playful • Strong The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 43
Villalobos Rescue Center
Photos courtesy of Villalobos Rescue Center
A rescue, rehabilitation, and placement facility for abused and abandoned Pit Bulls
Tia Maria Torres, Pit Bull trainer and former gang counselor, sits down and tells our readers about her love of Pit Bulls. The American Dog reports
Q: Who runs the organization?
the boundaries of being that responsible Pit Bull owner.
I do; I'm the founder and owner of Villalobos.
Q: What do see is the biggest difference in the image of Pit Bulls now versus 10 to 15 years ago?
Q: What year was Villalobos established? Villalobos was established in 1991, when I was rescuing other types of dogs, and it was 1995 when we focused on rescuing the Pit Bulls. Villalobos Rescue Center is now the country’s largest rescue facility for Pit Bulls where we rescue, retrain and rehabilitate over 200 dogs so they can be placed in forever homes.
Q: What is the mission of your organization? I would have to say our mission is to represent the breed in the most responsible way possible, and yet still be able to show what great pets Pit Bulls can make. I would also have to say that our priority is to adopt dogs out, yet still remain within
44 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
The turning point for the breed, in my opinion, came with the Michael Vick case. Finally people got it. Finally people saw these dogs that were abused beyond the dog fighting, but also tortured beyond belief. And yet, the majority of the dogs remained loving animals. It’s sad that it took sacrificial lambs to have to prove this.
Q: What are your biggest obstacles to overcome? Stereotypes. I keep thinking I'll get used to it, but then I run into someone who is supposed to be "intelligent" and "educated" and they say some of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I still can't believe that some politicians managed to brainwash some other politicians to go on a mass killing spree
of all Pit Bulls in Denver, Colorado. I mean, this is America, land of the free. Sounds pretty third world to me.
Q: What are your greatest accomplishments so far? My favorite accomplishment by far is our 10-year run on the free Pit Bull obedience classes, “For Pit Bulls Only,” that we do through the City of Los Angeles. We started classes back in March of 1999 and thought that our weekly group classes would only last through one round, but 10 years later we now have a waiting list to get in. We also have our “Pets in the Hood,” which is our juvenile hall program where we work exclusively with high-risk youth. And we offer an adult parolee program, “The Underdawgz, Inc.” to inmates awaiting their last year of incarceration.
Q: How did Animal Planet decide to do a show on you and Villalobos? After being featured in 2007 in the L.A. Weekly Magazine and being voted one of L.A.'s Most Important People, we were told that Animal Planet wanted to go with more "edge" in their lineup of shows. Edge is our middle name. Pit Bulls and Parolees debuted on Animal Planet October 30th, 2009!
Q: Have you had more people interested in adopting Pit Bulls since your show started on Animal Planet? We've had over 500 adoption applications since the show first aired at the end of October—all people wanting to adopt one of our Pit Bulls.
Q: What type of training do the dogs at your facility go through and how are they trained? Because my training background comes from movie training, it’s all motivational training. We use lots of praise and food. It’s a lot like training a man!
Q: Do you have volunteers and what are their duties? Currently, VRC has over 400 volunteers and they are allowed the fun job of walking the dogs.
Q: How do you handle dogs that are food, toy, dog or human aggressive? Dog aggression can be "normal" for this breed, so a lot of times, it’s just a management issue for the owner. Food and toy aggression are totally something that can be corrected with training. Food aggression sometimes stems from trust issues or deprivation because of the way these dogs are treated. But human aggression is a trait that is considered a flaw in the breed. Pit Bulls just aren't human aggressive. Or at least they're not supposed to be. If we can't determine why the behavior exists (neglect, abuse, etc.) then in our opinion it's a liability to have this dog out in the "real world." We don't need dogs like this making it on the evening news and ruining it for the rest of the breed. If it is a privately owned dog, then
we give them options if the behavior can't be corrected. If we get a dog like this that is here for adoption, we won't go that route. We will euthanize him/her. It's sad. Thankfully, in all these years this has only had to happen a handful of times.
Q: How do you decide which dogs to rescue or save, and do you pull Pitties from the kill shelters? We prefer to pull from the shelters. But, of course, we will give priority to emergency abuse situations. People get mad at us because we can't take every dog we get a call on. I've actually had people call me, after I've told them we have no empty kennels, and ask, "Well, can't you just put the dog in your car?" Unreal. We do what we can with what we have. I don't have a money tree out back. Only tumbleweeds.
Q: What are your goals for 2010? To raise the amount of our adoptions, which is already happening. We would also like to make our training program bigger, and with more options for the public. Watch Pit Bulls and Parolees on Fridays at 10 PM E/P on the Animal Planet channel.
For more information or to make a donation: Villalobos Rescue Center P.O. Box 1544 Canyon Country, CA 91386 (661) 268-0555 www.vrcpitbull.com email: info@vrcpitbull.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 45
NATIONAL PIT BULL AWARENESS DAY Saturday, October 24, 2009 The 5th Annual Luv-A-Bully March in Brea, CA to protest Breed Specific Legislation was organized by Roverlution.org and hosted by Founders Veterinary Clinic in Brea, CA. "Help promote breed awareness and change the negative stereotype of the bully breeds" All photos by Lisa Scarsi (www.lisascarsi.com)
46 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
About the Photographer: Always an advocate of child and animal welfare with a passion for photography, Lisa Scarsi recently started her own photography studio. She focuses her efforts on creating portraits of pets and children that capture their innocence, emotion and essence. She lives in Southern California with her husband, John, and children Angelo and Sophia. She often travels to create story-telling portraiture for private clients and organizations that do “good” for pets and people. To see more of her work go to Lisa Scarsi Photography: www.lisascarsi.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 47
DOGS
ON
FILM
By Julia Szabo
Documentaries Spotlight Pit Bulls and BSL Why should all dog lovers care about pit bulls and breed specific legislation (BSL), regardless of their favorite dog breed or their personal feelings about pit bulls? It's simple: Because if pit bulls are outlawed, your dog could be next. The very concept of BSL is un-American. So whether we're poodle people or spaniel supporters, as American dog lovers we all need to get behind the efforts of those who tirelessly fight BSL in their communities and across the country. Did that sound like preaching to you? One serious drawback of the printed word is that it does very often come across that way, and it's very easy to dismiss just by turning a page. But a picture, as the saying goes, is worth a thousand words—and a motion picture is worth several million. If you find yourself
48 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
compelled by images, you'll be more open to sitting down and actually listening to what those images have to say. Luckily for pit bulls and the people who care about them, many dog lovers are using the powerful medium of film to spotlight the sad plight of the world's most legislated-against dog. Libby Sherrill of Tennessee has a documentary in the works called Beyond the Myth, which takes on the media's relentless demonization of the pit bull in a style that's highly confrontational and emotionally charged. The film has a Facebook fan page and its trailer, on view at www. beyondthemythmovie.com, has already stirred up controversy among certain pit bull advocates. Sherrill, who holds an M.S. in communications, left an 8-year career at Scripps Network
to produce Beyond the Myth, which she plans to complete this month. She says her life was changed after she got up-closeand-personal with a friend's two pet pit bulls, Angus and Boris; then, shortly after she started filming, Sherrill adopted a pit bull of her own named Fern Blossom. "I am grateful to Angus, Boris, Fern and all the other wonderful dogs that have touched my life during this filmmaking journey," she says. "This film is for them ... It explores the contributing factors behind the public's generalized fear of pit bulls and examines the conflict existing between advocates and opponents of BSL." As the proud owner of a rescued former fighting dog named Preston, filmmaker Jeff Theman of Ohio has strong feelings for misunderstood dogs. His forthcoming documentary, Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent, aims to do what the media has largely been incapable of with regard to pit bulls: remain fair and balanced. Theman interviewed numerous dog owners and experts (full disclosure: I'm one of them), and his film promises to be a thoughtful examination of lingering prejudice in America, as symbolized by this country's most discriminated-against dog, the pit bull. Among his interviewees are author Jim Willis, Andrew "Roo" Yori (who has produced his own documentary, Wallace—Rise of the Underdog, about his champion flyingdisc dog), and Stacey Coleman of Animal Farm Foundation. "What impressed me about Jeff is that he wasn't searching for particular answers to tell the story that he wanted to tell," Coleman says. "He listened, then asked his questions, and he let us tell the story of our dogs as individuals. Some documentarians don't do that—they want to tell their story." Chris Hoar of San Diego never set out to make a documentary. But he was so moved by the good works of The Pit Bull Training Team, a program of the Humane Society of the United States, that he formed a production company called Vegan Redemption together with his partner Anna Ware. The team hired a professional crew to film In the Pits (www. inthepits.org), which reveals the astonishing transformation that takes place in young men on Chicago's South Side after they are offered free training for their fighting dogs. "After completing this program, they receive a certificate and
they're told they've done a good job—and for these kids, it's often the first time they've ever been told they did something right," Hoar explains. "That begins to change them; almost to a man, they go from fighting their dogs and keeping them chained outside, to bringing their dogs into the house, petting them, and caring for them. They also start to treat their families and girlfriends better," he adds. "Within two years, we've seen guys who are multiple felony-convicted gang members go from fighting dogs to talking their peers out of dogfighting and preaching spay-neuter in their communities! When I tell people this, they very often think I'm making this stuff up." He hopes In the Pits will provide compelling proof that rehabilitation is indeed a reality, for both dogs and men. Concludes Hoar, "If you want to stop dogfighting and put an end to BSL—to really change the lives of the dogs in these and other neighborhoods across America—you have to realize why the dogs are in that position. It's because the people in these neighborhoods have no hope; they've been ignored and beaten and told they're useless their entire lives, so why would they have compassion for a dog—or anybody, for that matter? To solve the problem for the dogs, we have to solve the problem for the owners—it's impossible to do one without the other." (OPPOSITE) Filmmaker Libby R. Sherrill. Photo courtesy of Leslie Karnowski with Skirt! Magazine Knoxville. (BOTTOM LEFT) Libby Sherrill petting a sweet pittie at the East Tennessee Pit Bull Rescue fundraising event. Photo by Leslie Karnowski. (BOTTOM CENTER) Administering the pit bull identification test. Most people failed. Photo by Leslie Karnowski. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Libby Sherrill transfers footage from a P2 card (captured on a Panasonic HVX -200 HD cam) to her computer in the back of her vehicle. Photo by Leslie Karnowski.
For more information: www.beyondthemythmovie.com www.wallacethepitbull.com www.inthepits.org
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 49
PRYOR’S PLANET Richard Pryor’s Love of Animals and Legacy Carry On By Julie Bielenberg Photos courtesy of Pryor’s Planet
“This organization is dedicated to helping grassroots efforts in saving lives, providing sanctuary, and making the world a better place for all creatures” Jennifer Pryor doesn’t sit in an ivory tower and play with money all day. Nor does she use her late husband’s celebrity status to get ahead in life. Rather, she has dedicated her energy, time and money to saving dogs on death row—and maybe there’s a tiny mention of Richard Pryor’s name to help get her mission accomplished! The wife of the late comic has always been committed to the humane treatment of animals, and pushes on in her fight to help keep Richard’s legacy in motion. This dog activist is as hands-on as they come. Jennifer lifts dog crates in hundred-degree weather, picks up dog poop day in and day out, finds homes for the four-legged ones, and even fosters dogs herself. “I’ve seen it all—the dope, the diamonds, and the deranged, but it is the dogs that bring me the most rewards in life,” Jennifer says. Some of Jennifer’s favorite rescues are Pit Bulls. “The big, wonderful Pits are so squishy, I just want to kiss them all,” she gushes. Many people have misconceptions about these massive teddy bears, so Jennifer does her best to dispel the myths and save every pit she can from the gas chamber. “Of course many of them need rehabilitation, but it can be done," she notes, "and once completed, this breed can be a wonderful companion animal.” Jennifer is profoundly involved in her organization and quite well-versed in the subject of animal rescue. Pryor’s
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Planet (www.pryorsplanet.com) and her late husband’s Web site (www.richardpryor.com) explain the Pryors' mission to rescue, foster, and rehabilitate dogs. Just recently, Jennifer got help from her social media network and Facebook friends to save a Labrador Retriever. The little lady was moments away from being put down in Columbus County, North Carolina; Jennifer is based out of Los Angeles and couldn't get to the Southeast in time. However, with the help of dedicated friends and the Pryor’s Planet network, saving this gal was accomplished. “A little bit of humanity was granted to us that day," she recalls. "It did help that I dropped Richard’s name, but it got the job done!” The Pryors founded their non-profit before Richard passed away, and it's a job she's happy to do. “I’m proud, obligated, and privileged to do this work, and will continue to do so for the dogs,” notes Jennifer. “I want to promote Richard's legacy; it's true work that is the most rewarding.” Jennifer’s organization doesn’t have any facilities; just foster parents. Currently, there are over 60 dogs that she helps rehabilitate and place in foster families across the nation. And even though Jennifer doesn’t sit in that ivory tower and play with wads of money all day, she does arrange for $50 to be given weekly to each family that fosters a dog through her organization. Sometimes, a little celebrity and cash can make the world of difference in a pooch’s life. Get connected to Jennifer's network and who knows, she might be calling you next time for a little favor!
For more information or to make a donation please visit: www.pryorsplanet.com www.richardpryor.com
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MARIAH’S PROMISE ANIMAL SANCTUARY Mariah’s promise is
“All that we can, we will” for the animals.
By Toni Phillips Co-Founder of Mariah’s Promise
M
y name is Toni Phillips. My husband, Mike, and I have been rescuing dogs since 1990. We started Mariah's Promise Animal Sanctuary, in 2003, as an all breed rescue & sanctuary for over-flow from local shelters. In May 2005, Denver re-enacted its ban against “Pit Bulls.” We were stunned to hear about Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and as families were forced to find homes for their beloved pets, now villanized, the focus of Mariah’s Promise expanded. This was our introduction to BSL, the horrific practice of profiling a breed of dog, banishing or killing them based on looks! How is this happening here in America? Mariah’s Promise was suddenly thrust into the midst of a controversial cause. As word spread that we offered refuge to the banished bully breeds, dogs have flooded in. As concerns from the neighbors grew, we went from being a 'noble cause' to a potential 'hazard', practically overnight. Most of what people "know" about bully breeds is from headlines. Positive news isn’t usually reported. "Local children adored by Pit Bull" doesn't seem to make the editorial cut. Educating those motivated by fear and ignorance is difficult—this added an entirely new and unexpected dynamic to the sanctuary’s work and survival. Anyone who works with dogs knows there is certainly no breed that is entirely good or entirely bad. The 'credit' for 'bad' dogs goes to their humans for lack of training and socializing. This is the case with the bully breeds. In our experience, when taken from a bad situation, (such as the Michael Vick dogs), the bully breeds are more willing to trust again. This 'challenges'
52 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Photo courtesy of Mariah’s Promise.
the thinking that, it's all in how a dog is raised theory. Given time and patience many who work with the bullys have seen these transformations. At Mariah's Promise the dogs we receive range from beloved pets to abused and neglected animals that have suffered terribly. We've seen hundreds of these dogs open up into trusting, loving, confident dogs that move on to loving families!! We give credit to our existing dogs as they help newcomers to feel welcome and to transition into their new lives as they make a rest-stop on their journey to their forever homes. Mariah’s Promise has devoted a lot of time, money and compassion into helping over 400 bullys since 2005. It has been a privilege to give these dogs a voice, to speak for them and show those who'll see their positive side. BSL needs to disappear and dogs need to be measured by their behavior, not their breed or looks. Until then, Mariah's Promise will do all we can for these amazing dogs with the help from those who share our passion!
For more information or to make a donation; Mariah’s Promise Animal Sanctuary Located in Divide, Colorado (719) 687-4568 www.mariahspromise.com
FIGHT BREED DISCRIMINATION All or Nothing Pit Bull Rescue
www.atlantapitbullrescue.com
Animal Farm Foundation
www.animalfarmfoundation.org
Bad Rap
www.badrap.org
Bama Bully Rescue
www.bamabully.org
Bless the Bullys
www.blessthebullys.com
Bull 911
www.bull911.com
Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue
www.chicagolandbullybreedrescue.org
Dead Dog Walking
www.deaddogwalkingpitbullrescue.org
Defending Dog
www.defendingdog.com
Denver Kills Dogs
www.denverkillsdogs.com
For Pits Sake
www.forpitssake.org
Hug A Bull
www.hugabull.com
Karma Rescue
www.karmarescue.org
Love A Bull Rescue
www.loveabullrescue.com
Mariah's Promise
www.mariahspromise.com
Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue
www.kspitbullrescue.com
Mike's Dog House
www.mikesdoghouse.org
Missouri Pit Bull Rescue
www.mprgroup.net
Natl Canine Research Council
www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com
Our Pack
www.ourpack.org
Out Of The Pits
www.outofthepits.org
Paw Printz Pit Bull Rescue
www.pawprintzpitrescue.tripod.com
Pawsitively Pit Bull
www.pawsitivelypitbull.org
Pit Bull Rescue Central
www.pbrc.net
Pit Bull Lovers
www.pitbulllovers.com
Pit Bull Rescue San Diego
www.pitbullrescuesandiego.com
Pit Stop Rescue
www.pitstoprescue.org
Pittie Love Rescue
www.pittieloverescue.com
Roverlution
www.roverlution.org
Save A Bull Rescue
www.saveabull.com
Save The Pit Bulls
www.savethepitbulls.8m.com
Stop BSL
www.stopbsl.com
Understand A Bull
www.understand-a-bull.com
Villalobos Rescue Center
www.vrcpitbull.com
Wiggle Butts Bully Rescue
www.wigglebuttsbullyrescue.org The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 53
Dealing with Breed Specific Legislation:
A CALL FOR ACTION! By Gabriela Sandoval Attorney at Law
I
think it's safe to say that you already know Breed Specific Legislation (herein referred to as "BSL") is ineffective in carrying out the purpose for which these laws are enacted. BSL is impulsive and shortsighted. It provides a false sense of security to those who fail to understand or recognize the impact these laws have on well-behaved dogs (incarceration, physical and psychological trauma, exile, death) and responsible dog guardians (unjust punishment, forceful relinquishment of companion, physical or psychological trauma). BSL also fails to address the danger that an untrained or improperly trained dog—of any breed—may present to others.
Huh? Who determines if a dog displays the "majority of physical traits" or "exhibits distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to standards established by the AKC or UKC"? Is it even appropriate to refer to AKC or UKC standards in the context of a breed ban? In Denver, as recently as October 2009, so-called "experts" who make these determinations day in and day out found a particular dog to be a pit bull. The dog's guardian disagreed. He had qualified experts evaluate the dog and then challenged Denver's determination. Ultimately, Denver was found to be wrong. The dog was not a pit bull. Oops.
Policy makers who support BSL haven't taken the time to educate themselves about canine temperament or the importance of proper training. Others are duped by socalled statistics that leave out fundamental information, thereby skewing results in favor of BSL. A properly trained and socialized dog—of any breed—will make a safe and loyal companion.
We have officials making decisions they aren't qualified to make. We have dogs who aren't even prohibited under the law being seized and killed. We have dogs who are harmless being seized and killed. Even if experts found the dog referenced above to be a pit bull—that still isn't justification the dog should be outlawed. There are many flaws with the language
If you are a dog guardian and you find yourself in or around a city that outlaws a particular breed of dog—beware. The first thing to be aware of is the law's definitions. Find out what breed or breeds are banned. Remember that frequently, people don't actually know what breed or breeds make up their dog! Even if you do, you still may not be able to prevent your dog from being seized, incarcerated, sent away from you, or killed. For example, in Denver, it is "unlawful for any person to own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport, or sell within the city any pit bull." It's worth noting that "pit bull" is defined as "any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one (1) or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds."
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in and enforcement of BSL. That's only the beginning of the problem. The main problem is the ban itself. A blanket prohibition on a particular breed doesn't effectively resolve real problems such as irresponsible guardianship. If you live in or around a city with BSL, do not even think about hiding your dog! Find out what the prohibitions are (owning, possessing, driving through, etc.) and comply with the law. Otherwise, you risk your dog's life! If the authorities are attempting to seize your dog, demand to see and review a valid warrant (government can't lawfully take your dog unless it meets specific constitutional requirements). Adamantly refuse to relinquish your dog. Contact the local antiBSL organization in your area and an Animal Law attorney in your state. Beware of signing anything presented to you by authorities, as they often request signatures from guardians who unknowingly incriminate themselves and admit their dog is a prohibited breed, which has severe consequences. Other documents (unlawfully) waive away your constitutional right to a hearing or the right to appeal. While you may have a lawsuit against a city or government official regarding how the ban is enforced with respect to you and your dog, dogs will continue to be seized and killed and irresponsible guardians will continue to be irresponsible if people don't push for change in the law itself. There are many ways to push for change. Be responsible. Spay/neuter your dog and ensure he or she is properly trained and socialized. Photo by Lisa Scarsi (www.lisascarsi.com) Take action. Educate friends, family, and dog guardians about BSL. Pass out information sheets at any place A helpful website for writing effective letters is located online where people have or bring dogs. Submit letters to the editor at http://stopbsl.com/take-action/write-letters/. in your state's newspapers. Learn about your local anti-BSL With your help, we can banish BSL. organizations and see how you can help them spread the word. See how you can help a local shelter find new homes for prohibited dogs. Learn who your city's policy makers are For more information or to contact: and what their position is on BSL. Go to city council meetings Gabriela Sandoval and politely state your objections to BSL. Send council Attorney at Law members emails and mail them handwritten, heartfelt letters. Child & Animal Welfare Law Offices of the Rocky Mountains Denver City Council members are listed online at: http:// 600 17th Street, Suite #2800 South www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/ Denver, CO 80202 citycouncil. Self-proclaimed dog lover and Councilmember (303) 954-4580 Carla Madison is currently seeking opinions on BSL in www.childandanimalaw.com Denver. She can be emailed at carla.madison@denvergov.org. Email: info@childandanimalaw.com
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Lord of Our Affections, Scorned Symbol of Our Shame:
The American Pit Bull Terrier By Jim Willis www.crean.com/jimwillis
P
it Bull Terriers were once the most revered dog breed in America. They herded for settlers, protected their families and livestock, their feisty nature made them respected for their bravery and loyalty, and their love of children often caused them to be lovingly referred to as “the nanny dog.” Pit Bull Terriers were brought to America as a working dog by European settlers and they evolved to become a cherished family pet. The United Kennel Club was founded in 1898, and the first breed registered was the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT).
Heart and the Republic of France Grande War Medal. He returned home to a hero’s welcome and was invited to the White House by President Woodrow Wilson. He retired from military service to become the football team mascot of the University of Georgetown, attended charity events and parades, and lived out his last years in Colorado. The Smithsonian Institute erected a permanent display to Stubby. (Currently, the Pit Bull Media Project proposes renaming the APBT as “The Stubby Terrier” as a homage and for breed image improvement; see www.stubbydog.org.)
In 1914, the first World War was unfolding in Europe, and the US was watching, neutral, prepared to enter the fray and protect democracy and our allies if need be. The US government printed patriotic posters to illustrate its stance and chose the American Pit Bull Terrier as its symbol. Brave, loyal, but prepared to defend if provoked.
APBTs have shared their lives with Laura Ingalls Wilder, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Fred Astaire, John Steinbeck, Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Eden, Mary Tyler Moore, and as one of my life’s blessings, me.
From that war emerged America’s most decorated dog hero, “Stubby,” an APBT who served in 17 battles, saved human lives, survived injury, and was awarded the Purple
Pit bulls have become the pariah of the dog world.
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The awe-inspiring Helen Keller, blind and deaf, wrote of her APBT “Phiz” in The Story of My Life: “Whenever it is possible, my dog accompanies me on a walk or ride or sail. I have had many dog friends—huge mastiffs, soft-eyed spaniels, woodwise setters and honest, homely bull terriers. At present the lord of my
affections is one of these bull terriers. He has a long pedigree, a crooked tail and the drollest ‘phiz’ in dogdom. My dog friends seem to understand my limitations, and always keep close beside me when I am alone. I love their affectionate ways and the eloquent wag of their tails.” Following World War II the US Postal Service issued a postage stamp depicting Keller with her Pit Bull Terrier. By then, many proudly referred to their APBTs as “Yankee Terriers.” Former Alaskan governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin famously joked about Pit Bulls wearing lipstick, but it was makeup artist Max Factor who completed the circle around a dog’s eye and “Petey” became the best-known APBT as he palled around with the kids in the “Our Gang” and “Little Rascals” short films. APBT “Tige” marketed Buster Brown shoes and RCA spokesdog “Nipper,” also an APBT, listened for "his master’s voice" next to a phonograph. Then the APBT fell from popularity and then from grace. Some 30 years ago the thugs took over. The bad boys hijacked America’s most beloved breed as their symbol of “badness.” They planted fear of APBTs in the public psyche, they bred and trained dogs for aggression, and they set them loose on each other to fight. A statistically minute number of people have been killed or injured by “bull terrier-like” breeds since then, but the media fanned the hysteria, landlords and insurance companies that write homeowner coverage denied Pit Bull owners, and government over-reacted legislatively despite the protests of owners and experts. Throughout those years, the dog never changed, but the playing field had. Dozens of American communities and several countries have enacted breed-specific legislation or breed bans targeting Pit Bulls, with Denver, Colorado, considered the US’s worst-case scenario. Thousands of dogs who “look like” a Pit Bull have been evicted, or seized and killed by the city’s animal control services. The city recently lost a lawsuit to a dog owner whose boxer-mix dog was mistakenly identified as a Pit Bull. In Denver and elsewhere, hundreds of mis-identified dogs have been killed. After the Denver verdict, the dog owner’s attorney, Jennifer Edwards of The Animal Law Center said, “This ruling absolutely disqualifies Denver in having any expertise in breed determining,” which breed-ban foes hope foretells repeal of the city’s controversial ordinance. Following the decision, Toni Phillips, founder of Mariah’s Promise Animal Sanctuary (www.mariahspromise.com) in Divide, Colorado, wrote to the Denver City Council: “The ban needs to go away. You're wrong, but won't admit it. You are only killing innocent dogs. A dozen people made a decision
that affects thousands of people, you won’t listen to the people, or are only listening to those who share your view. By refusing to educate yourselves, you remain ignorant and stubborn and full of pride.” Phillips, who has had over 400 APBTs and pit mixes pass through her sanctuary over the past 5 years, including 200 from Denver, said, “In my experience, I find the people who choose a bully are as passionate as these dogs—they share a heart that’s ‘all stops out’ for those they love. These dogs will give their lives for their people.” Ohio filmmaker Jeff Theman has interviewed dozens of dog and breed experts, including veterinarians, behaviorists, and rescuers of former fighting dogs, for his forthcoming documentary about breed discriminatory laws, Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent (www.guiltytilproveninnocentdoc.com). He considers his adoption of Preston, a former fighting Pit Bull, life-changing and an inspiration for the film. “My target audience is not the Pit Bull advocates who already know the breed is not guilty, or the menacing Pit Bull haters who cold-heartedly support a ban and just will not change, but the people who are teetering between the myths and recognizing the truth, who can show compassion and be open-minded…that this whole thing is a cruel hoax.” For those of us who share our lives with bull terriers, whether that relationship is life-changing or the simple enjoyment of their unconditional love and intelligent ways, we are left to wonder how humanity can be so blind. We see dogs and children playing happily and we’re reminded that truth is important and prejudice in any form is damaging. We want everyone, including government, to see the real American Pit Bull Terrier with the same clarity of vision that Helen Keller displayed. Jim Willis is the author of the international best-selling book, Pieces of My Heart: Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature.
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THE DOG SCENE
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Happily Ever After
PRESTON: From the Fighting Pit to a Forever Home!
I
By Jeff Theman
t’s amazing how blessings are disguised, how a series of events can change your life and lead you down an unplanned path. This is how I describe meeting Preston, my American Pit Bull Terrier. During the initial research for my documentary film about breed discrimination, “Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent,” I visited For the Love of Pits, a Cleveland, Ohio pit bull rescue, searching for answers to my questions about the “breed.” I left that day having fallen completely in love with this little guy, who was saved from a dog fighting operation in a nearby city. On July 6, 2006, animal cruelty officers found Preston with fresh, open wounds, and took him to a local humane society, where he waited for his judgment day. He escaped death once but, yet again, death was imminent. Minutes prior to his scheduled euthanasia, For the Love of Pits stepped in to save Preston, granting him another chance at life. Preston spent the next two years learning how to live in a home as a family pet in a pit-bull-fearing society. He achieved certificates in training and Canine Good Citizen. Although Preston had a rock-solid temperament, he received no interest from adopters, due to his past and the perceived challenges of owning a dog formerly used for fighting. I couldn’t get him out of my mind, and made known my intention to adopt. That was easier said than done. Lakewood, the city in which I resided in Colorado, proposed and eventually passed a ban on pit bull “type” dogs, delaying my ability to bring Preston to his forever home. I vowed I would move, and move I did, after a six-month search for a place that would allow me to have him. Since that day, we have gone everywhere together, educating people about the true characteristics of a pit bull, changing opinions with every encounter. With his contagious love of life and eagerness to interact with people and dogs alike, Preston teaches us not to judge a book by its cover. When I leave, I can’t help but stress over the idea that he needs me as much as I need him, finding comfort in knowing we have each other to get us through life’s pitfalls. I’ve even received a speeding ticket for rushing back home to be with
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Photo by Matthew Eggert of Great Lakes Photo & Video.
him! Words just can’t describe the unconditional love I have for him, and I know it’s the closest thing to being mutual that I’ll ever experience in my lifetime. Every day Preston changes minds; he's a shining example of why dogs should be judged as individuals and not systematically killed based on past experiences or appearance. To think that Preston and I found each other by accident, and that something so special might never have been. The only evidence of his former life are scars across his legs, face, and body. They remind us that his beginning didn’t start the way it should have. I’m honored to have the chance to provide him a life as a family dog, the way it should’ve been all along.
For more information, or to adopt a pittie: www.fortheloveofpits.org
To contact Jeff about his upcoming documentary: Jeff Theman River Fire Films, LLC email: riverfirefilms@gmail.com
THE DOG SCENE
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Happily Ever After
From a Horrific Puppy Mill to a Forever Family! By Deb Dempsey Photo by Heather Green
I
try not to let my mind wander and think about the living conditions that Thelma and Stanley endured in their past life. Both were breeder dogs in a puppy mill in Iowa, one of the country’s largest puppy-producing states. The dogs were kept in small quarters in cold, dark, filthy 6’ x 10’ chicken coops. They were dependent on heat lamps for warmth in the Midwest's extremely cold winters. When a litter of pups were born, the mother was then cordoned off within tiny 2’ x 2’ boxes in the same coop to nurse her puppies for a few weeks before they were whisked away and sold. Puppies from this mill were sold through newspaper ads and notices on bulletin boards at supermarkets. Thelma (my toothless, gray-haired, older lady) was bred continuously for 11 years. Her rescuers told me that the mill owner never missed a breeding cycle. By conservative estimates, Thelma was forced to produce more than 20 litters of puppies during her incarceration. Stanley was a stud in the mill for 8 years. He had never been groomed, and when his rescuers found him, his hair had grown into his mouth and around every tooth. The stench that emanated while the vet patiently removed all his rotten teeth was apparently almost unbearable. Stanley and Thelma’s rescuers bit their tongues years ago and developed a relationship with the puppy mill breeder; with the intent on saving her “retired breeders” from certain death. The mill owner regularly turned over a handful of dogs that were no longer producing puppies, instead of disposing of them via shotgun behind the chicken coop. When this mill owner died, they got a phone call from her family and raced to the mill to pick up all of the unwanted dogs. The puppies were noticeably absent; they'd probably been sold for a quick profit. A kind-hearted couple, the rescuers set up an assembly line in their home and spent countless hours grooming and feeding these helpless, scared dogs who had never seen daylight or grass before in their lives. They received thorough vet exams, including dental and spay procedures, all paid for privately by their rescuers. I heard about these dogs through a very impressive rescue group called Baxter’s Buddies Rescue, listed on
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Petfinder.com. This grass-roots group is run on a shoestring by an impressive young veterinary technician named Heather. She coordinates with foster families all over the state of Iowa and spends her free time transporting dogs from foster homes to forever homes. Stanley and Thelma are some of the lucky ones. Most retired breeder dogs never get a second chance at life. Yes, those puppies in the pet store are darling, but I always look at them and wonder about their parents. When people buy a puppy, they are committing those parents to yet another litter so that puppy in the window can be replaced with another. We have enjoyed watching these two slowly emerge from their shell. They eat home-cooked, organic food; sleep on down pillows between my husband and me in our bed every night; and have even learned how to use the dog door to experience sunshine whenever they feel like it. Their holloweyed, scared-to-death stares have now being replaced with bright-eyed wonderment and curiosity. These two deserved a chance to live out the rest of their lives being showered with love and attention. And we are thankful for every day we have with them.
Stephanie Berglund and her rescue dog, Bailey
THE DOG SCENE
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Happily Ever After
Flower Pulled off death row in California and flown to her new family in Colorado! By Carole Raphaelle Davis Photos by Heather Green
Flower (A.K.A. Mama Dog) pictured left front, today with her new family: Mom Erica, Dad Chris and siblings Kismit, Cinnamon, and Lacee
“I’m so beyond excited!” said Erica Noel Slaughenhoup, about picking up her new Bulldog, Flower, at the airport. “My family can’t stop talking about her! I’m shopping for harnesses, we have a new baby bed…her face; she’s so precious, she smiles!” Flower didn’t have much to smile about until now. Just before Christmas, Flower, the smash-faced and sweetnatured English Bulldog, was brought in by her owners and abandoned on death row at the Lancaster, California shelter. While searching the animals who are “red listed” on the L.A. shelter’s website, Carly Lyn, a filmmaker and founder of SmallDogsonDeathRow.com, saw Flower. She immediately sent out an alert on the rescue network of Facebook. Flower lucked out. Auspiciously, her personality registered in a thumbnail photo among thousands of other dogs needing rescue that day. Rachel LeGros, president of Abby Animal Sanctuary, agreed to “pull” the dog, meaning that her organization would sponsor the dog out of the shelter. “She’s the sweetest, most loving, dearest creature I’ve laid eyes on. I feel blessed to have met this dog, explained Rachel LeGros. “A man and a woman surrendered her and they said ‘she’s of no use to us anymore.’
she had been lying on a hard concrete floor for a long time and that’s why she had a sore on her leg.” Flower’s journey to freedom wasn’t over yet. Stephanie Levy, of Animal Advocates Alliance, fostered Flower for a few days following her release from the pound. “A very sweet kid,” said Ms. Levy, about her new houseguest. “She had a bad cold and she’s an elderly dog who deserves a nice retirement. She’s a nuzzling, sweetheart, couch potato.” For those who believe in fate, what happened next belongs in a fairytale about destiny. Erica Slaughenhoup was at my house in the Hollywood Hills, accompanying her friend Heather Green, on a photo shoot for The American Dog Magazine. We started talking about my favorite subject—dogs. “I have an English Bulldog,” said Erica. “You should see the gorgeous Bulldog that just got out of the shelter and desperately needs a home,” I told her. “Here. Let me show you her picture on my computer.” The minute Erica saw Flower’s face, her eyes filled with tears.
“I saw Flower, called the shelter and they said she was going to be killed in forty-eight hours,” said Carly Lyn, who drove seventy miles to pick her up. “I went to Lancaster shelter to see her, which, by the way, is a hell hole, and there were fifteen people there dumping dogs while I was in line. I could tell that Flower was a really nice dog. The happiest moment was on the ride out of the shelter. She had the biggest smile on her face. She was so happy.” Rachel LeGros asked Carly to bring Flower to the hospital for a check up. “The vet said she was a breeder dog,” said Carly Lyn, “because she had been bred so many times. The vet said
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Flower and Mom meeting for the first time at the airport
The face-off—who’s going to be more bullheaded?
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” said Erica, her voice breaking with emotion. “I’ll adopt her right now. I’ll fly her to Colorado tonight.” With goose bumps, I witnessed Erica’s visceral reaction to Flower and knew that Erica’s strong, nurturing instincts were about to change Flower’s life for the better.
For more information about the rescue organizations involved please visit: www.abbyanimalsactuary.com www.smalldogsondeathrow.com www.animaladvocatesalliance.org
Flower was flown on Pet Airways from Los Angeles to Denver and is now in full bloom; in her forever home and showered with love by the Slaughenhoup family.
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THE DOG SCENE
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Celebrity Profile
DEBRA SKELTON Celebrating the Best of Human Beings
By Julie Bielenberg
I
t’s not common that The American Dog features a cat owner, but Debra Skelton is a lover of all beings, from humans to animals! Although she is a Hollywood actress and comedienne, that is not her first calling. A native of Queens, New York, Debra attended the High School of Performing Arts, but did not immediately fall into acting. Rather, she taught pre-kindergarten for six years through the City of New York Parks and Recreation, where she also led programs for seniors, directed summer camps, and much more. One evening after a tough day at work at Parks and Rec, she headed to a comedy club, a move that changed her life forever. She was inspired and realized that she, too, could become “part of the palette.” This is why her name might be familiar to many; her acting resume runs deep. She was an original cast member of the comedy series "MADtv" for eight seasons and lends her voice to animated shows such as Family Guy and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Debra’s repertoire also includes voiceovers for video games like Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Halo 3, Spiderman 3, and X Men! Debra’s spontaneous enthusiasm for her career, life and people has proved to be a wonderful asset not only to the acting community, but to the non-profit community as well, specifically animal-welfare organizations. She lends her talents as the guest emcee or host of many charitable fundraisers and events. “I may not be a billionaire, but by helping tell a story and helping others tell their stories, I find success in taking on
64 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Photo by Heather Green
the responsibility of helping to raise much-needed money for a variety of organizations,” Debra explains. Some of the non-profits close to Debra’s heart include Animal Acres, Strangest Angels, New Leash on Life Animal Rescue, Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, and Animal Avengers. “By helping these communities, I am able to celebrate the best of us as humans," she says. "We can overcome economical obstacles if we work together as a team." Although she doesn't currently live with a dog, Debra explains, "You don’t need a dog to work for and help the dog community. All animals are here for a reason and I can’t bear to see any of them put down; no one can.” Debra is thrilled that organizations seek her out to help their efforts. She wants to spread the message that although the world is in chaos, humans are the light of the world, and together, they can raise a vibration big enough to become a satellite—and change anything!
For more information about the animal charities Debra Skelton supports or to make a donation please visit: www.animalacres.org www.strangestangels.org www.nlol.org www.lindablairworldheart.org www.animalavengers.org
THE DOG SCENE
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Celebrity Profile
Dr. Jennifer
Jablow
Dentist-to-the-Stars on a Mission to Promote K9 Oral Health The American Dog reports
S
he has movie-star looks and is totally at home on the red carpet, hanging with the likes of Martha Stewart, Howard and Beth Ostrosky Stern, TV legend Geraldo Rivera, musician Diane Birch, and Lorenzo "The Bachelor" Borghese. Even at her office, wearing a white lab coat with her long, blonde hair pinned back, sought-after New York City dentist Dr. Jennifer Jablow looks like a stunning celebrity, a fact that comes across clearly when she appears on TV (which is often). But for this dedicated animal lover, dogs are the real celebrities. So when she's not working on the pearly whites of New York City's boldface names—including rock stars, fashionistas, and the world-famous Ford Models—Jennifer spends her time rescuing dogs and volunteering to help raise awareness of pet adoption. "Rescued dogs are so grateful when you open your heart and home to them," she says. "They overcome so much in their lives, and yet they're still open to loving again. That's why I admire them—they're real stars!" Her proudest title isn't top aesthetic dentist; it's top dog advocate. Besides being a loving mom to her own two Shih Tzus, Chester and Bianca, Jennifer networks tirelessly for lessfortunate dogs on Facebook, and coordinates transporting rescues from down South to up North—North Shore Animal League America, to be exact, the country's largest no-kill animal shelter, where she recently co-chaired November's 2009 DogCatemy Celebrity Gala. Jennifer is a firm believer that a happy, healthy smile and sweet, kissable breath help overlooked shelter dogs find loving forever homes. "If you have a toothache, you're not in the best mood, whether you're a person or a pet," she explains. But pets with poor teeth can only express dental discomfort by behaving forlorn and withdrawn, which sadly decreases their chances of adoption. So, like a determined "dog-with-a-bone," the Doc flexes her expertise on behalf of North Shore's adoptable dogs. She arranged for human-grade dental equipment to go to the dogs, literally: In an unusual confluence of human and animal medicine, Jennifer got dental equipment donated to North Shore's animal hospital—the same equipment used on her own patients—"to further North Shore's abililty to provide
66 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Dr. Jennifer Jablow with Chester, one of her two beloved Shih Tzus— and product testers. Photo by Christopher Appoldt.
for their animals' dental needs and help their mission to find them great homes," she says. She was dubbed "The Tooth Fairy" by Men's Vogue, but Jennifer's secret ambition, she confesses, is to be the "Doggie Tooth Fairy," giving equal attention to human and K9 canines. And she's succeeding. Now, thanks to Jennifer and her friend and fellow dog lover, North Shore spokesperson Beth Ostrosky Stern, all dogs across America can sport spotless smiles. The two smart blondes have collaborated to launch their unique new product, Pawfect Smile, the K9 version of IntelliWhite, Jennifer's signature oral-care system which takes the handy form of a pen; the revolutionary pet dental pen launches in April, and Jennifer and Beth promise to donate a percentage of proceeds back to their shared pet cause, North Shore Animal League America. "We've formulated Pawfect Smile with human-grade ingredients, in flavors pets and people can agree on—vanilla and peanut butter," Jennifer reveals. "So dogs will love the way it tastes, and we'll love the way their breath smells!" The road to a long and happy relationship with your dog starts with Spot's teeth, she concludes: "Nothing ages people or pets faster than dental disease. Bacteria in the mouth can break away and travel; this is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other systemic diseases. So by taking care of your pets' oral health, you're increasing their longevity, and this will prolong the happy times you spend together."
For more information, visit www.pawfectsmile.com
Animal Welfare Attorney Addressing the Laws Affecting You and Your Companion Animal 111 W. Washington St., Suite 1760 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 376-7660 P (888) 376-7660 F email: admin@animalwelfareattorney.com
www.animalwelfareattorney.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 67
THE DOG SCENE
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Dear Melissa
Celebrity Pet Communicator
Melissa Bacelar... Talking Dogs! By Melissa Bacelar
I
have always been "animal obsessed" and over the past few years my obsession has grown into a blatant lifestyle. I don't care who knows it. I talk about dogs, read about cats, brush horses and cows, and now I am at a whole new level: instead of talking dogs, I talk to dogs!
About three years ago I adopted a little black Cocker Spaniel off of Petfinder.com. He was about four years old and emaciated. His caretaker brought him to my house, but she didn't tell him goodbye. I stood there with my husband, my pit mix, and my two other cocker spaniels and thought, I guess we have a fourth dog. His tag said Camenbert. We tried calling him that and Cammie and Bert, but none of these worked, and he stood at our front door looking so sad. After a while my dogs gave up on him and went to bed. My husband told me the dog would be fine and I should come to bed too, but I had an ache in my heart knowing that the dog was confused. I knew that even though his previous owner was not as nice to him as I was going to be, he still longed for that person. So I sat next to him and just started mentally picturing all of the fun things we would soon be doing together. I showed him toys, and beds, and car rides and then finally I said (telepathically), "You will never be away from me. I am going to love you for the rest of your life. What do you want me to call you?" I got his answer loud and clear: "Joey." Then this tiny, bony, smelly Cocker Spaniel moved away from the door and walked into my bedroom. I watched him walking and he turned to me as if to say, "Well? Show me my bed!"
Here's the tricky part: Animals don't talk like we do. They have a few words here and there, but generally they show you things. So you have to learn to think like a dog. The other night my friend rescued a dog from the shelter, and when he got him home, the dog escaped. I have never been to this friend’s house, so when he asked me to talk to the dog and tell him to come home, I was frantic. It was late and I could feel the dog was looking for the people who originally owned him. The dog kept showing me cars in the distance,
68 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Photos by Jeff Spinner.
And that was it. I thought I was making up the dialogue at the time. We all look at our dogs and think we know what they want and think, but I started studying and slowly realized that I can telepathically pick up on animals' real feelings, emotions, wants, and thoughts.
lots of cars. He was seeing the cars through bushes. He also showed me tons of shrubs and leaves and an orange—over and over, an orange.
companions. Please email your questions to animalsrstars@ gmail.com and put “American Dog” in the subject line. Talk to you and your pets soon!
I told my friend this and he explained that the 405 freeway was behind his house, through fences and bushes. This made sense, but still the dog could be anywhere. I then asked the dog how far he was, and he showed me that he was now resting and that he only went a short distance. This, of course, was not helping so we started calling the police and animal shelters. Sure enough, someone had reported a dog on my friend’s street! They said they cornered him in their yard and he was lying under an orange tree. So this dog was telling me the right things, but solving the case took some help. Now that you get a general idea of what I can see, let me tell you what I'm going to do. Each issue, I'm going to answer 5 questions about your pets, living or passed. I'll need a photo and a name, and if your photo is 300 dpi or larger, your dog will be considered for inclusion in the next issue of this magazine, along with your answers! I'm here to answer anything. Just remember, my answers are what your animal wants you to hear; I just talk to them. So if you ask them what they want to eat and they show me a big steak, it doesn't mean you have to go out and buy them a steak! Just think of me as a Dear Abby. Only instead of human relationship issues, I deal in dogs, cats, pigs, or whatever other furry creature you have. I'm really looking forward to getting to know your animal
Melissa Bacelar is an accomplished actress, producer, model, writer and most importantly an animal communicator. She has been rescuing dogs in Los Angeles for the past 6 years and realized that she could communicate with animals through her rescue efforts. She donates 100% of the money she earns as a communicator to help homeless animals and is excited to help The American Dog Magazine's readers talk with their pets. To find out more about Melissa Bacelar visit her Web site: www.MelissaBacelar.com.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 69
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Featured Artist
SCOTLUND
HAISLEY
Q: What inspired you to start painting? I have been painting my entire life, but I feel my artistic passion really came alive after Hurricane Katrina. I was inside of a flooded building after the storm, and found a piece of decorative ceiling tin that had become dislodged. At that moment I had the idea to paint one of the dogs I had rescued on the ceiling tin. Something about the idea of painting an image of salvation on recycled material just seemed appropriate to me. I knew that in order to paint images of rescue from Katrina I would have to uncap all of the emotions I felt while I was there. Because of this, it took me two years to begin my first ceiling tin painting. I now paint exclusively on pieces of salvaged ceiling tile. The quality of my work greatly improved once I merged my natural artistic ability with my passion for animal rescue.
Q: What type of subjects do you like to focus on? I paint mostly animals that I have encountered on my various rescue missions—from sickly dogs in puppy mills to emaciated horses rescued during cruelty cases and cats plucked from flood waters. I strive to capture the indescribable look in
70 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
these animals’ eyes as we remove them from harm’s way. On occasion, I do paint other subjects that inspire me. I have painted a collection of work dedicated to great Jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone. Last year I also painted a collection of work depicting President Barack Obama.
Q: What message do your paintings convey? Through my paintings I hope to educate the public about the horrible abuse of animals that happens throughout the country and all over the world. I hope that, by capturing these animals at their most vulnerable and sharing the hope in their eyes with my audience, I can motivate people to join the animal welfare movement.
Q: Do you have a favorite among your paintings ? Each piece I paint has a very strong emotional effect on me, but recently I have been especially captivated by images of the survivors of our fighting dog rescues. Before I began working for The Humane Society of the United States, I was the Executive Director at the Washington Animal Rescue League, and cared for 11 fighting dogs seized from Michael Vick’s property. I have painted those dogs over and over again, and am continuously haunted by their scarred faces and defeated
eyes. Every time I see these images, my dedication to the cause of ending suffering is renewed. In my rescue work I witness suffering every day, and painting the animals that we save has become a way for me to process all of this grief.
Q: How long have you been involved in helping animals? I have been involved in animal welfare for more than 20 years. I began as an animal control officer in Washington, DC, and have worked in many different positions over the years. After leaving DC I became the director of the New York City Animal Care & Control in Manhattan. I then went to the San Francisco Bay area to become Captain of Humane Law Enforcement. I spent time in India to increase standards of humane care of animals, and have also done undercover work to expose animal cruelty in many different countries. One of my biggest accomplishments was building the groundbreaking cage-less shelter facility at the Washington Animal Rescue League in 2006. Since Joining The HSUS in 2007, I have led our Animal Rescue Team to assist in the rescue of more than 30,000 animals.
Q: Even though you have seen so much suffering of animals, what are you feeling/thinking when you make a puppy mill bust? People frequently ask me how I handle seeing so much suffering and cruelty on a regular basis. My response is always the same—we know this suffering exists, so how could you not do something? My team and I have the ability and resources to bring about significant change for these animals, and I am very thankful for that. There is no greater feeling than removing a breeding mother dog from the only life she has ever known—one cramped inside a wire cage living in her own feces—and finally showing her compassion and security. Without our team’s intervention, these dogs would continue to be locked in constant confinement and forced to breed for the rest of their
lives. Knowing that, how could we not keep going until all of the cages are empty?
Q: What else would you like to say about your paintings or the work you do for the HSUS? I recognize that I am in a very unique position to end the suffering of countless animals, and also immortalize their souls through my paintings. Each time I capture an animal’s rescue through my art, I know that animal did not suffer in vain—that her ordeal will educate others. Statistics show that there are over 15,000 puppy mills in the country—one within about 20 miles of every American household. I challenge all of your readers to educate themselves on this cruel industry, and find their own way to become part of the solution.
Q: How can people purchase your paintings? Anyone interested in purchasing one of my paintings can go to www.scotlundhaisley.com or see my newest works on Facebook.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 71
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Role Model
KRISTINA BOWMAN Animal advocate, puppy mill rescuer, 4-legged foster mom and professional photographer!
Kristina Bowman & Liz Perales with Shadow (lab), Gustav (Weimaraner) & Ziegen (Shepherd mix). Photo by Lara Bierner.
The American Dog reports
K
ristina comes from a family of animal lovers and tells us, "I was born loving animals!" Growing up, there were always dogs and cats in the house and Kristina had a fondness for bringing home orphaned and injured wildlife, such as birds and squirrels, as soon as she could walk. Her mom used to take photos of her with all the strays she took in and one particular rescue stands out when she was around five years old: "I must have been playing in the front yard and I found two German Shepherds running loose; I brought them up to the front porch, one sitting on either side of me, and asked, Mom, can we keep them?" she recalls fondly. As an adult, animals needing help or a home just seem to find her, so Kristina started fostering before she even realized what fostering was. She and Liz Perales became involved with different rescue groups and would not only find, vet, and foster their own animals but also those of other rescues that needed help too. Besides fostering animals, Kristina and Liz work diligently towards many other needs in the animal
72 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
protection world, such as the ongoing cruelty in the horrific factory farming industry. As dedicated animal advocates, Kristina and Liz are both members of the HSUS volunteer rescue team, and were humbled to be able to help with a large-scale puppy mill seizure in Kaufman, Texas last August, where almost 600 dogs and puppies were saved from deplorable living conditions. Scotlund Haisley, the HSUS Senior Director of Emergency Services who led the investigation, told Kristina that the experience would be life-changing and she recalls that it truly was. "I always thought I knew how horrible puppy mills were, but until you actually spend a little time in one of these disgusting mills, you really have no idea," she explains. Kristina enjoys spending her free time doing rescue work and saving animals' lives, which she feels is some of the most rewarding work imaginable, and she's thankful for the opportunity to be mentored by Haisley himself which she tells us "is priceless!
Scotlund is an amazing human being," she adds proudly, "and he and his team are the type of role models that kids and adults should look up to." As a devoted animal lover Kristina is involved in many nonprofit charities and has served on the boards of The USA Film Festival and DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) as well as the Executive Committee of the HSUS Genesis Awards for 2008 and 2009. She currently serves on the board of the Texas Horse Park and August Dog Rescue as well as the Executive committee of Spotlight Humane, which is the HSUS's first Charity Gala to be held on March 26th in Dallas, with proceeds going to benefit the HSUS's Stop Puppy Mills Campaign.
went down to the pound the next day and adopted her with the intent of just fostering her but Ziegen became another foster failure! Kristina recalls, "From the minute she came home with us, she has been the most wonderful dog, and the way she tried to copy the other dogs and learn the ropes was so endearing to us, that we realized we were the lucky ones to find her!"
One of the main ways that Kristina and Liz help save lives is by fostering dogs. Although they foster for different rescue groups, lately they have mostly been working with August Dog Rescue, which is an amazing group that pulls death-row and last-chance dogs out of shelters and finds them wonderful homes. In the last 18 years that Kristina and Liz have been together, they've fostered well over 35 dogs and are very proud of their own dogs for being so generous and sharing their home and parents with these foster kids. "It is so much better for the animals to be in a home environment, as their true personalities come out and they are much easier to adopt out," she says. "The more fosters that are able to take in animals, the more animals can be saved from death row. Please don't think that one person can't make a difference, because you make all the difference in the world to that one dog!" When asked if all six of her own animals (three dogs, two cats, and a horse) were rescues, Kristina tells us, "Of course all of our animals were rescues. We would never dream of acquiring animals any other way." Of the two cats, one was an owner surrender and the other cat was found wandering around inside a Walmart store. The horse, Moose, was abandoned by his owner five years ago and Kristina offered to take care of him for life. As for the dogs, the Weimaraner, Gustav, came from Weimaraner Rescue; the dog named Shadow was a foster who became a permanent member of the family after he and Shadow became inseparable friends; and Ziegen came via a frantic Facebook posting which said the dog was going to be euthanized since she had sat in her kennel at the pound for over 110 days and nobody wanted her. Kristina
Above photos courtesy of Kathy Milani/HSUS.
For more information about the charities Kristina and Liz are involved with please visit: www.Humanesociety.org www.augustdogrescue.org www.texashorsepark.com www.equineadvocates.org www.blackbeautyranch.org www.pawsweb.org and check out Kristina’s photography business at: www.kristinabowmanphotography.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 73
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Role Model
Amy Sacks
&
Karli Covington—
Founders of
The Pixie Project Karli Covington (left) and Amy Sacks (right).
Meet Two Young Entrepreneurs whose Love of Animals has Saved Over 1,000 Dogs from the Shelters and Secured them Forever Homes! 74 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
The American Dog reports Photos by Lara Blair
T
he entrepreneurial spirit is what drives American business, but some fear that doing business with a conscience means losing a competitive edge. Happily, more and more are discovering that it's entirely possible to do well and do good at the same time. Exhibit A: Amy Sacks and Karli Covington, co-founders of the Pixie Project, an unusual pet-supply store in Portland, Oregon that's also an animal adoption and counseling center. The daughter of Ann Sacks, whose top-of-the-line tile business is a favorite with the country's most prominent interior designers, Amy is no stranger to smart business practices. Her dedication to animal rescue dates back to childhood, when she saw her parents help out homeless people with dogs, offering blankets, dog food, and their phone number to arrange free spay/neuter. Then she met Karli while the two were students at Iowa State University; during her college years, Amy was busy learning how to be an animal activist by volunteering to help a local vet perform free spay/neuter procedures on the pets of the area's low-income residents. "Between trapneuter-release and general low-cost veterinary assistance, I probably facilitated over 2,000 surgeries while I was in school," Amy recalls.
So we pull animals out of shelters and board them, and my cell phone extends to every adopter! We equate what we do to eHarmony for pets," she adds. "A lot of components go into making a perfect match, so we take all of those into account." When a match is made, the proud new dog owner can leave the Pixie Project with all the necessities, from leash and collar to food and biodegradable waste bags. The one-stop-shop-for-a-perfect-pet formula is working: Thanks to the Pixie Project, more than 1,000 Oregon shelter dogs have found ideal homes - which means the same number of homes now have the right pet for them. Talk about doing well and doing good at the same time! The adoptables are housed at a doggie-daycare business located in the same building, where they receive socialization and exercise. Meanwhile, back at the store, "100 percent of every dollar we make goes right back into the pot for rescue," Amy says proudly. Among the items for sale are stylin' T-shirts as well as dog collars that say ADOPT and leashes that proclaim SUPPORT THE ADOPTION OPTION. "We said, Let's design things that people will want to put on themselves and their dogs," Amy concludes. "The more we can get the branding of adoption out there everywhere, the better."
Amy lives with two adopted dogs, a Malamute-Shepherd mix named Chandler and Sadie, a Chihuahua mix; Karli has a Chihuahua-Brussels Griffon called Malcolm and a Pit Bull mix named Jake. But they couldn't stop thinking about the many thousands of other, less fortunate dogs in need of good homes, so together they cooked up a plan. The result is the Pixie Project, named after a terrier mix Amy rescued while in college; that lucky dog was adopted by Amy's parents. "She was rescued from a hoarder in Iowa City, and she ended up living the greatest life ever," Amy explains. "Pixie is a perfect symbol of hope." In the past year, many pet shops have either shut down or changed their business model in response to increased public awareness of cruel conditions at puppy mills that supply puppies to such stores. These days, smart businesses are the ones that refuse to sell animals from puppy mills, showcasing adoptable rescued dogs instead. Amy was ahead of this trend; the Pixie Project has operated on the "adoption option" for two years now. "Our goal from the very beginning has been to support our county's overcrowded, underfunded shelters," Amy explains. For first-time dog owners who might feel intimidated about going to an animal shelter to adopt, the Pixie Project offers a hand to hold. "Going to a shelter is not always an experience for everyone," Amy allows. "Shelters are working so hard as it is, and they can't always give adopters one-on-one support.
For more information: The Pixie Project 510 N. E. Martin Luther King Blvd Portland, OR 97232 Store (503) 542- 3432 Adoption (503) 512-3437 www.pixieproject.org
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 75
|
Dog Shopaholic!
Photo by Don Burke
THE DOG SCENE
Consumer spending will jump-start the economy, so one dog lover took window-shopping to heart and went on a buying spree for the holidays! She’s KRISTY SCHROEDER, professional dog groomer, animal advocate and loving mom to four dogs The American Dog reports
A
s an avid animal lover her whole life, it didn’t take Kristy long to figure out that she wanted to work with animals. After working long, stressful hours in the corporate world, she decided that life was too short to be miserable, and one day her friend suggested that she start a business with dogs, and why not enroll in a grooming school? She tells us that was her “aha’” moment, and within 72 hours she was enrolled in the Animal Arts Academy of Indianapolis in Carmel, IN. In May 2007, Kristy proudly opened her grooming shop called Barking Mad, LLC, in Covington, Indiana and has never looked back! As a professional dog groomer, Kristy’s shop offers fabulous spa treatments for dogs using only all natural products. Some of the services her four-legged clients take advantage of range from "paw-dicures" to deep-conditioners to blueberry facials. “One of my best clients told me that, after her dog got a blueberry facial, the dog begs for handouts every morning when she adds blueberries to her cereal,” Kristy says. Kristy didn’t hold back this holiday season, and showed her support of the animal community by spending all kinds of money on great products for her canine kids as well as herself! Some of the goodies she indulged in were over a dozen great T-shirts with slogans saying “Puppy Mills Suck,” 2010
76 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
calendars from rescue organizations, fabulous books from animal advocates such as Rescuing Sprite by Mark Levin, The Diary of Jinky, Dog of A Hollywood Wife by Carole Raphaelle Davis, Get Political for Animals by Julie Lewin, plus four copies of Recyled Love by Nancy Johnson, and five copies of Our Lives Have Gone to the Dogs by Eldad and Audrey Hagar. Then there were posters and pamphlets from animal welfare groups and the super-cute Commit tags from The American Dog Magazine for dogs and clients as well as more charms and tees from Scout Dog Studios. Lastly, holiday shopping wouldn’t be complete without Kristy ordering a subscription to The American Dog Magazine. Kristy gets our vote for being a great Dog Shopaholic!
To contact Kristy for a grooming appointment: Barking Mad LLC Professional Dog Grooming Services 931 North Trojan Complex Rd Covington, IN 47932 (765) 793-0713 www.barkingmadllc.com email: barking_mad@att.net
Graphic Design
Dog Portraits
Murals
Jane Brunton, Artist
www.the-art-station.com The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 77
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What’s New
Kid’s Pet Farm Kids Pet Farm is excited to announce the release of it’s newest line of 3 DVD’s, PUPPY LUV, KITTEN AROUND and CAT ASTROPHE. Watch the hilarious antics of these baby animals as they romp and play with their brothers and sisters. Shot in their natural environments, these DVD’s are packed with 1 full hour of cuddly fun for all ages! Kids Pet Farm uses only Rescued animals in all of its productions. All the baby animals featured in these DVD’s were adopted out to loving homes. Kids Pet Farm DVD’s are available through a variety of distribution sources including Amazon.com, Ebay store, PetCo and www.kidspetfarm.com. Partial proceeds from the sale of each DVD is donated to local area shelters. Shot entirely in HD, available on DVD at $14.95 each, and Blu-ray at $24.95. Contact Dayna Reed at 541.387.2321, e-mail info@kidspetfarm.com. For more information visit www.kidspetfarm.com.
Bravo! Bravo!, manufacturers of the Bravo! line of fresh frozen raw diet products and treats, is launching a “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” offer on its six top-selling dry roasted and freeze dried Bravo! Bonus Bites treats. This special program runs until the limited supply of special holiday merchandise sells out, so consumers should shop early. Consumers will have until March 31, 2010 to submit receipts for free full-sized product, which will ship directly from Bravo! See your local retailer for complete program guidelines and/ or restrictions. For a complete list of Bravo! retailers visit www.bravorawdiet.com.
Complete Natural Nutrition’s Real Food Toppers ™
Premium selections of 100% whole, U.S. human grade meat, that are gently freeze dried using the same techniques as NASA to assure nutritional value and freshness. The new packaging provides a built-in sticker that informs customers that they are ideal for dogs and cats of all ages that are finicky or have food sensitivities. This makes Real Food Toppers™ ideal treats for dogs and cats that have allergies, diabetes, are finicky, overweight or are on restricted diets, such as low carbohydrate, low sodium or low calorie diets. Real Food Toppers™ come in four flavors including Pure Chicken Breast, Pure Wild Salmon, Pure Beef Sirloin, and Pure Beef Liver. For more information visit www.completenaturalnutrition.com.
78 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Evanger’s has Freeze Dried now! Single-ingredient freeze-dried products are made from whole pieces of natural muscle meat, avoiding the use of ground or reformed meats. These products are gluten-free, grain-free, and do not use any additives or artificial ingredients. The freeze-drying process is one of the most efficient ways to naturally preserve fresh meats, making these supreme products an excellent treat, training reward, or food mixer. These lightweight freeze-dried whole meat treats are convenient for travel, and can be reconstituted in lukewarm water to be fed as a supplement during mealtime. 100% Nothing But Natural Whole Meat Treats are available in Wild Salmon, Beef Tripe, and Beef Liver. For more information visit www.evangersdogfood.com.
Mulligan Stew Premium Baked Kibble Dogs Love! There is more evidence than ever that dietary choices have major impacts on health. All Mulligan Stew Pet Food products are made with natural, functional ingredients and formulated to address health and life-style choices important to pet owners. Their products are made utilizing low temperature cooking processes which maintains better nutritional quality by ensuring ingredients are not overcooked. And the patent-pending formula is designed to balance your pet’s body chemistry, support organ function and help maintain their immune system. As a company, Mulligan Stew is committed to your pet’s health and nutrition and are focused on quality, safety and sustain ability! For more information visit www.mulliganstewpetfood.com.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 79
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Breaking News
A March for Free Speech for Those Who Have No Speech—
PUPPY MILL DOGS
By Rose Leroux
O
n December 19, 2009, the Saturday before Christmas, eighty animal welfare activists marched in a silent vigil for dogs suffering in puppy mills. The grass roots group was also marching for the five million companion animals who are killed every year in the shelter system because there are not enough homes for them. Local activists had been planning the event for months following an investigation by the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), which claims that Barkworks, a pet store chain in California, sells animals from puppy mills. The CAPS investigation included evidence from the United States Department of Agriculture inspection reports that the Midwest commercial breeders supplying the stores had multiple violations.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Johnson
The puppy mill awareness drive that took place on the busiest puppy-buying day of the year, was intended to raise the awareness of consumers and to steer them to the overcrowded Los Angeles shelters to adopt or rescue a pet for Christmas. The activists poured into the mall as a sea of red shirts, walking in poignant silence around the store as scores of uniformed security guards working for the mall glared at them. The Los Angeles Police Department was present, with several officers, to uphold the group's right to assemble. Unbeknownst to the shoppers around them, a legal precedence was being set. The animal activists were upholding a California Supreme Court decision from 2007 that ruled it unconstitutional to restrict assembly for the purpose of boycotting a store on private property.
Photo courtesy of Peter Chao
Photo courtesy of Melissa Huggins
Photo courtesy of Melissa Huggins
Photo courtesy of Peter Chao
Photo courtesy of Nora Murphy Photo courtesy of Melissa Huggins
“They told us it couldn’t be done, that we weren’t allowed to boycott inside the mall, but we pressed through the legal labyrinth for our constitutionally protected right to free speech. It was a very moving experience to march together against the cruel business of puppy mills under threat of arrest. Everyone had tears in their eyes. Some walked hand in hand. We were all shaking with emotion but we knew we were marching for those animals in pet factories and all the ones who died in the shelters this past year. It’s cruel to keep dogs in cages their whole lives just to
Photo courtesy of Peter Chao
supply pet stores and if we were hauled of to jail for a night waiting for an arraignment for a misdemeanor, well, that’s nothing compared to what puppy mill dogs are made to endure year after year. I saw a little girl ask her mom why we were there. ‘They’re here to ask people to rescue an animal, not buy one,’ she said to her young daughter. That made it all worth while to me.” ~Carole Raphaelle Davis, co-organizer of the boycott and West Coast Director of the Companion Animal Protection Society
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Traveling in Style
Comfortable & Clean Safe and Environmentally Savvy for You and Pooch
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By Kevin Green Photos by Heather Green
W
hen you see the prestigious Lexus badge you think luxury and reliability. Well, Lexus has done it again with the all-new Lexus HS250 Hybrid. There are now a total of 4 hybrids in their fleet to choose from: the HS, GS, LS and RX. This HS 250 is a remarkably well-balanced vehicle with tons of bells and whistles. Here are a few of the latest gadgetry offered in this new hybrid: • heated and cooled seats • voice activated EVERYTHING • wide front view monitor and backup camera • Lane Keep Assist Lane Departure Warning • 10 airbags throughout the cabin • 8 year, 100k mile bumper to bumper warranty— one of the best in the industry Lexus hybrids offer a spectacular combination of luxurious comfort while delivering better fuel economy and lower emissions for those who want to minimize their carbon footprint. Oh, some drivers are even reporting over 40mpg IN THE CITY. This is another gold star for Lexus! Go test drive the HS for yourself to see how it performs.
Vehicle sponsored by Kuni Lexus of Littleton
Additional Stats: Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5 passenger, 4 door sedan Engine type: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, 187hp Transmission: continuously variable automatic Test results: 0 to 60 in 8.4 seconds EPA Fuel economy: city/hwy driving of 35/34mpg Estimated base price: $34,000
For your luxury automotive needs contact: Kuni Lexus of Littleton Mike Parmakian 6160 South Broadway Littleton, CO 80121 (303) 798-9500 www.kunilexusoflittleton.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 83
WORKING DOGS
the Beagle
Brigade
Protecting America’s Borders from Dangerous Pests By Tamra Monahan
S
ome of the best X-ray machines at airports across the United States are cuddly creatures with tenacious noses. Using their keen sense of smell and gentle demeanor, these four-legged furry agents for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) quietly go about the business of detecting contraband agricultural products brought into the U.S. from foreign countries. This is the Beagle Brigade, an army of Beagles employed by
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CBP to protect our borders against harmful pests that threaten the agricultural economy of the United States. Their job is to find hidden plants, vegetables, fruits, and meat products that may be harboring deadly insects or diseases. Beagles make great secret agents because they are small, friendly dogs who have an easy time walking among people without alarming anyone. They trot through miles of unsuspecting passengers waiting to enter the United States at
(OPPOSITE PAGE) Photo by Gerald Nino, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. CBP Agriculture Specialist Canine Officer Kim Campbell asks a passenger at the Philadelphia International Airport about the contents of his suitcase after CPB Agricultural Canine Ben alerted to something suspicious inside.
Before she became Program Manager, Hall worked at the Miami International Airport with Saint, a busy Beagle who sniffed his way around international passengers at one of the country’s busiest airports.
the customs area, gently sniffing and snuffling around luggage in hot pursuit of their quarry. These hard-working hounds in their bright green vests are not intimidating to travelers. Most passengers pay little or no attention to the adorable dog at their feet, until he or she subtly sits next to their suitcase and doesn’t move. Seconds later, a CBP agent holding the other end of the Beagle’s leash appears, and suddenly this is more than a cuddly canine.
Saint’s specialty was finding plants hidden inside suitcases and purses. During one routine mission, the sleuthing Beagle was busy sniffing luggage that had arrived with the passengers from Central America when he hit upon a bag. He sat next to the suspicious suitcase, then immediately went on to another bag, which was mixed in with other pieces of luggage, and sat again. Saint repeated this behavior six times, indicating to Hall that there was a banned substance in each of the bags. When CBP agents searched the pieces of luggage, they found leaves from Central America in all six bags.
The agent then asks the passenger a series of questions about the contents of his suitcase, which is searched for prohibited agricultural materials. If discovered, they are confiscated and destroyed - mission accomplished for the Beagle Brigade. Thanuja Hall, Program Manager with the Canine Enforcement Program of the U. S. Customs and Border Patrol, believes the Beagles are a vital defense in the fight against animal and plant diseases entering the United States. Together, these dynamic duos seize about 75,000 prohibited agricultural products a year, saving farmers millions of dollars from potentially lethal invasive species. “CBP agents and their dogs have a duty to protect American agriculture, and these dogs are very good at their jobs,” she says. “[Beagles] are incredible tools. It’s almost like having an X-ray machine walking around because they can smell things we can’t see.” Hall said quite often passengers unknowingly bring prohibited items into the country, such as parents who have cut up an apple for their child to eat on the plane, or those bringing home delicious mangoes from their trip to South America. Most travelers don’t realize it is illegal to bring certain agricultural products into the United States, but the Beagle Brigade is always on duty to remind them.
“Saint is a great dog,” Hall says. “Once he discovered that first bag, he went right to the next one that was probably five or six bags away, and sat next to it. He’s very good at finding plant materials, and he kept going until he found all the bags containing the leaves.” During a routine inspection of passengers arriving from London at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, a CBP Beagle named Shelby smelled something interesting in one traveler’s bag. Upon inspection, agents discovered two small plastic boxes containing dozens of live snails, which were seized by the agents. Even though these snails had little or no distinctive smell to the human nose, Shelby knew something lurked deep inside the suitcase, and this determined dog was not going to let it escape unnoticed. Beagles are naturally curious dogs who love the thrill of the hunt, and for these pint-sized detectives, every working day is a game to find hidden treasure, possibly a stray sausage or a sprig of holly concealed in someone’s suitcase. They may look cute and cuddly, but these dogs are powerful warriors in the battle against alien species, and you can be sure of one thing: the Beagle Brigade always gets their pests.
The Beagles are trained to distinguish five basic odors: apples, citrus, mango, pork, and beef. As training progresses, food odors commonly carried by passengers, such as crackers, candy, and chocolate, are added, and the dogs are taught to ignore these scents. To train the dogs to distinguish between real and synthetic food smells, products like coconut lotion and peach shampoo are also used. There is no hiding from a trained Beagle’s determined nose. “These dogs are able to find exactly what they’re looking for no matter where it is in the bag,” Hall says. “Even if the plant material is packed with your shampoo or dirty laundry, they go through all different types of smells and are able to find it.”
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THE DOG SCENE
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Documentary Filmmaker
TOM McPHEE The American Dog reports Producer-director Tom McPhee is a man on a mission.
Tom is busy running his company, Man Smiling Moving Pictures, while filming two TV shows for Canada’s The Pet Network, as well as going on a nationwide Rescue Party Tour with his multi-award-winning documentary, An American Opera: The Greatest Pet Rescue Ever. But he's slowing down just long enough to launch an important new pet-centric initiative. We sat down with Tom to find out more.
AD: What inspired you to make the now multi-awardwinning documentary, An American Opera: The Greatest Pet Rescue Ever?
Tom: I was down in greater New Orleans following Katrina and serendipitously found myself at the very beginning of the pet side of the crisis; I started taking pictures of the dogs followed by video footage that I passed on to some broadcasters. After seeing some of my early footage air on two Animal Planet specials as well as PBS's Nature, I understood, having been there, that a greater story needed to be told that was more than animal rescues and reunions. I saw our humanity before me and I thought it would be important to create a documentary with this raw psychology on display, that resonated with those that were there, witnessing what went right and wrong with the pet rescue operations post-Katrina. I wanted to create a compelling story that helped me understand what happens when the facade of civilization is wiped away. I thought I could contribute something meaningful, yet truly compelling, specifically for those people that were there doing the rescue work, so they could finally explain the experiences they endured rescuing animals post-Katrina to people who had not been there. AD: What do you think is the most important trait for a documentary filmmaker, and how did you get started creating content with animals as the focus?
Tom: I find myself creating human/animal filmed content mostly due to my success with An American Opera. The very involved process sucked me into this fascinating world that I knew very little about, and I am happy that it did. As a filmmaker, I strive to be as unobtrusive as possible. I believe the best way to tell a story is to let the narrative grow organically.
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Photo courtesy of Man Smiling Moving Pictures, c. 2009.
AD: It's my understanding you are embarking on another petrelated film venture that takes you into the non-profit realm; what can you share?
Tom: Yes, I have created a new non-profit called the World Animal Awareness Society, whose goal is to ‘cover’ or film as many human-and-animal-related stories as possible, such as stories on Puppy Mills or the roundup of Wild Mustangs by the BLM in the Pryor Mountains. What I wish to do with the Society is to build an environment that creates a filmed record of any human-animal interaction, is inclusive of all the animal communities, including academia, and partners with broadcasters initially in the United States to disseminate this vital information. I believe the moving image is the most powerful teaching tool we have, and I further believe it will aid us in our evolution as it pertains to all life around us. AD: What are your plans for 2010?
Tom: Personally, I'm most excited about hearing new rescue stories from the people in the world around me; I expect to film between 500 and 1,000 hours of new animal-related content in 2010, in connection with the World Animal Awareness Society.
For more information on An American Opera, the Rescue Party Tour, the World Animal Awareness Society, or Tom McPhee, visit: www.ManSmilingMovingPictures.com
THE DOG SCENE
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Non-Profit
GREY2K USA Greyhounds Win in Massachusetts
By Paula Blanchard In November 2008, after years of groundbreaking work, racing opponents in Massachusetts succeeded in passing a ballot initiative that will end live greyhound racing by January 2010. This is the first time anywhere that active greyhound tracks have been shut down by popular vote.
To fully appreciate the weight of this victory, we have to go back to 1999, when a small group of activists, outraged at the reports of injuries, confinement, and deaths they heard from greyhound rescuers, launched a ballot intiative to ban greyhound racing in the state. After a bitterly fought campaign in 2000, the measure was defeated by less than two percent of the vote. The narrowness of the margin was astonishing, given the general public's ignorance of the issue and the huge amount of publicity the tracks had been able to buy. The activists picked themselves up and began again. Deciding to fight greyhound racing on a national scale, they formed a new organization called GREY2K USA. In 2001, working with sympathetic legislators, they passed a landmark bill requiring the tracks to report injuries, deaths, and the disposition of every greyhound that raced in Massachusetts. In 2005, GREY2K USA, joined by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Humane Society of the United States, formed The Committee to Protect Dogs. The new alliance began work on a second ballot initiative, but due to a legal technicality the question did not reach the voters. Almost immediately, plans were made to try again in 2008. Supporters across the state rallied and fanned out to collect 150,000 signatures. Signature collecting is hard work. It involves standing (or sitting, if you're lucky) for hours in the same place, and approaching hundreds of people with the same upbeat, brightly-voiced request: "Will you sign to help the greyhounds?" Many people
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Photo courtesy of GREU2K USA
duck, avert their eyes, shake their heads, and scurry by. But some sign; some even try to grab the pen out of your hand. And in 2008, GREY2K USA had had eight years to tell the voters the truth. They also had the injury reports. State records showed that from 2002 to 2008, nearly 800 greyhounds had been injured on Massachusetts's two tracks. Nearly 80 percent of those injuries were broken legs. Other injuries included crushed skull, broken neck, seizures, paralysis and cardiac arrest. The cramped, warehouse-style cages were illustrated by photos taken by the tracks themselves. In November 2008, the effect of carefully-documented facts on Massachusetts voters became clear. Fifty-six percent voted to end live racing. Nationally, there is still a hard fight ahead. There are nine racing states left, with a total of 24 tracks. But with the help of everyone who loves dogs, the remaining tracks will close sooner rather than later, and no greyhound in America will be forced to run—or die—for the money.
For more information: www.grey2kusa.org
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www.idawgclothing.com The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 89
THE DOG SCENE
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Non-Profit
INDIANA’S HOMELESS DOG CRISIS “Unemployment Ground Zero” Explodes With Abandoned Dogs
By Julia Szabo
I
n better economic times, the recreational-vehicle industry put Elkhart, Indiana, on the map. Now, with almost no demand for RVs, the media has dubbed Elkhart "Unemployment Ground Zero." In any disaster area where people are having a hard time, pets have it just as hard, or harder. And sadly, Elkhart's animal shelter is reporting a huge spike in abandoned pets. In September, 740 animals were admitted to the shelter—more than twice the number admitted in January. "People can't feed themselves or their kids, and often pets are the first to go," says Stephanie Krol, who began volunteering at the Humane Society of Elkhart County after adopting her beloved mutt, Simon, there. Krol spends so much time at the shelter that she's often mistaken for an employee, and was recently elected to the Board of Directors. She recalls the sad day she saw a teenage girl arrive in tears, charged with the terrible task of surrendering her family's beautiful, healthy, young Husky: "We see heartbreaking decisions like that every day in the Humane Society lobby." But those animals are the luckier ones; many people simply leave unwanted pets by the roadside. This was happening so frequently that Elkhart Humane came up with a solution to prevent leaving animals vulnerable to traffic and the elements: "animal night deposit" drop boxes, sturdy metal depositories to hold pets while the shelter is closed. Food, water, and blankets are provided in the boxes, which lock automatically for the pets' safety, and are opened early the next morning by shelter staff. "One family dropped all their animals off one night—there were two dogs and a cat huddled together in one box," Krol says. Elkhart Humane's already-limited resources are now stretched to the max. Thankfully, the shelter is rich in hope, with a 100-strong group of dedicated volunteers. Area businesses are also reaching out to offer help: The local news station, Fox 28, showcases adoptable pets each week; Wellpet, Indiana-based makers of Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, and Eagle Pack, donated 300 cases of treats.
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Stephanie Krol of Indiana's Elkhart Humane Society with Abby, a loving one-year-old mutt available for adoption. Photo by Kristin Van Zandt and coutesy of Elkhart County Humane Society
For consistency, the shelter prays that a pet-food sponsor will donate one type of food for the dogs, and one for the cats. "We've been feeding the animals whatever we can get our hands on," Krol explains. "And switching foods upsets their stomachs." That, of course, means more cleanup—and the shelter is short on cleaning supplies. So Elkhart is sending out an SOS (save our shelter). Please send donations of food, bleach and other cleaning supplies, latex gloves, blankets, towels, or—most important—money, no matter how small the amount, to the Humane Society of Elkhart County.
For more information or to make a donation: Humane Society of Elkhart County 54687 County Road 19 Bristol, IN 46507 (574) 848-4225
Spay and Neuter Laws
Humans Debate While Dogs Die By Carole Raphaelle Davis
I
t’s Tuesday, 9 AM at a Los Angeles shelter and a worried little terrier has just been “red-listed.” Unless someone adopts her, she’ll be killed. Another dog will take her place and that dog, too, if he isn’t adopted, will be killed. Could spay and neuter laws make a difference in this dog’s life? In California, in 2008, municipal shelters reporting to the California Department of Public Health took in 833,304 dogs and cats. Of those, 429,987, or 51%, were killed. That would be a sad enough number for the whole country but it’s just for the state of California. In the U.S., the number of pets killed in shelters is astounding. The Humane Society of the United
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States (HSUS) reports that every year, between six and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters and three to four million of those animals are killed because there aren’t enough homes for them. In 2009, uncontrolled breeding compounded by record job losses and home foreclosures are causing the number of animals flooding our shelters to rise sharply. When the figures are finally reported, they’ll be tragic. Until we get a handle on this crisis, we need to refrain from buying animals and adopt from shelters instead. We ought to promote adoption to our friends. And we must fix the dogs we have.
Sterilization would help reduce the overall population of dogs. Clearly, if we restrict procreation, cutting back on the number of dogs produced, we’re going to cut back on the overpopulation of dogs. Although responsible people do fix their pets, there are too many people who don’t or just won’t. They’re not thinking about the massive death toll and the fiscal impact—it costs U.S. taxpayers $2 billion per year to house and euthanize all those unwanted animals. On February 12, 2008, the City Council of Los Angeles passed a law that requires all cats and dogs in the city to be spayed or neutered after the age of four months (with some exemptions). I was one of the people in the packed Van Nuys courthouse when the dog breeders booed the decision. “My dog is my property! Nobody’s gonna tell me what to do in my backyard!” a breeder yelled. For California, Judie Mancuso, Director of Social Compassion in Legislation, is co-sponsoring The Pet Responsibility Act (SB 250, which is inactive until the January session) with Senator Dean Florez. The bill is intended to reduce the $250 million spent in California each year to house and kill unwanted pets in overburdened local shelters. Guardians who choose to keep an unaltered dog would need to obtain an unaltered license. “In our bill,” says Judie Mancuso, “a dog is impounded because it was running at large and if it’s unlicensed and unaltered, the owner is cited, required to sterilize and bring back proof of sterilization or continue to be fined. Voluntary spay and neuter through the education campaigns and increasing pet adoption has helped, but it will never be enough without a state law.” “It’s about time we tried something that might work,” says Cathy Davis, General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services. “History teaches us that volunteer spay/neuter doesn’t work and that’s why we see tons of animals coming in. Clearly, we need to give it an opportunity to work. We’ve got to try to something different to interrupt the flow of pets coming into the shelters.” New York City passed a spay/neuter law in 2000, which requires the sterilization of all dogs and cats before being adopted or redeemed by an owner from a shelter. “The reduction in intake is due in large part to our mandatory spay/ neuter of shelter animals,” says Jane Hoffman of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. “Would I love to have everybody’s animals fixed? Yes. Will there always be people who don’t for some bizarre reason? Yes. I think it’s going to be very difficult to pass mandatory spay/neuter laws unless the city and the community can provide free or low-cost and accessible spay/neuter.” Hoffman has little patience for people who engage in irresponsible breeding. “I would really like all these idiots who think it’s the miracle of birth—I’d like to them to have to watch the euthanasia of all these animals and maybe that
would be enough to move them. Every dog sold in a pet store should be spayed and neutered prior to sale, just like shelters are required to do.” “The best type of spay/neuter legislation,” says Teri Austin, President of the Amanda Foundation in Los Angeles, “is to make people want to do it.” Austin runs a free, mobile spay/ neuter clinic in L.A. that serves low-income neighborhoods. Last year, her Spaymobile performed over 7000 spay/neuters. “You have to provide good reason, make it advantageous, have enforcement, and you must make it plausible for everyone to comply. The bible says, ‘the poor will always be with us’, and so you’re going to have to have free, and/or low cost service,” says Austin. Ed Sayres, President of the ASPCA, believes a combination of volunteerism and available, free spay/neuter works best. Of spay neuter legislation, he says, “The energy put towards that and the polarizing dialogue is a lot of energy that could be put toward making spay/neuter incentivized and accessible. If you do better enforcement of the license law and have a significant differential between spayed and un-spayed in the licensing fee, then that’s the more solid approach. I’ve never been a proponent of mandatory spay/neuter,” says Sayres. “There’s no data that supports that it works and lots of data to support incentivized and accessible spay/ neuter.” “Laws educate people,” says Paula Fasseas, the vibrant and outspoken founder of Paws Chicago, the city’s largest nokill animal shelter. Fasseas believes that laws institutionalize behavior. “Once it becomes law, it becomes the norm,” she explains. “The majority of people are law-abiding citizens. It would save thousands of dogs and stop the cycle of excess animals. In Chicago, you need a license to sell Christmas trees! But there’s no requirement to have a license to breed pit bulls? Then they sell them, they end up in the city pound and they get killed. Less animals mean less taxpayer dollars going to collecting, holding, killing, and disposing of 19,000 dogs a year in Chicago.” Richard Avanzino, President of Maddie’s Fund, a foundation with a $300 million endowment, objects to spay/neuter laws. “When laws are enacted,” says Avanzino, Maddie’s Fund will not spend its money to fulfill government responsibilities. Where they do have mandatory spay/neuter, we do not fund in those areas. If government passes laws, then government should fund the enforcement and application of those laws. My concern is; if mandatory spay/neuter applies to all the dogs and cats of America, then we’re not going to have dogs and cats in America when the law is fully implemented.” “What is Avanzino smoking?” said Judie Mancuso of Social Compassion in Legislation. “For those of us in the real world, we know this scenario Avanzino has painted will never be true.”
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Another vocal proponent of mandatory spay/neuter laws is Dr. Andrew Kaplan, the charismatic N.Y.C. veterinarian who founded The Toby Project, an organization whose mission is to address pet overpopulation. “I’m 100% behind it!” says Kaplan. “Pet overpopulation results in five million dog and cat deaths a year in shelters. That’s acceptable? A solution depends on mandatory spay/neuter. Compliance is the major argument used against it. Murder is against the law. Are we not going to have a law against murder because it’s hard to enforce?” Kaplan goes even further. “Anybody who’s against this, let’s have those people do the killing one day and see if they think it’s acceptable. Let’s put it on TV every night— killing dogs and cats!” Powerful animal enterprises like the NAIA (National Animal Interest Alliance), PetPac (a lobbying organization of breeders) and breed clubs like the AKC (American Kennel Club) are fighting spay/neuter laws, calling these measures unconstitutional and an intrusion on privacy. “We’re anti-stupid regulations. This is unenforceable, unconstitutional, hair-brained legislation,” says Patti Strand, National Director of NAIA and board member of the AKC. “The problem with these laws,” continued Strand, “is that no one has done the research necessary. Our major thrust is to try to define the issues on fact-based evidence.” Note that the people defining the issues for NAIA are commercial breeders, research scientists, egg producers, cattle ranchers, hunters,
and exotic pet dealers. The NAIA’s promotional material proclaims they are “dedicated to responsible animal use.” They’re dedicated to using animals, not protecting them. Plainly, animal enterprises are against laws that undercut their profit margin. For example, the AKC made over $22 million in registration and certification fees in 2005 for 920,000 dogs—all unaltered pups. They encourage breeding. In fact, the registration and certification of dogs is their “bred” and butter. To absolve themselves from the shame of pet overpopulation, they flat-out deny it exists. Patti Strand’s NAIA Web site states that pet overpopulation is “a myth perpetuated by people who would end the breeding of purebred dogs and cats.” The source most often credited for the hypothesis of the mythical overpopulation crisis is author Nathan Winograd. Commercial breeders who fight spay/neuter legislation zealously promote his book, Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America. Breeders exploit and pervert his ‘overpopulation myth’ as a convenient excuse to continue unfettered breeding. “I’m against mandatory spay/neuter because it gives animal control more power to impound animals,” Winograd said. “If you put protections in legislation, no dog can be impounded and killed for the sole reason that he’s not sterilized.” Winograd creates programs to encourage adoption and places much of the blame for shelter deaths on a failure of the shelter system. He thinks there are plenty of people, millions, to adopt all these animals. His book is both admired and dismissed in animal rights circles. A lot of what he says is disturbingly true but many people told me that his numbers don’t add up and that his accusations are unfair. “I don’t know where he gets the numbers,” says Dr. Allan Drusys, chief veterinarian for Riverside County Animal Control in California. “They don’t make sense to me. The alleged demand for animals just doesn’t exist. I’m in favor of mandatory spay/neuter…I have worked in two shelters very close to freeways,” says Drusys. “There were never traffic jams of people wanting to come to adopt. He’s distorting reality. The blame is on mankind that willy-nilly produces these animals. This is a supply-driven equation, not a demand-driven equation and Winograd does not seem to comprehend that. The idea that mandatory spay/ neuter kills pets is rubbish.”
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Ed Sayres of the ASPCA defends the shelters that have “not only helped communities but the entire country.” About Winograd, he says, “Nathan usually says all the demeaning and disparaging remarks he can make about shelter directors in general, which in its tonality, is completely inappropriate… There can be poorly managed agencies. Nathan just makes this a grandiose, national statement. It’s hardly the case.” “To blame shelters for pet overpopulation is just insulting,” said Lisa Carter, the Director the Santa Cruz SPCA. Lisa Peterson, Director of AKC Club Communications is another denier of pet overpopulation. Incredulously, I listened to Peterson tell me, “When shelters run out of dogs they import them from other countries and if we have an ‘overpopulation’ of dogs, then why are they importing them from other countries?” I asked her where she was getting her information. “I read it in media reports,” she answered. Before we ended our jaw-dropping talk, she gave me one last doozie. “I don’t see the creation of new dogs as a correlation as to what’s going on in the shelters.” This is, at best, very creative thinking. Cathie Turner, a breeder and Executive Director of Concerned Dog Owners of California, opposes mandatory spay/neuter laws “because it makes almost everyone a criminal. They’re creating a climate to force dog owners to either sterilize their dogs regardless of the age or turn them in to animal control,” she added. “We’re all for voluntary spay and neuter but SB 250 is going to cause a huge increase dog deaths in California if it passes. The killing rate since the [Los Angeles] spay/neuter law passed has gone up 24%.” I asked Turner if it’s possible that the euthanasia rates might have risen because the severe economic downturn has forced so many people who have lost their jobs and homes to abandon their animals. “We do not have a pet overpopulation problem,” Turner insisted. “We have more than enough people adopting dogs to take care of all the strays if only we could get all the owned dogs back to their owners.” Months ago, while I was standing in the reception area of an L.A. shelter to rescue a dog, six dogs were dumped by six different owners right in front of me. Lisa Carter, Director the Santa Cruz SPCA, is a fierce advocate for mandatory spay neuter. “I’ve lived it,” says Carter. “Since it was implemented, we’ve decreased euthanasia over 70%. The county built a shelter that was one kennel smaller than the shelter that it replaced whereas in other counties, the shelters they’re building are 300 to 500% larger than the shelters that they’re replacing. The amount of animals is increasing because there are no spay/neuter laws.” The Humane Society of the United States has supported numerous spay/neuter ordinances in the past, and considers bills on a case-by-case basis. “It is simply wrong,” says Michael
La Mouche, rescued off of death row.
Markarian, Executive Vice President of HSUS, “to refer to these measures as ‘mandatory spay and neuter’ because they typically allow responsible pet owners to opt out of spay/ neuter for their animals for numerous reasons. Under these measures, people who elect not to spay or neuter their animals in order to breed their dog or cat must pay a permit fee. In that sense, this legislation provides incentives for people to spay and neuter, and amounts to something of a differential license fee for people who do not want to spay or neuter their animals.” Luckily, the worried little terrier from the L.A. shelter was rescued by Leslie Gallagher of Two Hands Four Paws just hours before she was to be put to death. No one wanted her. She’s now in a loving home—mine. We’ve named her La Mouche, which means little black fly in French. She’s in my lap right now, licking my hand while I type this. But what if La Mouche was the only dog available at the shelter? The fight to adopt her would be intense. What if there were two more like her? The fight would be less intense. What if there were a thousand La Mouches, or ten thousand or a million? Then it would be La Mouche who would be in an intense fight—a fight for her life. So the problem is irrefutable—there are too many dogs. Lisa Carter of the Santa Cruz SPCA will not let her passion for saving animals die. “On my grave stone,” she says, “I don’t want my name, I want it to say: Spay and Neuter.”
About the Author: Carole Raphaelle Davis is the West Coast Director of The Companion Animal Protection Society and author of The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife. Visit her Web site at: www.hollywooddog.blogspot.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 95
Landscape
A Vegetable Garden
for Dogs!
By Elizabeth Bublitz Owner of Pawfriendly Landscapes Reviewed by Kris Ahlgrim, D.V.M
M
ost people want to prevent their dogs from entering their gardens. However, my clients are unique (and wonderful!) because they actually want to share their gardens with their dogs. Since dogs use the backyard more than any other family member, I developed a landscape company that creates backyards based on canine habits—both good and not-so-good. Dogs are my muse, if you will, for designing a backyard. By respecting their habits and using appropriate materials, homeowners do not have to redo their yard every year.
(or at least a section of it) for him to harvest his own snacks?
One particular request my clients have is creating a vegetable garden for dogs. Many dogs love eating certain vegetables, such as carrots, peas, squash, etc.—so why not create a garden
Another important consideration is how you will water your garden. If you do not have automatic sprinklers on your new garden, you’ll want to locate it near a hose bib or spigot.
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The first step in creating an enticing garden is to choose the perfect area. Keep it at ground level so your dog can access it. You will also want to provide a walkway so you and your dog can harvest your vegetables. The size depends on how much you want to harvest and the size of your dog. Typically a 10’x10’ garden is adequate. Most importantly, the garden should be in a sunny area! Vegetables need to receive at least 4 hours of sun each day.
Mark out the selected area with inversion spray paint, a garden hose, or flour. Once the shape is determined, edging is needed. Edging is a material that prevents the migration of one material into another. Let’s say your new garden is in the middle of your lawn; the edging will prevent the sod from migrating into the garden, and will prevent the topsoil in the garden from migrating into the sod. Be sure to use only pet-friendly edging. Some edging is made of steel and requires a “safety” cap. The cap normally pops off due to age and weather, leaving the sharp top of the edging exposed and able to easily lacerate a dog’s paw. Pet-friendly edging is a steel edging that has a rolled top. The rolled top will prevent lacerations. Edging can also be brick, pavers, plastic edging, concrete curves, etc.—regardless of what is used, be certain it is pet-friendly. After the garden area is edged off, it needs to be prepped. If the area has sod, then it must be removed, or excavated, with a sod cutter, tractor or shovel. Many people confuse tilling with excavation. Tilling is done when soil amendments, such as aged manure, compost, planter’s mix, etc., are worked into the soil. Adding soil amendments increases nutrients and prevents compaction so roots can easily acquire water, oxygen and food. Excavation, however, is the removal of the sod or weeds at least a couple inches below the surface to prevent weeds. If sod is tilled into the soil and not removed, then weeds will grow and create a maintenance nightmare. Once the area is prepped, it’s time to bring in new soil. Planter mix, top soil, or bagged outdoor garden soil will work for your new vegetable garden. Due to erosion, you may have to add soil every year or so. Most amendments contain a mix of animal manure and peat. The manure (usually from sheep or cow) is the nutrient component, and the peat acts like an aerator to break down the soil. If you are adding manure, make sure it is aged so it does not burn your new plants. Also, many dogs love the smell of manure, fish emulsion, and other “stinky” amendments which will trigger them to dig in your new garden and wreak havoc on it. Most commercial fertilizers, such as Miracle Gro, Peter’s, Scott’s, etc., are just fine for your vegetable garden. In fact, many manufacturers create fertilizers specifically for vegetables. Vegetables love to eat so you will want to fertilize weekly or every other week. When you fertilize, be sure to provide plenty of water for your plants or they may burn. Now you’re ready for the fun part—choosing your new fruits and vegetables. Although most vegetables are safe, below is a list of non-toxic fruits and vegetables for your new dogfriendly garden, and a list of toxic ones to avoid.
Non-Toxic Asparagus Broccoli Cauliflower Cantaloupe Carrots Celery Cucumber Green Beans Lettuce Peas Potato (cooked) Pumpkin Spinach Squash Watermelon (suggest seedless)
Toxic
Avocado (fruit, pit, leaves) Aloe Vera (sap) Eggplant (all parts but fruit) Garlic Grapes (fruit) Mushroom (all parts) Nutmeg (nut) Onion Potato (spouts, vines, unripe tubers) Rhubarb (leaves, uncooked stem) Tomato (foliage, vine, green fruit)
For more information or to contact: Elizabeth Bublitz (Owner) Pawfriendly Landscapes www.pawfriendlylandscapes.com (877) 223-6744 Dr. Kris Ahlgrim www.goldenviewvet.com
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 97
Nutrition
Why do you really need a prescription for your dog’s food? … just follow the money! By Deb Dempsey
D
id you know that the Prescription Diet® (Prescription Diet® is a registered trademark of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®) your veterinarian prescribed for your dog doesn’t really require a prescription in the true sense of the word? I’m willing to bet that most consumers and perhaps even some vets are unaware that there are no special ingredients inside these diets that are regulated by the FDA or DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), requiring an official prescription. In the dog food world, the term Prescription Diet® describes an effective marketing agreement between a hundred-milliondollar pet food manufacturer and the veterinarian community. This agreement allows for the sale of their foods through licensed veterinarians only. Veterinarians benefit because they can achieve a much higher mark-up on these foods than they would by offering foods widely available without
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a “prescription.” The pet food manufacturer, in return, gains credibility as a manufacturer of veterinarian-recommended food and uses that as an endorsement, if you will, for the rest of their products. Win-win, right?
Just to clarify... Scott Ziehr, Feed
Program Regulatory Specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, told me that, “No, there are no specific regulations for prescription feeds beyond the regulations in place for commercial animal feed.” The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does require that pet foods, like human foods, be pure and wholesome, contain no harmful or deleterious substances, and be truthfully labeled. When I pressed Mr. Ziehr as to whether he felt these prescription diets were truthfully labeled, he responded that this was “not a question anyone
had ever asked before” and that it could be “subject to interpretation.” He then referred me to Dr. Sharon Benz, Deputy Director for the Office of Surveillance and Compliance at the CVM (Center for Veterinary Medicine) within the FDA. While I was unable to speak with Dr. Benz, Laura Alvey, Deputy Director, Communications Staff CVM, weighed in with this statement: “Prescription diet is an industry-coined term and holds no legal meaning.”
A brief history of the Prescription Diet® Dr. Mark Morris, Sr. created the first “Prescription Diet®” in the late 1930’s. Dr. Morris was a Cornell-educated veterinarian who worked with the American Humane Association to develop a meat-free diet, necessary to feed dogs amidst food rationing during World War II. “Pets do not need fresh meat, but can get their protein from rejected eggs, unsalable fish, soybeans, or even sour milk,” he explained in his biography, Mark Morris Veterinarian, written by Willard Haselbush in 1984 (pg. 88). Once the war ended, many pet food manufacturers began creating diets higher in animal proteins, more in keeping with the dietary needs of carnivores, i.e. meat-eaters. Dr. Morris, however, stuck to his previous formulations, explaining that, “…when I remember in wartime thousands of dogs in this country were kept alive and healthy on diets of cooked cereals and vegetables fortified with soybean meal, the effort to lure the American public into feeding pets an all-meat diet consisting of meat by-products is ridiculous” (Haselbush, 89). Interestingly, many of the Prescription Diets® today contain animal by-products. Dr. Morris developed a variety of Prescription Diets® including r/d® (r/d® is a registered trademark of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®), a formula designed to reduce a dog’s weight. “These dogs are around the house a lot and are often fed bits of candy and other sweets as a snack or reward. Fatness is a natural result. This presented a real research problem: How to create a diet that would be palatable, fill up the stomach, provide very little real nourishment—and still not create a diet deficiency disease,” Dr. Morris lamented in his biography (Haselbush, 144). He found the solution in pulverized cellulose, also known as wood pulp or sawdust, which is still a major ingredient in r/d® today. One has to wonder why he went to the trouble to create a dog food based on sawdust instead of suggesting that the pet owner cut back on the amount of candy they gave their pet.
An informal price survey amongst veterinarians selling 30-pound bags of Prescription Diet® r/d® (weight reduction) found the average price to be $61.00 or $2.03/lb. Alternatively, a 40-pound bag of Hills® Science Diet® Adult Light with similar ingredients and guaranteed analysis statements cost $43.99 or $1.09/lb. From a layperson’s viewpoint, both foods (containing corn, chicken by-products, and
cellulose) seem to be used for similar goals, yet the formula available only through licensed veterinarians costs nearly twice as much.
Elaborate marketing plans ensure veterinary cooperation In addition to creating pet food to address specific health issues, Dr. Morris also created a detailed and very successful marketing plan to gain credibility within the veterinary community. His daughter Ruth was hired “to disseminate knowledge about k/d®, p/d® (k/d® and p/d® are registered trademarks of Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®) and the foundation among veterinarians, to encourage a favorable image among them and to develop a whole new area of professional and public relations as it may relate to veterinarians,” which was explained in Dr. Morris’ biography (Haselbush, 171). With the help of a public relations firm, they created the “Student Agent Program,” designed to indoctrinate promising young veterinary medical students to act as liaisons to help educate their young, impressionable classmates about these diets. Dr. Michael W. Fox, co-author of Not Fit for a Dog! The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food, explained it this way: “Until recently, vet students in the U.S. and other countries were taught cat and dog nutrition by veterinarians employed by pet-food companies. Now more schools have staff teaching a short course in companion animal nutrition, but only too often their research and lectureships are funded by pet food manufacturers.”
Surely, not every vet buys into this marketing strategy! Dr. Paula Terifaj, a holistic veterinarian in Orange County, owner of Founders Veterinary Clinic and author of How to Feed Your Dog if You Flunked Rocket Science, recalled being “courted by" pet food companies in vet school: “It was conveyed to us that people are too stupid to cook for themselves,” she says. As most veterinarians do, she utilized “Prescription Diets®” in her practice initially. In 1999, however, she had a light bulb moment when she came across a book written by one her favorite professors, Dr. Donald Strombeck, entitled, HomePrepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative, which is still available today on Amazon.com. His advice set her on a journey that changed her practice forever. Today, Dr. Terifaj operates a holistic practice and encourages her clients to cook for their dogs. She feels that the manufacturer of Prescription Diets® uses “substandard ingredients and then fortifies the hell out of their formulas.” Dr. Judy Jasek, a popular holistic Veterinarian in Englewood, Colorado and owner of Bellevue Animal Clinic, also bought into the Prescription Diet® mantra early on in her career. “It was just the way we were taught,” she recalled. “Sales
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 99
by toothpaste giant Colgate-Palmolive®, is involved in widespread marketing efforts designed to reach veterinarians at all stages of their career. This approach is remarkably similar to the marketing efforts in the toothpaste industry, courting and then touting a dentist’s endorsement.
line of lowest-cost ingredients and maximizing profitability. Pet owners must realize that manufactured pet foods and the spin-off prescription diets are part of the agribusiness food and drug industrial complex that profits from recycling food and beverage wastes into pet foods and livestock feed, putting animal health and wellbeing at risk in the process…”
Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®…
A more natural approach
• offers scholarships for veterinary students • offers educational grants for veterinary schools • funds continuing education programs for licensed veterinarians
So what is a pet owner to do if their dog develops kidney disease, urine crystals, or any other diseases that these diets would normally be prescribed to treat?
Today, Hills® Pet Nutrition, Inc.®, owned
• maintains the Hills vet school graduate feeding program, providing food to students at no charge that they can resell for a profit • creates a nutrition curriculum provided to vet schools all over the world • distributes Small Animal Clinical Nutrition textbook to vet students • is a sponsor of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), of which Dr. Mark Morris, Sr. was once president • is a founding sponsor of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues • is a founding sponsor of the American Animal Hospital Association, of which Dr. Mark Morris, Sr. was the first president • sponsors the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine • sponsors the North American Veterinary Conference • sponsors the Western Veterinary Conference • sponsors the Student American Veterinary Medical Association • sponsors the Veterinary Business Management Association • sponsors the International Veterinary Student Association • is a member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association • self-professes to be one of the largest employers of veterinarians worldwide • regularly takes its competitors to court, challenging their marketing claims
reps were always coming in telling us how wonderful their foods were.” As she began to educate herself on nutrition, she slowly began to phase them out of her practice. “Almost all are corn-based and there is no real nutrition in them. They are so highly processed and contain lots of by-products.” Dr. Michael Fox, Veterinarian, author, and former Vice President of the Humane Society of the United States, sums it up: “Vet students and practicing veterinarians alike believe the ‘science’ behind manufactured pet food formulations is sound. But as we (Drs. Fox, Hodgkins and Sharp) show in Not Fit for a Dog; The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods, the science is seriously flawed and trumped by the bottom
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Dr. Terifaj first suggests first verifying that the dog does indeed need a special diet. She feels that often times a dog is “on the fence” and the easiest thing for a veterinarian to do is to suggest a Prescription Diet®. Instead, she often turns to a Web site, www.balanceit.com. This Web site provides recipes at a nominal charge to pet owners interesting in cooking their own food. In addition, vets can log in at no charge and request diets designed to treat specific diseases. She suggests asking your vet to do so for you if he or she is adamant about a specific diet. Not only will this be a cheaper alternative, but Dr. Terifaj feels it is a much healthier approach to feed real “human food.” Dr. Fox also prefers to feed a biologically appropriate, wholefood diet to his patients and offers recipes on his Web site www.twobitdog.com/drfox. He points out that “many of the so-called prescription diets are highly unpalatable and are lacking in essential nutrients. Veterinarian Deva Khalasa, VMD, in her new book Natural Dog: A Holistic Guide for Healthier Dogs, has some excellent home-prepared diets for dogs with various chronic ailments from cancer to diabetes.” If a veterinarian won’t budge from the idea of a Prescription Diet®, it may be time to locate a holistic veterinarian for a second opinion. Dr. Jasek is a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) and clients often find her using the vet finder on the group's web site, www.holisticvetlist.com. The next time your veterinarian suggests a diet for your fourlegged child that you’re not comfortable with, don’t hesitate to ask questions. A good veterinarian, traditional or holistic, will welcome that discussion and encourage you to look at all the options available. Haselbush, Willard C., Mark Morris Veterinarian, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1984.
For more information: Deb Dempsey Mouthful’s Pet Boutique 4224 Tennyson St. Denver, CO 80212 (720) 855-7505 www.mouthfuls.net email: mouthfuls@worldnet.att.net
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Health
SWINE FLU PANDEMICS—
ONE VET’S VIEW By Dr. Michael W. Fox
A
s the media beats the Swine flu pandemic drum, and people rush to get face-masks and hand sanitizers and are told that it is safe to eat pork products, stock-piles of Tamiflu and other anti-viral cocktails may soon be all gone, even though they may be ineffectual. The Centers for Disease Control insist that only a new vaccine may work against this new strain, designated as A/H1N1. But getting that into production will take months, and limit the production of regular flu vaccines for the later flu season that kills an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people worldwide every year.
in 1976, a reported 40 million Americans were vaccinated for a predicted pandemic that never materialized. There were some 500 reports of neurological disorders in people receiving this vaccine, and 25 deaths.
Millions of people will probably be vaccinated in the near future, and great profits made. But at what risk? After an outbreak of Swine flu at Fort Dix military base in New Jersey
The widespread use of modified live and geneticallyengineered viral vaccines in pigs can create a Petri-dish for viral mutations and genetic exchanges of DNA between
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Adverse vaccine reactions, so called vaccinosis, are generally under-reported, and under-recognized. The consequences of the carcinogenic and mutagenic adjuvant and preservative ingredients in vaccines, and the foreign proteins from chicken egg embryos, fibroblast cells, and other culture substrates used in their manufacture, may never be known or revealed.
one viral strain and another, and one infective species and another. First, in 2008, we saw a new strain of Swine flu virus being reported as linked to the Avian flu virus. Prior to that, the Avian influenza virus from factory farmed poultry spilled over and killed people and many wild bird species. An equine flu virus spilled over and cross-infected racing greyhounds that ran the same track facilities as the horses.
polluting nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, transgenic DNA fragments from GM soy and corn, and various pharmaceutical products. Even antibiotics are now found in crops fertilized with manure from livestock fed antibiotics. This has led to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria like the human skin- and heart-eating MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) we can get from pigs.
Then it was only a matter of time before this new mutated strain of the influenza virus in pigs evolved to become transmissible through its latest host, Homo sapiens, from person to person. Subsequently from person back to pig! In May 2009 a pig farmer in Alberta Canada, who had visited Mexico, was found infected with the A/H1N1 strain and had passed it on to his pigs. The next evolution for this virus could be from person to cats and dogs. Both cats and dogs have become infected with the avian H5N1 strain of influenza in recent years. In August 2009 an outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus, presumably passed on from humans, was reported in turkeys, most of whom survived a mild infection; but this raised concerns over risk to wild bird populations.
Clearly we must get rid of pig and poultry CAFOs, as well as poverty and malnutrition. Giving flu shots to millions is not the solution because these zoonotic diseases are rapidly emerging globally, in part due to international trade and travel; and they are evolving and mutating constantly. There will be one pandemic after another. Over the past 30 years, 75 percent of all emerging diseases in humans had an animal origin/vector.
On April 28, 2009, The London Times reported that the first cases of identified infection with this new A/H1N1 strain was in a poor community of thousands of Mexicans who had been forced off their land in 1992 by the Mexican government to make way for a massive pig production enterprise. They live close to large pig CAFOs—confinement animal feeding operations—that produce close to 1 million pigs per year. It is part owned by Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based US company and the world’s largest producer and processor of pork products. They had been experiencing much sickness since February 2009, and their earlier complaints about stench and constant fly swarms from pig waste lagoons had been ignored. Smithfield sells pork and operates massive hograising operations in some 40 countries. Many community complaints in the US about flies and stench, and reactions to living in close proximity to these masses of pig sheds, have led to a production-relocation across the border in Mexico. Poverty and malnutrition go hand in hand, such impoverished human communities becoming the Petri-dishes for the rapid evolution of more virulent strains that seem to thrive on nutrient-deficient hosts with little or no natural resistance to infection. They also become more virulent when their hosts are stressed, as by over-crowding and extreme confinement, which is the case with factory-farmed pigs. The stresses of World War 1 certainly contributed to the increased vulnerability of the human population to the ‘Spanish’ flu pandemic that was associated with some 30-50 million or more deaths worldwide. CAFOs produce high-volume animal waste, loaded with
We can thank the World Bank, among many, for promoting the spread of hog factories to the developing world, products from which are imported to the US, keeping the profit margins of US pork producers on the edge while the multinational corporations prosper. If the Obama administration has a clear vision of the promised Change in America, then it is to invest wisely in the future. That means we must change how medicine is practiced, including veterinary medicine; change our agricultural practices; change our eating habits; and make the production of farmed animals humane and consonant with a sustainable economy and a viable and healthy future for all. The Obama administration’s funding of a reported $2 billion to spur vaccine manufacturers in developing H1N1 vaccinations, and the British government’s plan to inject school children with untested vaccine has raised significant public concern. For the report by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins entitled Vaccines Far More Deadly Than Swine Flu: A recipe for Disaster go to http://www.infowars.com/vaccines-farmore-deadly-than-swine-flu/.
About the Author: Michael W. Fox, BVetMed, PhD, DSC, MRCVS is a member of the British Veterinary Association and an honor roll member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Fox has published more than 40 adult and children’s books on animal care, animal behavior and bioethics, including his latest one, Not Fit for a Dog! The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food. He also writes the syndicated newspaper column Animal Doctor and has a column at: www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 103
Dr.’s Corner
Otitis
in Dogs By Leonard D. Jonas, DVM, MS, DACVIM Wheat Ridge Veterinary Specialists www.wheatridgeanimal.com
E
ar infections (otitis) are a relatively common problem for dogs. Most of the time, they can be easily treated and cured. However, in some cases they can become chronic and recurrent. In these circumstances, more complete investigation into the cause and longer-term treatment plans are required. Causes of acute otitis include foreign objects such as plant material and stones, allergies, parasites, and water in the ear from swimming or bathing. Chronic and recurrent otitis can be caused by allergies, hormonal diseases, tumors, immune mediated diseases or incomplete/inadequate treatment of an acute infection. The underlying problem changes the microenvironment in the ear, allowing the development of bacterial and yeast infections. Certain breeds are more predisposed to infections. Cocker Spaniels, Bassett Hounds, and other floppy-eared breeds are at higher risk because of increased humidity in the ear canals when compared to dogs with erect ears. Dogs such as Poodles with excessive hair growth in the canals may also be predisposed to developing ear infections. Allergies are by far the most common cause of chronic ear infections. Besides treating the infection component, the underlying allergy must be addressed or else the infection will continue to recur. Ear infections can cause great discomfort to your pet. Typically the symptoms include pain, redness, head shaking, scratching at the ears, drainage, and a foul odor coming from the canals. On occasion the infection may move to the middle or inner ear. In these cases the symptoms may include deafness, inability to blink, tilting of the head to the side of the infection and loss of balance, circling, rolling, or inability to stand. The diagnosis of an ear infection is based on the clinical signs the pet demonstrates, the physical examination by the veterinarian, and the use of several diagnostic tools. In most
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cases the veterinarian will look down the ear canal using an otoscope. This allows the vet to assess the amount of debris and inflammation present, inspect for foreign objects, ear mites, ticks and tumors, and to evaluate the ear drum to see if it is intact or ruptured. Another diagnostic tool is cytology. This involves taking a swab of the ear debris and examining it under a microscope for the presence of mites, bacteria, and yeast. This test is of great importance in the selection of proper medications for treatment of otitis. In many acute otitis cases, a 2-3 week treatment course with a topical drop or ointment placed into the ear canal may be all that is necessary. If a foreign body, a tick, or a very heavy buildup of debris is found, sedation will likely be required to remove the irritant or to allow a thorough cleansing. When there has been a chronic infection, ear drops and ointments are usually inadequate to clear the infection. In these cases systemic medications (oral pills and capsules) will be necessary. Antibiotics are used for bacterial infections and antifungals for yeast infections. Glucocorticoids such as prednisone or dexamethasone are often included to reduce the amount of inflammation in the ear. Therapy may be required for many weeks to get the ear canals back to normal. Pet owners can help their pets avoid ear infections by practicing preventative care. Watch your dog carefully for scratching at the ears or shaking the head. Check the ears for redness, odor, or the presence of debris. A weekly ear cleaning at home with a veterinarian-recommended cleansing solution can minimize or prevent infections. Do not use cotton-tip applicators in the ear canal, as they tend to push debris further into the canal rather than lifting it out. Good preventative ear care can save your dog a lot of discomfort. Contact your veterinarian if you determine there is a problem.
106 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
Wellness Your Dog’s Diet: Eating and Feeding Whole Foods By Lorileigh Moreland
B
ehavior, happiness, health, longevity, and well-being are intertwined with diet. The better nutrition a body receives, the more vibrant and energetic it will be. Eyes will sparkle. Hair will be shiny and thick, skin smooth and soft. Body odors will be minimized. Brain function, diabetes, and allergies will be easier to control, if not disappear entirely. Food will be enjoyed more.
The best way to get real nutrition is by eating whole, and even raw, foods. Whole foods were given to us by nature, not by commercial labs or food processors. Whole foods are close to their natural or “whole” state. They have not been processed in any ways that would alter their nutritional content and flavor. They are free of all processing, chemicals, additives, or subtractions. They come in the simplest form possible, and, ideally, in bulk and not pre-packaged. Eating whole foods provides more vitamins and minerals in the diet. Whole foods aren’t as easily dissected into international units or percentages of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc. Nature never intended us to eat isolated vitamin or mineral supplements or fortified, processed foods. Assimilation of whole-food nutrients is 90-95%, whereas foods fortified with chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, and trace elements have an assimilation rate that can be as low as 20%! Whole foods are high in naturally occurring proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and antioxidants. The nutrients are synergistic and easier to assimilate when in their natural state. (Processed foods have chemically synthesized vitamins added back in, because the processing takes natural nutrients out.) The true benefits of each nutritional component can be had only when they are not isolated, but as close to their natural, synergistic form as possible. Remember, whole foods were given to us by nature. The key to true health is to have a varied diet (variety is key) of whole, natural, and raw foods. In these states, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and elimination work smoothly. Often synthetic or processed foods create conditions that disrupt this balance. This can lead to physical and psychological problems, and, over time, can have dangerous health consequences. Whole foods are a superior source of nutrition. Health and wellness occur when all the body’s systems are in synergy. (For those whole foods that must be cooked, bake or broil in a light oil such as a cold-pressed olive oil; don't ruin the benefits of nutritious whole foods
by cooking them in harmful fats or over-cooking them.) A balanced whole foods diet occurs over time, not overnight, and ensures health and wellness. Whole-food diets and their raw counterparts are beneficial for both our canines and ourselves!
Lori’s recommendations for your dog’s diet: Beef: Brisket, lung, ribs, sweetbreads, tongues, hearts, livers, kidneys, heads, oxtails, tripe Chicken, duck, turkey, other game birds: breasts, necks, backs, feet, wings, hearts, livers, giblets, eggs Venison, Elk: necks, ribs, heads, hearts, livers, kidneys, tripe Lamb, Goat, Pig: necks, ribs, shanks, heads Whole Rabbit, Herring, Mackerel, Sardine, Trout Also beneficial are whole-bodied fish oils, kelp, Biosuperfood, yogurt, kefir, fruits, and veggies.
For more information or to contact: Lorileigh Moreland, Owner Pet Empawrium & Spaw 12393 W. 64th Ave Arvada, CO 80004 (303) 467-7777 www.petempawrium.com
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Wellness CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR DOGS Animal Chiropractic Increases Life in Your Pet By Dr. Nancy Brandt
C
hiropractic medicine for animals is similar to its human equivalent because it affects the biomechanics of the structural system and nervous system. It is a drugless method of healthcare, not limited to back problems, but instead involved with whole-body wellbeing. When the bones and the areas around them (joints and supportive structures) are misaligned or fixated, even a fraction of a millimeter, the effect will change the flow of vital energy or nerve conduction. The goal of chiropractic is to restore normal movement within the structural systems (joints, tendons, ligaments, visceral planes). An “Adjustment” will also aid in neurologic reprogramming (NRP). By improving the messages sent between nerves, NRP improves communication between the parts of the body. A chiropractic adjustment involves a controlled, high-velocity, specific thrust within the joint plane. This most commonly involves the joints of the spine. There are over 100 techniques available to effect releases. Increases in technique knowledge and experience will increase effectiveness. Stresses accumulate over time within the tissues of the body. Stresses could include slips, falls, accidents, drugs, toxins, poor diet, environmental pollutants, and even age. Chiropractic alignments are indicated as a preventative maintenance program for general wellbeing. The longer function is inhibited, the more severe its impact will be upon the body. Chiropractic medicine believes you can stop and retard illness by keeping the spinal messages healthy. Age and duration of stagnations in movement will increase the time it takes to restore function. Most animals will be scheduled for weekly adjustments until normal biomechanics have been restored. At maintenance level it is then recommended to have chiropractic done every 1-3 months to maintain structure and catch subluxations or fixations early before even further decrease in performance of the affected tissue can take place. Chiropractic care can bring out the best in your pet. Any disease process could potentially benefit from spinal adjusting
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because the nerve supple would improve. Your pet may benefit from routine chiropractic in one or more of the following symptoms: • • • • • • • • • • •
Decreased level of performance Increased respiratory effort Difficulty in executing desired moves Behavioral changes Decreased eating or playing, resisting touch or grooming Short striding, uneven strides, stumbles, nail dragging Abnormal posture, changes in conformation Head shaking Post-injury or -surgery, especially post-dental work Chronic diseases Self-licking or -biting
Post-adjustment expectations Small, gentle adjustments are made; therefore the adjustment is relatively effortless. If there is protest to adjusting, often a more gentle technique is needed. Use a practitioner trained in many styles of adjustment. Usually there is a 12-72 hour period of readjustment to the changes along the spine. There can be stiffness, lethargy, and even signs of discomfort. Often these discomforts can be prevented with complimentary therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, or even pain medication. The body remembers it was compensating in one direction and now must readjust/ remember the appropriate biomechanical pattern; therefore it may resist the change in the form of muscle or joint aches, or even stumbles or shifts in gait patterns. Always have your pet relax and avoid exercise for 24 hours post-adjustment. Report any unusual symptoms. Consider the simple, inexpensive techniques of chiropractic care to increase the wellbeing of your pet so he or she can stay vibrant, happy, and healthy.
For more information or to contact: (702) 617-3285 www.nancybrandtdvm.com
What if you had the opportunity... to be a HERO?
to save a LIFE? ADOPT A DOG from your local shelter. Their alternative is death. Their life depends on you.
GO AHEAD‌BE A HERO! This message created by Jamie Downey, designed by Jane Brunton and provided as a public service announcement by The American Dog Magazine on behalf of the 5-7 million dogs and cats euthanized every year in animal shelters. Please consider adopting a dog from your local animal shelter.
Dog News Denver Doctor wins a Million Dollars –
and then gives it all away? By Nancy Fitzgerald
I
magine winning the lottery. We’ve all done it, fantasizing about what we would buy first and how perfect our lives would then be. Well, when Dr. Leslie Capin of Parker, Colorado found out about the cutest dog contest, where a million dollars for the winner was up for grabs, she schemed up a fantasy like no other. If she and her dog won, she would donate every single penny, to be split equally between the Denver Dumb Friends League and the Max Fund (Colorado’s only no-kill shelter). Really? Every penny? You’re not even going to buy yourself a new pair of shoes? “This contest gave me the opportunity to do something that I am passionate about, helping animal shelters," Capin says. "With the downturn in the economy, families are losing their homes and many can’t bring their animals with them. It is just so sad that our animals are paying the ultimate price for this recession: paying with their lives.” Capin then made it her mission to enter her three-year-old Chihuahua, Dr. Papidies, in the contest. And this lady was in it to win it! Capin is the first to tell you her dog isn't really a doctor, it’s an honorary title; he’s the mascot at her Medical Day spa, Cara Mia. Papidies was given to Capin as a present from a friend who unknowingly got him from a puppy mill masquerading as a breeder. Like most animals from puppy mills, Papidies has many issues. He suffers from Addison’s disease and must take steroid shots each month or he will die. When Capin first got him he crashed within hours of her bringing him home, and she didn’t think he was going to make it. She recalls, “I just thought, if I would be so lucky as to win this contest, I could give other animals the second chance in life that Papidies got.” Papidies beat out nearly 60,000 other dogs to win the Cutest
Photo courtesy of Customer Paradigm.
Dog Competition, with over half a million Americans logging nearly seven million votes! What are the odds? The contest was sponsored by All American Pet Brands to promote their new heart-healthy dog food, Grrr-nola. Lisa Bershan, President of AAPB, recalls, “Over the twelve-week course of the contest our entrants and voters bonded into a dynamic community of caring, concerned dog lovers that were set on making a difference. While we heard many stories during the course of the competition, Dr. Capin and Papidies was one that we all took to heart.” Both shelters are unbelievably grateful for the contest and Capin’s generous donation. “Half a million dollars will go a long way in helping our shelter," says Heidi Hahn, Director of the Max Fund. "The more space we have, the more animals we can take. Space means lives saved.” You might think that, being a doctor, Capin already has her millions so donating a measly one is no big deal. Au contraire! She's a small businesswoman who has been hit by the economy like everyone else. In fact she isn’t a millionaire, not even close. “I would love a million dollars," Capin admits. "Like most Americans, my retirement has been annihilated, but I entered this contest for the shelters and that’s exactly where every penny will go.” Capin is quite simply passionate about giving back to the dog community: “From the day I brought Papidies home his life has been a gift. I wanted the two of us to make a difference in this world with our charity work. You see, my husband and I tried for 10 years but were unable to have children; Papidies is our son. And what a legacy for my hairy little son to leave, a million dollars to our shelters! Now that’s marking his territory," Capin proudly concludes. And the thing is…they’re not done yet.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 111
Hygiene
Getting the
Scoop on Dog Poop! By Bibi Rogers Owner of 4U2Reuse
Why is it important to pick up after your dog? Here are some facts: 1. Every year 40 million tons of dog waste is produced
throughout the world.
2. Dogs generate disease-causing bacteria that can make
people sick. Studies done in the last few years put dogs third or fourth on the list of contributors to bacteria in contaminated waters. All dogs harbor so-called coliform bacteria, which live in the gut. The group includes E. coli, a bacterium that can cause disease, and fecal coliform bacteria, which is spread through feces. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Environmental officials use measurements of some of these bacteria as barometers of how much fecal matter has contaminated a body of water. The harmful bacteria dog waste contains pollutes the water and may cause dysentery or even cholera if accidentally ingested. Dog poop left on your lawn can seep into our ground water, wash into storm drains, and flow into creeks, streams, and rivers as well as transmit worms and other parasites such as roundworms and hookworms.
Pet waste is rich in nutrients. The nutrients act as fertilizers and cause algae to grow rapidly. Algae blooms result in large fish kills when they die, because the process of decay removes all oxygen from the water. This is devastating to aquatic life. A national survey of 1,000 Americans found that 80% of dog owners were unaware that dog waste poses a health threat to their family, and more than 83% of those surveyed didn’t know they could become infected by the worms and parasites in their pet’s waste.
3. Dog waste does not make good fertilizer. In fact, it goes beyond being bad fertilizer; it may contain harmful microorganisms and bacteria that can make you and your 112 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
family sick. For this reason, you should never compost pet waste and reuse it as fertilizer.
So how can we dispose of dog waste without posing a threat to water? If waste is flushed down the toilet, it will be treated by the sewage treatment plant. (using flushable bags) Waste that is bagged and knotted will end up in a landfill or incinerated to produce power. Biodegradable bags will decompose in a commercial composting environment between 60 and 90 days after use. It’s important to remember not to place feces-filled bags into home composting systems or green bins as this could lead to E. Coli contamination. Basically, dogs eat meat. Biodegradable bags will decompose in a natural setting at an extended rate comparable to other naturally biodegradable materials, such as paper, leaves, and food waste.
About 4U2Reuse: Bibi founded 4U2ReUSE two years ago, and the company firmly believes in the importance of respecting the planet and encouraging future generations in this regard. 4U2Reuse is committed to decreasing the amount of new plastic bags and preventing existing ones from ending up in landfills by encouraging their customers to reuse their bags, and by raising public awareness about how reusing plastic bags impacts the environment. For more information please visit www.4u2reuse.com.
neglect
e s a e s i d
suffering
loneliness abuse y t l e cru
PLEASE DON’T SUPPORT THE CYCLE OF ANIMAL ABUSE IN PUPPY MILLS. REFUSE TO BUY A PUPPY FROM A PET STORE OR THE INTERNET ADOPT FROM YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER OR RESCUE GROUP INSTEAD This message created by Jamie Downey, designed by Jane Brunton and provided as a public service announcement by The American Dog Magazine on behalf of the 5-7 million dogs and cats euthanized every year in animal shelters. Please consider adopting a dog from your local animal shelter.
Hygiene
Making Your Dog’s Hygiene a Priority Too!
Before
By Lisa Anne Burns Owner of Eye Envy
W
hen we think of hygiene, we typically don’t think of our dog, but their hygiene should be as important as ours. There is no question, proper hygiene is your first step to a healthy and happier dog. Start at the top—have you checked your dog’s ears lately? Ear infections are very common in dogs, especially in breeds with long, pendulous ears. There are some key indicators of ear infections: frequent head shaking, scratching, tilting the head, redness and inflammation, tenderness in the area, or foulsmelling ear wax discharge. If left untreated, ear infections can lead to additional problems, including excessive tearing, deafness, loss of balance, or even a ruptured ear drum. Does your dog have unsightly, foul-smelling tear stains? There are many theories as to what causes these stains, but most tend to agree that the underlying culprit is the bacteria/yeast growth caused by excessive eye drainage. The fur beneath the eyes remains wet becoming a breeding ground for the bacteria to grow. Although some breeds are genetically predisposed to tearing, additional causes may be teething, clogged tear ducts, shortnosed dog breeds, allergies, hard water, food, bulging eyes, debris, and ingrown eyelashes. But no matter what the cause, you’ve got to clean them up! Leaving tear stains untreated could lead to irritation and skin lesions. Unfortunately, there is no product on the market that can stop tearing, but there are products that can control the problem. Although many people believe that tear stains are an internal problem, truthfully they’re not; they’re an external problem. Internal remedies, such as giving your dog a daily dose of antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline or Tylosin), can initially help the problem, but you may set your dog up for a lifetime of digestive disorders, discolored teeth, and other health problems. Although some internal products are available at your local pet store and marketed as dehydrated beef or chicken liver, they may not be FDA-approved for dogs and cats. Do your homework and make sure that you know the facts. Some internal products have recently been banned in Europe, causing one to stop to think about this for a moment—
would you give your child antibiotics internally every day?
After
The key to removing tear stains is to control or reduce the moisture and treat the underlying problem, the bacteria Photos courtesy of Eye Envy growth. Use of a topical product that is natural and safe for your dog’s eyes is best. Never use bleach or peroxide on your dog’s stains. Also, make sure that you read your dog’s shampoo ingredients carefully. Products that contain whiteners, brighteners, bluing agents, or blueberry extracts will mimic the properties of bleach/peroxide and ruin the hair shaft, causing the stains to set. Feel free to use these products on all other areas except the stained area. In all cases, if anything looks unusual about your dog's eyes, have your veterinarian examine him immediately - because there are several serious conditions that may endanger your dog's sight. Are your dog's teeth not quite as clean as you'd like them to be? There is no question that regular cleaning will minimize tartar buildup and help prevent periodontal disease. The best solutions are cleaning with finger-sized brushes, gauze pads, or specially-formulated rinses. Monitor your dog’s teeth and gums, checking for redness, swelling, or bad odor. If you're concerned about either, check with your Veterinarian. Severe tooth or gum disease can cause severe problems. For any aspect of your dog’s hygiene, always remember that the most important thing you can do is educate yourself as to what your options are in order to make the very best decision for your four-legged family member. Remember, always ask your veterinarian if you’re unsure of what to do.
For more information please visit www.eyeenvy.com The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 115
K9 Design The Hottest— and Coolest— Components of a Dog’s Dream K9 Kitchen By Julia Szabo
F
rom the average American dog's perspective, the kitchen is the most important room in your home, as it's a treasure trove of tasty treats. Always eager to please our beloved four-footed foodies, we’ve sourced all you need to make your K9 a happy chow-hound. Bone appétit! The bowl you use to serve your dog's meals is just as important as what goes in the bowl. Avoid plastic bowls; they're porous, so they harbor bacteria and impart trace chemicals and an offputting taste to a finicky dog's food or water. This can lead to drinking and/or dining abstinence, which contributes to serious health problems. Stainless steel and ceramic are the best dog-bowl choices, because they're easy to keep clean. If your dog is a very messy diner, try the Neater Feeder, which houses a pair of stainless steel bowls—one each for food and water—in a unit that's designed to contain splashes and spills, so unwanted liquids and solids won't wind up on your kitchen floor; www.neaterfeeder.com Some large dogs can't wait until you fill up their food bowls; they just help themselves to the contents of the fridge, so make sure your refrigerator door shuts tight to prevent raiding by Rover. If you have a large dog, or several, select a fridge with plenty of freezer space to stash raw knuckle bones (and, if you feed Spot raw food, frozen venison or beef patties). Liebherr fridges come with freezer drawers that do double duty as food containers, so if you're in a rush, just put Spot's frozen bones right in the drawer without taking extra time to wrap them first, and the odor won't migrate; www.liebherr-refrigeration.com
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On the subject of food storage, if you have leftovers from a can of wet dog food, don't slap a plastic lid on the can and stick it in the fridge; once opened and refrigerated, pet-food cans and their contents wage a cold war, causing what's in the can to become totally unpalatable to dogs. The result of improperly refrigerated dog-food leftovers is wasted money, which nobody can afford. Invest in the gold standard of hygienic fridgeware for your leftovers and Spot's: glass containers with tight-fitting plastic tops, such as the sleek, stylish ones made by Frigoverre and sold at Crate & Barrel; www.crateandbarrel.com Your dog would prefer that you avoid cooking and baking in aluminum pans, especially ones covered with a nonstick coating; studies have shown that PTFE, short for polytetrafluoroethylene, causes cancer in rats and is especially toxic to young animals. Curry favor with your "galloping gourrrmet" by cooking only with cast-iron or stainless steel pots and pans—or get the best of both metals with Lodge's stainless-handled iron cookware. Enameled cast iron, meanwhile, is quite easy to clean up and looks wonderfully decorative hanging around the kitchen, plus Spot will agree that food cooked in it just tastes better; www.lodgemfg.com Last, but certainly not least, a cook's most important tool is a great range. Your salivating dog is hoping you'll consider acquiring an efficient one that won't keep him waiting long for his meals. With an American Range, Spot gets the service he expects, with everything from baked treats to broiled meats to defrosted frozen raw-food patties coming out ready-toeat in short order. Plus, you get the important safety feature of child-safe (and hence pet-safe) push-and-turn top burner controls. Most important from Spot's perspective, American Range sports the industry's largest oven cavity at 3.71 cubic feet—just the thing for those oversize roasts every dog craves; www.americanrange.com
“The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”
~ Albert Einstein
ADOPT A DOG. SAVE A LIFE! The American Dog Magazine encourages everyone who wants a dog to adopt from your local animal shelter or rescue group. You CAN make a difference. Whether it’s giving a little of your time to volunteer, donating a small percentage of your paycheck to a shelter, fostering a dog in your home or making room in your family for one more four-legged canine to join your pack. The animals will thank you! The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 117
Training
TO A DOG, NEGLECT is Just Another Form of Abuse By Doug and Elizabeth Simpson Owners of Tenderfoot Training
W
hen someone adopts a new dog with problems like separation anxiety, aggression, timidity, or fears, they frequently assume the dog was abused. Even people who adopt young puppies from the shelter often think their timid, fearful pup must have been abused, when in truth, the dog was most likely neglected and is simply responding to a lack of socialization, understanding, and experience. Check your Thesaurus for abuse, and neglect is right in there with cruelty and maltreatment.
shelter, and water to a dog is enough, and yes, they are essential to the survival of the body; but what about the heart, mind, and soul? Take no notice of a fish and he couldn’t care less, but dogs are intelligent, social, and emotional creatures who depend on us to provide them with love, play, socialization, grooming, stimulation, structure, and boundaries in addition to the basics. Being left in the yard all day, and the kitchen all night, is not good enough; it is merely a few steps up from abandonment.
Too many people think that providing the basics of food,
Dogs are incredibly forgiving animals who can recover from
118 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
mistreatment and still become loving, trusting members of their family; just think of the success stories that came out of the Michael Vick tragedy. Rescuing any dog that has been mistreated takes patience and understanding, but rescuing a neglected dog can actually take far greater effort to help him overcome the lack of beneficial lifeshaping experiences. Neglected dogs are likely to suffer from intense fears, insecurities, aggression, nuisance barking, running away, lunging at other animals and people, destroying things, and a gamut of neurotic disorders—all because their people did not take the time to teach them that the world is a wonderful place and how to behave, or keep them from being bored. Neglect is as much about failing to engage your dog as it is about relegating him to the back yard. You might be in the same room together, but if you don’t communicate with your dog he might as well be alone. He is free to do as he pleases and he becomes impatient, independent, and often insecure, like a child who has no teacher for years and does not learn to listen, respect his elders, or have manners. Your dog needs your leadership; caring, and patience so that he can learn to love, trust, and respect others; choose good behavior; and be thoughtful in his actions. A common mistake comes from the well-intentioned person who does not permit their young puppy to explore the world during the most formative time of his life—the first four months. Everyone is appropriately cautioned to protect their pups from disease until they have received all of their shots, but people often overreact and treat their pups like shut-ins until they are fully vaccinated. It is the dog owner’s job to create successful experiences for their pup from the start and never stop. They simply need to provide structured socialization by only exposing their puppy to emotionally and physically healthy people, animals, and environments. Today our lives are busier than ever, and people aren’t as social as they rush from job to home to kids activities. No one
has time enough for themselves, let alone a dog; a dog might sound like a great idea until reality sets in and then the dog gets left behind. When you bring a dog home you need to rethink your life, your days, and your future together. Even if your dog spends the whole day with you in the house because you work from home, that does not replace being out in the world. It would be like saying your child is socially healthy because he watches people on TV. There is no substitute for real-life experiences. Dogs need leaders to show them the way in the world, just like kids need parents to guide them and teach them good manners. Confidence comes from understanding; manners come from training; and emotional well-being comes from positive experiences. Your dog does not have to schedule you into his day—his day is already planned around you. What do you have planned for him? Dogs benefit from structure and engagement just like everyone else, so you must plan on taking the time to teach him a big vocabulary (20-30 words) and become someone he can count on for support, guidance, and leadership. It's really simple: the more you do with your dog, the better your dog will be. You aren’t likely to go to the gym for an hour if you don’t schedule it into your day, just as you aren’t likely to take the time to train the dog, brush him, or walk him unless you schedule those activities too. The benefits are huge, not only for your dog but for you too. Walking your dog for an hour is better than going to the gym; brushing him gets the hair off of the couch; and training him reminds you how important it is to make a connection with your dog. All this might add up to less time on Twitter, but it means the world to your dog. He gets your special attention for a part of every day, while he learns manners, looks spectacular with a clean coat, and gets a great chance to learn the world is a wonderful place by going on outings. His smile says it all: “Thanks for loving me.” Love Them and Lead Them!
About the Trainers: Doug and Elizabeth Simpson have worked with animals all of their lives and are thrilled to share their knowledge and understanding of dogs with their people. With 30 years of experience their methods are tried and true. They attribute this to good socialization, fair and consistent training and lots of love. Tenderfoot Training Doug & Elizabeth Simpson www.tenderfoottraining.com (303) 444-7780
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 119
Training
Can You Bring a Cat Home ...
... If Your Dog Thinks The Cat is “Prey” Or His Next Meal? By Michael Wombacher
C
ats and dogs don’t get along, right? After all, who hasn’t seen a dog chasing a cat across the street, or a brave cat, back arched, fur bristling, backing down some hapless mutt with a fiendish hiss and a swipe of its claw? Those examples alone should make it an
120 Spring 2010 | The American Dog Magazine
open-and-shut case. You have to choose: are you a dog person or a cat person? Well, not necessarily. While there does appear to be a natural animosity between dogs and cats, it can be overcome. Let’s explore incorporating a dog into a home with a resident cat.
Be assured that your cat won’t like it. No sir, not one bit. However, he can learn, in due course, to deal with it, and even come to like it.
presence of an uncouth mutt in its environs). If the dog is lunging, chasing, and out of control, correct him. This can be done with a squirt bottle (as above) or a training collar. Don’t use shake cans, as they’re likely to scare kitty to death.
We should make a distinction between a puppy and an adult dog. In some ways, it’s easier with a puppy since you probably won’t have your pup just tearing around the house on its own. With your pup in a pen or on a leash with you (see my previous articles on housebreaking), your cat won’t feel as threatened as with a large new dog tooling around the house. That means he is less likely to hide for six weeks than he might be with an older dog.
If your adult dog or puppy is incorrigibly lunging or trying to chase the cat, try this: Bring both doggy and kitty into a room. Tether the dog to something solid so that he can make it no further than a third of the way into the middle of the room. Put kitty on the other side of the room and block of any escape routes under furniture or out of the room. Perhaps have kitty skip a meal or two before this encounter. Then put a plate of chicken, fish or anything else that your cat loves in the middle of the room. Cats are not stupid; Kitty will soon figure out that she can get to the good stuff but the dog can’t, and soon she will try. Now, if your dog makes a move on the cat, he gets corrected repeatedly until he won’t budge. In the meantime, Kitty will become more trusting of the situation and venture out. Over time and with repetition, the dog will learn to relax and not jump at the cat, and Kitty will come to relax around Fido. From that foundation, a nice relationship may well develop going forward.
In this scenario, bring kitty near the puppy’s pen or crate and offer him some irresistible delicacy in the presence of the pup. This will focus him on something positive and put him at ease. Closely observe your pup. If he’s curiously sniffing and exploring, praise. If he’s barking, jumping, and pawing at his pen, reprimand him by giving him a squirt of water or a taste deterrent like Bitter Apple right on his kisser. He has to learn to behave himself more calmly around kitty for trust to develop. Once the pup can learn to act calmly, put him on a leash and bring him out with kitty. See how it goes. Are they curious about each other? Afraid? Wound up? If your pup is too rambunctious, try to settle him down by physically holding him in a down position while kitty sniffs around him. Teach him to calm himself around kitty. If you are successful at this, you may find that over time they can develop a playful relationship. But take your time. Remember the tortoise and the hare – slow and steady wins the race. If you are bringing an older dog into the house, much of the above still applies, but we have to be more careful and closely observe the dog. I’d suggest keeping the dog leashed initially whenever kitty is nearby. If he’s the calm, unflappable, easygoing type, increase the interactions to the degree that kitty is up for it (it can take cats months to acclimate to the
Lastly, if it is clear that the adult dog you have brought home is powerfully prey-driven you have some tough choices to make. You have to be clear that the stakes are high. Prey instinct’s purpose is to kill, and there is nothing positive that you can do to turn off or even dampen a dog’s prey instinct. In this case, only compulsion (read: force) will work reliably, all objections of “positive only” trainers notwithstanding. The question is, do you want to put yourself, your dog, and your kitty through that? Sometimes, as in the case of a new couple getting together (one with a cat, the other with a dog), it might be worth a try. But know that it’s a rough ride and definitely hire a professional to help. In sum, dogs and cats can and do get along famously; however, first introductions can be tough and take time. Be sensible and patient, and perhaps ultimately you too will be able to post cute videos of your dog and cat playing on YouTube.
About the Author: Michael Wombacher has more than 20 years of professional training experience and his training approach focuses on channeling a dog’s natural drives and instincts into behaviors acceptable in the human pack, primarily through the principles of positive reinforcement, as well as through methods that appeal to the dog’s canine sensibilities. Visit www.doggonegood.org or email mike@doggonegood.org for more information.
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2010 121
Training
Positive Training versus being “Dominant” or “Alpha” By Alana Stevenson, MS Animal Behaviorist
A
s a professional animal behaviorist and humane dog trainer, I regularly work with fearful, reactive, and anxious dogs. I teach people how to implement behavior modification to successfully resolve their dogs’ behavior problems. I am frequently asked how to establish oneself as “alpha” over a dog, or how to teach a client to be the “boss” over her dog. Instead of teaching people to “dominate” their dogs, I teach them how their dogs learn and how to reinforce and reward wanted behaviors. What is positive training? Positive training means rewarding your dog for performing a behavior you desire. When your dog exhibits a behavior you like, you show your dog that you like that behavior by rewarding your dog. A reward is anything your dog enjoys. Food, running with your dog, throwing a tennis ball, a game of tug, praise, baby-talk, and massaging your dog are examples of rewards. By rewarding your dog for performing a behavior, your dog will repeat that behavior again. By repeating the behavior, your dog will get good at practicing it. Your dog will then exhibit the behavior more often, until the behavior becomes learned and possibly even automatic for him. By understanding how to teach your dog in a positive way, you can redirect unwanted behaviors
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into wanted ones and manage your dog’s environment so that behavior problems do not occur.
How is positive training different from being “dominant” over a dog? Techniques used to humanely teach dogs are vastly different from the methods employed by people following a dominance/submission paradigm. When people try to be dominant over dogs, they often use harmful techniques that are confrontational. People try to be “boss” over their dogs by yanking and jerking them. Pinch, choke, and shock collars, as well as yanking on a dog’s leash or collar, are all standard methods used by those following an “alpha” approach to training. Choke collars, as their name implies, choke dogs. These collars can greatly damage the trachea and spine, and constrict a dog's air passages. The choke collar does not provide your dog with any guidance or positive instruction. The pinch or prong collar pinches your dog by constricting metal prongs into your dog’s neck. It inhibits your dog's behavior through pain and discomfort. This too does not teach your dog how to behave or what to do in a positive way. Shock collars (sometimes called “electronic collars” or “remote trainers”)
cause pain and instill fear in an animal. The use of these collars, and physically forcing a dog to perform behaviors, damages the relationship between dogs and people, intensifies fear and aggression, makes reactive dogs more reactive and nervous dogs more anxious, and exacerbates behavioral problems. Dominance and “alpha” style training are based on brawn, not intelligence or compassion. Animals do not learn well under stress. Yanking or jerking a dog’s neck or shocking a dog into “submission” will cause a dog to become fearful, shy, or avoidant. These approaches inhibit your dog's behaviors through pain and discomfort, and decrease your dog’s ability both to learn and to play. This style of training is fun neither for the dog nor the person, and sets up a confrontation when there was never a need for one. The methods and tools of a dominance/submissive dog training methodology are punitive. This implies that the dog will not succeed unless there are repeated corrections. The dog is set up for failure from the beginning. Sadly, the dog is punished before the dog knows what to do or what is expected of him. If the dog does not quickly figure out what the trainer or owner wants, the dog is often labeled as stubborn, stupid, or dominant. Rarely do positive, compassionate trainers label dogs or set them up for failure. “Dominance” is a label. It does not explain how a dog is behaving or what a dog is doing. It does not explain precursors to a behavior, nor does it reveal how a person may be contributing to their dog’s behavior and reinforcing it. Few people have any understanding of what dominance or being “alpha” means. Even among researchers the word “dominant” needs to be objectively defined. The meaning of the word will vary depending upon whom you are speaking with or how an individual defines it. Often the word is associated with bullying a dog. Being “dominant” and “alpha” are often words to imply being stronger, bigger, ‘badder,’ and tougher. None of these are ways to build trust or cooperation with any animal.
Dominance training is “No" training I often get asked by those clients who want to punish their dog’s unwanted behaviors, “Why can’t I just say ‘No!’?” My answer is simple. The word “No” gives no instructions. The word in itself is meaningless unless it connotes disapproval through voice and mannerisms. Often people are late to intervene, making their “reprimands” useless. If a person comes across adversarial enough, a dog may stop an unwanted behavior temporarily because he is startled, fearful, or afraid, but until the dog is taught a new way of behaving — in other words, taught another behavior to replace the unwanted one — the unwanted behavior will continue. It is much more effective and humane to teach your dog what you want from him through positive training, and to prevent and avoid creating behavioral problems, than it is to punish your dog for doing things you dislike.
The benefits of positive training Positive training sets your dog up for success by teaching him what you would like him to do so there is no need to punish or to get angry with him. Through positive reinforcement, you will not only teach your dog how to behave in new environments and how to perform behaviors you want, but you'll also enhance the relationship with your dog, boost his confidence, and teach him to trust you. Your dog can happily and easily learn to sit on cue, come to you, look to people for guidance, wait, stay, and leave or drop objects without being made to feel fearful or anxious in the process.
Finding a good trainer There aren’t any universal standards or credentials for dog trainers. Finding a trainer who uses positive methods should be a number one priority. Years of experience are not as important as the methods a trainer uses. Humane trainers will not use choke, pinch, or shock collars, nor will they recommend them. Be wary of breed specific trainers, such as those boasting to train Shepherds, Dobermans, Staffordshire Terriers (a.k.a. pit bulls) and Rottweilers. There is a machismo quality to these breeds, and often these trainers are very heavy-handed. A skilled positive trainer can teach any breed. Dogs don’t defy learning theory. All dogs are amenable to positive training. Good trainers will use food or other rewards, flat collars or harnesses, and will teach you to reward wanted behaviors and to ignore, manage, or redirect unwanted behaviors into desired ones.
Good advice for all dog guardians Be kind to your dogs. Exercise your dogs. Appreciate your dogs and reward them for good behaviors. Do not yell at your dogs or bully them. Set your dogs up for success and manage problems early on instead of creating problems or trying to undo problems you may have created. Animals learn best through kindness and benevolent leadership. Teach your dog positively, and both you and your dog will benefit.
For more information or to contact: Alana Stevenson, MS Animal Behaviorist (617) 548-2797 www.AlanaStevenson.com Author of: The Right Way the First Time: Teaching Your Dog Kindly and Humanely. Recommended by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
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Dog Law
DOG FIGHTING
AND THE
First Amendment By Marshall H. Tanick Attorney at Law
D
oes the Constitution of the United States protect dog fighting or other abusive or cruel behavior towards dogs or other animals?
must have national importance and be subject to significant uncertainty. It also helps if the case reflects hot-button contemporary concerns.
The question seems so absurd as to barely ignite a grunt in response. But it’s a more serious issue than it seems at first blush. In fact, it’s so important that the issue has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide during its current Term whether the Constitutional protection of freedom of expression under the First Amendment extends to depictions of dog fighting and other cruelty. The outcome could have significant impact throughout the nation, not only on those who engage in dog fighting or similar behavior, but even those well-intended individuals and organizations engaged in rescue, cruelty prevention, and other sociallydesirable activities.
The dog-fighting case that was argued before the High Court this fall fits all of these characteristics. No, it does not involve Michael Vick or any of his escapades. But it does raise issues that caught the public’s attention in the imbroglio regarding the professional football player’s promotion of dog fighting activities at his capacious estate in Virginia.
Video Views
The case before the Supreme Court last year, entitled U.S. v. Stevens raises an intriguing issue: whether a Federal law banning the manufacture or sale of videos depicting dog fighting and other animal cruelty is constitutional. The
Only about 1% of all cases that are appealed to the Supreme Court are accepted by that tribunal, which has discretion over which cases to hear. To reach that pinnacle, a case generally
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Dog Decisions The Supreme Court rarely hears cases involving dogs. The most recent decisions have involved drug-sniffing law enforcement canines. In this case, however, the dogs are the subjects of impropriety rather than the tools of law enforcement.
case arose from the conviction of a Maryland man, who was sentenced to more than three years in jail for selling videos of pit bulls fighting each other and attacking other animals, which viola http://static.bigstockphoto.com/thumbs/5/7/1/ large/1752033.jpg ted a 1999 Federal law making it a crime to create, possess, or sell any “depiction of animal cruelty.” All 50 states, including Virginia, where Vick conducted his escapades, ban dog fighting and animal cruelty. But the Federal measure is aimed only at depictions of cruelty, not actual participation in it. The defendant in the case was not himself involved in any dog fighting or other animal cruelty. Rather, he was convicted of splicing together videos of vintage dog fights, some of them from Japan, where the practice is legal. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting in Philadelphia, reversed his conviction on grounds that the law was unconstitutional under the First Amendment. A 10-member majority of the 13-member Court reasoned that the law could make it illegal to show videos of bull fighting from Spain (where the practice is legal and even a national pastime) or even of hunting out of season. The majority view contrasted with that of the three dissenting judges, who viewed the measure as a permissible way to combat animal cruelty. They opined that the First Amendment does not prohibit reasonable regulations of activities that promote illegal behavior.
‘Hard’ History The Stevens case raises a number of issues involving the rich history of the First Amendment and the sparse historical background of dealing with animal cruelty cases under that provision. The passage of the Federal law a decade ago was prompted by so-called “crush” videos, including those showing women stepping on small animals. A Congressional study reported that these videos catered to a very specific sexual fetish, with an active market for videos selling from $15-$300, or more. The legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, who instructed the Justice Department to limit prosecution to “wanton cruelty to animals designed to appeal to prurient interest in sex.” However, over the years, the law has not been enforced in that way. The only three prosecutions, like the Stevens case, all involve videos of dog fighting. A century ago, legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., early in his three-decade career on the High Court, uttered the famous aphorism that “hard cases make bad law.” By that, he meant that cases with difficult factual backgrounds often yield legal decisions that are troublesome. The Stevens case fit into that category.
The First Amendment advocates maintaining that the prosecution for showing lawful activity impairs Constitutional freedom of expression. They argue that deference to the First Amendment should permit the manufacture and distribution of these videos if the public wishes to buy them. But proponents of the protection point to the adverse effects of these characterizations. The Humane Society of United States, advocating against First Amendment protections, asserted in a brief to the Supreme Court that “gruesome depictions of animal mutilation . . . do not merit the dignity of First Amendment protections.” The Society and other supporters of the law equate it to other measures that ban certain anti-social types of graphic communications, such as child pornography. That position is rebutted by the First Amendment advocates, who assert that animals are not affected by videos showing cruelty to them the same way that minors are affected by child pornography. These contrary positions make the Supreme Court’s decision highly awaited in many courts, including those who follow the First Amendment as well as those condemning animal cruelty.
Twist & Tension However, there may be another twist to the Stevens case. A decision in the case is expected some time this spring. If the Court were to uphold the law, despite the First Amendment arguments, the measure could arguably be invoked in far more innocuous situations. Some have theorized that it could be used against animal cruelty organizations, sanctuaries, the media, or others who show videos of animal cruelty to educate the public, advocate for prosecution or legislative action, or for other benign purposes. Thus, the law poses a two-edged sword that alarms even some animal advocates. The dog-fighting video case is a rarity. But it may go down in history as a significant decision reflecting the tension between freedom of expression and efforts to combat animal cruelty.
About the Author: Marshall H. Tanick is an attorney with the law firm of MANSFIELD, TANICK & COHEN, P.A., in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He is Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), is a member of the board of directors of Animal Ark, a no-kill shelter in Minnesota, and represents a number of owners of animals and animalrelated organizations.
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Dog Law
Humane?
Is Your Animal Shelter
Shelters Need to be Held Accountable for their Euthanasia of Pets
By Anna E. Morrison-Ricordati Attorney at Law
The Truth in Shelter Act … Eddie’s Law [1]
member of the humane shelter staff.
Eddie’s senior guardian couldn’t keep him anymore. Although trained and highly capable of working with the elderly, Eddie’s guardian wanted Eddie to be with a young family who could give Eddie the love he deserved. The two-year old, gentle-yetbubbly Border collie deserved a good home , no, he deserved a great home. Driving over an hour to the wealthiest, most pristine Chicago suburb she could find, paying a steep relinquishment fee, and listening to the promises from humane shelter staff who would “do everything possible” to find Eddie a new home, Eddie’s guardian relinquished Eddie to the shelter. Eddie was sure to find his young family here. Eddie’s guardian smiled softly as she rustled Eddie’s ears while whispering “you won’t miss me at your new home,” and then watched as Eddie was led into the animal receiving room by a
Days later, Eddie was euthanized.
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Humane Animal Shelters Considering the standard practice in 1890s New York involved rounding up stray dogs, loading them by the hundreds into a cage, and drowning them in the East River, animal control has come a long way as a result of humane animal shelters. Indeed, it is because of humane societies and animal shelters that we now have animal rescue within cities. Yet in the eyes of many animal rescuers, shelter practices are still a far cry from “humane” over 100 years later. In most states, humane animal shelters are broadly defined, but involve two general philosophies. “Open door" or "kill”
shelters typically accept all animals without a waiting list, with or without a fee, and euthanize adoptable animals when space is an issue. “No-kill” shelters typically utilize waiting lists and fees to limit animal intake and do not euthanize adoptable animals. Both shelter philosophies have been criticized and both frequently euthanize animals with untreatable medial issues or serious behavioral problems.
Shelter Statistics The lack of uniform nationwide reporting requirements prevents an exact accounting, but it is estimated that over 9.5 million companion animals are euthanized each year in United States shelters. Citing reasons from aggression and sickness to overcrowding and scarce resources, the vast majority of euthanized animals are otherwise healthy, adoptable companions. Euthanasia statistics do not account for all unadopted animals in shelters, as in some states, shelter animals are transferred to research facilities authorized to conduct experiments or dissection (this is called "pound seizure"). Were it not for Eddie’s guardian feeling uneasy when her follow-up calls to the shelter went unanswered, Eddie’s case might never have been investigated. Shelters in Illinois are required to report intake and euthanasia statistics to the Department of Agriculture, but there are no requirements that this information be made available to persons before relinquishing a companion animal. In Eddie’s case, the humane shelter’s relinquishment contract specified that it need not inform Eddie’s guardian of Eddie’s circumstances.
Representation, Protection, and Accountability Drafted by attorney, G. David Tenenbaum, the Truth in Shelter Act (Eddie’s Law) proposes: • Definition of “open door/kill” and “no-kill” based upon the shelter philosophy and euthanasia rates of otherwise healthy, adoptable animals; • Disclosure of shelter statistics by requiring, for each year of operation, the total numbers/percentages of animals taken in, adopted out, euthanized and transferred to other facilities (including research labs using animals for experimentation) be posted on the shelter’s front door; and • Penalties for shelters that violate the disclosure requirements or otherwise misrepresent the shelter’s activities to the public. [2] Recall that Eddie’s guardian was led to believe Eddie would be adopted—and not simply ‘cleared out’ when more animals arrived—a belief that was bolstered by the payment of a sizeable
relinquishment fee. Eddie’s law aims to clarify the public’s understanding of shelter activities, and provides accountability where shelters obtain funding by misrepresenting the shelter’s status as “no-kill” when euthanasia is applied to otherwise healthy, adoptable animals. Unless a guardian has all relevant facts regarding a shelter’s use of euthanasia and transfer, the decision to surrender/relinquish to a given shelter may not align with the guardian’s true intent. Opponents to the proposed law claim it would dissuade guardians from surrendering animals, potentially leading to animal abandonment, a continued stay in a bad environment, or the disappearance of “open door” shelters altogether. Yet, forcing animal guardians to consider the direct consequences of relinquishment could have beneficial results. It could prevent an otherwise guiltless guardian from attempting to cycle yet another animal through the shelter when the animal is no longer a baby or when the guardian has bored of providing care. It may encourage other guardians to bear at least some of the costs of sheltering by seeking a “nokill” shelter for relinquishment with payment. It could even increase awareness of laws directed at animal abandonment and other abuses. The current practice of allowing a guardian to discard animals at the “open door/kill” shelters benefits only the irresponsible animal guardian. For cities with publiclyfunded shelters, this burden is borne by the taxpayers. With sufficient free-market incentives, it may be possible to shift high-kill shelters to low- or no-kill practices. In an era of transparency and increasing concerns for animal welfare, shelters that are funded by public dollars and private donations should be required to accurately report shelter statistics to persons entering the shelter. Only with full disclosure of shelter practices can we, as consumers, direct our resources to the shelters that best match our own humane perspective. [1] This account was loosely construed from information obtained in publicly available court records. The names of all persons, animals and locations have been changed or referenced generally to protect the identities of all involved. [2] For additional information on the text of Eddie’s Law and to obtain draft legislation for proposal in your state, please e-mail samken@sbcglobal.net.
For more information or to contact: Anna E. Morrison-Ricordati AMR Law Group, LLC 111. W. Washington St. Suite 1760 Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 376-7660 anna@amrlawgroup.com
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PUPPY MILLS: Unacceptable Cruelty
By Scotlund Haisley Senior Director of Emergency Services The Humane Society of the United States All photos courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States.
M
y job as senior director of Emergency Services at The Humane Society of the United States takes me behind the scenes of some of the worst animal abuse in the country. I often find myself walking into puppy mills, hoarding situations, fighting animal confines, and other cases of large-scale cruelty that could only be described as hell-on-Earth. Most people will never experience these horrors first-hand, but it is our mission not only to end suffering, but also to effect change by educating the public on the extreme cruelty taking place across the country. This approach of combining hands-on action with public education is especially effective when it comes to combating the cruel puppy mill industry. My department’s Animal Rescue Team works with members of HSUS’s puppy mill campaign and investigations department on a regular basis, to increase our ability to go after these inhumane mass-breeding facilities. We have taken on an unprecedented number of puppy mill rescues last year—saving over 4,000 in 2009. But the fight is just beginning—experts estimate that there are more than 10, 000 puppy mills across the country. Which translates to one puppy mill within 20 miles of every American household. These facilities breed approximately 3 million dogs a year. Puppies born in mills, who are often in poor health, are then sold to unsuspecting members of the public. They are often sold over the Internet, in newspaper advertisements, at flea markets, or through pet stores. The only way to be sure your puppy comes from a responsible breeder is to personally visit the breeder’s home and meet the puppy’s parents, or at least the mother. Otherwise, consumers are likely to be purchasing puppy mill dogs and supporting this barbaric industry, themselves becoming part of a disturbing cycle of abuse. While the puppies escape these mills early, breeding dogs are kept until they can no longer make a profit. It is these breeding mothers who are the true victims of the puppy mill industry. These dogs are treated as a cash-crop, kept in tiny, filthy cages for their entire lives, forced to churn out litter after litter of puppies. These mother dogs receive little or no veterinary care, grooming, bathing, or human affection and often have never even felt the security of solid ground beneath their feet. This is an especially cruel fate for man’s best friend—a species that for thousands of years has stood loyally by our side. With countless dogs imprisoned by this industry on any given day, it is impossible for most people to grasp the magnitude of this suffering. This is why I would like to tell you the story of one dog who I see as the poster child for the puppy mill industry.
Babe’s Story It was a steaming hot day in Kaufman, Texas when our Animal Rescue Team came to the aid of more than 550 dogs living in horrific conditions at Klassic Kennels. These animals were imprisoned by a couple who had been in this business of misery for more than
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As I knelt down to reach the last cage on the bottom of a long row, no dog ventured up to meet the open door. I peeked tentatively into the cage, thinking we may have been too late to save its inhabitant. I saw an elderly black and white Shih Tzu whose horrific condition stunned the entire team. All of her ribs were clearly visible under her matted and patchy coat, and all of her teeth had rotted out long ago, leaving her tongue to loll out of her decaying jaws. She could barely lift her head as I gently lifted her out of the cage. When I saw her clouded, dark eyes I knew that this dog’s spark of life was long gone. She may have been fed and watered, but other than that was left in her tiny cage to die a slow, lonely death. 40 years. That summer day their decades-long reign of terror came to an end, and I met an elderly breeding mother we have taken to calling Babe. As we made our way down the long, narrow driveway of this property, we were greeted by an indescribable stench and a volley of loud, nervous barking. Each mill we visit is unique in some way, but the common thread of neglect and suffering is always present. This particular puppy mill revealed hundreds of frail, emotionally stunted animals housed in filthy wire crates throughout a 10-acre property.
Each mill we visit is unique in some way, but the common thread of neglect and suffering is always present. Once on-site, our team wasted no time freeing the dogs from the dank hell they had been living in, most for their entire lives. The overpowering stench of ammonia in the first room forced me to put on a specially-designed respirator mask after only a few minutes inside. I can’t imagine having to breathe that suffocating air every day year after year. Dogs were stacked in small wire cages one on top of another, living in piles of their own feces and urine. Waste from the top cages fell onto the dogs caged below, continually showering them in filth. This waste became entwined with their overgrown coats, encasing them in a thick shell of filthy mats. Emaciated, desperate dogs lunged against the bars of their cages as we stooped down to free them. Their nearly hopeless eyes lit up with renewed optimism as we lifted them from their enclosures. Even after years of confinement and isolation, many of the dogs cling to our bodies and lick us greedily as we lift them out. Their power of forgiveness and resilience even after years of abuse is truly inspiring.
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My teammates called her Babe as a term of endearment, and rushed her to the veterinarian on site. We were all hopeful that something could be done to save this breeding mother. But the vet confirmed that after more than ten years cooped up in a squalid cage churning out puppies she was at the end of her rope. The only humane option was to put Babe out of her misery. Our whole team was devastated by the loss, but we all took some comfort in the fact that Babe saw the sunshine, breathed clean air and was held by compassionate arms before she departed this earth. Hers was a completely preventable suffering—one that was caused by neglect and greed. By telling her story, I can at least know that she did not die in vain, for she will be able to speak out beyond the grave as a poster child for every breeding mother suffering in puppy mills at this very moment.
Beyond the Mills Puppy mills not only cruelly confine and neglect the dogs trapped there, they also have a negative impact on this
And even if you can’t be out in the field with us as we lift these dogs out of darkness and make them the promise that they will never suffer again, you can do your part to put an end to this industry. I challenge you, through your personal and professional lives, to take your own talents and knowledge of this suffering and find creative ways to put an end to this horrific abuse of animals in what we call a civilized nation.
For more information or to contact: Scotlund Haisley Senior Director, Emergency Services The Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (301) 258-3143
country’s rampant pet overpopulation problem. Millions of dogs are born in puppy mills every year, while millions more are euthanized at shelters across the country. It simply makes no sense to breed millions of dogs a year when roughly the same number are being put down. As the former Executive Director of the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), I am well acquainted with the pet overpopulation crisis. I ran WARL for nearly seven years and encountered tens of thousands of beautiful, well-adjusted animals in desperate need of homes. While I was there I tackled the long-overdue issue of the ineffective, cage-based shelter. While sheltering facilities are far better equipped than puppy mills, they both illustrate the physical, mental, and social decline that dogs experience when housed in cages. After traveling the globe and consulting with innovative architects and animal behaviorists, I conceptualized, designed, and led a six-million dollar capital campaign to build WARL’s new ground-breaking shelter facility. This facility is "cageless," with animals housed in light-filled glass block and tempered glass doggie dens, cat condos, and puppy pads. The design includes other environmental features such as individual air exchanges, heated floors, and running water to control dust and create soothing white noise to reduce operating costs per animal and provide for happier, healthier, adoptable pets. While I am proud to have made this innovative shelter a reality and assist in the rescue of thousands of animals in need, it is my ultimate goal to put an end to all animal suffering. HSUS works every day—through our puppy mill campaign, rescue team and legislative efforts—to bring us closer to this lofty goal. I know that we have a long road ahead of us, but our team is driven by unflagging compassion and devotion to the cause. We will continue to shoulder the mantle of compassion, and fight against those who wish to harm the defenseless animals of this world.
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Bedtime Books Books to Read this Spring All books reviewed by Nancy Allen
The Right Way the First Time By Alana Stevenson This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to train their dog correctly and humanely, so he will be a loving pooch, not a fearful one. Alana tells you how to interact with your dog through rewards, not punishment. Follow her advice and you’ll have your dog behaving like the adoring, social canine you want.
Dog Joy By the Editors of The Bark The title says it all: This is a heartwarming collection of over 300 photos sent in by the readers of The Bark magazine during the last seven years. Do dogs really smile? After looking through the grinning photographs of these adorable pooches, your answer will be, yes!
Am I Boring My Dog? By Edie Jarolim Edie has written a hilarious, yet informative, book about how to be a socially responsible pet owner. She answers questions we definitely want to ask—and need to know—about our beloved canines. A must-read book for all dog lovers, but especially those who are thinking of becoming dog owners.
Glamour Dogs By Catherine Ledner This beautiful collection of photographs reveals glamour dogs in the most fashionable, stylish settings imaginable. The dogs themselves are enchanting and charming, and will capture your heart with their gorgeous portraits. This is a perfect coffee table book for anyone who loves dogs; as for people who don’t, they surely will after reading it!
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Unchain My Heart By Tamira Ci Thayne & Dawn Ashby This is required reading for every dog lover to see how the brave, caring, and unyielding men and women of “Dogs Deserve Better” go about rescuing man’s best friend. This book tells 40 stories of dogs rescued by people willing to fight the abuse of animals who just want a loving home life. After reading it, you will probably want to find a way to help; donate, volunteer, or read more at www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
Lost Souls: FOUND!
Inspiring Stories about Pit Bulls By Kyla Duffy and Lowrey Mumford These heartwarming tales about America’s most loving yet misunderstood dog will touch readers tremendously. Readers will learn about the love that comes from adopting or fostering a rescue dog or saving a dog from a sad experience and turning his or her life around. A portion of proceeds from the book is being donated to Pit Bull rescue groups.
Help Your Dog Fight Cancer By Laurie Kaplan, MSC If your dog has cancer, then you’ll want to read this book. Ten veterinarians give their expert advice about beneficial ways to help dogs with this disease. The personal bond of love that author Laurie Kaplan and her dog Bullet share will inspire anyone whose dog has ever had cancer. For those whose dogs are not sick, the book offers tips to keep them healthy.
Bad to the Bone: Memoir Of A Rebel Doggie Blogger By Bo Hoefinger Bo, a shelter rescue dog with his own blog, gives up the dog’s point of view on his life, his family, cats, etc. This is a hilariously funny, sometimes sarcastic, 15-year account of one dog’s home life with Mom and Dad. This is one book dog lovers won’t be able to put down—and it also makes a great gift!
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