The Dead Sea Scrolls have revealed that
Genesis should be
translated as follows:
On the first day of creation, God created the cocker
On the second day, God created man to serve the cocker
On the third day, God created all the animals
of the earth
(especially the cow) to serve as potential
food for the cocker
On the fourth day, God created honest toil
so that man could
labor for the good of the cocker
On the fifth day, God created the tennis
ball so that the cocker
might or might not retrieve it.
On the sixth day, God created veterinary
science to keep the
cocker healthy and the man broke.
On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but He had to walk the cocker
Author unknown
| Springtime brings out the
dogs, puppies etc etc... We all can use help...some like myself are FULL..and
can't take another dog in...Please read this and if you can do something
like anything that is listed for a rescue in your area ..please do so....
100 Ways to.Help Rescue Without Adopting a Dog or Fostering a Dog Can you...
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| 1.Transport a dog?
2.Donate a dog bed or towels or other *bedding* type items?** 3.Donate MONEY? 4.Donate a Kong? A nylabone? A hercules? 5.Donate a crate? 6.Donate an x-pen or baby gates? 7.Donate a food dish or a stainless bucket for a crate? 8.Donate a leash? 9.Donate a collar? 10.Donate some treats or a bag of food? 11.Donate a halti or promise collar or a gentle leader? 12.Walk a dog? 13.Groom a dog? 14.Donate some grooming supplies (shampoos, combs, brushes, etc.)? 15.Go to the local shelter and see if that dog is the breed the shelter says it is or go with rescue to be a second opinion on the dog? 16.Make a few phone calls? 17.Mail out applications to people who've requested them? 18.Provide local vet clinics with contact information for educational materials on responsible pet ownership? 19.Drive a dog to and from vet appointments? 20.Donate long distance calling cards? 21.Donate the use of your scanner or digital camera? 22.Donate the use of a photocopier? 23.Attend public education days and try to educate people on responsible pet ownership? 24.Donate a gift certificate to a pet store? 25.Donate a raffle item if your club is holding a fund raiser? 26.Donate flea stuff (Advantage, etc.)? 27.Donate hw pills? 28.Donate a canine first aid kit? 29.Provide a shoulder to cry on when the rescue person is overwhelmed? 30.Pay the boarding fees to board a dog for a week? Two weeks? 31.Be a Santi-paws foster to give the foster a break for a few hours or days? 32.Clip coupons for dog food or treats? 33.Bake some homemade doggie biscuits? 34.Make book purchases through Amazon via a web site that contributes commissions earned to a rescue group? 35.Host rescue photos with an information link on your website.? 36.Donate time to take good photos of foster dogs for adoption flyers, etc.? 37.Conduct a home visit or accompany a rescue person on the home visit? 38.Go with rescue person to the vet to help if there is more than one dog? 39.Have a yard sale and donate the money to rescue? 40.Be volunteer to do rescue in your area? 41.Take advantage of a promotion on the web or store offering a free ID tag and instead of getting it for your own dog, have the tag inscribed with your Club's name and phone # to contact? 42.Talk to all your friends about adopting and fostering rescue dogs? 43.Donate vet services or can you help by donating a spay or neuter each year or some vaccinations? 44.Interview vets to encourage them to offer discounts to rescues? 45.Write a column for your local newspaper or club newsletter on dogs on dogs currently looking for homes or ways to help rescue? 46.Take photos of dogs available for adoption for use by the Club? 47.Maintain web sites listing/showing dogs available? 48.Help organize and run fundraising events? 49.Help maintain the paperwork files associated with each dog or enter the information into a database? 50.Tattoo a rescued dog? 51.Microchip a rescued dog? 52.Loan your carpet steamcleaner to someone who has fostered a dog that was sick or marked in the house? 53.Donate a bottle of bleach or other cleaning products? 54.Donate or loan a portable dog run to someone who doesn't have a quarantine area for quarantining a dog that has an unknown vaccination history and has been in a shelter? 55.Drive the fosters' children to an activity so that the foster can take the dog to obedience class? 56.Use your video camera to film a rescue dog in action? |
57.Pay the cost of taking a dog to obedience
class?
58.Be the one to take the dog to its obedience class? 59.Go to the foster home once a week with your children and dogs to help socialize the dog? 60.Help the foster clean up the yard (yes, we also have to scoop what those foster dogs poop) 61.Offer to test the foster dog with cats? 62.Pay for the dog to be groomed or take the dog to a *Do It Yourself* Grooming Place? 63.Bring the foster take out so the foster doesn't have to cook dinner? 64.Pay a house-cleaning service to do the spring cleaning for someone who fosters dogs all the time? 65.Lend your artistic talents to your club's newsletter, fundraising ideas, t-shirt designs? 66.Donate printer paper, envelopes and stamps to your club? 67.Go with a rescue person to the vet if a foster dog needs to be euthanized? 68.Go to local shelters and meet with shelter staff about how to identify your breed or provide photos and breed information showing the different types of that breed may come in and the different colour combinations? 69.Go to local businesses and solicit donations for a club's fundraising event? 70.Offer to try and help owners be better pet owners by holding a grooming seminar? 71.Help pet owners be better pet owners by being available to answer training questions? 72.Loan a crate if a dog needs to travel by air? 73.Put together an *Owner's Manual* for those who adopt rescued dogs of your breed? 74.Provide post-adoption follow up or support? 75.Donate a coupon for a free car wash or gas or inside cleaning of a vehicle? 76.Pay for an ad in your local/metropolitan paper to help place rescue dogs? 77.Volunteer to screen calls for that ad? 78.Get some friends together to build/repair pens for a foster home? 79.Microchip your own pups if you are a breeder, and register the chips, so if your dogs ever come into rescue, you can be contacted to take responsibility for your pup? 80.Donate a small percentage of the sale of each pup to rescue if you are a breeder? 81.Buy two of those really neat dog-items you "have to have" and donate one to Rescue? 82.Make financial arrangements in your will to cover the cost of caring for your dogs after you are gone - so Rescue won't have to? 83.Make a bequest in your will to your local or national Rescue? 84.Donate your professional services as an accountant or lawyer? 85.Donate other services if you run your own business? 86.Donate the use of a vehicle if you own a car dealership? 87.Loan your cell phone (and cover costs for any calls) to s/one driving a rescued dog? 88.Donate your *used* dog dryer when you get a new one? 89.Let rescue know when you'll be flying and that you'd be willing to be a rescued dog's escort? 90.Do something not listed above to help rescue? 91.Donate a doggy seatbelt? 92.Donate a grid for a van or other vehicle? 93.Organize a rescued dog picnic or other event to reunite the rescued dogs that have been placed? 94.Donate other types of doggy toys that might be safe for rescued dogs? 95.Donate a roll-a-treat or Buster cube? 96.Donate clickers or a video on clicker training? 97.Donate materials for a quarantine area at a foster's home? 98.Donate sheets of linoleum or other flooring materials to put under crates to protect the foster's floor? 99.Donate an engraving tool to make ID tags for each of the rescued dogs? 100.Remember that rescuing a dog involves the effort and time of many people and make yourself available on an emergency basis to do *whatever* is needed? **gently-used dog equipment is always welcomed |
ALL THAT LITTERS..
Everyone who has
owned a dog has thought about having a litter of puppies. Here are some
of the
most common reasons pets owners give when
asked why they want to breed their pets, along with a few facts that
need to be considered.
1. "My dog has AKC papers. It should be bred."
This is a common misconception. AKC papers are worth exactly what they are printed on. The AKC is a registry only, not a regulatory agency. They require no proof of health or quality to issue papers. All AKC papers tell you is who the parents of the dog are, they are not a "license to breed."
2. "I paid $XXX.XX dollars for him/her. I'd like to make that back."
According to a recent survey by the American Kennel Club, the average litter of pups looses approximately $2500.00! There are so many hidden costs that the pet owner may not think about such as prenatal exams for the bitch, extra food for her when she is pregnant, food for the puppies once they're weaned, the puppies first shots, time off of work to care for the bitch when she's in whelp; the list goes on. What if the dam should run into medical problems? According to the same survey, 63% of the bitches bred suffer medical problems endangering their and/or their puppies' lives. C-sections, antibiotics, milk replacement for puppies, etc, all cost a lot of money. Most pet owners buy their dogs for pleasure. Do people really expect something bought for enjoyment to "pay for itself?" If someone bought a pretty gold ring, would they shave off little pieces of gold and make earrings so they could sell them and "get their money back?" Of course not! Then why must a dog, who gives so much and asks so little, have to justify its existence by "paying for itself?"
3. "You need to let them have a litter before they are spayed." or "I want her to experience motherhood."
These are nothing more than old wives tales. The benefits of spaying a bitch before her first season out weigh those of leaving her intact. A bitch left intact suffers a greater chance of contracting diseases and living a shorter life. A spayed bitch has no chance of developing pyometria, endometrosis, uterine and ovarian cancer and has a much lesser chance of developing mammary cancer, one of the more common canine cancers. As for "experiencing motherhood", bitches have no sense of maternal "needs." Their desire to reproduce is strictly an instinctive response to hormonal fluctuation.
4. "But I don't want to rob my dog of his manhood. He won't hunt or guard the house."
The pet owner should not confuse the canine sexual act with human sexual fulfillment. There is no "love" involved with canines, it is purely an instinctive hormonal response. Dogs do not need their reproductive organs or a sexual experience to "make their life complete." A neutered male makes a far superior pet. He will not roam in search of bitches in season, he will have less tendency to mark his territory with urine and he will be less likely to get into fights. He will not develop cancer of the testes and he will suffer far less prostate and urinary tract problems. He will make a better watch dog because he will be less inclined to wander off and will stay home where he is needed. If he is a hunting dog, you can be sure he won't be distracted by the scent of a bitch in season! The list of benefits goes on and on.
Sometimes a male dog will have only one testicle descended into the scrotum. This is commonly called "monorchidism". When neither testicle has descended it is commonly called "cryptorchidism". In these cases one or both testes have been retained up in the dog's abdominal cavity. Because testes are not designed to be kept at body temperature, the retainned testicle essentially "cooks" and becomes a serious cancer risk. Occasionally a monorchid male is fertile, but the trait is hereditary. Therefore, a monorchid male should never, ever be bred. It is not fair to pass on this high cancer risk.
5. "But if I have my pet fixed he (or she) will get fat!"
A neutered or spayed pet will not get fat simply from the surgery. A pet only gets fat if an owner over feeds it. When an animal is neutered, its metabolism slows down, therefore it requires fewer calories. If the owner continues to feed the pet the same amount of food after the surgery as before, it is very likely the pet will gain weight. The owner needs to limit the amount of food the pet gets as well as maintaining a healthy amount of exercise.
6. "I want my children to witness the miracle of life."
Are the children
ready for the miracle of death as well? As stated earlier, 63% of bitches
bred suffer problems. Many times these problems are fatal for the puppies
and/or the mother as well. Puppies can be born dead or die from complications
at birth. Dams
can retain placentas, develop eclampsia,
go into uterine inertia or die during a c-section. The list of possible
problems is very long. If the potential mother is a treasured family
pet, why would anyone want to put her into a dangerous situation? Buy the
kids a book, it's cheaper, safer and far more humane.
7. "I work all day, but I don't need to worry about being there when she whelps. Back on the farm, our dog had her puppies out in the barn and no one ever helped."
The dog has been a domestic animal for centuries. Man has shaped it into many different breeds and types. Because of this, it is no longer a wild animal that can reproduce with no help from man. Some breeds, such as the bulldog, can rarely even breed naturally and must be artificially inseminated. The bitch does need assistance, even if it is just someone to watch and make sure she is not in trouble. On a regular basis, veterinarians see bitches that have been in hard labor for 36 hours or longer with no results. Usually, the owners will say they didn't realize she was in labor, or that they thought she could "do it all alone." The poor animals and the puppies they carry rarely ever survive.
Even well-cared for bitches can have problems. Eclampsia can develop very quickly and will kill the dam if the owner doesn't seek veterinary assistance immediately. Then the owner is left with orphaned newborns that must be bottle fed every three hours, around the clock. How many pet owners have the time to devote to this? A pet owner who would let the puppies die rather than taking proper care of them had no right to breed them in the first place.
8. "The vet says my dog is perfectly healthy."
The special tests required
to diagnose hereditary problems are not normally part of a routine veterinary
check up. Hip dysplasia is a hereditary, crippling disorder that has been
diagnosed in virtually all AKC recognized breeds. It can be as mild as
a 4 or 5 year old with a little stiffness on a cold morning or as severe
as a 6 month old that can't get up and walk. Rottweilers, Bullmastiffs,
Saint Bernards and American Staffordshire Terriers are just a few of the
breeds which have a particularly high incidence of this disorder.
The only way you can be sure your dog is not afflicted with the disease
is to have a special radiograph taken and sent off to the Orthopedic Foundation
For Animals (OFA) where they will be read and evaluated. Hereditary eye
diseases which can cause blindness are also a big problem in many
AKC breeds such as the American Cocker Spaniel, the Siberian Husky, the
Poodle, the Collie, and the Labrador Retriever. In most cases, these
diseases can only be detected by a special exam performed by a canine
ophthalmologist. There are also inherited
blood and heart disorders that can severely shorten a dog's life and/or
require it to be on medication for the rest of its life.
All these things can be prevented if people would just take the time to test the dogs they want to breed. Not just the health needs to be checked, but the quality of the animal needs to be taken into consideration. This is especially hard to do with a much-loved pet. A pet that is too large, too small, bites when being groomed, has a coat which is too long or too short is not a good representative of the breed. AND these traits are hereditary. How would someone feel if they bought a Shetland Sheepdog and it grew up to be as large as a Great Dane or if they purchased a Cocker Spaniel that bit every time they tried to brush it? It certainly wouldn't be what they expected or wanted, yet someone bred it and sold it to them as a purebred dog. It happens every day.
Several years ago, the American Cocker Spaniel fell from the first place in popularity because it developed some severe hereditary temperament and health problems. They became nasty dogs that bit with little provocation and "hyper" dogs that urinated when excited. They developed tremendous hereditary eye problems that cause blindness as well as hip and joint problems that cause lameness. Who was to blame? John Q. Public who insisted on breeding dogs without doing any testing and with no regard to quality. Fortunately for the American Cocker, there was a staunch group of fanciers who managed to preserve the health and "merry " temperament that makes the cocker such an endearing pet. Due to the hard work of these individuals, the American Cocker is back in the top ten. Unfortunately, once again, cockers with bad temperments and/or serious health problems are starting to show up. All because people insist on breeding their pets with no regard for physical, temperamental or health quality. Now several other breeds such as the Rottweiler, the Akita, the Siberian Husky and the Chow Chow appear to be headed the same direction as the American Cocker Spaniel.
9. "We're not interested in doing all that testing. All we want to do is have a litter of puppies. We're not going to show or anything, in fact, we aren't even going to sell the puppies. We are going to give them away. All the neighbors said they'd take one. Besides, what harm is there in one litter of puppies?"
"What harm is there in one litter of puppies?" The answer is simple mathematics. Say a pet owner breeds a litter without bothering to check the parents for hereditary problems or evaluate them for quality. If six puppies are born, and those puppies each go on to have six puppies, who each, in turn, have six puppies, it doesn't take much to figure out that soon it will be next to impossible to find any representative of the breed which does not have a tremendous potential for hereditary problems. The harm is done to the very breed which the pet owner professes to love, the unsuspecting person who buys a puppy from him or her and the dog itself, who must suffer with a problem that very well could have been prevented. The fact that a pet owner is not going to show a puppy or is not going to take money for it does not relieve him or her of the responsibility, either. It is not any fairer to give an unsuspecting person a dog with problems that could have been prevented than it is to sell them one.
Also, unless you have a deposit and contract in writing, don't count on all the neighbors to take a puppy. It is an old joke in the dog fancy that when the puppies show up all the homes disappear. The thought of a warm, cuddly puppy is nice and everybody wants one when they are talking about it, but when the puppies actually show up, there is always an excuse to not take one.
10. "But Poopsie is such a wonderful pet, we want to get a puppy out of him/her."
Poopsie being such a wonderful dog is no guarantee that the offspring will be. The offspring can never be exactly like the parent and to expect such is to set yourself up for disappointment. Besides, just because the owner loves the pet does not excuse him or her from the responsibility of checking for quality and health. If the pet owner is truly ready to take on another dog then he or she should search out a reputable, quality breeder and buy a nice, pet-quality dog that has been bred with care, planning and forethought. Remember, a pet-quality puppy from a superior quality litter is far better than a "pick" puppy from a poor quality litter. Besides, would a pet owner really love his or her pet any less if it never has any offspring? Of course not!
11. "I'm not interested in showing. Dog shows are just beauty contests. I want to breed real working dogs for hunting (or herding or police work, guard work, etc.). Besides, I heard that dog shows are nothing but politics."
To someone who doesn't
understand dog showing it may appear that it is just a "beauty contest".
Actually, the dogs are being judged on a lot more than just their pretty
faces. They are being judged on their correct movement, size and structure.
A dog that is
correctly conformed moves correctly and
efficiently, therefore using less energy. It's fine to have a hunting dog
that has all the instincts, but if its conformation isn't correct it will
burn too much energy loving and won't be able to hunt as long as a dog
that is correctly conformed. Also, if someone is truly interested in breeding
good working dogs then testing for hereditary problems takes on just that
much more importance. What good is a herding dog with great working abilities
if it has hip dysplasia and can hardly get up and walk? There is a saying
around the dog fancy that "form follows function". This proves itself to
be true time and time again with an increasing number of dogs achieving
both conformation show degrees and working titles. As for the politics
in dog shows, yes, it is there. Just as it is in any activity where a large
number of people are involved in competition. Politics can be found every
where from the African Violet Society, to the Little League games to the
kennel club dog shows. While there are a few "bad apples", the vast majority
of dog show judges are out there to judge the dogs to the best of their
ability.
12. "My dog has 'champion bloodlines'. his father (or mother, grandfather, great-grandmother, etc.) was a champion."
The words "Champion bloodlines" are probably some of the most misunderstood and misleading ever used in advertising. Just because a dog has champions in its pedigree in no way guarantees it is show/breeding quality. Most of the show/breeding quality dogs today will only have one or two untitled dogs in their entire pedigree! When a show breeder breeds a litter of puppies he or she does so with the quality of the animal being bred in mind. He or she tries to breed the best to the best and hopes for the best, i.e. that all the pups will be championship quality. However, not all pups in all quality bred litters are show/breeding quality. Maybe one's ears are a little too long or neck is a little too short. Not enough for any pet owner to notice, but enough to make the pup a "pet-quality" rather than a "show/breeding quality." These "pet-quality" puppies may have a pedigree full of champions and still not be breeding quality! If your father was an Olympic gold medalist in the 50 yd dash, wouldn't it be a little silly to assume your child would be too?
The influence of any single ancestor is miniscule at best. Therefore, the chances of a pet-quality dog with only one or two champions in its pedigree being a show or breeding quality animal are quite slim. There is nothing wrong with a dog without a star-studded pedigree, just as there is nothing wrong with a "pet-quality" pup with a dazzling pedigree. It does not mean that the animal is not intelligent, can't live a long and productive life or be the most wonderful companion in the world. It just means that he or she shouldn't be bred.
According to Mr. Ken Marden, past president of the American Kennel Club, the only reason a dog or bitch should be bred is for the betterment of the breed. Only dogs that have proven themselves to be of superior quality in the show ring, obedience ring, field or tracking trials and tests, etc. and have been tested clear of inheritable problems should be bred.
Every year 40,000 pets pass through the Travis County Humane society. Only approximately 10,000 are adopted. This means 30,000 pets are killed each year in Travis county alone. A frightening fact is that roughly 22% of the dogs are purebred! Obviously there are more than enough pets in this world all ready and anyone who is breeding "just pets" is doing a horrible injustice to the very animals they profess to love!
If the pet owner truly wants to breed dogs, he or she needs to start by spaying or neutering the pet they own and purchasing a high-quality animal from a respected, responsible show breeder.
The pet owner needs to be prepared to do all the medical testing to rule out hereditary problems in that animal. The owner should also be prepared to exhibit that animal in show and/or working trials and tests to make sure it is the quality to be bred. This means a considerable outlay of time and money. If the pet owner is not willing to do this then he or she should not consider breeding. If the pet owner if willing, then they will discover a wonderful new sport; the sport of purebred dogs.
How To Prevent A Dog Rescue Transport From Going Wrong
Let me introduce you to Nancy, (pix below) a very special lady who has a never ending love for dogs, their needs and care. Nancy loves to help transport dogs to rescue groups or a new forever home.
In July, Nancy, who lives in Ky., wanted to help Ryan’s Dog Rescue by transporting a needy cocker to me. Nancy almost lost her life in trying to do such a wonderful deed. A large dump truck had a blow out and went left of center across the medium of the highway on to on coming traffic and hit her and almost took her life.
Nancy was to meet me at my home at 7:30PM that evening. At 7:45PM I got a call from the highway patrol to “Come get my dog”….HUH??????? I was confused as I didn’t understand what was going on. They kept telling me my dog had bit someone. I kept telling them all my dogs were here. After talking with the dispatcher and several officers I found out that Nancy had been hurt in a wreck. I had no info on her, so I couldn’t help them get in touch with her family, or the shelter. I didn’t even know the dog’s name. I had just ASSUMED she would be at my home that evening, never thinking about what could happen.
My husband and I took a long drive to the police station down toward southern Ohio to get the dog. The poor dog had bitten a passer by who stopped to help….he reached in to get the dog, which was a NO-NO!
Not until 2 days later did I find out that Nancy was alive and had gone home from the hospital.
Because of this tragedy I want to leave you with the DO’S and DON’T’S in RESCUE TRANSPORT!
1. Have the full name of the person who
is bringing a dog to you, even when there is more than one transport person.
2. Have all the phone numbers of each
person. Their home number, their cell phone and a friend or relatives,
just in case something would happen. If after 15 minutes they are not on
time, CALL THEM!
3. Know the make, model, year and color
of the car they are driving.
4. Make sure to put the dog in a crate
if at all possible. It could save the dogs life.
5. Take a plastic baggie and write all
the dogs information on a paper including the dogs name, age meds, if any,
personality, temperament, who the dog is going to with that person’s information,
as well as your info too. Put this in the baggie, and seal it up, and wrap
it around the collar and tape it on. Keep all ID tags on the dog.
6. Tape a paper with the same info on
the crate and to the dash of your car.
And Now The DON’TS
NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING IN RESCUE TRANSPORT!!!!
By Nancy and myself both assuming that
we had enough information, which we didn’t, and that everything was going
to be fine, the worse happened and neither of us was prepared.
So before you start that short 15minute
trip, or one that is 3-4 hours long, have ALL your information ready and
make sure other people or family members are aware of your trip. It could
save your life as well as the dog(s).
Thanks, and remember, rescue transport
is the link from one heart to another.
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