Connecting Pets, People, and Community While Saving Lives
With November being “Adopt a Senior Pet” month, the age of a pet is something we’re thinking about. Although our pets who are 7 years old and older are available for our special “older” pet adoption rate, most pets are not really “old” at seven.
Winston Churchill once said: “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”
The cat in a tree is a common stereotype, and some cats do enjoy being up high, looking down on you from above (and not because we are snobbish). However, there are many felines who prefer otherwise.
How long does it take to decide if a dog is the right fit for your home?
Adopting a rescue dog is an exciting time. You decided to add a new family member, you fell in love with a dog, and now it’s time to bring her home. Sometimes it goes smoothly, but more likely there will be an adjustment for you and the dog.
Are dog noses emotion detectors? We know that dogs have a formidable sense of smell. It’s estimated that an average dog has 600 million smell receptors (compared to only 12 million in you). But can a dog smell things other than food, toys, and each other? Recent studies say yes. They can smell stress, depression, sadness, and grief.
We love old dogs. They’re calm, trained, loyal, and wise. Although they sometimes need a bit more care for age-related ailments, they are worth it. The physical challenges of age are easier for many families to understand and manage than the mental changes in their elderly dog.
It’s heartbreaking when your beloved old dog goes outside one day and doesn’t know how to return to the house. She stands in the yard until someone brings her back. She starts having accidents. She doesn’t recognize people she’s known forever. She forgets things she was taught as a puppy. It’s puzzling when she paces and barks at nonexistent threats.
We cats are curious creatures, exploring our surroundings and perhaps your food. Sometimes our people also give us treats or tastes from the table, which makes us happy. But we don’t have the same digestive system as humans or dogs.
Last week’s Pet Column told the story of a group of dogs who needed to be removed from the property where they were living. There were over thirty dogs, and many of them were unsocialized and had health issues. The positive outcome for these dogs was made possible by cooperation between shelters and rescues across the state. In writing that, we wondered about the terms “shelter” and “rescue”. Aren’t they the same thing?
Sometimes animal rescue partners help each other to help the pets we serve. Sometimes that just means talking through our challenges, taking in transfers from each other, or sharing good ideas.
Occasionally, there are more urgent situations where we pull together to do what is needed. Last month, such a situation here on the western slope required shelters and rescues from across the state to work as a team. With populations at or near capacity in most shelters, this story is a testament to the hearts of shelter people.
Just as we thought summer was winding down, the temperature is again near 100 degrees. Summers are hotter and longer than they used to be, which makes me wonder- is it too hot here for furry dogs?
So. Many. Kittens! We are staying here at Second Chance, and our world is overrun with kittens. Sure, they’re cute. They’ve got those sweet little faces and fuzzy little paws. But they’re also exhausting!
We’re the more mature residents here, and we’d love to have someone visit us and take us home! Let us introduce ourselves.
Connecting Pets, People, and Community While Saving Lives
