Thanks to Animalhoardinginfo.blogspot.com

I have to admit watching Confessions: Animal Hoarding is difficult if not impossible for me, but I was also a Psychology Major in College and the interworking of the human mind is intriguing.  I wonder how things can go so far so quickly, and how the people in these situations let things get so out of hand.

I almost didn’t write this article just letting the information and my hypothesis swirl around in my psyche was almost enough, but truth be told in some aspects I see myself in some of these people.  Most of them just want to save animals and some of them work several jobs to try and pay for

At one point, I had 6 cats and more than 5 dogs living in a house that was less than 1,000 square feet.  So it poses the question, “How many is too many”?

All of my cats adopted me!  I think when I turned 19 my ex-husband got one of our kittens from the Humane Society, but all the others seemed to wander in and adopted me as their own.

As for the dogs, only 3 of them were mine!  The other dogs were in the process of being trained and placed as Service Dogs for adults and children with disabilities.

But none the less, I wonder if I fit into this group to some degree at some point in my life?

I didn’t realize as I was adopting animals or being adopted by them, how much they can cost!  Thankfully, I have been able to spend much of my working life in the veterinary field so I have always gotten free or reduced cost veterinary care.

If you do a search online to estimate the annual costs of owning an animal it can be quite astonishing.

Animal Diagnostics can be Expensive but Essential to Saving Lives!

• Vet Visits: $100-$200 per visit and all dogs need to be seen at least annually
• Spay/Neuter: $100-$300
• Immunizations: $80-$200 per year
• Internal and External Parasite Control (Heartworm Prevention, Flea and Tick medication): $100-$400 depending on the size of your dog.
• Dog Food: One bag of $39 average adult dog food per month for a year is about $470
• Collars, Crates, Toys, Bedding: $250-$300

And those are just the costs for an average adult dog!  What happens if you have a dog that gets sick easily or one that is getting older?  Dogs are considered geriatric when they reach about 8 years of age, and geriatric dogs need exams, blood work, and urinalysis at least twice yearly.   Medications are often needed as pets age to keep them pain free and comfortable.

• Blood work averages $150 or more depending on what tests need to be run
• Urinalysis is about $40 or upward depending on the sample
• Radiology or X-rays run around a few hundred dollars depending on how many body parts are being shot
• Ultrasounds average $250 and up
• Cancer Treatment: $5,000 and up
• Chemotherapy: $2,000 and up
• Surgery Post Hit by Car: $3,000 and up
• Diabetes Maintenance: $600-$1,000 and up

And, these are just some considerations when your pet gets old or needs medical care.

When my oldest dog, who is now 11 was 6 years old I discovered, to my horror, that he might need elbow surgery.   The cost of the surgery was $5-7,000 and up depending on follow up care.  I was devastated but I was prepared to face any cost he needed to help with his quality of life.

Thankfully, I worked with a kind and honest orthopedic surgeon who, after reviewing the x-rays and information recommended we not go ahead with surgery because it might make the pain worse than the infrequent pain he was enduring (he had really only limped once prior to x-rays).  So I was saved the expense.

But, it was a major “Ah, HA!” moment in my life!  What if all of my pets needed care upwards of $5,000? I didn’t live that kind of lifestyle, and would not always be able to offer that kind of care, and nothing hurts more than knowing financially you could fix your pet or extend his/her life but having financial constraints and not being able to get the care your pet deserves.

This is not an article to complain about the rising cost of vet care, I actually think that most veterinarians are kind and compassionate and are just trying to cover rising costs and scrape by making a living.  I have never worked with a vet that drove a Porsche or lived in a huge house because of the money they were making off of their clients.  Most drive adequate or “beater” cars and have trouble making their own ends meet.  They spend as much time in school as human doctors, but get much less of the pay a human doctor does!

I realized thinking about thinks on a large scale that perhaps “hoarding” comes into play when people can’t take care of the animals they live with spatially, emotionally, and financially.

Dogs Need Space and One on One Time

Dogs need space; space of their own to stretch out; space to run; and a place of their own. Dogs are territorial animals and they need some of their own space and not to feel like they have to share everything all of the time.  5 big dogs living in a castle is different than 5 big dogs living in a trailer.

Pets emotionally need your time, whether that is a hamster in a cage that needs petting and human contact or our cats and dogs needing walked or to be snuggled.  Everything needs to be loved and cuddled and needs its emotional needs met.  Some people have a hard time carving out time for one dog and a cat with the ever demanding needs of family and work life.  But all animals need to be cared for and snuggled emotionally, if people don’t have time to do that, perhaps they have too many!

Pets are a financial concern, especially as they age.   They need to have their basic needs met and sometimes they have health concerns that go above and beyond what might have been expected.  Quality of life is imperative at all stages of life for animals!

Hoarding is about not being able to give that quality of life to all pets in a person’s care.  There may be a love and desire to meet a pet’s needs but animals sometimes need more than the basics and they deserve to have their needs met to the best of a person’s ability!

I guarantee, I have fewer animals in my life than I desire simply because I know there is a chance that I wouldn’t be able to meet their needs financially if there was a crisis.  So I keep my furry family small and we invest in a savings account in case of an emergency!

Animal Hoarding; How Many is Too Many? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Join Me On Your Favorite Social Networking Site!

Hello everyone!  We are going viral…no, no that doesn’t mean I have a virus, thankfully I kicked that bug a few weeks ago, we are taking our information and knowledge to share on Facebook and Twitter!

I know what you are thinking, you have a busy life and even if you are already have an account with Facebook and Twitter you are wondering if you have the time to add something else to your plate and your life.  I completely understand!  I feel the same way every time I click “Like” on my facebook page.  I make a concerted effort not to add anything I am not truly passionate about on my page.

But I am here to convince you to join me!  Not only will all of our new articles and services be added immediately to our account, but I will also be adding fun facts, services, and new and upcoming items to our pages!

Today, for instance, I added a link to get free pet supplies!  Who doesn’t like free stuff?  Some of the things offered are coupons to get money off items you are probably already purchasing and some offer free treats and items to the first 150 people!

Yesterday, I posted a link to one of my favorite videos a Man vs. Dog eating contest!  I simply love this video, it brings a giggle and a smile to my face every time I watch it.

I will be posting news articles, rescue information, articles, pictures and cool doggy supplies on our pages!  It is my desire to find the coolest stuff and share it with you!  I also encourage you to join me and send me links you would like to share and leave questions and comments for me.

I will do my best to answer your questions and give you the best, and the most fun information I can!  My passion in this life is to truly enjoy the time I spend with my family and my dogs!

So PLEASE join me, so I am not Tweeting and Facebooking to myself!  Share the links and encourage your friends and family to join us!

Join Our Facebook Page!

Follow Us On Twitter!

I look forward to building a more personal relationship with you and finding the coolest dog stuff around!

We Are Going Viral! is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. (media.mysanantonio.com)

In the market for a new vehicle and love to take your dogs with you?

2010 Honda Element caters to dog lovers

Web Posted: 03/26/2010 12:00 CDT, www.mysanantonio.com

G. Chambers Williams III

My only regret with this past week’s test vehicle was that I didn’t have a dog to take along with me.

The vehicle was the 2010 Honda Element EX with the new Dog Friendly package (a $995 option), designed to allow your pooch(es) to ride along with you in relative comfort and safety.

I thought about borrowing a dog from my son, who has five, but my five cats voted down that idea unanimously.

When I introduced them to the interior of the Dog Friendly Element, the most persnickety one, a gray longhair named Lady (who rules the other four), gave me a look that clearly said, “This car smells like a big, stinky dumb dog.”

None of them seemed to be up for a ride so they went back into the house, where, of course, they all promptly went back to sleep.

But if I’d had a dog, as eager as most of them are to go for a road trip, I’m not sure he or she would have been content to ride in the nylon kennel (cage) that takes up the bulk of the cargo compartment.

Most of the dogs I’ve ever had in my car wanted to ride shotgun, at least if they couldn’t be in my lap. Just keeping them in the back seat was difficult enough.

The Element’s Dog Friendly package is a pretty good idea, nonetheless. With 39 percent of U.S. households owning dogs and the canine population totaling about 74.8 million, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, there is no shortage of four-legged passengers for our vehicles.

Read the rest of the article.

2010 Honda Element caters to dog lovers is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

To Serve, Protect, and Sacrifice All for the Great Good of Our Communities

I am proud to be an American.  I also consider myself a very hard worker, but I certainly don’t put my life on the line for the good of others or my country every day of my life, nor am I always excited to put aside the joys and excitement of regular life to go to work; sometimes I have to force myself.  I don’t always have the happiest of attitudes or approach work with strength and gratitude each day.  I don’t always spring up out of bed thrilled to get myself together and go to work.  If I did, 100% of the time, everyday,  I WOULD BE A DOG.

For 16 years I have worked and trained alongside a variety of working dogs.  Working dogs come in all shapes and sizes and there is no limit, there seems, to what dogs can accomplish.  But I would like to dedicate this article to those dogs who put their lives on the line for each of us every day.  With happiness and reliability, they jump up each morning, embrace the joy and beauty of life, and live to serve us and their communities.  The more work they engage in the happier they are with their lives, and often, sadly, one must force an old decrepit police dog to retire.

• Dogs patrol the Olympics, and sporting events
• Dog are utilized in the military in times of war
• Dogs guard and protect our elected officials
• They patrol our borders
• They patrol airports, and search for components used to make bombs
• They help find missing children
• They rid our streets of dangerous criminals
• They are instrumental in purging our streets, and waterways of drugs

They are true heroes!!

And, they embrace each moment with hopefulness and exhilaration, even right up to the moment that they die in the line of duty.   Although it is a felony to injure or kill a police dog, many dogs still lose their lives each year serving us and helping to keep our children and our streets safe.

I was grateful when a friend forwarded me an email about a funeral in Utah for a fallen K9 hero.  Nearly one thousand people attended Koda’s funeral to respect and honor his service and his willingness to die for the good of his community.  Koda was a one and a half year old Belgian Malinios.

Next time you are out and:

A Dog at Work

• a K9 vehicle drives past
• you attend a sporting event or a concert
• you go to the airport
• you ride the subway
• you see someone has been abducted on the news
• the police are searching for a body
• a natural disaster has caused people to go missing

remember the sacrifice of those dogs that work in silence with no need for adoration or commendation.

You can also, sustain your local authorities and K9s by raising funds to buy bullet proof vests or support more K9s and their trainers.

I try and remember their elation and complete willingness to work and sacrifice themselves each day.  So, when I lace up my shoes and head off to my work, they are the inspiration I need sometimes to give me perspective to find joy in everything that I do; I want to be just like them.

Memorial for a Fallen Hero is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.healthcmi.com

There’s been a lot in the news lately about the use of flea and tick products and their possible adverse effects to your pet.   Always consult with your vet before you use any over-the-counter medication, and be sure you know the proper dosage for your dog.

EPA Protects Dogs and Cats Using Flea & Tick Pesticides

www.healthcmi.com

The EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) is tightening controls over flea and tick “spot-on” pesticides for pets to prevent adverse reactions. Spot-on pesticides are liquids that are usually squeezed onto a dog or cat’s skin between the shoulder blades or on the back. The EPA is moving to require improved labeling to ensure that cats do not receive spot-on flea and tick pesticides intended for dogs and that smaller dogs do not receive spot-on dosages that are only appropriate for larger, heavier dogs. The EPA notes that using the improper type of spot-on product or an excessive dosage may lead to skin disorders, digestion issues, vomiting, diarrhea, and nervous system disorders such as trembling and seizures. Also at risk are pets that are weak, old, medicated, ill, pregnant or are nursing. In these circumstances, the FDA notes that pet owners are advised to consult with veterinarians concerning the application of flea and tick pesticides.

The EPA states that “flea and tick products can be appropriate treatments for protecting pets and public health because fleas and ticks can transmit disease to animals and humans.” Dogs and cats exposed to fleas may suffer from hair loss, skin disorders such as dermatitis, anemia, and in some cases the pets may become seriously ill. Ticks may transmit serious bacterial infections such as Lyme’s disease to pets. Pets may also shed ticks in the home potentially exposing humans to Lyme’s disease and other dangerous infectious diseases such as Ehrlichiosis and Bebesia. Transmitted by tick bites, these infections require immediate medical attention to prevent potentially life-threatening illness. In balance, the EPA supports the use of flea and tick pesticides to prevent disease while urging pet owners to pay careful attention to their proper application in order to prevent adverse side-effects to animals.

In the majority of cases, adverse effects do not occur as a result of using spot-on products. However, the EPA’s analysis finds that improvements in packaging and labeling will significantly lower the risk of adverse side effects. Smaller dog breeds are at risk because they often receive dosages intended for larger dogs. In many cases, the EPA notes that consumers are applying spot-on dog products to cats thereby increasing the probability of adverse effects. The EPA adds that children are protected from exposure to spot-on pesticide treated pets based on dermal assessment reviews of exposures due to hugging and coming into contact with pesticide treated pets. Inhalation of spot-on pesticides remains a case-by-case exposure issue.

http://www.healthcmi.com

EPA – Flea and Tick Pesticides is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.ohmidog.com

Seems like there’s an award for just about everything these days.  Even our dogs can get in on the action.  The award for Valor Dog of the Year has been announced.

Dogs recognized for their acts of valor

ohmidog.com, published 3/16/10

The Humane Society of the United States has announced the Valor Dog of the Year” – Kenai, a Bernese mountain dog mix from Erie, Colo.,who awakened her owner to alert him to a carbon monoxide leak in the vacation home where he, six other adults, two children, and three dogs were sleeping.

The awards celebrate the human-animal bond by honoring dogs who have exhibited an extraordinary sense of courage or resolve by heroically helping a person in need.

“Dogs are our friends, but they can also be our saviors,” said HSUS president and CEO Wayne Pacelle, “and the list of 100 nominees provides plenty of support for that proposition.”

Read the rest of the article.

Valor Dog of the Year is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of dogblog.dogster.com, One of the two chewed police cars/chew toys, "Chattanooga Times Free Press"

I’ve heard of dogs that love ‘chasing‘ cars, but  ‘chewing‘ cars!  Check out the bumper on this police car.  Give the poor dog a good chew toy for goodness sake!

Talk About a Dog With a Chewing Problem…

by Maria Goodavage,dogblog.dogster.com

You think your dog’s chewing is destructive?

Don’t talk to Nancy Emerling, of Chattanooga, Tenn. Her bulldog made four cars — as in real-deal automobiles — into chew toys this weekend. And two of the cars happened to be police cars.

This is how the Chattanooga Times Free Press described one of the incidents:

While running radar at 1410 Workman Road, Officer Clayton Holmes reported he felt his car shaking and upon investigating he found the bulldog chewing on his patrol car, said Officer Rebecca Royval, police department spokeswoman. The dog reportedly chewed two tires and the entire front bumper off the car, she said.

Read the rest of Maria’s article.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew… is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of dogblog.dogster.com Highly trained dogs, like Cruiser, are extremely effective weapons against the dreaded bedbugs that are becoming all too common in places like Manhattan (Photo: Chad Batka, The New York Times)

Sweet dreams, good-night, don’t let the bedbugs bite!

Sniffing Out Bedbugs
by Maria Goodavage, dogblog.dogster.com
The noses have it. Yesterday, I blogged about bomb-sniffing dogs. Today, it’s bedbug-sniffing dogs. Both are heroic to humans. While bomb sniffers save lives, bedbug sniffers save sanity.

With good training, bedbug-sniffing dogs are amazingly accurate: The best of them can detect a single egg or live bug 96 percent of the time, reports a fun and fascinating story in The New York Times. Check it out for more than you ever wanted to know about bedbugs, and the dogs who love to go hunting for them. (Don’t be surprised if you start feeling itchy afterward.)

Read the rest of Maria’s article.

Sniffing Out Bedbugs is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

This memorial at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside pays tribute to the war dogs that served in the Vietnam War and their handlers. courtesy of www.wavenewspapers.com

Dogs have served in the military for decades.  Their contributions through various wars have saved the lives of many.  Read more about the much-deserved memorial dedicated in their honor and the lives of those they have touched.

Decades later, Vietnam War dogs are remembered

By JESSICA RAVITZ, CNN, Feb 18, 2010

www.wavenewspapers.com

Maybe it was the sound of the wind cutting through the wire. Perhaps he caught a small vibration with his keen eyes. Or it could have been a slight difference in the air’s smell.

Whatever it was, when Sarge noticed that his Marine Corps handler, Fred Dorr, was creeping down the wrong path in the Vietnam jungle, the German shepherd did something he’d never done out in the field: He looked at Dorr and barked, before taking a seat.

“When he sat down, I knew there was a trip wire. I was one step away from it,” remembered Dorr, who with his dog in 1969 was “walking point,” leading the way for a dozen soldiers. Had the hidden explosive device been tripped, “It would have gotten half of us.”

More than 40 years later, the gratitude and love Dorr, 59, feels for the dog he served with is as strong as ever. And it’s for this reason that Dorr, president of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association, drove from his Yoakum, Texas, home to be in Southern California last week.

About 200 Vietnam War dog handlers, who were trained to read and communicate with their canine partners, gathered for a reunion. On Saturday they joined several thousand others for the 10th anniversary rededication of the War Dog Memorial at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside.

Read the rest of Jessica’s article.

Vietnam War Dogs Remembered is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

(Photo by DAVID EULITT / Kansas City Star) courtesy of www.ohmidog.com

Here’s a heartwarming article about a lady with a big heart and a passion for dogs.

KC woman aims to help the dogs of the poor

posted by jwoestendiek, 2/17/10, www.ohmidog.com

Six days a week, Kate Quigley leaves her Kansas City neighborhood and ventures into those whose residents are less fortunate, meaning, often, that their dogs are, too.

In a 25-year-old pickup truck, she scouts out animal abuse and neglect — and situations verging on that — and offers food, hay, doghouses, toys, spaying and neutering and more.

Often referred to as “the dog lady” or “Miss Kate,”Quigley knocks on doors, talks to owners and drops off supplies — up until recently as a representative of  Spay & Neuter Kansas City and No More Homeless Pets KC, where, last year alone she brought in 438 cats and 562 dogs to be spayed and neutered, gave away 95 doghouses and 14,700 pounds of dog food and talked to 3,030 households.

Read the rest of the article.

“The Dog Lady” is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog