All Things Dog Blog

Friday, April 30, 2010

Rescuing Rover: A New Column for Your Dog Adoption Stories

by Carrie Boyko
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ASK THE DOG TRAINER at All Things Dog Blog

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2008
Oliver's Adoption

Everyone who has ever taken in a homeless pet knows the good feeling of helping a furry friend in need. Each story is unique, and many are funny, heartwarming and inspiring. Oliver's is certainly all of these, and I would like to kick off this new column with my own story of Oliver's adoption, while offering YOU a chance to take center stage next time. Yes, I will begin accepting rescue stories for publication here on the blog. Be sure to:

write out your story (up to 400 words),
include a photo of your pup (2 or 3 are fine), and
send both to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com.

Your submission will be evidence of your permission to publish your story and your photo(s). Please indicate if you would like your name included as the author. Your story may be edited for publication.

Now, on to Oliver's adoption story. If you are reading this, you may already know Oliver as a 2 year old Papillon who greets you at the top of this blog, each time you visit. What you don't know is that Oliver came to us, the result of a 17-year-old daughter's desire to have a toy-sized pup of her own.

Working at a pet store during high school, Toni had seen Papillons come and go, falling in love with each one's adorable, affectionate play style and disproportionate size to our two retrievers at home. She wanted to experience something different, and wanted to call him hers.

As each Pap came into the store, Toni begged and pleaded with us to allow her to bring one home. Our answer was always the same. "We have two dogs to provide for. That is enough." Besides, our dogs are big. We worried for the safety of a little one among our 2 lively, larger dogs. Tanner, at the time was still a 50 lb, gangly puppy of 15 months, sure to become 20 lbs larger with maturity.

This story had an unexpected ending for me. One day, Toni called home from work, saying that a Pap had arrived in poor condition. He had become sick and would be committed to the "hospital wing" of the pet store, under the care of "Doc." Doc visited the puppy twice daily, and indicated he might not pull through his illness. The store owner notified the breeder, who indicated her sincere affection for her "offspring" by telling the store owner to keep him, rather than sending him back to her. She worried that the puppy would not survive the trip back to the breeder's facility, without a nurse or doctor in tow. She merely asked that the store owner place the puppy, free of charge, with a family that would love him.

Enter Toni. The phone call went something like this: "Mom! The breeder gave the Papillon to the store. I can take him home as soon as he is better."

"You realize he may not get better, right, honey?", I replied.

"He'll be fine. I'll check on him regularly and let him know he is loved, and will have a home. Doc is doing everything he can for him, he will get better."

How could I say no to this dog-loving daughter who wanted nothing more than to nurture a little one of her own. I pulled out my dog book and read up on Papillons. Knowing that my Retrievers would receive him with a welcoming attitude, my concern was for the temperament of the Pap. I knew nothing of their typical attitudes or personalities. What I read turned my heart upside down, melting into the tissues as I sobbed. We would soon be a family with three dogs.

A few days later, Doc released the 3 lb. patient to Toni's care, and she came home with his 'puppy pack' of free goodies from the store where she worked. While I am well aware of the reputation of pet stores, my daughter's experience working there was a good one, and our opportunity to adopt Oliver went as well as could be hoped for. Want to read more of Oliver's journey?

FRISBEE DOG 101: Dog Selection for Frisbee Dog Enthusiasts

Part II in a series of V

by Chris Engel
Team-Bandit

(c) photo copyright Kristie Moser
Kota was Adopted
Because of His Love for the Frisbee

This article is Part II in a series entitled Frisbee Dog 101, by guest writer Chris Engel. Today Chris will share his thoughts on selecting a dog for Frisbee training. If you missed Part I, you can read it at Frisbee Dog 101 .

As I mentioned before, ANY dog will do as a disc dog, but there may be some things to think about, such as ... You really don't want a dog that is too big. Bandit is 50 pounds and while he can run really fast and jumps really well I don't think I really want him jumping off me because he would gain too much height and velocity to land safely. He might just take me out if he hit me at full speed. Each person has their own comfort zone, but for me an athletic dog around 20 to 30 pounds does quite nicely.

Also, a dog that enjoys leaping and does it for fun is going to make things much easier when you are trying to channel that energy into a controlled sequence that includes some leaps. Herding dogs do rather well, but again ... I really must stress ANY dog will do, so don't get caught up with having to find a specific breed because you think or have heard they are better than others.

If you select a puppy make sure you do not do ANY leaping or vaulting training until your puppy is , at the very least, 12 months--and preferably 15 months--of age. Let your puppy's bones grow enough so that you will not do any harm to him by asking him to perform stressful athletics before his body is ready for it.

If you just have to get started immediately, I suggest you find a dog that is old enough and ready to start learning with you. There are TONS of rescue organizations out there, so choose one locally and tell them what you are looking for. They already have a lot of experience, so USE IT !!!!! You don't have to pick the first dog ... just pick the right dog! Doing some homework and reading up on the types of dogs and their general charateristics will help a lot as well.

I’ll be back soon with Part III of my series, Frisbee Dog 101. If you’d like to learn more about our sport, you can visit my site at Team-Bandit.