R.I.P.P. Pit Bulls

Halloween can be a fun time for the entire family including the dog ! Yet Halloween can also bring many  potential dangers, and strees on our 4 legged friends.

Guests and Trick-or-Treaters:

Many dogs love to have visitors and to meet new friends. However many dogs can become fearful of people that are dressed up in scary costumes, having lots of kids running, screaming and yelling and looking like various monsters and characters can be quite scarry and very stressfulfor a dog. Even the doorbell ringing over and over as they come begging for candy can also start to stress out the dog. Remember to not leave your dog outside unattened for any reason during this time. Kids dont always "think" and if they decide to start teasing your dogs, or even just trying to pet the dog on the other side of the fence without permission and your dog is scared or becomes uncomfortable this is an opportunity for a bite to occur. Not to mention the fact that people have been known to quite frequently intentionally harm, poision and tease animals.

*May be a good idea to find a quiet and safe area in the house to put your dog while trick or treaters are coming and going.

*make sure your dog is wearing a current and up to date I.D. Tag (many dogs will become nervous and scared and run away)

*May think about putting a gate in the door way or hallway to avoid any escapees running out of an open door

*If you have a dog that has very high anxiety when it comes to visitors, loud noises, doorbell ringing etc.....talk with your vet about administrating sedatives to reduce and anxiety and fear.

Haloween candy can also be very harmful to your dog, make sure to keep all candy out of reach of your 4 legged friends. Make sure to explain to the kids that the dogs are not to have any candy and explain the consequences.

If you own cats and they go outside remember that people can be very cruel and do horrible things to

 cats during halloween. During Halloween shelters across the nation take in more injured and abused cats during the month of october than anyother throughout the year. Bring your cats indoors just for the night if possible or lock the cat in the garage out of harms way. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAT OUTSIDE

I like to call your Dog License.......

 "Doggie Life Insurance"

Licensing your dog is not only State law, It also could save your dog's life one day. Buying a license is good but not having the tag on your dogs' collar at all times is not. That is like having insurance for your car but not having your proof of insurance in your car at all times to hand over to the police if you get pulled over. By your dog having the license tag on his collar at all times will ensure that if something happens and your dog gets lost or runs away he has identification that will later help ensure a safe return to home.

If someone finds your dog and calls into Animal Control with the tag number, they will be able to look up all information registered with that tag such as your name, address, phone number and your dogs name and they can contact you and return your dog safely home.

By chance your dog gets brought to the franklin county dog shelter and is wearing a current license, the shelter will then do the same, look up owner information registered with that tag and contact you by any phone numbers that are listed, send certified letters to the address listed and send someone to your house to try and make contact.

Any dog that is brought into the shelter will only be held for 72 hours without a current license, dogs that are displaying current licenses are held for 14 days.

Once again displaying licenses is basically the same as Doggie Life Insurance ! That simple tag could one day save your dogs' life and reunite you and your 4 legged friends.

You also must remember to renew your tags every year between december 1st and january 31st to avoid any late fees

As the weather get nicer and the temps get hotter, please dont forget to keep your pets safe while still enjoying the beautiful weather.

NEVER LEAVE PETS UNATTENDED IN A PARKED CAR......Temperatures cana nd will climb into the "Danger zone" within just a few miutes on a hot day. Experts reccomend the never leave pets unattended in a parked car if the temperatures are in the 60's or higher. Leaving the windows cracked DOES NOT GURANTEE PROTECTION, plus if your window is leaft down enough your dog can use this as an escape route.

Remember your flea / tick and Heartworm prevention.

Flea and tick season is officialy here. These pesky little bugs are not only uncomfortable to pets they also can spread diseases and sometime fatal health problems. TICKS HAVE BEEN VERY BAD THIS YEAR. By making sure your pets are kept on regular preventative you are not only protecting your pets from potential infestation you are also protecting yourself and yoru home from invasions as well !

Link  explains different flea and tick diseases in dogs    

http/www.dogsandticks.com/dog_tick_diseases/index.html 

Keeping your pets safe from toxic plants and flowers.

Below is a link that lists all toxic plants, flowers and foods to pets, you also need to make sure that any pesticides, weed killers etc.....are kept up away and out of the reach of pets.

http/www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

Heatstroke

Heatstroke can be the serious and often fatal result of a dog's prolonged exposure to excessive heat. Below are the signs of heatstroke and the actions you should take if your dog is overcome.

Early Stages:

•Heavy panting.

•Rapid breathing.

•Excessive drooling.

•Bright red gums and tongue.

•Standing 4-square, posting or spreading out in an attempt to maintain balance.

Advanced Stages:

•White or blue gums.

•Lethargy, unwillingness to move.

•Uncontrollable urination or defecation.

•Labored, noisy breathing.

•Shock.

If your dog begins to exhibit signs of heatstroke, you should immediately try to cool the dog down:

•Apply rubbing alcohol to the dog's paw pads.

•Apply ice packs to the groin area.

•Hose down with water.

•Allow the dog to lick ice chips or drink a small amount of water.

•Offer Pedialyte to restore electrolytes.

Check your dog's temperature regularly during this process. Once the dog's temperature has stabilized at between 100 to 102 degrees, you can stop the cool-down process.

If you cannot get the dog cooled down and you begin to see signs of advanced heatstroke, take the dog to the veterinarian immediately.

ALWAYS HAVE FRESH WATER AVAILABLE TO YOUR DOGS AT ALL TIMES.

Having a multi-dog household can be overwhelming to some people so before you get a second pet here are some tips:

1. Make sure your first dog is well trained and socialized

2. Opposite sex dogs tend to coexist better

3. If your dog is a dominate personality a submissive personality is going to be a match. If you get another dominate dog you are asking for trouble.

4. If you dog is high energy try pairing them up with a medium energy dog. This will most likely calm down your higher energy dog.

5. Do NOT get another dog hoping to fix your current dogs issues. This will most likely make the situation worse because you will now have 2 dogs that you can't control. It may give them a buddy but that's about all.

6. Have the dogs meet before agreeing to the adoption or purchase. You dog may not be as friendly as you had hoped.

After the second dogs arrives:

1. Very first thing is to take them for a walk together. This will help them adjust better to each other.

2. Still do things with each dog individually! Don't show favoritism to the new dog.

3. Have the same rules for each dog!

4. Watch their interactions carefully and be ready to correct any unwanted behavior between the two.

What to do if you have lost or found a dog

     If you have lost a dog:

*Make sure that you contact your local Animal Control to report your dog missing and check to see if they have picked up your dog or if they have had any calls on the dog that will help point in which direction to look.

*Make sure to visit your local dog shelter ASAP do not wait a few days and then go looking for your dog. Waiting a few days may mean that it is to late, and your dog could have been euthanized by this time or adopted out. Ohio shelters must hold your dog for a minimum of 3 days if your dog is not wearing a current county dog license. Dogs that are displaying a current license are held for 14 days.

-Make sure to check back with the shelter at least every other day if you can't go in everyday. Remember dogs are only held for so long, until they become property of the shelter, the shelter then can euthanize, send to rescue, or adopt out.

*Make sure to post LOST flyers in your neighborhood, stores, gas stations, carry-outs, light posts etc.....

*There are online resources as well that you can post pictures, description and contact information about your lost dog. Make sure that you also look at other peoples' posts as well as someone may have found your dog and posted online.

www.petfbi.com

www.craigslist.com

www.franklincountyauditor.com

*Don't give up and continue checking the shelters at least everyother day I personally suggest every day.

*Call local and surrounding vet clinics to see if someone has reported a found dog in your area.

*Contact your local Police department to report your lost dog as well as check to see if anyone has called in a found report.

FOUND DOGS

     If you have found a dog that is not wearing any tags:

* you can either hold the dog at your home while you try to locate the dogs' owners 

*you can relenquish the dog to your local dog shelter.

     Make sure that if you have found a dog and want to keep him / her at your home, that you contact your local dog shelter and animal control facilities to report the found dog with them. This will be posted and available at the shelter for people who have lost their dogs to see.

      There are online resources as well to post found pets. Make sure that when posting a found report online that you leave some information BLANK and just say "Please describe....." i.e. collar, sex of dog, markings etc... This will help ensure that the dog will be going back to their original owners, not just anyone trying to claim that it is their's.  (see web address above for lost and found databases online)

     You also want to make sure that you get the dog checked for a microchip at either an animal shelter or vet clinic

*If the dog is wearing a dog license, you can call your local animal control office or auditor's office and get the owners information from the registration of the tag.

If you are in franklin county you can look up the owner information online yourself with the year of the tag and the license number by going to www.franklincountyauditor.com under the section "Your dog" and "Dog-e-Search"

SPAY AND NEUTER

     Spaying and Neutering your dog is very important. An estimated 6 - 8 million animals are euthanized every year in shelters. Which averages to over half of all animals entering shelters will never make it out and will be euthanized. By altering your dog you are helping control all of the unwanted animals across the world by not contributing to these numbers. People tell me all the time

“But she is such a good dog and I am only going to breed her once, she needs to have 1 litter then I will get her spayed…..”

     NO ! Just one litter is adding that many more dogs to the overpopulation that we already have, and many will probably end up in the shelters later in life. Pitbulls especially are harder to find GOOD, LOVING and FOREVER homes for. We rarely see an OLD pitbull come through the shelters, many will never make it past the age of 5 years before they end up in the wrong hands and are being brought to the shelter and euthanized.

     There are so many wonderful Pitbulls as well as other breeds of dogs out there that are waiting on their forever homes in shelters and rescues, that we do not need any more puppies being brought into this world. Shelter workers are overwhelmed by the number of animals being brought in every day, which many of whom will never be reunited with their original owners.

     Rescues groups across the world, (ESPECIALLY Pitbull Rescues) are overwhelmed and are at capacity and can no longer accept any new dogs into their programs because of the amount of dogs that they have already taken on through their organization.

     There are just not enough homes and not enough rescue groups out there to provide all of these animals will new and forever homes. On average a shelter in a large city will impound approximately 4,000 Pitbulls in one year, less than 400 of those dogs will make it out alive statistically. Please do not contribute to these numbers and help control our overpopulation problems throughout the U.S.

MEASLES ANIMAL HAVEN PIT FIX:

Measles animal haven (Pitbull rescue) has continued their PIT FIX program and will spay or neuter your pit or pit mix for a total cost of $20.

http://www.measlesanimalhaven.org/pitfix.htm

Franklin County Dog shelter offers the FIX PROGRAM and will spay or neuter your dog for $70 (Discounts available

#614-462-5581

SOS OHIO provides low cost spay and neuter for dogs and cats.

http://www.sosohio.org/

Rascal unit offer low cost and discounted prices for spay and neuter.

www.rascalunit.org

FACTS

*Spaying and Neutering your dog will not make him / her fat and lazy

*Spaying and Neutering your dog will eliminate multiple different types of deathly cancers. It is also healthier for your dog. This will help your dog to live a healthier and longer life.

*Spaying and Neutering your dog will help with aggressive tendencies.

*Neutered dogs are less likely to bite or attack someone or develop aggressive and territorial problems

*A neutered male dog is less likely to run away in search of a female dog in heat. Altered pets are less likely to roam.

*Spayed and Neutered dogs receive a discounted price every year when purchasing your required County Dog Licenses.

*One female dog and her puppies can produce 67,000 dogs in six years

* An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year.

*You will never have to deal with your female dogs’ Heat cycle

*Altered male dogs are less likely to “Mark” the territory all over your house, couches, and so on !

I've been working on some intense socialization for a little over a week and Adrianne has completely turned into a happy confident outgoing dog. She sometimes gets scared of new things but she overcomes her fears quickly.

How did I socialize her?

1. She went to work with me everyday and was in a crate in the lobby where people could give her treats and take her out to hold her and play with her

2. She got used to other dogs passing her in the lobby and smelling her through the crate

3. I introduced her to some noisy toys, agility equipment, playgyms, etc to get used to strange objects

What do I do when my puppy is scared?

1. Never coddle the puppy and tell them it's ok and pet them. This makes the puppy think it's ok do be scared

2. Instead use treats and motivation to get them to overcome their fears

3. Repeat the exercise multiple times and it should get easier for them to accomplish the task each time

4. If it's an object that moves introduce the object while it's not moving first then move the object gradually and the same with objects that make noise

4th of july is always one of our busiest times throughout the year in the shelters. Most of our 4 legged friends will become frightened by all of our celebrations going on around them.

Here are a few tips on how to keep your pets safe during this time of year:

*Make sure that your dog is kept inside safe and away from the noise of fireworks, guns, and banging pans. Make sure that you dog is kept in a sheltered and secure location inside your home. Some dogs can become destrustive when panicked, so make sure that any and all items that could be harmful to your dog is put up and out of the way....also anything you do not want chewed you might want to put up too !

*Leave the T.V. or Radio on for background noise to help distract your dog from all of the noise going on around them.

*NEVER leave your dog outside unattended, even a dog who typically would not elave the yard may try to escape from the noise and become LOST and find themselves in the shelter. Dogs left on chains may become tangled which can reslt in severe injury or death.

*Make sure that your dog is wearing and displaying their proper identification, as this will help anyone who finds your dog re-unite him/ her back home with you.

*If your dog does become lost during all of this celebration make sure to check your local Dog shelter and contact your Animal Control Officer to report your lost dog.

! ! THIS DOES JUST DOESN'T WORK ! !

As the weather changes, and the storms roll in, this typically takes a toll on your fencing. Make sure to go out and check your fence for any Rotting boards, Loose boards, holes, loose gates  or doggie ladders which allow your dog to climb right up and out of the yard for their great solo-adventures !

    More times than I can count people over and over again tell me that their dog was "stolen" from their yard because there was no way that the dog could get out of that fence....When 90% of the time I sit and watch the dog jump in and out of the yard with ease or slip right through a hole back into the yard right before my very eyes ! It's not Hudini playing magical tricks with your dog, its not those dreadful dog snatchers, and it's not those darned neighbor kids......It's your dog being left alone in an unsecure yard with many great escape routes or easy enough just a simple open gate.

   Please make sure that it is always a habit to go out and double check your yard weekly for any potential escape routes! Make sure to always fill in any holes that your dog may have begun digging for escape, fix any broken or loose fencing slats that would allow for escape, wiggle those gates to make sure a hit from that block headed dog you have wont allow it to jar open and always remember to LOCK that fence. It only takes a gust of wind, or some bad little kids to walk by and open your gate. I get so tired of the same excuse that people tell me blaming the neighborhood kids for their gate being open.......Not to metion the fact that it is Ohio LAW for all pitbull type dogs to be in a LOCKED enclosure, yet this also assures you that those menecing neighbor kids will not be able to open your gate with a lock on it. Locking your gate should not even have to be thought of, it should become habit to just do it without ever even thinking about it.  

      Whatever you do please do not ever chain your dog in a fenced yard where the chain allows the dog to reach anywhere near the fence line where he / she could jump the fence and proceed to hang themselves. YES this can hppen and has happened too many times in the past, where owners have left their chained dogs in a yard along a fence line, and the dog jumps the fence.... and at this point the dog has no leverage to help himself up and is hanging and fighting for his life to get free.

   I reccommend a 6 foot privacy fence to the fullest, because I know my dog who laughs and makes jokes at a 4 ft fence, has the agility skills to clear your typical 4 foot chain link with ease. Not only does a privacy fence allow you and your dog to have some "Privacy" , as well as a taller barrier, but it also ensure that none of those dog theives can just reach into your yard and steal your dog. 

     Dog kennels are the less expensive route if you are renting and do not have a fence or do not have the funds to install a fence. A kennel with  heavy Gauging is always best, this provides maximum security for your dog and your dog will not be able to chew or pry his way out to freedom.

     You also have to take into consideration of course your dog.....How determined is your dog to make a quick break for it ? Some dogs, nothing will stop those great escapes when it comes to our bull headed friends. At this point you need to make sure that you are NEVER leaving your dog outside unattended for any length of time ! Dogs like this need constant supervision !

FIX THAT FENCE AND LOCK THOSE GATES !

As an Animal Control Officer I have seen an heard it all ! All of the excuses on why peoples' dogs were not wearing their tags......PLEASE for your dogs' sake always make sure that your dog is wearing and displaying their Current Dog License ( and a personalized ID tag is always helpful as well.)  Animal shelters everyday impound hundreds of dogs that do not have proper Identification which would have allowed the shelters to contact the owners imediately to ensure a safe trip back home for the dog. It is very unfortunate how many dogs we see everyday sitting in the cages waiting for their owners to come look for them.  You may think that your dog will not run away, or that your dog is trained to never leave the yard......BUT reality is dogs are animals and animals are unpredictable. You should always expect the unexpected when it comes to your dog ! All it takes is an instant for something to happen, and then you would have been wishing that you would have put that collar with the tags on your dog. Please don't give me the excuse that you just gave your dog a bath and that you hadn't had the chance to put the collar and tags back on your dog.......This is the most popular excuse that we hear EVERYDAY from owners who have lost their dogs.

    A dog that is displaying a current dog license will be held for 14 days at a shelter versus a dog who is not wearing a current license is only held for 3 days.....Dogs that are wearing their tags are 98% more likely to be reuinted back with their original owners.