The Unique Challenges That Come With Puppy Mill Dogs

Specialists at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) have released advice on adapting to owning a puppy mill produced dog. The ASPCA suggests that owners who have bought a pup produced by a puppy mill need be made to understand the unique challenges they may have to face. Despite much publicity, the average person shopping for a pup still fails to appreciate the unfortunate fact that that if you buy your puppy from a pet shop, it was most likely produced at a puppy mill under atrocious conditions. Puppy mills are extremely abusive places and pet shops purchase the majority of their animals from them. Puppy mill puppies are also sold directly to the public via the Internet, newspaper ads, or at the mill itself. If you are thinking of buying a new puppy, especially with Christmas coming up - take the Humane Society's Buyers' Pledge! The dogs are prisoners of greed. They are locked in small cages where they freeze in the winter and swelter in the summer. The dogs never get out of these prisons or enjoy any form of human interaction. They are bred over and over again until they die. The only way to free them from the misery of these vile puppy mills is to eliminate the demand for their puppies by refusing to buy a puppy in a pet store and boycotting all pet stores that sell puppies. It is likely that the puppy may have been separated prematurely from its mother and spent little time outside a cage for the first eight to 12 weeks of life with little human interaction, which means socialization could be an immediate issue. Owners should be aware that many new elements as basic as walking their pup and meeting strangers can be terrifying for him at first. The ASPCA warn that these pups should not be rushed and that "patience and understanding" is key to helping them adjust to a normal doggie life. "If you take things slowly and go at the puppy's pace, you'll reap the reward of watching your shy dog overcome its fears". For the same reason, the pup should have a "safe area" - a bed or corner of his own where he can retire to get a grip on his new life. In the UK, the Kennel Club has attempted to dissuaded people from purchasing puppy mill pets at all - but once the mistake is made, animal lovers may want to take the opportunity to guarantee a better life for a puppy mill pup. Puppy Mills breed misery, boycott pet stores that sell puppies. Adopt! Don't Shop

Nubs- The Dog Saved by a Marine in Iraq

Nubs has to be one of the luckiest dogs in the world, saved from the Iraq battlefront by a Marine pilot, Maj. Brian Dennis who rescued the dog from the streets of Iraq, where Nubs was being used for fighting. His ears had been cut off close to his skull (hence his name). The story of their friendship and Nubs' eventual transition from dog of war to laid-back California pet is so extraordinary Dennis ended up writing a children's book about it. The book, "Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle," was just published by Little, Brown Young Readers. The German shepherd-border collie mix that was rescued in Iraq and nursed back to health by Maj. Brian Dennis and fellow Marines, arrived safely in San Diego to begin a new life last Friday. After a layover and check-up in Chicago, where Nubs was examined by an Egyptian veterinarian, able to read the veterinary reports written after Nubs' earlier stop in Jordan, Nubs landed in California amid a media frenzy. He was greeted by ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and a crew from the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which is expected to air scenes of his arrival. Graham Bloem, a certified dog trainer with West Coast K9 in Encinitas, California, will help Nubs transition from the alpha male in a pack of wild desert dogs to mellow beach dog. He will train Nubs and work on his socialization at a dog park. "Socialization is what Nubs needs," said Bloem. "This isn't Lassie, but a wild dog from another part of the world. He will meet new animals and people. He will hear new sounds and a new environment."

Pet Food Recalls - First Alert Planned

A concerned pet owner and pet website owner, Susan Thixton have collaborated on a project requesting all pet owners to contact their pet food companies and ask them to develop an email and voice mail notification system for pet owners/purchasers of their products (Pet Food Recall First Alert Program). A Paragraph From Susan's Thixton's site: "A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a very concerned pet owner. Her own dogs had suffered from a silent recall in the past; the recent increase in silent recalls was becoming alarming. Her idea was to develop a method for pet food companies to alert customers if they experienced a product recall. Her hope was that every pet food company would choose integrity over secrecy. Her hope, as well, was for us – pet parents – to push the changes through. " Read much more Susan's site and see how you can get involved in this letter writing campaign. It is for the safety of our pets!

Hope Transforms Into Art and Becomes a Winner

This is a story about and abandoned puppy nicknamed 'Hope'. The little guy was born with only two legs and he and his eight siblings, all newborns, were found shortly before Christmas, in a box at the side of an Orlando, Florida highway. They were taken to a local shelter—'Pet Rescue by Judy'. Seven of the puppies were healthy, but Hope's two front legs were stumps. Volunteer Judy Walker fostered Art for about three months until he was ready for a new, permanent home. He had to grow and put on weight before he could use a wheelchair. He now has a new home, a new name, and new mobility. Hope is now called Art and lives an active life with three other dogs and a retired veterinarian. And he gets around just fine! "I just fell in love with him," said Art's new owner, Robert Weigle, a retired veterinarian. "He's taught me more than years of veterinary training ever did, and a lot about life priorities." At 10 months old, he weighs 25 pounds and has adapted beautifully to his new name and home. Robert added: "He's just a happy dog and he's very intelligent and if one thing doesn't succeed, he'll work around it and find a way that does". Weigle built Art two makeshift wheelchairs, one with four wheels and one with two, which Art uses when he leaves the house. "He really isn't overly-fond of either of them, unless we're in a strange area where he gets around and socializes with people," Weigle said. When he's at home, Art prefers to be free of his wheelchairs. "He travels about perfectly well on his own," Weigle said. Recently, Art's former foster caregiver, Judy Walker, had the opportunity to visit Art for the first time since he left her home in March. "He's happy and that's all I wanted," Judy said. For her it's come full circle: Art the abandoned puppy born with two legs is happy, healthy and amazingly active. "It's amazing what love can do, especially with animals," she said.

How to Make a Chicken Coop - Five Important Reasons To Consider

Farmers raise them. So do hundreds of kids for 4H projects. There are even clubs dedicated to raising chickens in your backyard. So, just what does all this have to do with why you should learn how to make a chicken coop? There are many reasons why this would be a good idea, but in truth, you can narrow these down to five especially good ones:

1. You can you can raise hens for healthy, more tasty eggs or feeder hens for the dinner table.


2. Chickens produce manure that's high in nitrogen for your garden. Some people go so far as to call it the best fertilizer in the world.


3. Chickens provide excellent pest and insect control if allowed to roam free for a few hours a day. As they peck around the yard, they gobble up grubs, slugs and other bugs, viewing garden pests as tasty, nutritious treats.


4. Chickens are great foragers and will scratch around in the leaves and soil energetically, seeking out the delectable tidbits. In doing so, they aerate the soil and break down larger pieces of vegetation with their sharp talons, accelerating the decomposition process.
5. Raising animals can be a very important source of family time. This is perhaps the most important reason why you should learn how to make a chicken coop. In today's society quality family time is hard enough to come by so teaching your children how to care for backyard chickens can offer them a way to occupy their time beyond talking on the phone or playing video games.

When you make a chicken coop and get a few backyard chickens you are taking a step toward independence. You are distancing yourself from the mega-egg producers whose methods lean heavily toward polluting the environment and your chickens won't be pumped full of hormones or chemicals which mean they, and the eggs they produce are healthier for you as well. There are many more great reasons to learn how to make a chicken coop. Give it a shot and you will find that you will soon have more benefits than you initially hoped for. Raising chickens in a backyard coop is not just for clubs or farmers anymore. It is now a family project that everyone can enjoy and benefit from.

See our section on "Keeping Backyard Chickens" by clicking >>Here<<

Officer Rudi Retires

For seven years he has patrolled the streets of Bryan, Texas, sniffing out crime. Now, Officer Rudi is hanging up his leash for a more relaxing routine. The department bid farewell Wednesday to the highly-decorated Bryan Police canine who's been with the force since 2002. The 10½ year old Belgian Malinois will remain under the care of his partner and handler Sergeant Dean Swartzlander. "I have had him longer than I've had my oldest child, so it's like retiring one my kids," Swartzlander said. A retirement ceremony was held for Rudi Wednesday afternoon at the Criminal Justice Center. Happy retirement Rudi— you've most certainly earned it!

Get Your Furry Fix by Fostering

From the brilliant Dr. Pia Salk, who has extensive experience fostering pets: If you can't adopt a pet but want to get a temporary furry cuddle fix, support the work of your local rescue groups and save lives, then fostering is for you! Fostering is one of the most compassionate and rewarding actions an animal lover can take. The availability of a foster home can make a life-saving difference for a homeless animal. While many people envision rescue groups as having large facilities and a full staff, the reality is more grass roots than that. Many rescues groups are only able to take in as many needy animals as they have fosters for. Rescue groups work tirelessly to find homes for the animals in their care and to network the ones in municipal shelters, but all too often the time needed to find a home exceeds the time an animal has left. Foster homes provide the critical time needed to connect the dots between an animal in need and an adoptive home. Foster homes help not only by saving lives, but in other ways too. By getting to know a pet's personality, a foster helps the rescue group properly place that pet into a suitable home. A brief stint in a safe environment can also help provide the socialization needed to facilitate a smoother transition into a new home. And let's not forget the fun part! A foster parent gets to have a furry fix for a stint without the life-long commitment that may not suit their lifestyle.It's like getting to spoil your niece and nephew when they come to visit! Anyone interested in exploring foster should contact a few rescue groups in their area (click here to find rescues near you). The rescue can share info on their requirements and schedule a time for a home visit. Ask them to help you establish the kinds of animals you can accommodate and a time commitment that meets your lifestyle. If you're partial to a certain breed, you can also consider fostering for a breed rescue. You can also sign up to volunteer on Adopt-a-Pet.com's volunteer registry, and select "Fostering" as one of your interests. What a great way to advocate for the animals! Happy fostering! Contributed by AdoptaPet.com Blog