Found after four and a half years

It certainly came as a surprise to one South Carolina family when they recieved a phone call from the Richland County dog warden that their beloved dog had been found some four and a half years after it escaped their house and yard. As it turns out the microchip implanted at the time of their adoption was the key to getting Angel home again. One more example that permanent identification is a benefit if your animal ever goes missing.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY

Dog parks are a blessing

I grew up in Calgary and still consider it my home as I spend as much time there as possible. From my very first dog (20 some odd years ago) I can remember living beside an off-leash park and being able to take him there. I had NO idea what a privilege that is until this year's Regional Conferences tour. I was talking to a gentleman from Ontario and he was telling me how proud his city was to have just created their second off-leash dog park. "Second?!?!?!!!" I thought, this municipality he was taking about was huge, how did they only have two!? Even the actual small town of 12,000 people I live in has two!

So I went home and did a little research on how privileged I really am to consider Calgary my home. Calgary.ca has a webpage devoted to it, Dog off-leash areas in parks, and there are 28 parks with off-leash areas in the North West alone, most with more than one area per park! Talk about privileged!

In light of this I decided the best thing I could do is get out there and enjoy one of them while doing a little photo essay on the parts Squish and I loved. 

Please enjoy.

The road up the big hill, it stop there.
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

From the middle you can't even tell
you're in the city.
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Squish!
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Yes, the crocuses are JUST coming out here.
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

This pond is seasonal but after a long walk
it's a great break. Squish's first time playing
fetch in the water.
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Back at the start and you can tell there are
porcupines here.
Nose Hill, Calgary, AB

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom,
@summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

Start your morning with a laugh.

Because every morning should start with a laugh.

Dogs at bath time.

Big news regarding Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD

From the news conference,
Medric on the right in the blue shirt
and Thai in the blue.

During our trip to Halifax for the Urban Animal Regional Conferences we were able to see a number of presentations regarding innovations in the region. One of them was by Medric Cousineau (Paws Fur Thought) who shared with us his story of how his service dog, Thai has changed his journey with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and saved his life.

Today in Ottawa, ON it was announced that the government is funding a pilot program to provide service dogs to veterans with PTSD, hoping to help up to 50 veterans. Having personally met Medric, and watched Thai in action I can't wait to see what this means for so many who are deeply in need of help.

READ THE NEWS RELEASE

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom,
@summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

Bylaw Amendment: Household pet limits *UPDATE*

Results to a survey requesting feedback on a proposed household pet limit bylaw amendment for the City of Calgary were made available by councillor Diane Colley-Urquart last week. 

Earlier this month, Colley-Urquart posted a short survey to her professional blog asking whether or not limits on the number of household pets should be implemented and what that limit should be. She received over 1,300 responses and noted that, "while this poll was by no means scientific, the level of engagement on my blog and survey was impressive and shows how much Calgarians care about their pets." 

To summarize, survey 67% of participants responded that there should be no limit to the maximum number of dogs allowed in a single family home. Sixty-five percent of participants responded there should be no limit to the number of cats allowed. 

Colley-Urquart presented her notice of motion to Calgary city councillors during the regular meeting of council Monday, May 26, 2014.

Detailed responses and participant comments available HERE.  

Remedial Training

Squish in her leashed timeout.

Squish has always been a very chill dog which I trust is as much because of the environment she was born into as it is about her temperament and parents. From before I even brought her home she could sit on command and when I did get her home I invested time in training like you do with all new pets. She's not perfect at all. For the life of me 'lay down' appears to be beyond her comprehension and sometimes her recall lacks any kind of recall at all, although I blame the last one on her ability to ignore me more than a lack of knowledge, a squeaky toy will always bring her back. All that being said, put her on a leash and you have a generally perfect mannered dog which is something I take great pride in.

Today the repairman came to fix my internet. For a dog who is generally more excited to meet new people than any other I've met, she was TERRIFIED. I'm sure it was the large clanky tool belt around his waist that was unusual to her and therefore scary. Her desire to run away almost sent her over the front gate, something I sincerely never ever thought she would try.

I managed to catch her and put on her leash and then, after a few attempts, to get her to sit and stay (the stay part was impressive as it sometimes goes the way of recall). For the rest of the visit, she sat very attentively at first watching his moves and then eventually relaxed into it, laid down and went to sleep. Turns out the repair man was a dog guy and after he was all done I asked him if he'd mind taking off the tool belt and saying 'hi' to her which he happily obliged. Squish appreciated the lack of tool belt apparently because they made fast friends.

I know she's only (almost) nine months old but I expected better from Squish. She rarely has a reaction like this and as a pet owner your first instinct is to kind of freak out like your dog. But if you can calm yourself and then find a calm safe state for your dog (for her it's the leash) then, in my experience at least, you can get them through almost anything and you're building a trust relationship with them. Never stop going back to your training. No matter how old your dog is they can actually learn new tricks, except maybe 'lay down' if they're a Boxer.

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

PetSmart opens Pop-Up Dog Park in Downtown Detroit

Photo Credit

Earlier this month, PetSmart Inc. partnered with the City of Detroit and the non-profit community organization Detroit Dog Park to bring a portable, pop-up dog park to a vacant lot in Detroit. This is the first official dog park in Detroit, providing more than 10,000 square feet of space. 

PetSmart's P.U.P. (Pop-Up Park) is a shipping container that contains everything needed to create an interim dog park, including 340 feet of fencing, three Oops clean-up stations, three moveable, backless benches, lighting on and inside the container (powered by solar panels on the roof) and a storage closet. The shipping container serves as the park's point of entry and exit. Through the partnership, PetSmart supplied the P.U.P. and the City of Detroit will maintain the park. 

PetSmart has currently supplied P.U.P.'s to two other Phoenix, Ariz. communities and hopes to bring parks to four more communities throughout the country by the end of 2014. 

READ THE NEWS RELEASE

It's the end of Dog Bite Prevention Week

How did you do? At the beginning of the week I challenged you to teach one person how to approach a dog. I was failing at this until yesterday during my dog walk. A small boy saw us walking by and was desperate to pet Squish and after my reading this week I was able to teach him the best way to do that. Luckily Squish loves children so even the 'elbow bump' this kid wanted to give her was ok, "but only with her" I told him.

Because they are smaller and less knowledgable children are often the ones experiencing dog bites and as such I wanted to see what resources were out there. After some quick Googling I came across dogsandkids.ca and it has some great resources for parents, kids and dog owners. I really encourage you to take a read through and use some of it's content for any kids you might know. Not every dog is willing to accept an 'elbow bump'!

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

Banfield's State of Pet Health Report 2014

Last month, Banfield Pet Hospital released its 2014 State of Pet Health™ Report which captured and analyzed medical data from nearly 2.3 million dogs and 470,000 cats. 


The State of Pet Health™ 2014 Report focuses on common infectious diseases affecting dogs and cats in the United States, as well as the prevalence and geographic trends of such diseases, including Lyme disease, parvovirus, Giardia and kennel cough for dogs; and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), upper respiratory infection and ear mites for cats. In Particular, the report revealed a 48% increase in the prevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in cats and a 21% increase in the prevalence of infection with the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in dogs. 




“The 2014 report highlights the increase in infectious disease observed at Banfield hospitals nationwide,” said Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, DACVIM, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Banfield Pet Hospital. “It is our responsibility—as a practice and as a dedicated group of professionals who love pets—to provide the best possible preventive care, which leads to early disease diagnosis and management. This care creates a partnership between pet owners and their veterinarian to continuously identify changes in a pet’s overall health and behaviour."


Banfield operates more than 850 hospitals in 43 states as well as Puerto Rico, and more than 14,000 associates - including 2,900 licensed veterinarians - work at Banfield. The organization demonstrates commitment to quality and innovation and operates with an understanding of the health of urban animals. 

READ BANFIELD'S 2014 STATE OF PET HEALTH REPORT 

READ THE NEWS RELEASE

Susan from PIJAC Canada and Catch - GAP

Twelve years ago I had a call from a colleague I used to work with at the Ottawa Humane Society. She was the behaviourist at the time and had a dog come in who needed a quiet foster home. This particular dog was terribly scared, but had a gentle nature and seemed to want to be with people. My husband and I had previously discussed fostering as he had not grown up with dogs like I had and I had been hoping to bring one into our family eventually. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to lend a hand and also see if having a dog would work for our family in the long term. 

A couple of days later we went to the shelter to pick her up. Let me tell you she was skinny, had a terrible looking coat and was about the most unattractive dog I had ever seen. We sat quietly beside her and with a wag of her tail and lick on the hand we began our journey. 

As far as could be told, she was about one year old, had most likely never been indoors and there were signs she had been mistreated. When we brought her home she stayed close to us and eventually explored her surroundings learning about soft beds and tasty treats. Despite not knowing what to do with a ball, she was quite proficient at catching mosquitos and after a day or so, Catch became her name. 

Over the weeks, we spoke gently, moved slowly and were amazed to watch her as she came around. She learned to play, master the stairs and discovered the joy of going for a car ride. One cool thing for me was to watch the development of the relationship between my husband and her, they learned together and bonded very quickly. We of course adopted her. 

All these years later Catch has been our constant companion. She comes to the office regularly, loves the mail carrier, attends family dinners, watches over our daughter and has had her fair share of road trips. Thinking back it is hard to imagine how that skinny, scared pup would become the healthy, (much better looking) people lover she is today. It all started with a phone call and we’ve never looked back.

Side note: True to her name she did eventually become quite good at catching balls too!

Susan from PIJAC Canada

HomeSafe Guest Author Program

Guest Author Program

Much like our other blog InfoStream, we've always had a plan to use Guest Authors on HomeSafe. A week or so ago I put out the call to some of the Urban Animal Industry folks and asked for some stories about their pets. My theory is, the more we know about each other and our love for animals the easier it will be when we have to discuss topics we might not agree on.

Watch for any posts with the -GAP after them and get to know the people who work in this industry and the stories that surround them.

If you'd like to be a Guest Author please contact me.

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

Poop and Scoop Debacle

Even if you don't own a pet, pet poop effects you every day and especially in the early spring when all the snow melts. Municipalities and SPCA's typically spend many, many hours through out the year educating pet owners on proper poop etiquette. It appears though, that two couples from Ontario missed out on that education and now a judge has told them "they are acting like children." Maybe some further education is in order for this psychiatrist and oil executive.

Read the full story here.

How do I find a good dog walker?

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

After reading about the 6 dogs in Langley it makes you wonder how you can ever find anyone to care for your pooch as well as you would. The simple answer is, Ask Questions!

It doesn't matter where you find someone, you wouldn't hire a person for a job with out a resume and references so don't hire a dog walker without the same. You also wouldn't hire them unless they were bonded and had insurance, it's important stuff we overlook because 'it's just dog walking'.

Next you need to do some home work. Call the references, make sure they are real people and ask them about their experiences. Wait you're not done! Call the Better Business Bureau and some animal organizations in your area and find out if this person has any reported concerns.

Once you've asked as many questions as you can ask, sit down and have a cup of coffee with your chosen dog walker. 

• Does your dog like this person?
• Do they love their job?
• What does a typical day look like?
• How many dogs and where do they walk?
• What would they do if your dog found a porcupine? 
• What do they do on the weekend? 
• How many animals do they own? 

Listen to their answers and ask more questions, then make a very educated decision about if they are right for you and your pooch. From there it's all dogs play!

Bylaw Amendments - Household pet limits

A city councillor is surveying Calgary residents to gather feedback on a bylaw amendment to limit the number of pets allowed in a household. 

Following the seizure of 33 dogs from a Calgary home last week, Coun. Diane Colley-Urquart is introducing a notice of motion to amend the current responsible pet ownership bylaw to include limits on the number of dogs and cats Calgarians are allowed to own. 

"Recent events covered in the media have highlighted the health and safety risks to both humans and animals when a single household is overburdened with pets," said Colley-Urquart in a blog post. "In the interest of public safety, it is the responsibility of Council to address this issue and protect the quality of life of both our citizens and our animals." 

Presently, the bylaw includes regulations on licensing, cleaning up after pets and keeping animals under control but does not indicate how many animals one household can have. 

Many Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg, restrict the number of household pets. On Monday, May 26, Colley-Urquart will bring her Notice of Motion forward to Council. Until then she is requesting feedback from the public through a brief survey. 

COMPLETE THE SURVEY

NOTICE OF MOTION

CALGARY HERALD ARTICLE

Toronto's WOOFSTOCK takes place May 24-25

A unique festival aimed at pet families is taking place this weekend at Woodbine Park in Toronto. 

WOOFSTOCK is North America's largest outdoor festival for dogs and it's getting even bigger. Drawing over 300,000 people in 2013, WOOFSTOCK is relocating and tripling in size for the 2014 event on May 24-25. 

Now entering its 11th year, WOOFSTOCK offers family and pet friendly events and vendors. New features for 2014 include: 

• Dogs Open Toronto, a new place where dogs have the freedom to play in an off-leash area. Dogs Open is paying homage to the famous Toronto festival, Doors Open, taking place the same weekend.  
• The Woofstock Chill Zone presented by Tito’s Vodka, take a moment to chill with “vodka for dog people”! 
• Milk Bone has a new dental cleaning product and a photo booth for pet owners and their pups! 
• The Canadian Kennel Club has arranged to have the most rare of Canadian breeds, The Canadian Eskimo Dog, along with the Newfoundland, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and the Labrador Retriever – having all dogs together for the first time ever in one place! 

For more information, visit www.woofstock.ca

Ontario SPCA launched 2014 No Hot Pets campaign

As the country enjoys warmer temperatures, the Ontario SPCA is launching it's second annual No Hot Pets campaign to promote awareness and prevent animals from being left inside hot vehicles. 

Recently, in Langley, British Columbia, six dogs were left in a hot car while under the care of a local dog walker. All perished from the heat. This story alone serves as a harsh reminder that hot cars can be deadly for animals. Dogs have a limited ability to sweat, even a short time in a hot environment can be life-threatening. A dog's normal body temperature is about 39°C and a temperature of 41°C can be withstood only for a short time before irreparable brain damage or even death can occur. 

Through the No Hot Pets online forum, citizens are asked to share the posters and leaflets about the dangers of leaving pets in cars. In addition, pet owners are asked to go online to www.nohotpets.ca and pledge not to leave their pets in their vehicles. Those who pledge will receive a No Hot Pets window decal for their car.

Visit www.nohotpets.ca for more information and take the pledge today! 

Do you know how to approach a new dog?

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

It's dog bite prevention week and despite a lot of education there's still a lot of people who don't know the proper steps when approaching a new dog. In fact, recently while walking my dog I approached a dog with out asking and got growled at...I know better!

The American Veterinary Medical Association has put together a wealth of resources we can all use to remind ourselves and educate others. You can view them here.

I'm officially challenging you to teach one other person this week about how to approach a new dog.

You don't like sleep, right?

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork

Depending on where you get your next animal from, you may or may not have a choice of whether or not to spay or neuter your animal. Squish wasn't spayed when I got her and for a while I really struggled with that decision.

In my first few years working for PetLynx I spent a lot of time working directly with the Calgary Humane Society. Educational is the way I describe it now, it's amazing how much I didn't know about animals. My family had cats and dogs as I grew up and by that time I was actually living on a farm raising cows and horses, I had every opportunity to be more educated.

What I didn't have the opportunity to understand until then was how many animals have unintended litters and how overwhelming that can be for a pet owner. Imagine your cat or dog starts to get a little chubby, you think "Chubby can be cute, but maybe a few less treats and a little more exercise." Eight weeks later, out pop six kittens or puppies! Your pet is a first time mom so she's not very good at it and you spend the next eight weeks hand-feeding six little runts first every two hours, then four hours then six hours ect.... Eventually you're exhausted and stuck with six animals you somehow struggled to get to an appropriate age and now you have to find them new homes. You post an ad online and have a multitude of people you don't know tramping through your house for the next few weeks until hopefully you get them all into a new home. While you've been busy homing her last litter your lovely little lady has gone and gotten herself knocked up again.

Ok admittedly that last part might be a stretch, and I stress might, but either way, just writing that left me feeling exhausted. It's no wonder that so many animals end up in inappropriate homes or surrendered to shelters. Imagine if that whole story happened to you and to top it off you had a brand new baby or a sick parent you were caring for or even a hospital stay! My time at CHS really helped me to understand how easy it is to become completely overwhelmed as a pet owner and wind up in a place you never intended to be.

It's true there are a number of studies that attest to the medical reasons why spaying or neutering is a good idea but for me they weren't nearly as convincing as the scenario above. Squish was, and still is, the cutest dog in the whole wide world (ok I'm a little biased) and that legitimately made me consider breeding her at least once or at waiting until she got a little older to make the decision but the second I thought of the care, process and stress involved in the aftermath of that decision there was NO way I was going to risk it. The truth is there are lots of intentional sources of animals out there who do a much better job than I ever would. Just think of all the sleep I gained from that one tiny decision!

Petland Canada and Team Toby go on tour!

Petland Canada announced today is its new partnership with Team Toby and the Paws Across Canada Tour. 

Toby, a rescue Chesapeake Bay Retriever, is making his way across the country to build a kinder Canada one paw, one person at a time. Through its partnership with Team Toby, Petland Canada will offer Toby's three award-winning books and Twoonie for Toby stickers for purchase at select stores. Petland will also host a meet and greet event at its Manning location. 

"Team Toby is delighted to have Petland Canada as a partner," says Charmaine Hammond, a professional speaker and best selling author of the Toby book series. "Petland's mission is a great fit for our tour and together we can make a positive difference in the world - for pets and their human family members." 

Funds raised through the sale of Team Toby merchandise will support Toby's children's books in local stores and the Orange Dog Foundation's rescue project. 

For more information, CLICK HERE. 

I got a puppy!

About ten months ago a friend of mine told me her dogs were pregnant and if I wanted a new dog (mine had died about a year earlier) I was welcome to have the first pick of the litter. She was breeding (intentionally) both Rat Terriers and Boxers and I could choose either one.  I thought about it for a long time, I had always had shelter dogs and in my job I see too many animals at shelters all the time. My shelter dogs were the best dogs ever, true love! I knew there would be a lot of judgment from outside sources if I didn't get a shelter dog again. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to know who the parents were and what they were like as adults, where the dog was coming from and the home environment it would be raised in (three kids under seven!), and most importantly for me, I would get to be there from day one.

I did a little research and decided I would get the little dog I had always wanted, I chose a Rat Terrier. The day came and both sets of puppies were born and I went to meet them all. Good Heavens they were cute, I fell in love with all of them and would have happily been a hoarder with nine new puppies if my landlord and wallet had allowed it. Thankfully they didn't. I couldn't choose right away and the more time I spent with them the more I knew I was making the wrong choice.  Rat Terriers have lots of energy and need to run, while my yard is big, it's not a farm like they would grow up on. I did more research. I started online and when wikipedia had completely scared me away from Rat Terriers AND Boxers I decided to talk to actual people that I knew and trusted.

I'm lucky, in my job I know lots of people who know a lot about pets but the two people I trusted the most were people I was friends with as well. One of them works for a pet insurance company and to be honest he scared me even further away from Boxers, they don't always have a great health record. The other was my vet, with 22 years of experience, he was able to educate me even further and point out that for sure a Rat Terrier wasn't best for me.

Now I knew four things:

1. I wanted a puppy, they were cute and I was in love.
2. Rat Terriers weren't for me.
3. Boxers might be for me.
4. If I got a Boxer I'd better make sure I had pet insurance!

The next time I went to visit I chose the cutest female there was. I instructed my Breeder's kids on how I wanted them to help me train my puppy by gently pulling her tail, ears and feet. This puppy was going to be really used to kids! And then I started gathering all the puppy things you need, most importantly a matching pink collar and leash! Finally, I chose a name for her, don't ask me why but I named her Squish, and because I was there at the beginning she already knew her name by the time I brought her home.

Six months ago I brought home my rambunctious bouncing bundle of puppy. We've spent most days together since then, and I can say firmly I made the right choice for me. More than that I can say absolutely that the education I searched for before I made that choice, set me up to have the best pet experience I possibly could. If there is any one thing I could say to someone looking for a new pet it's "Ask questions!" You need answers, a lot of them before you get a pet. You might not know as many pet industry folks as I do but you have lots of options. Any vet clinic, breeder, pet store, humane society, pet insurance company or anyone else who deals with animals would happily answer your questions. They won't all say the same thing but you will get a good sense of what questions to ask and what's best for you.

Finally when you have your questions answered and you know what you want, go find it...and get ready to fall in love.

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork