Hot Topic, the ASPCA Failure of Oreo

Two weeks ago, I was mowing my little patch of yard when Marley, a Standard Poodle rescue I placed with my neighbor walked by with a woman I didn't know. Always happy to see Marley, a dog who had lived a feral life for 18 months before being captured, he is now quite happily domesticated and well-loved. The woman introduced heself as Lisa and said she was visiting Marley and his owner. The talk turned to dog rescue and she asked me what I thought of Peta and ASPCA. Well you know I gave her an earfull about Peta. I hesitated about ASPCA, this year I have been very concerned about their approach to animal welfare and so I have withheld sending them any funds....then Lisa told me that she is in the advertising/marketing industry and just landed a really fat advertising account with the ASPCA. She was worried about the 'karma' of such an account. I told her to trust her own judgement but in my state, they have been doing things that make them appear to be an appendage of Peta. For example, they raided a local puppy mill, gave it lots of publicity, got locals to donate to the welfare of those poor dogs, but THEN only allowed a tiny handful to be adopted by locals, claiming that we didn't have enough prospective homes and said they were taking the rest of the rescued pups to New York...let me tell you something folks, that sounds like a flat out LIE. Nashville is FULL of millionaires, more per capita than anywhere else in the U. S. and Nashvillians love their dogs. We have a whopping 75% dog ownership population, far more than the average U. S. city. So it does sound like the ASPCA lied . The rumor is that the dogs were taken somewhere in Manhatten and euthanized.
After reading the story of Oreo, the dog who was thrown from a roof, and had her broken body repaired only to be euthanized by the ASPCA, I have to really wonder if those rumors about the puppy mill pups are true.
Read this post about the ASPCA Failure of Oreo and let me know what you think, she was offered sanctuary by another rescue group who was turned down by the ASPCA in favor of killing her.http://petsalive.com/blog/2009/11/14/failing-oreo/

Intelligence or Trainablity? Doodle Dogs and Afghan Hounds

Today I met a woman who had with her an adorable fluffy black 12 weeks old pup.
He was an Aussie-Doodle,his new owner had driven 10 hours to meet with the breeder and paid a 1000 dollars for him.
An agreeable little guy,solid black with a straight fluffy coat about 3 inches long. With monkey-like whiskers sprouting out of his otherwise smooth muzzle,giant puppy feet and a long smooth coated tail that curved over his back like a teapot handle,he looked rather like an Afghan Hound puppy. Scratching him under the chin, I made this comparision to his new owner...she replied in a most derogatory manner,''Oh,thank God, he'll be smarter than those STUPID dogs''.
Now, I have owned, shown, rescued and rehabbed more than my share of Afghan Hounds. The grey one pictured here is Camille, look at her rescue picture, matted, weighing 32lbs, full of parasites, including heartworm,she was beaten and burned repeatedly by her owner, yes, I said burned. The owner put cigarettes out on her body. Camille cried and barked so much the owner had her vocal cords cut. The vet called me about her and I was able to rescue her. (The owner went to a mental institution.) It was a tribute to the high intelligence of this breed that Camille was able to recover enough to function in a caring home situation after all she had been through. Look at her 'after' photo, this pic is scanned in from a dogshow paper, and you can see how far Camille came in her rehab.

Afghan Hounds were my first love. And despite what you may have read from 'stupid' trainers and behaviorists, they are not stupid, they are actually highly intelligent and evolved in their decision making.
This breed developed over thousands of years in some of the worlds most rugged terrain. Their masters used them to hunt and kill the dangerous Snow Leopard, a formidable foe and one in which the wrong decision could mean death. These dogs are very intelligent, quick thinking and independent...
The woman I met today with the Aussie Doodle has confused intelligence and trainability.

A dog can be smart and trainable...but a dog doesn't have to be smart to be trainable.
Different breeds learn things differently, and breeds eager to please execute commands with ease, while the more independent natured breeds are more of a challenge to motivate....but don't call them stupid.
STUPID IS DRIVING TEN HOURS TO PAY A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A MIXED BREED DOG.....
She could have adopted a dozen mixed breeds at the shelter for that price...

The doodle dog craze has gotten out of hand,while cock a poos , peke a poos and schnoodles have been around for decades, the doodle dog breeding became a status symbol marketed by so-called dog designers to make a buck. Originally the labradoodle was developed in Europe when security professionals wanted a Labs' trainability with a non shedding easy coat . Labs are really smart, I believe smarter than Poodles, but a Poodle never quits and will work himself into exhaustion,it is my personal belief that it is that 'go, go go, never quit' trait that the Europeans wanted as much as the non shedding feature. Either way they got it, as all the Labradoodles I have met have a more poodley personality than the energetic, but still grounded temperment of the Lab. Originally labradoodles looked much like Otterhounds and only needed a bath and a brush out. Now that the so called dog designers are breeding labradoodle to labradoodle and occasionally bringing in more Poodle for color, they are getting dogs who have to go to the groomer on a regular basis...which completely nullifys the point of the hybrid( as if there actually was a good one)...

so get a Lab, or get a Poodle or an Aussie or a mix breed if that is what you want but remember to consider your dogs nature and natural breed traits when training.
You don't want unrealistic expectations or else you and your dog will both be unhappy. DOGS KNOW WHEN THEY DON'T LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.
And speaking of Labs, check out this fabu site Sean Green sent me...http://clublabrador.com/
For Afghan Hound Rescue:http://www.afghanhound.net/

( and thanks Rita for giving me the cool 2009 Afghan Rescue Calendar available on this site)

'Tis Better to Give....

This morning I was collecting items to be picked up by a local charity and decided to share some ideas to help our canine friends this holiday season. Every shelter is beyond capacity right now. Never in modern history have there been more operational pet shelters and yet never has the need been so great to help them.
When I managed a pet boutique I kept a box behind the counter for donations to the local shelter. Every time a customer purchased a new dog bed, bowl, brush, collar, etc. I would ask them to bring in the old one to donate on their next visit to the store. Not only would the customers bring in the old items still in usable condition, but often they would bring in more items as well to donate. Every holiday season I would have a pet food drive and ask each customer to purchase an extra can or bag of food to donate.
I always kept the damaged bags of still good food to send to the shelter as well.
Our neighborhood association has a pet spay neuter program for neighbors who can't afford it or for strays to be fully vetted before going to a new home. This year I have asked them to donate their old crates and other supplies to local rescue groups.
If you don't have a neighborhood association, you can still have a neighborhood pet supply drive. Tell your neighbors to get those old crates out of the garage because rescue groups never have enough. In fact, recently one of our local rescue groups in an effort to rescue puppy mill puppies had to make several trips back and forth because they didn't have enough crates for transport. Borrow a truck and tell them you will pick up the crates and other donated pet items yourself on a designated day. Almost everyone I know has a dog crate they don't need anymore in storage that could be donated.

And shelters need collars and beds and bowls and toys too. Believe me, the dogs and shelter workers will be grateful and won't care that they are used.
I have also had pet food drives at my office jobs. Just email all your co-workers and tell them that on a certain day you are collecting pet food for the shelter.Do you or a friend have a retail business?Offer a discount to customers who bring in pet food donations during the holiday season. Because it benefits charity some community bulletin boards and local radio and T.V. stations may post it for free.
Another idea is to ask your friends to donate money to your favorite rescue in lieu of buying you a present this year....
Some no kill shelters have sponsorship programs. Get together with your friends and sponsor a dog at a no kill shelter.
Or donate your time. If you have never donated your time to a shelter it is both rewarding and unnerving. Unnerving because you are almost overwhelmed when you see how in need the shelters are and how little time can be devoted to each dog. Dogs need walking, grooming, and their cages and kennels cleaned. The work never ends and volunteers are always needed. If you don't live near a shelter, consider offering to walk or groom an ill, elderly or disabled persons dog.
Do you belong to an online group? Suggest that each member donate an item to their local shelter this year. Not everyone is in a position to adopt right now, but don't let the holiday season go by without doing something for rescue.

Share this idea with everyone you know, just think, if everyone in America did one thing for pet rescue this season how much it would help. Can you imagine? Spread the word!
With that thought, Puff tips his Pilgrim's hat to you...

Have a happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to watch the National Dog Show.