|
|
|
Taking on the Troubled Souls
At PoundHounds, we feel that anyone who has the heart to adopt a dog is a hero. Those of us lucky enough to have been able to rescue a dog understand the nearly incredible gratification you feel from bringing these needy canine souls into your home.
We also believe there are heroes among heroes, and in honor of 'Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet Day' on August 12th, this issue is dedicated to the people who find it in their hearts to adopt the more challenging dogs. These are the people whose friends and colleagues sometime call 'crazy' for adopting the blind dog, or the dog with the 2 broken legs, or the one who has a chronic skin condition and needs a special diet and medication for the rest of its life. This issue is a tribute to adopters who have taken on these tough cases and given these troubled dogs a stable and supportive environment, and most of all, had the patience and love to stick with them through thick and thin. To all of the dog-lovers and supporters out there, we say, "You are all heroes".
Seana Dowling
President, PoundHounds, Inc. |
|
|
Summer Warning Don't Leave Your Dog in a Hot Car
On an 80 degree day, it only takes 10 minutes for a car to heat up to 110 degrees--even with the windows partially open. A dog left in a hot car will suffer and die. Plan your travel with your dog carefully this summer, and remember--a 'quick stop' at the grocery store could endanger your dog if he's left in the hot car. Click here to learn more. |
Health Check
Adopting a Heartworm Positive Dog
The evil mosquito. Here in New England, they drive us crazy all summer. In warmer states, they are a year-round problem. For our beloved dogs, the mosquito is more than an itchy nuisance. A mosquito bite can be deadly because heartworm larvae is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito.
 Without preventative medication, all dogs can get heartworm.
Unfortunately, with some regularity, dogs who wind up in town pounds test positive for heartworm (HW+).
But take heart, so to speak, this doesn't mean you can't adopt the HW+ dog you fell in love with at the pound. Depending on the stage of the heartworm infestation, there are treatments available. Adopting a dog treated for heartworm requires a new owner willing to commit to caring for the dog as a patient for several weeks. The dog will need to be confined during the initial recovery and physical exertion must be kept at a minimum for 4-6 weeks. This may be too intimidating for people with busy homes and little time for the extra care it takes to nurse a dog back to health. For those adopters who are willing and able, the extra care-giving, bonding and quiet time together at the beginning pays off when your new dog is clear of infestation and bounding with energy, love and affection.
Thanks to your donations, PoundHounds has helped cover the cost of testing and treating HW+ dogs. Learn more about the stages of heartworm infection and treatment at www.dogaware.com/heartworm.html. |
| Proper Introductions
Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog
Ideally, the shelter or pound you have adopted from will have arranged a meeting between your resident dog and the dog you wish to adopt. When it's time to bring your new dog home, it is critical that your new dog feels welcome and your resident dog is not threatened. Take a few precautionary steps to make sure the day you bring your new dog home goes smoothly by reviewing the tips below:
1) Walk your new dog around your yard before bringing out your other dog.
2) With the new dog on the leash, bring your resident dog outside. Encourage side-by-side sniffing rather than face-to-face.
3) If both dogs are tense--staring or growling, barking or posturing, separate them and reintroduce at a later time.
4) Once the dogs begin playing or walking nicely side-by-side, they are probably ready to go into your home. If they are too excited, keep them outside until they show signs of relaxing.
5) For a short time, keep them both on leashes inside the house and supervise closely for any signs of aggression. The leashes will help in the event a fight breaks out.
6) Pay particular attention at feeding time for the first few weeks to ensure they don't challenge each other. Keeping distance between feeding stations is key.
If you are adopting a special needs dog, or a dog recovering from an illness or injury, be sure to speak with the shelter and your vet for advice on proper home introductions. |
|
ACO Resources
Prepare for 'Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet' Day
Help promote adoption of the more challenging dogs in your care including seniors, disabled dogs, dogs with illnesses or injuries, 'big black dog syndrome' and those 'bad reputation' breeds on August 12th. Petfinder has designated August 12, 2009 as Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet Day to help generate awareness for the often overlooked dogs and cats available for adoption.
Download a flyer at Petfinder.com to post around town and hang at your facilty promoting August 12th. While on the Petfinder site, you can get some talking points to use with potential adoptors to help overcome some of the myths. |
Barktoberfest - Time to Line Up Your Walk Fur Dogs Sponsors
We're only 2 months away from our annual fundraising event on September 20, 2009 at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Westford, MA.
Please volunteer to participate in the Walk Fur Dogs and use the next 6-8 weeks to get your sponsors lined up. It's an easy walk around the 4-H Fairgrounds. You can walk fast, slow, with or without a dog, with a friend, with family...any walk will be a fun walk and the pledges you raise will help the dogs who can't help themselves.
If you can't attend the walk but would like to contribute by collecting pledges, there are plenty of rescue dogs who will be happy to 'step in' and walk on your behalf with someone from the PoundHounds volunteer network at the other end of the leash.
To get started, click the link below and download the registration form from the PoundHounds website, or set up your personal web page to easily solicit pledges and monitor your fund-raising progress online. Sign up now and recruit your friends, family and co-workers to sponsor you!
Can't commit to fundraising through the walk? Well, do you like to bake? We have an excellent bake sale and we need good bakers to commit to making goodies. 100% of the bake sale proceeds go to PoundHounds.
If you are interested in baking for the bake sale or volunteering in other ways at the event, please e-mail us at volunteer@poundhounds.org and we will get in touch with you. | |
Featured Dog for Adoption:
Boomer Has Lots of Love to Give
Boomer is a quintessential mixed breed...probably some Lab and Pit Bull, he is tall and loves to run--maybe some Coon Hound? We don't know, but this sweetheart stands out from the crowd. He is well behaved but could benefit from someone willing to put in the extra work on some basic obedience training. He is neutered and up-to-date with routine vaccinations.
To meet Boomer, please call Fitchburg Animal Control at 978-353-2307 to set up an appointment. You may also email FitchburgACO@aol.com to request an application. |
|
Stories with good news endings are always our favorite topic. Maya, an 11 month-old Akita mix was relinquished by her owners because she had too much spunk. Even the ACO in Billerica called her 'unruly'. However, Maya was affectionate and though stubborn, she demonstrated an ability to learn. PoundHounds stepped in to sponsor her training with Sonia Mullen from Canine Techniques.
It wasn't easy. Maya was rambunctious and headstrong, but Sonia was committed to teaching her commands and setting boundaries.
The best part of the story is that recently, Maya was adopted...in large part to her excellent behavior! |
Campaign of the Month
Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet Day: August 12, 2009
Help your local shelters prepare for 'Adopt-a-Less Adoptable Pet' Day on August 12th. Click here to download a flyer designed by Petfinder and print out some copies. Drop the flyers off at shelters and pounds in your area. Hang them on bulletin boards in pet stores, grooming salons, veterinarian offices, your town hall and local library.
The intent of this special day is to build awareness and promote the adoption of older dogs, disabled dogs and dogs recovering from an injury or illness like heartworm. A survey conducted by Petfinder indicated the hardest to place animals were senior pets (29.9%) and pets with medical issues (15.3%).
Surprisingly, 54.2% of shelters reported that one of the most challenging dogs to place is a healthy big black dog! Shelters call it 'big black dog syndrome' because people seem to find black dogs more intimidating and tend to overlook them.
Other challenging dogs are those with behavior issues who need training, and fearful dogs who require an owner who can offer patience and coaching.
At PoundHounds, our mission is to help dogs with medical and behavioral issues and make them more adoptable. We thoroughly endorse the efforts everyone makes to make August 12th successful. |
About MAC
Spay/Neuter License Plates
 The Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) disburses grants to non-profit humane organizations and municipal animal control agencies. The grants are funded by the sale of the Massachusetts Spay/Neuter License Plate Program.
MAC has provided funds for PoundHounds to pay for spay/neuter procedures for PoundHounds sponsored dogs. In 2007, funding from MAC allowed PoundHounds to help 8 different town pounds spay/neuter 81 dogs. Those procedures represent $10,000 in MAC support.
Please show your dedication to animals and help control over-population. Register your new car or swap your existing plates for spay/neuter plates.
The cost for a license plate is $40. Of that, $28 funds this statewide program; the remaining $12 is a one-time only cost to cover the manufacturing of the plate. Two-year renewal fees of $40 go directly to the program.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for your continued interest and support of the invisible dogs in town pounds. We can't do it without you! Please visit the PoundHounds website at: www.poundhounds.org for more information. Or, contact us directly:
Message Center: 508.435.5029
Address: PoundHounds, Inc. - P.O. Box 454 - Hopkinton, MA 01748
|
| Helpful
Links |
Follow these links to learn how you can help PoundHounds:
Links to other important Websites:
|
| |
|
