The Role we Play in the Lives of our Dogs ~

Dogs bring unimaginable joy to our lives. Their devotion to us is legendary. We all know that caring for a dog involves food, shelter and lots of love. Often when we provide these things we feel that we are fully fulfilling our dogs needs.

Dogs are social predators. It is important for dog owners to understand the “animal” inside of their beloved best friend. It is when the “animal” side of a dog is misunderstood or left unaddressed that behavior problems can begin to occur.

In order for a group of social predators (also known as a “pack”) to function successfully, there must be a hierarchy. This is true in any animal that functions within a group, including humans. To be healthy, a pack must consist of a leader (the human/s) and followers (the dog/s). There will even be ranking positions among the followers. It is essential for this pack hierarchy to be clearly defined in the minds of all involved or pandemonium breaks loose and the social success within the pack breaks down.

Dogs are not humans. They communicate to each other with body posture and energy, not by using “human language”. They watch what we do and feel who we are. With the exception of trained commands, they do not listen to what we say with our mouths. Most of our words are useless chatter to them. So our leadership is earned and maintained mostly by our body language and energy, not by our words.

The majority of the dogs that I work with have developed behavioral problems due to a lack of clear leadership within their pack of humans. If an owner doesn't take that top position, a dog often will fill the vacuum and quickly rise to the top. Some dogs are comfortable in this position. Some are not. Aggression is a common result in a dog who has been inadvertently given the position of top rank and is not comfortable there. There is a certain level of anxiety for anyone who is the leader of a group. When dogs end up in that role, anxiety can turn into a wide variety of undesirable and destructive behaviors.

In order to be a clear and decisive leader within a pack of dogs, a human must develop and maintain strong inner strength, energy and commitment. A pack leader communicates through energy and body posture when he/she is displeased with a subordinates behavior. Consistency is the name of the game here. Emotions such as anger and frustration only empower a dominant dog, as those emotions relay to the dog that we are out of control which in the end makes us weak. So shouting and panic in an owner are very counterproductive in altering undesirable behaviors in dogs.

In the end it is a calm and confident owner that reigns supreme. It is important to visualize the behaviors that you want in your dog and then create it internally. You will then have the power to create it externally in the dynamics of your pack. Trust and respect are the foundation of a healthy relationship with your dog and are the result of a calm and confident owner.

Written by Joni Johnson-Godsy, International Association of Canine Professionals, http://training.godsy.com/

Pet Overpopulation is a Growing Epedemic ~

I happily volunteered to write an article on pet overpopulation for Furry Kids’ newsletter, but I mistakenly thought it would be easy to write this piece. With a wide array of sad statistics about pet homelessness and euthanasia to choose from, it should’ve been easy for me to write a compelling article about the benefits of donating to and volunteering at local shelters. As I write this introductory paragraph, however, I can’t escape the reality that countless Americans are in the midst of financial crisis. Once thriving American businesses are closing their doors, unable to get loans or attract paying customers. More families than ever have been forced to declare bankruptcy, and even individuals with good credit can’t secure loans. Americans are clipping coupons, cutting out luxuries, and depleting their savings accounts. If any of these situations have hit home for you, how can I possibly convince you to donate to animal shelters like Furry Kids? As I researched the issue of pet overpopulation, however, I realized that Americans can’t afford NOT to support local shelters.  

Did you know that the government spends billions of American tax dollars to kill animals? Due to the staggering number of homeless pets, the government spends a whopping two billion dollars annually to capture, shelter, euthanize, and dispose of unwanted animals. Even though two billion tax dollars of tax money funds five million animal killings each year, both no-kill and kill shelters cannot cope with the number of pets left in their charge (“What You Should Know about Pet Overpopulation”). Animal groups like the Humane Society say there are desperate for funding to increase the public’s awareness of pet overpopulation and to publicize the benefit of spaying and neutering. If more Americans donated to animal groups, we could not only reduce the number of euthanized pets, but we could also send two billion dollars of tax money to a more productive cause.   

The floundering economy has increased the number of homeless pets. With record numbers of home foreclosures in the USA in 2007 and 2008, many desperate families have felt forced to abandon their pets to shelters or leave them uncared for in vacant homes. The actual number of surrendered or abandoned animals is unknown, but because the stock market took a particularly sharp nose dive in October, the number of homeless pets is expected to grow, and shelters are already bulging at the seams (“Foreclosures Slam Doors on Pets, Too”). The recent surge of abandoned animals caused the national Humane Society to begin distributing extra money to their shelters to assist in caring for animal victims of foreclosure (“Foreclosures Taking Toll on Pets”), and shelters across the country are working harder than ever to keep animals with their uprooted families.  For instance, the SPCA of Sacramento instituted a program to help pet owners find short-term care for their animals (“Foreclosures Slam Doors on Pets, Too”). Other shelters are offering free food and reduced veterinary costs to help families afford their animals. Sadly, all of the extra effort on the part of shelters is not making enough of a difference to pet overpopulation. As families struggle to pay their mortgages, they tend to avoid spaying and neutering their pets, and the result is more unwanted animals.

Unlike the widely publicized current economic crisis, the longstanding issue of pet overpopulation has received little media attention. Much of the public is unaware of the magnitude of animals that are without homes. Cat overpopulation is a particularly rampant problem. Seventy-one percent of cats who enter shelters are euthanized to make room for incoming animals. It is easier for shelters to find homes for dogs than for cats, and cats are able to reproduce at a higher rat than dogs. Two unaltered cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in only seven years (“What You Should Know about Pet Overpopulation”)! While 87% of cat owners spay or neuter their animals, there are a vast number of unaltered homeless cats that desperately need the public’s attention and assistance (“US Pet Ownership Statistics”).

While you may have no money to spare during this rough economic period, consider volunteering at a shelter or fostering an animal. Both of these selfless acts can make a big difference in the lives of homeless animals. It is the responsibility of animal lovers to educate fellow Americans about the pet overpopulation epidemic in this country and to promote spaying, neutering, and pet adoption. As the Humane Society states, “Every cat or dog who dies as a result of pet overpopulation—whether humanely in a shelter or by injury, disease or neglect—is an animal who, more often than not, would have made a wonderful companion, if given the chance” (“Pet Overpopulation and Ownership Statistics”). 

Written by Kelly Oliva, Furry Kids Refuge Volunteer

Sources:
“Foreclosures Slam Doors on Pets, Too.” USA Today 25 Mar. 2008. EBSCOhost. Frontier Middle School Library, Wentzville, MO. 29 Oct. 2008 <http://more.net>.
Jares, Andrea. “Foreclosure Taking Toll on Pets.” Fort-Worth Star Telegram. 17 Jun 2008. EBSCOhost. Frontier Middle School Library, Wenzville, MO. 29 Oct. 2008 <http://more.net>.
“Pet Overpopulation and Ownership Statistics.” Humane Society of the United States. 2008. 29   Oct. 2008 <http://www.hsus.org>.
“US Pet Ownership Statistics”. Humane Society of the United States. 17 Mar. 2008. 29 Oct. 2008  <http://www.hsus.org>.
“What You Should Know About Pet Overpopulation.” Spay & Neuter Kansas City. 2006. 29 October 2008 <http://www.snkc.net>.

Georgia is a beautiful, 1 1/2 year young, female Beagle mix weighing about 25 pounds. She is full grown! You may remember George from a past newsletter when she was so very sick and fighting for her life. Georgia has came through so much in her short life. She was dumped in the mean big city streets to starve and she almost did. When we rescued her from the shelter she was in horrible shape. No sooner did we get her home then she broke with the deadly parvo disease. After weeks of getting her over this and upper respiratory infection with intensive care and lots of TLC, she finally started putting on much needed weight. Georgia is very healthy now and ready for her forever family. Georgia is very gentle & loving and she really likes other dogs after she gets an opportunity to be a little bossy at first :) You can't help but fall in love with her darling face!

Read more about Georgia on her Petfinder page!

Talulah is such a sweet heart! She needs a loving home. If you'll notice, both our featured dog and cat have black coats. So many times, black dogs and cats are overlooked because their coats don't stand out. We hope you'll notice these two wonderful animals, though! Talulah will make a wonderful companion - she just needs to be noticed by that special person who will fall in love with her! She's just a few years old, uses her litter box and loves attention! She has gorgeous eyes and a sleek black coat.

Read more about Talulah on her Petfinder page!

Call us or come by an adoption event and we would be happy to microchip your pet with a 24PetWatch™ microchip for just $20. 

Registration is free and easy and easy to update from the internet!

I started volunteering with Furry Kids 6 months ago only because I had nothing better to do, but now its something I look forward to every week. I've made the coolest new friends, like Tara, Sean and Olivia..and more. Though this is much more than friends, its an organization to help the helpless. So many animals in Missouri are homeless, abandoned, abused or neglected. Furry Kids is really making a difference in this. The fosters are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I look up to every single one of them. I've learned so much volunteering with the furry kids and I think this is something more people should get into. Its truly so rewarding to watch these dogs that where so scared, thin and sick when we get them to being healthy amazing pets for someone. These people are not only my heros but the heros to many dogs and cats.
Written by Shelby Lynn

Saturdays from noon - 5pm at the Petco in Lee's Summit. Visit our website for up to date information!

Please visit our website and send us your story and pictures if you can and we’ll post them on our Happy Furry Kids Page!

Thank you to all who have sent their stories – it is so heartwarming to see our Furry Kids in their forever homes!

INTERESTED IN ADDING A FURRY KID TO YOUR FAMILY?

What if Furry Kids earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Well, now we can! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.Just go to goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Furry Kids Refuge as the charity you want to support.