Senior Dogs Need Love Too

An amazing poem shared by a Facebook group called United Against Animal Abuse.  

One by one, they pass my cage, too old, too worn, too broken, no way!
Way past his time, he can't run and play. They shake their heads slowly and go on their way. 
A little old man, arthritic and sore, it seems I'm not wanted anymore.
I once had a home,... I once had a bed, a place that was warm and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey and my eyes slowly fail. Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong, I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head can't justify how they left me for dead. 
Now I sit in this cage where day after day, those younger dogs get adopted away. 
When I had almost come to the end of my rope, you saw my face and I finally had hope!
You saw through the grey and the legs bent with age...and felt I still had life beyond the cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed...and shared your pillow with an old tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low. You love me so dearly, you want me to know. 
I may have lived most of my life with another but you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give, to you my dear person, as long as I live. 
I may be with you a week or for years; we will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears. 
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave, I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve. 
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new...my thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all those who will hear...OF THE ANGEL WHO MADE MY LAST DAYS SO DEAR. 
~ Author unknown

What Is A Rescue Dog?

Dog of the Week

TEDDY BEAR

Australian Shepherd

3 years old, Male

Teddy is a shelter favorite because everyone loves to take him out (off leash) to play fetch or frisbee. He is such an athlete and so very intelligent.  Teddy loves most people and can be with dogs of all sizes, ages and breeds.  Teddy is the kind of dog that will bond with one person in the home and would love to be that one persons friend for life.  He is the most loyal and most affectionate dog and is just missing that 'person' in his life right now.  He needs a lot of TLC as he recovers from a non-contagious mange.  His hair is think, his skin is red and irritated, but he's doing well with his treatment.  Teddy needs a best friend and if you do too, then please ask Mostly Mutts about him. 

Teddy needs to be with a forever family who can let him do what he enjoys most...running, chasing and jumping! He will not be happy just being a family pet; this boy needs to run and release all his energy.  He is great with other dogs and "needs a job" as possibly an agility or frisbee dog.  

If you think you can provide a home for Teddy or know someone who can, please go to our website for more info.  

(Teddy does not come to adoptions on weekends.)

Keeping Your Pets Cool This Summer

Summer is arriving this week so here are a few tips to keep your pet COOL. 

*  Have your pet groomed.  Pets with long hair or 'double  

   coated' hair need to have their undercoats stripped. 

*  Have plenty of clean and cool water available at all

   times. 

*  Ice cubes are a nice cool treat...make it more fun by

   freezing a carrot inside. If you are gone for long periods

   of time and want the water to stay cool, freeze a 'cool

   whip' size cube. 

*  Keep pets inside in cooler temperatures.  

*  Make available a very cool shady place if the pet must

   stay outside.  A dog house is NOT sufficient shade and

   could actually cause more harm to the dog because it

   lacks circulation.

*  Change bedding from flannel or wool-like material to a

   simple cotton bed sheet.   

*  NEVER leave an animal in a car.  The interior of a car

   can quickly reach over a 100 degrees even if the

   outside temperature is in the 80s.  Call 911 if you see

   an animal inside of a hot car.

A dog's normal temperature is 101.5.  Take a dog's temp rectally if you suspect the dog is suffering from heat exhaution.  Place gauze on the pads of a dog that is over-heated and soak the gauze in rubbing alcohol.  Spray cool (not cold) water over their entire body and call the veterinarian immediately to get I.V. fluids administered. 

Please take extra precaution in extreme temperatures and call your local animal control if you know of an animal living in conditions that are dangerous. 

Does Your Dog Chew?!

A guest written blog from two of our Mostly Mutts experts!  

Chewing is a perfectly acceptable and natural behavior for dogs. The problem arises when they chew on inappropriate, dangerous or expensive items.

Just like babies putting everything in their mouth, puppies and young adults will chew on anything.  Your job is to teach them what is appropriate to chew on and what is not.  This is an important job for you to curb your frustrations, the safety of the dog and to prevent a dog from losing their home

Reasons dogs chew: Boredom and frustration, Teething, Attention, Anticipation (some dogs chew just before their owner is due to arrive home), Separation anxiety (occurs if you work long hours)

Make Prevention the Priority:

Temptation: Puppy proof your home.  Pick up the remote controls, your shoes, and hide rechargers and computer wires.

Toy box: Fill a toy box with a variety of toys such as a stuffed animal, a tennis ball, a squeaky toy, a Nylabone, etc.  When you purchase a new toy, instead of giving it directly to the dog, place it in the toy box first.  

Chew toys: Replace an inappropriate item with a dog toy.  Provide your dog with a few tasty chew toys. Make it perfectly clear to your dog that if he/she needs to chew, it must be on the chew toys. It's a good idea to toss a dog toy stuffed with some tasty treats as you leave for work each morning.

Keep your dog in a safe and confined area while you are away from home. This could be a dog crate, kennel run or any secure room in your house. Of course you should provide a few chew toys in this area and ensure that there are no dangerous objects present.

Increase exercise:  For aggressive chewers, increase the amount of exercise (physical and mental), especially prior to your leaving.

Deterents:  Use a foul tasting substance (non toxic) such as bitter apple, cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce.

Put some tasty treats in the area, the chewing behavior will hopefully shift straight over to these.

Corrections: When you catch your dog in the act of chewing, give a firm "No!" and replace the inappropriate chewing object with a tasty chew toy. Give your dog praise when he starts chewing the toy. Never ever reprimand your dog if you don't actually catch him in the act of chewing.

TWO SECOND RULE:  You wouldn't reward a dog a minute after he/she did something good, so don't correct your dog if you missed your opportunity.  In dog training, you have two seconds to reward or correct a dog.  Supervise the dog better if you keep missing his/her bad behaviors. Leash a dog to you indoors if they 'sneak off to chew'.

Emily Shervin, CPDT

The Gratefull Dog

www.thegratefulldog.com  

Ain't Too Proud to Beg!

It's tax time!  Don't forget your contributions. 

For this year, please consider joining our

Ain't Too Proud to Beg campaign (ATPB).  

Mostly Mutts has developed an impressive reputation  for rescuing homeless pets with extreme orthopedic injuries. If we don't step in to help, the only other choice is euthanasia.  We want to continue to help, but without financial support from the community, we will have to start saying "no" to these unfortunate dogs.  Here are a few special orthopedic cases in just the past few months (all surgically performed by specialists):

Bolo - Rear leg amputation

Joe - Femur fractured - Surgically repaired

  Rocky - Two Ulna and Radial fractures - Surgically repaired (both front legs)

Cassidy - Ulna and Radial fractures - Surgically repaired

Cookie - Femur fracture - Non-surgically repaired (casted)

 Doug - Front leg amputation

Pending:  Puppy with fractured femur at an emergency clinic and a Cocker mix at an animal control with a suspected fractured hip.

Our ATPB campaign allows us to pay for these extremely expensive surgeries.  Join this today and at the end of the year you will have a nice tax-deductible donation.  Every one of you reading this can afford to be a Happy Hound :)

A contribution to this campaign makes a wonderful gift for your animal-loving friends and family member. 

Become a:  

Happy Hound ($10.00 a month),

Furry Friend ($25.00)

Tail Wagger ($50)

Best Friend ($100),

True Companion ($500)

and we know you are out there and we

would love to find you...our

Leader of the Pack ($1000.00 a month)

Thanks to those of you who are already participating. 

We challenge you to find one friend to match you!

Everyone from Mostly Mutts appreciates your support, but special thanks comes from the dogs themselves!  

Contact intownadoptions@mostlymutts.org for more information on the Ain't Too Proud to Beg campaign.

From Puppy Mill to Mostly Mutts to....Your Home?

5 yrs, 15 lbs. If you've heard about me before, I'm going to sound like a completely different dog! I spent my whole young life in a puppy mill.   There is no socialization in puppy mills so I'm a little behind with those skills.  Each day I learn more and get more comfortable being a house dog and a companion.  My teeth look like a 10 year old dogs teeth because they were damaged by years of chewing on metal cages.  My tongue permanently sticks out because of my bad teeth.  But the vets agree that I'm not older than 5 because my eyes are so young looking.  My new home MUST have other dogs because I enjoy the company of other dogs. I know there is someone out there who will provide me with a loving home and allow me to work at my pace. My foster mom is so excited about my improvements and you will be too.