Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

A Little Respect Please

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Happy 4th of July everyone!!

I’m not sure how it is where you live, but beginning last Saturday, people have been setting off fireworks in celebration of this Nation’s birth.

Sadly, for a demographic of people and animals, these couple of weeks of celebration can be pure hell.

The 5th of July is the busiest day for Animal Control officers, because more pets go missing on 4th of July than any other day of the year.

Last Fourth of July, my cousin David’s dog, Heidi, went missing.

Heidi is a Black Labrador Retriever, rescued from Hurricane Katrina. Heidi is afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks.

My cousin lives in Maine, on a little five acre plot. Heidi has free rein of the property, and usually heads right for the door when the first rattle of thunder rolls in.

Last year, in the early evening while it was still fairly light out, Heidi was out in the yard, when a neighbor decided to set off a firework. Being totally unprepared for this sudden noise, Heidi took off.

She was gone for almost a week, before someone finally contacted David to let him know that Heidi had appeared on the woman’s deck about seven miles from home.

Seven miles.

A frightened dog can run extremely far. When my sister’s Jack Rat Terrier got spooked by gunshots a few years ago, he traveled over ten miles!

It’s not just dogs either. Plenty of cats get spooked, and I have know idea how wild animals deal with it.

Of course, there’s the human factor too. Many Veterans, especially those that have served in a combat zone suffer from PTSD. The loud noises from fireworks can flash them back to combat.

My nephew served a year in Afghanistan. After he came home, we were at my grandson’s birthday, and the staff moved a table and it made a very loud noise. My nephew almost hit the deck.

When you consider the statistics…

According to Veterans PTSD Statistics, of the 2.7 million veterans of the Iraq/Afghanastan wars

  • 20% have PTSD. That’s over half a million people, yo.
  • 50% of veterans with PTSD don’t seek treatment
  • 19% have Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s)
  • 7% have PTSD AND a TBI
  • Sadly every day 22 veterans take their own lives. Every. Single. Day.

In my opinion, that’s 22 per day too many.

If you’re one of those people who like to shoot off fireworks, I get it, but I think it’s nice to give some thought to others who share space with you in this world.

I happen to be one of those people who think you can always find a compromise. My suggestion is, if you are one of those folks who likes to light off fireworks, have a quick chat with your neighbors to let the know what you have planned.  I’d suggest letting them know the approximate times you’ll be lighting fireworks off, and how long it will last.

This gives them the opportunity to get out of the neighborhood if they so choose, or to make a safe area in their home.

Some quick tips:

  • Keep your cats inside
  • Take your dogs out early, and give them lots of exercise, so they’ll be tired
  • If you have to take your dogs out during the fireworks,  take them out on a leash
  • Make a safe area in your home where your veterans and pets can hunker down.
  • Make sure you have fans, TV, and air conditioners to help mask the noise.
  • There are also supplements that aid in calming/stress, both for humans and animals. For humans you can try some L-Theanine, or Valerian Root. For pets we use Valerian Root and a calming chew made by Vetriscience called Composure.

Above all, have a safe and Happy 4th!

This ‘N That Thursday – September 19, 2013

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Today we are joining our friends at 2 Brown Dawgs blog for This ‘N That Thursday.  It’s an anything goes kind of day and I’m in an anything goes kind of mood.  Sounds like a perfect fit to me!

Courtesy of 2 Brown Dawgs Blog

Courtesy of 2 Brown Dawgs Blog

Please stop by 2 Brown Dawgs and see what they’re up to!

Human Shaming

My goal when I sit down to write a blog post is to bring a smile to someone’s face, it’s not always easy with some of the topics I tackle which is why when an opportunity comes to let it rip, I try and jump on that bandwagon.

Well friends, the opportunity is next Wednesday.  Back by popular demand Heart Like a Dog will be taking part in the Human Shaming Blog Hop hosted by Kol’s Notes and My Brown Newfies.  For those readers new to the blog, Sampson and Delilah really took me to task last year.  If you’re interested you can read all about it here. Funny stuff?  Yes.  A  little embarrassing?  Definitely!!

humanshaming1 To be truthful, I’m a tad bit nervous thinking of the humiliating photos I’ve had taken this year and wondering what those two will come up with.

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The Flooding in Colorado

I’m sure by now you’ve heard the horror stories coming out of Colorado, they are calling it the 100 year flood and it means exactly that, the type of flooding that generally happens only once in a 100 year period.

As you know, when a natural disaster affects people it also affects our pets.  The numbers are staggering:

  • 21 helicopters were being used Monday for evacuations
  • 11,750 people have been evacuated
  • 8 people have lost their lives
  • 658 people are still unaccounted for, which means no one has been able to get a hold of them. This number continues to decline as more people are rescued.
  • This is being called the 100 Year Flood, here’s a little on what that means: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/FS-229-96/
  • Approximately 2,377 agricultural properties have been affected
  • 36 shelters are now open serving hundreds of people and pets
  • Flood conditions are spread across 200 miles covering 15 counties (these facts are courtesy of BlogPaws.)

Helping Pets in the Colorado Flood Disaster - BlogPaws Be the Change for Pets

As a member of The Blogger Disaster Response Network, I’ve taken a pledge to help get the word out, so people who are interested in helping know where to go to help.

No surprise but many companies have stepped up to help animals that are affected by this disaster, I urge you to check out the BlogPaws website if you are interested in helping.

Follow-Up Friday

My co-hostess for tomorrow’s Follow-Up Friday blog hop is none other than our dear friends at 2 Brown Dawgs blog.

Check back tomorrow for a recap of our week.

This is the This ‘N That Thursday blog hop, created and hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs.

Just One Day

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One day.  Twenty four hours. One thousand, four hundred, forty minutes.  Eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds.

For some dogs one day will make the difference between living out their lives being loved and cherished or the end of their life, abandoned and alone in a shelter.

A dog but for the stroke of luck could have been our own sweet Delilah.

The only picture I have where she even remotely resembles a puppy.

The only picture I have where she even remotely resembles a puppy.

 

Thankfully American Lab Rescue pulled her from the High Kill Shelter she was at and put her in foster care until she could be transported to us.  American Lab Rescue is one of only seven shelters/rescues in the state of Connecticut that have taken the Just One Day Pledge and vowed Now and Forever.

Just One Day takes place every year.  They work year long spreading the message and asking shelters to take the one day pledge.  They will assist shelters by providing model press releases, promotion plans, and a guide to help them adopt their way out of killing.  All of these are provided free of charge to any organization that takes the pledge.

From their website, “To most people, June 11 is Just One Day. But, June 11 is a day that will change everything for about 10,000 companion animals, and a day that can change the world. On June 11, 2013, we can be a No Kill nation.”

10,000 animals!! Sounds good doesn’t it?

But they need our help.  Just about every town in CT (169) have a dog pound or shelter, yet only seven have taken the pledge to be no kill.  And of those seven, they are all, with the exception of one, rescues.  No Humane Societies, no Shelters.  I find that appalling.  And I intend to change that for next year.   I’m going to be recruiting my CT friends to assist me in getting the Just One Day challenge out to shelters in our state so more of them participate next year.

How many shelters in your state participate?  Go to their website and see if your favorite shelter/rescue does, if you don’t see your favorite on the list, contact them, ask them to take the one day pledge.

Together we can make this a No Kill Nation, if only for one day.

Another way you can help shelter animals is to join the Tuesday’s Tails Blog Hop and shine the light on a shelter animal, a dog like Duke here.

Duke is 6 or 7 years old and was abandoned at a truck stop.

Duke is 6 or 7 years old and was abandoned at a truck stop.

 

Poor Duke, he sat for hours at the truck stop where he was dumped waiting for his heartless human to return.  Duke gets along with children, and dogs, walks well on leash, and he’s very attached to his foster mom’s elderly mother.  You can read more about Duke on his Petfinder Page, he’s currently in foster care in New Fairfield, CT.

10,000 animals in one day seems like a big undertaking, but shelters were closing their doors last year because they had adopted out all their animals.  Imagine, a shelter with no animals. Wouldn’t that be a great ‘problem’ to have?

 

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