Doggies! (duplicate post)

We're headed over to another pet adoption place tonight and the ball is rolling on new paperwork. Amanda found some new dog options, two of which we're headed to look at tonight. First though, you have to see the picture of this adorable little beagle/chihuahua mix. Of course, that's a bit smaller than we wanted, so it's not really an option for us, but if you want, it's still waiting for a home.

So the two dogs we are going to look at tonight are pretty similar in a few ways. Both have interesting names, "Keegan" and "Betsy Boop", but who says naming your dog has to be boring? Both are about the same size, cost, colors, and health status. Now we just have to see them and interact with them to see whether or not they actually fit for us.

Of course, this is a no-kill shelter, which is nice, but still means that we're not really saving a puppy from being put down. However, we are looking at adopting a dog without a home, and that's a really good feeling for me. Time will tell how much work will go into having a pet and whether or not we were totally ready for it. But I think all the preparation in the world still can't leave you fully prepared for the unknown. We are ready enough, financially stable and this is a nice/fun step for us in our relationship as well.

De-barking

This was a concept I had barely even heard about before we discussed it yesterday in the animal issues class that I TA. As a little side note, I would like to congratulate all of the students in that class for taking it upon themselves to enroll in a non-required class (but fulfills a GEC) that discusses such complicated topics. These are students who truly show for the most part an interest in learning things in college instead of just checking off requirements before they leave. Yesterday, I talked to an aviation major in the class, just one example of the diversity we have in the class and hopefully that will lead to a lot of healthy discussion.

Debarking dogs can be done for many reasons. First on my mind was a beagle or the deaf dog in our house last year, but apparently there are more complex interests in debarking of dogs than just the annoying metronome of dogs who haven't learned to shut up. Most interesting to me was the fact that Ohio is the only state to have a law that prohibits the debarking of vicious dogs. It would seem that there were actually people who debarked attack/guard dogs in order to still protect themselves but give the dog the benefit of surprise. Law enforcement officers found this especially troublesome for obvious reasons.

What bothers me about the debarking of dogs is the surgery and the fact that it permanently inhibits the dog's ability to vocalize. I understand this is the goal of the procedure and I'm sure there are dogs which this procedure must be performed on, dogs that have no self-control and raise complaints from neighbors, etc. There does come a point where the dog will either have to be given up or debarked for its own good. And when you reach that point and there has been no way to prevent the dog from incessant barking, then I think that debarking becomes a justifiable procedure. There was no way to previously predict the dog would behave this way and to get rid of the dog would provide less quality of life than the alternative of just removing the ability to misbehave in a way in which will result in the dog's movement to a shelter or unfamiliar home. This is just one more of those tough choices that has to be made by the people who have taken the responsibility of caring for the animal. The animal depends on these people to do the best that they can for it, and sometimes they might determine that debarking is necessary. That's just one more fact of life, and it's better than the dog having to settle into a new home or shelter.

Pet Shelters - Part I (duplicate post)

I had quite the frustrating first encounter with the Franklin County Animal Shelter. Amanda drove over 2 hours to the Franklin County Animal Shelter last night. I drove over and hour. The weather was terrible but we had emailed ahead about the dog and indicated we would be near closing and wanted to see a specific dog. They never noted any of that.

While I was still lost and sliding on the road, Amanda was already in an altercation with a piss-poor volunteer who refused to even acknowledge our attempts to support their efforts and the animals with simple cordiality. I don't care how bad your day is, you don't treat me and my wife that way.

Once I arrived, I went back in, bringing Amanda with me. I bypassed the malcontent and addressed an older, heavy man behind the security glass. He informed me that we were too late and we could only see the dog within its cage. That's better than nothing, but then he found out that our dog was diagnosed with a zoonotic disease over a week prior and that we couldn't see her. Both the fact that the place restricted access to animals at a certain time of day, and the fact that the dog we specifically inquired about was not visitable would have been great things to include in the response email. Terrible "customer" service wouldn't begin to describe the shameful atmosphere we endured, all in the name of love for stray animals.

If you were getting paid to adopt a dog, I might recommend this shelter right now. Unfortunately, this is where we found a dog we were interested in. Thus, this is where we have to return if we want to see this dog again. If this dog is out, you will probably not see me there ever again. Other shelters treat people better and I'd rather support their efforts.

Puppies

I don't blog daily, but when I catch a lucky break, I can throw a few blogs together to summarize what I've been thinking about and doing for the last few days. Since I knocked out my biochem exam yesterday morning, there has been a feeling of tremendous relief in me. So let's talk about what I think about puppies and get beyond how cute they are.


Puppies seem to just control people's minds, more girls than guys. We talked in the class that I TA about the eye placement in puppies being very similar to a baby's eyes; thus, people are even more attached instantly to them. I don't think there's a day I don't hear someone cooing over a little dog (even if it isn't actually a puppy) and talking about how cute it is. This now goes for my wife as well. So now we're in the process of finding a dog, which leads me to this blog post.

Finding dogs, easy. There's millions out there for adoption. Picking a dog can be just a little harder. You need to find a dog with the energy level and size that matches your living conditions. If you have kids or other pets, or even livestock, it's important to consider what types of interactions you want and will allow between your new dog and these. And it's also important to remember how expensive keeping a dog really is. Between the vet costs, the food, and the time you spend with them, they can greatly impact your lifestyle in a bad way if you're not really ready for one. This is one of the biggest concerns for me when people say they are looking for or buying a dog. If you aren't ready to get one, then wait, because the lifestyle they are subjected should matter to you if you care for your dog.

Now to the heart of my blog post. I know you might feel bad taking away your dog's manhood or the hope of raising a litter some day, but it is really important to spay or neuter your pet. Help prevent compounding the present problem in the US and elsewhere. Otherwise you'll end up with more than you can handle, and speaking from experience with barn cats, there are only so many you can give away. "Fixing" your pet will also lead them to a happier lifestyle and a better relationship with you because the hormones and the habits associated with intact pets are typically reduced by the process.

That being said, I also fully support adopting "mutts". Scientifically speaking, the crossing of breeds combined with the survivability of these animals that have already struggled through life on their own or in adverse conditions and then ended up in the local shelter will result in an active and more healthy animal in the long-run most often. There are so many pets up for adoption, I can't imagine that you can't find exactly what you want if you look hard enough. The problem that we are in right now is that so many people want to buy a dog with papers or from a puppy place that now there is over-production of these animals which then also end up in the shelter because their producers can't sell or get rid of all of the extra puppies they make.

If you're looking for a new pet, help one in need. Adopt.