Animal Farm Foundation Slideshow

PETsMART offered a phone/web based training on Pit Bull Adoption Basics/Training hosted by Kim Wolf of the Animal Farm Foundation.

These are some of the interesting slides shared with the participants.... These are a great resource if you are trying to explain pit bulls to your friends and family.

Kim said...Only 2-10% of a dog's DNA determines his DNA, and yet we are using that very small amount as a predictor of behavior, which is arbirtary and incorrect.

Don't imply more than you know or use terms incorrectly. Example, for a dog to be a bait dog- there has to be an aggressor dog, which is not a good image to conjure in adopters minds about pit bulls. Also, terriers tend to be "tenacious", but "pit bulls type dogs" can be lazy.

Don't imply more than you know- just because a dog barks at all brown dogs, doesn't mean it cannot be in a home with a brown dog. Fact: It is better to transfer ownership and get the dog back through legal channels if something goes wrong, rather than loaning the dog first- which opens you up to liability as a shelter or organization.

Having a separate area or policy for pit bull dogs sets the potential adopters up to think that pit bulls are different. You as the advocate should not create unnecessary fear. We should not assume anything about a dog's behavior from its arbitrary label.

There can be an unlikely match where you least expect it! Take time to get to know the potential homes.

Animal Farm Foundation does not give people a list of what may go wrong because they feel that they cannot list a comprehensive list of "what ifs".  People with children between 5-17 acquire 75% of dogs at any given time, so age-restrictions automatically restrict the adopter pool to 25%.

Advice from AFF to Shelters/Rescue Groups:

1) Place them next to a variety of dogs, don't segregate.
2) Put a friendly pit bull in your lobby as a greeter with a bandana!
3) Teach the dogs parlour tricks (pray, handshake, roll over, blow kisses)
4) Use enrichment toys to keep pits quieter and busier- they will present better to adopters
5) Think of your adopter as a customer-make the environment calm, cool and peaceful
6) Use playgroups to burn energy, learn more about the dog's personality, and engage volunteers
7) Have Rescue Brunches - invite local rescue groups and foster homes to watch play groups to pick dogs based on observation.
8) Some dogs do best with a job (agilty, disc, obedience, police, search and rescue, assistance, therapy)
9) Happiness Sells, Sadness repells. (Adoptions increase when you focus on the human/canine bond.)
10) Take pictures with other dogs or people, create a scene or tell a story, take pictures in front of landmarks or in costumes, even a hand or foot of a person in a picture increases the dog's chances of getting adopted. Take videos!
11) Use adopt me vests
12) Use business Cards
13) Don't forget the bling! (Cute tags, collars, bandanas!)
14) Don't forget the Elder dogs, they can be great additions to homes for years to come
15) Promote your staff that live with pit bulls to show you believe what you are selling
16) Promote your shelter as an "adoption option" rather than individual dogs.





PetItForward.org & Affordable Pet-Ownership

Since adopting Winnie and Bruno at the ages of 23, Chip and I realized how expensive dogs can be. Together, we make a decent income - not above average by any means - we are both paralegals at reputable law firms in New York City- but lately it feels like you need to be rich to own a dog here and keep it healthy.

So many of the dogs that come into the shelters in NYC are mal-nourished, injured or geriatric and need vet care their families cannot afford. Here are number of dogs I've seen in the last few months. Each one was either starved, had mange, or had a condition that needed expensive care. The expenses needed to rescue these dogs make it impossible for anyone other than Rescue Groups to adopt them:

(luckily-each of thses dogs was rescued by a rescue group- you can find out more about each in the safe folders at Urgent Part 2, but many are not so lucky.)


The story of Patrick(the pit puppy starved and thrown away as garbage) is of course a horrible one of cruelty and neglect, but it has shed light on the fact that many pet owners cannot afford care- and many cannot even afford adequate food. Please don't get me wrong- I hate people who don't take care of their dogs- I will do anything to make sure my dogs are fed and healthy and happy- and let's face it, people in this city adopt dogs they cannnot afford and that is wrong, but I do feel that something can and should be done it make it more affordable to own a dog.

That is where Pet It Forward comes in. It's CEO, Jenna Dreher, really believes in the mission of lowering the costs of pet-care- so much so that she donated generously to Winnie's ACL-repair surgery.

Jenna writes, "Pet care can be expensive and it doesn't have to be. Pet It Forward is like priceline.com for pet care, freer and more fun. We put the power in the hands of pet owners, giving them the ability to network online with those in their community, such as other pet owners and care professionals, to find more affordable or even free care for their pets."

I am really excited about this site; it connects pet owners with other pet owners in their nieghborhoods, makes booking and paying for pet-care online quick and easy, and can save us up to 50-100% on pet care. When you sign up for an appointment, the providers are sent the scheduling details, you are sent a reminder, and you can even review the provider- this means gaining insight from your neighbors about the vets, groomers or the dog-walkers in your area. It also puts you in touch with other dog owners so you can even set up "dates" for your pet.

The potential for this site is huge- if this site can generate enough users and pet care providers- it could save lives at city shelters by keeping dogs out of shelters in the first place. It would also open up homes for dogs with people who think owning a dog would be prohibitively expensive- like young, busy people who need to use dog walkers and expensive boarding facilities. The cheaper pets cost to own, feed and care-for, the more pets can be rescued and live fufilling lives.

The site is still in development, and accessibility to low cost vet-care is not yet available, but users will be able to save on boarding, walking, feeding, and cleaning service costs.

Please consider signing up-you will get an email when it is fully-functional.

To sign-up for an invitation to join Pet It Forward, click here.



Things we love (for a home with big dogs)

It's not always easy keeping a house or apartment looking neat and organized when you share it with two dogs, especially when that apartment is only two rooms (spacious by NYC standards). Finding items that look great but can't be ruined easily are the key.

Here is a list of our favorite things:

1) Dog Haus (by ABO Gear) Tent:

$59.99 on Amazon.com

This tent was a fantastic find. It comes in a small cylinder bag that unzips and there is absolutely no set-up! All you have to do is take it out of the bag, pull the string, and it pops up into place. It has a flap-door that the gives the doggies their privacy and makes them feel safe and cuddly inside.

It is a great size and fits two 50lb pit bulls comfortably. It doesn't come with anything inside, but I put Bruno's dog bed in it and it is getting much more use in the tent that under the dining table.



2) Replaceable seat cushion fabric:

Less than $10/yard at Ikea.com

If your dogs shed like ours, you know that their dog hair can ruin your nice fabrics and you need to find things that are either washable or replaceable.

 

I am in love with Ikea's inexpensive fabric: for four chairs you only need a couple yards, and at such a great price, you can change the fabric whenever you want to!

We went with this funky crab/under-water pattern because we love bright colors.

All you need is a screwdriver, scissors, and a stapler (heavy duty is best, but I used a regular one). First unscrew the seat cushion from the chair frame, cover with cloth, and staple in place (no need removing the original cover if you like it and want to keep it for later- the staples can be removed easily to expose the original or replace with a new fabric!)

3) Art that benefits shelter-dogs:

$20 per print on Etsy

Etsy is full of fantastic items, craft-pieces and art-work. I chose these because they were colorful, fun, and 10% of each purchase is donated to the artist's local animal shelter.

I chose these three pieces and hung them over our dining-table.

 4) A cork board for your jewelry:

$75 mirror frame from Etsy.com and $5.00 cork board inserts purchased at RiteAid.

I used to be less organized about my jewelry, but since the dogs will eat anything small (and even sharp), I need to keep everything up off of table surfaces and away from Winnie & Bruno.

This is a great solution- I found this mirror frame on Etsy that I loved- unfortunately when it came to me, the mirror had been broken in shipping- so I filled the frame with thin cork-board that I found at Rite Aid, pinned up my jewelry, and voila! All of my jewelry is up off of the table away from inquisitive doggies.

5) Fake flowers

$42.41 on Amazon (not exactly the same as ours)

I love having flowers around, but when much of your day revolves around keeping two big goofy eating-machines well-fed and happy, you can't always care for plants. Also, some plants can be poisonous to dogs, and I didn't want to take the risk. These potted orchids did the trick- they look perfect all year 'round, look 100% realistic, and only need occasional dusting as up-keep!