Foster Friday #2 Harmony

Meet Harmony

With Southern State Mastiff Rescue

She is a 5-6yr old Mastiff That is finally learning what it means to be loved. Before moving in with her foster family she lived in the woods for 2yrs where a good Samaritan  feed her and eventually called animal control. Before being rescued someone decided to crop her ears and tail. She is now on her way to becoming healthy and happy.

Since moving in with her foster family she has learned to play with her foster sibling and to run from the cat. She has shown nothing but love to the family and the children.

If you would like to learn more about this Gentle Giant or any others up for adoption at Southern States Mastiff Rescue please check out their website

Southern States Mastiff Rescue

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Sponsered by

Thundershirt

Twitter Pet Anxiety Chat

Last night, I had the privilege of sitting in on a very informative Twitter Chat about Pet Anxiety. With summer storms with lots of thunder popping up daily and the 4th of July on the horizon, what a great topic to be covered

It was hosted by @Pet360 of Pet 360, Guest speakers were @PatrickMahaney a holistic veterinarian specializing in acupuncture/pain management & @Thundershirt for dogs and cats to help relieve their anxiety and calm them down during stressful situations

Here are some of the questions and answers of the night:

Why does thunder scare dogs?
     *Loud noises, including thunder, stimulates a dogs basic instinct to flee for saftey.


Why do dogs start pacing long before the thunder starts?
     *Animals are keenly sensitive to environmental & barometric changes 


Are there certain breeds/pets that are more prone to anxiety
    *Yes in both dogs and cats
          -Terriers, Retrievers, Sporting, (Weimaraner, Viszia, etc) & working dogs
           (Border Collie, etc) are the most prone in dogs.
         - Cats that are relatively "wild" like Bengal, Occicat & Savannah don't do 
           well with stress of domestic confinement.


How can I relieve this stress or anxiety?
    * Exercise, distracting sounds, massage or medication.
         -Medication should be used as part of the treatment for anxiety and should 
          never be the sole therapeutic option


What are some non-medication alternatives?
    * Behavioral stimulation, including: exercise, environmental enrichment, acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese medicine food, therapeutic herbs, massages. etc.


What is considered environmental enrichment's?
    *Interactive training, distracting toys...

How do pets develop these loud noise anxiety? Is it inherent fear or developed early in life?
    *It is instinctual but can develop with repeated exposure


If one dog is afraid of thunder and the other one is not, should you separate them during a storm?
    *It depends on how severe the anxiety is, especially if removing the companion dog makes it worse I wouldn't.


Don't those wraps help dogs with Thunder?
    *Thundershirts can help pets with any type of anxiety

Is is safe to leave Thundershirts on for long periods of time?
    *Yes many clients leave them on all day while they are at work


This is not all of the questions from the night but a basic recap. If you would like to learn more about Thundershirts you can click on this link
Learn more about Thundershirts 

Peanut Butter Bites

I love making healthy treats for my dogs and I think they enjoy the homemade cookies, but they never turn a store bought cookie when it is offered to them.

Today's recipe is for Peanut Butter Bites

Makes 40 - 2" Cookies

3tbls Veg. Oil
1/4 C Peanut Butter (no salt or sugar added)
1/4 C Honey
2 Eggs
2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

• In a large bowl mix all ingredients in order listed, stir until firm. If sticky add more flour
• Knead on lightly floured surface
• Roll out to 1/2" thickness
• Cut squares or use a cookie cutter
• Place on baking sheet 1/2" apart and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
• When done cookies should be firm to the touch
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 2hrs to harden even more
• Store in an air tight container

I hope your dog enjoys these as much as mine do

Check back next Monday for another new recipe

Reflective Sunday

There is not a better day to introduce my oldest dog Bandit. He is a very serious and loving dog.

Did I mention very well dressed

Bandit turned 10 in June

Over the years he has put up with a lot from me. Can you tell how much he loved wearing that hat,but he did it because mom wanted a picture.

Bandit has been my faithful companion through the years, When he was younger he went with me everywhere Even though as a puppy he was thrown from a moving car and left for dead in a ditch he still loves to ride in the car.

He is a very bright dog and knows many tricks and will go through all of them real fast if you are holding a hotdog 

Bandit loves life and has a smile for everyone he meets

Silly Saturday

I would like to introduce you to one of my silly babies today.

Meet Baxter, He is a Corgi/Rottweiler mix (don't ask me how that happened, I don't know if I want to know) He is a real clown.

One of his favorite activities is playing in the water. If there isn't water in the pool he will sit in there and bark at me till I filled it

His Birthday is coming in July and he will be 2yrs old. This is from last year he didn't care for his hat and was trying to get it off

Baxter loves to do Paw Painting 

But Baxter's all time favorite activity besides eating of course is

Foster Feature Friday #1 Phoebe

Each Friday I will be featuring a foster here on the blog. The more exposure we can give these babies the sooner they can find their furever home or get funding to get the medical care they need.

UPDATE 7/4/12 

From Phoebe herself from her Foster Moms Facebook page:

Phoebe here... And I have something to say, 

Some may be under the impression that the celebrations on the 4th are for a National Holiday. I would like to correct that misconception.

It is because I AM GETTING A HOME! That's right after a review of Multiple scripts, my agents have decided on a role where I promise to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

This will be a comeback that many will talk about for years to come. Folks, I have worked diligently at studying my lines and learning studio protocol (aka, thou shall not pee in the stars trailer)

As you watch the splendor of the 4th, please not only make a wish for (and the next Oscar) but for the many others out there how deserve that chance at stardom.

Love and snooters, 

Phoebe

Our first feature is Carolina Basset Hounds (CBHR) little girl Phoebe, she is about 10 months old, was owner surrender to a shelter

 

 Phoebe's given name is Phoenix, but she prefers to be called Phoebe by her friends. Phoebe came to CBHR with her jaw broken in 2 places. Her jaw was broken by a freak accident and not from abuse or neglect. The good news for this girl is all of her blood work came back looking real good and other than her jaw she is in very good health.

From her few posts on her foster mom's facebook page, Phoebe is enjoying the good life of lounging in her own chair, supervising family cookouts and just being the Queen. She is glad someone has finally realized she is royalty.

This girl and many other of the low rider Bassets at CBHR have on going medical needs if you are able to help them out even with a few dollars, skip Starbucks this week, please go to the CBHR's web page and make a donation. Donate to CBHR You can also get information on the site on how to adopt this precious girl or any of the others currently in foster care with CBHR.

If your home is feeling empty, CBHR is always looking for new foster homes. There are so many dogs that they have to turn away because they just don't have enough homes. Please reach out to them on their website, they will greatly appreciate it CBHR