How to Evaluate a Shelter Dog

There are millions of dogs in animal rescues and animal shelters all over the world. This is a great option for someone looking to add a new member to their family. It is my personal opinion that this is one of the best ways to acquire a new dog. That being said, many dogs in shelters have behavioral issues that may not fit into your lifestyle. It's important to make sure a new dog is a good match with it's new family, to ensure the puppy does not get returned. How do you tell what behavioral issues a dog may have with only a few minutes to interact? Here are some clues.



Does the dog guard resources? While playing with the dog, pay attention to how it reacts to you touching it's food bowl or toys. If it bares teeth, emits a low growl, or acts anxious this can be a sign of resource guarding. While it may seem innocent at first, this can lead to aggression problems if you have other animals or children at home that may try to play with anything the dog considers it's own. This is an issue that can be fixed with some extensive training and time, but don't expect it to go away overnight.

Another issue that may not be discovered until several days or weeks into owning a new shelter dog is separation anxiety. A dog with separation anxiety is not for the faint of heart! Dogs with this condition do not handle being by themselves very well. Even in a crate they can damage your home or hurt themselves. So how do you tell? In a shelter, if it generally appears clean and well managed, has the dog used it's cage as a bathroom? Are there small wounds on it's face and paws from trying to escape? If it comes from a rescue where it is allowed to be with other dogs, see if you can get the dog alone, and gauge it's reaction. It should not be whining, drooling, or generally anxious. A dog with separation anxiety must go to a home that can provide the dog with companionship all day every day. This can be a home with more dogs, or even a family that has opposite schedules so there is someone home with the dog all the time. In severe cases of separation anxiety, the dog cannot be left alone for even a few minutes.

Is the dog "hand shy"? Watch the dog's reaction when you reach to pet it's head, or even raise your hand to your own head. If the dog becomes nervous or shy's away from you, this could be a sign that the dog was beaten in the past. It is sad, but it's something you should be aware of. Dogs that have been severely beaten tend to be nervous and scared of sudden movements. This should be a sign that the dog may become scared enough to become aggressive. A behavior like this is fairly simple to fix, but it takes a long time to earn your dog's trust. You should always be cognizant of your dog's past, and realize that in a new home or new situations in the future, it may lash out from fear.

Dogs from shelters, rescues, or humane societies can be some of the best pets. But it's important to know of behavioral issues, before you adopt. Most dogs in shelters are put there by owners who couldn't deal with these issues, and it's important you don't make the same mistake. If you're aware of what you are getting into, it makes a happier life for both you and your pet!

Subscribe in a reader

Picture of the Week! Mother's Day!

It's Sunday and Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to our two legged and four legged mom's out there!


Funny Animals




Subscribe in a reader

Product Review - Kong Dog Toys

Dogs will chew, always. They do it to relieve boredom and reduce stress. It is the eternal struggle of every dog owner to find something their puppy can chew, and not destroy. Everyone wants a dog toy that can be chewed, and survive to be chewed another day. The Kong company has done just that. I have not ever seen a dog toy that can withstand the abuse the standard Kong rubber chew toy just shrugs off and says "Is that all you got?"


It is made of a durable hard rubber that is soft enough it won't damage a dog's mouth, but tough enough that a few puncture holes won't damage it's integrity. Many toys have an air filled pouch of them, to provide some sort of resistance and push back from the toy. Those sorts of toys are easily punctured, and immediately lose their appeal. Not the Kong, it has an open cavity that provides that same unique resistance, yet there is no air filled bladder to puncture.

Another really nice feature of the Kong, is the open cavity. The size of the cavity allows the dog to be able to get it's tongue in, but not it's teeth. This is an excellent device to provide mental stimulation. Dogs crave a challenge, and by putting treats or,  my personal favorite, peanut butter in the Kong's hole, the dog must work to get the tasty tidbits out. This literally can provide hours of fun and mental work for any dog.

Kong has also provided a selection of tasty treats to put in it's Kong toys. These pastes work just like peanut butter, except they have different flavors. They even have one for bad breath! Search Amazon.com for Kong Stuff N Easy.

I give the Kong line of toys and treats a big two thumbs up and 5 stars! Many companies will make similar items, but they never seem to hold up as well as the original. Kong toys are always reasonably priced as well. Often times you can pay double the price that you would for a Kong, for a toy that will only last a day at best.


Subscribe in a reader

The Goldfish Dilemma

One of the biggest mythologies I've ever encountered in the pet industry, is not about dogs or cats, but fish, specifically goldfish. It seems almost everyone over the age of 18 has, at some point in their life, had a pet goldfish that they kept in a goldfish bowl. It's almost a rite of passage, teaching a child responsibility, to have a goldfish as a first pet. Every year at the fair, they have games where the winner gets to take a home a goldfish, and it seems like everyone wins! If you walk into your local pet store, there are thousands of small goldfish for just a few cents, and small ornate "goldfish" bowls complete with pearls and a small castle. But, did you know, that a goldfish cannot survive in a bowl?!

It has always amazed me that this myth has survived over generations, when I'm sure without a whole lot of luck, few if any of these fish have survived past a few days. Here's the reason. All fish kept in a enclosed system like a bowl or a tank, depend on a delicate balance of bacteria to keep the water free of ammonia, which the fish excretes almost constantly in its urine. Within 2 to 3 days, even in a larger tank, the water becomes cloudy as the waste builds up. In a larger tank, the fish can survive riding out this increase in poison, while the bacteria has time to grow and start cleaning up the mess. In a small bowl, there is just not enough water to dilute these toxins, and they almost certainly become fatal.

Before the critics jump down my back, with claims of having kept their fish in a bowl successfully when they were a child, let me ask a question. Is your fish still alive? I've heard of reports of goldfish living as long as 40-60 years, maybe even longer. They are not a disposable animal that is only designed to live a few months (Another myth I've been told). To successfully keep a small goldfish, at least a 10 gallon tank with a filter system is required. Even then, the setup will probably only last you a year, before the fish outgrows it. This is what that small little goldfish should look like after one year!

  by  Mighty Free 

This is not to say that a fishbowl cannot be an enjoyable part of growing up. There are a few fish that actually do quite well in an unheated fish bowl. The first of these are the zebra danios, and the new genetically engineered "Glofish". These fish are hardy and so small that a few of them do not create enough waste to overpower the bacteria in a small 1-2 gallon bowl.

  by  bob_jenkins 

The other is a Betta, or Siamese fighting fish. Although these are solitary fish, they hail from the rice patties of Asia, and have evolved to survive in small amounts of unclean water. To the Betta, a fish bowl seems like an impressive piece of real estate. Most people prefer these because of their brilliant colors and size.

  by  CCAC North Library 

The reason the carnival games use goldfish as a reward is because they are cheap and brightly colored. The goldfish you win are usually sold as "feeder fish" for other larger predatory fish, and can be as cheap as 10 cents a piece. Just cheap enough that a carnival can afford to give them away. Even though the prospect of having their first pet can be almost too alluring to a child, every animal should be researched before purchasing or winning it. Impulsive pet ownership can lead to fatal results for the animal.


Subscribe in a reader