Adopted Dog Save a Babies Life

A dog saved a baby who wasn’t breathing in Portland, Connecticut. On Oct. 16, Daily Mailreported that a dog named Duke woke up the Brousseau’s to alert them that something was wrong with their baby. According to the report, Duke jumped up on the couple’s bed and began “shaking uncontrollably.” When they woke up, they went in to their daughter, Harper’s, room and found that she was not breathing.

“If Duke hadn’t been so scared, we would have just gone to sleep. He’s the perfect dog, he was meant to be ours,” said mom, Jenna Brousseau. Perhaps the most touching part of this story is the fact that Duke was a rescue pup. The Brousseau’s got him from a shelter six years ago.

When a dog saves baby who isn’t breathing, it is usually an amazing story. People often don’t give pets enough credit for being so smart and incredible. There are plenty of instances where a family pet ends up being responsible for saving a life. Naturally, the Brousseau family is so thankful to their dog for waking them up and ultimately saving baby Harper’s life.

After Jenna and her husband found Harper unconscious, they called paramedics who were able to revive the baby before bringing her to the hospital. Doctors believe thatacid reflux could have been the culprit of this serious scare.

Duke is the dog who saved a baby who wasn’t breathing and he is certainly a pup-hero.

Connecticut Rescue Dog Saves Infant's Life

http://www.examiner.com/article/dog-saves-baby-who-wasn-t-breathing

Saving the World One Dog at a Time

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt an older dog!

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog

1. What You See Is What You Get

Older dogs are open books—from the start, you’ll know important things like their full-grown size, personality and grooming requirements. All this information makes it easier to pick the right dog and forge that instant love connection that will last a lifetime. If you’re not so into surprises, an older dog is for you!

2. Easy to Train

Think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Hogwash! Older dogs are great at focusing on you—and on the task at hand—because they’re calmer than youngsters. Plus, all those years of experience reading humans can help them quickly figure out how to do what you’re asking.

3. Seniors are Super-Loving

One of the cool parts of our job is reading stories from people just like you who have opted to adopt. The emails we get from pet parents with senior dogs seem to all contain beautiful, heartfelt descriptions of the love these dogs give you—and those of you who adopted dogs already in their golden years told us how devoted and grateful they are. It’s an instant bond that cannot be topped!

4. They’re Not a 24-7 Job

Grownup dogs don’t require the constant monitoring puppies do, leaving you with more freedom to do your own thing. If you have young children, or just value your “me time,” this is definitely a bonus.

5. They Settle in Quickly

Older dogs have been around the block and already learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack. They’ll be part of the family in no time!

6. Fewer Messes

Your floors, shoes and furniture will thank you for adopting a senior pooch! Older dogs are likely to already be housetrained—and even if they’re not, they have the physical and mental abilities to pick it up really fast (unlike puppies). With their teething years far behind them, seniors also are much less likely to be destructive chewers.

7. You Won’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

There are those who yearn for a doggie friend of their own, but hold back because they worry what might happen in their lives in the years to come. And they are wise to do so—a puppy or young dog can be anywhere from an 8- to 20-year responsibility, which is not appropriate for the very elderly or those with certain long-term future plans. Providing a loving home for a dog in her golden years is not a less serious commitment, but it can be a shorter one.

8. They Enjoy Easy Livin’

Couch potato, know thyself! Please consider a canine retiree rather than a high-energy young dog who will run you ragged. Not that older dogs don’t require any exercise—they do—but they’re not going to need, or want, to run a marathon every day.

9. Save a Life, Be a Hero

At shelters, older dogs are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Saving an animal’s life offers an unparalleled emotional return on your investment, and you’ll feel the rewards every day you spend together.

10. They’re CUTE!

Need we say more?

 

 

http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/reasons-to-adopt-an-older-dog.aspx

Lookout Guardians

Introducing Lookout Guardians October 2012 (1)

If you are interested in helping out lost pets this is for you! The link above shows the flyer to a great time! Check it out!

October Sweethearts

It’s National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

October Cat and Kitten Special!

Top 10 Things to do BEFORE You Bring Your New Dog Home

Congratulations, you’re getting a new dog! Your first job as a new pet parent is to prep your home and your family for the furry bundle of joy who’s about to come barreling into your life. After all, you do want to get this relationship off on the right paw! Here are 10 tips to help you prepare.

1. Stock Up On Supplies

Your new pal won’t need much—the Burberry overcoat and crystal tiara are optional—but essentials include food and water bowls, safe chew toys, grooming tools, a collar and leash, an identification tag and a crate with bedding (towels will do if you don’t want to spend money on a fancy crate pad). When it comes to food, try to buy the same brand he’s already eating. If you want to change foods, make the switch gradually, mixing old food with new, over a period of a few weeks.

2. Divvy Up Responsibilities

To avoid conflict when Princess has to go out at 7:00 A.M., powwow with members of your household about who is going to be responsible for what. Who will walk the dog at various times of times of day? Who will feed the dog? Who will take the dog to the vet? And if it’s you who winds up walking her in the middle of a rainy night, slap on a smile and remember—pet parenting is a privilege, not a chore!

3. Establish House Rules

Before poochie comes home, decide things such as: Is she allowed on the furniture? Will we ever give her “people” food? What behaviors are encouraged, and which are forbidden? Consistency is the key to training dogs, so make sure everyone will stick to enforcing the new system.

4. Be Consistent in Training

Dogs can get confused when one human says “down” and another says “off” when, for example, they jump on visitors. Then there’s “down” versus “lie down,” and “paw” versus “shake”—surely you see how this is perplexing to another species! Do Fido a favor and be consistent with the terms you plan to associate with various commands. Better yet, write out a vocabulary list of the words that everyone will use!

5. Dog-proof Your Pup’s Environment

Tuck electrical cords out of the way, install safety latches in lower kitchen cabinets, etc. Make sure items that are dangerous to ingest—like children’s toys and chemicals—are off floor level. Some people find it helps to get down on the floor for a dog’s-eye view of every room to see what might tempt a curious canine.

6. Learn Some Handy Housetraining Tips

If your new pooch is not yet housetrained, determine where his indoor “potty spot” will be. Figure out your plan to housetrain him, and coordinate with the entire household.

7. Consider a Crate

Crates often give dogs a sense of security by offering them a place that is all their own. Providing your new pooch with her own safe and secure spot will help her adjust more quickly.

8. Make it Legal

Find out about your community’s dog licensing rules and apply for a license. This information can usually be found by visiting your state’s department of agriculture website. You can also ask your local shelter for information about the rules.

9. Make a Vet Appointment

If you don’t already have one, find a good veterinarian—and bring your new canine to a caring veterinarian for a wellness exam within one week after adoption. Make this first appointment even before you bring home your new pup.

10. Combat Sibling Rivalry

This one’s for folks who already have a dog in the home. Before you introduce the new hound into the pack, pick up anything your resident dog might guard, such as food bowls, bones, toys and beds. Even if your dog has never exhibited possessive tendencies, it is best to exercise caution. This may be an intense experience for your resident canine, so do be patient with her.

Citation:

ASPCA. “Top 10 Things To Do Before You Bring Your New Dog Home.” ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/bringing-your-new-dog-home.aspx&gt;.

Help the Feral Cats!

This month, 20/20’s sensationalist reporting called cats “cold-blooded killers.”

It was shoddy and irresponsible at best. At worst, it put cats’ lives in jeopardy—leading to more cats being rounded up and taken to shelters where they’ll likely be killed.

It’s not just 20/20. More than 100 news organizations in the last six weeks have chosen ratings over facts, calling cats “murderers” and “killing machines.” These reports are not only unscientific and incorrect, they’re dangerous. They are making the false claim that cats don’t belong outdoors, which you know just isn’t true.

We have to stop it.

Join me in calling on the media to stop spreading lies about cats.

We want news organizations to know that relying on propaganda from extremist groups is not real journalism. We’ve had enough. Alley Cat Allies has demanded a meeting with 20/20 to make clear how harmful their report was and to set the record straight.

The 20/20 segment blamed cats for the decline of bird species—without any scientific basis and despite overwhelming evidence that humans are responsible for environmental degradation.

If the misconceptions perpetuated by the media take hold, our fight to create safe communities for cats will suffer.

But here’s the thing: these reports won’t stop unless we stop them. And we have to—before the threat elevates and cats are killed.

Sign our petition calling on the media to stop spreading dangerous misinformation that could cost cats’ lives.

We’ve got to come together and speak out, and it’s got to be now.

For the cats,

Becky Robinson
President & Co-founder
Alley Cat Allies

September Sweethearts

Unconditional Love

Editor’s Note: Thank you, Susan for sharing this lovely story. As animal lovers and pet families all of us understand and feel your loss. 

I’m writing to let you know that we had to put our 17 plus year old dog down this past Monday. She was a shelter dog we adopted from Chicago anti cruelty over 16yrs ago. She was our Girl! Almost 4 and 1/2 years ago we were told she was in stage three kidney failure. With subcutaneous fluids twice a day she was given 1-9 months to live depending on which vet we spoke to. Well the fluids were not pleasant so we put her on azodyl ( for kidney ) and low protein diet. She lived another 4 years. Which brings me to our DJ!
We adopted DJ from ARF for two reasons. Guinness loved cats and we thought having Dj might lessen our pain when we lost Guinness. Dj became known as Guinness’s cat. They had fun chasing each other and cuddling together. They were best friends.
On Monday we asked the vet to come to the house to put Guinness out of her arthritic pain! We were immensely worried about DJ when Guinness was gone and wanted him to understand. DJ laid with Guinness all that day and when the vet gave her a sedative first in a shot form. Guinness let out a yelp and Dj laid his body across the thigh that the shot was given in. Protecting her friend from pain. The vet even said she had never seen two animals with a bond so close. DJ stayed with Guinness until the clippers were used to shave a bit of paw. After Guinness was gone we showed her to DJ and he sniffed her and walked away. DJ seems to be doing okay. Better then the rest of us! Our little DJ put a breath of life into our dog for 4 unexpected years and we thank him for that!
DJ other wise known as Don Juan is a very special cat ! When he was at PetSmart and I was cleaning cages I couldn’t understand why he was always looked over and now I understand. Thank you ARF for what you do! Shelter animals are the BEST!

Sincerely ,
Susan