As the bad news mounts for the state of the economy, the silent story that’s gaining momentum is the ripple effect it has on our companion animals. When more American families lose their homes to foreclosure, a new animal rescue emergency is arising… more and more dogs and cats are pouring into shelters from families who can no longer afford to keep them, or their new scaled down accommodations do not welcome them.

Over 800,000 families have lost their homes in the last year alone due to foreclosure.
An estimate from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals puts the number of family pets at risk of becoming homeless due to the economic downturn between 500,000 and 1 million cats and dogs.

“According to national financial estimates, approximately 1 in 171 homes in the United States is in danger of foreclosure due to the subprime mortgage crisis,” Zawistowski said in a statement released by the ASPCA in February. “And considering that approximately 63 percent of U.S. households have at least one pet-plus, hundreds of thousands of pets are in danger of being abandoned or relinquished to animal shelters across the country.”

Rescue workers know that for many homeless dogs, the question is a matter of when, not if they are put down. “Owner surrenders don’t have a chance,” one dog rescue worker said, referring to dogs and cats that are given up by their owners. If the owner turns in the pet, no one’s waiting to see if someone will come to claim the animal. He’s not being searched for. “If an owner brings in to a shelter their cat or dog, they are often put down immediately.” Most owners probably think it’s just the opposite.

According to another shelter worker, “We used to see more surrenders at specific times of the year. Two distinct spikes: “There’s the Christmas dumping season, and then there’s the lead up to the summer-vacation season. Right now it’s still as strong as the holidays and its months later.

How can you help? Here’s a couple of tips from the ASPCA:

1.    If you’re facing foreclosure, try to find someone to temporarily foster, or adopt your dog. Family, friends, neighbors and people at work may surprise you with kindness.

2.    Contact dog rescue agencies in your area to see if they can help re-home your pet.

3.    Try to find a no-kill shelter if you have to turn in your pet. Remember, owner surrenders are the first to be put down generally. It’s your pets life that’s on the line.

4.    Advertise in your local newspapers classified pet section and online at sites like Petfinders.com. Don’t advertise your dog for “free” as they can end up in testing labs or dog fighting pens. When someone calls ask lots of  questions. Ask where the dog will live, and what would be a reason to give up a dog.

5.    Ask your veterinarian for suggestions. They know lots of dog and cat owners, and may know someone looking for a new pet. Never dump your dog at the office in a crate. This can be unsafe as he could get out or suffer from dehydration or temperature changes before anyone notices him/her.

6.    See if the local Animal Control Center will accept your dog or cat and assist you in finding a new home.

Foreclosures are just one reason dogs and cats end up at area shelters. Often dogs end up at the pound or on the side of the road because their owners took their eyes off them for a minute or two. Or “Fluffy” skipped out the front door when the mailman or guests arrived. Without a fence or proper electronic containment system your pet could end up homeless too.

Dogs are as much of a privilege as they are a responsibility. At the very least we owe them food, shelter and protection from the hazards our human dominated environment. Set a containment policy at your home.  It is a matter of life and death that you have a secure method of keeping your dog on your property.  Check your fence for spots your dog could chew through or dig under. If your yard is not fenced, you can consider a large dog pulley run or electronic fencing. If your property is not fenced in some way, stress to everyone in the family that the dog must be leashed at all times when taken outside.

This is so wrong on so many levels; I hardly know where to start…

For those of you with a heart, who wouldn’t know, let me provide the definition of tethering or chaining dogs. It’s the god-awful practice of attaching a dog to a stake, rod or other stationary object generally in the owner’s backyard somewhere as a method of keeping the animal under control. Tethering or chaining doesn’t refer to walking the dog on a leash however.

Here’s the problem. It’s not only inhumane and unsafe for the dog that’s confined; it’s also a very unsafe practice for other dogs and humans. Dogs are pack animals. They naturally thrive on social interaction with other animals and humans. Keeping a dog in one spot for hours, days or even months and years causes intense psychological harm. Continuously confined dogs start to show signs of anxious, aggressive and neurotic behaviors.

Physically the tether, whether a heavy chain or rope or wire, often results in damage to the dog’s neck. They become raw, irritated, swollen and covered with sores where the poorly fitted collars are constantly choking at the dog as he tries to break free. Some dogs have even been discovered with collars embedded into their necks from years of life on the chain.  The dog can become entangled in the electrical cord, rope or chain that is tethering him as well resulting in choking deaths. Dogs restrained by chains are attacked by insects, snakes and make easy targets of wild animals on the prowl for food. Thieves steal dogs for research institutions, or dog fighting.

As a professional dog trainer, I can tell you that physically restraining a dog only heightens aggression. Dogs that are chained up for extended periods can become extremely aggressive when confronted in their territory. Dogs instinctively are territorial and are protective of their space. Keep in mind there are only two responses to a perceived threat in the animal kingdom they are: Fight or Flight.

So what do you suppose an animal would do if his “flight” option is eliminated? That’s right; they are forced to Fight by attacking any thing and anybody unfamiliar to them wandering into her territory. Cats, rabbits and other small animals can be attacked after wandering into a sleeping dog’s area.  If the dog does break his chain, she’s likely to hunt down passersby unaware of the dog’s presence until its way to late.

Other dogs are at risk. I recently spoke to a woman considering installing an electronic fence to contain her dog after witnessing a Golden Retriever being viciously attacked after wandering into a dusty dirt circle guarded by a chained Staffordshire terrier. She was visibly shaken by even the memory of the incident.

But other dogs aren’t the only victims, so are small unattended children. Seventeen percent of dogs involved in fatal human attacks from 1979 to 1998, according to a Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association report published September 15, 2000 were tethered on their owner’s property when the attack occurred.

Let’s face it, someone uncaring enough to chain a dog this way most likely isn’t offering much in the way of medical care either. These dogs are not fed on regular routine, water bowls are found dry days after they’d been emptied or kicked over and they’re exposed to the most extreme temperatures. Their confined areas are limited, so dogs are forced to defecate, sleep, eat and urinate in the same little area. This is unnatural for dogs. Since they’ve also become neurotic and aggressive at their masters uncaring hands, these dogs rarely are offered even the slightest of affections.

How else can people confine their dogs? How about a suitable pen with enough room to run around, and shelter from the elements? To be well-adjusted companion animals dogs need to socialize with other animals and people. Exercise is critical to the good health of these wonderful creatures.

For short periods of time, a restraint that allows a dog to get some fresh air is acceptable. For long periods of time it is never OK. If it must be done, do it in such a way that other objects will not become entangled in the tether. The animal must be allowed to move freely and lie down in comfort. During extreme weather obviously the dog must be taken inside under proper shelter.

Pulley runs are better than tethering to a fixed object, but still present many of the dangers including lack of socialization, attacks on it by other animals, safety, and attacks on children and others wandering into it’s area.

A better alternative?  How about an underground pet fence? These dog fence systems are effective, humane, don’t cause harm to the dog and are a lot less expensive than traditional structures on a linear foot basis. You’d need a second mortgage to build a traditional fence to fence in a 2 acre lot!

Electronic Dog Fences don’t block anyone’s views, don’t need to be scraped, sanded or painted year after year and dogs can’t dig underneath them like traditional fences. They can be installed in an afternoon and last for decades. If you move or rent a beach house somewhere, just unplug the transmitter and take it with you! Learn more about dogs fences at www.containapetofwilmington.com

Randy Larrow is a certified dog trainer and an authorized CONTAIN-A-PET pet fence dealer in southeastern North Carolina where he lives with his wife Laureen and four rescue dogs: Sadie, Jake, Amanda and Taylor. When he’s not installing electronic dog fences or conducting dog obedience classes, he volunteers his time at Paw’s Place Animal Rescue, a local no-kill shelter. Randy offers discounted rates on his obedience training and CONTAIN-A-PET dog fences to new parents of pets adopted from animal shelters or from animal rescue organizations. You can reach him by phone at 910-516-0022, via email: containapetofwilmington@gmail.com, or visit him online at www.containapetofwilmington.com

Maddie’s electronic dog containment story, “Stay Home Doggie”, is a story that Maddie’s mom and Randy wanted to share with everyone.

Maddie is a fun loving Labrador mix. When the neighbor’s two Jack Russells come running by she is just as likely to follow them across town as she is to chase a squirrel down the road. For new mother Carrie, in Burgaw North Carolina, this just wouldn’t work anymore.

“Before the baby, when I had the time to keep an eye on her, I would let Maddie roam the yard at the old house unattended.” Carrie confesses. “That was the country life, and there weren’t a lot of homes out there. But now we’ve move to this new development, and with the little one I just can’t take the chance that she’d get away from me, destroy the neighbor’s gardens, or get hit by a speeding car.”

Carrie decided she didn’t want to ruin the view of her beautiful gardens and that of the neighbors’ homes, so a tradition fence was ruled out. “Besides, Maddie loves to dig; she’d just go under it!” She went with a CONTAIN-A-PET electronic fence for dogs which is a wire antennae buried  3” underground the boundaries of her property; attached to a  radio transmitter installed on her porch. A digital broadcast radio signal is carried around the property forming the electronic fence. Maddie wears an electronic collar with an ultra light weight radio receiver (1.1 ounces) that picks up the broadcast and warns her if she gets too close to the boundaries with a tone/correction.

The dog was professionally trained by Randy Larrow, the local CONTAIN-A-PET fence dealer, who is also a certified dog obedience trainer. In fact, all their dealers are required to undergo professional training before being eligible for a dealership. Many were already professionals in the pet industry. After using the 5-6 day unique fence training method only CONTAIN-A-PET dealers employ, Randy returned to evaluated Maddie to determine if she was ready to wear the correction collar for the first time.

When the dog gets too close to the buried wire, a tone/correction on her electronic collar warns Maddie to retreat to the safety of her own yard. “After our 5 day no-collar training, most dogs learn their new territories…even without wearing the collar”, says Mr. Larrow. “The mild sting which certainly doesn’t harm the pet, is there as a constant deterrent, like a guardian to keep the dog safe from traffic, spilled chemicals and other hazards out there.” The exact intensity may be adjusted to your dog’s breed, temperament, and skin sensitivity, as well as to whether the pet is long or short haired.

Maddie was running towards the neighbors Jack Russells the other day,” Carrie says. She got to the border and screeched on her brakes. That’s when I knew the dog fence would work.”

Randy provides pet fence solutions from Burgaw all the way along the coast to the South Carolina border.  If you are in Wallace, Burgaw, Wilmington all the way down to Calabash and need a fence for your pet, call him.  The electronic pet containment estimate is free and you will probably learn something about your pet you did not know before.

Dogs send women to the Emergency Room

Dogs and cats can break things. An excited cat leaps across a bookshelf of ceramics.  A happy bull whip of a dog’s tail clears a table…it can be frustrating when pets break things. But when those things happen to be your bones and it results in trip to the emergency room…Ouch!

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 86,000 people trip over their pets each year, with about 240 people a day visiting the emergency room as a result. Women are 2.1 times more likely to be affected than males.

Dogs are the biggest culprits, causing 88 percent of the injuries — one third are broken bones, about 25 percent are bruises, and one fifth sprains. About 62 percent of the dog-related falls and 86 percent of the cat-caused tumbles occurred at home. As expected, the highest rate of injury was among those 75 and older, while women were more likely than men to be injured.

The report is based on 8,000 emergency room visits at 66 U.S. hospitals between 2001 and 2006. It’s the first government study of pet-related trips and falls.

Dog and cat ownership is on the rise in the US increasing as is the elderly population, in whom injuries might have the greatest health dangers.

According to the CDCP report, prevention measures to limit the likelihood of pet-related falls can be reduced by 1) raising public awareness that the greatest dangers of injuries occurred while walking dogs and chasing pets which can lead to falls 2) increasing recognition that pets and pet items can cause falls especially among the elderly; and 3) reinforcing American Veterinary Medical Association recommendations emphasizing obedience training for dogs to minimize bad behaviors associated with falls  such as dogs pushing or pulling their owners.

Limiting the access of pets to certain rooms of your house and yard can minimize the trip hazards they present. Indoor and outdoor electronic pet containment devices in conjunction with obedience training can keep you, and your pet safer. For more information on electronic protection go to www.containapetofwilmington.com.

Wilmington dog fence and dog training flyer we use with local animal rescue groups.  Just our way of helping the various rescue agencies and our pet friends who need a loving home.

Just click on the link below to open the flyer.  Thank you!

Wilmington Animal Rescue - Electronic Pet Containment Flyer

Electronic dog containment - A cautionary tail …

Aren’t dogs awesome?  They bring unconditional love to us each and every day.  But like our children, they have to be protected from dangers they do not understand.

Chris, one of my electronic dog containment prospects learned this the hard way. He gave me the worst news I could have heard the other day. Weeks earlier, together we discussed how he lived on a very busy road on Oak Island, NC and he was concerned that his energetic new dog “Red” could one day get into the road. I surveyed the property with him and gave the dog a temperament test to customize our electronic dog fence for him. He loved the pet containment fence I proposed, but decided to put off the decision for a week or two.

When I followed up with him he gave me the shocker…Red had been struck by a car in front of his house right before his eyes! He immediately drove Red to the veterinarian and luckily she was able to save the dog’s leg. But the accident, the $1200 vet bill, and the painful surgery which included metal pins to stabilize the leg bones was unnecessary.

Chris told me. “I should’ve just put the dog fence in right away, Randy. I’m lucky  Red is still alive and my son didn’t see the accident like I did. Not to mention the dog containment system would have been cheaper!”

If you’re considering an underground electronic dog containment system, you’re no doubt as concerned about the health, safety and freedom of your pet as I am. Don’t delay. Call a true pet professional today, someone with certified dog obedience training and years of experience with fencing. Learn more about electronic underground pet fences at www.containapetofwilmington.com.

I’ve been volunteering lately at a wonderful local rescue called Paw’s Place Animal Rescue where I just met “Otis”, also a newcomer here. All of these animals have their own heart wrenching stories, and Otis has his. He was chained up by a 3 foot chain all his life. His owner dropped him off saying he was about to shoot the little guy! Jeeze! And even in the face of that, he’s such a sweetie pie.

Otis isn’t alone of course. Looking through the pictures in “Paw Prints”, a locally published animal adoption monthly, and reading their stories could break your heart.  The often sited reasons for abandoning these pets is sometimes maddening, sometimes just pitiful. Duchess a “delightful Jack Russell Terrier/Lab mix girl” lost her home of seven years when her human parents divorced. (Couldn’t even ONE of these people take responsibility for their dog?) I remember an older issue that featured a sweet looking dog that had spent its whole life being spoiled by her “mama” and was confused, depressed and heart broken when she passed away. Her daughter took it in, but couldn’t afford the little tike, and off to the pound she went. Awgh. Why did life just get so depressing? Then there’s “Oliver” a sweet looking Bull Terrier who was found tethered to a pole behind a house without food or adequate shelter. Dogs are dropped off because their owners moved into new housing that didn’t accept pets. Or are accident victims. Or had owners who couldn’t or wouldn’t pay for needed surgeries, or other care. One sad story after another.

But I have “Otis” to focus on, for the moment. Nancy of Paw’s Place Animal Rescue notified an English springer spaniel rescue so I’m expecting he’ll be only a temporary resident here.  I can’t save them all, but even if I make one or two dogs’ lives a little nicer that’s what I’ll do.

Today was my first real day working with him. Yesterday I wanted to just get to know him. He had such a tough time with his former owner, he didn’t need anything but lovin’ and praisin’ and a good walkin’ full of great stuff to sniff! Today though he had me smiling like a kid at Christmas when he went into his first “automatic sit” on his own. I had just started walking him in “heel”  by my side with my leash draped over my neck to avoid leading with the leash as I walked him; and Otis just dropped into his sit on my left as if he’d been doing it for years. “Good boy! What a good little man”

What was even more exciting was the ear to ear grin on HIS face when he recognized that he did something spectacular! He was looking up at me, tongue hanging out of his mouth with smiling eyes and a happy “Oooh isn’t life wonderful now” smile. I of course was pouring on the happy talk and giddy sounding praise to celebrate his moment with him. I can still feel his glow.

Dogs really love to please. And they thrive when they have a job to do. Not only that, but after all the mental work and focus; they relax into their calm-submissive follower state where they are truly balanced. This is where nature intended them to live. Aren’t dogs awesome?

Otis - English Springer Spaniel