Tag: pets

Aurora Animal Control claims longtime family dog is wolf hybrid, won’t return him to owners

wolfdogeducation:

meatquest:

digitalgoomba:

plantanarchy:

mostlyjudson:

plantanarchy:

anunreliablesource:

mostlyjudson:

Without the State, who will steal your property, and refuse to return it based on some arbitrary reason like looks, and not any hard factual evidence. 

Fucking monsters. This 10 year old baby is probably scared and wants to go home, obviously for 10 years this baby has been loved and now these monsters are stressing him out and basically stealing him. 

The most fucked up thing about this is that I bet there are tons of people in the same state claiming to have wolfdogs that have no more wolf heritage than this dog and are just askign for issues

Colorado does not have a state wide ban on hybrids. it is a county by county, city by city deal. 

unfortunately, Aurora County where the dog was picked up has that ban. The other unfortunate thing about this is that the only evidence animal control has for this dog being a ‘hybrid’ is the dog’s mannerisms, and looks.

Outside of that, the shelter the family adopted the dog from (10 years ago) labeled the dog German Shepard. 

The family’s vet says it isn’t a hybrid as well. So realistically, that’s the only evidence the shelter needs. The state should never be able to steal property based on conjecture, and guess. 

A good example of why misrepresentation of wolfdogs is such a big deal. Even if you’re not representing your wolfy looking dog as a wolfdog, your dog is still at risk because other people may be.

@naturepunk @packwestwolfdogrescue @marandart

Perfect example of why getting mad about misrepresentation isn’t just petty. It literally gets animals taken and killed.

Some more info on the situation with Capone that I got an ask about earlier today.

Aurora Animal Control claims longtime family dog is wolf hybrid, won’t return him to owners

fleshcircus:

doberbutts:

interruptingkau:

Those pets with tags on their collar that say like “I’m not lost just visiting” or whatever make me so nervous. That’s like…that’s not safe? Letting your animals wander around without supervision, especially when you KNOW they roam far from home is so bad??? They’re gonna die??

Fun fact: Saffron (my cat) has a tag that says “HOLY SHIT I’M LOST” just so that people don’t mistake her for a cat that’s intended to roam.

Ive always found those bizarre. Idk why you would just normalize your pet wandering around. I see so many stories in this province of peoples dogs never coming back or getting shot in a farmers field and its treated like its totally unpreventable(?)

I know a lot of people stick their hands out to let dogs sniff but crouching down sideways works 100000% better. Less confrontational and you don’t mistake continued sniffing for asking for pets.

why-animals-do-the-thing:

why-animals-do-the-thing:

Yup! I’ll generally offer the back of a hand a little bit away from my body, because animals are used to that as a solicitation but it’s not as pushy as reaching into their space or pointing a palm towards them (since that’s what they see when people try to pet them). It also helps give them a way to sniff you without having to get all the way close to your body. 

@eworthylake asked for a photo reference. Here’s a good one from a stellar article on how to greet dogs by the late Sophia Yin.

This isn’t quite as sideways as I normally position myself, but this works too. Notice how the guy’s chest and lower body are angled obliquely away from the dog, rather than squared up with it – that’s what we’re focusing on. For really nervous dogs, I go a full 90 degree rotation away and look slightly over my shoulder to keep an eye on the dog. (Obviously, if the dog is showing any signs of aggression, don’t get down with it to try to make it more comfortable).

It’s also worth noting how the person’s weight is back, rather than leaning forward, indicate he’s letting the dog come into his space bubble rather than wanting to go into it’s own. When I’m greeting a nervous dog, I’ll crouch down and settle over an arm’s length away so the dog feels like it has space to move around me or away without being pressured. 

kinoscribbles:

krissypants:

mexicanine:

First of all, saying that there’s no way is ignorant because there IS a way to fix it, if only people knew about it publicly and breed clubs embraced it.

These are called Retro Mops (website here), and they’re pugs bred specifically to be longer-legged, leaner, with smaller eyes, longer muzzles, and more open nostrils. And while the project is still a work in progress, it’s heading in the right direction. 

image

This new breed type started in Germany, and developed from the selective breeding of purebred pugs with longer muzzles and a longer legged frame.

From the website: 

“We want to prove that a pug does not have to be short of breath and phlegmatic, but a very sporty and docile family and companion dog”

And there’s also the Old English Bulldog, which is a muscular and athletic bulldog that can actually clean itself, mate, and give birth on its own (something that mainstream Bulldogs cannot do)

image

This should be the goal of EVERY pug breeder and owner, to have a healthy dog that doesn’t struggle to breathe and walk.

I’m sure you’re a pug or bulldog lover, which is why you’re so eager to defend them, but you’re not helping these dogs out by ignoring the problems in the breed. This is not a “little problem”, it’s a HUGE issue that’s killing dogs, and it’s prefectly preventable if pugs were outcrossed to have longer muzzles and wider nostrils.

Just look at the difference and tell me you’re not horrified:

image

As long as people stay blind to these issues, nothing will change. Which is why I’m saying this here so at least some people will see that there IS an alternative, and that wheezing pugs and bulldogs are not cute. When the public realizes the difference, the demand for these mutants will stop and more healthy, longer-lived alternatives will replace them.

But it starts with someone talking about them, and not just thinking there’s nothing to be done. Although if there were a time machine at my disposal you bet I’d use to pinch the nostrils of the original Victorian breeders and see how they like it.

Help the pugs yall

Finally a post that summarizes why pugs make me so uneasy…

They really are lovely dogs with great personalities, but these health issues can’t be ignored.

How would you go about socializing a dog who is an adult rescue and is reactive when outdoors and shows signs of being under socialized as a puppy?

:

Very slowly.

The goal of socializing an under socialized and fearful dog should be to help them feel as comfortable as possible in their environment so they can live the most fulfilling life possible. First, use management to help your dog feel comfortable. This might include getting up extra early to go for walks when fewer people are around, or covering the windows so your dog can’t get spooked or aroused by people passing by outside.

Once you’ve used as much management as is practical, assess your dog’s life and your goals for them, and work slowly to reach those goals. Many people want to turn their fearful dogs into dog park dogs, social butterflies, but that’s really impractical for many dogs even if they’re well-socialized. Practical goals for most dogs are learning to walk past other dogs on the sidewalk without panicking, being calm around cars, and ignoring children running past on the street.

The best way to start is with a training class, especially one for reactive dogs. It will give you a controlled environment to work with your dog around the things they find scary. Feedback from an instructor can be invaluable early on in reactivity training and socialization, and it can help prevent you from making mistakes early on and setting your dog back farther. Remember that socialization is about allowing your dog to have good experiences, not necessarily having them interact directly with people and other dogs. Socialization isn’t necessarily “social”.

If you’re going to train solo for whatever reason, I recommend the exercises in Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt. Her books can be difficult to understand, so I recommend picking up one of the DVDs based on her books. You can even go on youtube and look for demos of the exercises. The Look at That game (LAT) is especially useful for counter-conditioning. Most of the other exercises are used for management and minimizing risk in your daily life. They may not be absolutely necessary depending on your dog’s behaviour and your current management strategy. You can also look through my #LAT tag for examples and instructions on how I teach LAT.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions once you’ve looked through that. Good luck!