Kay Stout

The Senior Advantage

There’s an advantage  - - a big advantage - - to adopting a senior dog or cat.  Too often they’re overlooked when, in reality, they would be the perfect pet for your lifestyle.

First – true confession.  I’m no longer young – not even middle aged - - I’ve passed both those milestones, so I can speak with some authority.

When an older person wants to adopt a puppy, I always secretly cringe.  Why? 

Because this is what has happened too often – I know from experience working in a shelter.

1. The darling puppy causes you to trip, fall, even really hurt yourself.
2. The darling puppy wants to play and play and play - - - - then play some more
3. Unless you have a secret to a long, long, long healthy life – the puppy will probably still be around and need another home
4. Few children, grandchildren, relatives, friends will really step up and bring the puppy/dog into their home. We know this from the phone calls we receive, on a regular basis, either from the owner who needs to rehome the dog or the relatives/friends who say they can no longer care for the dog.

From a personal point of view, I know it would be difficult for me – and for a young child or teenager – if we were required to live together.  I’m past the age of getting a second wind when I’m tired - - now, when I’m tired - - I’m tired – translate that as I’m headed to bed or to take a nap.

Loud music, lots of energy, coupled with knowing I would be personally responsible for a child causes me to gulp - - take a deep breath - - and hope it doesn’t become reality.

Sooo, if you qualify as a mature older person and you want a companion who thinks you’re wonderful, loves to snuggle on the couch, keeps your feet warm at night, frequent daytime naps are awesome - - - visit your local shelter or rescue. Ask to see the older dogs and find your perfect pet.

For those of us who are senior citizens - - older is better - - trust me!!!!!

Vaccinate - Immunize - Get the Shots

There is certainly a controversy about vaccinations for children.  Trust me, there’s an equal controversy about the reality of vaccinations for dogs.  Every week we see the results of those who do not believe in vaccinations for their dogs – and the dogs have heart worms or ehrlichia.  For the most part, dog owners, get it with rabies vaccinations – in large part due to municipal ordinances and the actual reality that humans are at risk if bitten by a rabid animal.

Every year many people get the flu shot – especially if they didn’t one year and caught the flu.  Well, in dogs ehrlichia can make a dog feel as though it has the flu.  If you don’t want to feel lousy – then care enough to get you dog the monthly medication  so they do not test positive for ehrlichia.

Now – the big challenge.  Heartworms.  True confession, I grew up in rural Wyoming – it freezes every winter and all the mosquitos die.  Heartworm is not the problem it is in this area.  They’re preventable with one tablet per month – the treatment if they have heartworm is expensive and the dog must be kept quiet.  What’s so sad for too many municipal shelters is the raw fact that they do not have the funds to treat heartworm.  You know the rest of the story.

And then there’s fleas - - lots and lots of fleas.  Yes, they itch – and when they’re bad enough they cause hair loss.  Dorothy (pictured below) is a visual example of a sweet little Chihuahua who was covered (yes covered)  in fleas so badly her hair had fallen out.  The second picture is Dorothy in her pink Sunday outfit – designed to keep her warm until her hair grows back.  I can only imagine how awful she felt before treatment.  Fleas itch - - they really, really do. You can prevent fleas on your dogs and cats and in your home by treating the animals on a monthly basis.  Simple, effective and guaranteed to give your animals and you an itchy/scratchy free life.

Vaccinate, Immunize, get the shots – it’s a simple solution

 

 

 

Collaboration

Collaboration works - - just visit downtown OKC. If you think the people behind the MAPS program always agree - - you're wrong. What they do agree on is rebuilding OKC, they're willing to work collaboratively - and they've been more than successful.

I'm constantly dismayed at the verbal shots fired by people in rescue to and about other rescue organizations. The dogs and cats do not care WHO saves them – so long as somebody does.

Many people involved in rescue are there for all the right reasons.  They want to find new homes for as many animals as possible.  From there it moves slowly in an arc until you are working with people who truly care about the animals in their rescue and have a policy of only adopting after a home visit. 

When it comes to those who rescue cats – the range is from those who feel passionately they should always be in-house pets. At the other end of the spectrum are the farmers and ranchers who need barn cats - - they really do.  If there is one common ground it is declawing - - I almost never, ever talk to someone who believes in this painful process.

Add to the mix the transport out-of-state for rescued dogs.  Some go by plane, some by car caravans – which is fascinating to see how 5 to 10+ people, using social media, will transport one or more dogs long distances to new homes.  In addition there are rescues, both shelter and foster, who send dogs to out-of-state shelters that need, yes need, dogs.  Here’s where the disconnect and sometimes nonprofessional bashing comes in to play.  Not sure why – it certainly doesn’t help the dogs, rescues or individuals.

I believe rescue can be as successful as downtown OKC - - we’re Oklahomans and we can work together.  I’ve seen it first hand in downtown Oklahoma City  - The Oklahoma River, Thunder Basketball Team, Boat houses, restaurants, bowling alley - fun things to see and do - - it started with collaboration.

In case of emergency - be prepared

Daily, animal rescue personnel are faced with one of our greatest challenges - the no longer wanted older dog or cat, especially when it's been someone's companion for several years.    Municipal shelters, by law, have to accept the animals within their jurisdiction.  I can vouch that it is one of the most heart-breaking aspects of their job description.  What makes it doubly hard is when the family members choose to not take the beloved pet into their home.  For the rest of us in rescue, we focus on saving as many dogs and cats as possible and the key word we use in making that decision, most of the time, is adoptable.  Because there are soooooo many unwanted/homeless dogs and cats in our area we have to make the difficult decision to say "no" when an animal is too elderly, severely injured and/or very sick.   Within a six hour period, PAAS had several people come to the shelter who wanted to surrender elderly dogs - some had cataracts, some had tumors, many were missing teeth.  We knew what they really wanted was for us to say "yes" we'll take your animal so the owners would not have to do the right thing - visit their veterinarian to make a humane choice for their pet.  SERIOUSLY!!!! At the end of the day we were emotionally drained.     All of us wish all pet owners had this notification in their billford.  Oh - - -if only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Related articles

 

The Underground Railroad

The amazing, successful underground railroad is alive and well.  Today's railroad is actually dedicated individuals and organizations who effectively use social media to move hundreds (yes hundreds) of dogs to their new awaited families - - scattered throughout the northern states and Canada.   This does not include the equally effective bird in the air (aka plane).  Pilots n Paws is just one of many such organizations that provides connecting rides for animals headed to a better home.   A few years ago, it would have taken many  phone calls to make the necessary connections for a transport.  Today - with social media - the connections are made via a text message, email or shared post on a facebook page dedicated to a specific transport, breed, or a group of concerned people who share a passion for helping.   Once our facility is open, we will be able to offer a stop-over place for animals headed up Interstate 44.  We will reach out to transports and groups, let them know the logistics and space available.  In addition to adoptions and transports - we will also be working with prisons to provide obedience training and organizations who train dogs for service - such as ptsd, diabetes, epilepsy and autism because, thankfully, shelter dogs are now recognized for their value as service dogs.    We have a long way to go, in Oklahoma, to save more dogs and cats.  But we're making a difference and that's a start.

Ratings Matter -- they influence the news

When you watch the "news" on television - never forget it is about ratings - - Here's a paragraph from the story about Diane Sawyer leaving the World News team for ABC. All forms of traditional news - rather radio, tv or newsprint - - charge for advertising based on listenership or readership. One reason Super Bowl ads are outrageous..... and look at the age range that is KEY - - 25-54.....Okay - my soap box for today.

In her time at "World News," Sawyer and ABC News saw some of the best ratings in program history. After Sawyer took over for Charlie Gibson in 2009, the show gained an 8 percent ratings boost in just the first month. Today, "World News" is edging closer to its rival "NBC Nightly News" for the first time in years. The show saw a rare streak of ratings wins in 2014, beating NBC News in the key A25-54 demo in Q2-- for the first time in over six year