Sadly, too many of these high-energy pets end up in shelters, abandoned through no fault of their own, because the owners weren’t aware of this simple issue: high energy in pets, just like in kids, must be managed/burned off first in order for the pet to be able to focus, listen to you, and behave. Without this simple management tool, you fail your pet and put his life in jeopardy if you end up surrendering him to a shelter. Shelters typically classify high-energy pets as unadoptable and end up euthanizing them. So listen up – the fix is simple and immediate and makes everyone’s life better!

It’s so simple and easy to manage your pet’s high energy, if you understand the difference between “suppressing” your pet’s high energy and “burning it off.” Consider this — have you traveled on a really long flight, and well into the flight you find yourself getting antsy? Your legs begin to twitch, your feet tap, you constantly shift position in your seat? That’s built-up energy, an actual physical thing, not a made-up saying. Can you convince yourself to ignore the twitching and just sit still? Of course not. Built-up energy needs to be managed, not ignored or suppressed. You have to get up and move around, shake it off, literally burn it off, before you can go back to your seat and sit quietly, comfortably, and focused.

Look at young kids – without regular exercise and physical activity, they get antsy, wiggly, and what happens then? Well, if the parents just order them to “sit still” or “be quiet,” they can’t. The kids begin to act out and get into trouble. It’s not because they want to get into trouble; it’s because they are being controlled by pent-up, unmanaged energy. It’s actually not their fault. It’s the parents’ job to help manage/diffuse their kids’ pent-up energy. And, generally, drugs are not the answer. It’s a simple biological issue — just get them active and burn off the energy. Likewise, for pets, it’s the owners’ job to manage the pets’ level of energy to keep the pet in a better state of behavior, focus, and comfort.

The body’s energy cannot be just ignored; the body continues producing more and more energy, and the energy keeps piling up inside, energy on top of energy. The ONLY way to eliminate all this increasing energy is to physically work it off. It’s the same with animals; except animals can’t rationalize that, so it’s all on the owners to take charge of this issue.

Regular small bursts of exercise is the answer. One or two or more times a day, 20-30 minute bursts of activity are all that’s needed to diffuse excess built-up energy. With the excess high energy burned away, you and your pet can both relax and de-stress better. Your pet becomes more focused and trainable, and you become more at ease and patient.

Another benefit of managing your pet’s energy is that, once the built-up energy is diffused, your pet will be able to focus better on you and actually hear you and absorb training. You’ll have an infinitely better behaved pet if you make exercise a regular part of your routine. And not just a leisurely stroll down the driveway or a quick pottie break in the back yard, but an actual 20-30 minutes of vibrant activity – a run around the block, fetch with his favorite kong toy, swimming in the pool, etc.

Or, if weather prevents you from getting outside, you can still play inside – tag up and down the halls, wrestling on the bed, tug of war with a rope toy, climbing up and down the stairs, etc. Get creative – whatever gets his heart rate up and circulation going for 20-30 minutes will help burn off the energy. One, two, even three or more times a day depending on your pet’s energy level. No big marathon runs or workouts needed. You’ll find these daily little bursts of activity are lifesavers – you and your pet will both be so much happier and relaxed. Burning off energy also burns off tension, stress, and anxiety. Everyone wins!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008.  Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Take Control Of Your Pet’s High Energy appeared first on BareFootPets.

Life got you stressed out?  Too busy?  Need a nap?  Take a cue from your pets.  It’s not that hard.  All you have to do is watch them.  Here are some sweet samples from my house.

. . . And Finally . . . These Right Here Below – This Is What You Call A Lonnnng Nap.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Lazy Is An Art Form appeared first on BareFootPets.

It’s about Johnny, my neighbors’ beautiful young German Shepherd.  When the neighbors moved in next door to me several years ago, they brought along their two dogs — Alabaster, a petite, pretty, white Pittie, and Johnny, a magnificent young German Shepherd.  I was happy to meet the young couple and befriend their pets.  But the couple weren’t as excited to get to know their neighbors, which of course is their choice, obviously, but disappointing nonetheless.  Our properties are divided by concrete block privacy walls, so once Johnny and Alabaster were ushered into their new backyard, I was never able to interact with them again …

… Until Johnny began jumping the wall into my back yard.  The first time he came over was quite the surprise.  I happened to walk past my patio door and glance out to see this big guy standing there staring back in at me.  I marveled at his size — large, muscular, a real specimen dog.  Johnny, however, was not trained, even basics like walking on a lead.  He was a good-natured boy, but had lots of nervous energy, making him unable to focus or respond to commands.  It only took a minute or two to recognize that his owners were not invested in managing his behavior.

His owners were away that first time, so I kept Johnny with me in my yard till they returned home a few hours later.  We had fun.  Turns out Johnny loves water — loves it!  The more I sprayed the garden hose for him to chase, the more he loved it.  I loved his child-like joy!  And the more he ran and chased the water spray, the more relaxed he became.  I could see his nerves and anxieties melt away as he played and burned off all his built-up toxic energy.  It was a great time, and I could tell he was relieved.

Our New Normal.

And so began the next three years living next to Johnny.  He jumped the fence on a frequent basis.  I was always finding him in my yard running around.  I adored Johnny but, even tho he was welcome at my home, I couldn’t allow him to keep coming over unannounced.  My own pets were outside with me every day enjoying our yard, and I had no idea if Johnny could be trusted with them.  My dog Bandit is only 11 pounds, and my two cats are quite small as well, especially compared to a 150-pound hyper-active German Shepherd.  I couldn’t put them at risk by allowing Johnny free run of my property.  Johnny might have been friendly and non-threatening, but his size and nervous energy alone could hurt them.  We never knew when he would come over the fence — we just knew that he was always pacing on his side of the fence, and that he would surprise us at any moment.

Johnny’s back yard is higher than mine because we live on the foothills of a mountain range.  So he was never able to jump back over the fence to go home on his own.  And he would freak out — running, crying, pacing, barking, tearing up my grass, my window screens, etc.  I was never angry at Johnny for his anxieties and poor behavior, because it was never his fault.  I knew he was a good dog, who just needed some attention and training.  So I tried to take advantage of the times he was in my yard, and help him burn off pent-up energy so he could learn some commands.  He liked that.  But then the owners would come get him and he’d go back to being ignored and misbehaved.  It was a sad and unfortunate cycle.

Sad Intentions.

It became apparent that Johnny’s time living next door to me was coming to an end.  The neighbors were growing frustrated at having to come get him from my yard so often, and they commented on occasion that they needed to find him a new home.  They listed the typical reasons that people give:  he’s badly behaved, he’s too much work, we have a new baby, etc.  I could tell they were looking for a quick and easy way to unload him, so I began reaching out to people I knew to see if we could get him re-homed safely.  Before I got any takers, tho, the big escape happened.

The Big Escape.

One day last month, I got a notice on NextDoor.com about two dogs wandering a nearby neighborhood.  I pulled up the photo and saw that it was Alabaster and Johnny.  I quickly texted my neighbors that their dogs were loose and the finder had already taken the dogs to the county shelter.  I knew the danger they were in there, and my heart was racing.  The neighbors eventually texted back saying they would go retrieve them.  I texted them again and gave them the two kennel numbers to help quickly identify the dogs and get them safely out.  They texted back saying they were on their way to the shelter.

Later that evening, another post came through on NextDoor.com about Johnny and Alabaster.  It said Alabaster had been picked up by the owners, but Johnny was still at the shelter.  I was shocked to realize the owners had recovered Alabaster but had deliberately left Johnny behind at the shelter.  My heart sank.

Heartbroken But Hopeful.

Posts on NextDoor.com were swirling about trying to get Johnny out of the shelter to safety.  I called everyone I could think of.  Folks were even visiting Johnny at the shelter to be sure he was doing okay and posting status reports on any possible adoptions.  Three days later, the posts stopped.  No more updates on Johnny.  The shelter folks would not let us know if Johnny had been adopted or if they had killed him.

It’s been a few months now, and I still think of Johnny every day.  I fight the urge to judge his owners and be angry with them.  But it’s hard.  Johnny deserved so much better than he got from them.  My heart will always hurt for Johnny knowing he got cheated … and it wasn’t his fault.  I can only pray our networking helped and that he was adopted and is now in the care of loving, diligent folks who prioritize his wellbeing and happiness.  Miracles do happen.

If you don’t have the time or attitude to invest in training a dog, . . .

                                                              . . .   please don’t get a dog.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post And Another Good Dog Is Ruined. appeared first on BareFootPets.

And you find yourself chasing him all over the park?  Frustrating, right.  Well, I discovered a fool-proof correction for that problem totally by accident recently, and it seems to have a 100% success rate!

My little sidekick Bandit is super focused and insanely driven about his Kong toy, and he used to fetch it like a champ.  But somewhere along the way, he decided it would be really cute to make me chase him instead of returning the toy to me like he had once been doing so well.  I’ll admit it was cute, but for only a minute.  I didn’t want to fall into that bad habit, so I tried to correct him right away to reinforce the right behavior.  But Bandit wasn’t having it.

The Back Story.

A few months ago, Bandit hid his Kong ball in the house so well that neither of us could find it.  After spending too much time searching, I thought it easier to just go buy a new one.  So I did.  A few days later, we found the original Kong toy.

That afternoon, I took Bandit outside to place fetch, and I took along both Kongs.  He went after the first throw with a vengeance as usual.  But, instead of bringing the Kong back, he sat down where he was at the other end of the yard, and totally teased me, little scamp, expecting me to chase him.  Instead, without moving, I held up the second Kong and said “Look what I’ve got.”  Oh boy, did that get his attention fast!  He came flying back across the yard to me, first Kong still in his mouth, jumping up and down to get at the second Kong in my hand.

Score!

I told Bandit to “drop it” and he laid his first Kong at my feet, then jumped up and down to grab the second Kong in my hand.  I threw the second Kong, and he beat it to the other end of the yard.  But then he laid down again instead of bringing it back to me.  So I repeated again what had just happened a moment before — I held up the first Kong in my hand and said “Look what I’ve got.”  Here he came, roaring down the yard again with the second Kong in his mouth, to get the first Kong in my hand — a relay, or trade-off of sorts.  And that was all it took — only two times to make the correction and reinforce it.  Problem totally solved, and in a positive, happy way for him.

Out of simple dumb luck, I had discovered how to “fix the fetch.”  🙂   And it works for us every single time.  If your dog is as toy-driven as my Bandit, you probably can expect this trick to work for you as well.  Happy Fetching Like A Rock Star!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Fix The Fetch. appeared first on BareFootPets.

This post is a throwback to an earlier post on the same topic (Upside of Pet Steps and Ramps), with some helpful added information.

All dogs in general are prone to disk disease in their backs just because of the way they’re built.  Small dogs especially are at risk of injury to their spine because of their acrobatic flare.  Add high bouncing and jumping activity to that, and now their legs are in danger, too.  Torn cruciate ligaments are VERY common, especially in small dogs.  Delicate ligaments in their legs, especially the back legs, are easily ripped from the strain and impact of high activity.  They’re terribly painful for the animal, and can even leave him totally crippled.  Sadly, torn cruciate ligaments can be repaired only by surgery.  The cost to have the ligaments surgically repaired is in the THOUSANDS of dollars.  That’s why people often ditch their pets at the pound instead — they can’t afford to save their pet’s quality of life.  A very sad ending to a preventable injury.

This is my “Bed Head” Bandit? and he wants to share a very important message with you.  Bandit is young and high energy.  He jumps up on beds and sofas when he’s zooming the house during playtime, jumps in and out of the car, and jumps up at the door handle when he’s excited to go outside. Bandit is always in motion.  This puts constant pressure and tremendous impact on his spine and legs.  We give him daily glucosamine/chondroitin and turmeric supplements to keep his joints strong and inflammation low, which are critically important to his present and future orthopedic health; but there’s still more to be done.

Going The Extra “Step”

So we went shopping online for pet steps and ramps.  There are lots out there to choose from, and some are exceptional pet products.  But two significant factors kept popping up that we didn’t like about most of them:  (1) the good ones are generally quite expensive; and (2) most of them, in any price range, are clubby and in the way.  Yes, they say you can hide them conveniently underneath the sofa or bed, but then they’re not available for your pet to be using, are they.  Duh.  So we decided to keep looking.

Then we found these dandy little footstools on Amazon.  Even though they’re not an actual pet product, they’re PERFECT!  They’re the ideal height and dimensions for the pet’s use, yet small enough to be out of the family’s way so you don’t have to shove them under the sofa at all.  Another very important detail is they’re super cushioned, which softens the impact to your pet’s joints.  Plus they’re actual furniture, so they naturally blend in with your decor.  Last but not least, they’re super affordable, so we bought several to put all around the house.  They come in faux suede, faux leather, or fabric, and also in different colors and patterns.  Bandit took to them right away and is LOVING them!  Took him all of five minutes to learn to use them.  All-around great little find!

See how nicely the footstools look in our house, unlike clunky pet ramps.

No Slip-Sliding Away.

If these footstools have a downside, it would be that they can slide around on smooth flooring.  We have all tile flooring in our house, and it’s not an issue for Bandit when he’s launching himself off them.  This photo (below) is perfectly timed to show Bandit launching himself from the footstool to the sofa without the footstool slipping out from under him.

But I can see where it could maybe be an issue for a larger dog, that the footstool could slide out from under him.  This can be easily addressed by picking up some sticky-rubber adhesive foot pads at your hardware store that you can stick to the bottoms of the footstool feet.  Poof — problem prevented.

And that’s all it took to add another level of protection to your beloved pet’s health.  Way to Go! ?

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post For All The High-Flying Dogs. appeared first on BareFootPets.

Let’s talk about unexpected emergencies that come up in our lives, like hospital stays from an illness or accident, death in the family that requires last-minute travel to attend services, etc.  No one is immune.  This subject hit my radar this weekend when I ended up in the emergency room myself.  It was a horrible experience … and unexpected.  But, thanks to my having planned ahead, my pets were safe and sound at home the whole time I was away.

Have I Prepared? 

When you have to leave home suddenly for a totally unexpected emergency situation, do you have preparations already in place for your pets back at home?  Often we barely have time to grab our car keys before we have to rush off.  So it becomes prudent, even critical, to have preparations for your pets’ needs ready and already in place.

Make it a non-negotiable part of your daily routine to be certain your pets’ water bowls are clean and filled to the brim with fresh water.  Be sure their food dishes also are filled with fresh, ample, dry food.  It’s even best to add a whole additional feeding station (water and food both) to support them for several days should an unexpected emergency take you away from home and not returning right away.

Don’t make the fatal mistake of thinking emergencies will never happen to you.  Always be prepared.

The Thoughtful Extra Details.

As I lurched toward the door to head off to the emergency room, my last thought was of Bandit, my little dog.  Bandit suffers mild separation anxiety, and I knew he would be upset by this frantic disruption of our schedule and my being gone through the night and next day.

So I quickly tossed my pajama top onto Bandit’s bed.  The top already had my scent on it, so he curled right up on it and slept at ease.  I was able to watch him on my video surveillance app through the night from the hospital, and was relieved and grateful to watch him being comforted by that little last-minute detail as I ran out the door.

So Grateful It Was Already All In Place.

While I was languishing in the emergency room for hours and hours through the night and the following day, the last thing I had to agonize over was whether my pets were suffering without food and water, and frightened by my sudden disappearance.  It also helped tremendously knowing that I had a petsitter on standby to come give my pets medications should they have needed any.

Never underestimate the importance of having all these things set in place ahead of time.  You’ll be better able to focus on the emergency at hand because you know your pets are safe and sound till you return back home.  It’s all just part of how we love them.

Remember — love is more than just warm fuzzies — it’s how well we care for them.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

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The post When Surprises Come! appeared first on BareFootPets.

Every year, July 4th begs the discussion about pets and fireworks. It is common knowledge that animals are frightened by fireworks and, as a direct result of that fear, too often find themselves in harm’s way. Animals will jump fences, dig under gates, bolt out doors, pull away from their leash as owners walk them, even jump out of owners’ arms and run away.

They run out of fear with no idea where they are running to or what they are running from.  All they know is they need to get away from the frightening noises. They simply are reacting physically to sensory overload on their eyes and ears. And sadly, too often they end up at the county pound or subject to a multitude of other sad outcomes that could have been avoided by some very simple preparation. 4th of July does NOT have to be a threat to our pets. This post addresses both sides of the pets and fireworks issue, and offers a caring common ground for everyone. 

Suggestions For Pet Owners.

To help protect your pet from panic and dangerous reaction, you need to eliminate traumatic input to some of his senses–mainly eyes and ears. Try these simple but very helpful tricks. First, and super easy, remove the visual overload. Keep your pet in the house where he cannot see the fireworks in the sky or out on the streets. Close shades and doors. That’s it. You just took the most important step to protect him from running away, and eliminated the element of fear from his eyes.

Second, remove the sensory overload from his ears. Turn on music or a movie. Just your everyday, normal volume, and your usual go-to music or movies. Not blasting loud, either. You’re not trying to overpower the fireworks noise completely, and you don’t want to trade one loud problem for another. Normal volume music or tv will be enough to distract him from the scary loud noises outside, and it will begin to soothe your pet. If you prefer, turn on a fan, or run the laundry instead. You have now removed the element of fear from your pet’s ears. With considerably less sensory impact, your pet can now begin to calm down.

Third, and most importantly, keep yourself calm and act totally normal. To be clear, don’t just pretend to be calm–you need to actually BE calm. Pets know the difference. Deep, slow breathing will help you maintain your normal heartbeat and pulse. Your soothing energy will transfer to your pet as long as you’re not faking it. Also, don’t coddle your pet any more than usual. Over-comforting your pet actually tells him that he was right to be afraid. It may not make sense to you, but that’s how animals think. To be successful here, you need to think like your pet. Keep yourself relaxed and calm, and act totally normal, like it’s just another day.

Don’t go overboard talking high-pitched baby talk and “there theres” to him, and holding him tight, rocking back and forth. These moves on your part actually create more hysteria on his part, because you are confirming his fears, not reducing them. Go about your housework, laundry, meal prep, etc. Let him follow you around the house or hide, whichever he chooses. Even in hiding, he’ll feel your normal, calm energy and eventually tiptoe out of hiding. Give him a scratch or pat on the head as you usually do, or toss a toy with him, but keep it normal, don’t overdo the sympathy and attention.

The most important thing is for you to act normal. Your pet takes his cue from you, and acting normal will send your pet the message that he is safe and sound as always, and everything is indeed okay.

Suggestions For Revelers.

July 4th is an exciting day to look forward to. For the best outcome for everyone, be mindful of your neighbors and their pets. One easy and very considerate thing you can do is reach out to your neighbors BEFORE you start shooting off fireworks, just to give them a heads-up. That way they can prepare for it ahead of time instead of being surprised after the fireworks have already begun. This will help your neighbors best manage their pets’ fears, and keep everyone, including the pets, safe and at peace with each other, while you are now free to enjoy your celebration.

If possible, choose a place for your fireworks away from the neighborhood that doesn’t intrude too closely on your neighbors.  Do you have a neighborhood park or field nearby?  Maybe a school playground or empty parking lot?  If not, consider asking a friend or relative if you can shoot off your fireworks show at their home?  Of course, that assumes that your friend or relative doesn’t have neighbors with pets as well. The idea is to use your imagination and be willing to accommodate others around you for this brief period of time so you can celebrate freely and they don’t suffer any negative or dangerous impact.

Lastly, try not to draw your fireworks playtime on night after night. The ongoing stress puts pets at even greater risk for harm over an extended period of time. But, if you must, remember to give your neighbors a friendly and thoughtful heads-up. Simple courtesies we can give each other go a long way to build good will among us and our pets too.

Happy 4th Of July For All Of Us!

Enjoy Your Holiday, Everyone! God Bless America, And God Bless Us All, Including Our Beloved Pets!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Both Sides Of The Fireworks. appeared first on BareFootPets.

Angel Sitters Are Hard To Come By.

I once had a petsitter from Heaven. My pets loved her and she loved them. She followed instructions for their feedings and medications, she was always on time, she stayed awhile and gave special time interacting and loving on them. She was reliable, trustworthy, and on and on. We loved her. We needed her, and she was there for us … till she wasn’t. She retired about seven or eight years ago. It was devastating.

Angel sitters are really hard to come by.

Needle In A Haystack.

If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ve figured out that I rescue senior animals. I am the Founder and President of Milagro Senior Pet Refuge. Naturally, then, I have a house full of senior animals with varying degrees of medical needs, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy to replace our angel sitter. This particular pet home comes with a lot of requirements and real dedication. I searched for years and years, but no one wanted the gig. Understandable.

I needed to travel back to the Midwest last Summer to visit family. There was no putting off travel this time. So I ramped up my search for a new petsitter. I spread the word through my rescue network, I joined several websites offering petsitting services, asked friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors if they were interested in signing on or if they would at least help me get my request out. I interviewed at least a dozen potential petsitters. Although I found several qualified applicants, none of them wanted the level of responsibility that came with my houseful of senior rescue pets.

Right There All Along.

As I was thinking out loud and lamenting one morning to Kimberly my housekeeper as she worked, Kimberly said “Hey, you know if you’re really in a bind, I’m happy to help out.”  Funny, I had never thought to ask Kimberly about petsitting. The lightbulb came on. Kimberly has been my housekeeper for many years. She’s intimately familiar with my pets and our routine. She knows where everything is, she knows which pets have which ailments, she knows my pets all by name, and they’re comfortable with Kimberly and love her. She’s an animal lover and does a bit of pet rescue herself. She’s responsible, reliable, and best of all, we already have a longtime, established relationship built on trust. Kimberly was perfect! Why I never thought of her before, I have no idea. She was right in front of my eyes all along. Thank You, Jesus!

Peeky-Boo!  I See You!

It’s been almost a year now that Kimberly has been petsitting for me, and it’s going along beautifully!  A match made in Heaven. And something we have implemented that has added immensely to our ability to care for my pets while I’m away is that I have installed three security systems in my home, one of those systems being Canary video surveillance. I have multiple cameras staged throughout my home, so any time I’m away, I can view all activity, any time, anywhere in my home via the Canary app on my cell phone. It’s like being right there at home with my pets all the time.

So I know Kimberly’s comings and goings and I can watch her feeding and caring for my pets. And whenever she has questions, or can’t find something, I’m right there live to talk with her, even to tell her where Gabriel or Speedbump are hiding as she searches high and low, because I can follow them on camera as they tiptoe one step ahead of her from room to room, hiding in a kitchen cabinet or under a bed. It’s really pretty funny to watch.

Petsitting On Steroids!

Another vital benefit of remote video surveillance is that, if I should see one of my pets on-camera in distress in between petsitter visits, I can text Kimberly to go to my home immediately to tend to the pet so that it doesn’t suffer needlessly until the next scheduled visit. What a Godsend, having Kimberly and Canary. It’s like having my ears, eyes, and hands on my pets 24/7 even when I’m away. I cannot recommend it enough — do yourself a favor and get Canary. It’s Petsitting On Steroids!!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Petsitting On Steroids! appeared first on BareFootPets.

I’m having a challenge with one of my newer rescue dogs that I’ve not encountered before. He does not consistently come when I call him. My usual training methods have made some headway, but I’m putting it out there and asking for your suggestions to see if we can move this along a bit more quickly. Please respond with your thoughts by using my Contact page?

Not Sure Why.

The issue is with Bandit, the little Dachsund/Terrier-mix pup that I pulled from the shelter just days before the home invasion (see previous post). So I can’t say for certain if this problem comes as a result of lingering trauma from the robbery, or if this is a problem he’s always had and maybe even that’s why he ended up at the shelter in the first place? At first I thought it might be the aftermath of the robbery, but now several months later, having observed more of his personality, I tend to think it’s something in his past. In any event, having a dog run away from you instead of coming to you when called is a really big no-no, so would love your input to help me get him straightened around, ok.

So Bandit is a total lovebug. He gloms onto me like a hemorrhoid and doesn’t let go. He’s happy, carefree, and relaxed all snuggled up to me … until I ask him to come with me. To go pottie, to get a treat, to answer the door, doesn’t matter. He’s stuck to me like glue till I ask him to come. Then he runs and jumps on my bed–his safe place–and no manner of begging or bribing will bring him to me. And, to make it worse, if I follow him to the bed, he pees. If I pick him up, he pees. Even if I’m bringing treats. He’ll take the treat, but he still pees.

Because of the peeing, he now has to wear a diaper, which as you may recall from my last post, I have agreed to call a “toolbelt” because he feels that’s more manly. He will go out the doggie door all on his own to pottie — sometimes. Other times he opts to just pee on the kitchen floor instead. No idea why he gets it right only sometimes.  And if going out the doggie door is my idea, oh God forbid no.  He runs to my bed and hides.

Why Do I Do What I Do?

These are some real contradictions in personality, so it can be tough to figure out how to approach it. It seems obvious to me that trust has been broken for Bandit somewhere along the way in his life. The very first couple of weeks after I rescued him, he was afraid to eat his meals unless I stood away from him. He always looked guilty and on edge whenever he ate, like he knew he was about to get in trouble for something. If I approached or walked past him, he ran away. If I reached down to pet him, he flinched and ran. And once he runs away, he will not come back at any urging. He only returns when I leave the area and he feels the coast is clear. Then he sneaks out again to eat.

So I get the distinct impression he’s been scolded and perhaps even roughed-up in the past for something to do with food. Now, though, several months later, he doesn’t react that way much anymore. Still, it gives me a little insight as to what his history might have been before he came to my house. The unfortunate result of his former life, however, is that now I have a great little dog with some bad habits–running away and sneaking around.  And neither is acceptable behavior.

Are We There Yet?

Fortunately, Bandit is very food-driven, and he has started to respond to treats. When it’s time to saddle him up in his toolbelt so I can go to work, he still runs to my bed and hides his head under his blankie. I now follow him to my bed with a treat and the toolbelt and a relaxed, non-disciplinary energy.  I love him all up and put the toolbelt on him while he’s still up on my bed. Then he gets a treat and more praise and loving, all while still on my bed. He enjoys that and is beginning to respond with a measure of trust and confidence. So that’s a bit of progress .. although he still dribbles a little. But we’re getting there, I have faith.

I believe this little fellow may benefit greatly with some focused agility training. He’s amazingly smart and quick and agile, he runs like the wind, and is very eager to please–most of the time. But I hesitate to begin classes until we master the basic goal of consistently and reliably coming when called. I mean, how embarrassing would it be to be that owner chasing her runaway dog all around the arena while the other dogs are all sitting quietly, perfectly behaved, and rolling their eyes at Bandit and me. Yeh, I’d rather not.

So, even tho I feel like I’m on a good track with my training, I look forward to your added suggestions. Whatever moves Bandit along toward better behavior and trust, I will happily implement. Please submit your comments via my Contact page. Many thanks!

God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

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I can’t count how many veterinarian appointments I’ve been late to over the years and even had to cancel last-minute because my cat would run and hide as soon as I brought out the carrier. Murphy’s Law very reliably dictated that, if I had scheduled an appointment, kitty would hide herself away until we missed it. And, even when I was fortunate enough to retrieve her from under the couch, I couldn’t begin to stuff her into the carrier without being shredded. She was not having it, end of discussion.

Frustration, as it turns out, became the mother of invention for me. I was forced to come up with a way to successfully transport my kitty without her freaking out and me getting shredded, and maybe even be on time.

Let Her Think The Crate Is Her Idea.

I stumbled stupidly onto this theory and, sure enough, that’s all it took. It eventually dawned on me that I had to let her think getting into the carrier was her very own smart little idea. And turns out it was pretty darned easy to convince her. I started leaving her carrier out in the house 24/7 for her to start feeling comfortable with. I put catnip in it, her favorite toy, a really plush blanket for her to cuddle up on. The fact that the crate was available to her day in and day out to play in and nap in made it less threatening, and allowed her to become overall at ease with it. She could get in and out of it at her own choosing, which was important to her. She was no longer afraid of it.

Safe Space.

Eventually the carrier became her safe space. Once she started napping in it every day, that was it – all fear was gone. So now, when it comes time to take her to the vet, all I have to do is close the carrier door and go. The beauty of it feeling like a safe haven is it helps to calm her when we ultimately end up in the car. She doesn’t cry anymore; she just sits quietly. Still nervous, of course, but not panicked. It is such a relief for me to know my cat isn’t going to have a coronary, and she gets through the whole event with minimal trauma.

When we return home after the vet, I always set the carrier back in its usual spot familiar to her, then open the door for her to come out, and I leave it in that same spot so she can continue her naps and playtime in it just as she’s come to enjoy. She knows now that the carrier is still her safe space, and it always brings her back home again too.

What a simple fix! Give it a try – put your carrier out for kitty to start “bonding with” so that your next transport is no longer a nightmare. You’ll both be grateful for the new calm.

God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post For The Cat Who Won’t Be Crated. appeared first on BareFootPets.