Too Hot For Your Feet? Then It’s Too Hot For Hers Too.

Don’t make your dog walk on it. Simple as that.

Avoid Midday and Evening Walks When The Pavement Is Most Hot.

While we’re on the subject of “too hot,” you also should be very careful about what time of day you walk your pooch. In the heat of Summer, your little Precious can suffer heat stroke very quickly if you’re not paying attention. Get in the habit of waking a half hour earlier in the mornings so you can walk her before the sun is all the way up. Early morning is WAY better than evenings because the pavement has cooled down overnight and won’t scorch her little paws. If you walk in the evenings, don’t be fooled. Sure, the sun’s not bearing down on you, but the pavement hasn’t cooled down yet. It’s still giving off all the day’s heat and her little feet can still be burned. To know for sure, test your own bare foot. A good tip to know–asphalt can be way hotter than cement. Stay on the sidewalks or grass and avoid asphalt at all costs. Always take water with you and give her some as often as she’ll take it.

Booties ~ What A Great Idea!

A novel and very effective idea to protect your lovebug’s feet from hot or cold pavement is booties ~ you can buy them online or at any pet supply store; a great, fun little investment in your pet’s good health. Check out little Layla’s pink booties above. Adorable or what! The bottoms are a good solid rubber that doesn’t let heat or cold through.   🙂

Alternative To Walking Outdoors.

The best way to protect your pet’s health is to find somewhere INDOORS to walk her when the weather is too hot or too cold. Lowes, Home Depot, Petsmart, Petco for example. These are all ideal pet-friendly places – temperature controlled, safe from outdoor natural predators, and they encourage your pooch to interact with people and socialize. Your dog will LOVE you for it.  🙂

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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 Pavement Too Hot For Her Tootsies? appeared first on BareFootPets.

BareFootPets supports and embraces Nathan Winograd’s moral position on sheltering in the U.S. We are always happy to pass on some of his posts, such as this one below, casting a spotlight on the heartbreaking failures of our nation’s shelter system to serve and actually protect the animals in its care. We highly recommend following Nathan’s blog articles on the subject. Click on any link within the post below to go to his site and sign up.

When it comes to dog behavior, you can’t believe everything you hear or see

Not long ago, Oswald, my dog, was playing with two other dogs. It was loud, mouthy, physical, and pure joy. But to the uninitiated, it looked and sounded rough. In fact, an employee at the facility we were visiting ran over to see if everything was ok because they had a report that one dog was “attacking” another dog and that a “pit bull” was involved. It was not only all play, but the dogs involved were Oswald, a Boston Terrier mix, and two Jack Russell Terriers. The experience underscores how easily people misidentify dog behavior and, consequently, how thoroughly shelters fail dogs when they are surrendered (ostensibly) for “aggression” or “behavior.” ¹

Too many shelters immediately kill dogs when surrendered for “aggression” or other “behavior problems.” They label them “unadoptable” based on the claims of the person surrendering them without a thorough, independent investigation. These facilities may falsely claim they are either No Kill or making progress toward No Kill. But shelters that do this are not No Kill. And more broadly, they are thoroughly failing dogs.

People misinterpret behavior

Numerous studies have found that,

The ability of owners to correctly identify canine behavior is poor, despite most dog owners rating their understanding of dog behavior highly. Therefore, relinquishment is likely to at least partially reflect the owner’s perception that a behavior is a problem, due to unmet expectations or a disparity between owner lifestyle and the needs of the dog, rather than simply canine behavioral disorders.

For example, “Barking and growling are not isomorphic [synonymous] with ‘aggression,’” writes the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Application and Research. Nor are mouthiness and other behaviors typically labeled as “resource guarding” behavior, “jealousy,” or “aggression.” Often, the dog is just seeking information: 

When dogs ask questions of and gain information… in active interactions, tactile exchanges are frequent and complex, often involving mouthing, an activity that humans both misunderstand and actively discourage. 

Dogs are asking questions to understand their environment in the only way their biology allows — through a complex series of barking, growling, tail wagging, posturing, and mouthing. And because we don’t understand those complex interactions, we often falsely conclude they are acting “aggressively.” 

In addition, there are cases of people falsely claiming the dog has behavior problems to alleviate guilt for surrendering their dog; disgruntled neighbors and estranged spouses who surrender dogs out of spite, and bites that turn out to be provoked or an accident. As such, shelter staff must view public accounts of “behavior” with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Shelter staff misinterprets behavior

They must also weigh in-shelter evaluations similarly. When shelter staff evaluate dogs, they must consider that dogs are under duress in shelters and often act in ways dissimilar to their behavior outside of the shelter. This evaluation must also account for the fact that these dogs have experienced recent trauma (including separation from their families). The process must also rule out a medical origin for the perceived behavior. Finally, it must explore all possible solutions and alternative placements.

One analysis of two of the most popular temperament tests for aggression used in shelters found that their predictive ability was no better than a coin toss. Add shelter staff who don’t care about killing dogs, are explicitly hired to kill dogs, and actively look for reasons to kill dogs, and many dogs don’t stand a chance.

By contrast, shelters that do not use temperament testing as a “pass/fail” proposition demonstrate that 90% of dogs who failed a temperament test and were sent to a trained foster home for further evaluation and behavior modification were rehabilitated and safely adopted. This included dogs with barrier reactivity, fear-based aggression, resource guarding, kennel stress, prey drive, and bite history. Some dogs also had secondary issues, including extremely high energy, possible dog aggression, dog selectivity, fear of men, undersocialization, separation anxiety, and reactivity. In the end, the percentage of dogs who are a threat to public safety is incredibly low, amounting to less than ½ of 1% of all shelter intakes. As such, even when some form of “aggression” is involved, it can almost always be rehabilitated. 

Making shelters fair to dogs

So how can shelters protect dogs and people? How can shelter staff feel confident they are doing everything possible for every single animal every single time?

In addition to group housing, dog-dog play, toys, walks, human socialization, visual access outside their kennels, the ability to smell and touch people, and music with soft human voices, The No Kill Advocacy Center, my organization, has developed an “Animal Evaluation Matrix” that includes behavior protocols, with forms and checklists to increase accountability and improve performance. These protocols were created in collaboration with some of the most successful shelter directors in the country — directors running municipal and animal control-contracted shelters with 99% placement rates for dogs.

For example, after the Matrix was implemented in one municipal shelter that takes in 6,000 dogs a year, behavior killing dropped sevenfold to less than 1%. At the same time, despite an increase in the placement rate of 42%, a 21% increase in human residents, and a growth in the overall number of dogs in the community, serious dog bites declined communitywide by 89%. The Matrix works! 

Anything less, including killing a dog based solely on reported history, is a gross betrayal. It is inconsistent with a mission of animal protection. And it cannot be justified under a (false) mantle of public safety.

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Fn¹ The report of “aggression” involving a “pit bull” also shows why relying on press and public accounts of dog bites is grossly unfair, especially to “pit bulls.” Breed identification of pit bull-type dogs by shelter staff and veterinarians have been shown to be unreliable. In particular, 50% of dogs labeled as pit bulls lacked DNA breed signatures of breeds commonly classified as pit bulls. Other studies found misidentification by “experts” at even higher rates. If the so-called “experts” are so often wrong, relying on lay people’s breed descriptions is thoroughly arbitrary. But even when they do get it right, the breed of a dog indicates how they look, not how they behave. Dogs targeted for breed-discriminatory laws are not more likely to bite, do not bite harder, and breed-discriminatory laws do not result in fewer dog bites or bite-related hospitalization rates. In addition to killing dogs who have done nothing wrong, enforcement is expensive with no measurable impact on public safety.

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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 Failing Dogs appeared first on BareFootPets.

First Make A List

Consider what should be done before the actual move, like installing a dog door in the new house, constructing a new enclosure, blocking off rooms in your new house that will be off-limits to the pets, etc. Below is a sample list for ideas to help you plan. For me, it was extra important to plan ahead and have a list because we were moving cross country. Packing up a whole house, two vehicles, six cats, and a dog. It was going to be a two-day drive straight through, roughly 36 hours, longer if we stopped overnight at a hotel. The animals’ mental and physical comfort for such a long drive depended heavily on my being diligent to consider all details and scenarios before potential situations arose.

• Make certain all pets are current on licensing and vaccinations before the move
• Stock the car with ample food, water, pee pads, and wet wipes for the trip
• Hire builder to install pet enclosure and dog door at new home before moving date
• Locate new veterinarian in new neighborhood and gives heads-up records are coming
• Ask current veterinarian to send records to new veterinarian and print a copy for yourself
• Have crates clean and ready with food, water, and pee pads, to load pets before movers arrive
• Cover pets’ crates with lightweight sheet to remove visual stimulation – will help to calm them
• Move pets/crates to a place where they can’t see or hear the house being packed up
• Harness pets before movers arrive and keep harnesses on at all times till move is complete
• Be sure harnesses have name tags with phone number(s) in case pet should bolt
• Keep crates covered with a lightweight sheet during travel to prevent panic or motion sickness
• Put pets/crates in a quiet room with door closed at new house during unloading
• Anchor crates in car so they don’t shift and toss pets about
• Put pets in same crate only if they get along and won’t fight

Start Your List Early

I’m a Type A personality when it comes to preparations, so probably you’ll look at my list and think – wow, is that overkill! And that’s cool. Make your list your own – whatever details are unique and important to you and your pet family. The important thing is to do as much as possible before moving day, and to minimize the chaos and stress for your pets through the whole process. These little details, like covering the crate with a light sheet, can make all the difference to keeping your pet calm. They’ll fall in love with your new home much more easily and quickly if you can prevent as much trauma as possible beforehand. And don’t forget – the better prepared you are ahead of moving day, the less stress you’ll be putting on yourself, so the better it is for you, too!

Good Luck and Happy Trails!

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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 Moving With Pets appeared first on BareFootPets.

May I recommend Milagro Senior Pet Refuge?  I founded Milagro in 1998, years before rescuing older animals was even a little bit cool.  I got lots of push-back from people telling me I was nuts to go that route, because who cares about old animals!  But, thank God, I went for it anyway, because the need was very real.  I incorporated and applied for IRS exempt status around 2004.

Once I got the website (milagropets.org) up and running, word quickly spread, and phone calls and requests for rescue help started coming in from all over the country.  People were on-board!  It was beautiful – so encouraging!  Now, 20-some years later, lots of seniors-only rescue organizations have sprung up nationwide, and most other rescue organizations have added a focus on seniors to their intake and adoption programs as well.  Milagro was a pioneer in this blessed transformation. ?

Donations to Milagro Are Fully Tax-Deductible.

The IRS recognizes Milagro as a non-profit, charitable organization (EIN 20-3538510).  Your donations are tax-deductible.  When you donate to Milagro, we will send you a confirmation letter detailing your gift that you can report to the IRS at tax time.

God Bless These Precious Lives You’ve Place In Our Care, And

Please Be Especially Loving To Those Who Never Do Find Help In This Life. 

— J. Fisher, Milagro Senior Pets 

Your Gift Goes Directly to the Milagro Pets.

Milagro uses your donations only for the care of the pets of Milagro.  None of your gift is used for any administrative purpose.  Your gift is deposited into Milagro’s medical fund, and is used to provide routine and emergency veterinary care, specialty diets appropriate for their age, grooming, and supplies such as pee pads/diapers, sub-q fluids, beds, dental care, eye care, litter, prescriptions and supplements, etc.  Visit Milagro’s “Donate” page (milagropets.org/donate) to give via PayPal, or to send a check by mail.

Not Able to Give Cash?  Consider the Amazon Smile Alternative!

Every Dollar Counts, and Your Gift In Any Amount Is Gratefully Accepted. If you are short on cash and still want to support Milagro, consider Amazon’s “Smile” charitable page.  Do your Amazon online shopping as usual, starting on Amazon’s charitable home  page — smile.amazon.com — and portions of your purchase total will be donated to Milagro by Amazon.  Super Easy — the first time you go to Amazon Smile, you’ll be prompted to choose your charity.  Just click on Milagro and that’s it — you’re all set!

Thereafter, every time you do your Amazon shopping, Amazon will automatically log your purchase and dedicate a percentage of your purchase to Milagro.  Doesn’t get much easier than that, right?  And the beauty is you’re still supporting Milagro, but it’s not coming out of your pocket!!  A large portion of the donations we receive come via the Amazon Smile Program.  Of course, the traditional method of gift-giving is also always available — Visit Milagro’s “Donate” page (milagropets.org/donate) to give via PayPal, or to send a check by mail.

From My Heart, Thanks For Your Kindness and Your Faith In Our Work. ?

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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 Please Consider Milagro for Your 2022 Charitable Giving? appeared first on BareFootPets.

Remember — chocolate can be FATAL to a pet!  Keep a close watch on the candy that comes into your house around Halloween.  No candy or even candy wrappers on the floor.  Containers and candy up high and totally out of reach from your pets.  It’s easy to keep a close eye out, and may save your sweet pet’s life!

Any time is a dangerous time for pets to be left outside.  But Halloween is even more dangerous for pets to be outside, more than other holidays, and especially for black cats.  Sadly, there are nasty people lurking about, waiting and watching for animals to abuse, and even kill.  Don’t let your pet become a statistic!  Keep them safely indoors the whole week before Halloween, and don’t let them outside again till after Halloween has passed.  No matter how much they fuss!  You are their protector — be strong and don’t give in till after the day passes.

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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 Trick or Treat! 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.

Here’s a fun little analogy.  We bought a new play tent for our rescue pets.  It was on the clearance bin at our neighborhood pet store, and we grabbed it, not really knowing which of the pets would enjoy it first.  Well, it made for a very interesting illustration. See the photo below.

MUFASA THE CAT:  “Gee, thanks Mom!  What a cool new fort!  I can hide in here and nap all day!”

SPARKY THE PUPPY:  “Gee, thanks Mom!  Don’t know what it is, but let’s put my name on it!”

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

How Would You Caption This?

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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 Reaction: Dog vs Cat? appeared first on BareFootPets.

Pretty much everyone has that one challenging person to gift at Christmas.  It may be your neighbors whom you don’t know all that well, your pastor, a far-away grandparent, even your wealthy boss who needs nothing you could possibly afford.  Or maybe you want to acknowledge people you don’t really know but who provide services throughout the year that you’d like to thank them for:  your grocer, postman, etc.

Make It Truly Count.

Whenever gift-giving seems frustrating and impossible, here’s the ideal gift solution:  Make a charitable donation to an animal welfare organization on behalf of that person.  This way, your money is put to use for the greatest good for animal welfare instead of being wasted on something the person probably doesn’t need or even want.  They will be honored that you’ve acknowledged them in such a kind and thoughtful way; you will get to claim the gift as a tax deduction; and the animals will receive the desperately needed benefit of your support.

Need Some Ideas?

Here is a short list of some very worthwhile animal welfare organizations that can really use your gift for the best of the animals.  And remember — every dollar counts, no gift is too small.  Once you’ve made your donation, all you need to do then is send your person a Christmas card letting them know a donation has been made — in their name — to the animal welfare organization you chose.

Mercy For Animals  (www.mercyforanimals.org)

Milagro Senior Pet Refuge  (www.milagropets.org)

American Wild Horse Campaign  (www.americanwildhorsecampaign.org)

Soi Dog Foundation  (www.soidog.org)

Alley Cat Allies  (www.alleycat.org)

No Kill Advocacy Center  (www.nokilladvocacycenter.org)

There are many more outstanding organizations advocating for animals. This short list can help get you started.

Merry Christmas and God Bless Your Giving!

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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 Christmas Giving To Bless Us All. appeared first on BareFootPets.

“The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being.  The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.”

~  Konrad Lorenz

… The Cat Says Ditto.

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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 The Fidelity Of A Dog. appeared first on BareFootPets.

Eyes Wide Open.

I try to be certain that the charities I support are credible and forthright about their mission to advocate for and protect vulnerable animals.  So I pay close attention when evidence like that below is revealed.  The information below is dreadfully troubling and hurts my heart.  At the same time, however, I’m grateful to be aware now so that I can do something about it.  I have donated for years and years to PETA, but find myself now at a crossroads.  Having read Nathan’s post (and others) a number of times to be sure I’m capturing the big picture, it’s obvious the evidence is condemning — a serious indictment against PETA for all the goodness that it professes but fails to show for the innocent animals in its care.

Feet To The Flame.

My point for this post is not only to enlighten, but also to remind you all that there are sadly still wolves in sheep’s clothing in the animal rescue world; and, even more sadly, it appears PETA and ASPCA (read Nathan’s book Friendly Fire)  are two of those wolves.  For this reason, doubtful I can in good conscience support PETA  or ASPCA any longer, or at least until honest accountability and corrective action are taken by PETA and ASPCA.  There are many other animal welfare organizations truly worthy of my support, and I will re-direct my humble donations to them.  As I said above, this is a personal decision I make for myself — my intent is not to coerce the reader, but rather to simply share facts and inform so that you can analyze it for yourself.

I leave this here for you to read, process, and make your own earnest decision.

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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 PETA Did What To Maya !?! appeared first on BareFootPets.