Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the adoption of my dog Belle. Thinking about this amazes in so many different ways. I can't believe she's 15 years old -- soon to be 16 (the shelter thought she was about 8 months old when she was picked up as a stray). On the one hand I can't believe that it's been 15 years already, but on the other Belle has been a part of my life for so long that it's hard to remember a time when she wasn't a part of it. And adopting Belle was my first experience in animal welfare - I have to give her credit for being such a great dog and allowing me to take my first step towards what ultimately became my passion and my career.

What amazes me even more is that in one dog's lifetime there have been significant changes in animal welfare in the south eastern area of Wisconsin. When I saw Belle 15 years ago for the first time, she was in a room that held several stainless steel cage units that had two levels. Belle was in a cage on the top level -- a cage that HAWS currently would use for our feline residents. It was barely bigger than a medium sized crate.

Recently the state of Wisconsin passed a law regulating any business or organization that sells more than 25 dogs a year. One of the regulations concerns size of the primary enclosure. The cage Belle was housed in during her stay at the shelter would be illegal now. It's not that the shelter I adopted Belle from was horrible -- it's just that back then there was a different way of thinking about sheltering.

Another thing that strikes me is that at the time I adopted Belle I had another dog who was listed on my adoption application. Not only did the shelter not require that I have the dogs meet prior to the adoption, it would not have been allowed. Back then shelters did not want any more animals in their building than those that were residents. They didn't want to bring in any more disease than they had to, and they didn't want to risk the health of the adopters dogs.

This is another big change from 15 years ago. I don't know of any shelter in this area that doesn't make it a requirement of adoption for a home's existing dog to meet the shelter dog being considered for adoption. Shelters want to do everything they can to make sure that the adoption is successful. Part of that means allowing the dogs to meet on neutral territory and assessing the meeting to see if they are likely to be compatible.

Belle's anniversary was yesterday and we're starting on our 16th year together. While we most likely won't be celebrating another anniversary together 15 years from now, I cherish every moment that we have had and will have together. And I look forward to seeing the progress of animal welfare and shelters in the future.

It Always Costs More...

One of the things I get asked when I do my educational presentations is how much animals cost at HAWS. When I tell kids our adoption fees for certain animals, I invariably hear: "Oh, I could get him. I have (fill in amount here)at home.

While this is what I hear from children, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out that many adults think like this as well. But truthfully the cost of the animal itself is just the beginning and is really the most inexpensive part of having a pet.

When I visited third graders at Hadfield Elementary School I brought Speckles the Guinea Pig with me. And of course the kids were very excited to hear that her adoption fee is only $13.00 and thought that they could afford to adopt her.

It was a great opportunity for me to discuss with them what the actual cost of a guinea pig would be. We had to factor in her cage, water bottle, food dish, chew toys, house, bedding and food -- the last two would be an on-going expense. And I talked about having money saved up in case their guinea pig got sick and needed to go to the vet.

While it's natural for kids to want something without thinking about the cost, I think it's a good idea to plant the seed that having a pet is a long-term financial commitment.

I Could Never Work There

This is a sentence that those of use who work in animal welfare hear regularly when we tell others what it is we do for a living. I generally assume that people mean that it would be so heartbreaking and depressing trying to cope with the sad stories and outcomes, that they wouldn't be able to emotionally handle it.

It is true that it takes a certain personality type to be able to handle some of the things we see -- there are sad stories that we have to cope with. I don't think there's anyone working here at HAWS that hasn't cried over some of the animals that have come through our doors.

But I think what most people who speak this sentence are missing, is that we do it because we feel we truly can make a difference, and because the stories with happy endings far outweigh the sad stories.

We get to see lost animals reunited with worried owners frantic to find them. We see animals with injuries rehabilitated and adopted out to new homes. Animals up for adoption that get passed over for months on end finally find the perfect family.

Recently one animal was surrendered to HAWS that had most of the staff over the moon in love with her. Oscar was surrendered by the daughter of her owner -- a man who was experiencing medical problems and could no longer care for her or give her the time she deserved. Many of us don't have parrot experience, and were suprised at just how much a Cockatoo has to give. As we discovered just how special and affectionate she was, she spent less and less time her her cage. For over a week Oscar could be found snuggling with one of our staff either behind the front desk, or in someone's office.

Oscar liked to have her neck rubbed, and would push her head into your hands when she wanted to ask for it. She loved to sit on shoulders, but even better was if someone was sitting down she'd sit on your lap and lean into your body. Oscar was all about the snuggling.

Although some of us had fantasized about keeping Oscar as an official HAWS mascot, we realized it wouldn't be the right thing for her. She really needed a home without the activity level of our shelter, and without the sounds of crowds on the weekends, and dogs barking. Because we were so taken with her, and because we knew that she required an adopter who understood parrots and how much attention they needed, we were looking for very special people. And we found them. Oscar's new owners has recently lost their Amazon Parrot to cancer and were ready for a new feathered friend. Their vet gave them an extremely high reference, and Oscar really seemed to like them.

We said goodbye to Oscar last week -- happy that she had the perfect home, and knowing that she was making two people very happy as well. That's what working in animal welfare is all about.

Winter in Wisconsin

I had originally thought to write a post about keeping pets inside during the cold Wisconsin weather. But everytime we get a cold snap -- as we are now, the news is full of advisements to bring pets inside. I think most people already know when it's too cold to leave a dog or cat outdoors.

One of HAWS adoption requirements is that the pet must be an indoor pet. Our feeling is that we are adopting our animals out in the hopes that they will become companion animals -- members of the family. If the animal lives outside the humans in the family are less likely to form a strong bond and attachment to the pet. And obviously a pet that lives inside the house is going to spend much more time with their people than one living in the backyard.

I realize that I'm very much an exception in pet ownership -- my dogs share most aspects of my life -- they come to work with me, we hike together, snuggle on the couch as I'm reading or watching a movie on TV. I certainly don't expect that most people will have the strong love and attachment for their pets that I have with my dogs. But I would hope that any pet owner would love their pet enough to enjoy spending time with them on a cold winter day.

Lad Lake and Rascal

The boys from Lad Lake are doing wonderfully in our program. All the boys have started to really become good dog handlers and are developing training skills. But even more important -- and a key part to this program, I've seen a lot of growth from all the boys. Kevin is learning how to pay attention, Keanu is gaining confidence, Michael is getting over his disgust over putting treats in the dogs mouth and is better at following directions, Andrew is learning to be a team player, and Mike is developing some skills in coaching the other boys.

We've seen some of the dogs get adopted, however Mike and Michael have had an opportunity to work with one of the dogs for two months now. While that's a good thing for the boys since they've developed a bond for Rascal and have been able to teach him some amazing things, it's not so great for poor Rascal who's left homeless. While he's very handsome, his size and breed (pit bull possibly mixed with American Bulldog) make him a difficult placement

I credit this program for helping to provide Rascal with the mental enrichment he so desperately needs to make his days here good ones. And hopefully the video of Mike working with him that I just posted on his PetFinder posting helps to get him a home. And just how cute is that bow at the end -- the boys are so pleased with it!