For the past several years HAWS has collaborated with the Hadfield Elementary Boys and Girls Clubs to provide a Spring Break Camp. This year we had 10 boys and girls from the 4th and 5th grades spend four days learning about HAWS and the animals we take in. Additionally we try and expose them to science and some of the research that's been done with animals.
Last week the kids learned about Chaser -- the border collie who has learned the names of over 1000 of his toys, and Alex the African Grey Parrot who had learned to identify objects and label them by color, size, shape and material. They also had an opportunity to put together their own experiment using dogs.
This year's experiment involved the creation of two very large mazes and a person at the end of the finish line. The question posed was will a dog learn the maze faster with a stranger with a treat at the finish, or with the dog's owner with a treat at the finish. Two mazes were created; one for the stranger and one for the owner, with the two mazes being similar in difficulty level. Each dog was given 3 trials per maze with each trial timed.
The results at the end showed that dogs learned the maze more than twice as fast when their owner was at the finish, than when a stranger was at the finish. I guess relationship means something after all!
The kids had a really fantastic time at HAWS, enjoyed spending time with all the animals, and had fun with the experiment. Hopefully they've learned that science is fun as well.
Here's a video of my dog Mystic on his second run through each of the two trials.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Hank the Brewer and other Non-famous Strays
Recently a small white stray dog showed up at the Milwaukee Brewers spring training. Hank has been a staple in the news on a regular basis since then. There has also been a lot of buzz by average news followers, and one comment from a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article in particular struck me as an example of public confusion over the word "stray".
"Hopefully the owner doesn't come forward. If the owner cared about him in the first place he would not have been a stray."
In my almost ten years of working in a shelter I've talked to many people who think a stray pet is one that has been fending for itself for a very long period of time. People are amazed that we have strays up for adoption that are "so friendly!" Many people think that a stray would most likely behave in a fearful, feral state.
I've also heard of people who find a stray animal state that they're going to keep it, and don't plan on looking for an owner. These people are under the same assumption as the person who commented on the Journel Sentinel article -- that the owners must not care about the pet. Additionally many people don't realize that under Wisconsin State Law (Statute 170.02) the finder needs to make an effort to find the owner.
What many people don't realize is that a stray animal is simply a pet or domestic animal that is in public and no one knows who it's owner is. So a cat born to a feral cat colony who has never lived with people and behaves like a wild animal is considered a stray. But so too is the dog who escaped from the backyard 20 minutes ago and is found by someone a mile from home.
Just because an animal is found as a stray doesn't mean that the owner doesn't care about him. HAWS takes in many stray animals that got loose by accident, and whose owners are desperate for their return. In one case we had a stray come in and once we checked the microchip found the owner who lived in Minnesota. It turned out that the cat went missing from their home, and it's a mystery as to how it ended up in Waukesha County, WI. In another case the microchip on a dog led us to an owner who told us their dog had been stolen from their backyard a year earlier, and they were thrilled to get her back.
As to why Hank's owners never came forward we most likely will never know. It's possible that the owners didn't want him and abandoned him. However it's also possible the owners don't realize that Hank is their dog. Perhaps he got loose or was stolen from his family and then transported several hundred miles or more before being dumped in the area of the Brewers spring training camp. Because we don't know for sure we shouldn't make assumptions.
In my almost ten years of working in a shelter I've talked to many people who think a stray pet is one that has been fending for itself for a very long period of time. People are amazed that we have strays up for adoption that are "so friendly!" Many people think that a stray would most likely behave in a fearful, feral state.
I've also heard of people who find a stray animal state that they're going to keep it, and don't plan on looking for an owner. These people are under the same assumption as the person who commented on the Journel Sentinel article -- that the owners must not care about the pet. Additionally many people don't realize that under Wisconsin State Law (Statute 170.02) the finder needs to make an effort to find the owner.
What many people don't realize is that a stray animal is simply a pet or domestic animal that is in public and no one knows who it's owner is. So a cat born to a feral cat colony who has never lived with people and behaves like a wild animal is considered a stray. But so too is the dog who escaped from the backyard 20 minutes ago and is found by someone a mile from home.
Just because an animal is found as a stray doesn't mean that the owner doesn't care about him. HAWS takes in many stray animals that got loose by accident, and whose owners are desperate for their return. In one case we had a stray come in and once we checked the microchip found the owner who lived in Minnesota. It turned out that the cat went missing from their home, and it's a mystery as to how it ended up in Waukesha County, WI. In another case the microchip on a dog led us to an owner who told us their dog had been stolen from their backyard a year earlier, and they were thrilled to get her back.
As to why Hank's owners never came forward we most likely will never know. It's possible that the owners didn't want him and abandoned him. However it's also possible the owners don't realize that Hank is their dog. Perhaps he got loose or was stolen from his family and then transported several hundred miles or more before being dumped in the area of the Brewers spring training camp. Because we don't know for sure we shouldn't make assumptions.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Fourteen Rats in a Snow Bank
One of the worst parts about working at a shelter is that you see the unpleasant way that some people treat animals. From people behaving impatient and yelling at an animal that isn't behaving the way the owner wants them to, to outright abuse and neglect. Sometimes we can help and the animal ends up better off. Sometimes there isn't anything we can do legally or otherwise, and we have to accept that we did the best we could.
When cases of abuse or neglect to animals such as cats, dogs and horses are publicized, many people are understandably outraged and feel a great deal of empathy for what the animal had to endure. For many people it's harder to empathize with animals that are not universally accepted as good pets. As a matter of fact many people shudder at the thought of sharing their lives with pet rats.
Rats actually make excellent pets. They are social animals and enjoy interaction with people. They are very smart and can learn to come when called and to perform tricks. And they are fun to watch. Many people dislike the hairless tail, but the tail is hairless because rats are easily over-heated, and the lack of hair on the tail helps them to cool their body temperature down. No matter how you feel about rats, no animal deserves to be treated in an abusive and inhumane manner.
The call came in on the morning of Thursday, January 2 that someone had found 14 domestic rats in a snow bank. By the time our staff got out there several had died of exposure and a few had feet that were frozen to the ice. HAWS staff had to take hair dryers to free them. Eleven eventually survived.
Several of the rats were females, and were sent to foster care on maternity watch. Only one of the females ended up giving birth and mother and babies are still in foster care and doing fine.
We don't know who abandoned these animals in such a cruel manner. Where they originally feeder rats for a snake that were no longer needed, or did someone get in over their heads with too many rats and not enough resources to care for them? We'll never know.
What I do know is that through the kindness of someone who cared enough to call HAWS we were able to save most of them. I'd like to think that for every act of cruelty there's a balance of an act of kindness. Hopefully we can get all our ratties adopted out into good homes so that they never need to experience the worst side of human behavior again.
When cases of abuse or neglect to animals such as cats, dogs and horses are publicized, many people are understandably outraged and feel a great deal of empathy for what the animal had to endure. For many people it's harder to empathize with animals that are not universally accepted as good pets. As a matter of fact many people shudder at the thought of sharing their lives with pet rats. Rats actually make excellent pets. They are social animals and enjoy interaction with people. They are very smart and can learn to come when called and to perform tricks. And they are fun to watch. Many people dislike the hairless tail, but the tail is hairless because rats are easily over-heated, and the lack of hair on the tail helps them to cool their body temperature down. No matter how you feel about rats, no animal deserves to be treated in an abusive and inhumane manner.
The call came in on the morning of Thursday, January 2 that someone had found 14 domestic rats in a snow bank. By the time our staff got out there several had died of exposure and a few had feet that were frozen to the ice. HAWS staff had to take hair dryers to free them. Eleven eventually survived.
Several of the rats were females, and were sent to foster care on maternity watch. Only one of the females ended up giving birth and mother and babies are still in foster care and doing fine.
We don't know who abandoned these animals in such a cruel manner. Where they originally feeder rats for a snake that were no longer needed, or did someone get in over their heads with too many rats and not enough resources to care for them? We'll never know.
What I do know is that through the kindness of someone who cared enough to call HAWS we were able to save most of them. I'd like to think that for every act of cruelty there's a balance of an act of kindness. Hopefully we can get all our ratties adopted out into good homes so that they never need to experience the worst side of human behavior again.
Friday, February 7, 2014
What is an Aggressive Dog?
A three year old boy in California was recently attacked by a dog so severely that he required 50 stitches to his head and neck. What makes this particular incident different than many other attacks on children by dogs that we hear about is that the dog was on leash, with his owner, and the owner gave the child permission to approach and pet the dog.
Many times when people think of an "aggressive dog", they imagine a dog that behaves like Cujo; the dog snarls, growls, lunges and is ready to bite at any second. The actuality is that there really isn't any dog out there that behaves in this way continuously. It would be impossible for any animal to maintain that level of arousal and heightened adrenaline level every waking moment.
In real life there aren't aggressive dogs, but rather dogs that behave aggressively in certain situations. Most of the time "aggressive dogs" are well loved, well behaved family pets. They are affectionate with their owners, like to play and are trustworthy in most situations. Most dogs that behave aggressively do so in response to specific triggers (other dogs, strangers, when eating, etc.), and many times the aggressive reaction is due to the dog being afraid.
Reality makes it hard for strangers seeing these dogs only in situations that bring out the worst behavior to imagine that the dog can behave any other way. It's not uncommon for the owner of a reactive dog to have complete strangers make comments such as "Why would you want a dog like that?" or "Why don't you put an aggressive dog like that down?" It's hurtful to hear that a family member you cherish and love is considered to be so disposable by others.
And it also sometimes makes it hard for the families of these dogs to acknowledge that they have a dog who has a serious problem. When 95% of the time your dog behaves like the perfect canine member of the family, it's easy to be in denial about how serious his behavior is the other 5% of the time. And the stigma of having "an aggressive dog" makes it even harder to acknowledge the problem.
In the case I mentioned earlier, it later came out that this same dog had 2 previous, although less serious, incidents with other children about the same age as the three year old boy. I'm guessing that the owner was in denial as to his dog's issues with children, and unfortunately a little boy paid a huge price.
There are two morals to this story. The first is to not assume that when an owner gives permission to approach or pet his or her dog that it will be ok. The better option is to let the dog make the choice as to whether the interaction will happen. A dog who approaches is more likely (but not always) to want to engage with you, than a dog who doesn't move towards you or actively avoids you.
The second is that there is no shame in having a dog with problem behaviors. There is huge shame in not acknowledging the problems and doing what you can to keep everyone safe. Managing a dog to keep him out of situations that you know will make him uncomfortable is the first step. Finding a professional dog trainer or behaviorist to help you with these issues is the next.
Many times when people think of an "aggressive dog", they imagine a dog that behaves like Cujo; the dog snarls, growls, lunges and is ready to bite at any second. The actuality is that there really isn't any dog out there that behaves in this way continuously. It would be impossible for any animal to maintain that level of arousal and heightened adrenaline level every waking moment.
In real life there aren't aggressive dogs, but rather dogs that behave aggressively in certain situations. Most of the time "aggressive dogs" are well loved, well behaved family pets. They are affectionate with their owners, like to play and are trustworthy in most situations. Most dogs that behave aggressively do so in response to specific triggers (other dogs, strangers, when eating, etc.), and many times the aggressive reaction is due to the dog being afraid.
Reality makes it hard for strangers seeing these dogs only in situations that bring out the worst behavior to imagine that the dog can behave any other way. It's not uncommon for the owner of a reactive dog to have complete strangers make comments such as "Why would you want a dog like that?" or "Why don't you put an aggressive dog like that down?" It's hurtful to hear that a family member you cherish and love is considered to be so disposable by others. And it also sometimes makes it hard for the families of these dogs to acknowledge that they have a dog who has a serious problem. When 95% of the time your dog behaves like the perfect canine member of the family, it's easy to be in denial about how serious his behavior is the other 5% of the time. And the stigma of having "an aggressive dog" makes it even harder to acknowledge the problem.
In the case I mentioned earlier, it later came out that this same dog had 2 previous, although less serious, incidents with other children about the same age as the three year old boy. I'm guessing that the owner was in denial as to his dog's issues with children, and unfortunately a little boy paid a huge price.
There are two morals to this story. The first is to not assume that when an owner gives permission to approach or pet his or her dog that it will be ok. The better option is to let the dog make the choice as to whether the interaction will happen. A dog who approaches is more likely (but not always) to want to engage with you, than a dog who doesn't move towards you or actively avoids you.
The second is that there is no shame in having a dog with problem behaviors. There is huge shame in not acknowledging the problems and doing what you can to keep everyone safe. Managing a dog to keep him out of situations that you know will make him uncomfortable is the first step. Finding a professional dog trainer or behaviorist to help you with these issues is the next.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Service Learning and Critter Club
Service learning is a tool that a lot of humane educators use in their work with kids. Through service learning kids learn about an animal welfare related issue and then perform a service using what they've learned.
This semester our Critter Club members were challenged to do a service learning project and were given a choice of 4 different topics. Two of the topics were very popular with the kids when put to a vote, and so we allowed them to split into two groups with a different topic for each group.
One of the groups chose the topic of puppy mills. Although these are kids who are already sympathetic to animal welfare, I think they learned a lot and were appalled at the conditions in which dogs are kept in breeding facilities. They chose to do a movie to be placed on YouTube and spent a lot of time on-line doing research and looking for photographs to use.
While most of the kids in this group were already aware that puppy mills aren't very humane, I think they were shocked at just how bad they really are.
The other group chose the welfare of circus animals as their topic. They put together a PowerPoint and originally were going to present it to parents, but we ran out of time as the semester is almost finished and the club runs on semester basis. We decided to make it into a video and place that on YouTube as well.
As we started the service learning project I introduced the students to the "Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare". Originally developed in the United Kingdom as a guideline to how farm animals should be housed, it's been adopted by many facilities that house animals all over the world. Animal shelters in particular have adopted this concept.
The circus animal group used the Five Freedoms as part of their presentation to show that circus animals do not enjoy the standards required to ensure that their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Not only did the club members learn about an aspect of animal welfare not directly related to animal shelters, but they also had to work as a team and in some cases compromise in order to work on the project.
This semester our Critter Club members were challenged to do a service learning project and were given a choice of 4 different topics. Two of the topics were very popular with the kids when put to a vote, and so we allowed them to split into two groups with a different topic for each group.
One of the groups chose the topic of puppy mills. Although these are kids who are already sympathetic to animal welfare, I think they learned a lot and were appalled at the conditions in which dogs are kept in breeding facilities. They chose to do a movie to be placed on YouTube and spent a lot of time on-line doing research and looking for photographs to use.
While most of the kids in this group were already aware that puppy mills aren't very humane, I think they were shocked at just how bad they really are.
The other group chose the welfare of circus animals as their topic. They put together a PowerPoint and originally were going to present it to parents, but we ran out of time as the semester is almost finished and the club runs on semester basis. We decided to make it into a video and place that on YouTube as well.
As we started the service learning project I introduced the students to the "Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare". Originally developed in the United Kingdom as a guideline to how farm animals should be housed, it's been adopted by many facilities that house animals all over the world. Animal shelters in particular have adopted this concept.
The circus animal group used the Five Freedoms as part of their presentation to show that circus animals do not enjoy the standards required to ensure that their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Not only did the club members learn about an aspect of animal welfare not directly related to animal shelters, but they also had to work as a team and in some cases compromise in order to work on the project.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Education through Experience
HAWS Kids 'N Critters Winter Camp ran during the school's break and was huge success. Because of how the holidays fell during the week this year, for the first time we ran 5 single day sessions rather than 2 and 3 day sessions. This allowed families to have more options and work around their own schedules, and it also meant that we were able to accommodate more children -- many of whom were new to HAWS.
The last two days of camp ran during a cold snap in which the outside temperature was in the single digits. Normally our schedule would have had kids walking dogs outside, but we modified it to allow small groups of kids to work with dogs and do some training in the comfort of the indoors instead.
Before we brought the dog in to the kids I prepared them for how to behave around the dog, what we were going to be training, and how to safely deliver treats so that fingers didn't go into the dog's mouth. 
One of the kids asked what kind of dog was going to be coming into the room. When I told him she was a pit bull mix, he said, "My dad says pit bulls are dangerous." I started to explain to the boy that wasn't true about all pit bulls,
and that the news tended to overly report pit bull attacks compared to
attacks by other breeds, causing people to be prejudiced. (For a great
information on this see Dr. Ian Kupkee's blog post.) I quickly realized that he wasn't hearing me and didn't want to believe what I had to say, especially since it was contradicting his dad. I finally said, "Well, why don't you spend some time with Cider and then make up your own mind."
Cider came in the room and we proceeded to work on sit for polite greetings, and then taught her to navigate obstacles in the form of crawling under chairs and walking through a tunnel. Initially she was a bit fearful about them, but the kids did a great job using treats and their voices to encourage here. She very quickly felt more comfortable and the kids felt proud of their accomplishment.
After a half an hour of work Cider was a bit tired, and the kids were able to pet her as she relaxed on the floor. And the boy who thought pit bulls were dangerous admitted that she was a really nice dog. Sometimes showing people is better than telling.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Surrender
"Could an animal caretaker please come up to the front for 2 rabbits".
Intercom pages like this happen several times a day at HAWS, with the only variation the type of animal that has been brought in. HAWS has an intake of about 6,000 animals per year, and so that's an average of about 15 animals per day that walk through our doors. Many times these are animals that are being surrendered to HAWS by their owner.
With large numbers of animals being brought in, it's very easy for those of us in animal welfare to become jaded and resent the owners who want to give up their pets. After all it can sometimes seem that if people were more responsible we wouldn't be in a position to take in as many animals and maybe animal shelters could become a thing of the past.
This is especially true because many times the reasons for the surrender of the animal are less than valid. There was the woman who surrendered a parakeet because she was redecorating her daughter's room and the bird didn't match the new color scheme. There was the 10 month old German Shorthaired Pointer relinquished because he had too much energy.
Surrender reasons like these could be preventable if the owners were only educated and learned how to be a responsible pet owner. The woman with the parakeet should have been taught somewhere along the line that a pet isn't a decorating accessory, but something you bring into your home because you enjoy having it's company.
And the owners of the adolescent dog should have done their homework about the breed before getting a puppy. If they had they would have discovered that GSPs are one of the most energetic breeds and need a strong commitment to daily exercise. It's through education that HAWS hopes we can make a difference and reduce the numbers of unwanted pets coming through our doors.
However, we also hear other reasons for people to have to surrender their animals. A good example is the Cockatoo that was brought in to HAWS a few weeks ago. Sam's owner was diagnosed was emphysema. Living with birds can endanger people with respiratory illnesses because the large amount of dander parrots produce greatly exacerbates the medical condition.
HAWS has had animals surrendered because the owner died; because family members were diagnosed with serious, life threatening illnesses; and because the house was foreclosed upon, and the family couldn't find housing that accepted their pets. All of these are valid reasons, and if a shelter wasn't available to accept the pets, who knows where they would have ended.
HAWS is committed to educating the community because we feel that education is the key to reducing the numbers of animals that walk through our door. If people can be encouraged to do research before their bring their pets home, and to continue their education throughout the life of the pet, we would have fewer surrenders. Education would allow people to make better choices as to what animal would fit in best with their lifestyle, give them realistic expectations for how the animal would behave, and allow them to think about whether they had the time and finances provide proper care.
In the meantime animal welfare agencies can provide a place for homeless animals to be safe, and provide compassion for anyone surrendering an animal. Because if we show compassion we open the door for people to listen to our message, and perhaps the surrenderer will have the tools to
be able to make a better choice with their next pet.
Intercom pages like this happen several times a day at HAWS, with the only variation the type of animal that has been brought in. HAWS has an intake of about 6,000 animals per year, and so that's an average of about 15 animals per day that walk through our doors. Many times these are animals that are being surrendered to HAWS by their owner. With large numbers of animals being brought in, it's very easy for those of us in animal welfare to become jaded and resent the owners who want to give up their pets. After all it can sometimes seem that if people were more responsible we wouldn't be in a position to take in as many animals and maybe animal shelters could become a thing of the past.
This is especially true because many times the reasons for the surrender of the animal are less than valid. There was the woman who surrendered a parakeet because she was redecorating her daughter's room and the bird didn't match the new color scheme. There was the 10 month old German Shorthaired Pointer relinquished because he had too much energy.
Surrender reasons like these could be preventable if the owners were only educated and learned how to be a responsible pet owner. The woman with the parakeet should have been taught somewhere along the line that a pet isn't a decorating accessory, but something you bring into your home because you enjoy having it's company.
And the owners of the adolescent dog should have done their homework about the breed before getting a puppy. If they had they would have discovered that GSPs are one of the most energetic breeds and need a strong commitment to daily exercise. It's through education that HAWS hopes we can make a difference and reduce the numbers of unwanted pets coming through our doors.
However, we also hear other reasons for people to have to surrender their animals. A good example is the Cockatoo that was brought in to HAWS a few weeks ago. Sam's owner was diagnosed was emphysema. Living with birds can endanger people with respiratory illnesses because the large amount of dander parrots produce greatly exacerbates the medical condition.
HAWS has had animals surrendered because the owner died; because family members were diagnosed with serious, life threatening illnesses; and because the house was foreclosed upon, and the family couldn't find housing that accepted their pets. All of these are valid reasons, and if a shelter wasn't available to accept the pets, who knows where they would have ended.
HAWS is committed to educating the community because we feel that education is the key to reducing the numbers of animals that walk through our door. If people can be encouraged to do research before their bring their pets home, and to continue their education throughout the life of the pet, we would have fewer surrenders. Education would allow people to make better choices as to what animal would fit in best with their lifestyle, give them realistic expectations for how the animal would behave, and allow them to think about whether they had the time and finances provide proper care.
In the meantime animal welfare agencies can provide a place for homeless animals to be safe, and provide compassion for anyone surrendering an animal. Because if we show compassion we open the door for people to listen to our message, and perhaps the surrenderer will have the tools to
be able to make a better choice with their next pet.
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