The Many Rewards of Foster Care

Mary never planned on becoming a foster doggie mom but when her twelve-year-old mixed breed dog suddenly died she found herself needing to fill the missing gap.”When Lucy died, it was tragic for me. I really needed something to do, something that could occupy me and get my mind off the whole event,” states Mary with sadness in her eyes.
Her home, a smallish affair, is located in a lovely area of Texas hill country. And, clearly what the home lacks in size Mary makes up for in heart. She has been fostering dogs for almost ten years now and her current one, a little fellow that goes by the name of Tristan, is her one hundredth foster dog.
Mary continues her story, “You know, I never even thought about fostering dogs, my home is so cramped,” she states with a sweep of her arm gesturing towards the kitchen/dining room combo, “I just figured I didn’t have the room.”
Indeed, Mary’s place is petite: barely 950 square feet with a miniature eat-in kitchen, a living room, one bath, and two bedrooms, all contained within a dated mortar and brick exterior. Although the home is tiny, the exterior property is spacious. As we walk through the back door towards the enclosed one and a half acres of property Mary points out something, “Over there, is the dog pen that I built for new foster dogs. I like to put them in there when they first arrive, to get them used to the being out here before they run loose.”
We walk around the perimeter of her fenced in acreage, a good brisk walk, with Tristan following us, tail a-wagging. I can see the little guy is happy here and that brings me to the next question, “How do you keep from getting attached to the dogs?”
Mary stops and looks past the fence into the distance, “That is something I wondered about myself. I do get attached, very attached. But I guess I love them enough to give them over to good homes, sort of sending them on their way into a good future. That’s what makes it all worthwhile for me, knowing they will have a happy life, even if it is without me.” She looks wistfully down at Tristan, pats his head, and continues, “Tristan is leaving me this weekend. He has been adopted by a great family in San Antonio. They have two other small dogs for him to play with and best of all they have children. He really likes kids.”
Mary D. got started in fostering with a phone call to a local rescue agency. Within days her first dog arrived at her home, “I don’t know what I expected! I guess I thought the dog would be all bedraggled and forlorn, but happily my first dog was a gorgeous female blue heeler named Misty. She stayed with me for about three months and went on her way. I still get photos from her family. Misty is now twelve years old, the same age my Lucy was when she died.” Mary shakes her head, “When I think that if I had not been available Misty would never have reached 12 it makes me want to cry. But thank goodness she did, and hopefully she’ll live a lot longer.” Mary looks at me with a smile.
I can’t help but smile back because that is exactly what this is all about, giving a dog a chance to live its life with dignity and joy. Let’s face it, dogs need love just as much as food and water. Without it they will not flourish. Thanks to Mary and thousands of others like her, dogs who otherwise would be euthanized are reaching their full potential and are living out their lives with families that love them.

Dog Food and Fats

Is it possible that the rise in hypothyroidism in certain dog breeds might be the result of diets low in saturated fats? Since 1996, dog breeders have noted that this condition has become common enough to test their breeding stock for. While some veterinarian practitioners believe that there might be a genetic predisposition towards hypothyroidism other experts claim that its cause is directly related to the commercial kibble fed to dogs. 

The hypothyroidism question might be a matter of which came first — the chicken or the egg? A dog will pass on to its offspring any weaknesses in its genetic code. When generations of dogs are fed a steady diet of dried kibble their bodies are placed at risk to develop hypothyroidism. Why? Because commercially produced dog food contains primarily polyunsaturated fats. These fats are not conducive for the absorption of certain vitamins, particularly vitamin A, D, E and K.

Vitamin A is a huge player in the body’s ability to kick on its immune system. This wonder vitamin gives the body its ability to fight off cancer and it helps prevent the thyroid gland from shrinking. As the thyroid gland shrinks it begins to lose its ability to function and hypothyroidism sets in. When vitamin A is coupled with vitamin D, the result is a dynamic duo that work together to increase thyroid hormone circulation within the body. But both vitamin A and vitamin D need saturated fat for absorption through the intestine before the body can utilize it.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that a diet lacking saturated fats causes hypothyroidism, it is certainly worth avoiding this condition by providing pets with a wholesome diet that contains a variety of organic food— including quality animal protein and fat. This becomes even more important if you own a dog breed with a genetic predisposition towards this disease. Dog breeds at greater risk for hypothyroidism are: Akitas, American cocker spaniels, Beagles, Boxers, Briards, Brozois, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, Irish setters. Labarador retrievers, Old English sheepdogs, Rottweilers, and Shetland sheepdogs.

Unfortunately it is often difficult to tell if your dog has hypothyroidism because its symptoms are common to many other diseases. Keep in mind that as your dog ages, he becomes more prone to this condition. That’s why it’s important to start them off with the right type of diet. Variety is key. Supplement your dog’s dried kibble with healthy servings of organically raised meat because it contains the fat your dog needs to absorb certain vitamins. Additionally, provide your pet with cod liver oil at each meal. There are many brands available made specifically for pets. My personal favorite is Nordic Naturals Pet Cod Liver Oil for Dogs & Cats.

About the Author:

Gyvel Young is a journalist, published author and a certified canine nutritionist.

Sources:

Articles

Nockels CF, Ewing DL, Phetteplace H, et al. Hypothyroidism: an early sign of vitamin A deficiency in chickens. J Nutr 1984;114:1733-6

Oba K, Kimura S. Effects of vitamin A deficiency on thyroid function and serum thyroxine levels in the rat. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1980;26:327-34

Books

Pottenger, Francis Jr. (1983). Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition. California. Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc.

Amazing results within a short time!

Have you ever dealt with a little leash puller? I have! My dog Shonee thinks she is sled dog, pulling me hither and yon, sometimes she almost drags me. Her chest would be so low to the ground that it was actually scraping along it.

The problem with leash training her is that I do not agree with the technique that enforces jerking and yanking with the leash. This method certainly will not foster a positive relationship between pet parent and dog. Besides, it can damage your dog’s neck and spine. So, I was overjoyed when I stumbled upon Turid Rugaas. With over 30 years of proven dog behavior under her belt and the ability to read and direct dogs of all types she has mastered most of the difficult challenges people face with their canine companions. Of course, Turid also hails from my homeland of Scandinavia and that makes her “Number One” in my book.

Turid’s method is so simple and it completely eliminates any stress for both the pet parent and the dog. Basically it involves your making a unique noise with your mouth. Think of the sound someone might make to a horse when they want the horse to move forward. A clicking sound with the tongue or a smacking sound. It doesn’t matter what sound you make as long as you only make that sound when you want the dog to move towards you.

The first step is to “prime” the dog to this sound. This involves a handy bag of treats. Stand close to your dog, make the sound and when your dog turns to look at you give the dog a treat. Repeat this as many times as you want for a few minutes (puppies might take longer to “get” it). Now step a little further away and make the sound. Your dog should move towards you, when he reaches you give him a treat. Repeat this for a few minutes a day until your dog begins to associate that noise with you and a TREAT!

Next add the leash and begin in an area with few distractions. Walk the dog as you normally would, the moment your dog begins pulling, stop. Do NOT move. Instead make your unique noise. Your dog will move towards you and when he does you will need to turn around and move forward so that your dog is actually following you, as he comes up along side of you give him a treat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

The direction behind this is create an environment of positive reinforcement for following you. It WILL work and with much less hassle and stress to you and your dog than other methods of training that involve sharp jerks on the leash. Turid’s little book entitled, My Dog Pulls, What do I do? can be purchased also and I highly recommend it. Or you can visit Turid’s web site, I have placed a link directly to the method of training that Turid recommends: loose leash walking.

You will be happily surprised (as was I) at how quickly your dog will respond to this type of training. Shonee actually stops herself when the leash becomes taut and returns to me! It is amazing! For the most part she now walks nicely on the leash, she may not heel or walk exactly beside me but the leash is slack and my arms are not being jerked out of their sockets.

Naturally, my pups will be a “work in progress” but I am delighted with this method. I am now using it on an 8 month old puppy that I am fostering. She is now walking very nicely on the leash and it is such a delight to see how quickly she progressed from an extreme puller to a nice walker.

Here is a video of Turid demonstrating how to help your dog stop pulling. As Turid states this will take time and patience (particularly if you have a puppy) but it will work. Just stick with it.

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