Someone Lost Their Beloved Pet Today: The Rainbow Bridge

A friend of mine had a gorgeous black Lab named Bacci.  Her constant companion, her furkid, her muse.... her everything.   Bacci passed away this morning and my friend is inconsolable.  When we lose a pet it's devastating, it turns our world upside down.  It seems unfair that we will almost certainly lose our beloved pets before we ourselves leave this world.  I sent her this beautiful poem in the hope that it might give her some comfort.  The Rainbow Bridge poem appears in many places online and in print, and in several different forms.  It is thought to be inspired by a Norse legend.   I believe there is a Heaven, and I cannot imagine a heaven without pets; what kind of heaven would that be?  I hope you enjoy this beautiful poem.

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

- Anonymous

My Favorite Foster Dog; Rudy's Story

In addition to volunteering at an animal shelter and being one half of a therapy dog team, I also foster shelter dogs in my home.  Fostering saves lives, it's that simple. There isn’t enough room or staff in crowded shelters to house and care for all the homeless pets that are brought in every day; the influx of homeless dogs and cats never ends.  There aren’t enough people to adopt them.  There isn’t enough room in shelters and rescue organizations to continually take them all in.  Foster parents can step in and take some of these dogs into their own homes to provide care and shelter.  

At this time, the Coronavirus, COVID19, is keeping many people away from animal shelters and other public places.  It's also resulted in many people working from home, and staying home in general.  That makes it the perfect time to foster a dog or cat!

A trio of adorable Chi's, hoping to find loving homes

Why Do Dogs need to be fostered ?   

🐶 A  dog may have a contagious illness like kennel cough and need to be isolated from other pets at the shelter.  Most shelters have a number of isolation kennels, but when they’re full the dog must be isolated in some other way such as placed with a rescue organization, or placed in a foster home.

🐶 Some dogs just need a bit of training to make them more appealing to a potential adopter.  They may need to learn not to jump on people, or they may never have walked on a leash and need to learn how to walk nicely with a leash with their human beside them.  Some have never been socialized at all and are fearful of people.  They just need some TLC and exposure to people to learn that they aren't so scary.

🐶 Shelter life is stressful; it’s loud, scary, and confining.   A dog may “shut down” or become what is sometimes called “kennel crazy”.  This is usually a dog that has been at the shelter for a longer period of time, continually passed over by potential adopters.  When a dog shuts down, they no longer interact well with people and sometimes won't eat.  Dogs that just can't take being in the kennel any longer may constantly bark, jump around like mad trying to get out, and may even become hostile.  Dogs like this have been in the shelter far too long and desperately need a break from shelter life!  

Could You Be A Pet Foster Parent?

🐶 Wondering whether or not you could be a foster parent to a shelter or rescue pet?  The first thing many people say is "I work so I don't think I could foster a pet".   But you don’t need to be a stay at home foster parent in order to be an effective fosterer.  Even people who work full time or are in school full time can foster.  The majority of pet owners do work outside the home, and these days so many people work from home, it makes it even easier to open their homes to a foster dog.

🐶 Even if you have children or other pets in the home you can still foster.  In fact it can be helpful to have kids and other pets in the home.  It can help with training and socialization of a foster pet. Most adopters are pleased when the foster parent can say the dog is good with kids or cats.  It makes the dog more appealing!  

🐶 If you think it will be expensive to foster a dog or cat, don't worry!  Most shelters provide the food and basic supplies you will need to care for your foster pet.  If the dog or cat is ill they’ll provide the necessary medication or Veterinarian visits as well.

Meet Rudy, One Of My First Fosters, and My First Love 

One of my first fosters was Rudy, a chestnut colored Chihuahua mix.  The shelter named him Rudy (as in Rudolph the red nosed reindeer) because he came in around Christmas time.  He had developed a terrible case of kennel cough, possibly due to a low immune system.  He was terribly thin and frail, his ribs clearly visible.  

Rudy was barely able to sleep, his non-stop coughing wracked his small body keeping him awake day and night.  The shelter didn’t have an available isolation kennel for him or a rescue organization that could take him right away.  He needed a foster home, STAT! 

Rudy napping in the sun the day I brought him home to foster.  As you can see, he was so thin his ribs were clearly visible.

I was nervous about bringing him home to foster.  I worried that my own dog, my Husky Icy, might catch his kennel cough, but I took him anyway and kept him separated from Icy the first week. 

I moved him into our quiet, comfy guest room, placing him in a spacious crate with a soft fleece blanket.  He hadn’t been eating at the shelter, probably because it hurt his throat too much to eat the dry shelter food.  As soon as I gave him soft, wet food he wolfed it right down!  He quickly began to gain weight and after about 7 days the cough subsided.  He also had fleas and some ticks, which were treated immediately.  This alleviated his constant scratching, making him less uncomfortable.  

Throughout his ordeal, although he was suffering through kennel cough and discomfort, he remained sweet and lovable.  As he recovered, his vibrant personality emerged.  He was extremely loving, playful and smart.  He got along great with Icy and the two played well together.  I fell madly in love with Rudy and we developed a strong bond. 

I sometimes sleep in a pair of big puffy socks, which I leave by the bed like slippers.  One day one of the socks disappeared.  A couple of weeks later I was gathering up Rudy's fleece blanket to wash, and stuffed deep inside the blanket was my missing sock!  Rudy must have snatched it and hid it in his bed, probably so he could have my scent close to him as he slept in his crate at night.   

My darling foster dog Rudy, during his stay with us

I’ll be honest, I kept Rudy longer than I needed to, I just couldn’t let him go!  Eventually however, I knew I had to.  Not keeping Rudy made it possible for me to continue fostering more dogs, saving more furry little lives.

Fortunately, the father of one of our wonderful Eagle Scout volunteers wanted very much to adopt him.  I couldn’t ask for a better Dad or a better family for Rudy.  I know he went to a great home with a family who loves him as much as I do. 

The day Rudy was adopted, his new Dad pulled away from the curb with Rudy standing up in the front seat, his nose pressed against the window.  He was looking back at me with those beautiful brown eyes, not understanding why he was leaving me.  I cried all the way home, all night long, and for weeks afterwards, but I knew it was the right thing to do for Rudy.   Rudy was my most special foster dog.  I will love him forever, my darling boy will always be in my heart.  Darn. Now I need a tissue, the tears are starting again. 

If you think you'd like to foster a dog, contact your local animal shelter and ask about becoming a volunteer dog or cat foster parent!

If you enjoyed this post, you'll probably like these too:
How you can Help Homeless Pets Over the Holidays
Could you Foster A Dog For One Day?
Could you Foster A Dog To Save His Life?

Have you ever fostered a dog or other pet?  Tell us about it in the comments.  We'd love to hear from you! 🐾

4 Cool Products for Dogs, and Their People

THE FURMINATOR: With a Siberian Husky in the house, we can’t live without serious grooming tools like the Furminator.  If your dog has a thick double undercoat and sheds like it’s snowing, this tool can save your vacuum… and your sanity!  The Furminator can be pricey at pet stores, but we found it much cheaper on Amazon, for about $18.  There’s one for cats too.

The Furminator dog grooming tool

Photo from the Furminator web site.  They're not exaggerating, we have brushed this much fur off Isis with the Furminator ourselves!
 

THE RAKE: A Rake is an affordable tool that is also really good for dogs with a thick double undercoat and lots of shedding.  Several companies make a rake style brush, they can be found at most pet stores and online for about $8 - $12.

 

A Rake grooming tool.  Several companies make rakes

SAFESPOT LOCKING LEASH:  An adjustable locking dog collar and leash that can give you peace of mind if you need to leave your dog unattended for a SHORT period of time, like if you need  to run into the bank or a store.  It has a sturdy, uncuttable steel cable that secures your dog to an object.  It’s made of Plastic/steel/nylon webbing.  A bit pricey at $69 but may be well worth the price considering that upwards of 2 million dogs are stolen each year!  Remember, this is only if you need to leave your dog for a very short time – not for an hour while you go shopping.  Never leave your dog for more than just a few minutes no matter where you are or how safe you may think it is.  You can find it on the Orvis web site at  www.orvis.com

Photo of the Safespot Locking Leash from the Orvis web site:

 

 

SQUEEZABLE TREAT DISPENSERS:  I love these!  They are great for training, treating, or for busy toy purposes.  There are a few varieties of squeezable treat dispensers on the market.  Rather than giving your dog messy bits of chicken or peanut butter, or buying expensive bags of treats, you can instantly treat your dogs with a lick of peanut butter or bit of other squeezable treat.  I like to load up the dispenser with peanut butter and chill so it’s cool and lasts longer.  PAWW Treat Toob is a great treat dispenser product that’s relatively new.   I like that the Treat Toob is easy to fill and transparent, so you can see how much is left inside.  It comes in a few colors and you can write the contents on the bottle’s label window.  About $8.95 on Amazon.   Squeeze Bones is another type of squeezable treat dispenser which dispenses hard treats.  Dogs chew on it dispensing treats themselves.  This is a good type of treat dispenser to use as a busy toy, keeping your dog engaged for awhile.  You can use it as a reward after a training session or as a keep ‘em busy toy.   Both types of dispensers are easy to fill, easy to dispense, portable, and re-usable over and over again.  If your dog is a serious chewer, I’m not sure how long the Squeeze Bones will last, some reviewers indicated it may not be great for strong chewers.  Photo of an orange Treat Toob from Amazon's web site:

Check back frequently for more cool products for dogs and their people!

 

 

Test Your Knowledge of Dog Trivia

Q: What is the tallest breed of dog?  
A: If you guessed the Great Dane, you’d be wrong.  The tallest breed is the Irish Wolfhound.

Q: Which US Presidents had Scottish Terriers living with them in the White House? 

A: Former President Franklin D Roosevelt had a Scottie named Fala, who was famous in his own right.  In 1944 Roosevelt gave the infamous “Fala Speech”, refuting allegations that Fala was costing the taxpayers money!  Former President George W Bush’s presidential Scottie was named Barney.  He became quite famous, starring as himself in several BarneyCam films.  He once bit a Reuters news reporter, as well as the PR Director of the Boston Celtics.  Bad Presidential Doggie!  Bad!


 Q: An impressive statue of a dog in New York City’s Central Park honors the lifesaving heroics of which breed of dog?
 A: As Isis would proudly tell you, it’s the Siberian Husky!  A team of sled dogs saved the town of Nome, Alaska from a diphtheria epidemic in 1925 by delivering life saving serum.  Sled dog teams were the only way to transport the serum to Nome during extreme blizzard conditions.  The lead dog of the last relay team to reach Nome was a Husky named Balto.  The Central Park statue is of Balto, and honors the sled dogs and mushers that risked their lives in treacherous conditions to save the people of Nome. 


We took Isis to Central Park in NYC this Fall.  She was thrilled to see the statue her idol, Balto!   The plaque on the statue reads “Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana, to the relief of stricken Nome in the Winter of 1925”  “Endurance  Fidelity  Intelligence " 

 

Q: What breed of dog is the beloved comic strip character Snoopy? 

A: Snoopy is a Beagle

Q: What breed of dog were Marmaduke, the dog from the Jetsons cartoon, and Scooby Doo? 

A: They were all Great Danes

Q: Which breed of dog is known to have “lifeguard” abilities?

A: Despite their large size and fairly low activity level, the Newfoundland, or "Newfie", was bred to work with fishermen on their boats.  Their muscular build, double coated fur, webbed feet and strong swimming ability make them ideal for water rescue.  A Newfie named seaman even accompanied explorers Lewis and Clark on expedition.

 
 

photos of Irish Wolfhound & Newfie obtained on Wikipedia

Here Come The Westminster Dog Show 2014 …. MUTTS?!

That’s right, the Westminster Dog Show has finally opened it’s doors (a tiny crack) to “All American Dogs”, basically mixed breed dogs.   For the first time, the Agility competition part of the show is now open to mixed breed dogs as well as purebreds.  The traditional Westminster Dog Show begins this week February 10^th and 11^th, but on Saturday February 8th, the Show will host an Agility competition that is open to both purebred and mixed breed dogs.

Tune in to watch dogs every bit as beautiful and special as any purebred work through a timed obstacle course of jumps, tunnels, weave posts and other objects.  The Agility competition isn’t the pritzy part of the Westminster show, but I would argue that it’s the most exciting part.  You can bet I’ll be routing for a former shelter dog to rise up like Rocky Balboa and win this Agility competition!

I know there are a few folks with their noses up in the air over this, but personally I’m thrilled that Westminster has decided to include all dogs in Agility, the ultimate canine athlete’s test of skill, speed, determination and pure heart!  Any dog can be great, any dog can be a champion, if we give them the chance.

What do YOU think about The Westminster Dog Show opening up the Agility competition to all dogs that want to compete?  Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment.

My Furry Valentine

On Valentine’s Day, who better to spoil and show some love to than your devoted canine?  Here are some fun Valentine’s Day activities to share with Your Dog.

MAKE A JAR OF HEARTS FOR YOUR DOG

Take any kind of jar, and fill it with hart shaped treats or dog friendly cookies.  Decorate the jar with stickers or ribbon.  It’s a great way to say I Love You to your dog, or give as a Valentine to someone else’s dog.

You can find several kinds of heart shaped treats for your jar.  At Petco, you can pick & choose goodies from their treat bar.   They cost about $4.95 per pound and you get a lot of treats in a pound.  For Valentine’s Day they have pink, purple, or natural colored heart shaped treats.  The treats have Valentine messages on them such as “Hug Me”, Kiss Me”, “I Love You”, and “XOXO”.   I got this bag of treats for about 79 cents.

You can also find packaged heart shaped cookies and treats at pet stores, or better yet make your own if you have the time.  I found this bag of heart shaped Salmon flavored treats at the Dollar Store.  They are so cute, and my dogs went nuts over them – they love Salmon!     

Check out It’s The Dog’s Life for some really good dog friendly recipes.  The Saint Lover, as the author is called, has a recipe for Applesauce Peanut Butter Cut Outs in her K-9 Cookbook tab on the site. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!     http://itsthedogslife.com/treat-recipes/peanut-butter-applesauce-cut-outs/ . 

 

ADD SOME BLING TO A TIRED, PLAIN COLLAR OR LEASH.  

I got a plain black collar at the Dollar Store for a buck and jazzed it up with pink adhesive rhinestone strips from the craft store.  The strips peel & stick on and they stay on really well.  I added an inexpensive heart shaped charm with pink rhinestones I found at a pet store. 

 

Here’s Phoebe modeling the shiny new collar Mommy made for her!   

 



HOST A VALENTINE’S DAY YAPPY HOUR  for some of your dog’s favorite playmates. 

You can host a yappy hour in your own home, or check out local pet boarding facilities, wine bars or local hotels and restaurants to ask if they happen to be hosting one themselves (many host them regularly). 

Serve dog friendly cocktails, treats, and dog friendly (non dairy) ice cream.  You can whip up doggie “smoothies” made with cooked chicken or beef, fruit and plain yogurt mixed well in the blender.  You can add some banana, peanut butter or applesauce for more flavor.  Whatever concoction you come up with, make sure you use only dog friendly ingredients, nothing  that contains chocolate, onion, garlic, raisins or other ingredients that can be dangerous for dogs should be served.  My Canine Crudite Platter post (December, 2013) lists dog friendly foods you can serve.

Set up games for the dogs such as the shell game.  Hide treats under one of three plastic cups, each dog takes a turn sniffing to find it.   Place one or two interactive dog toys out, like the one in my What Will the New Year Bring For Your Dog? post (January, 2014), and let the dogs have fun figuring out how to find treats hidden within them.    Search online for a fun new trick and teach it to your canine guests.  These games can be lots of fun for the dogs and their owners.

At the end of your Valentine Yappy Hour give out treat bags,  Jars of Hearts, or bling collars you’ve made as party favors to each guest, or raffle them off as prizes for the best Valentine’s Day outfit.

JOIN A VALENTINE’S DAY CHARITY WALK OR RUN  with your dog, giving some love back to your community.  Search online for “Valentine’s Day Dog Walks or Runs” in your area.  If there aren’t any, get a bunch of friends together and  organize your own dog walk, or gather donations for a local animal welfare charity and deliver them together.

TREAT YOUR DOG TO A RELAXING MASSAGE at the end of a long Valentine’s Day.  Your dog will love this quality time spent with you, her ultimate Valentine!  Check out Modern Dog magazine’s article on how to massage your dog: http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/how-massage-your-dog/2028

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your Furry Valentine, however you decide to spend the day that celebrates love!

Forget the Super Bowl – Watch the Puppy Bowl instead!

If you’re not sufficiently excited about Super Bowl XLVIII this year, you can tune in to Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl X instead, where you can watch the live Puppy Bowl and Kitty half-time show during the Super Bowl.  You can even create your own Fantasy Puppy Bowl Team and track their play on www.animalplanet.com.  Pick your players from their draft list of puppy players.  Here are my Fantasy draft picks:

 

I chose Shyla a Great Pyrenees, for her strength and size, and I figured those soulfull eyes might distract the other players.  I chose Delachaise, a Pit Bull mix because, well who wouldn’t want a Pit Bull on their Puppy Bowl team!?  I chose Bach, a Bernese Mountain dog because he’s built like a linebacker.  This weekend, my husband will be watching the Super Bowl with his friends, drinking beer, eating junk food and no doubt making a mess while I relax with the Puppy Bowl in the bedroom.  Good luck to all the Pups in Puppy Bowl X, may the best puppies win!!  Really, who cares who wins, either way we all win; we get to watch puppies play all afternoon!