Elody went through a lot in her life, including neglect and abandonement. This special girl reminds us all at DogSOS of the importance of dog rescue and the special place that our dogs hold in our hearts...
How YOU can find a Good Home for Pets - the Safe Way
If you want to find a pet a home, be sure the animal's best interests remain your top priority. Finding a new home for a pet can be difficult, but rewarding. A "good" home means a home where the animal will live for the rest of his or her life, where he or she will receive attention, veterinary care, proper nutrition, and be treated as part of the family.
Follow these guidelines:
Have your pet neutered or spayed before he or she goes to the new home. This will make the animal more adoptable and help stop irresponsible breeding.
Always charge an adoption fee! We recommend a $120 minimum for a neutered pet. Giving your pet away as "Free to good Home" is the equivalent of finding a BAD home. Click here to find out why. If you feel bad asking people for money, then ask them to donate the money to a shelter or rescue group of your choice and provide you with a receipt.
Advertise through friends, neighbors, and local veterinarians first; then try the newspaper, if all else fails. Your chances of finding a good home are increased when you check references with someone you know.
Visit the prospective new home in order to get a feel for the environment in which your pet will be living. Explain that the pet is part of your family and that you want to make sure she will be cared for properly and that you want to see how the animal responds to the new home. Screen potential homes carefully.
Don't be fooled. If anyone refuses to allow you to visit their home, do not place your pet with them. Individuals known as "bunchers" routinely answer "free-to-good-home" ads, posing as people who want family pets when, in actuality, they sell pets to animal dealers. Dogfighters have also been known to obtain domestic animals for baiting through "free to good home" ads. These people are "professionals" who may even bring children or their mothers with them when picking up pets.
Always be mindful of your own safety when you go to interview potential adopters or if you allow a prospective adopter to enter your home.
Carefully consider all the elements of the new home: Will your pet get along with small children? Is the family planning to keep the dog chained outside as a watch dog? Will the cat be kept only as a mouser? Does the family have a veterinary reference? Do not be shy about asking questions. Your pet's life and happiness may depend on it and if the potential home is not understanding of this, they are not good adopters.
Use a CONTRACT and Ask for a valid form of identification (preferably a driver's license). Record the number for your records and require the new owner to sign a contract stating the requirements of adoption upon which both parties agree. As part of the contract, require the new owner to contact you if he or she decides at some point that they must give up the pet. Email DogSOS for a sample adoption contract .
If your pet is chronically ill or has behavior problems, it may be difficult to find him a suitable home. A new owner may not be willing or able to deal with these issues, and it may also be difficult for the pet to adjust to a new home. The decision to humanely euthanize such a pet should not be made without thoughtful input from a veterinarian, a behaviorist, and the family, based on how well they believe their companion would adapt to a new home. Most behavior issues can be dealt with given patience and professional advice. Consult the DogSOS Behavior tips and be sure to see a bahaviorist before making any serious decisions.
DogSOS is 100% volunteer organization dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned, neglected and abused pets. As a community organization, DogSOS seeks to promote education about spay/neuter, behavior issues and the proper re-homing of unwanted pets. Although our focus is primarily on rescuing dogs , we also rescue cats, kittens, & other animals.
Every animal in our care is treated like our very own. It is important to us that we place our dogs (and all our rescued animals) in homes that will suit their needs; making sure the adopter and animal are a good match for each other. All adoptions are subject to an adoption application and agreement.
Our organization depends solely on adoption fees, fundraisers, and donations to operate so we can continue to save lives each year.
DOGS IN THE NEWS
Hardworking Pit Bulls Buck Bad Rap
The missing woman would not have survived another night if Dakota
hadn't found her when she did. The elderly woman suffering from
dementia had been missing for several days when the pit bull—trained to assist law enforcement agencies in search and rescue—located her at the bottom of a steep ravine, her motionless body partially submerged in a small stream. FULL STORY
Dog Found In Ohio Reunites With Family
"It's just incredible. We can't believe she's coming home and we can't grasp the concept that she's in Columbus, Ohio," said Jaime Hale, Daisy's owner, when she was contacted about the dog's discovery.
The Hale family had Daisy in their Ventura, Calif., home for nine months, but on Feb. 20, she vanished. They tried looking for her, even online. "She's really spunky, (a) fun little puppy -- part of our family," Hale said. "It was just no good news." Somehow, Daisy ended up at the New Albany Animal Hospital, where doctors scanned her for a microchip and discovered that she had traveled 2,000 miles. "We just looked at each other and went, 'How'd she get here?'" said Paula Dolan, rescuer. The trip is still a mystery, but Daisy Duke will be reunited with her family. "That chipping system (is) really putting my family back together," Hale said. FULL STORY
Family dog a hero after quick rescue actions!
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Tippy the dog is the Collier family's hero after his quick actions this week.
Thanks to the efforts of the 11-month-old whippet-cross and her owner Mairi-Jean Collier, 14, dad Tom is now recovering in Rotorua Hospital after having a stroke earlier this week".. FULL STORY
CESAR MILAN - America's most sought-after dog-behavior expert
"Cesar Millan is America's most sought-after dog-behavior expert. But Cesar is not a trainer in the traditional sense—his expertise lies in his unique ability to comprehend dog psychology. Tracing his own amazing journey from a clay-walled farm in Mexico to the celebrity palaces of Los Angeles, Cesar recounts how he learned what makes dogs tick." (Amazon.com)
(preview and info courtesy of National Geographic and Amazon.com)
“I rehabilitate dogs. I train people.” —Cesar Millan
This modern day dog training guru has a lot to teach dog owners about what their dogs REALLY want and need.
In the wild, a dog's very survival depends on a strong, stable and organized pack, where every member knows its place and follows the rules established by the pack leader. The pack instinct is perhaps the strongest natural motivator for a dog.
Cesar Millan teaches that, in order to properly fulfill both our dogs and ourselves, we need to become our canine's calm, assertive pack leaders. A dog that doesn't trust its human to be a good pack leader becomes unbalanced and often exhibits unwanted or anti-social behaviors. Cesar does not "train" dogs in the sense of teaching them commands like "sit, stay, come, heel," - he rehabilitates unbalanced dogs and helps "re-train" their owners to better understand how to see the world through a dog's eyes. Cesar counsels people to calmly, assertively, and consistently give their dogs rules, boundaries and limitations to establish themselves as solid pack leaders and to help correct and control unwanted behavior. He doesn't believe in "quick fixes," even though changing some behaviors can appear to happen in a relatively short period of time. None of those changes will "stick," however, unless the human acts consistently with his/her dog every day to keep unwanted behaviors from returning. In Cesar's opinion, no one should ever hit or yell at a dog to correct unwanted behavior. DOGSOS highly recommends the book "Cesar's Way", available on Amazon.com
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