Showering Love on Puppies and Kittens in Jacksonville

Spring is the time of the year for new life… Namely, kittens and puppies. And there are simply too many homeless young animals to care for in their early weeks of life. However, three Jacksonville organizations are teaming up to make a big change this spring.

On April 2, Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) opened two shelters to house puppies and kittens until they are old enough and often, well enough, to be adopted. This is happening with the help of First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP) and Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS).

They are 100% dependent on volunteers, necessary to watch and care for the puppies and kittens in 4 hour shifts, 7 days a week. Fosters are invaluable and donations are always welcome.

A Baby Shower will be held on April 14 from 2-4PM at Jacksonville Humane Society. Everyone is welcome to attend and donate if able.

Jacksonville Humane Society
8464 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-725-8766
info@jaxhumane.org

One shelter is at Jacksonville Humane Society, while the other is across the street.

 

The Colorful Rainbow I Found in a Dog Walk

It was an especially pleasant day.  Mid-70’s, sunshine, and a colorful rainbow of the sweetest dogs.

What could be better than a dog walk on a Sunday afternoon?

Oh! Pip in pearls. Sky with a blue bow. Happy, a two year old rescue. Seven month young Naala. And big Petey.  All walking in sync up an autumn leaf-filled pathway in historic Five Points in Jacksonville, Florida.  Pink tongues flapped from of shades of brown, mauve, black, white, tan, and brindle, with spots and stripes all forming the perfect collage of…  Happiness.

Naala

Ever so slowly an elderly woman crept by, sharing the sidewalk and taking in the soft colors and sweet faces of those on leashes.  “If I had known you were going to be out here, I would have brought my two poodles!” she said with enthusiasm.

You see, these dogs walked together, seemingly paw-in-paw.  You see, these dogs were Pit Bulls.

Pit Sisters, Jen & Sybil, along with “Step-Sister”, Lynn, organized the walk for their pit-loving friends and fans.  According to their Facebook Page, Pit Sisters mission is “To provide voices, homes and love to those who cannot speak.” and “…to remove the stereotypes associated with the bully breeds.”

January 22, 2012 Walk-the-Bulls

And boy, do they have loyal fans, sporting t-shirts that read “Plays with Pit Bulls”, “I Rescue Pit Bulls”, and of course, “Hello Pittie” a fun knock-off of the familiar Hello Kitty® image.  The fans enter online auctions bidding for dog pearls, bows and oh so much more in order to donate to the non-profit organization.

The Pit Sisters Hug A Bull event is planned for February 11th in Jacksonville, complete with Pittie Kissing Booth and Cupid’s Cutest Pittie Contest.  Any one of the Pitties walking on Sunday would have been perfect candidates for the Kissing Booth and I would have been the first in line.  Nope, I don’t have a Pit Bull.  I have super-fluffy dogs.  But I don’t discriminate, and that is the key.

Mayhem

To think that 78% of Pit Bulls that come to shelters are put down before they can find a forever home is, well, disappointing.  The Doberman Pinscher and German Shepherd breeds had their days.  What will it take to open people’s minds in understanding that it is not the breed that it aggressive.  Instead it is how the breed is handled by the owner.  Want to raise a Pit Bull to fight?  Can be done.  They are built tough, born out of breeding Bulldog and Terrier.  Or would you rather let one live its life in harmony with people and other dogs?  This too, can be done.  Born out of patience and good old-fashioned love.

Beautiful Day for a Dog Walk

An excerpt from PitBull411.com:

Over the years, the American Pit Bull Terrier has been a beloved symbol of Americana.  In World War I, a pit bull named Stubby captured the heart of the nation.  Stubby was the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Division and was credited with saving the lives of several of his human comrades.  For his valiant service, Stubby won several medals and was even awarded the rank of sergeant!  He came home from the war to a hero’s welcome and went on to become the mascot for Georgetown University.

Over the years, many famous Americans have owned pit bulls.  Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, John Steinbeck, Helen Keller, and Fred Astaire have all been proud to own dogs of this breed.

Pit Sisters will be helping shed light on the subject in March at a screening of the documentary, “Beyond The Myth”.

To hear more about Northeast Florida Dog Events, please visit YAPPYPLACE.com

Sweet Pete

Pip! Pip! Pip! Pip in Pearls.

Take A Sniff Walk

He takes a few sniffs around the edge of a pitch black fire hydrant. That’s all it takes for him to “tell” several things: Which dog was there, how long ago, male or female…

He sniffs while we walk slowly, further and further down the path.

My eyes reach the blue sky and I revel in the moment.

Did someone say Sniff Walk?

It isn’t something I plan on doing. It just happens. We leave the house on leash for a quick “Potty 1” and “Potty 2”, only to find ourselves leisurely walking, dogs sifting and sniffing with such commitment and intensity through the base of tall grass and palms, mulch and sandy earth.

How to do it?

Simply let the dog sniff whatever he wants. Woof, there it is.

Dogs who spend a lot of times indoors seem to lose their sense of sniff. Has it been a while since your dog has really sniffed? Try a Sniff Walk and see how much he enjoys it.

Dogs typically use the sense of smell first, then hearing, then sight, so it seems right to give them the chance to do so. Remember, we humans should never underestimate the power of a canine sniff.

Have you ever pulled Fido away from a great big, long one? Sniff, that is? We all have, and need to, so that we can move on with our day. When we do this to our pups, we take away their time to see, er, sniff. And on to the next one they go.

New fads like Nose Work are making their way across the country. This new urban sport isn’t only for Bloodhounds and German Shepherds, it’s for your average sniff-loving pup.

The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) states, “The art and practice of nose work has now reached dogs of all shapes and sizes and has made basic search dog skills available to companion dogs, creating a new urban sport arena for dog enthusiasts.”

Whether you are going to dedicate yourself to hours of nose work, or simply let the dogs out for a Sniff Walk once in a while, well done. You’ve decided to help your dog become a little more balanced and a little, well, yappier.

Finally, You’ve Found Your YAPPY PLACE.

The 21st Century Pup

Wally is a 21st Century pup.  He is 8 months young, full of wonder and spunk, with a positive and happy life.  My voice isn’t raised with him (unless a situation arises where frustration gets the best of me and I clumsily forget to speak assertively and calmly in the moment. Say, when he is pulling, and pulling, and pulling, on the leash to sniff just a bit further up the neighbor’s lawn).  He knows a plethora of cues and has enough positively-shaped behaviors for me to assist him into and out of nearly any situation.  In my eyes, Wally has not done bad things, instead he has simply been a dog, occasionally performing behaviors that I might not particularly care for, but that I eagerly attempt to understand.

Why does he love to roll and squish his back heavily into the pelican carcass on the beach?  Oh, I have theories, but I don’t know for sure.  I do perceive that it is a euphoric and incredibly exciting thing for him to do, and so I let him do it, but just for a little while, because I understand that this moment in his life is happy, therefore improving his overall balance in life, creating The 21st Century Pup.  For there are many moments when he lay down, patiently waiting for me to do something exciting, like standing up from my computer. Wow.  Ooo, okay, now where is she going?…  And, ah, if I then say his name, Hooray!, he jumps up in excitement.  It seems to be the least I can do to in that moment on the beach, away from the familiar walls of home, to give him a few moments to smear the foul odor onto his body.  Thankfully, the odor isn’t quite strong enough for my 5 million scent receptors to make me wince in disgust by the time we end our walk and get back home.  But since his sense of smell is so much more engaged, with roughly 200 million scent receptors, the act means much more for my little pup. The memory doesn’t last for him, but it sure does for me.  For me, it was pretty cute, and it made Wally happy.

So how do we help our Best Friends to become balanced, and in turn, mentally healthy, stable canines in our 21st Century world?  Perhaps with a balanced attitude, a caring approach, and glimpses into the understanding of the canine. Lets see.  Pup gives human a lovely walk to the beach without pulling on the leash and looks up from time to time at Human.  Human lets pup off-leash at the beach to roll in carcass, run, and let the clear ocean breeze fill Pup’s lungs.  Ah, but Human’s lungs are filled, too.  And the hearts of both Human and Pup are full, entwined, and happy.

Wally doesn’t have a commander, a leader, or a human-in-charge.  Wally has a human, a friend, a buddy, and someone who takes care of him.  Wally wants to please.  He wants to be a good dog.  Have I made it easy enough for him?  Am I consistently clear in my communication?  There is no doubt for any pup that canines and humans are two different species.  Canines don’t have keys to the car, access to the food, cash to buy treats.  There is no chance that Wally somehow thinks that he is running the house.  Our family’s house belongs to humans and pups, together creating a happy 21st Century family with The 21st Century Pup.