TELL TAILS Summer 2013 INSIDE: Max NY Times reprint reader s comment How are we doin? K9 Nose Work Cloud Zoey Nickel Dog Park Safety Got Rawhides Pavers for Paws Sam Mellow Max- It seems for every human act of cruel and inhumane behavior to the wonderful creature called DOG there is an equally kind and generous human to rectify that act. Here is the story of MAX... I m getting adopted! This is the day I meet my new family. My name is Max. I m about 10 years old, blind and almost deaf. I had ear infections that weren t taken care of, so my ears are small. I also have a scar around my nose. I think I barked too much and my owner tied my mouth closed. I was left alone in a dog park. I was cold and scared. Luckily, someone brought me to the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter. This is the story of my new life. Tara with Bella I m here at my new home. I m not sure my sister is used to me yet... Paws to Remember pavers are still available. Go to our web site: Www.theshelterconnection.org And click on the paver on the home page. See more on page 7. Maybe it s because I m not sure where I m sitting. Continued on page 3 The Shelter Connection is a volunteer organization at the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter. Our mission, in partnership with the Town, is to improve the quality of life for the dogs at the shelter and increase adoptions through training and socialization. A secondary mission is public education to shift the public perception about shelters and dispel the myth that shelter dogs are damaged goods. The shelter is located at 75 Marino Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050
The Shelter Connection Board of Directors Robert Slifkin MD President Jeff Rosen Treasurer Marianne Sikora Secretary Rosanne Palumbo Wellmaker Director of Training Regina Lagrasta Volunteer Coordinator Denise Waters Special Events Coordinator Newsletter Editor Paula Hornak Kellner Education and Public Awareness Coordinator Advisory Board Sue Hassett Asst. Director, North Hempstead Animal Shelter Erik Tallbe, CPA Accountant Chantelle DiLorenzo Attorney Special Thanks to: CastleRock Printing for their Contribution towards printing This newsletter The NY Times had a cover article Bark if You re Legal exploring the lengths to which pet owners must go to find suitable apartments. Below is one of the reader s comments that expresses so well what all dog lovers feel. (reprinted from the NY Times 4/7/2013) I ve lived in New York for 45 years, and for those years have had no idea why anyone in their right mind would have one of these slobbering, shedding, barking wild beasts in their homes. And, oh God, why they bring these beasts to the cafes and restaurants in the summer. How absurd! However, my daughter wanted a dog from the time she was old enough to walk. She spent 18 years begging us for a dog. We always said no. I said no dog was putting its dirty paws on my white carpets and upholstery. She finally got a dog the moment she found a good job and a stable living situation. Last summer, while driving home from a Fourth of July bbq, she was hit by a drunken driver and thrown from the car. She was killed immediately. When the emergency responders found her body, the dog lay next to her uninjured. He would not leave her side from the moment they arrived. He followed her into the ambulance and at the funeral, he sat next to her coffin. And now I find I m one of those New Yorkers who bring this beast to Bergdorf s, and has this shedding mongrel sleeping on our Frette bedding. My daughter was right all those years; we are blessed to have a dog in our life. And we must work hard to give dogs even half of what they give us. Jane, New York,NY 2 The Shelter Connection P.O. Box 226 Greenvale, NY 11548 516-626-8948 tsc@theshelterconnection.com Www.theshelterconnection.org The Shelter Connection is an all volunteer nonprofit charitable organization. All contributions are spent on programs and services to improve the quality of life of dogs at the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter. All contributions are fully tax deductible. HOW ARE WE DOIN? We love hearing from all of our adopters, and are especially interested in feedback for our Progressive Pit Alumni. The Progressive Pit being a new program, your input can help us tweak our program to address the dog and its behavior in the home something we can t address in a shelter setting. More importantly, we just love to hear how your dog has become part of your family through words and pictures! Let us know email to: tsc@theshelterconnection.com Or snail mail to: The Shelter Connection, P.O. box 226, Greenvale, NY 11548.
Tell Tails Summer 2013 Max continued I m waiting to go outside in my new raincoat. It s a good thing that I don t need to see where I m going! I think my sister Molly is getting more comfortable with me. I have pajamas to keep me warm if it s cold. I love snuggling in bed with my blanket. I feel safe and cozy in my new home. My new family loves me! SWEET DREAMS! 3
The Shelter Connection K9 Nose Work: The Scent of Happiness by Rosanne Palumbo Wellmaker, Director of Training In March, many of our volunteers attended a K9 Nose Work Shelter Workshop, hosted by Debi Feliziani of Dog Works Canine Form and Function in Holbrook, NY. Jill Marie O Brien presented us with an exciting new way to give dogs a huge amount of both physical exercise and mental stimulation, utilizing just a few minutes of our time. K9 Nose Work can reduce stress and help the dogs learn self control and focus in a stimulating environment. It is a great confidence builder for shy dogs. The program was implemented a week later and the results have amazed us. We are simply giving the dogs the opportunity to use their noses to solve the problem of finding food and eating it. K9 Nose Work can become a much more complex exercise with the dogs learning to search for specific odors. At the shelter we are focusing on the foundation of searching for food. K9 Nose Work was initially developed from detection dog training. It was developed to be accessible to virtually all dogs and people. To introduce dogs to the program they are brought out one at a time from their kennels, to an area where we have spread out at least 7 to 10 cardboard boxes of various sizes and shapes. Some have the flaps out, others have them tucked in; some are lying flat, some up on edge, etc Searching is a physically and mentally challenging activity for dogs. We never search for more than a few minutes at a time. Approximately 3-5 searches in a row are enough, and then we stop for that session. That dog can be worked again a few hours later after he has had sufficient rest. Even dogs in excellent physical condition must be built up slowly over time, in order to be able to search for longer periods of time without over heating. If you try this at home, please do not underestimate the strain it has on their systems. We strive always to leave the dog wanting more searches. If we go too long, and the dog is exhausted when we say all done, he will be less likely to want to continue searching next time.if we end it with them really wanting to continue, they will be more 4 highly motivated to search the next time we present them the opportunity. We want the dog to eat the treat and immediately continue searching in the other boxes; but we do not use a second search command. During this whole session, other than possibly one search command when the dog enters the space, the people involved are silent. No praise or commands should be given to the dog. We let them work out the problem without our interruption. K9 Nose Work can continue with boxes alone, or be expanded gradually to include other items, such as containers and objects. It can also increase in complexity by training the dog to search for specific odors, birch, anise and clove are used, first by pairing them with the food hides during searches and then gradually phasing out the food so that they search for the odors alone and then get rewarded with food after they indicate the location of an odor hide. A human s brain has 5 million olfactory receptor cells; the average dog has approximately 220 million. The percentage of the dog s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is vastly larger than humans. It s been estimated that dogs can identify smells somewhere between 1,000 to10,000 times better than humans can. This is something rarely tapped into in a positive fashion. Usually, if dogs follow their noses, they end up in trouble. Finally, it is OK for them to be dogs! K9 Nose Work to the rescue! There are K9 Nose Work competions available. For more information or classes in your area see: www.k9nosework.com. The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) is the official sanctioning and organizing body for the sport of K9 Nose Work. K9 Nose Work is a nationwide competitive sport in which titles, ribbons, and awards can be earned. In order to compete in a NACSW sanctioned trial, dogs must successfully complete an Odor Recognition Test (ORT). This test basically entails the dog indicating, in some way to his owner, which box contains the odor or odors he has been trained on, out of rows of cardboard boxes.
Tell Tails Summer 2013 Available dogs...waiting for you! Cloud: He is a handsome exuberant fellow who was surrendered to the shelter because his family had no time for him. He was quite jumpy when we started working with him, not quite used to the long days in a shelter, missing his home. He was introduced to basic training and also Nosework, which helped him use his brain and calm down a great deal. He still needs work on impulse control but in one session since being left at the shelter, he shows the great promise of a wonderful dog that got a raw deal. His training will continue but if someone took a chance on this extremely handsome fellow, their work with him would be truly rewarding! Zoey: Zoey is a reserved, quiet gal true to her breed. Jindos are calm and quiet and the typical Jindo is very affectionate with its loved ones and reserved with strangers. A typical Jindo will not show affection toward people it just met. At its most expressive, it is friendly in a gentle way. So, as you can see, Zoey is not going to come out and jump into your lap if you came to meet her, but if you are willing to accept her on her terms and give her time to love you, you will be able to earn that love and trust. If a quiet companion is your desire, Zoey might just be the gal for you. Nickel: We don t know why he is called Nickel he is more like a million bucks worth of wonderful dog! He looks like a Pittie mixed with English Bulldog when he walks towards you with that bow legged look of a bulldog! Left abandoned for two weeks in a house when his people moved out, he was emaciated when he finally made it to the shelter. As you can see, he has filled out nicely with regular meals and TLC. He has become quite a fan favorite of the volunteers and is calm and neutral around other dogs. He has been learning all of his basic commands with ease and is easy to train. This good looking boy is a love and is sure to make a good member of a new forever family someday! 5
The Shelter Connection Dog Park Safety On May 22nd, The Shelter Connection, continuing their public outreach with the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter, hosted another free movie night at the shelter. This night s informative movie was a seminar given by Sue Sternberg, renowned dog behaviorist and lecturer. She has spent years filming dog park activities across the country and her video explains common behavior patterns displayed by groups of unfamiliar dogs. These include: mobbing, bullying, targeting, hunting and group chase. Not unlike unsupervised schoolyard kids, dogs can engage in mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive behaviors. Ms. Sternberg uses extensive video footage of dog park observations, and examines why the healthiest play seems to occur between only two dogs and familiar dogs. The information was a real eye opener! For further information, Sue Sternberg s DVD Dog-Dog Engagements Between Unfamiliar Dogs Why It s So Risky is available at Tawzerdog.com. She also has an App available in ITunes called Dog Park Assistant (android App coming soon). Visiting the Dog Park? Keep your dog safe, make sure he is having fun, and get tips to train him to listen to you better, even around the distraction of other dogs. This App is filled with video clips and photographs of dog behavior and will teach you how to understand dog play and dog-dog interactions better. What we learned is that there s a lot more to a dog park than opening a gate and releasing your dog. For the health and safety of you and your dog, it is worth a further look into the dynamics of the dog park, either through the above suggested reading/viewing or doing further research online. Dog Parks aren t for every dog. Stay tuned for the fall edition of Tell Tails for a complete and comprehensive look into safety at the Dog Park. Suffice it to say for now, if your dog s tail is tucked, he s hiding or looking to you for help, he s not having fun. Likewise, relentless pursuit without breaks is over the top and needs human intervention. Learn if your dog is REALLY having fun; if not, go for a walk! 6
GOT Rawhides? Tell Tails Summer 2013 As always, many dogs, many needs. Continuing the GOT? Series we again ask for your help with rawhide bones for the dogs. We are always trying to keep our sheltered dogs busy and to minimize their stress as best we can until they find their forever homes. What they need the most right now is medium and large rawhides with the knots on the end. As always, we thank you on their behalf! Pavers For Paws Work has begun on our new memorial seating area! Come see our peaceful garden area and rest awhile. There is still space for you to purchase a paver to remember or honor your favorite pet. In order to beautify our town animal shelter, to make it a warm and welcoming place to adopt a companion dog, the Town of North Hempstead will be dedicating peaceful outdoor seating areas incorporating Remembrance or Honor bricks. These bricks can be engraved with a personal message honoring beloved pets or sharing simple inspirational thoughts or messages for visitors. The Shelter Connection is sponsoring this program which enables the public to purchase a brick to help fund the garden seating area, while giving an enduring way to pay tribute to a loved one. Go to: www.theshelterconnection.org to purchase your remembrance or honor brick. Please Help us help the dogs At our local shelter Yes, I want to help improve the quality of life for the dogs at the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter. Enclosed is my gift to support The Shelter Connection: $100 $50 $25 $15 $10 Other $ Please make checks payable to: The Shelter Connection and mail to: Your donation is fully tax deductible and will be acknowledged with a receipt. 100% of your donation will be applied directly to program services. The Shelter Connection P.O. Box 226 Greenvale, NY 11548 7
The Shelter Connection Tell Tails Summer 2013 SAM Sam is an older Shiba Inu who was surrendered to the shelter when his family downsized. As a breed Shibas are quiet reserved dogs and well mannered in the house. Sam would be an easy companion to take for a stroll and watch TV. The most energy you would have to expend would be brushing his thick coat for 5 minutes a day. A small price to pay for a loving companion! Our Sam is a handsome fellow who would like to be an only dog and spend the rest of his life being your pal. MELLOW Mellow is more exuberant than his name implies but with exercise and mental stimulation, he does calm down to an acceptable level. He is super smart and we have been doing Nosework training with him to use his sniffing talents to search for food scent hidden in boxes (see Nosework article in this issue). He gets very excited around other dogs so we will continue to reign in his exuberance with training. He s a smart, lovable guy who could use a dedicated owner who could exercise his body and mind! The Shelter Connection P.O. Box 226 Greenvale, NY 11548 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Greenvale, NY Permit No. 144 Got medium & large Rawhide bones with knots?