Guest Writer Kelly Marshall Teaches Us How To A Shelter Dog!

How To Pick a Dog from the Shelter
By Kelly Marshall

One of the saddest experiences for many dogs is becoming lost, separated or abandoned by their family. Often dogs become homeless when an owner has to move to a new town or city and is not able to take the dog with them. Many times when owners pass away the family doesn’t want to keep the dog and turns them over to a rescue.

There are many different breed rescues located all around the world. These organizations are usually staffed entirely by volunteers that rescue abandoned dogs and care for them while looking for suitable homes. Often the volunteers choose to provide homes for the dogs so they are not kept in kennels. This process also allows the volunteers to get to know the dogs and see how they interact with children and other pets within their household. Some of the “foster” homes also offer some basic training for the rescued dogs if they do not have a good understanding of the basic commands.

Dogs that are brought into the rescue with a known history are often easier to find homes for. Usually puppies are not brought to a rescue, but there are often a high number of senior dogs left at rescue shelters that are very hard to find homes for.

Benefits To Getting A Dog From A Shelter

For those families that would like to get a dog that already has basic training, is housebroken, and also is spayed or neutered a dog from a rescue is a perfect option. Often these dogs are very well trained and there is a good record of the interaction that they have with their foster families. These families work to socialize the dogs as well as find out if they are good with children, other dogs as well as pets. Volunteers that work in the shelters are very familiar with the breeds and their characteristics.

The dogs from shelters are always spayed or neutered. The cost to adopt a dog from a shelter is often less than most vets fees are for just the spay or neuter. All vaccinations are up to date and the dogs are usually treated for fleas, parasites and heartworms prior to adoption.

Dogs from a rescue are often very loving dogs that are eager to find a good home and a permanent place to live. Many people that have adopted a dog from a shelter report that the dogs are very affectionate and loyal, almost as if they realize that they have been specially chosen.

The cost to obtain a dog from a rescue shelter is usually between one and two hundred dollars. Often dogs that have required a lot of veterinarian services may require an additional amount of a donation to cover the added expenses. All the fees obtained from the adopted dogs are used to buy food, provide shelter and veterinarians services as well as advertise and find homes for other dogs in the shelter.

If you want to get a dog of a particular breed consider adopting one of the many dogs currently in a rescue shelter. If you have a shelter in your area you also may wish to volunteer to help dogs in the shelter or even become a foster family for dogs looking for permanent homes.

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Guest Writer Donald Lawson Tells Us The Truth About Dog Rescue!

Dog Rescue: How You Can Make A Difference
By Donald Lawson

There are many misconceptions about what a Dog Rescue is really all about (or any other animal rescue). What they ARE NOT are dog pounds!

A rescue consist of a group that helps to rescue dogs that have been mistreated or that are homeless. These dogs have usually done nothing wrong other than being homeless or having been unlucky to land with a mistreating owner. Most rescues that I’m aware of operate on little funding. Many are at the mercy of other people to volunteer their time, money or both! But, even if you don’t have time and money to help a dog rescue, there are things that you can do to help a rescue to be successful and meaningful to those dogs around you.

Running a rescue means there are lot of supplies that are needed. One of the easiest things for individuals to do is to donate not only food but other supplies as well. Each rescue will have particular needs. Don’t be quick to assume since one rescue needs one thing, that all of them will need the same items. Locate a local rescue group for dogs and get others that you know involved in donating a few cans or bags of food to the location. If everyone donated just one bag each month, these locations would be able to feed many dogs. Here are a few other ways you can make a big difference:

• Having a local “Dog Drive” in your neighborhood is one great way of raising donations and supplies for rescues. If you don’t have the funds to donate each month, help to solicit the help from others or even by contacting local grocery stores and pet stores to see if they can help you.



• Another way to help the dog rescue is to volunteer your time. Kennels need cleaned, dogs need fed and watered, etc. By volunteering your time you allow the personnel that work there to focus their energy elsewhere!



• You can also just stop by on regular intervals to just say “HI” to the dogs and spend some time talking and petting them. This is not only beneficial to the dogs, it can also be very beneficial to you!



• In some cases you can actually become like a Foster parent to the dogs. Some rescues will allow you to keep them in your home until they are adopted. Some rescues can provide you with the funds to help maintain the animals that you take in.

There are other ways you can make a difference in these dogs life. All it takes is stopping by your local rescue and see what they need.

There is a lot we can do to make a difference in a Pet's life. Our favorite pets are our Pomeranians. Most anyone can be a good Pet owner with a little patience. Visit our blog for more information and tips on Pomeranians and pet training at Pomeranian Puppy Training

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Today's Guest Writer! Professor Lisa Collins!

The Popular Pet Poodle
By Lisa A Collins

The Standard Poodle is one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States. For more than ten years, the Poodle has consistently ranked in the American Kennel Club's top ten registered breeds. This confident, dignified breed makes an excellent pet for an owner who wants an active, intelligent dog.

All Poodles are members of the non-sporting group of breeds. Toy Poodles, Miniature Poodles, and Standard Poodles all share the same standards of the breed, the only difference among them being height. A Toy Poodle must not be taller than ten inches at the highest point of the shoulder; a Miniature Poodle must not be taller than fifteen inches at the shoulder; and a Standard Poodle must be taller than fifteen inches at the shoulder.

The Poodle coat is naturally curly and dense and may be black, white, blue, gray, silver, brown and apricot. The coat usually has varied hues of a single color.

The Standard Poodle probably originated as a cross between a Hungarian Water Hound and a French water dog known as the Barbet. The breed's dense, curly coat is somewhat water resistant, and hunters developed the typical Poodle cut, with puffs of hair at the front and rear leg joints, to protect the dogs' joints from the cold during the hunting season.

Although the Germans, the Danes, and the French all claimed at one time or another to be the country where the Standard Poodle breed originated, France has come to be known as the Poodle's country of origin. The French are exceedingly proud of this designation, and the French Poodle occupies a special place in French culture.

The Poodle's intelligence and eager-to-please temperament make it an easy breed to train. Humans have taken advantage of the Poodle's trainability, using the dog as a retriever for bird hunting and as a tracker in truffle hunting. Poodles have also held a variety of jobs in the entertainment industry, as circus performers and performers in modern film and television.

A Standard Poodle in the entertainment industry might become famous through their own talent or through the fame of their owners. Some Poodles are famous because of a combination of their own talent and the fame of their owner. Writer Gertrude Stein and her muse, Alice B. Toklas, had three Poodles whom they named Basket, Basket II and Basket III.

Entertainer "Weird Al" Yankovic posed his Poodle Bela on top of his head for a photograph used on the cover of his "Poodle Hat" album. When wrestling Superstar Rene Dupree, now known as Rene Bonaparte, gives interviews he often refers to his Poodle Fifi.

Poodles have made their mark in literature, film and television. The late author Jacqueline Susann wrote a best-selling novel, Every Night Josephine, about her Poodle, Josephine. The 2000 film Best In Show featured a Poodle named Rhapsody in White as "Butch". The animated TV family in the Rugrats series has a Poodle named Fifi. Most Standard Poodles will never be on the big screen, the small screen or the pages of a novel, but to the individuals and the families who own them, they are superstars.

Lisa Collins is a college professor whose lifelong love of Poodles led to a venture into freelance writing about dogs. The Standard Poodle is a popular breed because of its superior intelligence and pleasant personality. You can get more Poodle information from a Poodle breeder in your area.

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