by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Shelter Misconceptions

What is the average Long Island animal shelter misconception? To the layman or non-dog owner, most people think they are just loaded with pit bulls or labrabulls, and that is it.  While at each shelter you will see both of the above, if you actually go to your town municipal shelter you may be surprised to see a lot of the smaller designer mutts and purebred dogs of every breed.  Just recently at the Town of Islip’s adopt-a-thon there were at least 15 – 20 small to medium size dogs, if not more, of all breeds.  Our shelters on Long Island are overflowing with dogs, it’s really quite sad.  Where do all these dogs come from someone asked?  Some are strays, and more than most are turned-in by their owners – discarded like yesterday’s garbage, someone else’s problem now.  No one wants to think about that, or how lazy a person can be not giving that animal a chance.  Many dogs are turned in because of a behavioral problem like not being fully house broken, or  a 6-month old puppy that is chewing, duh!

Another shelter misconception is that all the animals there are unruly, not trained, aggressive or sick.  Many of our municipal and private shelters have amazing volunteers that give their time to help walk, socialize and do a bit of training with the pets housed there.  These wonderful volunteers, many times make the difference that pet needed, and helps them get adopted quicker.  If a pet is sick, the majority of our shelters vet the pets, give them the necessary vaccinations and medical attention that animal needs.

So what is your shelter misconception?  If you ‘re thinking about getting a dog and feared going to the shelter because it’s too sad or for any of the above reasons, I challenge you to go to your local shelter and see what it is really like. You might just fall for a beautiful pit bull with an amazing personality, and surprise yourself.  Or find that mutt that captures your heart.

Suggestion: Take the time to meet a few of the dogs’ in the shelter’s meet and greet rooms, instead of just walking the isles.  Many dogs’ personalities shine through better when out of their kennel run.  If the shelter has a volunteer staff, ask them about the dog, what they are like, behavior etc. – they will be able to tell you.

Did you know: That black dogs and older dogs are the most likely to not to get adopted, to get passed by, to possibly not make it out of the shelter.  Now think if that dog is black, is part or full pit bull and 4 or 5 years old, not good odds.  Adopting and older dog, and a black one, could be the best thing you ever do!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

We all hear about Spring Fever, but for many animals and pets, Fall Fever is much more appropriate.  After this long and very hot summer we have had, the cool weather is a welcome break for us humans; you can only imagine how much our four legged friends in their fur coats are loving it.  Many pets may be much calmer or less hyper when it is really hot outside and prefer the air conditioning inside.  My own dog goes through some serious ‘fall fever’ this time of year, he just can’t get enough of the cool weather.  So if you are new to pet ownership, or got a pet over the summer and don’t understand why your pet may be suddenly acting ‘crazy’ – or just has a lot more pep – the change in the season could very well be why. 

Keep in mind while our schedules may get more sedentary due to less sunlight during the day, some pets tend to have more energy.  As a pet owner realizing this is the first step in the right direction to keeping your pet happy during this change of season.  Pets feeling the relief of the cooler weather may need longer play time, for a dog it could be a longer walk or a longer ride if you own a horse. Also understand sometimes their internal clock could change with the seasons.  My own dog likes to eat earlier during the cooler months, more like an early bird special for him in the late fall and throughout the winter – and this happens literally the day we turn the clocks back. 

While it starts to get dark out earlier, here are some things to consider for pet and owner safety:

• Make sure you dog and cat both have proper ID tags on their collars and think about investing in a reflective collar for your pet for night time walking.  Also make sure the collar is on correctly.  For owners reflective gear is important too, as many streets don’t have adequate lighting or may not have sidewalks, a great choice is the Walk Me Wear Reflective Cap created by a local Long Islander and made in the USA. www.walkmewear.com.
• Don’t use retractable leashes at night.  The fact that you will not really be able to see how far your pet has ventured out on the leash in the dark – a car is definitely not going to see that line in the dark.  Always use a sturdy leather or cotton 6-foot leash.  If you are in a really dark area, bring a flashlight with you so you can see where you are walking and where your pet is. (Or if there are any wild animals, raccoons, deer, opossum, wandering around).  Check your pets paws when you get back inside – you never know if there is broken glass or anything else they may have stepped on in the dark that could be harmful.  
• Have a pet first aid kit at home and in your car.  This way if your pet suffers from a minor scrap or cut due to exuberant play, you can tend to it immediately.  A pet first aid kit in your car is especially important if you decide to take your pet on a leaf peeping hike, maybe in a new location where you don’t know they terrain all that well.

Most of all take advantage of the cooler weather to take your pet out for a longer walk – because before you know we will have snow on the ground!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Life saving pet first aid course

What do you do if your dog or cat is choking or not breathing?  Or if your pet needs first-aid immediately but you are no where near a veterinarians office?  Often times as pet owners we don’t even consider these things in our daily lives, but injuries and emergency situations can and do happen to our pets.  It’s better to be prepared and know what to do for your pet’s sake.  Luckily for pet owners here on Long Island and in Queens and Brooklyn we have a certified Pet CPR and First Aid instructor that proactively offers classes teaching life saving techniques and first aid for pets.  Robyn Elman, who is also the President of In Home Pet Services, Inc., (http://www.inhomepetservices.com/), is the only certified ‘Pet Tech’ Instructor in the Tri-state area is offering these classes to pet owners, pet professionals, and anyone that wants to learn these very important pet life saving procedures. 

Robyn said, “It is so important for not only pet industry professionals to learn Pet first Aid & CPR, but also first responders like police officers and firemen and women.  Often times a pet may not survive an emergency situation because the people initially tending to them may not know what to do.  According to the American Animal Hospital Association, 1 out of 4 pets would survive if just one pet first aid technique was applied prior to getting the pet to emergency veterinary hospital.” Robyn is certified by Pet Tech National Training Center based in Carlsbad, CA and works with different pet organizations and businesses throughout Queens, Long Island, NYC and other boroughs.  Robyn has been teaching these classes for over 3-years. 

Using a life sized stuffed animal dog, this class will teach participants how to: restrain an injured or ill pet; CPR and rescue breathing; bleeding injuries; heat and cold element injuries; bandaging; insect bites and much more.   As a way to give back, Robyn offers a portion of the proceeds from the class to non-for-profit animal organizations that want to be involved.  Pet owners in the area are in luck because the next class will be offered this Saturday, October 2nd from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm at Best In Show Pet Resort in Mineola, (244 Herricks Road Mineola, NY 11501).  Robyn is thrilled to once again be working with Pet Safe Coalition (www.petsafecoalition.org) for this class and a portion of the proceeds of the class will go to this very important Long Island pet organization.  A recent class participant said this, “The instructor was great, and the material really covered a lot of subjects. We even practiced CPR on the stuffed animals. I would reccomend it to any pet owner,” stated Alice Laby.

To register for this class, individuals can call (718) 347-7387 or send a check or money order for $85.00 payable to In Home Pet Services, Inc. and mail to: 88-25 247^th Street, Bellerose, NY 11426 – or pay cash at the door – but registration is necessary.  Each participant will receive a take-home reference manual and a certificate that they completed the course valid for 2-years. For more information about this course or about In Home Pet Services, go to: www.inhomepetservices.com.

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Back to School & your pet

So it’s that time of year again, for some parents the most wonderful time of year when kids head back to school.  But maybe this summer you got a new puppy, kitten or “Hammy” the Hampster, which will no longer get full time love and attention from your children.  Pets can feel depressed and sad when a routine they have become accustomed to suddenly changes.  Parents also want to make sure with schedule changes and extra curricular activities, that your children who begged you for a pet don’t forget their responsibilities.

A few tips to help keep the household running smoothly, pets happy, kids on their busy schedules are:

• Have a child care chart posted for each pet, and each child so they know what day they have responsibility for what pet.
• Hire a pet sitter or dog walker, but don’t tell your child! You don’t want them to slack off knowing the dog may have already been walked that day or hamster or bird cage might have been cleaned earlier.
• Set aside play time each day for your pet.  In other words, make sure your children know at this particular time of the day the pet gets training time, play time, or walked with your kids.  Otherwise neglected pets, especially dogs that were doing great with training i.e. not chewing, or no longer having accidents in the house, may revert to doing so due to lack of attention, not spite.
• Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page as to what their pet care responsibilities are.
• Set a schedule.  Try to keep the pets schedule as much as possible the same as it was over the summer, feeding, walking, etc.  Making some adjustments, earlier wake up time, feeding time, etc. and the pet will quickly grow accustomed to the new schedule if it is done on a consistent basis by all family members.
• Meet with a dog trainer if your dog starts acting out once their is less attention on them.

A responsible, caring and dedicated owner is not that hard to be today.  We are lucky in this day and age there are so many professional pet sitters and pet experts available, pet knowledge at our fingertips, free courses and more, for families to learn about responsibilities of being a pet parent.  Being a pet parent, whether the pet is a family pet or an individual child’s responsibility should be taken seriously and not frivolously. Most children find the experience very rewarding, loving and caring for another living being.  Make the back to school transition easy for all family members, two-legged and four-legged ones easy – have a family meeting tonight!

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

National Pet Health Insurance Month

Did you know that September is National Pet Health Insurance Month?
It seems we have a month, day or week for nearly everything these days, but pet health insurance is more important now than ever. Founded in 2007, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) was formed and works collaboratively with its members to establish and maintain universal and professional standards for terminology, best practices, quality, and ethics in the pet health industry.

One company, Trupanion who is a member of NAPHIA recently announced a “No Dollar Limit” provision for their policy, which is really breaking the mold when it comes to pet health insurance companies.  Trupanion announced that they will no longer have a dollar limit on policies, per year incidents, year or lifetime.  Thomas Russo, Territory Partner of Long Island and Queens said, “This is an industry first.  I am thrilled to be part of a company that focuses more on the actual pet’s health care, than restrictions and stringent polices.”  This change will make other pet insurance companies wake up and take notice.

Limits are one way that pet insurance companies protect themselves from large benefit payouts and the potential of an expanding cost of claims. Many times, caps in benefit payments are not thoroughly understood and can place a company in an adversarial position with the policyholder. By removing the cap, Trupanion streamlines their policy and can focus more on resources on service.

Trupanion is also an industry leader in more ways than their no limit policy, they also cover 90% of claims, and pet owners can select any deductible from 0 to 1,000 dollars and find the premium that best suits them.  The company also offers a 30-day free trial certificate for new pet owners of pets under a year old.  So if you are looking for a company for your new pet, or old pet’s health insurance, do your research and check out Trupanion (www.trupanion.com).

Contact Thomas Russo: thomas.russo@trupanion.com
NAPHIA: www.naphia.org