Shame on Hills Huzzah for Castor & Pollux

Hills has a shelter partner program where they offer free food to feed sheltered animals. The shelter benefits as the animals in their care get a steady supply of the same food rather than the hit-and-miss mix of donated food that so many shelters must rely on.

http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/portal/shelterProPortal.hjsp

However, they must enter a contract to:

• exclusively feed and endorse Science Diet® pet foods
• give away a free 4 or 5 lb bag of Science Diet® and education materials to each adopter
• enter into a 2-year contractual agreement
• provide Hill’s with names and addresses of adopters within 1 month of adoption

The shelters understood that they would be getting the decent mid-range level of food that Hills sells: there are better foods (premium) and are lots of much worse foods out there.

Turns out that they are not getting what they thought they were getting and some shelters are reporting an up-swing in food allergy related issues with their pets.

Hmmmm – could be from all that corn?

It has now been made clear that the food that is donated as Hills food is not the same quality as the food that is sold to the public. It is much higher in corn (which is the grain most likely to cause allergic reactions in dogs and cats). In fact, corn is the first ingredient!

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/70400.htm

One the other end of the spectrum is a smallish locally owned pet food company supporting an open admission (or nearly so, well talk about that another day in another post) by donating their high grade dry product to fee all the shelter’s pets.

A round of applauses (and thank you notes, I’ve sent one myself) should go out to Castor and Pollux (http://www.castorpolluxpet.com) for their generosity to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (http://www.southwesthumane.org).

For Hills reply to questions about their corny donations, read their letter below:

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.
Phone: 866-283-1217
E-mail: shelters@hillspet.com

Dear Shelter Partner,

Recently we have received several inquiries regarding the Hill’s® Science Diet® canine pet food (SKU 6960, 50-lb bag) that is provided through the feeding program partnership. This formula uses corn as the first ingredient instead of meat, which is different than Science Diet® products sold at retail.

Please be assured, the “corn first” formula adheres to the high standards of all Science Diet® pet foods and is made with the high-quality ingredients Hill’s Pet Nutrition is known for. In fact, there are only insignificant nutritional differences between the “corn first” and “meat first” products (see attached table for nutritional content). Both products are precisely balanced for the adult lifestage and have a clinically proven antioxidant blend to strengthen the immune system. The different foods simply deliver the nutritional content of protein and other essential nutrients through different ingredients.

Did You Know?
Corn contains:
Quality proteins for muscle and tissue growth
The highest digestibility of carbohydrates for energy compared to any other grain
Essential fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
Beta-carotene, Vitamin E and lutein–nature’s antioxidants

The “meat first” food was created in response to the consumer perception that a “meat first” product is superior, which is not the case. In addition, the “corn first” product can be produced more cost efficiently, which allows us to support a significantly higher number of shelters and has helped us to save nearly 1 million dogs and cats each year. We thank you for your continued partnership and for all you do to improve the lives of pets in your care. If you have any other questions regarding this pet food, please contact a team member at 1-866-283-1217.

Sincerely,

Your Hill’s Science Diet Shelter Nutrition Partnership Team

still having an issue with the links...

Marin Humane's Pet Partnership Program
http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/ProgramsServices/PetPartnership.html

New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/science/06dumb.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5124&en=ac91b2ae04c7301e&ex=1367726400&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Dog's Mind:
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB275

Smart dogs, dumb dogs, shut-down dogs, dogs that don't want to learn.

So much of this has little to do with the dogs. The teachers need to be involved as much as the learners do.

Yes, one needs to find out what motivates each dog. Yes, environment can make it easier or hard to learn. Working with shelter dogs as much as I have has certainly shown all these things to be true. Dogs that have never been allowed to learn new skills (by being kept isolated, by being punished for trying new behaviors for example) can have a much rougher time of it.

We once had an amazing dog. Her name was River. She became my first Delta Pet Partner (www.deltasociety.org) .

River came out of the Madera County shelter through Pet Partnership Program run by Marin Humane Society (http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/ProgramsServices/PetPartnership.html). MHS goes to over crowded rural shelters and harvests potential pets for placement through their shelters, giving these animals a second chance. There is some controversy about taking the best prospects for adoption out of area but most of these pets don't have much hope of finding home where they are at all. MHS also takes in some pets in need of veterinary care that the small shelters can't provide.

Back to River - we guess she spent most of her life (she was about 6 when she came to us) as an outside dog. She had no clue about being a house pet, no idea what a leash was, what house training was, simply coming into small rooms without panic was a challenge for her.

She was clever in a number of ways, finding hidden items and new routes of escape were two of her specialties. Learning clues and house training however...it took a long while, patience and understand her but we worked together and learned together. Once she figured out how to learn in the context of dog training, offer behaviors and being rewarded for them, it all came at a rush. We succeeded together. There was a lot of "hotdog therapy" involved in this process.

Different animals learn in different ways. Finding a way to help them focus, be willing to be creative and offering them what motivates are the keys really - dog, cat, person, fish, anything with a nervous system really!

I'm reflected on this mostly about shelter pets but also as to motivating our various branches and groups of animal welfare to work together. I'll be asking myself a lot of questions to help solve this question.

Ideas are more than welcome!

Interesting article on animal learning from the times states,
"Dr. Dukas hypothesizes that any animal with a nervous system can learn. Even in cases where scientists have failed to document learning in a species, he thinks they should not be too quick to rule it out. “Is it because I’m not a good teacher or because the animal doesn’t learn?” Dr. Dukas asked."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/science/06dumb.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5124&en=ac91b2ae04c7301e&ex=1367726400&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

How do dogs learn - Dog's Mind by Bruce Fogle

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB275

trying these links again

About Animal Aid, Inc:

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/deb_wood/index.ssf?/bas

http://www.animalaidpdx.org

HSUS pet friendly housing and foreclosure:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/renting_with_pets_the_online_resource_for_rental_managers_and_pet_owners/

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/renting_with_pets_the_online_resource_for_rental_managers_and_pet_owners/finding_animalfriendly_rental_housing/

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/foreclosure_pets_grant_fund.html

Interesting study on landlord/tenant issues relating to pet-ownership:

http://www.firepaw.org/CompanionAnimalRentersPetFriendly.pdf

laughing and crying at work one day

I get a lot of calls here at Animal Aid (www.animalaidpdx.org) from folks needed a lot of very different kinds of help from re-homing pets, to spay and neuter questions, to looking for pet friendly housing, people on the streets looking for vaccinations for their pets, to emergency situations like cats poisoned or dogs hit by cars – you get the picture.

Today there were two calls from opposite ends of the spectrum that really got to me, one had me in tears and the other had me laughing out loud.

The first was a gentleman who’s 20 year old poodle had reached the end of his life. His story came out as we talked. The old dog (Freddy) had been blind for a number or years, mostly deaf, and now could no longer walk. The man was complete beside himself, lost. He lived alone but for his companion pets. This dog’s brother (Barnie) has passed on earlier this year. His third dog had been a parting gift from a friend from who had died last year. He had promised to look after this dog for the man when death took him away.

He didn’t know where to go. He wanted just one more day to say good-bye and then he knew the time had come for parting. I found him a place to do, non-profit veterinary hospital downtown that does euthanasia procedures gratis when a pet is suffering. He needed to be with Freddy when the time came. He needed to take his body home to burry him next to his canine brother Barnie. They would both share the yard with the gentleman’s wife’s ashes. He said they’ll all be together now.

The gentleman has been fighting against AIDS for ten years. He is wheel chair bound. He is on a limited income. He felt so deeply grateful for all this pets had done for him. “They give us so much, and ask so little. This last kindness, this parting gift of a gentle death is the hardest thing for us to give them but it is such a blessing when the time comes”, I told him. We wept together.

The other call had me crackling, just a hour or so latter. Their was a very harassed, tired sounding man slowly giving his name and contact information, including his mailing address; while all whole time in the background this cat is YOWLING! You know the kind of sound, a desperate cat in heat cry. The caller pauses now and again after a particularly loud scream and then starts again with a sign. At the end of his call he says, “I need help getting a cat spayed…”. It was beautiful. It could have been a radio ad for our organization or any other that promotes spaying and neutering to overcome pet over population.

I was glad of the second call. I have helped the cat owner set up and appointment to get Miss Kitty her surgery tomorrow.


Our organization got a short mention in our local paper today, down at the very bottom page two: http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/deb_wood/index.ssf?/base/living/1210024508125750.xml&coll=7


We are seeing a nasty upturn on pets abandoned in apartments when renters move on, and the owner surrender numbers have jumped since last year at all the local shelters.

HSUS acknowledges what is going on - foreclosures and financial crisis http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/foreclosure_pets_grant_fund.html
for renters http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/renting_with_pets_the_online_resource_for_rental_managers_and_pet_owners/opening_doors_and_minds_to_pets.html for for landlords http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/renting_with_pets_the_online_resource_for_rental_managers_and_pet_owners/index.html

Very interesting paper written relating to rentals that take pets and those that don't:
http://www.firepaw.org/CompanionAnimalRentersPetFriendly.pdf

I've been thinking that I need to put together some sort of packet for pet-owners as to how to make a pet resume and how to be a good pet-owning tenant...

Too many folks are losing their places and having an ugly time trying to get pet-friendly rentals.

For years, I was the sort of dog-less dog-lover that would frequent dog parks. If you spent anytime at these places, you’ll have seen folks like me. Yes, I threw balls for other people’s dogs. I petted those dogs, happy of the fur and the wags, watched them run, and marveled at their body language and play styles.

Situation finally changed enough that I was able to bring a dog back into my life. I started scouring Petfinder, the local shelters and rescues looking for the right dog to fit into our life. We were two working adults, an elementary school aged boy and a difficult cat; we would need a special dog. There were telephone calls and interviews, fidgety long drives with my son to meet dogs that were not the right one. At the end of one such drive there was a foster home with six herding dog mixes and a couple of resident dogs. The dog we were there to meet was a narrow little cattledog mix with bright darting eyes. He took right to my son, seemed fine with cats and made fantastic eye contact. I was sold!

He was not who we thought he was. He was not who his foster thought he was. He was a deeply un-easy paranoid dog, likely with very limited socialization when he was young. He had major digestive issues and was hyper-sensitive. We quickly learned these things: no raising of hands, no loud voices, don’t drop anything, kitchen floor was right out so we used the backdoor for the first several months with him, fast motions were very frightening to him, most other dogs made him nervous, many men made him retreat and cringe if not lip curl and urinate, stress put him into hunger strikes…but he was smart and tried. We tried too.

Many years of work along this road, Rio is much better but he will never be a normal dog. He is not all together trust worthy and has landed bites, never broken skin. He is fear reactive not aggressive but will advance if he has been pushed beyond his limits (these limits vary wildly and are difficult to predict). He is a complete mess without the comfort of another dog he trusts.

He would not have passed a behavior assessment. He came through a small county shelter. Rescue pulled him as the county agency did not think they could place him. Before that he was a tick covered cowering stray.

If I had known then what I know now, what I have had to learn to live with this dog, I would never have adopted him.

It sounds ugly, and it hurts to say, but he probably should never have been placed. We are very devoted to him, I love this crazy little dog, but it will never be easy to live with him and he is so often beside himself trying to cope.

Living, and yes loving, this dog has led me into animal welfare; first by learning how to try and understand and help him through training and behavior modification work. That led into volunteer at shelters and finally to being employed in the field for about five years now. I have worked cleaning kennels and catteries, adoption counseling, as an outreach coordinator, as a humane educator and as a behavior specialist. I’ve studied through coursework, books and internships to get where I am now.

Rio is still with us and his quality of life is fairly good. Would I give him up? Would I have him euthanized? No, I know him, love him, am responsible for him….now.

Should he have been adopted out? No, I don’t think so.

Well structured behavior evaluations, done by qualified specialists, help find which pets belong in which sorts of families. Should they make euthanasia decisions? No, they are tools that help professionals make that call, along with all sorts of other information about the pet and the resources that the organization responsible for the pet has to put forward toward this pet.

Organizations need to be responsible for the pets in their care, as well as to the community they serve and the households they place their adopted pets into.

The results of these evaluations help the adoption counselors place the right dog in the right home and help the public not just fall for the cute furry face but learn more about the dog they are inviting into their homes and their hearts.

Meet-your-Match (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_mym) is a great program, designed carefully to do just that – help place the right pet with the right person. There are a number of other basic assessment tools being used at shelters around the nation as well, Assess-a-Pet (http://www.suesternberg.com/00assess.html) and SAFER (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aspcapromym_landing) are the most popular. There are far too many shelters doing terrible jobs using these tools or making their own up on a wing and a prayer. This cost lives and ruins trust.

Bark magazine ran an interesting article about the controversy that has sprung up about using behavior assessments in shelters (http://thebark.com/ezine/features_specialFeatures/specialFeatures_04.html).

Whether they are called behavior evaluations or temperament testing, they are a real hot button in the field. I strongly stand by them as important tools, when preformed correctly by trained staff and when the information is used in context and not as a stand alone set of facts.

Rio has led me here. All the pets I’ve worked with at shelters have led me here. I am still learning, still striving and some days struggling to learn; I am still following them.

"A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog." - Jack London