The American Mutt-i-grees Club, founded by Pet Savers Foundation, wants to spread the word that mutts are people  dogs too!

The American Mutt-i-grees Club is all about change and choice:

Changing how mixed-breed dogs are regarded, by celebrating the unique
characteristics of each one of them, and helping people make the right
choice – the choice to adopt mixed-breed puppies and adult dogs at shelters across America.

No To Puppy Mills
When you adopt a Mutt-i-gree from a shelter, your choice also says “No” – no to buying a puppy in a pet store that’s supplied by the unbelievably cruel
trade of the purebred puppy mills and irresponsible backyard breeders. If
these puppy mills are stopped from bringing millions of puppies into the
world, millions of puppies and adult dogs being euthanized each year might
be saved.

Three out of every four shelter dogs are mixed-breed, and for many
Mutt-i-grees, their lives end before they begin. Make a difference and save a mutt!

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This week (May 18 through 24) is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and although the majority of attention-getting dog bites pertain to dog v. human, I can attest to the fact that dog v. dog bites are just as traumatic and harrowing.

I know of what I speak, because when I was a child, I was bit in the buttock by our neighbors dog, a Rottweiler. Ironically, about 30 years later, my own dog was bit by a Rottweiler. 

Although there are dog breeds that have reputations as biters, I don’t blame the dog, I blame the owner. In fact, an estimated 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, but most of these incidents are preventable.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are some steps you can take to lessen the risk that your dog will bite.

1. Spay or neuter your dog, which will reduce your dog’s desire to roam and fight with other dogs.
2. Socialize your dog by introducing your dog to many different types of people and situations, so that he or she is not nervous or frightened under normal social circumstances.
3. Train your dog at a training class and involve the whole family–every member of your household should learn the training techniques and participate in your dog’s education.
4. Teach your dog appropriate behavior. Don’t teach your dog to chase after or attack others, even in fun, and set appropriate limits for your dog’s behavior.
5. License your dog as required by law, provide regular veterinary care, including rabies vaccinations, don’t allow your dog to roam alone, and make your dog a member of your family (experts say that dogs who spend a great deal of time alone in the backyard or tied on a chain often become dangerous).
6. Err on the safe side–if you don’t know how your dog will react to a new situation, be cautious; if your dog may panic in crowds, leave him at home; if your dog overreacts to visitors or delivery or service personnel, keep him in another room.

If your dog does bite:

• Confine your dog immediately and check on the victim’s condition. If necessary, seek medical help.
• Provide the victim with important information, such as the date of your dog’s last rabies vaccination.
• Cooperate with the animal control official responsible for acquiring information about your dog. If your dog must be quarantined for any length of time, ask whether he may be confined within your home or at your veterinarian’s hospital. Strictly follow quarantine requirements for your dog.
• Seek professional help to prevent your dog from biting again. Consult with your veterinarian, who may refer you to an animal behaviorist or a dog trainer. Your community animal care and control agency or humane society may also offer helpful services.
• If your dog’s dangerous behavior cannot be controlled, do not give him to someone else without carefully evaluating that person’s ability to protect him and prevent him from biting. Because you know your dog is dangerous, you may be held liable for any damage he does even when he is given to someone else.
• Don’t give your dog to someone who wants a dangerous dog. “Mean” dogs are often forced to live miserable, isolated lives, and become even more likely to attack someone in the future. If you must give up your dog due to dangerous behavior, consult with your veterinarian and with your local animal care and control agency or humane society about your options.

For more information, click here and here.

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This week is American Humane Association’s “Be Kind to Animals Week®”.

Be Kind to Animals Week, observed May 4 through 10 this year, is the oldest event in the nation to celebrate the companionship, friendship and love that animals bring into people’s lives.

Animal shelters throughout the country hold special events during this week to raise awareness about being kind to animals and to teach people about the benefits of the human-animal bond.

Be Kind to Animals Week is a great time to promote the wonderful work being done by the nation’s animal welfare organizations and to encourage everyone to get involved to make a difference for animals.

How To Be Kind to Animals
Here are some simple things you can do during Be Kind to Animals week and throughout the year to show kindness to animals:

1. Speak out for animals
   Get active in local animal welfare policies and legislation.
2. Report animal abuse
   While acts of violence against animals are tragic in their own right, they are also a red flag for other violent behavior, including domestic abuse and violent crime.
3. Appreciate wildlife
   Create an inviting space in your yard and garden for butterflies, hummingbirds and other creatures.
4. Share kindness
   Teach the people in your life, especially children, about the importance of being kind to animals.
5. Make a donation to your local animal shelter
   A donation can be your time, money, or needed items like pet food or laundry detergent. Call them first and see what they need.
6. Adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue organization
   Approximately 8 to 12 million animals enter our nation’s shelters every year, and more than half of these pets will have to be euthanized because of a lack of homes. Local shelters are the best place to find companion animals, even purebreds — one out of every four dogs in a shelter is a purebred.
7. Spay & Neuter
   If you have pets, make sure they are spayed or neutered.
8. Keep Yours Safe
   Pets should be microchipped and should always wear a collar with an ID tag, so they can be reunited with you quickly if they are ever lost. Also take your pet to the veterinarian every year for vaccinations and a health check.

About American Humane
American Humane Association is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Founded in 1877, American Humane is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, American Humane develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit membership organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link® between animal abuse and other forms of violence, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond.

American Humane’s regional office in Los Angeles is the authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”® end credit disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels.

Visit www.americanhumane.org to learn more.

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I’m a major animal nut. I try to help every animal I encounter, I’m a rescue/adoption advocate, and, a long time ago, I even thought I wanted to be a veterinarian (I worked for a vet hospital for a total of two days, then I quit because I was constantly crying).

I’m also the type of person who has to get up and leave the room if I see an animal being hurt. I didn’t make it through March of the Penguins (I had to leave during the passing of the eggs), missed part of Eight Below, and have never seen Old Yeller all the way through.

So I practically had to tie myself to a chair to sit through Oprah’s expose on puppy mills last week. It probably wasn’t very good planning on my part to tape the show and then start watching it a few minutes before we were leaving to meet friends for dinner (Mike came out in the living room, saw tears streaming down my face and said, “Great. They’re going to think I beat you before we left the house.”)

But I am so glad I taped the show, because I have been able to tolerate it in five- to 10-minute increments, and my eyes have been opened (once again) to the horrors that many dogs face on a daily basis, all their lives.

I’ve rescued a greyhound, and the little I’ve read about a greyhound’s life on the track has allowed me to give Greta a lot of leeway in regards to certain behavior issues we’ve faced.  

Regarding the Oprah expose, it was due in large part to Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. Every year, Main Line rescues hundreds of abused, unwanted or abandoned animals, rehabilitates them and then adopts them out to families. Many of these animals are from puppy mills, which Bill describes as “places where bad breeders care more about the profit they make from puppies than the health or welfare of the animals.”

During the show, Lisa Ling and her hidden camera joined Bill on a tour of puppy mills in Pennsylvania. (According to The Humane Society of the United States, there may be as many as 10,000 puppy mills operating across the United States. They are all perfectly legal.)

Many of the dogs born in puppy mills end up in pet stores or sold on the Internet. Most people don’t understand that the cute puppy they just bought had to endure the most terrible conditions during its first weeks of life, and that cute puppy’s mom or dad is still living in the most deplorable, unspeakable conditions.

Bill, who has fostered relationships with hundreds of breeders across Pennsylvania, askes for the dogs they no longer want or the ones they’re planning to kill. These dogs are typically either older females and younger males, because breeders only need one or two male dogs to breed with every 20 fertile females.

At one puppy mill they visit, Bill speculates that many of the dogs have never walked in the grass, although they live on a 60-acre property. At another, they find about 40 dogs in wire-floored rabbit cages stacked to the ceiling in a room reeking of urine and feces. At another, they see outdoor cages filled with Pomeranians, and Bill says that not only have those dogs probably never been out of those small cages, but it’s likely that they remain outside even in bad weather and could die from exposure.

During their visits, Bill rescues dozens of dogs. He says that sometimes when he’s out to pick up a dog, the breeder has had the dog eight or nine years and it doesn’t have a name. it’s never been out of the hutch, it doesn’t know how to walk, and he has to carry it to the car. Some have also had their vocal chords damaged by a pipe in order to keep them from barking.

Despite the inhumane conditions the dogs lived in before their rescue, Bill says they usually start to show signs of rehabilitation in about two weeks.

Main Line Animal Rescue has rescued approximately 7,000 to 8,000 animals—about 5,000 of those from puppy mills. Their placement rate is about 99 precent, and Bill has also opened his home to some of the dogs (he currently has 10, but has had up to 12 at once).

The show’s message is clear: Don’t buy a dog at a pet store or off the Internet, because you will most likely be supporting puppy mills. Instead, head to your local shelter or animal rescue organzation.

According to Bill, a third to 50 percent of the animals in shelters, depending on the location, are purebred dogs, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, there are also breed-specific rescues throughout the country. (If you must have your pedigree dog, look for a quality breeder.)

To help win the shelter battle, Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, recommends spaying and neutering to prevents the needless killing of millions of animals. Dr. Shelly Rubin, who treats Oprah’s dogs, says spaying or neutering is one of the best things you can do for your pet’s health.

To read the truth about animal shelters and responsible breeders, click here. To read more about what you need to know before getting a dog, click here. To find out how to help shut down puppy mills, click here.

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But when it comes to dogs, although I did adopt a mutt many years ago from the same SPCA, this time around, I wanted to be more selective.

I did some research, and decided on the greyhound breed, and then I got in contact with Wine Country Greyhound Adoption.

For those who desire a purebred canine, there are many breed-specific groups that will help you find the dog of your dreams. The American Kennel Club has a great list of organizations to use as a starting point.

As with almost anything else in life, be sure to do your homework. Talk to several adoption groups, and in the end, be sure to make the decision that’s right for you and your lifestyle.

This is Greta on the day I took her home–also the first day I ever laid eyes on her.

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