What Goes Around Comes Around.

A designer friend of mine is reworking the Karma Dogs shirts to update them. When working on the design, she came up with a great iconic way to say Karma Dog- the two Chinese Characters that represent Karma and a doggie paw. I then found a silversmith artist in Texas who makes amazing jewelry. The result? A totally unique, two sided pendent. I just got the first one in over the weekend and people are already stopping me asking where I got it. Check it out for yourself at here. Help spread the good karma and look great doing it!

Karma Dogs is getting ready to kick off it’s big Fall reading program at four libraries in the upcoming months. Crazy? Yes! Previously, we have only done 2 at a time, but so many people asked, we couldn’t say no. So now we need volunteers to help with programs at North Point, Woodlawn, Aberdeen and Catonsville. You can volunteer without a dog or with one. You do need to have your dog evaluated before they can begin therapy work. Our next evaluation will be on September 8th. For more info on how to help, please check out the volunteer section of our website.

I am currently in New Mexico with Karma Dogs Super OT, Melissa Winkle. We have been spending time hanging out, talking dogs and shopping- quite the great combo, especially when ice-cream is added to the equation. Melissa also trains assistance dogs for Assistance Dogs of the West and has two assistance dogs in training living with her right now. She has four wonderful dogs total- Jessie, AJ, Melvin and Otis. AJ and Otis will eventually be placed with someone who needs their assistance, but for now are learning the ropes here at Melissa’s house. And since I am staying with Melissa and her husband, I should have known I would have helpers.

Here is Tasha barking. This is only remarkable because generally no one knew that Tasha, the quietest Karma Dog ever, can bark or howl. It just hadn’t really been heard before. After 1 week with Dirk, Elliott and Ernie, Tasha is a new woman. And let me tell you, she has a lot to say. All of the time. Here is a small sample. You heard it here first. She is the newly thinner dog in the middle who is all black.

I leave this week to go and visit Karma Dogs OT specialist, Melissa Winkle. I hope to pick her brain for new ways we can help the people of Baltimore and so much more. Melissa is famous (not like Angelina, but in some circles) for coming up with really unique ways to help reach people that were previously not responding to everyday treatments. She has so much to offer and I can’t wait to see what we can come up with!

I often argue with some trainer friends over the merits of the retractable leash. Many argue it is the safe, fun way to go to the park with your pet. They can go several feet away from you and YOU are still in control. If the dog needs to be pulled closer, you can bring them in. Everyone stays safe. Great in theory. However, like most other dog related things, it is the owner I am concerned about.

The next time you are out somewhere people are walking dogs, watch them use one of these leashes. It’s funny, more often dangerous, but still comical from time to time. The dogs go far away from their human. We humans are really bad at paying attention to our dogs at all times. We just assume because they are tethered to us, they are safe and well behaved or we would know. You know what they say about people who assume things…

The dogs on these leashes more often than not have the following happen to them:

1. They get tangled around trees, posts or poles.

2. They run to the end of the leash, only to jerk their necks harder than they imagined.

3. They run after other animals or things suddenly catching you off guard.

4. The run into an unsafe place (like traffic).

Here is what happens to humans:

1. They don’t notice their dog is about to chase a car/bird/plastic bag/shiny object and the dog runs with all of their might to the end of the leash. The person tries to use the “brake” and can’t manage to use it correctly to stop the dog.

2. The dog is heading somewhere dangerous and you can’t reel the dog back in. They you chase after the dog, trying to reel them in manually. This is where it is funny.
3. The leash gets tangled around your fingers/arm/leg/whatever and the dog runs. As the leash grows longer, it can actually remove what is caught between it’s nylon tangle. Yup. That means your body parts can come off. Or get a really bad leash burn. It has happened more than 20 times since 2002. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, that only refers to accidental amputations.

A leash is a simple concept. It shouldn’t come with a WARNING. Please be careful. They seem like a good idea, but they are very dangerous. In fact, just yesterday, I witnessed a Father with two children, one on a bike and one walking a small dog on a retractable leash. The little girl almost fell off of the bike. As the Dad lunged to get her, the boy and dog turned to see what was going on. The dog ran into rush hour traffic on Loch Raven Blvd and was narrowly missed. It happens all of the time. Read the story of my pal John and his dog Ace about their mishap with a retractable leash. Take the danger out of the equation and be safe. (Then check out Ace’s new blog, www.ohmidog.com)

Bruno, the smallest Karma Dog, recently collapsed while walking with his owner. Rushed to the vet, it was determined he had Lymes Disease. Usually transmitted by the Deertick, Lymes is a rapidly advancing disease spread by infected ticks. If it is not treated very quickly, this can be fatal in pets (and sadly, in humans as well).

How can you protect your pet? Use a topical product like Frontline PLUS or  Advantix and if you live in a wooded area or spend a lot of time outside, have your dog vaccinated against lymes disease. Bruno was vaccinated and used the topical product, which leads his vet to think that there are some very medicine resistant strains in the area. Luckily, using an antibiotic like tetracycline can usually clear things up.

How can you tell if you dog may have Lymes Disease? If you dog is suddenly limping or unable to walk, usually because of one leg, has swollen lymph nodes or a fever, you should visit the vet right away. Most of the time, this can be treated and the dog can expect to make a full recovery. However, delaying treatment can be fatal. So when in doubt, visit the vet!

Karma Dogs has had a crazy summer so far! In just a few short weeks we have launched new programs and worked with more people that I thought possible! This weekend is the launch of the biggest library program we have ever done. We will have EIGHT dogs! They range in size from really small to my goal weight! And I am 5′10! Stop by and see the chaos. This ain’t your mothers library!

Also new to Karma Dogs is a program targeting children with autism to improve their socialization skills. In an attempt to get them to exercise, we started doing doga. Yoga based exercise that is motivated by dogs. Our form is not quite there yet, but we definitely got some children to move who normally may not!

Finally, thanks to Karma Dog’s newest pal, Heather, from a great company called The She Space. Heather makes my other favorite thing in the world-makeup. And it is really nice makeup! Not only does she create amazing colors at a fraction of the price other companies charge, she gives back. When a child with cystic fibrosis made an impact on Heather, she came up with a beautiful eyeshadow duo to help donate money towards helping this special boy. After a successful fundraiser, Heather decided to continue to sell the duo with a portion of the proceeds going to CF indefinitely. Karma Dogs has their fingers crossed that we can do something special together in the fall! In the meantime, check out her website, www.theshespace.com.

So why is it a bad thing to continue to use the phrase No-Kill and Kill Shelter? It fairly describes how the shelter operates, right? Is being honest wrong?

Neither model, Open or Closed Admission is a great system. Great dogs are often euthanized at O.A. (kill) shelters. Dogs who often are not adoptable will spend their lives in a crate, going crazy at some C.A. (no-kill) shelters. Have you ever seen a dog spinning in a cage at a shelter? Wonder why? It is because they have likely been there so long, it is all they can do to calm themselves, while they literally go mental. Would you want to live your life in a cage, with some human contact, but no one to call your own? Nothing to look forward to and nowhere to go? Sure, some places, like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, offer a wonderful life full of training, treats and companionship for animals who will never be adopted. But most places don’t. In some C.A. (no-kill) shelters, unadoptable dogs often end up kenneled forever. And sometimes forgotten. What kind of quality of life is that? Going kennel crazy, anxious and truly unloved? Again, many shelters have sanctuaries who care for these dogs for the rest of their life. But most don’t. So then it is up to you to decide: Is it better for a dog to be unhappy and live or not to live at all? Unhappy people live all of the time. They get by. Dogs, however, are not people. They don’t understand their circumstances or know how to improve them. This is where humans need to be the smart ones and make the hard decisions.

So what do I hope you take away from all of this? Know that both types of shelters are a must until we solve the pet overpopulation problem. Don’t look down upon or use the words “Kill Shelter” with anger or disgust. And don’t judge the people who work there. They do what the rest of us can’t. They do their best. And they clean up the mess the rest of us make, everyday.

Please do your part and spay and neuter each and every one of your pets.

Also on Oprah’s recent expose’ was the repeated phrase, “NO-KILL SHELTER”. Obviously, a no kill shelter is the answer to the dog overpopulation problem, right? No one wants to kill dogs and some states, like Utah, have become no-kill states. So what is wrong with that, you may ask? Who wants to kill dogs?
The term no-kill shelter is used to describe shelters that have whats known as a CLOSED ADMISSION POLICY. This means that the shelter only takes animals it deems adoptable and that it has room for. They may turn away animals who are sick, old, aggressive or even who just have fleas or a cold. The shelter only has so many beds and when they are full (which they almost always are), the dogs are turned away.

What is a KILL SHELTER and who on earth would want to work there? Natural born dog killers, perhaps? No. Kill shelters are also called OPEN ADMISSION POLICY shelters. These shelters are usually forced (by government agencies) to take in all unwanted animals. Strays, owner surrenders and animals picked up by animal control may end up here. When the shelter is full, then they have to make room for the inevitable influx of dogs and cats that will make their way to the shelter that day. It is nothing more than a numbers game. It is terribly sad. And it is your fault.

Ok, maybe it is not actually YOUR fault. But it is our fault as society as a whole. Dogs end up in shelters because they are no longer wanted and there is no where else for them to go. Still, you ask, why is that our fault? Because we, as a society, don’t take pet ownership seriously. It is a lifelong commitment to an animals to care and provide for all of it’s needs. This means not moving somewhere you can’t own pets, working with them through troubled times and providing for them when they are sick. If you can’t make that commitment, then don’t get a dog. And for the love of dog, please spay and neuter your pets. I realize that you are perfect and that your unfixed dog will never get out and accidentally cause a litter. You are responsible and not likely to fail. Statistically speaking however, you will. And one dog that goes altered, if they have puppies that go unaltered, who have puppies and so on and so on can lead to SIXTY-SEVEN THOUSAND DOGS in that one dogs’ reproductive lifetime. FROM ONE DOG! (HSUS) You can see how the numbers add up. Until we are responsible as a society, open admission (kill) shelters are necessary. If you can’t live with that, then do your part. Spay and neuter. Convince your friends to do the same. Consider adoption the only option for getting a pet. Help fund low cost spay and neuter programs.

Can you imagine what would happen if everyone did their part?