The Plight Of The Black-Coated Shelter Dog

Really, it’s rather hard to believe, but apparently dogs with black coats are the least likely to be adopted from a shelter. I only just found this out myself today. A neighbor of mine had been fostering a beautiful Black Lab/Dane mix, and recently had to return him to the shelter, since they were going to be traveling for six weeks.

Waiting To Go Home

“Stallone” had been rescued at the end of 2010 ago from a deplorable hoarding situation. Despite suffering neglect and possible abuse, this dog has a very sweet nature, loves people and other dogs. I was lucky to have met him, before he returned to his rescuers at Valhalla Canine Shelter. His foster mom told me that in the six weeks she’d had him, she had heard him only quietly “woof” twice. He was also very well-behaved, had loved going on off-leash adventures with her, and would always come promptly running back when called.

 

Stallone has a gorgeous shiny black coat, and a very handsome face to add to the package. I began posting his info to my Facebook page immediately upon learning of his situation. This dog is a gem, I thought. I’m sure someone will see his pictures and read about him and bring him to a good home very quickly.

 

What A Handsome Boy

That was last week. Today I called the shelter to learn if anyone had called to inquire about Stallone. Not one call. That’s when I learned that black-coated dogs are hard to place. For whatever reason, people tend to adopt the fluffy white ones first. Ok, maybe. But what’s so unappealing about a black dog? One of the first dog friends I ever had as a child was a beautiful black lab named Penny, whose coat was so shiny, I swear I could see my reflection in her fur. From the time I met Penny, I bugged my parents for a black lab. (They eventually got me a Beagle, but that’s another story.)

 

I don’t get it, but I don’t get lots of things, like hoarding animals, mistreating animals, not adopting a pet from a shelter, I could go on and on. Look at that face and tell me how anyone could overlook him? I wish I could take him myself, but I will continue to champion his cause and try to find him the good home that he deserves. If you’d like to help, please pass this on. There are many more photos of Stallone on his blog. That’s right, maybe black-coated dogs aren’t very adoptable, but who says that they can’t blog?  (PS. Here’s a link to his info page on Petfinder.com.)

 

Dreaming Of His Forever Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New Year, New Growl

Happy New Year to all of my readers. You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted anything for a while. Quite frankly, 2010 was a hard year for most businesses and unfortunately, Tiny Growl was no exception.  If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might know that I decided to take my invention The ScooPup Pocket from an idea to a saleable product, because aside from never wanting to wonder “what if…?”, I had really hoped to create a successful business that would make enough money to enable me to help dogs. Good product, good intentions = great idea, right?

While I have had great feedback on my product, my website, my blog, the cold hard truth of the matter is that ScooPup Pockets just aren’t hanging off of too many leashes. Oh sure, I’ve sold a few and they continue to sell, but hardly at numbers enough to do any good for either my business bank account or the animal causes that I was hoping to be able to support. I’ve tried very hard to make it work, including lowering the price, contests, giving them away and of course, blogging. And speaking of blogging, that brings me to SEO.

For those of you with web-based businesses of your own, you know all about SEO (search engine optimization, for the rest of you) and how important it is in this age of doing business on-line. You also know the importance of networking with everyone in your line of business and in my case, all of the animal advocacy groups. Unfortunately, that opens you up to a flood of information that someone like me just doesn’t have the psychology to deal with. For some reason, I am unable to process the sad stories and move on, the way that most people can. I even refuse to see (almost) totally “vanilla” movies like Marley and Me because I know Marley comes to a bad end.

Another part of my problem, or what makes up my particular pathology, is that I worry about every dog on the planet and feel somehow that I have the power (or have been charged with the responsibility) to make their pain and suffering disappear, heal them, save them, feed and them and give them all loving and happy homes. Obviously, that isn’t possible for anyone, not even Bill and Melinda Gates. But I thought that by going into business with a usable product, I could at least take comfort in the knowledge that I was making a difference, quietly or otherwise, via donations.

While I was hoping to sell sell sell! and donate donate donate!!! to help as many dogs (and other animals) that I could, what actually happened was that my work days turned into too much time spent reading sad story after sad story, trying my best to flash past the truly horrific ones and finally coming to the realization that I really am quite literally unable to do any good at all for most of these poor creatures.

I know that I have to come to terms with the fact that the world is good and bad and bad things happen all of the time to good dogs and good people. I know that I’m not giving up on my idea or the idea that Tiny Growl still has the potential to grow into the business that I’d hoped it could be, but I also know that I have to back away a bit from that level of involvement.  Both the reading and the writing have taken a toll on me.

In the coming weeks, I will be re-evaluating things, including the point of this blog. In the meantime, I’m going to focus on my wonderful rescue dog Riley and try to get through another dreary Seattle winter.  Thanks for your support and Happy New Year!

Bette & Riley

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Roadtrip With Your Dog

Yesterday, Riley and I spent a few hours driving to those parts of Seattle that still hadn’t been covered with posters for the November 7th, 2 Million Dogs Puppy Up! Walk .  I’m not crazy about taking him with me when he’s not really getting any exercise as I drive from pet store to vet to pet store, but at least he’s not home alone and bored.

When we hit the road for long trips, I stuff a couple of pillows behind the front seats and put his blanket on top, which creates a nice little nest for him in the back seat. Of course, he’s also securely seat belted. I’m sure some people would look at us and think that he was pretty spoiled, or that I was a little over-protective, but I could care less what they think. He’s my boy, and I’m all about keeping him safe, comfortable and happy.

As we drove onto the West Seattle Bridge, I noticed a dog in the back of a pickup truck. He was excitedly moving all over the back of the truck bed, obviously not restrained in any way.

In my opinion not safe, but better than nothing.

The truck was going about 50 MPH. You can imagine how angry that made me. If they hadn’t headed toward the exit for the Alaskan Way Viaduct (a safety risk in its own right), I swear I was thinking about trying to pull them over to give them a piece of my mind.

I just don’t understand how some people can be so stupid. If this is so safe, why don’t we transport our children this way? I’ve blogged about this before, but I think this issue bears repeating. Currently, only California has legislation on this practice, but I would like to see the day when every state has a law in place that would subject anyone caught doing this to a hefty fine.

Once again, to me this practice only confirms the fact that while some of us treat our dogs like spoiled rotten kids, far too many people with dogs are truly “owners” who still consider their pets to be their property, rather than creatures to love, protect and care for.

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How Pedigree Is Using Social Media To Help Shelter Dogs

Sadly, over four million dogs wind up in shelters in the United States every year. PEDIGREE’s Adoption Drive is trying to make a difference to these homeless dogs. Their TV commercials have  featured shelter dogs and advocating the adopting of shelter dogs for a couple of years now.

Right now, the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is also using social media to their advantage by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. To date, over one million bowls have been donated–it’s a simple, fast, and free way you can contribute to a homeless dog’s dinner!  The Facebook promotion is going on now through December 31, 2010. For new every fan, shelters selected by PEDIGREE will receive  8 oz of PEDIGREE® Brand dry food for dogs, up to a total of $1,000,000 retail value.

From the Facebook fan page, you can also donate money to help find homes for these dogs. A portion of the money raised will will be matched by PEDIGREE up to $500,000.  (All donations go to The PEDIGREE Foundation, a non-profit, organization benefiting 501(c)(3) status animal shelters and breed rescues nationwide.)

There is also a special Blog Hop featuring the posts about the drive this week For each blog publishing a post about the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive now through Sunday, September 19, PEDIGREE will donate a 20 pound bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. Why Longevity? Most shelter dogs are 3 years old and older. If you Twitter, be sure to look for the #dogsrule hashtag to see other posts!

Dogs Rule!

1. Houston Dog Blog
2. Two Little Cavaliers
3. Boulder Dog
4. To Dog With Love
5. Boccis Beefs
6. Life With Dogs
7. Fearful Dogs Blog
8. I Love Rescue Animals
9. Grouchy Puppy
10. BlogPaws
11. Sense to Save — blogging for dog food
12. khyraskhorner. blogspot. com/2010/09/thankful
13. It’s a Dog’s Life!
14. Jennie B. Goode Collars
15. Ultimutt Pet Sitting
16. The (mis)Adventures of Sage
17. Snotface and Twiggy
18. Frugal Scrappin Mammaw
19. My Brown Newfies
20. Musing from my life, mostly with our animals.
21. Dog Blogging With Luna
22. Lindy MacDuff
23. HollyAndKhadyLyn
24. Just A Country Dog
25. Blog Hop: Write a Post Help a Dog
26. help a dog
27. Dive Life
28. Curious Cavorting Cavoodle
29. The Doggie Stylish Blog
30. Write A Post, Help A Dog
31. Pei Days
32. I Still Want More Puppies
33. Catladyland
34. Tales and Tails
35. Blog Hop
36. RiverDog Prints
37. Pip Gets Back in the Game
38. everythingnothinganddogstoo
39. Games newly adopted dogs can play
40. Red Rocks and Sunflowers
41. marianne’s art blog
42. Cooking, with Dogs – Dogs Rule edition
43. boise trail dog blog
44. Littlebirdiedesignstudio
45. The Hobbit Habitat
46. Coie & Sparky Help a Dog
47. Who’s Driving? (greyhounds)
48. The Road Dogs
49. This One Wild Life
50. soman’s blog
51. Helping to Cure Doglessness
52. Greyt Friends – Life with 3 retired greyhounds
53. The Kool~Kittie~Krew
54. Mrs. Sassy Crafter
55. Living Well on Less
56. houndgirl
57. Write a blog, Feed a Dog!
58. Oh, Corbin!
59. Nubbin’ Tails
60. Pet Peeves. My pets are annoying. How about yours?
61. Cult of the Greyhound
62. Bunny's Blog
63. Virtual Ephemera – Write a Post, Feed a Dog!
64. Hailey the dog
65. Backcountry Photography
66. Dog Eared Tales
67. DOGS RULE
68. Buddy Wilson – Doberman thoughts
69. Brian's Home
70. Mellow Yellow-Musings of two young at heart Labs
71. Write a Blog, help a homeless dog!
72. Oscar Writes to Help a Dog
73. . . . from sophie's view. . .
74. Brudabaker
75. Choppy's Dog House
76. The Circus Dog
77. Reuben wants to write a post and help a dog!
78. Daily Dose of Jack
79. Doggylove86 Adventures – Donate a 20lb bag!
80. Pet Blogs United Pedigree Post!
81. Dogs of the Week
82. BabyDog
83. Minnie and Macd
84. Start The Change
85. Pedigree: Write a Post and Help a Dog
86. Joie Of Life
87. Write a Post and Help a Dog
88. This is for my puppy who died and all the homeless
89. Screaming Mimi Pedigree Post
90. i too, have pound puppies
91. Trials of an Agility Neophyte
92. Roxy's Adventures
93. We Love Dogs
94. Kelly @ In Real Life: Our dog May
95. Short dogs need love too!
96. Retrieving My Soapbox
97. Hey Its Mallory
98. Golden Samantha 'n Lil Sis Avalon
99. Dianes Mixed Art
100. Wellness Words
101. Park Avenue Chihuahua
102. K9Care
103. This is Who I Am
104. Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog
105. Better Gardens Than Home
106. Bookish Penguin
107. The Super Bongo
108. Can't think of a name yet
109. DogTipper: Help a Homeless Dog – Write a Post
110. Critter Sister Journal
111. Random Thoughts
112. Give a dog a bone!
113. Dog-lovin graphic designer
114. To Blog or Not to Blog: Pedigree Adoption Drive
115. Murphy's Law
116. Wellness Words by Custom Fit Wellness
117. Wrote a Post to Help the Pups
118. Safe is the greatest word I know !
119. Arca Noah Espana is helping street dogs is Spain !
120. I'm Not Small, I'm Fun Size!
121. Blogging Has Gone to the Dogs
122. Lancer & Me
123. Tails from the Dog-side

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Sometimes A Shelter Is Anything But

A word of caution, the following post may be hard for some of you to read.

On many days, its rough being involved in a business that brings all sorts of news about dogs to my desktop. Yesterday, for instance, I read a horrific story about a poor stray lab mix in Dallas, Texas who, after suffering the fate of being hit by a car and having his legs shattered, was then “rescued” by an animal control officer who tried to force the dog to stand up and walk, and then began to drag it to an animal control vehicle while it whimpered in pain.

The Dallas Morning News reported “Seeing that the animal control officer was causing the 55-pound tan-colored dog ‘unnecessary pain,’ (Dallas police Senior Cpl. Joshua) Merkel intervened and helped place the injured dog into the animal control vehicle.” Merkel’s supervisors instructed him not to talk to the media.

Sadly, the poor creature had to be euthanized a short time later.

To add to this heartbreaking story, The Dallas Morning News article added that “The dog in Tuesday’s incident was microchipped, indicating that it was someone’s pet.”

If any good news can be found here, it’s that Charles Jackson, the animal control officer responsible for this barbaric act, “has been pulled off the streets after Dallas city officials concluded he acted inappropriately”. Pulled off the streets? Huh?

The question that jumps out at me is why wasn’t this monster fired immediately, and what was he doing working in an animal shelter in the first place? And how will he be punished for such a thing? I’m sure that I’m not the only animal lover who thinks that in cases such as this, the old “eye for an eye” punishment, while certainly barbaric, would also be completely justified.

According to the article, this is not the first such incident of animal cruelty at the Dallas animal services department. Tiny Growl’s friend and supporter Penny Eims of Examiner.com writes “individuals involved in animal rescue, especially those that are active in the Facebook community, will notice a disturbing trend of animal control employees, across the nation, that are repeatedly involved in acts of animal cruelty.”

What’s going on here? While I want to believe that the majority of shelters across our country are run by caring, compassionate animal advocates, is there something about shelters that attracts a certain type of sicko who enjoys making animals suffer? Are these people hired without any sort of screening, or do those in charge of a shelter with a tarnished record have no regard for the animals themselves?

I hope that animal advocates across the country will do whatever it takes to make sure that their local shelters are run as humanely as possible. Write to your representatives and ask how shelters and shelter workers are evaluated. If we need to put laws in place to protect these poor animals from their “protectors” then let’s work to make our local politicians to step up to the challenge.

Become the voice for those that have none. Become an animal advocate

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A Look Back (In Dog Years)

This week I am celebrating the one-year anniversary of Tiny Growl’s on-line store. Truth be told, the actual anniversary was a couple of weeks ago, but forgive me. It was summer, the weather was great, and there was a week’s vacation back east to enjoy. So, yesterday, I finally got around to launching an anniversary sale on the website. Obviously, I’m hoping it will encourage more people to buy a ScooPup Pocket, but while I was working on my “store” and tweaking the site a little bit, I started thinking that so much has happened and so much was learned this past year, it really does feel more like seven.

Riley celebrates Tiny Growl's One-Year Anniversary with a delicious Jerkytini

The day I launched my website, I sat back and waited for the inevitable flood of sales. Who wouldn’t want to purchase a product that not only made picking up dog poop cleaner and smarter, but made donations to animal charities? Lesson number one: You may invent a better mouse trap – the proceeds of which might go toward a happier life for all mice everywhere – but you shouldn’t really expect that the world will beat a path to your door.

I foolishly believed that if I emailed family and friends and told them about my new business, they would be great customers and would convince everyone they knew who had a dog to buy one as well. Lesson number two: Don’t take rejection personally. While some of my immediate family members and closest personal friends stepped up and have been big supporters, others – not so much. I came to realize that while the success of my business is of paramount importance to me, it is not on the top of anyone’s list but my own.

But I did think that if they understood that I didn’t get into this just to make money, that I wanted to make money so that I could give money to animal welfare charities, that would convince any potential customers who might be on the fence. Lesson number three: Everyone has their own personal charities. I get it. I personally get asked for money for worthy causes no less than a half-a-dozen times a day – through emails, snail mail, phone calls, etc. Since I have dedicated myself to animal welfare, most specifically dogs, I find it fairly easy to “delete”, “toss out” and “hang up” on causes that I support, albeit not monetarily.

So, while sales of my ScooPup Pockets have been less than stellar, I have had a great year networking with so many amazing animal advocates and charities that it would take pages just to mention them all. But I must mention a couple of the charities that I championed so far. When I began, the idea was to support local charities that were doing great work. So, my first check went to the Seattle Humane Society, who this year put 82% of their donations directly into their programs, 63% of which went to animal care and adoptions. That’s the way to do it!

After the January 12th earthquake in Haiti, I felt compelled to try to help the animals that were affected. It was then that I learned about the tremendous work that The International Fund for Animal Welfare was doing. I was lucky to have been featured on our local Q13 Morning News, but unfortunately, the size of the check that I sent to the IFAW was less than I had hoped for. Lesson number four: Publicity doesn’t necessarily translate into sales.

And last, but by no means least, I have to mention a woman in New Jersey who I “met” through social networking. Melissa Peterson is a champion for animal rescue and created This Good That Bad as a unique fundraising model for raising donations for companion animal charities. Melissa has been a huge Tiny Growl supporter and her tireless efforts to help companion animals have been especially inspiring to me.

So, in closing I just want to thank all of you who purchased a ScooPup Pocket, “like” us on Facebook, read this blog and told friends and family about Tiny Growl. It’s been a hard road, but we remain steadfast in our mission that Tiny Growl keep on “Quietly Making a Difference”. There’s no way we’re going to stop now. (Psssssssst: Please pass it on!)

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I Hate Animal Abuse

Torturing animals, neglecting animals, dog fighting rings, puppy mills – any type of animal cruelty – I’m appalled by it and I don’t understand it. If you’re reading this blog, you are probably as outraged by the way some humans treat animals as I am. Don’t worry, I will not be citing about any particular horror stories in this blog. Unfortunately, we’ve all read too many of them.

Part of what drove me to go into business selling my ScooPup Pockets to dog “guardians”, is that I was determined to make a difference by creating a way to make continuous donations to animal charities. I find it very hard to read or listen to stories about animal abuse. On the one hand, there is a part of me that feels compelled to, if only because I believe that I owe at least that much to the animal who suffered. But another part of me knows that I can’t process these stories the way that most people can. They never leave me. And because of the nature of my business and the outreach and research I have been doing, I seem to be subjecting myself to too many of them.

For instance, there was an interesting article by Charles Siebert in the New York Times Magazine of June 11, 2010 that I was compelled to read. In it he stated that “In the world of law enforcement”, “animal-cruelty issues were long considered a peripheral concern and the province of local A.S.P.C.A. and Humane Society organizations”. Siebert goes on to say that this is changing and that “The link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence is becoming so well established that many U.S. communities now cross-train social-service and animal-control agencies in how to recognize signs of animal abuse as possible indicators of other abusive behaviors.”

One of the more compelling issues brought to light by Siebert’s article is that: “The dynamic of animal abuse in the context of domestic violence is a particularly insidious one. As a pet becomes an increasingly vital member of the family, the threat of violence to that pet becomes a strikingly powerful intimidating force for the abuser.” In other words, some people would rather subject themselves to continued abuse then let their beloved pets suffer.

But is there really anything we as individuals can do to stop animal cruelty? Absolutely. We can report animal abuse as soon as we see or suspect it. (I have met many police officers who are some of the biggest animal lovers around. Believe me, most of them are happy to respond to a call to help an animal in harm’s way, even if it’s a dog left to suffer in a hot car by a thoughtless “guardian”.)

We can educate our kids and speak out against animal abuse in our own communities. We can also start or get involved with grass-roots movements in our own neighborhoods. One of the best I’ve seen is a group from New York city who describe themselves as “tattooed, motorcycle-riding street guys who have zero tolerance for animal abuse and neglect.” The call themselves Rescue Ink.

Unfortunately, the world being the way it is, it’s easy for some of us to ignore cruelty to animals – and people – as long as it doesn’t directly affect us. However, I believe we are all connected. As hard as it is for me to know that this suffering goes on, it’s harder for me to ignore it. And I, for one, sleep a little better knowing that we’ve got guys like Rescue Ink out there making a difference.

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Who Do You Belong To?

Today’s blog post is going to be rather brief, as we are all recovering from a big party here this weekend.  Even Riley is a bit tired and his stomach is still growling from all of the snacks he managed to beg off of the guests.  I cringe when I think about what he might have wolfed down on Saturday. Dogs with big brown eyes always seem to elicit the sympathy of whomever they pick as an easy mark.

Who owns who?

This past year, I’ve found that starting a pet product business has been a great way to learn all sorts of things that I never knew, or never thought much about. Not just about dogs, dog poop, dog behavior, etc., but about the human perception of dogs as pets. For instance, it never dawned upon me that calling myself a “dog owner” is considered a derogatory term by lots of dog lovers.  I balked at this at first, but upon reflection, I guess I have to agree. Obviously, I “own” Riley, as he is my dog.  The important thing is, I don’t think of him as my possession, and that makes all the difference.

I’m writing today to ask you to think about a better word that we might use to describe our relationship with our pets. Lots of people, myself included, tend to refer to their dogs and cats their “boy” or their “girl”, as if they were a son or daughter.

Sure, many of us call ourselves “Moms” and “Dads” when speaking of our connection with our pets, and it makes sense.  After all, we give them a home, feed them, protect them, give them love. I don’t have any fur-less children, but I can’t imagine that I would treat my own child any differently than I treat my boy Riley.

I like to think of myself as Riley’s guardian, rather than his owner. He is also my friend and companion, my source of constant worry and constant happiness.

So, I’m posting this blog to see what you think of the word guardian, in reference to our furry children. Any comments? All I really know is, I belong to Riley and that’s forever.

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Some “Hot Dogs” Aren’t So Good in the Summertime

I worry about dogs.  Let me clarify.  I worry about all of the dogs in the world, pretty much most of the time. (Time consuming you might ask? You bet. This tendency of mine is what led me to start my business.*) So, when summer finally arrives in Seattle, I specifically start worrying about people leaving their dogs in their hot cars while they shop in air-conditioned stores. I know, this is a problem somewhere in the world most of the time, but as temperatures rise here, this worry also rises to the top of my queue.

Sadly, it seems inevitable that at some point during the summer months you will stumble upon a heartbreaking story of one dog’s death caused by one person’s ignorance. So I was very happy to read a story over the weekend about a “forgotten” dog who saved his own life.

Donna Gardner, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, took her 11-year-old chocolate Lab with her while she ran some errands. Upon returning home, she somehow managed to unload her packages, but neglected to “unload” Max.  Maybe he was asleep? Maybe he’s the same color as the upholstery?? Ok, I’m not going to judge…

About an hour later, Gardner began to hear a car horn honking. Her car horn, in fact. When she looked out her window, she saw Max sitting behind the wheel. Whether he knew what he was doing or not, thank goodness he somehow managed to sound the horn and attract her attention, as it happened to be 90 degrees in Allentown that day. Gardner cooled Max down with cold rags and rushed him to the vet. Fortunately, he was weak, but fine.

At 85 degrees, the temperature inside a car, even with the windows open, can become 102 degrees in just ten minutes, and can reach 120 degrees in just half an hour! While a dog’s normal body temperature is slightly higher than ours – 101 to 102.5 degrees, they can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 degrees for only a short time before suffering brain damage or dying.

If you find a dog in a parked car, who is exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion (heavy panting, gasping for air, weakness, unconsciousness) alert the store manager. Hopefully an announcement over the public address system will bring the owner back to their car and back to their senses. If the owner can’t be found, call the police. If you’re not willing to call the police, staying by the car and observing the pet inside until the owner returns is another option. But remember, the owner might not be the animal advocate that you are.

United Animal Nations (UAN) has a fantastic website mydogiscool.com where you can download posters to distribute to your local stores as well as handouts and fliers that you can keep in your own glove compartment, should you ever need to educate the public. If we got managers across the country to place the poster above in store entrances, maybe we can educate a few people and save a few dogs from a horrible fate.

* Tiny Growl gives one dollar from the sale of every ScooPup Pocket sold (the world’s best dog poop pick up and carry bag) to animal welfare charities that are making a positive difference.

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Canine Cancer: Some Friends, Some Facts and a Calendar to Help Find a Cure

There are a great number of animal advocates out there doing some amazing work. If you read my post on April 24th, you already know about 2 Dogs 2000 Miles, Luke Robinson and his 2000 mile walk from Austin to Boston to raise awareness about canine cancer. In 2006, Luke lost his beloved Great Pyrenees, Malcolm to metastatic bone cancer.

Today while on Facebook, I discovered that one of Luke’s fuzzy butts, Murphy, has just had a growth removed from his neck. With a little luck, it will turn out to be just a benign bump. Shortly thereafter, I read that one of Luke’s biggest supporters, Ginger (who was responsible for helping to get Luke and the boys safely across the country), is herself dealing with the news that her own sweet dog, Pete, has developed cancer.

Pete and Ginger, paw in hand

It’s heartbreaking, but one in three dogs will develop cancer. Of those affected, over half will die of the disease. And since dogs (and cats) are exposed to the same environmental risks as humans, they can develop most of the same kinds of cancers.

Somewhere between 4 and 8 million new cases of canine cancer are found each year, and are the cause of almost half of the deaths of dogs 10 years and older, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Faced with these frightening odds, what can we do?

Early detection is vital. Routinely examine your dog for any physical abnormalities. What dog doesn’t love a massage? This is great way to be aware of any new bumps they might develop. Check out any abnormal behaviors as well, and make sure your dog gets his regular veterinary exams.

Don’t expose your dog to toxic chemicals. While we still don’t know the underlying cause of many of the cancers in companion animals, the development of cancer can occur in any organism from excessive exposure to carcinogenic agents such as certain chemicals. So, just as you would do for yourself, avoid exposing your dog to toxins. Use only organic fertilizers, weed killers and pest killers around your yard. Believe it or not, I don’t even fill Riley’s outdoor water dish from the garden hose, as many hoses contain lead.

Feed them a healthy diet.

If you feed your dog kibble or canned food, it should be high-quality. By law, pet food labels must list their ingredients by weight. Look for a species specific meat or meal as the first ingredient, ie  turkey, duck, chicken meal, salmon meal. Species specific meats or meals all have high percentage of protein in the form of digestible, usable amino acids. Check the ingredients for protein content and stay away from fillers and food coloring. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient (vitamins, etc., excluded) probably best not to feed it to you dog.

And finally, get involved and/or make a small donation.  The people at 2 Dogs 2000 Miles would like to know if you have  a dog who has had or is currently fighting cancer. They are currently putting together their third  “Cancer Can’t Keep A Good Dog Down” Calendar. Starting by collecting photo and stories, which they will publish them online for everyone to see and read. Then the voting begins. Each vote is $1.00 and voting will last for several weeks. The proceeds from the 2011 calendar will again be distributed to university programs and comparative oncology studies, and to continue the educational goals of their own 501c3 organization, 2 Million Dogs.

Here’s how to enter:

Send 1 digital photo per dog. (You may enter more than one dog.) The photo must be a minimum of 500kb resolution. 1 meg resolution is ideal. They accept .jpg and .gifs.

Write a 1 paragraph story about your dog, 1000 characters or less.

Include the name of your dog, your name, and your email and send your submissions to: calendar2011@2dogs2000miles.org. The deadline is, July 31, 2010. If you have any questions, please email: erich@2dogs2000miles.org.

And remember, when dealing with cancer, indeed any kind of illness or injury that might happen to our dogs, remember that they live in the moment, with no fear of the future. It’s up to us to make each one of those moments as happy and as filled with love as we possibly can.

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