Natalie Garcia on her way back to Los Angeles with a rescue dog.

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

Natalie Garcia really loves animals. Sure, you say, don’t we all? But I mean Garcia really loves our four-legged, furry friends – so much so that she recently announced the launch of MaeDay, a labor of love in the form of a non-profit organization committed to helping the homeless animal population, generating awareness of the plight of stray animals and providing education regarding the importance of spaying/neutering animals. The organization focuses its efforts in La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.

While Garcia’s dream of creating MaeDay was just recently realized, she’s been actively involved in independent rescue efforts since 2010, re-homing, rescuing and networking hundreds of animals, a passion borne from the tragic loss of her beloved Maggie Mae.

Maggie Mae was lost after Garcia, who at the time was building her career as a TV and red carpet host, was involved in a rollover car accident. Both Maggie Mae, her companion of five years, and Pistache, a Mexican street dog she had been fostering, escaped before Garcia could pull herself from the wreckage. After a trip to the hospital, Garcia’s full focus turned to searching for the two lost pups.

With the aide of volunteers across Los Angeles and Orange County Pistache was found after five days, smelly and scared, but alive. Sadly, two days later Garcia’s beloved Maggie Mae was found, killed by a train. Garcia took the pain of losing her cherished Maggie Mae, the lessons learned from the week-long search and the insights gained from the healing process and decided to dedicate her life to animal rescue.

From 2010 to 2014, Garcia served as the Chief Animal Officer for Sweet travel, organizing volunteer opportunities, adoption events and spay/neuter clinics in Mexico for the eco-friendly travel company’s guests. Through these efforts, Garcia gained experience working alongside Mexican rescue organizations, finding homes for dozens of Mexican animals.

Garcia’s vision for MaeDay includes sponsoring animal education/awareness programs for children in Mexico, purchasing a large property for housing homeless dogs and cats and establishing biannual spay and neuter clinics in rural parts of Mexico.

Right now, Garcia is busy preparing for a MaeDay’s upcoming benefit photo shoot on June 28. For the event, MaeDay Rescue will pull 20 dogs from high-kill shelters in Los Angeles and photograph them with models and celebrities who have volunteered their support. Currently, Garcia is seeking support for the event in the form of donations, volunteers to assist with the logistics on June 28, a plane ticket to fly a model from New York City to Los Angeles, professional hair and make-up artists and fosters for the 20 dogs who’ll be featured in the photo shoot. For information on how to get involved, visit www.maedayrescue.com.

I was able to talk with Garcia shortly after MaeDay’s launch and learn more about her passion project, how people can get involved in their own communities and why it’s important to adopt rather than buy an animal.

MaeDay is focusing on rescue efforts in the Los Angeles, California, and La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, areas. Given that you’re based in Los Angeles, the connection there makes sense, but why did you choose to focus on the La Ventana area?

I have always had a soft spot for Mexican dogs, since Pistache was my first foster and she and I went through so much due to the accident. Her survival and strength has always inspired me to help her fellow “primos” or cousins in Mexico.

I met many animal rescue connections in the Cancun area through Sweet, but wanted to find somewhere in Mexico that was closer to Los Angeles and made more geographical sense. I met Olivia Withington at the Cozumel shelter a few years back, while volunteering with Sweet. She has since moved to La Ventana, Baja Sur, California to work for her family’s company. She and I have always hit it off and we have the same animal rescue ideas and goals.

Since La Ventana is only about a three hour commute, it made sense. It’s a very small fishing community, with a lot of poverty, which means a lot of animals that are in need. In the last few months Olivia has already done a lot to better the La Ventana community, but was in need of financial, networking and spay/neutering assistance. So we teamed up and MaeDay is raising money and putting together what I hope will be a mini Sweet-like trip where we will take over a small hotel, volunteer at the clinic, have entertainment, give back to a community and, of course, have fun!

We know you’ve been involved in rescue efforts for some time. Do you have a rescue story (or two) that really stand out to you, “favorites,” if you will?

That’s so hard to pick! Seeing sad animals turn into happy souls with healing and love is always a great story to me. But, when I was volunteering at a clinic in Cancun about year ago, there was a very skinny dog outside the clinic who was being scared away by a local with a stick. He could hardly stand, because he was so thin and weak. I had honestly never seen anything so emaciated.

We brought him in and were deciding if we should put him down, because it seemed too late for him. But, I saw a little gleam in his eye and we decided to try and save him. He was too weak to fly to Los Angeles with me, so he stayed at a Cancun rescue and was rehabilitated. MaeDay paid for his care until he was strong enough to fly to Los Angeles.

It took him about a month and he gained weight, became happy and was healthy! We got a donation for his flight and he was on his way. Once he was here, he was like a new dog! He got adopted on my block by a neighbor, so I get to see him every day! Seeing him go from almost dead on the streets of Mexico to living a healthy and happy life in Hollywood is so rewarding.

One of my personal foster dogs, I pulled from an adoption event I was volunteering for in Los Angeles. I networked the dog all afternoon at the adoption event and had someone who wanted her in Pennsylvania. So I took the dog home and was going to keep her a few days, while I organized her flight, etc. I didn’t feel a real connection with this dog, nor was she my “type.” Plus, she was mean – biting pant legs, tearing things up in my house and so on, but I was sending her to Pennsylvania in a few days, so I dealt with it.

In the meantime, I took her to the vet to get a check-up and a flying certificate and the vet found a grade 4 heart murmur. You could visibly see her chest moving with her over-working heart. That was when we realized she was so mean because she was in pain.

Since we couldn’t fly her to Pennsylvania with the heart murmur, we didn’t have many options. We obviously couldn’t take her back to the shelter (her condition is what we think got her in the shelter originally) so now we were stuck with a mean, biting, tearing up, money-draining dog that was going to cost us $3,000 to fix! So we did the right thing and raised some money, then paid the rest for the surgery.

Meanwhile we were still networking her to help her find a home. After she had a routine, the surgery and love, her whole personality changed. She became nice, loving and very grateful. After eight months of surgery after-care and unsuccessful home checks for potential adopters, we kept her. Ironically, she is now our smartest dog. (Don’t tell my others!) It was all meant to be and I believe she found us! It was really neat to see a dog change so much just with love and a stable environment.

We know people can help out by making donations at the MaeDay website – how else can they get involved?

They can get involved by fostering in the Los Angeles area or volunteering for one of our spay/neuter clinics in La Ventana, Mexico. Our next clinic is in mid-October, where people can volunteer at the clinic during the day, doing things like supporting animals as they wake up in recovery, brushing them, clipping nails, de-ticking and de-fleaing them. They’d also be weighing animals to help determine the proper dosing for anesthesia and medication.

When the clinic isn’t going on, we’ll be right on the ocean, which offers opportunities for stand up paddle boarding, kite boarding, canoeing, boating, kayaking, etc. All the food in the town is local. The fish is caught fresh daily and feeds the whole town, from locals to the restaurants. Not only does volunteering help with the La Ventana animal population, but it helps this impoverished community of 1,500 people, who otherwise can’t afford animal care. Check for clinic details on maedayrescue.com starting in June to get details on where to stay, house packages and the clinic schedule.

You can also get involved by escorting a pet or helping us find an escort. For example, if a pet has a home in Oklahoma, but it’s in Los Angeles and you know someone who is traveling from Los Angeles to Oklahoma, you could let us know. it’s all about the escorting animals and networking them. Sharing animal posts online is also a good way to help. Every share, gets that homeless animal seen! If you follow us on Facebook, you can see when we have escort opportunities.

For people who want to help with animal rescue efforts closer to home, what are the best ways for them to get involved?

They can help MaeDay as I mentioned above, but they can also look up a local rescue group and volunteer at an adoption event. Go to your local shelter (ideally high kill), take pictures of animals in need and share their picture. It’s hard for many people to go into the shelter environment, so if you can go in and get some pictures, it helps those people see the animals that are available and learn about their stories.

We all know that many people still prefer to get their pets from breeders or (yikes!!) pet stores. Can you tell our audience why they shouldn’t do that?

First, there’s a saying: “When you buy, a shelter animal will die.” It’s sad, but true. There are so many shelter animals that need homes, so buying an animal that isn’t even born yet and waiting for that specific puppy to be born from a breeder is taking a home away from a dog who is already here and hoping to be saved.

I get that people like a certain “look,” and think some dogs are cuter than others. But, there are always rescues that save those breeds. Plus, for me, I think it’s about the animal connection. I definitely think certain breeds are beautiful, but none of my dogs are those breeds. My dogs found me and it’s like a relationship, you better get along and like each other if you are going to spend the next 10-15+ years together! If we picked our girlfriends like some people picked dogs, it wouldn’t last. I think that one is cute, but I don’t know her personality or likes or if we even get along.

(Sorry, I ranted a bit.) But, if you really need to go to a breeder, make sure you are knowledgeable about the breed and that your lifestyle fits that dog. In my experience, all the rescue dogs I have saved or placed are extremely grateful and know they got a second chance. Since most are mutts, they are very smart and with the great mixes, you get to see their unique qualities.

As far as pet stores or puppy mills, most people don’t know that pet stores are puppy mills. They have a few female dogs that they over-breed to produce cute, cuddly puppies. The females are usually birthing so many puppies that they die, get really bad health problems, etc. The conditions of these facilities are usually not clean and there are many dogs in one small cage. Then the dogs are placed in a fancy window to seem adorable. Unfortunately, the misconception is that people think they are saving the puppies from this place, which, of course, they are, but they’re also supporting an industry that doesn’t really tend to the pets very well at all. If we don’t buy from them, eventually they will go out of business and all the remaining dogs will go to a rescue or shelter. Then the dogs will be saved. So please rescue, rescue, rescue!

Finally, if someone sees a pet on your site up for adoption, but isn’t close to Los Angeles or La Ventana, is there a process by which you can get that pet to them in, say, Boise, Idaho?

Yes, we can always transport animals. Ideally, the adopter would fly to Los Angeles and transport the animal home, but if that isn’t an option we can arrange a pet escort. It’s takes a village to find the perfect home.

Is there anything else we didn’t ask that you’d like to share with our audience?

​Just check out Maedayrescue.com. All the views are a plus and you can donate, spread the word or network animals via social media. Follow us on Instagram @maedayrescue, which is where I post animal-related pictures daily. Follow our MaeDay Rescue Facebook page and come to the October clinic. I will have more details to come!​

You can see some of the fabulous work being done by MaeDay Rescue and their supporters in these videos.

Bark for Baja and MaeDay Clinic — Part 1

Bark for Baja and MaeDay Clinic — Part 2

The post Dogs, cats rejoice: MaeDay to the rescue! first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY TENA PARKER

I regularly get asked questions from dog guardians who are worried about their dog being dominant. (This happens more often than I would like to mention.) They are often genuinely concerned because they’ve either heard a TV personality or a friend say that if their dog does some behavior that the dog is being dominant and trying to take over the role as “alpha.” Some of these may sound ridiculous, but these are actual concerns that have been brought to my attention.

Help! My dog is being dominant by leaning into me and claiming my space. How can I correct that?

If your dog is leaning into you, take it as a compliment. He’s seeking out affection and attention. He is not trying to dominate you – though he is being a little forward in how he is seeking your attention. It’s also probably a matter of the dog repeating a behavior that has been rewarded historically – he’s learned the leaning into you will get ear scratches, butt scratches and general snuggles. If you have a huge dog and a small body and you don’t like the lean, just don’t reward it and cue him to do something else (like a sit) so you can lavish him with cuddles for something other than leaning.

*When leaning, or variations of leaning, could become problematic is if the dog is pushing you away from things more than just leaning in. If you notice that every time you try to sit on the couch your dog blocks your way and pushes you out of the way, it may be more along the lines of resource guarding and not an attention-seeking behavior.

My dog likes to sit on the back of the couch; is he trying to dominate me?

Probably not. The back of the couch is a hot commodity in my house (and a place the Rio has always liked to sit – weird dog). Often, dogs like to sit on the back of the couch to look out of windows, to be able to avoid other animals playing on the ground or as a way to get close to their human if another animal is occupying the cushion next to the person. They aren’t trying to be dominant; they are more likely trying to get a view out of a window or be close to their person.

*This behavior could be problematic if the dog is resource guarding the person they are sitting behind or the couch itself.

My dog likes to sit on my feet or put his head or paws n my lap if I’m sitting down or nudge my hands to get pet. I can’t have him trying to be the alpha; what can I do?

All of these behaviors are attention-seeking behaviors. Your dog likes you and wants to try and be in the same space as you (which can be annoying at times). They are seeking out your affection and physically touching you – they aren’t trying to dominate you. If you like a little bit of space and would prefer your dog not intentionally sitting on your feet or putting their feet in your lap, teach them a “move over” cue or heavily reinforce them for laying down close to you but not on you.

*This behavior could be concerning if it was paired with resource guarding you from other animals or people or if it is a manifestation of separation anxiety.

Someone told me that when my puppy jumps up that he’s trying to be dominant. He jumps on everyone; is he really trying to be dominant?

Dogs jump up for a bunch of reasons. Often, they want to get close to our faces to say hello (what wild canids do when parents return to the area with food, they jump up an lick faces) and the only way to do that is to jump up. They are excited to see us and want to get close to us (again common behavior among young wild canids). And probably most commonly, jumping up is simply a behavior that has been reinforced over time and is a way the dog knows to get attention. While the jumping can be annoying and painful at times, it’s not about dominance.

*Jumping up may be a serious problem if your dog is doing what’s called a “muzzle punch.” A muzzle punch is when a dog forcefully bops into a person with a closed mouth – this typically, though not exclusively, happens when jumping up. A muzzle punch is a distance increasing behavior – ”get away from me!” and a potential precursor to a bite, so it is a concerning behavior (still not dominance).

My brother told me that I had to make my dog walk behind me at all times and go out of all the doors first or else my dog would become dominant and aggressive. Is that true?

No.

Dogs pull on the leash for a few reasons, but the most common is because humans are naturally slow movers. Our normal gait is a walk; theirs is a more efficient trot. This is their cruising speed. Have you ever had to hold the hand of a toddler and walk with them? It’s painfully slow. That’s what your dog feels like as we go out for walks and they would like to go out for a trot. So they are pulling because they are naturally faster than us and they are excited to get out of the house they’ve been stuck in all day. The same concept goes for walking through doors first – they have been stuck in the house all day and are excited to get their 30-60 minute constitutional (so to speak). They aren’t being dominant; they are excited. Both of these non-dominance issues are simply training issues.

*This may be concerning behavior if – well, neither of these have any big concerning things from the dog’s perspective (in terms of a bigger behavior concern). It can be concerning if the safety of the human is being put at risk of being pulled or knocked over or if the safety of the dog is at risk in that the handler can’t hold onto the leash or the dog bolts out doors.

My dog’s tail is always really high and over his back. Someone at the dog park got really upset and told me that it means he’s dominant and shouldn’t be at the park. Is that true?

Many dogs have naturally high tail sets and their tails being raised is nothing alarming at all. Breeds like huskies, malamutes, shih tzus, shar peis and shiba inus all have tails that are tall and curled over their backs naturally and breeds like beagles, fox hounds, many pointers and terriers like the airedale can all have tails that are often quite vertical. Rio has a very low natural tail set but his tail is often high and curled over his back when he is excited, really happy, hanging with doggie friends at the farm and hunting. A tall tail alone is not alarming and certainly isn’t automatically a sign of dominance.

*A high tail can be problematic when there are other concerning body language features as well. Very high tail, stiff body, and a staccato (fast/flagging) tail wag can be problematic, but it’s not instantly a sign of dominance. Shayne used to be nervous and insecure around other dogs and one of her body language pieces is a tall, stiff and flagging tail. It’s not a good sign, but it’s not dominance either.

So there you have it. Those are the most frequent dominance questions I get asked. Don’t get hung up on some label that doesn’t even really apply to the species in the way that people are trying to use it. Describe the behavior, learn to interpret the behavior, and then figure out the function of that behavior (what is the dog getting out of it). From that point you can figure out what your dog means by it.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Dominant or not: Should you be worried about your dog’s behavior? first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY TENA PARKER

Believe it or not, I find that leashes very frequently become weights holding back the potential for training. The more one relies on the leash during the beginning stages of training, the more it hinders training at higher levels.

Yes, of course, leashes are often necessary for safety’s sake and for the law, but they often get in the way of teaching reliable behaviors without the leash. The number of dogs I see who behave beautifully on leash and who are less than stellar off leash is pretty large.

There are three big issues I generally see as a result of leashes holding back training. Dogs learn that there is no chance for punishment without the leash attached (this is with people who use leash corrections), dogs learn that a tight leash is required to respond to cues, and humans rely on using the leash to gain their dog’s attention.

For handlers who utilize punishment, like leash pops, early in the training (not just for proofing), it is very easy to create dogs who are super leash savvy. When the leash is on they are perfect angels, but as soon as the leash comes off, they become crazy monsters.

They quickly learn that if the leash is on they have to respond or they will get a leash pop, but once the leash is off, that they have no reason to respond.

This is an incredibly dangerous side effect of using physical punishment during training. If there is a malfunction and Fido somehow ends up off leash and loose, they take advantage of being off leash and do not reply to cues. The only reason the dog responds to cues is due to the threat of punishment. When that threat is gone, they no longer respond.

Many handlers new to my class have to work through keeping their hands quiet and not pulling up on the leash as part of the cue. If they cue their dog to sit, many will automatically tighten the leash. It’s not a leash pop, but just a tightening of the leash. They often do this lovely contortion dance where they lift the leash hand up and out from their body, as if holding up a disgusting dirty sock away from their body. Because the tight leash happens each time, they give a cue. The dog starts to learn that the tightening of the leash is part of the cue. What results is that the dog struggles to perform the behaviors reliably without having a tight leash, which is the opposite of what most of them want. Most of them want a dog who doesn’t pull on the leash.

I’m glad to say that this last one is something I have not seen quite as much of in the last few months, though I’m sure it may come back again. Up until recently, I frequently had to mention not using the leash as an attention getting tool.

Handlers would leash pop or jangle the leash to make the tags make noises as a way to regain their dogs focus. This really undermines the training the handlers need to work on for focus. I mean, what time is it imperative that you are able to gain your dog’s focus? In my mind, it’s most important when they are off leash and at quite the distance. If handlers rely on using a leash to gain focus, how are they supposed to gain the focus when their dog is off leash? Again, it’s setting the dog up to fail, when the dog is required to perform off leash.

Leashes may be required by law, but here are a few ways you can minimize its effect on your training so it does not become a crutch or a hindrance.

• Use a hands-free leash. Keeping your hands off the leash prevents you from inadvertently tightening, pulling or popping the leash. It also requires you to be more connected with your dog in terms of better communication and focusing on using other methods to control your dog.

• Use a long line. This is a great next step for working towards off-leash reliability. Since you are working with a long line, tightening the leash or giving a leash pop is more difficult. It requires a bit more work than the hands-free leash because the dog has more space to roam, but it’s a great tool to make a handler really work with their dog.

• Focus on keeping a J Leash or a leash with lots of slack in it. Sometimes, you may get wrapped up in the training and forget your technique, having a trainer there to help point out mistakes can be incredibly helpful. You can always use a video recorder to film your session and to play back. It’s not as good as instant feedback, but it can give you really helpful information in terms of how you use your leash.

I really encourage you to take a moment to rig up a hands-free leash and go for a walk. How much do you rely on your leash to keep your pup with you and / or gain compliance. How much harder did you have to work to keep Fido with you?

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Unleash your dog’s potential first appeared on Lesbian.com.

No, I’m not talking about your dog, I’m talking about you. If I could give students of any dog a handful of “words of wisdom,” this would surely be one of them: Be proactive. Don’t wait until your dog does the unwanted behavior, don’t wait until someone reaches for your dog to say “don’t pet” and don’t allow bad behavior as a puppy because it’s “cute.” Being proactive prevents problems. Yes, that’s quite the sweeping statement, but it is accurate in many (though not all) situations.

When we wait to react to behavior, that behavior will have already been repeated, practiced, and patterned in. Yes, you may have given feedback on that behavior, but it was rehearsed nonetheless. By the time we react to behavior, it is simply too late.

When I’m dealing with an annoying (though no dangerous or concerning) problematic behavior like barking or jumping, I work hard to be proactive in the training. I set the dog up in a situation to be successful so I can reward them before they offer the unwanted behavior. So when working on jumping up, during training sessions, I will control the arousal level of the situation to where the dog is excited by not quite jumping up and will be clicking and treating any instance of the dog keeping feet on the floor. As the dog is successful, I will increase the arousal level of the exercise and continue to click and treat for any four on the floor. I’m not waiting for the dog to jump up and reacting to the jump, I’m setting up situations where the dog is slightly more likely to keep their feet on the ground than jump up and I’m rewarding (rapid fire) for four feet on the ground. I will react if I fail and the dog jumps up, but my goal is always to approach the situation proactively.

If I’m out at a busy canine event with Shayne, I am not waiting for her to bark, lunge or growl before I react. I am proactively approaching the situation by keeping her thinking and working or rewarding all of her good choices that she is making with regards to the other dogs.

If I see her get into a sticky situation that she may end up going down the wrong path, I’m going to step in. If I see impending doom, even if it’s not a sure thing, I’m going to help. If I see a loose dog rushing us, I’m not going to “wait and see” what happens and then react to the brouhaha created. I’m going see the loose dog and act proactively by either getting out of the situation (if possible), yelling to (maybe at) the owner to leash their dog, or throw treats at the dog while I shove food in Shayne’s face and walk away. If I’m confident that Shayne will hold herself together, I will let her do her thing, but the first sight of potential doom and I’m stepping in to help.

When I was raising puppy Rio, I was working hard to prepare him for the future. I wanted to be proactive in my approach to set him up to be the dog that I wanted as an adult (while not missing out on his puppyhood or silly puppy antics). I didn’t want a puppy who was fearful in the world, so I worked hard to prevent that from happening by socializing him appropriately. I wanted an adult dog who would be focused on me and pay attention to me so I worked hard to create a puppy who wanted to work with me and wanted to focus on me, even in very distracting environments. If I weren’t proactive in my approach with raising the type of puppy I wanted to have as an adult, I’d likely be forced to go back and fix issues that I let develop from puppy Rio. If I had let puppy Rio build other dogs as being more valuable than working with me, that is a behavior I’d have to fix later.

What is something you are proactive with your dog about (or something that you wish you had been proactive about)?

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Don’t be reactive: Training you to train your dog first appeared on Lesbian.com.

I share my home with Shayne, Rio, Bandit (my mom’s dog), Panther, Monty and Jefferson — plus the occasional foster dog. It can be a bit much in terms of the number of critters that share the space but I am extremely fortunate that managing this bunch is actually pretty simple. There are many homes and situations with multiple pets/dogs that require different degrees of management to run smoothly.

When talking about multi-pet homes, there is no one-size-fits-all picture of what a home should look like. Depending on all the individuals involved, each house will look different. One is not any better than the other — they are just different and suited to each individual set of pets.

When there only the six resident animals are in my house, the level of management is pretty low. With the exception of one incident between Shayne and Panther a year ago (in a very specific circumstance that is strictly managed), there has not been a single scuffle, snark or concerning incident between anyone. There are very rare (once with Shayne and once with Rio) moments of yucky face resource-guarding over food items but it has never escalated beyond a snarly face and small growl.

When I am home, all the critters have access to one another. The dogs can all have resources together (though they go to separate areas on their own), they have access to toys/chews and they come and go as they please. The cats have wall shelves, cat towers, window perches and a gated off area so they can always get out of the way of the dogs if it gets rowdy. I manage the play level and don’t allow picking on anyone but it’s pretty harmonious.

Although they live completely peacefully when I’m home, I still have a very low-level management routine in place for when they are left unattended. Since they have never had any scuffles or issues, the dogs are left unattended together in a gated off section of the house. The cats have access to the dogs’ area but most of their favorite sleeping spots are outside of the area so they aren’t together too much when we are not home. Even though there have never been any indications of problems, there is still risk in leaving six animals together unattended. Given that there has never been so much as a serious disagreement between them the risk is low, but it still exists.

The risk for issues is drastically greater when there are foster (or new) dogs in play. These dogs are new to the mix and do change the dynamics of the group. All but one of my foster dogs were with me for more than three months–some as long as seven months. All of the dogs, except for Linus because of his separation anxiety, were left separated from the rest of the animals when they were unattended. There was too much risk of a fight happening with the unknown dog in the mix to leave dogs together (even if they had been with me for six months).

Anything can happen when dogs are left unattended — disputes over couch space, toys, beds or even just floor space can quickly escalate into a disastrous fight (remember these are predators who have powerful mouths full of sharp teeth). These things can happen even if there had never been a big issue seen when they were supervised. (The fact that the humans are home changes the dynamics.)

As previously mentioned, there are many homes that require a higher level of management to keep everyone safe and happy. Some homes only function on a strict separation protocol when left alone — all dogs are crated or securely separated from other dogs/cats in the home. Some homes may even have this type of separation protocol for when the dogs are simply unattended — if you are in the shower or in the garage/basement working, the animals are separated. There are some situations where only certain dogs must be completely separated but others can be left alone together. Perhaps it’s only a matter of separating the dogs and the cats when left alone.

It all will vary and depend on the individual dogs and the specific situations. I take into account the history of the dogs (any disagreements/scuffles/fights), how long they have been together, any known behavioral problems, size differences, breeds and general vibe in the house when I’m choosing what type of management is needed when dogs are left unattended.

Here are some situations and how I would personally manage them. (Others may handle the situations differently and each situation is individual and details not included in the snapshot of info might change things.)

A household with three adult dogs who have been with each other for years. One of the dogs has a history of resource guarding toys, trash or couch space. The guarding hasn’t result in serious injuries but there have been some physical disagreements.

I would not be leaving these three dogs alone in the house together. The risk of things escalating without me there to step in quickly would be a risk that I wasn’t willing to take. Since the dog who resource guards does so with a wide variety of resources, it’s not as simple as leaving them without food items. If there was a single dog who was resource guarding, I may crate or gate that dog separately and let the other two hang out, or I may separate all three. With three dogs in the house, when two dogs get into it, many other dogs would jump in on the melee and gang up on the weaker dog which can result in serious injury or death of a beloved pet.

A household with two dogs — one is a dog who was adopted/purchased a few months ago. After a rough several days immediately after adding the new dog (no injuries, just some posturing), the dogs have seemed fine together. No known issues of resource guarding.

I would not leave a newly adopted dog home alone together with the resident dog. It can take newly adopted/purchased dogs 2 – 4 months to fully settle into a home, let alone be trusted with the resident dog. Add to that concern the fact that it sounds like the initial introduction wasn’t necessarily ideal I would be even more cautious. (I would have suggested a two-week shut down for the newly adopted dog, instead of going right to meeting the resident dog.) I would make sure to have both dogs separated when I was not home to monitor interactions. Puppy Rio had been with me for about five or six months before being left alone with Shayne (with no history of any issues between the two).

Two dog household with adult dogs of similar size and two cats in the house. These dogs have lived together for years. While they are typically good together, they have a history of a few disagreements that resulted in some minor injuries — maybe a few minor lacerations to the face or maybe a torn ear needing stitches. Both dogs love the cats and there have been no problems between dog and cats.

Although they are fine together most of the time, the fact that there is a history of scuffles/fights that led to blood being drawn would lead me to make sure both dogs are separated from one another when left alone in the house. There is a good chance that the prior scuffles were quickly broken up when I stepped in — if I wasn’t there to step in who knows how fast they would escalate and what type of damage could be done. Since both dogs have shown no problems with the cats, I would be comfortable letting the cats roam as long as the dogs were separated.

A home with three dogs of varying ages. One of the dogs is either old, frail, deaf, blind, ill, injured or fearful/anxious/insecure. None of the dogs have a history of any concerning behaviors with another resident dog.

I would be separating the old, frail, deaf, blind, ill, injured or fearful (etc.) dog from the others (assuming the other two have no history of concerning behaviors, they would be left together). Dogs that are deaf or blind can have an exaggerated startle response that could lead to a fight in any number of situations–these responses can be totally out of the blue and contrary to the normal group vibe. Fearful, anxious, or insecure dogs can easily overreact to situations that don’t warrant a high response–another dog barks or growls in their sleep while dreaming and the fearful dog reacts defensively causing an issue. Dogs that are old, frail, ill or injured may be more defensive because they know they are not ‘well’ or they can be easy pickings for the other dogs if something were to spark a disagreement or spark an increase in arousal/stress level (door bell rings, car back-fires, thunder storm, etc).

The most important thing to remember is that there is risk involved when leaving animals alone together. The risk in some situations is pretty low but the risk in others is pretty high. Dogs are capable of seriously injuring or even killing other dogs/cats in the home–if things go wrong, they can go really wrong. It is extremely important that pet owners are making safe and educated decisions on the management protocol in the house. You have to set a management protocol for the dogs/cats that you have, not necessarily for a house full of perfect Lassies. I’d love to be able to give the dogs full run of the whole upstairs in my house, but the fact is I have two dogs who are food hounds that will extreme counter surf and open doors to get into things — so, because of their history they are gated into a few rooms that have no food in them.

It’s okay if a more strict management plan is needed to assure all the dogs/cats remain safe–it’s not a reflection of you as an owner or your dogs as animals.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

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We all know there are benefits to having a dog. What’s better than coming home to a furry bundle of unconditional love after a hard day at work? But beyond the obvious companionship perks, studies have shown that people who own a dog benefit in many other ways that improve their overall quality of life.

Stress reduction/mood elevation

Chronic stress can increase your risk of a number of health problems, ranging from heart disease to cancer. But having Fido around the house can significantly reduce stress levels. Research has shown that playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine — nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties. And simply petting your dog can improve your mood, as well.

Socialization

There are few better “chick magnets” than a dog. Whether you’re at the dog park or sitting outside a coffee shop with your pup by your side, women are bound to talk to you. And conversing about your canine is an easy way to start a discussion with that cute girl in the vet’s office.

Allergy prevention/immunity boosting

Recent research has shown that that children who live in a home with a pet during their first year of life are more likely to be healthier, compared with kids who don’t live in a pet-owning household. Growing up with a dog in the home is thought to stimulate the immune system, reducing the likelihood of ear infections, respiratory tract infections and allergies.

Exercise motivation

Finding the time — or motivation — to exercise can be tough. But your four-legged furbaby isn’t going to walk himself. Having a dog compels you to get some exercise, even if it’s just a quick walk to the end of the block a few times a day. The daily dose of fresh air and cardio can do wonders for your health.

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That special connection you feel with your dog is all in your mind — quite literally. A brand new and innovative Hungarian study compared human and dog brains in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner and discovered some surprising similarities when it comes to the area of the brain that processes vocal information. In a nutshell, what they found was that dogs and humans process and respond similarly to vocalizations, including speech, suggesting that people who talk to their dogs aren’t total weirdos. Dog owners will be pleased to hear that after thousands of years of cohabitation!

Numerous researchers have looked at how dogs respond to human vocalizations, with some research being done vice-versa as well (other species, such as the cat, have also been profiled: for example, a recent study showed that cats vocalize in a range similar to human infants to get attention from their people). While researchers agree that dogs cannot understand human speech, they definitely respond to it, and can learn basic voice commands. Dogs also appear responsive to vocalizations like crying or laughter, indicating that they can understand emotions among their human companions.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

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Working in a veterinarian’s office isn’t the only job that lets you interact with animals at work. A growing number of companies are allowing employees to bring their dogs to work. Currently, about 17 percent of U.S. companies allow pets in the workplace, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPA), and bringing dogs to work is more than just an indulgence — employees can actually benefit from the presence of man’s best friend.

Less Stress

Pet owners often worry about leaving their dogs at home unattended while they’re at work. It’s easy to imagine that bringing Fido to the office would lower the stress level of a dog owner, and a Virginia Commonwealth University study found that employees who are accompanied by their dog actually produce lower levels of cortisol, a stress-induced hormone. The presence of their dog forces people to get outside even for a few minutes instead of sitting at their desk all day, letting stress build.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

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Although trick-or-treat night is a time to protect your pet from strangers and stressful situations, you and your dog can still enjoy Halloween.

If your dog is sociable and likes kids, gets along well with other dogs, and is comfortable wearing a costume, then check out local pet parades and costume contests. Such events are part of many Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Festivals, and special community activities sponsored by pet-related retail establishments.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

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Sergeant Kenneth Chambers was playing Frisbee with his dog in the parking lot of a Jacksonville, Florida grocery store recently when lightening struck out of the clear blue sky. The young American veteran, in recovery for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), rolled down the car windows and placed his Australian Shepard/Blue Heeler Mix inside the vehicle just briefly while he went inside to help his mother with the bags. When he came out moments later, Adalida was gone.

Unfortunately for Sergeant Chambers, and for Adalida, the parking lot scenario placed them in two of the top five high-risk situations for pet theft. And while Sergeant Chamebers’ search continues for Adalida, there are measures that all of us can take to prevent a similar tragedy.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

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