Pet Airways, the first-ever all-pet airline, took its inaugural flight on Tuesday from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y. According to the airlines the four legged “pawsengers” fly in the cabins and “a trained pet attendant monitors onboard animals.” Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities — New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. To find out more please click HERE.

A dog missing from Texas for five months is found 1,800 miles from home, in Ohio. Watch video HERE.

Dr. Benjamin Ealing at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic has begun using a new stem cell therapy treatment to help in the treatment of canine arthritis. So far, Dr. Ealing has used this new stem cell treatment successfully in 13 dogs and has helped improve the quality of life for canine’s suffering from arthritis. To read more please click HERE.

A friend asked me about how to pick “the right dog” out at the shelter. I decided to write about it here because if one person is wondering… others are wondering too. There’s a lot of talk about picking “the right dog.” It’s like when women talk about men as “the one.” Is he “THE ONE?” Well my friends, I’m going to tell you exactly how to pick “the right dog.”

I’m not going to talk about puppies because I’m not into puppies. I’m into dogs. If you get a puppy you can kiss your carpets and your shoes goodbye. You’re on your own. You have my sympathy. I had a friend who wanted to adopt a dog and instead she fell victim to the first cute puppy she saw… she called me every day for two weeks crying about things the puppy had destroyed, it kept her up all night, peed all over the floor, chewed the rugs, sofa and ate a huge chunk out of the back seat of her car when she ran into a store. The puppy grew up and they are very happy together but she told me that she’d never get a puppy again. My passion is rescuing dogs.

Most people know what kind of dog they want… you probably know what size you’re looking for and what breeds you’re attracted to, so I’m not going to go over how to pick what size or breed. That’s your job.

Now I’m just going to write about what I personally look for in a dog. I’m not an expert and I am not a dog trainer or expert in anyway. I do however have two dogs of my own and have fostered 6 dogs this year alone. I’ve had a lot of dogs in my lifetime. My friends are always telling me that I have the best dogs, and asking me to help them pick their next dog. Am I just lucky? Do I have some magic power when it comes to picking dogs?

Part of it is luck and part of it is that I know what I’m attracted to in a dog. I like mellow dogs. I don’t want to be jumped on. I’m not into fluffy dogs, or dogs that bark too much. My friend Billy loves cute little yippy dogs and that’s great. They need love too. Just not my thing.

I’m not afraid of a shy dog. Some of my greatest dogs have come to me shy and scared. Being at a shelter is very traumatic. Imagine being arrested in a foreign airport where you don’t speak the language and then being shoved in a small cement cell with three other people and no toilet. Imagine having to pee and poop on the floor and then stand there smelling it all day. Then imagine some stranger comes into your cell smiling and touching you and wants you to dance for them. You don’t know why you’re there. You don’t know if you’ll ever get out. You don’t know what anyone is saying. You don’t know what this person wants from you and you have no idea what they are asking you to do. That’s how dogs feel at the shelter. So just because a dog isn’t all smiles and kisses and wagging his/her tail doesn’t mean that he/she won’t make a great pet.

Avoid dogs that bite (of course), jump up on you (unless you like that kind of thing), bark at you (unless you like that), pee on you (I had a dog pee on me twice at an adoption event. No thank you.) I personally don’t like dogs that seem too needy. I just know that I am not the kind of person who is going to be able to give that dog the attention it is going to need. I actually like dogs who are just mellow and mind their own business. You have to pick the right dog for your personality, so if you are a mellow person, don’t get the dog that’s jumping around. You aren’t going to have the energy to take care of that dog, trust me on this.

Before you get your dog, get a dog training book and here’s the trick… READ THE ENTIRE BOOK FROM COVER TO COVER BEFORE YOU GET YOUR DOG. Don’t wait for a problem to come up to start trying to figure out how to solve it. You should be ready for whatever problems come your way, and know how to handle them BEFORE they actually come up. This will make your life much easier. My favorite book on dog training is by the Monks of New Skete http://www.newsketemonks.com/dogs.htm

Watch as many episodes of The Dog Whisperer as you can http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/dogwhisperer/ that way you will be ready for anything and know how to handle the situation. It’s critical to react properly the first time the problem arises.

Google is your friend. If you don’t know how to handle something… google it. Reach out, make calls, contact the Animal Advocates Alliance. People will help you with your new dog. You are not alone. You are part of a huge community of animal lovers and dog rescuers.

When you first bring your dog home use a dog crate. When you go to bed, or if you go out, put the dog in the crate. It’s the nicest thing you can do for your dog. He/she can’t get into any trouble in a crate and you won’t come home to any messes. It’s a wonderful thing. Fill your dogs crate with toys and treats. Never use the crate for punishment. The crate should be a place of love and security. The crate should be a place they want to go to and feel safe in.

In the first days that you bring your dog home you will want to take lots of walks. Every 3 – 4 hours. The minute you wake up, pop that leash on that dog and hit the streets. Even a potty trained dog may be confused in a new environment and you want the dog to understand that the facilities are outside, not inside.

You see, I’m not as big a believer in picking out “the right dog” as I am in being “the right owner.” So stop focusing on “the right dog” and how to pick it… from this minute on your job is to become the “right owner,” the kind of owner than can handle just about anything that might happen with your new pet. The kind of owner who could handle any dog. You can do all the preparing you want and it’s all going to go out the window when you see a dog you love, and you’re not going to be able to see all a dogs problems in a few minutes at the shelter. I think my success with dogs lies in the fact that I believe I can handle any dog and that any doggie problem can be overcome… any bad behavior can be fixed or unlearned. You can do this. Whatever dog you pick is going to be the right dog for you.

So be the right owner, and with a few rare exceptions, you will find the right dog. Trust me on that

I know I mostly write about dogs but I also have two cats. So I thought I’d include something for the cat lovers out there. I read this article (see the link below) about how our cats control us with their meows. I don’t find this the least bit shocking. When my cats meow, I jump up to see what they need and give it to them immediately. 90% of the time, it’s because they are staring at an empty food dish.

Ready more about this interesting series of experiments here…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090713/sc_livescience/catsdocontrolhumansstudyfinds

Joni Taylor’s family was evicted from their home in Venice, California when she was just fifteen years old. Now in her fifties, she still recalls the pain of having to leave the family cats behind to fend for themselves. In order to prevent others from having to do the same due to the recent economic downturn, Joni has started a food bank for dogs in her current city of Portland, Oregon. To read the full article, click HERE.

According to the Justice Department, federal authorities arrested approximately 30 people and seized as many as 350 dogs in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history, which spanned six states. Dogfighting is banned throughout the United States and is a felony in all 50 states. To learn more click HERE.

Wanna take your doggie out for a tasty treat? Well you might want to hit the Park Bench Cafe in Huntington Beach. The cafe opened in 1988 and in 1995 they expanded their menu to include menu items for your pooch.

http://www.parkbenchcafe.com/

You and your four legged friend will love the outdoor park setting and your little pal will make lots of new friends and enjoy delicious dishes… take a look at the doggie menu!

A trend towards higher adoption rates and reduced euthanizations have inspired hope that the nation’s shelters could become “no kill” in as early as five years.  While this may seem optimistic to those of us in the rescue community, statistics in some cities show signification progress towards phasing out euthanizations except for ill, injured or very aggressive animals.  Indeed, programs emphasizing adoptions, in addition to programs designed to keep pets with their owners, such as pet food banks and animal behavior training classes, are enabling shelters like the Richmond SPCA to reduce the number of animals impounded and euthanized to 19%.  Notwithstanding the progress observed in the nation’s cities, however, many areas in the midwest – particularly rural communities – have little or no access to animal-related services. Read more HERE.