Adorable Dog Name Battleship Looking for His Forever Home – Please Share His Story

Sharing from Umbrella of Hope:

“For the...soul is virtually indestructible, and its ability to rise from the ashes remains as long as the body draws breath.”

― Alice Miller

Sometimes the dogs we take into our rescue have every reason to be mean or shy or unsure of people. Sometimes they have been failed so many times for so long no one would fault them for having trust issues with us.

Battleship has EVERY reason to be shy, scared and aloof. As shown in the 4th picture below, he was allowed to live in SQUALOR. His fur was so matted and full of trash, it was pulling sores on his skin. It had been a LONG time since he had been properly groomed or even bathed. He had not seen a vet in a long time. He had a skin condition and rotting teeth.

But Battleship LOVES people. He is sweet and gentle and good. He loves to cuddle and he loves to give kisses. He is a gentleman and knows his house, leash and crate manners. He is good with kids and all other animals. He is a perfect dog and he holds no grudges. He is so thankful to be clean and groomed and have clean teeth and a warm place to sleep. He has risen above his past.

This 13-year-old, 20 lb Poodle will require a very special home who does not mind that he can't see very well and that he takes daily medication. He will be on medicated shampoo for the next month or so until his hair grows back in but he is not contagious and he LOVES baths. He really needs your help to help him find a forever family to love him throughout his senior years who will give him the life he deserves -- the life that matches his wonderful attitude.

Please email us at beourpet@gmail.com to set up a time to meet him. Or help us get him seen by more people.

‪#‎battleshipthepoodle, ‪#‎startastoryadopt, ‪#‎seniorpetsrock, ‪#‎shelterpetlove, ‪#‎seniordogsrock

Website: Umbrella of Hope

Service Dog Etiquette: When a Service Dog Has a Vest on in Public with Its Disabled Handler, it is Working

When a Service Dog has a vest on or is in public with its disabled handler (or trainer), it is working, even if it appears as though it is not. Distracting a Service Dog by making noises, offering food, water, toys or petting may be dangerous to the dog’s disabled handler, especially if the dog is a medical alert dog or brace/mobility support dog. Many handlers have “invisible disabilities,” such as diabetes, hearing loss or other symptoms not readily apparent and if a Service Dog is paying attention to someone who’s distracting her, she’s not doing her job for her handler.

How to Behave Around a Service Dog

Service dogs are all around us and this is truly a wonderful thing. They can help people to open and close doors, retrieve dropped items from the floor, walk across the street, and retrieve medication from a refrigerator, as well as a variety of other tasks. Each dog is tailor trained to meet the specific needs of their handler. And yet many of us still do not know how to properly interact with these fascinatingly furry helpers. Here are six etiquette tips to remember the next time you encounter a service dog.

Speaking to the Service Dog Team

That's right, the service dog and its handler are a team. And should you want to approach a service dog team, please speak to the person first. Speaking, touching, or making rude noises to the dog may only confuse him or her.

Petting the Service Dog

It may be tempting to pet or touch the service dog, but only do so after receiving permission from the dog's handler. Moreover, don't be insulted if your request is denied. Releasing the dog in order to greet you may distract his or her attentiveness to the handler.

Feeding the Service Dog

Do not offer a service dog food or dog treats. Even though service dogs are trained to ignore food on the ground and not beg for treats, your offerings may serve as a distraction for the dog. Besides, you can't be sure that the dog food or treat you are offering will not inadvertently cause the dog to become sick.

Interactions with Your Dog

If you have a dog with you, do not let him or her approach the service dog without first consulting with the handler. This can distract the service dog and, despite his or her training, may lead to an unwanted altercation between the animals.

Asking Personal Questions

Asking the handler about his or her disability is impolite and an intrusion of privacy. You should also never assume an animal is not a service dog if he or she does not wear a vest, patch, or any other item that would identify the dog as a service dog. This is not required by U.S. federal law.

The Boston City Council Unanimously Approved a Ban Wednesday on Pet Stores Selling Animals from Commercial Breeders

The Boston City Council unanimously approved a ban Wednesday on pet stores selling dogs, cats, or rabbits from commercial breeders in an attempt to prevent the sale of animals bred in unsafe conditions.

The ordinance, dubbed the “puppy mill bill,” was signed into law by Mayor Martin J. Walsh and will apply to stores in Boston, according to an administration spokeswoman, Bonnie McGilpin.

There are no pet stores in the city that sell puppies or kittens from commercial breeders, according to Councilor Matt O’Malley of Jamaica Plain, who proposed the initiative. But at least one chain of pet stores that sells commercially bred animals wanted to expand in the city, O’Malley said.

There are no pet stores in the city that sell puppies or kittens from commercial breeders, according to Councilor Matt O’Malley of Jamaica Plain, who proposed the initiative. But at least one chain of pet stores that sells commercially bred animals wanted to expand in the city, O’Malley said.

“This is a very important piece of legislation that goes after the inhumane factories known as puppy mills,” O’Malley said. “It will also prohibit the sale of dogs on the street corner or in parking lots.”

A similar ban has been enacted in more than 120 other cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, O’Malley said.

In Boston, pet shops can still work with animal shelters or rescue agencies to help customers adopt pets. People can also purchase animals directly from breeders.

The ordinance will make one exception, for Jim Gentile, owner of the Pet Shop in Allston. Gentile will be allowed to continue breeding rabbits until 2017. He did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment.

Last month, Gentile told the Globe the ban would “drive a business out of the city of Boston.”

“The reason I’ve been around [so long] is that I sell animals, and I’m good at it,” said Gentile, who has owned the shop 41 years.

Animal rights activists hailed the vote as a victory.

“We’re really excited that Boston continues to be a leader in animal protection,” said Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

  

City of Boston Ordinance on Pet Shop and Roadside sales

Adorable Video of Dog Walking Same Pace as Owner Using a Walker

When it comes to going out on walks dogs get super excited. Most of them just want to run out the door and while some dog are very well leash-trained and walk perfectly next to their owners, some others just drag us down the block.

The dog in this video loves to go on walks, but we think what he enjoys the most is walking with his best friend. His owner is an elderly man who uses a walker and as you can see he doesn’t walk at a fast pace. This doesn’t bother the dog, he walks ahead, sniffs around and always looks back to check on his best friend. How adorable!

See the Effects on a Dog After Ingesting Medical Marijuana

A poor pooch was stoned after it ate a Rice Krispy treat made with marijuana.

The Siberian Husky couldn’t get his tongue back in his mouth or stand on his own.

Videos of similarly stoned dogs have been posted on YouTube and show what happens when dogs accidently eat food laced with pot.

Now that medical marijuana is legal in 23 states, pot-infused edibles are more common than ever and scenarios with dogs getting high are also more common.

No one knows that better than Sam Smeltzer, whose 10-year-old dog, Rasko, ate some of Sam’s medical marijuana-infused coconut oil that dripped on the floor.

He told Inside Edition: “Suddenly I hear licking, and I was like ‘Oh no!’”

After about an hour, Rasko was stoned and stumbling around.

Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Werber says if your dog ingests pot, call your vet because there's a good chance they overdid it.

“They're not going (to) look at the plate of brownies and say: ‘Let me see, I think I should only have one.’ They're all gone, and that's the problem. They don't know when to say ‘enough.’”

Central Florida Family Shocked When They Discovered an Alligator in Their Swimming Pool

A Central Florida family experienced quite the shock when they discovered an alligator in their backyard swimming pool.

The Lakeland homeowner got home around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and went out to his backyard, where he noticed bubbles coming up to the surface of the water, according to Craig Lear.

When he realized a gator was in the pool, he called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Lear said. They sent a trapper to safely remove it.

The home is located on Osprey Landing Drive in the Eagle Brooke Golf Course subdivision.

Co-Founder of Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary Visits an Animal Shelter in Israel: Ends Up Buying the Entire Shelter

Danielle Eden is no stranger to hell.

She usually brings a few dogs back from there.

As co-founder of Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, she has visited countless animal shelters throughout the world. And often she would bring dogs in the most dire circumstances back to the rescue's own rolling 50-acre property in King, Ontario.

But she wasn't prepared for what awaited her at a shelter she visited in Israel last January.

Every last dog was in desperate straits.

"This is the worst shelter she had ever seen," Clare Forndran, media director for Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, tells The Dodo.

More than 250 dogs were squeezed into a space designed for just 70. Rats abounded. Many of the dogs had spent years there. Every bit of bread flung into a kennel was an invitation to brawl.

"Dogs were literally fighting over a loaf of bread," Forndran says. "There were more rats than dogs."

Indeed, dead rats, mingled with live rats, who mingled with dogs who had been eking out an existence there for years.

Once she surveyed this sordid scene, Eden couldn't choose which dogs would have a chance at new lives in Canada. They were all living in abject misery.

So she decided to buy the entire shelter.

Since then, Dog Tales has taken responsibility for all 250 dogs. Over the last two months, it managed to relocate 90 within Israel. Another 25 have made the journey to the Ontario sanctuary.

And 150 remain. But that shelter is undergoing a transformation thanks to a team in Israel assigned the task of making it habitable, while veterinarians administer to the animals' immediate health concerns.

The goal is to bring all of the remaining dogs to Canada.

And that mission is already off to a promising start. Among the early 25 arrivals, more than half have already been adopted.

Their diet no longer consists of bread. They are learning to trust again.

Want to help? Consider signing up to give one of them a forever home. Visit Dog Tales' adoption page HERE. 

Op-Ed: PETA’s Shelter Euthanized 72% Of Its Animals Last Year - That’s A Problem And It Needs To Change

PETA runs a shelter at its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where most animals who come in don’t make it out alive.

The figures have been released for how many animals died there in 2015. They prove — once again — that it’s past time for that shelter’s practices to change, or for the shelter to shut down altogether.

Well, at least the killing’s gone down a little in the last year.

According to a statement the nonprofit put out on Friday, PETA euthanized 1,502 dogs, cats and other animals in 2015 at the nonprofit’s only animal shelter.

PETA’s shelter took in 2,063 animals in total in 2015, according to another statement. That means 72.8 percent of the animals who came into the shelter were euthanized.

(We don’t have the breakdown yet for how many of these are cats, dogs, or others.)

That’s less than in 2014. According to self-reported figures filed with Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 3,017 came into the shelter, of which 2,455 animals were killed — a kill rate of 81.3 percent.

This all may come as a surprise to you if you are someone who isn’t already familiar with PETA’s controversial shelter. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I first began reporting on — and trying to make sense of — the nonprofit’s strikingly high kill rate a couple of years ago.

What I’ve come to understand, after all this time, is that PETA’s approach to companion animals, to pets, doesn’t actually make sense — unless you hold the perverse belief, which I do not, that many animals should die to be saved.

Take that PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals!– is part of a terrible anti-Pit Bull coalition. PETA also encourages the killing of feral cats.

To read more on this story, click here: Op-Ed: PETA’s Shelter Euthanized 72% Of Its Animals Last Year. That’s A Problem And It NeedsTo Change.