Fetch! Pet Care - An Alternative to Kennels

More and more pet owners are opting for alternatives to traditional kenneling. They are frequently turning to in-home based service providers such as Fetch! Pet Care. After reading the following story and summary of scientific research on problems with kennel housing, it should become apparent why so many pet owners are opting for kenneling alternatives.

Many years ago, we left Taylor (our Basenji, who is pictured above and on the left) in a kennel. It was a rather nice, clean kennel with friendly staff. It was even owned and operated by local veterinarians. When we picked up Taylor after her kennel stay, she had diarrhea and behaved as if she had experienced something very traumatic. She was exceptionally clingy and even trembling. She also appeared to be extra sensitive to noises in the environment and seemed to sleep much more than usual. Presumably, she was clingy because she didn’t want us to leave her again and trembling either out of initial excitement to see us, which over time may have changed to fear of what would happen if we left. The heightened sensitivity to sound could have been a carry-over from a “24/7” vigilance brought on by the fear of unknown surroundings beyond the walls of her kennel pen and the perceived threat originating from the sounds and smells of other dogs in the proximity. Her “24/7” state of vigilance in the kennel probably produced a state of sleep deprivation resulting in lethargy at home. Regardless of the specific environmental conditions that overwhelmed Taylor’s natural survival instincts, resulting in her behavioral/emotional disturbances, it took weeks for her to return to an approximation of normal. Needless to say, we have never again left her or any of our other pets at a kennel nor do we ever plan to do so in the future.

Over the years, we have heard similar stories by many other pet owners of negative affects of kennels on their pets. Our personal observations and those of other pet owners are supported by scientific research. According to Dr. Rebecca Ledger (2004) from the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia, kennels do a good job attending to the biological needs of pets but neglect their emotional needs. Ledger believes that this biological centered perspective of many kennel operators may have arisen from the notion that emotions are not measurable in animals and that emotional health is not relevant to suffering in animals. This belief places an emphasis on biological insult as the singular avenue to suffering in animals and because emotions are foreign to animals, animals can not suffer emotional distress. Consequently, according to Ledger, emotional needs are often neglected in the kennel.

Although there probably are a number of kennel operators that believe that biological needs are the only needs that require their attention, it is the opinion of the authors of this article that a considerable number of kennel operators are aware of emotional needs of pets, however, they are limited in their ability to adequately address them because of the basic structural configuration of kennels. Face it, a kennel is a kennel no matter how well you disguise it to look like home.

Recently, animal welfare scientists and psychological researchers (Gosling, 2001; Gosling, et. al., 1999; 2002; 2003; Ledger, 2004) have turned to cross-species studies to better understand emotions. Many of them have recognized that emotions have survival value and because survival is paramount in all species, animals must therefore have the capacity to experience emotions. According to Ledger, anxiety, fear, frustration, and depression are the most common forms of emotional distress in kenneled animals. Behavioral indicators of anxiety are cessation of normal behaviors including eating, drinking, and socializing along with corresponding attempts to attract attention through barking or avoidance of attention by maintaining an on-guard vigilant stance (a hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli characterized by dilated pupils, pricked ears, and frozen stance) in which the surrounding environment is continually evaluated. Fear is characterized by defensive posturing, attempts to escape, hiding, huddling, and trembling. As a result of lack of access to engaging stimuli, many animals may become frustrated and display displacement behaviors such pacing, circling, and jumping the walls. After unsuccessful attempts to cope with environmental conditions, many animals may display behavior consistent with depression such as listlessness and unresponsiveness.

Ledger (2004) reports that in the first 2 weeks of kenneling that almost two thirds of the dogs that she studied exhibited at least one of the behavioral indicators of emotional distress described above. In addition to these behavioral signs of distress, kenneling has been found to produce relatively long-term physiological changes associated stress. Specifically, cortisol (a hormone released during stress) was found to be elevated thirty days after kennel admittance in almost all dogs tested (Ledger, 2004). Apparently, thirty days was the longest period tested and it is likely that elevated cortisol levels persisted well beyond thirty days in many of the dogs. When one considers the emotional stress imposed by kennels and the traumatic effects on behavioral and physiological systems, it is not surprising that many pet owners are opting for in-home based services such as those provide by Fetch! Pet Care.

Pet owners are also choosing in-home based services such as Fetch! over kennels because of “hidden” costs. Many kennels charge extra for dog walks, exercise, etc., and extra day charges are frequently incurred when a pet owner returns from a trip after hours (most kennels are closed on Sunday (some are closed on Saturdays or have limited hours) and on the days that they are open, they typically do not allow customers to pick up their pets after 4:30 or 5:00 pm). Kennel customers that return on a weekend or after hours frequently end up paying for an extra day. Some even cut their vacations short by a day or two to avoid problems associated with weekend pickups.

A comprehensive selection of services and large staff of trained sitters allows Fetch! Pet Care to accommodate client needs, even if they are after normal business hours or on the weekend. A free in-home consultation allows the clients, pets and sitters to get pre-acquainted and to address each pet's unique needs. Selecting just the right pet sitter for the care of one’s pets and home is an extremely important decision. At Fetch! Pet Care, the goal is to make sure that pets, clients, and sitters are appropriately matched and that sitters provide the client’s pets and home with the absolute best possible care and loving attention. For more information, goto: http://www.fetchpetcare.com/

References

Gosling, S. D. (2001). From mice to men: What can we learn about personality from animal research? Psychological Bulletin, 127, 45-86.

Gosling, S. D., & John, O. P. (1999). Personality dimensions in non-human animals: A cross-species review. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 69-75.

Gosling, S. D., & Vazire, S. (2002). Are we barking up the right tree? Evaluating a comparative approach to personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 607-614.

Gosling, S. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & John, O. P. (2003). A dog’s got personality: A cross-species comparative approach to evaluating personality judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1161-1169.

Ledger, R. (2004). Assessing the welfare of kenneled dogs: Biological functioning, natural living and affective states. Talk presented to the University of Texas Psychology Department. Retrieved 6/18/2007 from the web: http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/animpersinst/RLNov2Talk.html

Interesting Links

Often as we are surfing the web, we come across an interesting link that we would like to look at further but just don't have the time at the moment. Rather than just forgetting about them, we will post them in this section and when we have more time in the future, will try to do a review. If any of you readers have any opinions about these links, please chime in with your opinions.

All it takes is a click

Please check out the Animal Rescue Site. Click on the Fund Food For Animals link and the businesses that sponsor the site donate money to help feed rescued animals. You can click everyday.

We have set our homepage to be directed to Animal Rescue Site and everyday when we turn on our computer, the Animal Rescue Site pops up and we click on the Fund Food For Animals link. If you would like to set your homepage to be directed to the Animal Rescue Site, the URL is: http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Also, while your at the Animal Rescue Site, why don't you click on the links along the top of the page for the Hunger site, Breast Cancer site, Child Health site, Literacy site, and Rainforest site? It only takes a few seconds. When you do so, you will see similar business sponsored links. When you click on these links, the business sponsors donate to the cause associated with that link.

No Bones About It

Microchipping your pet is a good way to reunite you with your pets should they become lost. We are very lucky to live in a community in which we have a local bank manager who is a pet lover and recently organized a hot dog barbeque and free microchipping event in her bank’s parking lot. The event was sponsored by the Huntingdon Bank, local animal shelter, local veterinarians, and the WAZY FM radio station. Extra Special Kudos to them. The dogs attending the event received free plastic doggy bones. The pictures shows our two ratties with their bones.

Although microchipping is safe and relatively inexpensive, there have been some issues with microchips produced by different vendors not being able to be decoded by all readers. More specifically, the microchip implanted in your pet contains identifying information that is read by devices that are passed over the microchip. In order to be able to access the identifying information, it needs to be decoded. Different vendors appear to have different codes that may be encrypted and not universally decodable. Much of this lack of universality dates back a few years to 2004 and 2005 and may have been resolved in the interim. However, pet owners should be aware of these potential problems and should address them with their veterinarian.

PAPER SHREDDERS ARE A POSSIBLE HAZARD FOR PETS

A recent report warns of the dangers of paper shredders to pets. The report included several instances of dogs licking the top of paper shredders. Their tongues were subsequently pulled into the shredders and mangled. One of the dogs had to be euthanized! Paper shredders are a fairly common items in the home, so please be careful. Unplug them when not in use or keep them well out of reach.

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

Have you every wondered about pet health insurance? A google search with the keywords of "pet health insurance" will net you thousands upon thousands of hits.

Is pet insurance worth the cost? Well, it is really hard to tell from a web search, but it does appear that it may be worth the cost in some cases. Dr. Larry, a veterinarian with a website provides the following summary of most plans: Most have a deductible, co-payment, a maximum per incident they will pay, and don't take pre-existing conditions.

Dr. Larry also recommends Vetrinary Pet Insurance (VPI) because they have been around for about 20 years and basically he believes they have a good reputation.

However, most pet owners would disagree with Dr. Larry. Actual pet owners at the Pet insurance review website only give VPI a rating of 4.66 out of a possible 10.

Based on pet owners' opinions at the pet insurance review site, PetAssure seems to be the favorite. They received a 9 out of 10.

Users of PetAssure seem to really like that they take pre-existing conditions and that they also have a family plan.

If any readers have any experience (either bad or good) with pet health insurance, please let us know. It may help others to avoid problem providers and to select those that offer the best services.

TAIL DOCKING BANNED IN SCOTLAND

A ban was issued on tail docking in Scotland. Violators face stiff fines and possible jail time. Although our rat terriers came with docked tailed, we never considered why (other than maintaining breed standards) one would want to have their dog’s tail docked. So, we did a web search and found the following. Most of which came from Dog Trust.

Historical reasons include:
1. Increasing the speed of the dog
2. Preventing damage in fights
3. Prevention of rabies
4. Prevention of back injuries

Current reasons for docking seem to focus on:
1. hygiene issues related to less of accumulation fecal matter in and around the tail
2. safety

Current reasons against docking include:
1. Increased urinary incontinence in females
2. Possible perineal hernias from weakened anal muscles
3. Complications from the actual docking
4. Less obvious communication from tail wagging

Although, there do appear to be many reasons for not docking tails, for some dogs that are around farm machinery, safety issues associated with tails be caught in machinery may be a real concern. But of course, we don’t live on a farm and have no real life experience with these matters.

What do you readers think?

THE BRATTIES, CAUTIONS, HAZARDS, CITRONELLA COLLAR REVIEW, AND COMPANION ANIMAL PARASITE CENTER

This picture shows our two rat terriers (The Bratties). Otis is the tri-color. He is a Hoosier dog. He was born in Kokomo, Indiana. We got him from Raydiant Rat terriers. Tucker is the tan sable with the rabbit ears. Often he is mistaken for a chihuahua. Tucker came from Pocket Puppies in Kentucky.

These guys, in particular, Tucker are terror incarnate. The most recent episode involved Tucker eating three 10 dollar bills. The bills were sitting on a small dresser next to the bed. When we came home from a short trip to the store, there were pieces all over the place. We found enough pieces to recreate more than half of each bill. We haven't yet taken them to the bank to see if they can be exchanged them. If the bank doesn't reimburse us, then that was one heck of an expensive snack.

Update: The bank did replace the half eaten bills.

WATCH OUT FOR THESE.

Why silverware? Because a recent local newscast featured a veterinarian segment warning about the hazards of silverware for pets, particularly dogs. They showed x-rays of animals that had swallowed whole knives, forks, and spoons. And they weren't necessarily huge dogs like Great Danes. Apparently, owners let their dogs lick their plates and bowls and leave the silverware in or on them. If there is a lot of food caked on the utensils, the dogs treat them like bones and try to chew off all of the caked on food. Sometimes, they accidentally end up swallowing the utensils. Be very careful about not leaving utensils around for your dogs to swallow. Likewise, watch out for bones that could be accidentally swallowed. Some have very sharp edges and can cause considerable damage.

Why razors? Because many dogs like to chew them up for some reason. Possibly it is due to oral tactile stimulation from the handles. Many razors have rough handles or other textured surfaces to keep them from slipping out of the user's grip. Regardless of why they chew them, they do and it could be dangerous. Not all dogs seem to like razors, but some do and you should watch out.

We were unaware of this problem until we got Tucker, our newest dog. Tucker really seems to like them. None of our other dogs have never seemed to care. Tucker is the first dog that we have ever had with a fetish for razors (He also has a fetish for women's underwear and likes to chew them up). Luckily he has never swallowed the razor head where the blades are, but has really chewed up the handles. We recently heard of another person's dog that swallowed the head with the razor blades and had to visit the vet. to have it surgically removed. So please be careful. We are also being extra careful. We think that Tucker had been hopping in the tub and getting the razors off of one of the bottom tub shelves. Now, we are very careful not to leave razors anywhere near his reach.

Why gum? Well it's not just gum but also candies and other foods that have been sweetened with xylitol. This is a relatively new sweetner that is proving to be more poisonous to dogs than first realized. It can produce symptoms of depression, loss of coordination, and seizures. Small amounts can lead to delayed onset of symptons (up to 24 hours) while large amounts can lead to symptons in as fast as 30 minutes. Keep your pets safe. Make sure that you are not leaving potentially lethal substances around where your pets can get into them. Although our dogs have never really shown any interest in gums or candies, they do tend to like to chew on little plastic wrappers such as which some gums and candies are wrapped in. We think that this is due to the tactile and audio stimulation (that crackling sound) they get when chewing on the wrapper. Regardless of the reason why they chew them, we have become very cautious about not leaving any candies or gum anywhere that is in within reach of the dogs.

Below is a list of other foods and substances from the ASPCA site that pet owners be careful with.

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet - Alcoholic beverages - Avocado - Chocolate (all forms) - Coffee (all forms) - Fatty foods- Macadamia nuts - Moldy or spoiled foods - Onions, onion powder - Raisins and grapes - Salt - Yeast dough - Garlic - Products sweetened with xylitol

Warm Weather Hazards - Animal toxins—toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions - Blue-green algae in ponds - Citronella candles - Cocoa mulch - Compost piles Fertilizers - Flea products - Outdoor plants and plant bulbs - Swimming-pool treatment supplies - Fly baits containing methomyl - Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde

Medication - Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include: - Pain killers - Cold medicines - Anti-cancer drugs - Antidepressants - Vitamins - Diet Pills

Cold Weather Hazards - Antifreeze - Liquid potpourri - Ice melting products - Rat and mouse bait

Common Household Hazards- Fabric softener sheets - Mothballs- Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)

Holiday Hazards - Christmas tree water (may contain fertilizers and bacteria, which, if ingested, can upset the stomach. - Electrical cords - Ribbons or tinsel (can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction—most often occurs with kittens!) - Batteries - Glass ornaments

Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats - The following substances are considered to be non-toxic, although they may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals: - Water-based paints - Toilet bowl water - Silica gel - Poinsettia - Cat litter - Glue traps - Glow jewelry

Is it tax time again?

Here we see some of our pets modeling their Halloween outfits. The dog in the center is our Bazenji, Taylor (also known as PupPup). She is a barkless dog, but makes a lot of noises. If you bother her when she is sleeping, she makes a mumbling sound that sounds like she is cursing at you. I wish I could record her and put it on the web for you to hear. The cat is known as "Fat Cat," because of his size. It isn't obvious from the picture, but he weighs about 20 pounds. He really isn't very fat. He is just very large for a cat. We didn't have Tucker at the time of these pictures, otherwise I'm sure he would be included. Our Burmese cat was too dignified to participate in these festivities. The Blue things the cat and dogs are wearing are promotional headpieces from Liberty tax service. They are suppose to resemble the Statue of Liberty's headpiece.

Update for the 2007 April tax deadline: We recently completed our taxes for the 2006 tax year with the help of Sabrina at Liberty Tax Service. She did a great job and was extremely helpful in getting us the most for our return. She deserves a salary boost or a bonus.

Unfortunately, there were no promotional give aways this year, so our pets have no Halloween costumes. We were hoping for something like an uncle Sam's top hat.


I'm just looking for a place where I can lay my head.

Actually, we are looking for some reasonably priced bedding for this litte pup that he can't tear up. He was such a cute puppy. Now he has grown up and is a real terror. We gave him a couple of old Disney quilts that the kids outgrew and he just continues to rip the stuffing out of them. He also does the same thing with doggy beds that we have bought him. He tears up the cushions and the cushsioned sides of the beds. We can't keep going to the pet store to replace them. What a naughty naughty dog! Maybe we should call the Dog Whisperer.

Has anybody come across any heavy duty bedding that dogs can't easily tear up? We did some searching on the web and have looked at the local store and haven't found anything in the "cushy" category, but did come across some interesting beds in the form of cots. See petcot.com and kuranda.com. These look interesting. They are suppose to be particularly good for older arthrictic dogs.

You could probably make a similar bed by yourself by making a rectangle out of two by four lumber that was laid on it's side to give it a clearance of about 31/2 inches off the ground and then with some heavy duty staples afix a piece of canvas or other heavy duty material in the area enclosed by the two by fours. Furring strips, which are about one by two inches would make a nice trim to cover the staples. When the weather gets a little warm, we might try making one out of some old lumber that we have left over from another project. If we do it, we'll take some pictures and post them along with any problems encountered. If any readers try it, please let us know how it went.

Citronella Collars - Are they safe and effective?

These collars are designed to stop dogs from barking. They are bark sensitive and when activated by barking, emit citronella odor. Apparently, dogs find this aversive and learn the association between barking and the odor. Once they have learned the association, they cease barking to avoid the odor. A recent Cornell University study suggests that they are basically effective but have a few problems such as being activated by other dogs in the vicinity and citronella stains on furniture (See Cornell study summary or if you like, you can like, you can read the complete study at: Complete Cornell Barking Study). Although these devices appear safe, you should be careful because citronella is on the ASCPA's list of potentially dangerous substances.

Companion Animal Parasite Center

Fleas, ticks, heartworms, and a whole lot of other parasites and keeping them under control is an ongoing problem for pet owners.

The CAPC website has some interesting and informative material for pet owners.