Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips
The holidays are fast approaching! With Thanksgiving coming up we can’t wait to see family and friends, but it is important to know how the holidays can affect our pets. Thanksgiving traditions can carry hazards to our pets so follow these tips and keep your furry friend safe. We all know Thanksgiving calls for eating unimaginable amounts of food (that may even be unhealthy) but it is also a risk to pets. The American Veterinary Medical Foundation gives us these food safety tips: Keep the feast on the table—not under it. Eating turkey or turkey skin – sometimes even a […] Read more »
Pit Bulls are More Than Their Stereotypes
In past years, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers have out-ranked all other dog breeds as being the “most dangerous dogs.” These breeds are often misunderstood due to their large size, strength, and instincts to protect. Whenever there is a headline about one of these breeds, it is almost always negative; the news highlights child attacks and abuses the most. This forges a scary image of these dogs of having a short temper. Today, Pit Bulls have taken the number one slot on the hierarchy, resulting in about 800,000 to 1 million dogs of the breed being euthanized out of […] Read more »
How to Find Good Foster Homes
It seems that most animal rescue organizations can never find enough foster homes. We often hear “If we only had more fosters we could…” (insert your favorite program here). So let’s lay it out there. There are 323 million people in the U.S. alone and ~70 million households with pets. Lots of people to choose from in other words, so let’s talk about how to find them and spark your thinking on innovative programs to grow your team. However, before we highlight the ways to advertise and bring in new applicants, we recommend that you first revisit your foster application process to ensure it’s streamlined […] Read more »
Foster Home Not Up To Your Standards? Here’s what to do.
Foster homes are often like the prize in a cracker jack box. You are excited at the potential, anticipate the finding, and expect them to be great. But just like the press on tattoos in the cracker jack, foster homes can often be disappointing when compared to your expectations. So what’s an organization to do when a foster just isn’t living up to your expectations? Maybe they aren’t showing up to events, providing the updates, or following your protocols. Or maybe they are rude to your team or not treating potential adopters in the way that best represents your organization. Whatever […] Read more »
Kid Friendly Tips for Meeting Pets
Kids and animals are synonymous. Many of us remember growing up around animals and often with pets in our households. Some of us probably remember ending up on the wrong end of the introduction and may even have a painful reminder of that situation. There are a few things to teach kids about at an early age that can make their introduction to animals safe and memorable. Ask, don’t tell One of the best lessons to teach kids as soon as they can understand is to ask the owner of the animal for permission to approach and pet the animal. […] Read more »
What is PACFA?
There’s lots of conversation going on in the rescue world these days about some of the most stringent laws implemented by Colorado governing many aspects of animal rescue including establishing the strictest animal transport regulations in the U.S. Like other regulations, things are changing fast, and there is a TON of mis-information being spread so it is important to be informed and do your homework so you remain in compliance. Part of being an animal rescue professional means ensuring you and your team are following the laws, regardless of whether you agree with them or not. Let’s try and break […] Read more »
Valuing your Inventory
How much is your house worth? Or perhaps your car? While you may not have an exact number, you probably have a pretty good ballpark figure that you could rattle off. But now think about how much that dog you are adopting out is worth. Do you know? How much money has been put into him/her? Cost of goods sold is a term that is used in businesses of all shapes and sizes. From the small town bakery on the corner, to Fortune 100 companies, the term helps calculate how much profit you made on a particular sale of inventory and […] Read more »
Hotel for dogs? 6 things you need to know
Are you hosting a dog overnight that is on an animal rescue relay transport? It is an amazing thing you are doing and rescue transport coordinators are always looking for overnight fosters to give the animals a place to crash until the next morning. Here’s a few things to keep in mind though so your guests and you can enjoy their stay. 1) Play keep away It’s often tempting when you’re hosting a rescue animal to introduce them to your own family pets. But for sure this is a bad idea. Remember that animals on a rescue relay transport […] Read more »