Here come the holidays

The holiday season has arrived. People are out shopping, visiting family, spending time with their loved ones and experiencing the wonder  of the holiday season. However, for rescuers the holidays are a time of increased saddness, stress and general overwhelming anxiety trying to engage with their own loved ones but having to deal with an increase in animal surrenders.

Every year hundreds of animals are reported to be abandoned at kill shelters during the holidays. Rescues are scrambling to save them and begging for donations to take care of them.  Any time there is a holiday where people travel there is an increase in pets being dumped. Everything from senior dogs to young puppies. Some are even as cruel as they are getting rid of a senior dog to get a younger dog. A creature with feelings is abandoned like nothing. They are left by the only family they have ever known and loved in a crowded, noisey, stressful place with strangers they often become sad and depressed, fearful and reactive and many times instead of being adopted are euthanized if rescues can't take them in. 

It's just now Thanksgiving week and it has already started. Our own local kill shelter has already started euthanizing many. Christmas is just around the corner and all those people traveling who don't take the time to make arrangements for their furry family members will be dumping and after Christmas all those Christmas litters people couldn't sell will end up being dumped and then a few weeks into the new year all those people who got Christmas puppies will abandon them because they were too much responsibility and then Spring is right around the corner.

If you are not making a lifetime commitment then you should not get a living creature.

#GivingTuesday

Remember today is #GivingTuesday  Facebook and Paypal will match donations! If you are looking for a tax deductible organization and would like to help out NaNook & NaKoda's Big Paws Rescue we would greatly appreciate it!! You can donate via our facebook page or paypal nanooknakodasbigpawrescue@gmail.com

Donations made to us via Facebook and Paypal today can help us reach our 2018 goal of getting our building!! Could you imagine? We could finally have all our dogs in one location making their training and rehabilitation much easier to manage. We could pull more dogs from kill shelters, we rehabilitate more dogs, we can locate and train more service dog candidates for veterans in need. The results of your donations are endless!! Just thinking about it has us excited!!

It's been a struggle lately

So much has happened lately that has really caused me to struggle! The loss of my adoptive mother being the biggest struggle. It just seemed like one thing on top of another happened too. While dealing with my mother's illness and passing of course the dog rescue still had to be taken care of and I still had to work my regular job to keep life going.  Earlier this week things just became very overwhelming and depression and anxiety became to much. I was feeling so discouraged.

We are so close but still have a ways to go to finish our building so that it is a functional, livable space for our cage free, pack integrated rescue dogs. When all you want to do is save lives it can be overwhelming and frustrating to be so close but still so far away.

2 ladies in the community have stepped up to help me try and collect materials from local vendors and maybe their approach will be different than mine and they have different contacts so that has helped alleviate some of the stress a great deal! Peggy and Debra have been so helpful the last couple of days.

If anyone else would like to get involved and help us find donations of materials below is a list of items we are still needing to finish the inside of the building:

Shower stall
Toilet
hand held shower head
Insulation batts
OSB board
1x4s
2x4s
2x12x10s
kitchen cabinets/counter top
Flooring
caulk/foam
tin for deck roof
stain and paint
polyeurathane

Common Misconceptions About Pet Adoption

According to Petfinder.com there are 5 reasons people don't adopt shelter or rescue dogs.

Myth #1: I don’t know what I’m getting

There may in fact be more information available about an adoptable pet than one from a breeder or pet store.

Many of the pets posted on Petfinder are in foster care. Foster parents live with their charges 24-7 and can often tell you, in detail, about the pet’s personality and habits. If the pet is at a shelter, the staff or volunteers may be able to tell you what he or she is like.but most often are unable to go into great detail due to the overwhelming numbers in shelters. 

At the very least, you can ask if the pet was an owner surrender (rather than a stray) and, if so, what the former owner said about him or her. Quite often pets are given up because the owner faced financial or housing issues (more on that later). You can also ask about the health and behavioral evaluations the pet has undergone since arriving at the shelter or rescue. In contrast, pet store owners rarely have an idea of what a pet will be like in a home because animals in a pet store are rarely evaluated for temperament or behavior and since it is not a home environment can often behave differently. .

Myth #2: I can’t find what I want at a shelter

If you can’t find the pet you’re looking for on Petfinder, don’t give up. Some shelters and rescues maintain waiting lists for specific breeds, so don’t be afraid to ask! There are also breed-specific rescues for just about every breed, and most of them post their pets on Petfinder. (Petfinder can even e-mail you when a pet that fits your criteria is posted — just click “Save this Search” at the top of your search results page.)

Myth #3: I can get a free pet, so why pay an adoption fee?

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (via the ASPCA), approximately 65% of pet parents in the U.S. get their pets for free or at low cost, and most pets are obtained from acquaintances or family members. The NCPPSP also reports that pets acquired from friends make up more than 30% of pets surrendered to shelters..

While getting a “free” pet may seem like a bargain at first, you’re then responsible for veterinary costs that shelters and rescue groups usually cover, including:

• Spaying/neutering $150-300
• Distemper vaccination $20-30 x2
• Rabies vaccination $15-25
• Heartworm test $15-35
• Flea/tick treatment $50-200
• Microchip $50.

Myth #4: Pets are in shelters because they didn’t make good pets

In fact, the main reasons pets are given up include:

• Owners are moving to housing that don’t allow pets (7% dogs, 8% cats)
• Allergies (8% cats)
• Owner having personal problems (4% dogs and cats)
• Too many or no room for litter mates (7% dogs, 17% cats)
• Owner can no longer afford the pet (5% dogs, 6% cats)
• Owner no longer has time for the pet (4% dogs)

As you can see, many of the reasons have nothing to do with the pets themselves. Working with shelters and rescues and volunteers can be a great way to figure out the best match for you and your home.

Myth #5: Shelter pets have too much baggage

Rescued pets have full histories … something that can actually be GREAT for adopters. Remember, all pets– even eight-week old puppies and kittens — have distinct personalities. Those personalities will either jive with your home and lifestyle or not.  Work with rescue group or shelter staff to find the right fit for you.

What adoption myths have you heard, and how do you address them? Tell us here!

Let me tell you about it!

In the month of October (1st-15th) we have raised $165 to help take care of the dogs we currently have in our care as well as try to put towards the building fund to finish the septic system and inside of the building.  We lost our biggest donor this month due to her passing.

We house 16 dogs total right now - sanctuary (unadoptable - either have been with us so long they are no longer on the available list, have had numerous attempted adoptions and been returned each time, have been "rehomed" so many times and numerous shelters before coming to us, behavior issues or medical issues) and adoptable

Supplies needed each month for basic care for each dog:
16 bags of food per month - $480  (currently have 8 bags on hand)
treats to continue working on obedience training  - $70
flea/tick meds - $100
heartworm meds - $100
grooming supplies -$50
enrichment toys - $50
Apx need $850 per month - still need to raise $685 to provide proper care for the dogs in the month of October.

All donations are tax deductible.

There are so many ways you can help!!

If you want to donate materials for the building completion you can donate
Home Depot gift cards
or directly to our building fundraiser  https://www.facebook.com/donate/358115918413341/

If you would like to help with day to day care of the dogs you can:
Purchase items from our wishlist and have them shipped directly to us https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1GL37T1TTV1TQ?ref_=wl_share
or select the donate button on the upper right hand side of our page located at  https://www.facebook.com/NaNookNaKodasBigPawsRescue/

or via our paypal giving fund paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3357668 or nanooknakodasbigpawrescue@gmail.com

Or you can drop a donation in any of our donation banks around town at (looking for more locations to place donation banks around town)
  Petsense
  Junk & Disorderly Antiques
  Hibbet Sports
  Doc's Drugstore
  Cousin's Convient Store
  Citizen's National Bank


If you want to donate food you can purchase any of the following types of food:

 or if you want something tangible for your money you can purchase a tshirt designed and made by Kickn' Brass a veteran owned company who is donating all the proceeds from the 2 tshirts to our rescue (come in 3 colors)

https://kickinbrass.com/collections/unisex-t-shirts/products/hero-short-sleeve-t-shirt 

https://kickinbrass.com/collections/unisex-t-shirts/products/perfect-soldier-short-sleeve-t-shirt

Let's Get to Work!!!

We are constantly asked how many staffers we have or are we hiring. NaNook & NaKoda's Big Paw rescue has NO PAID STAFF. Every dime donated goes to the sheltering, food, veterinarian costs, care and transporting, of the dogs. https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/9689327

We run on a shoestring budget as you can see at the link above on our guidestar profile due to low community donations since we are only 1 year and 9 months old. In 2018 we only brought in $9697 total revenue with animal care expenses of $7609 only leaving us $2646 towards the building fund. We are very proud of our 2018 & 2019 seal of transparency!! We are very limited to the amount of dogs we can take in because we have a very few fosters and one of the founders lives inside city limits so there is a cap on the number of dogs she can have in her home and the other founder can only manage a certain number alone.

Once the building is up and functional then all the dogs will be in one location and management of the dogs as well as the ability to take in more will be possible. We are bombarded with requests to take in overwhelming numbers of dogs in danger of being euthanized on a daily basis, owners calling wanting to surrender to us instead of the local kill shelter, and person's living outside the city limits who have had strays come up that have been dumped in their areas but we can't do anything to help them if we are already at our maximum allowed.

We still need to raise the money to put in the septic system required by county regulations and to finish out the inside of the building so that it is functional. The septic system will cost apx. $12,000 to put in and then probably another $3000-$5000 to finish out the inside of the building. Which is more than we were able to raise last year just to take care of the dogs we were able to save and be able to put some aside into savings for our building fund.

It's very frustrating to know we are right on the verge of being able to do more but can't seem to get the support in our community we need or find grantors willing to give us a grant before we are 3 years old. We are hoping it doesn't take another year for us to be able to raise the money to finish the building and be able to save more lives.

DUE DILIGENCE: Some kill shelters who have been in existence for long periods of time and have a large donor base are able to bring in $250,000 per year or more sometimes. For example the local kill shelter in our are brought in over $266,000 in 2018. However, not all of these donations/grants/fundraisers go towards the care of the animals. Salaries and wages alone can take up to $140,000 or more of this money; leaving only about $110,000 for other overhead and then the actual care of the animals. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/23-7437697 Look up your local kill shelter and see what their reported financials look like at www.guidestar.org

To find out more about how kill shelters work (even ones who say their goal is NO Kill) see our previously published blog The No- Kill Myth https://nanookandnakodasbigpawrescue.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-no-kill-myth.html 

Typical Canine Psychiatric Behaviors

Dogs will mark in inappropriate places for several reasons, usually relating to instincts they still retain.

While these instincts or needs are often no longer necessary, it does not mean the behavior is going to stop.

You can understand their behavior and train your dog to stop marking territory.

By learning why your dog urinates due to excitement and submission, you have also discovered ways to curb that behavior and to prevent it from happening again.

Whether it is unusual levels of noise, neglect or soiling your home, due to fear or attention requirements, how you communicate and understand your dog is very important.

#theysitforyouwillyoustandforthem #nnbpr #adoptdontshop #rescuedogs #dogs #savealife

Difference Between Rescue and Shelter

Many people don't know the difference between a shelter and a rescue...or that there even is a difference. There are also differences between rescues that most people are not aware of. Hopefully this will answer some questions that people may have and give us a better understanding of the differences.

Shelters are usually government funded. Even if they are private shelters they receive money from the cities and often surrounding cities in rural areas through contracts that have with each city to take in strays picked up by animal control.

When an animal at a shelter becomes ill, the outcome is quite often euthanasia. This is to prevent the spread of disease in the shelter. It’s less costly to just “get rid” of the problem than to treat it. Most shelters simply do not have the space to medically quarentine animals or the staff or time needed to nurse animals back to health.

Rescues, on the other hand, receive no funding from local cities. All funding comes from community donations. Sometimes rescues might receive grants or corporate sponsorships but as in our case most places want to see the community support the rescue for 2-3 yearas before they are willing to awared any grant monies.

At rescues when an animal becomes ill the rescue takes on the expense at full cost and also don’t euthanize when an animal becomes ill nor do we euthanize to "make room" when an animal's "time is up." Some veteranarians do offer us rescue discounts to help with the cost of not euthanizing.

An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take the animals into their homes and care for them — including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems — until a suitable permanent home can be found.

Most rescues like ours do not have any paid staff. All persons associated including the founders receive no money for what they do. At rescues every dime donated to us literally goes to the care of the animals.

Shelters often have multiple paid staff and donations help to support those wages/salaries.

Most rescue groups use similar adoption procedures, including completing an application, checking a veterinary reference, conducting a phone interview and a home visit. Rescue organizations are usually volunteer-run organizations and survive on donations and adoption fees. The adoption fees do not always cover the significant costs involved in rescue which can include traveling to pick up an animal in need, providing veterinary care, vaccinations, food, spaying and neutering, training, and more.

Most animals in the care of rescue groups live with foster home volunteers as members of the family until an appropriate adopter is found. There are a number of different techniques that can be used to make the transition from life at a rescue's foster home to an adoptive home easier on the animal. Generally, rescue groups provide adopters with basic information to aid in a successful transition.

Shelter dogs are usually warehoused in high stress environments often getting little to no interaction on a regular basis and kept in small kennels for long periods of time until they are euthanized for space when not adopted.

At our rescue we have both sanctuary animals (animals that have not or will not ever be adopted out) as well as adoptable animals. Sanctuary animals will live the rest of their lives with us and never be made available for adoption. These animals at our rescue include several horses and 8 dogs. These animals actually have come to us over a 20 year period prior to actually becoming a 501c3 and 2 are severe abuse survivors who came to us after becoming a 501c3 who still have hope but we know they may become full fledged sanctuary dogs. Adoptable animals are animals with rehabilitated issues or no issues at all that will make great companion animals or have the right temperament for us to donate them as service dog candidates to veterans.

Our rescue also practices cage free living with the exception of crate training or if we are running errands in town and the dogs are kenneled rather than running on the property loose while we are not present. This protects them from being stolen or escaping the property while we are not there because the have tops and locks. The rest of the time as you can see by following our Facebook pages the dogs live free and come and go in and out of the homes they live in, participate in training, exercising and socializing to help make them more adoptable and allows their personalities to blossom so people can see the dogs behaviors and personalities before adopting.

With a little help from our friends!!

Thanks to what we have been able to raise so far for electrical work we only need $800 more to put in a meter & run lines to the building (materials and labor). Then we will need to raise another $1618.29 for materials to wire the entire building!! Thanks to a generous donor all the labor for wiring the building is being donated but he's getting ready to retire and move so we need to raise this money now!! This makes our total remaining funds needed for electrical work $2420.00!!!

We can do this!! Please help us save more large/giant breed dogs!! The local kill shelter is putting out notices frequently they are about to euthanize and we are over capacity currently without our building we can't take any more in.

If you don't like donating online but want to contribute we also welcome Home Depot gift cards we can use to buy the materials needed to wire the building!! Just email us at nanooknakodasbigpawrescue@gmail.com for mailing address!!

*pic for attention: actual picture of #eastlandcounty14 dogs dumped on hwy. This is the group that our Rikki was rescued with. 2nd pic is our Rikki rescued Nov 2017

https://facebook.com/donate/358115918413341/



   

The No-Kill Myth

One of the first questions we are asked most often upon meeting people are "Are you no-kill?"

The answer to this for our rescue is not complicated. For NaNook & NaKoda's Big Paw Rescue we are no-kill. Every dog we pull from kill shelters will either be donated to a veteran if they have the right temperament for service work, adopted as a companion animal or live out the remainder of their lives as a sanctuary dog at our property. We will however euthanize for medical reasons such as the dogs illness or injury cannot be treated any longer and the animal is suffering. That is the only reason we euthanize. We have been lucky so far and have not had to euthanize for medical reasons but we do know that the day will come that we will have to make the decision to let a furbaby go.

For kill shelters though the answer is more complicated and there are facts that John Q and Sally Q Public do not know. The generally-accepted definition of "no-kill" in the animal shelter industry is: having a 90% or higher live release rate or save rate. This means that 90% or more of the animals who enter "no-kill" shelters, must leave alive. So if you know of a shelter that says their goal is to be "no-kill" by 2025 then all that means is they plan to only euthanize 10% of the animals that they take in.

However, it get's a little more complicated for kill shelters that are funded by local government or have contracts with local governments on top of their community donations. Shelters who have government contracts or are funded by local governments CANNOT close intake to the cities they are funded by or contracted with. This means they CANNOT refuse to take animals in from Animal Control offices or city officials and when intake CANNOT be shut down space becomes an issue so a shelter will never truly be no-kill when it comes to space. While some shelters put animals into foster homes, most are housed on site in kennels. When the kennels are full there will always be a need for them to euthanize for space or if an animal has been kept in confined kennel spaces or too long and starts to exhibit "kennel crazy" behaviors such as aggression or depression.

One way to help kill shelters euthanize less is to help no kill rescues grow so that they have more space and funds to take in more dogs. NaNook & NaKoda's Big Paw Rescue specializes in large/giant breed dogs. Large/giant breed dogs are the most commonly euthanized dogs in kill shelters because they require more space and resources to care for.

Many of you know that we have raised enough to get started on our building "The Dog House" to be able to save more dogs. Construction on the building shell started in August 2019 and we were able to complete the electrical work as well as insulate however, we still need to raise funds for septic and and to finish out the inside of the building to make it usable and livable for the dogs. Once this building is complete we will be able to pull more large/giant breed dogs from kill shelters and in turn help more veterans and families find the right dogs for them while finding furever home for many more furbabies!

Ground Breaking!!

Biobehavior

It has long been mistakenly assumed that no other animal had emotions and that it was purely a human quality.

Whoa!! Conceited much? J

Defining Biobehavior

According to the Webster Dictionary is “of relating to, or involving the interaction of behavior and biological processes” Biology has always been the study or research of hypotheses to prove a theory with regards to biological functions. When you add the word to behavioral, you are adding in psychology.

Behavior is the study of how one conducts themselves or acts, particularly towards others. The behavioral aspect looks at how a dog might react to a situation or stimulus.How you interact with your dog could influence their responses to you

Basically, some behavior is motivated by needs or wants, and thus, the behavior you see is going to fulfill those requirements. In addition, the way your dog is motivated to follow through is pre-set by the type of motivations.

The theory further postulates hypothesizes that behavioral disturbances are most likely result from traumatic events or adverse learning, which disrupt the equilibrium of the “emotional systems.” Using this theory, you can understand and treat several behavior problems in dogs.

Your dog has certain motivational needs and wants. Mostly they are about getting food, being safe, finding affection and finding a mate. These needs are what many believe drive your dog’s behavior.

Biobehavior and monitoring in dogs is the way one can learn more about dog behavior, what is normal, abnormal and why it has occurred. With the help of biobehavior monitoring by researchers studies exist that vets, behaviorists, trainers and rescuers can use to help diagnosis behavior issues in dogs and help improve the behavior issues.

For example; many believe if a dog becomes aggressive the only option is to euthanize a dog. Many kill shelters will euthanize an animal that develops what is called “kennel crazy” or aggressive behaviors. Can you imagine living for days, weeks, months in a tiny 3x6 cage with very little exercise or mental stimulation, constant barking of other dogs, no love and affection? Wouldn’t you go “kennel crazy” too? Now, can you imagine that just because of that you’re going to be euthanized? That’s “kill shelter” life. This is why rescues like ours who practice cage free living and work on behavior issues are so important. Dogs do not have to be killed simply because they are showing signs of aggression. The reason behind it, whether biological or behavioral, can be assessed and corrected in many of these animals, and the dog can have a healthy, happier life.

Raising the Woof

The development project for our rescue has been a year and a half in the making. We have cleared back brush, mowed in hiking trails, put up outdoor pens and now finally we are beginning the construction of The Dog House shell!!!

The next task is to get the septic and electric installed to the building.

We have a rough estimate on the septic apx. $6000

We have a gentleman who has volunteered to wire the building all we have to do is provide the materials and get the meter put up and the line run to the building! +

Feeding Time

In the wild, animals have a feeding time based on their hunger.

There is also a social order and communication that determines access to food. Domestic pets are different. For domestic pets there is no need to fear the loss of food unless they have suffered abuse or neglect and are starving. In fact their routine can become redundant and boring. Communication is not necessary, but can still happen. The social hierarchy will definitely be different as the owner is the one in charge of feeding.

Your dog will let you know when it is hungry through various behaviors, such as following you into the kitchen, bringing you their empty bowl, or scavenging the trash can if they have been starved. Many dogs tend to overeat when they see a bowl of food especially if they were dumped or starved by their previous owners. During feeding time, it is suggested that you provide the appropriate portion of food, but allow grazing by leaving food out especially for those abuse cases because this will also be consumed rather than your dog eating it later when they are hungry again.

Begging is common, especially if you do nothing to stop this behavior. You may actually be unintentionally showing your dog that begging is appropriate.

Begging can be done in several ways.

A dog may bark in request for food. It may try to nip food from your hand as you prepare it. Some dogs try to jump, nip or pull on your clothing to beg. Brushing up against you can also be a begging tactic. Your dog will try to do anything it can to make you realize it is there and it wants food. If other dogs are present this can even lead to aggression over food.

Even though these are typical behaviors and natural to your dog you can train your dog to sit, wait and receive their food reward at feeding times. This is especially helpful at feeding time at our rescue as we practice cage free living which means all the dogs at our rescue live indoors (currently at 1 of the 2 founders homes as our fosters have all stopped fostering for the Summer). We practice by making all the dogs sit and wait while their food is prepared. Then bowls are placed in the raised feeders and the dogs are released to go to their individual bowls. We also try to feed around the same times every day to help them get use to the routine of being fed on a regular basis. If you work outside of the house you may have a feeding routine. If you work from home you must still ensure you have set times.

If you provide your dogs with extra treats they may also try to beg for those. Dogs have a great sense of hearing, so if they hear the treat bag, they could display all the feeding time behaviors listed above. We’ve all heard the jokes about dog’s not hearing burglars breaking in but they can hear a cheese wrapper from miles away!!

Understanding Puppy Behavior

Puppies are like infants. They need time to learn appropriate behaviors.

It is up to you, the learned species, to understand puppy behavior and train responses that are acceptable in your home and in public. There are certain puppy traits that you will think cute. For example, wobbly legs, tiny little play barks, clumsiness, and this cute little shadow that follows you everywhere are all adorable. You will love it, but all of this can become just as annoying as it was cute. Rather than finding a shadow enjoyable, you may get upset that you are constantly tripping over your new pet. Of course, you understand there is a reason for their behavior, but when it stops being cute it may be too late for you to condition an appropriate set of normal behaviors and you have no one to blame but yourself. When these behaviors stop being cute is when many of them end up dumped at kill shelters or taken in by rescues or turned out on the streets.

Dogs learn by observation and hand gestures. They are visual learners and will eventually be able to pick up vocal commands like “sit.” As with most species, puppies are at an age where they are learning everything around them, soaking it up like a sponge, and developing traits that will last a lifetime. Only you can stop certain behaviors from remaining.

Problem behaviors can include barking, biting, nipping, chewing, peeing indoors, acting aggressively and crying all night. These behaviors are normal, but they are not wanted when they can interrupt sleep, daily habits or ruin a home.

An important fact to remember is that puppies need to be with their mother for a minimum of eight weeks but preferably 12 weeks, receiving milk filled with nutrients from her; eventually being weaned off her milk to eat puppy food and learning pack manners from mom as well as the litter mates.

Arriving in your home, your puppy is now in an unknown place with new smells, perhaps new pets, certainly new people; which can be traumatic and scary. In these first few days puppies might sleep more, eat more or less and may display perfect behavior. Once the adjustment period is over, their normal behaviors will start to present. It is after the first week that you will begin to see your puppy’s true personality and normal behavior.

During this initial period you will want to balance the love and attention, with proper alone time for your puppy. You do not want your puppy to get used to you being around and receiving attention all the time, because this can lead to separation anxiety and other behavioral issues later on.

Puppies naturally chew and nip. There are different reasons for these behaviors. Nipping others is meant as fun, teasing and playful. Chewing on you, clothing, blankets and other items can be because of teething. When teething occurs you need to make certain you are supplying appropriate items to chew on to stop your puppy from finding other things acceptable.

Chewing on items when your puppy is not ready for teeth or has all their teeth is too often about cleaning their teeth, because it feels good or because they are displaying displeasure. Chewing on shoes or something you dearly love can indicate your puppy is asking for attention.

Construction Beginning

It has taken a year and a half to scrimp and save and pinch pennies and raise the funds needed to begin the shell of our building but we've finally done it and the construction on our 2 story 16x40 building Aug 2019!!

It will be similar to the building in this video but a bit larger and without the roll up door. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q-KTueiQ98

We still have to raise money to put in the septic system, electricity and of course finish out the inside of the building!! If you would like to either donate money or have any of the items on the list below you would like to make gift in kind donations we would greatly appreciate it!! https://www.facebook.com/donate/464554820952643/

Monetary and gift in kind donations are all tax deductible!! Together we can get the building finished and save more dogs from kill shelters!!

ceiling fans/light fixtures shower stall Water heater -- received gift in kind donation!! Thank you so much!! 📷:) Insulation Wall panels bathroom sink - received gift in kind donation!! Thank you Kelli! Kitchen/commercial sink - received gift in kind donation!! Thank you Nannell!!! cabinets flooring caulk/foam trim misc nails,screws, etc. dishwasher - received gift in kind donation!! Thank you Nannell!! Toilet Metal for deck roof wood for deck stain & paint

#theysitforyouwillyoustandforthem

Socialization

A dog’s lineage can be traced back to wolves, which means their socialization traits can also be traced back to wolves.

Wolves tend to travel in packs. They hunt in packs. However, it is also possible for some wolves to be alone, instead of in a group. This trait of being in a pack makes many dogs capable of socializing with their own breed. Most animals in the wild associate with their own species, while domesticated animals have an advantage of socializing with other animals.

Typical dog behavior is to socialize with these other animals, as well as with you. They enjoy the affection and friendship which makes up their family. However, not all dogs will have the same socialization behaviors. There are also issues with socialization across species.

We have noticed in our cage free living environment at NaNook & NaKoda’s Big Paw Rescue that when we have multiple dogs of the same breed or breed mixes they tend to socialize in groups together. For example at one point we had 13 German shepherds at one time in our rescue and all the German shepherds could often be found out in the pasture on our hiking trails running and playing together while the lab mixes can often be found playing together in the water and the Rottweilers can usually be found together with the livestock and so on and so on. Of course at the end of the day they can all be found together laid out around the house exhausted from the days adventures.

Socialization can also be trained out of pets. By keeping your pets in an all human household, you can see a change in socialization behaviors. Instead of a dog going up to smell another and start a friendly relationship, there can be an immediate bid for dominance. Evidence has been seen in dog parks, where dogs without socialization can be aggressive, vocal, and use posturing to warn other dogs. Some dogs may be extremely nervous, try to hide or get into your arms when a more alpha dog is near them in a social setting. This always creates a problem when dog owners of non-socialized animals decide to take their dogs to local pet friendly stores, camping, vacationing etc. By having their dog behave in such negative ways it also makes it more difficult for communities to be pet friendly and have more pet friendly businesses and spaces for the animal lovers to enjoy.

One great way of socializing your dog is to join a pack walk. You can watch for the community notices of pack walks on the Brownwood Dog Community page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1276891772425319/