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/

Almost there -with a little help from our friends!

& NaKoda's Big Paw Rescue has officially been Brown County's first 501c3 non profit rescue for 1 year! Many people said we would not make it but we've gone and proved them wrong are saving lives, helping veterans and adopting out dogs! We didn't allow people to rush us but taking in too many dogs at once. We carefully weighed our abilities vs. each dogs needs and only took cases we had space for with our limited number of fosters and funds. We networked on social media and in our local community to get our name out in the community and start discussions as well as educate. We provided adoption counseling sessions that were unique to each dogs individual needs before adopting out any dogs. We interviewed and spent time with our volunteers to make sure they are involved for the right reasons. We are dedicated to fundraising, transporting, fostering, feeding, walking, training and providing basic dog care for each dog. Sometimes our founder got very little sleep between her full time job and rescue responsibilities because much of the work fell on her shoulders but this is her passion! We began with a handful of temporary foster homes and are fundraising to expand to "The Dog House". In order to accomplish this we have engaged with our community. We have participated in local community events, by rescuing animals from the kill shelter and taking in owner surrenders we have shown that we are engaged in helping our community. We go out and meet our community leaders to let them know who we are what we do and we take our dogs out into the community to show everyone the results we achieve with our training for the dogs. As we grow and continue to help in our community we hope that you will join and support us!

Dog fighting in Texas - Dogfighting: Dogs Tortured in Illegal ...

"The most commonly bred dogs for fighting are Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American bulldogs, and American pit bull terriers. All of them are usually referred to as pit bulls. Dogs are highly social pack animals who need and deserve love, attention, and exercise and thrive in an environment that offers the companionship of other dogs and human guardians. Dogs who are used for fighting are chained, taunted, and starved in order to trigger extreme survival instincts and encourage aggression. "

All of the training tactics used to trigger the extreme survival instincts and encourage aggression are considered torture and cruelty.

"Typically, before their first birthdays, puppies bred for fighting are placed in front of other dogs in order to test their aggression. At around 15 months, two prospective “fighters” are forced to participate in a “roll”—their first fight, which lasts about 10 minutes—followed by a second fight that lasts an hour. Survivors are chained again (sometimes with weighted logging chains) for a couple of months until they are ready for their first “show.” Breeders “train” dogs by forcing them to tread water in pools; run on a treadmill while a cat or another terrified animal, who may be someone’s stolen companion animal, is placed in a cage in front of the dog (to be caught and mauled to death as a reward afterward); and hang on with their jaws while dangling from a chain baited with meat.2,3  The dogs are likely injected with steroids, and some breeders go so far as to sharpen their dogs’ teeth, cut off their ears (in order to prevent another dog from latching on), and add roach poison to their food so that their fur might taste bad to other dogs.4,5 "

"Equipment such as treadmills used to build dogs' endurance “break sticks” used to pry apart the jaws of dogs locked in battle tires or “springpoles” (usually a large spring with rope attached to either end) hanging from tree limbs .Mar 21, 2018 "

"Dogs who do not fight or who lose fights are often used as “bait” animals, and sometimes, they are even abandoned, tortured, set on fire, electrocuted, shot, drowned, or beaten to death. Dogs who survive rarely make good companions, as breeders commonly mate close relatives in an effort to pass on the traits of dogs who are especially aggressive and whose instincts and training motivate them to kill other animals. "

We currently have 3 dogs at our rescue that are suspected as being used in fighting or as bait dogs. Rikki (our first pull as a 501c3 who was part of the #eastlandcounty14), Savitar and our latest pull Togo who has suffered severe damage including the loss of one of his ears.

"What Happens at Dogfights Dogfights tend to be highly secretive, with location information spread by word of mouth or via the Internet. Participants might meet in one place and be taken en masse to another location so that even they don’t know where they’re going until they arrive.6 Abandoned houses, garages, warehouses, and fields all serve as sites for dogfights—places that can be quickly evacuated in advance of a raid.

A “pit” consists of a dirt or carpeted floor that is anywhere from 8 to 16 square feet and is surrounded by a wooden—and often portable—enclosure that is about 3 feet high. Dogs are taken to either end of the ring and released at the “face your dogs” command. Break or parting sticks are used to pry apart fighting dogs, who clamp down so fiercely that it is not uncommon for dogs to “fang” themselves (i.e., bite through their own lips).1 Fights can go on for hours—until one dog is seriously injured or dies.

Dogs are ranked by their “gameness”—the ability to keep fighting even when pain and loss of blood have caused them to go into shock.8 A federal prosecutor recalls a case in which one of 18 dogs found in a raid had 70 open wounds and was missing half a jaw while 75 percent of another dog’s body was covered with scar tissue.9  A Louisiana state police officer who conducts dogfighting investigations says, “When you go to where these fights have happened, you’ll find a couple of dog corpses or a pit full of blood.”10"

"The Tip of a Criminal Iceberg Officials often stumble across dogfighting operations accidentally while searching property for other reasons. For instance, in 2007, authorities were searching Michael Vick’s property in rural Virginia for suspected drug activity when they discovered dogs who were tied to car axles with logging chains as well as dogfighting equipment, including treadmills, chains, whips, and injectable drugs.11

Dogfighting usually involves other crimes in addition to cruelty to animals. Gambling—which is frequently illegal and often involves large sums of money—takes place at many dogfights. Firearms and other weapons are also found and are sometimes used in violent crimes, including murder, as occurred at a Texas home when three intruders bound the wife and children of a well-known pit bull breeder and killed him for the $100,000 that he had won at a fight.12 When police responded to reports of dogfighting at a Phoenix residence, they arrested nine people and found drugs, guns, and a stolen car on the premises. Two injured dogs escaped from the house.13A detective told the New York Daily News that “you can get more drugs and guns off the street by breaking up dog rings than you would breaking up drug rings.”14 An Ohio sheriff says, “Just about every dogfighting search warrant we’ve done, we’ve found drugs.”15

A review of Chicago dogfighting incidents over a three-year span found that in the nearly 400 cases, more than half the dog owners had gang affiliations and almost all had been arrested at least two times.16"

Let's face it; Brown county could use this kind of severe clean up!!

" What You Can Do Federal law bans interstate commerce import and export of fighting dogs, and the penalty is three years in jail with a $250,000 fine.17 But as a Texas sheriff remarked, “If you don’t know it’s going on, there’s not a whole lot you can do. It’s organized crime.”18 One town in Michigan had such a problem with the illegal activity that it established a dedicated hotline for residents to report dogfights and animal abuse.19

Dogs raised for fighting are usually chained (or “tethered”), which is a safety hazard for the dogs and the community. A study published in Pediatrics magazine reported that “[b]iting dogs were significantly more likely … to be chained” and nearly three times as likely to attack than dogs who were not tethered.20 While many cities and counties have addressed this cruel and dangerous practice in an effort to prevent tragedy from striking near home, others consider such legislation only after an incident occurs in which a chained dog mauls a child in their area. For more information on how you can get your community to enact an ordinance that bans or at least restricts tethering, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.

If you suspect that dogfighting is happening in your neighborhood, contact local law-enforcement authorities."

#theysitforyouwillyoustandforthem

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/dogfighting-dogs-tortured-illegal-blood-sport/

References 1FoxNews.com, “Wyoming Becomes 50th State to Criminalize Dogfighting,” 5 Mar. 2008. 2Bill Burke, “Bloodsport: Dogfighting Once Had a Following Limited to the Rural South. but in the Age of the Internet, This Violent, Illegal Activity Has Seen a Cultural Shift,” The Virginian-Pilot 17 Jun. 2007. 3Julian Walker and Tom Campbell, “The Growth of Dogfighting,” The Richmond Times-Dispatch 3 Jul. 2007. 4Burke. 5Childs Walker, “Dogfight ‘Culture’ Reaches to Baltimore; Officials Link Bloody Pastime With Drugs, Gun Dealing, Gangs,” The Baltimore Sun 1 Jun. 2007. 6Renée C. Lee, “Dogfight Culture Thrives on Secrecy: Lack of Police Training Hinders Enforcement, Animal Welfare Experts Contend,” The Houston Chronicle 4 Sept. 2007. 7Drew Jubera, “Dogfighting: A Shadow World of Bloodlust,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 20 Jul. 2007. 8Associated Press, “Vick Case Illustrates Pit Bull’s Changing Status,” 24 Jul. 2007. 9Tom Weir, “Vick Case Sheds Light on Dark World of Dogfighting,” USA Today 18 Jul. 2007. 10Weir. 11Associated Press, “Feds Search Vick’s Property in Dog-Fighting Investigation,” 8 Jun. 2007. 12Lee. 13Patrick Lancaster, “Nine Arrested for Dog Fighting, Drugs,” ABC15.com 14 May 2012. 14Lisa Olson, “Dogfighting World Is Inhumane Society,” New York Daily News 19 Jul. 2007. 15Mark Gillispie, “Brutal Underground Sport Comes to Light; Secrets of the Dogfighting World Unleashed as Federal Officials Look at Case of NFL’s Vick,” The Plain Dealer 10 Jun. 2007. 16Walker. 17CNN.com, “Dogfighting a Booming Business, Experts Say,” 18 Jul. 2007. 18Lee. 19Ron Fonger, “Genesee County’s Dog Fighting, Animal Abuse Hotline Up and Running,” MLive.com, 15 May 2012. 20Kenneth A. Gershman et al., “Which Dogs Bite? A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors,” Pediatrics 93 (1994): 913–7.

URGENT MEDICAL HELP NEEDED NOW

This is the post we were tagged on last Friday on social media.

****MEDICAL EMERGENCY***** *****RESCUE NEED IT NOW ***** HUSKY MALE BROUGHT TO SHELTER . HE IS 3 YEARS OLD. NOT FIXED. HE HAS OWNER BUT DID NOT COME TO PICK HIM UP HIS EAR HAS BEEN CHEWED UP AND BLEEDING.. one Ear is completely gone SHELTER IS GIVING HIM THE ANTIBIOTICS. BUT I AM SURE HE IS IN PAIN. CONTACT BROWNWOOD SHELTER BUT WE NEED RESCUE NOW

We knew this particular shelter was currently under torture and cruelty investigation according to our police chief and even though they sit on a 6 figure "rainy day fund" were doing nothing to treat this dog's injuries he had to get out of there now and to a vet! So we contacted our fosters and found a place for him to recover. We pulled him and got him into see the vet,

Update: Togo (new name) is resting under observation at the vets office. He came through surgery to clean up his wounds and make sure there was no internal ear damage. He was also neutered while under. We'll pick him up at 4pm today and he'll remain calm and safe in his medical foster where he can continue to heal! His total bill so far is $378.50. We've raised $295 towards his care so far.

"Hawks" injuries are not good. He's a mangled mess with bite wounds on his neck, chest, legs and a mangled ear and missing ear from being attacked by 3 dogs. Original owner knew it happened a week ago and ear was still attached but failed in getting medical care and he escaped again and was picked up by neighbor and taken to kill shelter where we pulled him from today.

He's a sweet, affectionate boy and is doing well with his foster siblings. We will be at vet to take care of his injuries in the morning, get him neutered and on heartworm prevention.

Stay tuned for his updates!!

#theysitforyouwillyoustandforthem #adoptdontshop #savetheabused#lovethemistreated #rescuetheabandonded #nnbpr #siberianhusky

Togo is resting at his foster home this evening. We've chosen to change his name because this sweet, beautiful soul deserves a new life; free of any ties to his past. After seeing the extent of wounds and the varying degree of healing and scars we suspect his injuries may be more than "attacked by the family dogs in the yard".

Togo is named after a scrappy, determined husky from the 30s who was under estimated but kept after his purpose until the humans around him finally realized he was more than they gave him credit for. We thought this was a strong, determined, beautiful dog for him to be named after and an awesome story of strength.

Togo is pretty mangled at the moment but he will heal with time, medical care, attention and love.

The first picture is of when he had previously been taken into the same kill shelter....the following pictures are now.

#theysitforyouwillyoustandforthem #savetheabused #lovethemistreated#rescuetheabandonded #nnbpr #siberianhusky #husky #rescuedogs

Continuing the Journey

Over the past few weeks we have been very busy!

Our dogs walked in our local Christmas parade, we've continued training, had several new dogs arrive and found homes for several!

We managed to raise and save $7000 towards the purchase of our portable building but need your help to raise the remaining money and building materials! Whether you donate $5 or $5000. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support.

Please donate and share with your networks to help us raise the remainder of funds we need to purchase a building we will finish out and turn into a human livable dog house where the dogs will reside and learn house manners, basic obedience and public access training while they are with us or provide sanctuary to dogs who are not adoptable. https://www.facebook.com/donate/324346934846971/?fundraiser_source=external_url

We need more space to pull more dogs. There's several we'd like to pull from kill shelters and save but we need more room and/or fosters. The founders can only have so many in their homes.

We are raising funds to purchase a portable building that will be set up like a home environment to be used to house dogs we pull from kill shelters in a home like environment. Dogs will live in this building, sleep in this building, come & go from this building as they wish, and learn basic obedience and home manners and public access training.

If you would like to donate to this cause there are 2 ways you can help. Donate to our fundraiser or if you would like to donate any of the items below please PM us or email us at nanooknakodasbigpawrescue@gmail.com or call 325 261 3849 for drop off location.

We will need: 1920 ft of Insulation bats apx staples for insulation bats caulk & foam 1920 ft of wall panels 2 high powered ceiling fans/light fixtures Home depot gift cards 2x4s 1x4s 4x8s Plywood Nails & wood screws Concrete (bags) Cinder blocks storage shelves galvanized welded wire fencing for 5 outdoor kennels Tposts wood to build dog houses or igloo dog houses for large/giant breed dogs Metal lamps iindoor/outdoor throw rugs Baby cribs large/giant dog crates - preferably heavy duty steal ones for large/giant breeds Curtains blankets flat sheets towels shampoos/conditioners collars/martingale collars large/xl/xxl harnesses proheart heartworm injections - donations storage containers for food metal dog bowls raised stands for dog bowls balls, kong or jolly balls agility equipment

Living the Dream!

or 2 decades I have been an active animal advocate. Sometimes when life changed I was less active than other times for I have always spent time advocating, volunteering and rescuing animals. Often in my Summers I would travel to areas of animal different types of animal sanctuaries from exotic animals to domestic animals. Not only did this type of work help the animals but it helped me also. You see; I am a sexual assault and child abuse survivor. These tramatic experiences left me with depression, anxiety and ptsd. By helping others who could not help themselves and being a voice for the animals I was able to get our of my own head.

After many years of volunteering at animal sanctuaries, shelters, rescues all over the country I was able to see some truly excellent examples and some truly horrific places. After learning everything I could from these places from administrative reporting, management, animal care, animal training, recruiting volunteers, managing volunteers, health and wellness, animal nutrition, purchasing, and the list goes on I decided to share what I learned at some shelters in my home state that I had previously volunteered for. Many were great experiences that were open to new ideas and ways of getting closer to no kill status or at least lowering euthanasia but even more were horrible experiences who continued to say they wanted to work towards no kill and better care but never wanted to put in the leg work to achieve those goals. Every idea of suggestion was taken with offense and hostility. This is when I decided I would love to open a no kill rescue of my own. 1. Pick Your Site Carefully The first step was property. Where was I going to house this rescue that had enough room for growth to have cage free living environment in which I could house dogs indoors while still have plenty of room for exercise and training? I worked and worked and bought a house with land and worked to ready the property for this dream. We purchased a place with existing barns and shop buildings that could be easily converted to kennels and indoor living areas for the dogs. We made sure the location was properly fenced in to prevent dogs from escaping. We had electricity and water to the location to make caring for the animals easier. However as often happens and due to personal circumstances the dream had to be put on hold. Soon I moved back to the community I went to high school in and even though I continued volunteering and privately rescuing I was unable to pick up where I had left off until my cousin and lifelong friend stepped up to join the dream! Again, we began preparing the property for the animals. We had 80 acres to work with in which we have a 10 acre tract fenced off for cage free living. This area will be free roam for the dogs during the day.. We will place a building on the 10 acre tract that will allow the dogs to have an indoor location to live and train. We have begun putting hiking trails in the land to allow off leash and on leash trails to train leash work and recall on as well as allowing free roaming exercise and play. The remaining property will allow supervised off leash and on leash play and training as well as a tank for water play and hopefully eventually have community days where we allow people to come out with their vaccinated and socialized pets to come for exercise and play.

2. Know What You Are Comfortable With

We are a rescue/sanctuary where animals come to live out their lives or live until they are adopted. We knew that learning to say farewell to animals and simultaneously trusting people to take proper care of them would be very challenging for us, so in the case of animals that have behavior issues due to neglect or abuse that never completely clear up and we don't trust others to have patience to deal with or handle those animals will be allowed to live their lives out with us and if they are easily rehabilitated with no behavior issues and just need proper house training, basic obedience and socialization to make them more adoptable will live until we are able to find proper forever homes for them.

3. Start Small and Learn to Say No

We have children, companion animals and jobs. We have learned that if we acquire too many animals, it is impossible to manage everything well, and it quickly makes life stressful and unfulfilling. We have also learned that in order to provide the best quality care for the animals we rescue we must maintain a managable number that we can financially support.  So we try hard not to bite off more than we can chew. For now, we provide the daily animal care ourselves and with the generous donations of the community who stand for the animals. We handle vaccinating and home remedies for health and wellness care when appropriate and we turn to a professional vet for situations above our ability. We have 1 former bait dog who will probably remain with us for the remainder of her life as she does not trust humans easily. We have 1 deaf dog we are in the process of teaching sign language to. We have 2 severely abused dogs who are in the process of touch therapy and socialization to help them overcome their abuse. Then we 12 remaining dogs who just need groceries, basic obedience, house manners and some TLC.  This number while large is manageable..  

One of the most difficult aspects of having a rescue/sanctuary is having to say no to people looking to place animals. It is important to recognize when you will be stretched beyond your means, whether it’s having the time and skills to provide good quality care or the actual space to house an animal. It’s also vital to know when you have a good balance in terms of the animals’ social lives. IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT GIVING THEM SHELTER AND FOOD, but also about making sure they have a home and are happy. This is where many rescues begin to fail. They can't say no and try to save them all. While yes it is upsetting to know if you don't take an animal it may be euthanized at a kill shelter what good are you doing for that animal if you are not able to provide quality care and a quality life for them? Introducing new animals can go smoothly, but it takes time and patience. Consider how adding new animals to a pack will affect the new individuals and those who you already have. 

Cage free living can often take more time and effort as well as patience.  Not all rescues/sanctuaries provide cage free living for the animals in their care. Many rescues still house in kennels and crates or outdoor pens and while this may be fine for other rescues it is not ok for us.. We believe that dogs are pack animals and need plenty of space to roam and play in order to be stress free and happy. 

When thinking about rescue/sanctuaries keep these things in mind. Understand that not everyone works the same as you might want to and keep in mind what it will take to provide the type of quality life you want to provide.  Be careful of the pitfalls that many rescues/sanctuaries fall into causing them to feed the cheapest non quality foods, provide minimal health care, skimp on space when housing dogs and providing little to no time or space for exercise and play  Remember these are many of the same issues many advocates complain about when criticizing kill shelters and falling into the same things will not keep you happy and satisfied nor will it allow you to provide the type of quality life you want for the animals in your care.  

Also, for those of you who do not run a rescue/sanctuary remember when you reach out to rescues/sanctuaries to take animals and they have to say no that they would LOVE to be able to take them all and save them all but as any smart business person knows; sometimes you have to say no in order to maintain a quality level for those in your care.  Be kind to them and do not judge or badger them when they say no. They know from a business stand point what they can do, what is needed and what will be too much and begin to effect the quality of rescue/sanctuary life they can provide.  

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