Dog Adoption Tips I Learned From My 2 Dogs

Dog Adoption Tips I Learned From My 2 Dogs
There?s a hole in your life that only a dog can fill. You want a special dog, perhaps just a full-grown adult. Maybe your code of ethics calls for saving a dog?s life ? not buying an expensive purebred.

I?m not a veterinarian or a dog trainer, but I?ve enjoyed two successful adoptions. Here are some tips I?ve picked up along the way.

(1) Clarify your requirements ahead of time.

Once you?re standing in front of a cage, it?s easy to say, ?Well, he?s a lot bigger than I expected, and I really wanted a female, but oh he?s SO cute!? No amount of love or training will help if your dog needs more exercise than you can provide.

(2) Know the difference between shelter and rescue groups.

Most cities have humane societies where you can view dogs and make a choice. Rescue groups typically hold animals in foster care ? which is good, because you can ask the foster mom all sorts of questions. For example, they can say, ?This dog lived with two cats so you know you can trust her.?

(3) Be prepared to pay.

Shelter animals are not free, but you do get value for money. Expect to pay a fee that may include spay/neuter costs, licensing, and/or veterinarian visits.

(4) Consider an older dog.

By the time a dog has turned three or four, she?s as big as she?s going to get. No surprises! You?ll also have clues regarding his temperament.

(5) Plan to confine the dog during a period of transition.

Your new dog doesn?t get it. She was in a loving home (or left alone in a yard all day or even abused). Then she spent a few weeks in a cage, feeling lonely and isolated. Maybe she?s been passed around to multiple homes.

Bottom line, she?s stressed. She may chew, dig, bark, or even lose her house training at first.

Crating the dog prevents destructive behavior. My dogs both looked visibly relieved as they retreated to their crates every day. ?Time to relax,? they seemed to say.

(6) Invest in training.

Most dogs are turned over to the shelter because of behavior problems. If you?re new to the world of dog behavior, take a class or hire a professional. Most behavior can be corrected, even among older dogs. But if you?re not sure, ask a professional. Some behaviors can?t be ?fixed.?

(7) Incorporate large doses of exercise and walks into your day.

Walking together builds your bond and a tired dog is a good dog. Begin the exercise program immediately so you can gain a sense of how much exercise the dog needs ? an important factor in the dog?s adjustment ? and start training for the basics on the way home from the shelter.

Cathy Goodwin, a certfified Dog Fanatic, wrote Arf! Dog Health Comes Home: tips and resources to care for your aging, sick or injured dog. Download from <a href="http://www.dog-health.org" title="http://www.dog-health.org" target="_blank">http://www.dog-health.org</a>

Dogs Giving Birth: What To Do Posted By : Sebastian Marders
One of the best moments of a dog’s life, as well as its master’s, is when it is about to give birth to a litter of puppies. Now you can either help out or let nature do its work, but it always helps when you are there to assist your dog during its time of labor.

Human and Animal Kingdoms
Animals typically don’t re-incarnate in the same sense that we do. Because we have an egoic level that animals don’t have, we can have repeated earth lives. Animals have, rather, an astral aspect, which dissipates into the general pool of astrality. This particular difference could well be shifting now, as the forces of spiritual evolution continue to play on all four kingdoms of life on Earth. One constant, however, is that animals and humans do not “inter-carnate.” Each kingdom keeps to itself. Another important difference between animals and humans is entailed in how animals tend to be specialists, while humans are the generalists. Every animal has either an ability or knowledge, or understanding, in a specialized area, that transcends a human capacity. A horse can out-run us. Birds can fly. Fish can breath under water, and so on. Humans, however, are the generalists. Humanity is able to address many of its lesser abilities by creative invention. We can make things that run faster than horses, or construct a craft that can fly. Although most animals may not yet reincarnate in the same sense as humans, they are still able to devise plans for their incarnations on a soul level, make choices, seek to learn and unfold specific lessons, and set out to accomplish spiritual goals. However, they do so via their group soul aspect, the over-lighting ego of the species, or one of several groupings within a species, more so than on an individual basis. The Spirit of the Bison, for example, is orchestrating plans on this level. (see the Earth Vision article The Return of Bison and Wolf for more on this. The naturo-human interchange is designed for teaching and learning - as a two way street. Ourselves and beings in nature are at once students and teachers of each other. As presented in The Spiritual Ecology of Evolution, we owe a dept to the animals, who have gone before us to help us find our way. This is what comprises the deeper basis in the impulse for stewardship, our responsibility to the animals. Some of the questions that proceed from this article are - do animals inter-carnate among themselves, that is, one species to another? And, in that animals are spiritually evolving, and therefore becoming more egoic, to what extent are some animals at this time actually reincarnating in the classical sense? And, in what ways is the nature-human relationship evolving? The Insight21/Earth Vision projects will be delving into these questions further, and will also be inviting input from readers who may have some experience and/or references toward this end. Further Resources The Return of Bison and Wolf - from the Earth Vision project — www.evsite.net The Spiritual Ecology of Evolution - from Insight21 - www.insight21.net

J Graf is the coordinator of Earth Vision and Insight21 - doorways for the 21st Century - at http://www.evsite.net and http://www.insight21.net

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