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This year's Dog Bite Prevention Week is taking place May 18th-24th, and there are some great ways you can get involved and get educated about this important cause that's near and dear to my heart.
Most of us know someone who has been bitten by a dog. Many of you might have been bitten yourselves. Almost all of you have probably seen the viral video of Tara the 'Hero Cat' saving a young boy from a vicious dog bite. So many of these bites are preventable, and with better education, especially for children and their parents, we can reduce the number of people who are injured and killed by dogs around the world.
I was in Washingon, D.C. on May 15th to join representatives from the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition which includes State Farm, the U.S. Postal Service, American Humane Association, American Society for Reconstructive MicroSurgery, Insurance Information Institute and Prevent the Bite, for a press conference at the National Press Club.
If you're in the UK, I urge you to come to the National Dog Bite Prevention and Behaviour Conference May 31st-June 1st. I'll be joined there by some of the world's leading experts in dog bite prevention and dog behavior, including dog bite forensic investigator Jim Crosby, animal behaviour experts Sarah Fisher and Chirag Patel and Beverley Cuddy, publisher and proprietor of Dogs Today magazine.
For those of you living in other parts of the world, keep an eye out for more information every day this week about how to educate yourself and your children about safe dog practices, and help prevent someone you love from becoming a statistic.
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We love our pets and want them to be close to us, and while most of us like to snuggle with our dogs on the sofa or on the bed,others prefer their furniture remain pet-free.
To teach your pets to stay off furniture you must first understand why they climb onto it. You may have heard that dogs like to be up on high places as a way of claiming higher rank. This is a myth! Odds are that your couch or bed is the most comfortable spot in the room. Why wouldn’t they want to lie there?
If you want to keep your pets off the furniture, there are many training techniques you can use.
Keep a Dog Calm During Thunderstorms
Depending on where you live, thunderstorms can be an extremely common occurence, especially in the summertime. If you have a dog with a fear of storms, life can be miserable for both you and your dog. Fortunately, there are some easy, effective ways to manage and treat thunderstorm phobia.
This month, Victoria and her crew traveled back to Maine for a second time to document the last week of State Farm's month-long arson dog training school for an upcoming web series.
The series will follow eight arson dog handlers-in-training and their dogs, as well as the three men who dedicate their lives to training them. These men and their dogs are a huge benefit to law enforcement as well as to the communities they serve.
Victoria also traveled to the beautiful Cape Elizabeth, which is a picturesque area that holds all the incredible scenery you may imagine when you think about Maine. This series is sure to be fun, educational, and easy on the eyes!
Check out the latest blog post from Positively Contributor Tim Link. Tim talks about black dogs, and whether or not the assumption that they are harder to adopt out is true or not.
"There have been some studies out lately that have come to the conclusion that the color of a dog’s coat doesn’t matter to people who are looking for a dog to adopt. They state that the old theory that black-coated dogs are more difficult to adopt than lighter color dogs is not true.
The ASPCA conducted a study on what drives people to adopt certain animals. Based on that study, an official of the organization claimed, "Color does not play a role at all.” According to a recent study by the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, adoption records from two no- kill shelters in New York State were reviewed to determine what factors influenced the adoption of dogs. One of those factors included a dog’s coat color. Based on their findings, coat color had no influence on length of stay at the shelter..."
Opal isn't your average service dog.
He leads not only his blind owner, but also his owner's former service dog. Graham Waspe and his first service dog, Edward, were an unstoppable pair for six years before Edward had to have both eyes removed due to inoperable cataracts. Graham and his family were devastated, but when he received his second service dog, Opal, both Edward and Graham had a new pair of guiding eyes.
Opal guides Graham and Edward on walks and helps Graham with everyday tasks, and the trio frequently go out to schools and community events to educate and raise awareness about service dogs and the importance of supporting service dogs and the foundations that train them.
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