October really started on a high note because on the first of the month, Pickle, star of that box office smash "Pickle's Playhouse", was adopted! Just like the title of this post reads - let's give a big round of cyber applause to ARF's Animal Care staff, who helped make her time here with us not just bearable for her, but downright enjoyable! The photo above shows Pickle, now "Pepper", in her new home.
As nice as our facility is, the whole experience of being sheltered can be tough on dogs & cats. Some aspects of sheltering can be overstimulating for our four legged guests, while other aspects are understimulating. Here at ARF we are lucky to have our awesome Animal Care staff, who play a huge part in ensuring that our critters time here is as stress free as possible. As well as seeing to all of the animal's basic needs, the AC staff also find time to do stuff like: take a dog on a trail walk, run playgroups, teach dogs to use the agility equipment (Salty Dog and Suze are agility superstars!), play fetch, work on training cues, quietly socialize with the shyer cats, and play with the livelier ones. It's not just our modern facility that makes our shelter a nice environment for the critters - it's down to the hardworking folks who keep it running too - cue cyber applause now!
Other news to report:
Shelter trainer Lindsey had her baby, a wee boy, named Cassius, I've seen photos of him, and the lad is a looker! Covering for Lindsey during her maternity leave will be fill-in trainer Ana, who just started, and will be working full time. She's a friend of Lindsey's, as they were classmates at the Academy for Dog Trainers last year. Her very lovely Portuguese Water Dog, Dara, is coming to work too - herself and Jethro are already fast friends!
Well, we are absolutely delighted that another ARF dog, wee Henrietta, has made the journey up to Dogs for the Deaf in Oregon, to begin training as an assistance dog! I'm sure she'll thrive on having a job to do, and what a difference she'll make in somebody's life!
The APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) conference is being held in Oakland this year, and there is an entire day devoted to issues surrounding working with shy/fearful dogs. Like many shelters, we see our fair share of shy critters, so it should be a really helpful and informative day altogether.
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