​The first time he came to our house, my son’s friend Joey announced he hated dogs.

Given that we have a dog - and a cute one at that, a goofy Golden who loves any and all people - this is a bit of a problem. Joey was nonetheless fearful, so I had my dog in the yard for a bit. When I asked Joey why he hates dogs, he said it was because every dog he had ever met, starting with his own min pin when he was younger, bit him.

To be fair, if every dog I met bit me I might be nervous around them as well. But it’s indicative of a much bigger problem.

Joey is not a rare case. In the United States, 900,000 people a year require medical attention due to a non-fatal dog bite; half of them are children, whose small stature and lack of inhibition make them more prone to these sorts of incidences. We all hear about the tragic cases in the news of dogs killing people who were minding their own business, and it is horrifying and heartbreaking. But it is also, thankfully, rare. The vast majority of these bites are preventable.

My fellow veterinarians like to joke that we have a harder job than MDs because our patients can’t talk, but that’s not entirely true. Dogs may not speak our language, but they sure as heck communicate. It’s just that we aren’t listening properly.

If you want a perfect example of what a distressed dog looks like, just hit up your local veterinary clinic. All those picture memes of dogs going to the vet are a perfect list of all the things dogs do to broadcast when they are feeling uncomfortable …

• Hiding behind their owners
• Shaking
• Lip licking
• Yawning
• Tail tucked
• “Half moon” of the eye showing
• Turning away from you

And take growling, for example: how many times have you seen a dog get scolded for growling? We should be rewarding them! This is them shouting, loud and clear: “I am really unhappy right now. Whatever is going on here, please stop. Don’t make me escalate things.” It’s scary when you see it, especially when a dog is growling at a young child, but it is an immediate signal for you to intervene and make the situation safe.

Some signs are more subtle than others, and can be easy to miss if you don’t know how to look for them. It is extremely rare for a dog to jump right into bite mode without giving at least one or two of these signs ahead of time. We just don’t recognize it.

Time and time again, I see people - often kids - go right up to a dog exhibiting these behaviors and start patting them and talking to them. Do you remember when women in department stores used to walk up and spray you with perfume without asking first? They stopped because too many people were snapping at them. It’s kind of like that.

I imagine most people on the Life’s Abundance site know a lot more than the average bear about doggie body language, and if you have kids they probably do as well. From the time my kiddos were toddlers, we worked (and worked and worked, because it takes time) to teach them about respecting animals’ space. In some respects, kids comfortable with the family dog are even more at risk for bites, because they are used to approaching dogs who are very comfortable with being handled and may be overly familiar with strange dogs.

So we practice, and just as importantly, we make other kids practice with us too. When my dog is showing classic relaxed body posture (wiggling, leaning into people for pets), I take this as an opportunity to show kids who may have never been taught how to approach a strange dog …

1. Use your EYES to see if the dog wants to be approached
2. Use your MOUTH to ask for permission
3. Use your HAND to hold it out and let the dog approach you
4. Only then can you pat the dog, gently, on its side … not its face!

So many times when a dog bites, the owner says, “We never saw it coming!” That doesn’t mean the signs weren’t there. I’d encourage every pet parent out there to make it part of their daily life to teach those they encounter about how to approach a dog. You just might save them some trauma down the line.

As for Joey? Over time, he began to feel empowered as he understood how to evaluate dogs and when to walk away. The last time he came over, he asked to take Brody for a walk.

Even though great progress has been made in the last 30 years to reduce the number of animals being euthanized, a recent report by Best Friends Animal Society puts that number at 5,500 per day. To put that in a historical context, in 1984 that total was well over 46,000 per day (approximately 17 million per year)! While that represents a huge decrease, we think everyone can agree that two million every year is still two million too many.

That’s just one of the many reasons why our non-profit’s work is so important. By supporting the vital work of animal rescue groups who are dedicated to saving all lives, we are truly making a difference.

As the charitable arm of Life’s Abundance, The Dr. Jane Foundation provides financial support to small and medium-size rescue groups who work to prevent animal homelessness, abuse and chronic neglect. Because charitable work is central to our mission of wellness, every order we process aids homeless animals. And all of those small donations add up to a significant force for good. In the span of several years, The Dr. Jane Foundation has awarded funding to over 150 groups!

In a very real sense, every one of our loyal customers helps to support the cause of animal rescue, regardless of what you buy! While your focus may be on the well-being of your companion animals, or even yourself, you can rest easy knowing that you're not only helping homeless animals become companion animals, you’re also helping to eliminate the need for euthanasia.

And now, we’re pleased to inform you that our Board of Directors just held a quarterly meeting on February 8th. They approved four applications, funding the grant requests of the following animal rescue organizations.

​Hoopeston Animal Rescue Team

Based in Illinois, this all-volunteer, no-kill organization only began last year and they’re already having an incredibly positive impact on their community. According to their charter, HART is “dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional and medical needs of all local homeless animals”, a claim easily backed up by their record. Amazingly, they have been responsible for reuniting dozens of lost pet kids with their families (46 dogs and 12 cats in 2016 alone!). Hundreds of animals came through their doors last year, and they take enormous pride in the fact that no animal is ever turned away, for any reason. They even operate an open-intake shelter, so they’re on the front lines of all sorts of pet emergencies. Thanks to the superior medical care they provide, some of their patients have made recoveries that are nothing short of miraculous! To see the before-and-after photos, and for more information about their adoptable dogs and cats, visit hartshelter.org.

​Pawsitive Tails

Pawsitive Tails is a non-profit organization focused on finding forever homes for dogs and puppies in Kansas City and Topeka. They are not a traditional shelter organization, but rather a network of foster homes. This all-volunteer organization puts special focus on finding the perfect home for each rescue dog. During their time in foster care, the temporary pet parents closely observe the behaviors and personality traits of the pups. Later, they will use this info to help match prospective adopters with their ideal dog. 

Another new rescue group, in their first 12 months of operation they took in 379 dogs and 349 were placed in loving homes ... remarkable! And every penny they raise goes directly to the care of their rescues. Our financial award will go towards funding their spay-and-neuter program and to help provide food for the foster pups. For more information about their adoptable dogs, visit pawsitivetailskc.org.

​Schnauzer Rescue of Louisiana

Based in New Orleans, this foster group has been active since 2003 and was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. With a focus on purebred and mixed-breed Schnauzers, this small but dedicated rescue takes in dogs from local shelters and owner surrenders. Many of the pups in their care were made homeless when their caretaker passed away. They have rescued more than 300 Schnauzers since they began operations, and save as many as 38 per year. While some canines require months-long stays due to medical complications, this group attempts to place new rescues in loving homes in just a couple of weeks. Currently, they are working to expand their foster network and to provide rescue services in areas of Louisiana where shelters rely on euthanasia. Now that Schnauzer Rescue has built a reputation for their commitment and superior care, more and more rural areas are looking to them for help in dealing with homeless dogs. For more information about this rescue’s adoptable dogs, visit nolaschnauzer.com.

​West Tennessee Spay Neuter Coalition

Based in Jackson, this coalition works on multiple fronts to reduce pet overpopulation and to foster a culture of responsibility when it comes to pet parenting. Their primary focus is on providing low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for both dogs and cats in West Tennessee. We’re proud to contribute to this relatively new enterprise, which only began just last fall. While they have performed procedures on cats in feral colonies, the vast majority of their ‘clients’ are dogs and cats who have a home. Based on their research, making alteration surgeries affordable for low-income pet parents will have a dramatic effect in preventing overpopulation, thus reducing incidence of homelessness, neglect and euthanasia. Eventually, they hope to open a spay-neuter clinic, which will help them to make even more of an impact in their community. For more information about this alliance and the work they do, visit westtnspayneuter.org.

To all of these groups, we say "congratulations!" Your remarkable efforts to make the world a better place for companion animals are truly paying off.

Are you involved in an animal rescue, or know someone who is? We are currently accepting applications for 2017 funding. Our Board will be considering applications for the next round of funding in April, so try to have completed grant requests submitted by the end of March to ensure your group’s consideration.

For all those who actively support our non-profit, we can’t thank you enough. Thanks to your personal donations and continued patronage, we are taking real steps to help animal rescue groups across America achieve their goals. Together, we’re making a positive difference in the world, one animal at a time.

Sure it does yell rather annoyingly when you take it out on walks, and you do have to lock it up during dinner parties given how it snarls and growls at your friends four year old, but that’s all ok, because that’s what dogs do right? Ummm….not really. 
​
Sorry to burst your bubble but in spite of not being a human being your dog too is expected to be polite. Sure his antics might seem adorable to you, you might think it’s cute when he jumps up at neighbors and scratches up doors, but your dog’s victims sure as hell wouldn’t agree with you. 
​
You might think you do not want to exercise the sort of authority required to tell him to behave any better, and that’s all quite all right really. Being the owner of a dog doesn’t require you to suddenly transform into a whip swinging ring master and you are right in denouncing the pathetic idea of establishing who the boss is when dealing with an animal. 

Where you are wrong, however, is in your basic understanding of dog training. You need to realize that training your dog is not about proving how much better you are than it, you are not trying to teach it ‘human rules’ and thereby attempting to make it more ‘human’, training is not a method of ‘humanizing’ a dog. What it is, in fact, is a way of improving the relationship you share with your pet, and of course a means of making it more sociable.   

‘What’s the point of that?’ you might ask. Well, here is the thing. Most of us spend the larger fraction of our daily lives toiling in office, drinking our instant coffee, reading those balance sheets. The little time we get with our family and pets we try to merge with some sort of socializing. We go to the park for a stroll on a lovely evening after work, or to a friend’s house to watch a movie. If our dogs are unfriendly then on all these occasions we keep it back home, alone, such that in no time it’s in no way a part of our life at all. 

Now, like human beings your dog too gets lonely, it gets lonely and depressed and awfully sad especially when it’s left all alone in a dark house where there isn’t anyone to pat his tired little head. 

So you see ultimately due to your aversion towards training you keep your dog from enjoying the sort of company and activities it would like to.

Obedience training is a means of letting your dog cope better with it’s immediate environment. It grants every dog an easier life and makes them easier to live with. Training your dog will give you more opportunity to spend more time with your beloved pet, no matter where you are going and who you are going with. 

So get in their and give your dog a nice pat and take it out for training. A few magic words like ‘heel’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ and ‘sit’, will change your relationship with your favorite companion forever.
Good luck.

Lynnette Mix

Pet Food Super Powers
Thursday, 7 April 2016 12:11 by Dr. Jane

Believe it or not, it wasn’t until nearly the 20th Century that pet food was something distinct from scraps derived from human diets. However, only in the past four decades has the emphasis on health-promotion entered the mix. Some of our readers will no doubt recall the “Gravy Train” commercials of the 70’s. Pet food certainly has changed dramatically since those days!
Back in 1999, our company was born of the true revolution in health-promoting diets for companion animals. As a holistic veterinarian formulator, I’m proud to say our nourishing formulas have made a real difference for the dogs and cats who enjoy our products every day.
As many Life’s Abundance customers have witnessed firsthand, simply feeding a dog or cat appropriate nutrition can go a long ways to promoting health. But how exactly does food alone help to protect wellness? In the following, we’ll explore four ways that nutrition packs a powerful punch!
Edible Immune Protection
One of the best ways you can protect your pet kid is by building up his or her immune system. The scientific evidence is clear … a stressed body has a lower immunity compared to a non-stressed individual. Veterinary behaviorists are just discovering sources of stress in companion animals. Many focus on domesticated cats, who have on the evolutionary scale only just recently made the switch to indoor living. Even though we don’t know all the things that cause stress, or even recognize all the symptoms of stress in pet kids, we do know that actively trying to improve their immunity with proper nutrition is worthwhile.
At Life’s Abundance, we were one of the first to add fruits and vegetables to our formulas. They naturally offer huge amounts of flavanoids, vitamin E, C and so much more. Antioxidants are just one of the many reasons doctors and dieticians say, “eat your fruits and veggies!” A 2002 study suggests that antioxidant supplementation can achieve sustained increases in circulating levels of antioxidants that exert a protective effect by a decrease in DNA damage, leading to improved immunological performance.
Our formulas feature guaranteed levels of Vitamin E and C, as well as guaranteed amounts of probiotics, important to gut health and immunity.