Things to Consider When Picking a Breed of Dog So, you have decided that you and your family are going to get a dog.  So now what? The first thing to do is figure out what breed or breed mixes would be a good fit for your household.  There are several things to think about when trying to figure out what works best for your family. Questions to consider… Why does your family want [...]

The biggest thing I see is owners with dogs that are not good fits within their family for many reasons. They can be a bad fit because they are high energy dogs and the owners are a low energy family, or older people with limited mobility, the breed is too large and powerful for the owner, and they can be a bad fit because the owner is a soft person, and they have a [...]

Being an Advocate for Your Dog One of the more common things I see is owners NOT being an advocate for their dogs.  This is not the fault of the owners but the pressures of culture, not having knowledge in those areas, not knowing how to advocate for their dogs appropriately, and sometimes not knowing the needs of the dog.  I am briefly going to touch on all these areas to better help you [...]

We get lots of questions and requests to train service dogs but what qualities make a good service dog or things to think about if you want your dog to become a service dog. First, is do you have a medical, mental, or emotional condition that can be something that legally can have a service dog.   This is something that needs to be discussed with your doctors, therapists, and other professionals that you are [...]

Therapy Dogs We get lots of questions and requests to train therapy dogs, but what qualities make a good therapy dog? Here are some things to think about if you want your dog to become a therapy dog. First, if you are looking to train your dog will your dog physically, mentally, and socially be able to fit the job. Second, is your dog enjoying this type of work?  True therapy dogs love what they [...]

Emotional Support Animals (ESA’s) An Emotional Support Animal is a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, or any other domestic animal that a licensed mental health professional (A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist) has determined provides comfort and or emotional stability to an individual with a mental or emotional disability.  ESA owners commonly have conditions like severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, phobias, and learning disorders. They do not require specific training and provide emotional or mental [...]

Service Dogs Service dogs (also known as “assistance dogs”) are trained to perform quantifiable tasks that directly ease the challenges associated with their owner’s physical, psychiatric, sensory, and/or developmental disability.  These dogs generally have many hours to years of training to perform those specific tasks and be well under control in the community.  Service dogs are legally allowed in all public places with a few exceptions to assist their handlers. Therapy dogs Together with [...]

The Signs of Heatstroke Here are the symptoms: Unusual breathing/panting (rapid and loud) High rectal temperature (103 or higher) Extreme thirst Weakness and/or fatigue Glazed Eyes Disorientation Dark or bright red tongue and gums Skin around the muzzle or neck doesn’t snap back when pinched (dehydration). Difficulty breathing Excessive/Lack of Drool or Thick Saliva Rapid heartbeat Vomiting/Diarrhea Agitation Seizures Unconsciousness Things NOT to do if you think your dog has Heatstroke… Do NOT get [...]