Great Moment at the Shelter

I spent a good part of Sunday at my shelter. A recent outbreak of upper respiratory infections had finally calmed down and the cats really needed some TLC. There were two overweight scared-looking cats who had come in together. One, Cloud Fluff, looked like Toby if he were 10 pounds heavier and my heart just about burst. All homeless kitties affect me, but these cats were overweight, scared, and had been surrendered by their owner. I pulled up a chair and started talking to them. Cloud Fluff came right to my hand and started head butting it and rubbing and purring up a storm. When his sister finally came out and walked right onto my lap, one of the staff people looked at me in amazement. "I've never seen those cats be affectionate with anyone. You've got a touch," he said and I felt more pride than any A+ in school ever caused.

I'm an editor, a writer, and an assistant. None of those bring me more pride than helping a nervous cat open up and purr.

5 Tips for Dealing with Anxious Animals:
DISCLAIMER: please have someone knowledgeable with you if the animal hasn't been screened for aggression and never approach a strange animal. They may bite or be infected. In that case, call someone with training. Do not put yourself in harm's way. If you feel worried, don't push yourself into a situation you may regret.
Otherwise, if it's a rescue dog or your friend's pet who is frightened, or yours just got upset, please try the following.

1. Be calm yourself.
2. Approach the animal like you would a terrified teenager. Children can't run far so don't pretend it's a two-year old. Think of how you would approach a teen who might run away or hurt herself.
3. Use happy tones at a quiet volume.
4. Don't push too hard. Cloud Fluff loved snuggling my hand and being petted. He did not want to come out of his cage. I gave him the option, he refused, and I continued to show him affection. Eventually, if I do this often, he'll become comfortable enough to let me take him out of his cage. Watch their body language and respond appropriately. If the cat bats at you with his claws, back off and try again later.
5. Use treats. Treats are a useful training aid. They provide positive associations. If the animal learns to associate your company with treats, he'll see that you provide good things, not bad, and become more comfortable with you.


Overall, have empathy with the animal. Love the shy animals because they need that love and attention to come out of their shells. Just love.

Learning from TV, Practicing with Puppies

In a conversation with my brother today,I heard about a sweet dog who jumps a lot and whose human has a hard time handling him. Our conversation made me think of how I had tried out a technique I had seen on "It's Me or the Dog."

Basically, the episode showed two dogs who always jumped on people when they entered a home. A lot of dogs do this and a lot of the owners I know just put up with it or pull the dog away. I've always just let the dogs jump because it didn't bother me to have dogs jumping on me. However, it can be upsettin for people like my mom who are afraid of dogs. If I get a dog some day, I want my mom to feel comfortable visiting me so this particular technique really interested me.

Victoria started with teaching the dogs to "wait" to the side of the door with enough room for a person to come in. This involved training the dogs having someone come to the door, ring the doorbell, and wait patiently for the dogs to sit and wait properly. Then, when the dogs were calm, the person came in and the dogs were allowed to politely sniff (not sure if my mom would deal well with this, but if I promised sniffing instead of jumping, it might help). If they started to jump, the person was to turn around so they were jumping at the backside of the person. The dogs miraculously would return to the ground when the person's back was turned.

I was handling a sweet one year old Pit Bull/Bull Dog mix. She was a sweetie but kept jumping on me and other people. Thankfully most potential adopters understand that shelters dogs often have basic training, but not the greatest manners. I did try the turning trick though whenever my dog would jump. What was really cool--it worked! Whenever I turned, my dog returned to her feet and would stop jumping on me.

So today you get advice. If a dog is jumping on you and you don't want him to do so, try just turning around. They'll lose interest and stop. I tried it with two of the other dogs and it worked. Let me know how it goes for you!