Friends of Falmouth Dogs

What a great event our town has coming up this Sunday (June 14)! Highfield Hall is honoring the community and the Bebe family with a dog event - Hounds at Highfield. There will be all kinds of dog-related activities, fun things for kids, vendors and food. You are welcome to bring your dogs. One dog per adult handler. It is $5 for adults. Kids under 12 and dogs are admitted for free. The fun begins at 11:00 a.m. with a walk around the grounds.

Friends of Falmouth Dogs will have a table so please stop by and visit. We’re expecting good weather and hope to see many old friends and meet new dog lovers.

More details available at Highfield Hall’s web site.

If anyone out there is upgrading equipment and doesn’t know what to do with the old, we might be interested. We are looking for two items. One is a laptop so we can take it with us when we are at events. We can set the laptop up with photos of our dogs for everyone to see.

The second item is a simple treadmill that the dogs can use. When the weather is bad, our dogs could still get a good amount of exercise if we had a treadmill for them to use. We’re looking for one without a lot of bells and whistles.

If you have one of the above items that you think would work well for us, please call us at 508-548-7742. Thank you in advance!

Artist Carol Chretien, painted one of ours dogs currently waiting to be adopted—Tyson. It’s all part of a program called Art Helping Animals. Carol painted Tysons portrait and then put it up for sale on eBay with proceeds to benefit the Friends of Falmouth Dogs.

A big thank you to Carol for helping us out and a big thank you to all of the artists involved with Art Helping Animals.

Tyson’s Portrait. Look for the April 27, 2009 blog entry.

Update: Luke has been adopted!

Luke is a 12-year-old black Lab. For 10 years he assisted a gentleman with a disability. He was loyal and dedicated to him. Now the man has had to go into a nursing home. Luke misses him greatly but cannot be by his side any more. Luke was trained by NEADS and now NEADs is trying to find a new home for him.

Although 12, Luke’s vet says he is healthy. He has always had a person around so his new home needs to be one where he will not get lonely. A quiet home without kids is probably best so Luke can enjoy his retirement with lots of attention and peaceful moments.

Please contact the Friends of Falmouth Dogs for more information.

Saturday, April 18 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Stop by Animal Control with your pet for this important event. Microchips are for the dogs only, but the rabies shots are for dogs or cats. Please have all dogs on leashes and all cats in carriers.

Are you experienced with dogs?
Do you have a home environment that would allow you to have a dog?

If you can answer yes to both of those questions, then you might want to consider fostering a dog.  We are always looking for good foster homes.  Please consider adding yourself to our list even if there isn’t a dog who needs you right now.  Much like we do when we find a permanent home for the dogs, we make sure the foster home and the dog are a good match.

We always take your situation into consideration.  For instance, if you would like to only foster small dogs, that’s fine.  We treasure our foster families and never push a dog on them that they aren’t comfortable with.

Foster homes are sometimes needed for a few days and sometimes for a few weeks.

The very worst thing about pets is they do not live as long as we do.  We take them into our hearts and treat them as beloved “children.”  Then the inevitable happens.  No matter the age of the pet at the time, it is a hard reality to deal with.  The best thing you can do is make the right decisions for your pet when that heart-breaking time comes.

People all grieve in their own way.  Some will need to immediately get another pet, as if knowing that if they wait, they may eventually decide against having to experience that inevitable grief again.  Others feel they can’t rush into having another pet as they will be thinking too much of the one they just lost.  Everyone knows what time frame is right for them.

When it hurts the most it is because we loved them so much and received so much love from them.  Don’t let the grief make you forget the love and all the good memories.

Moving is high on the list of stressful things in life. When you are moving with a pet that gives you an added responsibility.  Your pets will get stressed right along with you!  Take time to reassure them.  Sit with them, pet them and rub their ears.  That will help their stress level and your own.

On the day of the move, make sure they are in a safe and secure place while doors are wide open and people are taking things out of your old house and into your new.  You might consider giving them a piece of clothing from their favorite family member (an old piece of clothing just in case) to snuggle up with.

Once the move is complete, it is a good idea to let your pets see and smell right away that their bed, favorite toy and food dish are all in the new home.

As your pet adjusts to the changed living situation, be exta careful that they don’t get lost in your new neighborhood.  First on your to-do list is a new tag with your pet’s new address and phone number!

Our 2008 newsletters should be in homes now (or very shortly). If you were expecting a copy but did not receive one, please let us know. You would like to join our mailing list, you can call us at 508-548-7742, or use the form on our web site. If you call and leave a message on our answering machine, please speak clearly and slowly and be sure to give us your complete address including zip code.

You can view our 2008 newsletter online. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the PDF.

The answer is NO. Dogs are great and wonderful so giving one as a gift sounds perfect. Puppies are warm, cuddly and cute and seem like the ultimate present. Yet, giving a dog as a gift is often unfair to the dog.

Does the person really want a pet? Do they understand what is involved in taking care of a pet? Are they aware of the expense, time and effort a pet requires? Will the dog/puppy be thrust into a chaotic holiday scene? This is not a good time for families to be figuring out who’s going to be taking care of the dog.

A few months later, many a holiday puppy is found listed in newspapers as “free to good home” or dropped off at shelters, or worse abandoned as people discover they really weren’t ready to be pet owners.

Know someone who is interested in having a dog but doesn’t have much experience? Suggest that they visit us and volunteer. They’ll get to know about dogs. They’ll see dogs who have had training and those that have not. They’ll start to recognize traits from different breeds, see advantages and disadvantages of owning a big dog or a small dog, and will learn more about themselves and if they are really ready to be responsible pet owners. It’s a great first step to sharing your life with a loyal friend.