Noelle making dog biscuits with Mo's "help."

Unfortunately there aren’t a ton of ways a girl in elementary school can volunteer with dogs on the level Noelle wants.  So when she asked her parents to contact us two years ago after seeing one of our marked cars in a parking lot,  we had to find a way to incorporate her into our team.  Since then she has helped us do everything from bake dog biscuits to manage our booth at various events.  She even participated in the Pit Crew’s training class, helping the dogs practice for their challenging roles as therapy dogs.  Still, this isn’t quite enough for her, as all Noelle wants to do is spend time with dogs.

Thankfully, allowing fantastic kids like Noelle volunteer and learn about animals just got easier in Austin.   With the help and support of her parents, Noelle is able to be part of Austin Pets Alive’s new Big Brother/Sister Program.  A lucky (and quite adorable) dog named Bunny got Noelle as her “Big” recently.   Noelle is familiarized with Bunny’s schedule and needs, wrote Bunny’s bio to help her get adopted, and gets to do fun stuff with her like play and teach her obedience cues.

Noelle Jack

While most ten year old girls are playing video games and making lists of all the toys, clothes and shoes they want, Noelle is focused on something entirely different.   She reads countless books on anything dog-related  and volunteers as much time as she can to opportunities that will allow her to help dogs and the people who love them.

Noelle’s love for animals, sense of humor, perseverance, and utterly amazing tendency for giving to others before she takes for herself, have made her a true inspiration in our lives.  We are proud to say she is part of our team and thankful for programs like APA’s Big Brothers/Sisters for giving her the opportunity to learn and grow as a truly good and wonderful person.  We hope to be more like Noelle when we grow up.

Baby Jack at 6 months old looking for goodies on the counter.

No curious puppy can withstand the temptation of a lovely loaf of bread on the counter; especially when that puppy is big enough to reach it. Yet lack of height hasn’t stopped many tenacious little dogs from aiming high too. Once they realize the goodies are on the counter, your average dog may turn into a genius athlete capable of climbing cabinets, leaping incredible distances, and even pushing furniture closer to the counter.   Suddenly it’s all but turned into a black ops mission – all in the name of getting an ample piece of that forbidden chocolate cake.

How do we end this bad and dangerous habit?

1. Avoid it all together. Leaving food out on the counter only sets your dog up to fail, which is a grade A no-no in dog training. It’s dangerous and simply taunts the keen nose of a dog. Put the bread, butter, oils, and other foods away so your dog isn’t rewarded for their counter curiosity.
2. Teach your dog the “Leave it” cue. Every puppy should understand the concept of: that’s not for you. “Leave it” has a very positive effect on a dog’s respect-o-meter, and a million different uses.  We venture to say it may be one of the most useful obedience commands ever.
3. Teach the “Off” cue. “Down” means lay down, “Off” means: keep your four on the floor, puppy face!
4. Teach basic obedience. When put to practical use, obedience translates to communication, respect, happy bonds and healthy boundaries.
5. Catch them in the act. Correction is effective only when you catch your dog before they have eaten the whole stick of butter.   Correct them verbally and sternly when you catch your dog counter surfing, but do not yell or run after your dog.  Dog’s like games and nothing says fun like a good romp around the kitchen island while you chase excitedly behind.
6. Redirect. If your dog shouldn’t be surfing the counters, what should they be doing?   So if you don’t want them surfing the counters, make sure you show them what you DO want them to do.  How about a fun, interactive toy or chew?   If following a stern correction with a redirection, be sure to offer the redirect in a gentle, positive and friendly tone, as if to say: I was unhappy with your counter surfing, but you playing with this toy will make me happy.
7. Feed from the dog bowl, not the counter. We fully support adding dog-healthy veggies and other foods to your dog’s diet, but feeding from the counter only says to a dog: “Hey! Lookie where the food comes from!”  Put nutritious foods in their bowl to avoid creating a beggar and counter surfer.
8. Supervise & be patient. Young dogs are scavengers by nature and our human rules make no sense to them. Keep a close eye on your young dog at all times and spend the energy to be consistent about redirecting them when they are headed for trouble. They’ll thank you for it later by giving you many wonderful years of good behavior.

There are other techniques, such as booby trapping, that are commonly used to deter even the worst counter surfers from scavenging food prep areas.  Some of these techniques work for some dogs, but they may also have unwanted side effects like irrational fears.  We highly recommend contacting a professional Dog Trainer to assess your dog’s temperament and habits before trying these techniques.  Plus, chances are good that if a dog is counter surfing, there are other manners they could work on too.   You may be pleasantly surprised at how much better life with your dog is with a professional’s guidance.

The City of Austin in partnership with Emancipet will provide a free rabies shot, collar and tag, microchip and spay/neuter for dogs/cats in these zip codes:

• 78701
• 78702
• 78721
• 78723
• 78724
• 78741
• 78744
• 78745
• 78753
• 78758

These free animal services have a value of more than $150. (at least!)

The Spay Street Program will help the City address the issue of the homeless pet population in the community thus reducing the risk of animals being euthanized.

Instructions for Spay Street Program free services:

No appointment needed, simply take your animals to Emancipet:

7201 Levander Loop, Austin 78702 Monday- Saturday, except second Wednesday of every month. Please bring proof of residency (ie: drivers license w/current address or a bill or official piece of mail with your name and address on it).

Call (512) 587-7729 for additional information.

• Drop off is between 8 and 9 a.m.
• Pick up is between 4 and 5p.m.
• All dogs are to be leashed and all cats must be in carriers
• Kittens & Puppies must be 8 weeks of age or older

Benefits of spaying/ neutering your pet:

1. SAVES YOU MONEY! Financially caring for 1 pet vs. all of their offspring. (not to mention reduced risk of ovarian and testicular cancer in dogs and cats!)
2. No more stray males hanging around your property to breed with your female.
3. Siblings won’t breed with each other and/ or their parents.
4. No need to find homes for unwanted litters.
5. Reduces aggression in male dogs and reduces tendency to roam.
6. Microchip cuts down on theft of dogs and helps with recovering lost animals.
7. Males are less likely to mark and/ or spray inside your home.
8. No more mess to clean from females in heat.
9. Females will not try to escape to go breed outside your home or property.

For more information or if you live outside of the qualifying zip codes and need assistance, please call the Spay Street Public Health Educator: 512-972-5832 or visit www.EMANCIPET.org for specials like this one:

If you are considering breeding your dog, please visit here first: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/

Please spay/neuter your pets!

Sincerely,

Your Pet Sitters and Dog Trainers at Leaps N’ Hounds

Instantly I rushed to the Android Apps site to find all the cool pet apps that they offer, fully expecting them to rival iPhone’s excellent selection, yet only to find out that Android has totally missed the boat on this one.   In fact, there isn’t even a “Pet” category – Just a stinkin’ “Lifestyle” category that contains one virtually useless dog whistle app.

Usagi says: "Get with the program, Android!"

C’mon Droid developers!  Don’t you have pets?

Just because I bought the practical app phone that will still function even after being dropped on the concrete a million times, in a cup of tea, and once in directly into a pile of dog poo; that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve the cool app that tells me when my dog’s shots are due, where the nearest dog park is, and how to find the closest vet.

Then there’s DogiDuty: A pet sitting app that sends reports directly to the client after each visit.  How cool is that?  We keep an active journal for all of our clients and send email updates regularly, but this is just awesome!

So I’m not ditching my trusty (and tough) Android phone just yet.  But I was thinking… maybe I need that iPad after all.

P.S.  I disinfected my phone after the poo incident very thoroughly- in case you were worried.

And if I am missing a cool android dog app, please feel free to share.

~Crystal

78756
78752
78751
78746
78731
78724
78723
78722
78721
78705
78704
78703
78702
78701

Don’t see your zip code here?  Feel free to contact us anyway.  Availability permitting, we may be able to provide service outside of our standard area.

An now for someone cute: