Bradenton Dog

Mary Lou Davidson

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Deborah R. Millman joins Honor Animal Rescue

Deborah Robbins Millman, APR, has been named executive director of Honor Animal Rescue, one of the area’s largest no-kill animal shelters.

“We are delighted to welcome Deborah,” said Honor Animal Rescue President Rob Oglesby. “Honor has been growing steadily and we anticipate making even greater strides under her leadership.”

“Honor Animal Rescue represents everything quality, progressive animal sheltering should be and I am truly honored to be a part of it,” Millman said. “The dedicated board members, staff and volunteers work together for the good of the animals and there are so many exciting plans in the works which will truly benefit our community. I am eager to introduce everyone to this wonderful organization and its many programs and services.”

 

Millman, an accredited public relations professional (APR) and Leadership Sarasota graduate, has more than 20 years of nonprofit management experience, most recently with the Humane Society of Sarasota County, where she spearheaded operations for more than a decade. Millman is active in animal welfare on both a local and national scale – this spring, she will represent Honor Animal Rescue as a featured speaker at the Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Care Expo in Las Vegas, the largest international education and training conference for animal care and control, rescue and emergency services professionals.

 

Honor Animal Rescue has three locations. The eight-acre Ranch, at 4951 Lorraine Road in Bradenton, houses dogs and cats in spacious, environmentally-friendly cottages; Nate’s Place, at 8435 Cooper Creek Blvd., University Park in the Cooper Creek Shopping Center, is a state-of the-art adoption and education center; and Paws Attic Thrift Shop, at 3518 53rd Avenue W., Bradenton, offers a wide variety of donated items with all proceeds benefitting Honor’s animals.

 

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Breed Profile: German Shepherd

by Lauren R. Tharp

The fourth most popular breed in the United States, the German Shepherd has long been known for its heroic exploits and loyalty as a family pet. First recognized by the AKC in 1908, the German Shepherd is the leading police, military, and guard dog breed in the world…and is also known for being a wonderful pet!
Physical Traits

Size & Weight: Medium to large dogs (with the males of the breed being larger). They’re usually 22-26 inches in height and weigh 75-90 pounds.

Coat & Color: German Shepherds have a double-coat of short to medium length. Their outer coat is extremely dense, while their inner coat is more on the plush side. The most common color is black with tan, but sable, solid black, and solid white are also available.

Other: Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd! As were Batman’s dog, Ace; Bolt in the computer-animated movie of the same name; and Charlie Barkin in All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Life Expectancy: 10-13 years.
Temperament

The German Shepherd in one word: Dependable. These dogs are muscular, intelligent (rated the 3rd most intelligent dog breed in the world!), and highly active. They are protective and obedient although early and thorough training is required early on. They do not bond quickly, but once they do bond, it’s for life.

Wags

• Is incredibly obedient, quick to learn, and eager to please.

• A loyal and loving family pet if socialized early on.

• An excellent guard dog—as stated above, the German Shepherd is the leading breed of guard dog in the world!

Challenges

• Early socialization and obedience training is a must. German Shepherds can become very territorial, overly protective, and stubborn if not taught “right” from “wrong” at a young age. If not, they can be hard to control and sometimes dangerous. (Note: With proper training, you couldn’t wish for a better pet! Put in the effort and you’ll get the reward).

• Regular grooming is required, and even with regular grooming, German Shepherds shed a lot.

• Exercise, exercise, exercise. The German Shepherd is always on the go!—and you will be too if you own one!

Looking for a German Shepherd? Please contact Tampa Bay German Shepherd Rescue to learn more about their adoptable dogs.
A special thanks to Dog Mountain for use of this featured image of the German Shepherd.

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Manatee’s Journey to No-Kill: December Update

By Jean Peelen

Manatee County’s no-kill train is chugging right along.  We so far have had wonderful results.  Rescue groups are stepping up to increase adoptions, foster homes are increasing, marketing is greatly improving, PR is gaining momentum.  In September 2011 only 55% of dogs and cats that came into Manatee County Animal Services were saved.  The rest were killed because there was no room for them.  In October our percentage of animals saved rose to 68%.  And in November, we hit 77%.  That is simply amazing.

Credit can go to so many people and groups.  There is no one person, group, or agency that can create no-kill alone.  It truly is the work of the entire community.  I feel honored to watch a community come together around such a worthy issue.  Canine Christmas, held by The Animal Network November 19, is always wonderful, but this year it was more so than ever.  This year Canine Christmas was a celebration of no-kill.  We sold no-kill t-shirts and bumper stickers.  Many dogs were adopted at the event.  And besides all of that, it was great fun.

There was yet another great November happening. The Walgreen’s on Holmes Beach put a barrel in their store to collect food and toys for animals.  The donated items will be used to support shelters and foster parents and to support people for whom feeding their pets is financially difficult.  Walgreen’s is considering putting a barrel like that in every Walgreen’s in Manatee County.  Can you imagine the impact of something like that?  Hurray for Walgreen’s!

Just after Thanksgiving, the group of photographers organized by Caryn Hodge, is now going full tilt.  A photographer and a helper go to Animal Services almost every day to photograph new dogs and cats coming in.  The photographs are heart-grabbing, and we believe they will help create more and more adoptions.  The photographers range in age from thirteen to eighty five.  They all are volunteers as are their helpers.  One of the wonderful photos, this one taken by Jack Elkins, is on this featured here.

You may remember that in early November, Senator Mike Bennett of Bradenton introduced a bill into the Florida legislature to create movement toward no-kill in the entire State of Florida.  That was an unexpected and wonderful surprise.  He gave us in Manatee County the credit for modeling no-kill.  We are doing everything we can to support his bill.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so supportive.  In early December, the Florida Animal Control Association issued a letter to all of its members in Florida telling them to oppose the Florida no-kill bill.  The letter was shocking given who was writing it, and also shocking in that it was filled with misinformation.  I have written to them asking them to stop defending past practice and to become leaders in no-kill.  We’ll see what happens there!

If you think you might like to foster a dog or a cat, just call me.  We love snowbirds too, so don’t let that stop you!  You can have a dog or cat for the winter.  Call me at 91-896-5827.

That’s all for now.  I wish for all of you and your doggies and your kitties a wonderful holiday season.

 

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The Spirit of Jingle Paws Jubilee

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Jingle Paws Jubilee coming up this Sunday December 4th. This day offers a wonderful opportunity to connect the pet lovers in our area with the local businesses serving the community and also the hardworking individuals and volunteers that support our local rescue organizations. We hope to see you on Sunday for the fun, the food, the great music and festivities.


But if you can’t make it, we hope you’ll remember this year that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of adoptable animals right here in our area and they need our help. If you can’t adopt right now, maybe you can consider providing a foster home for a dog or cat. Fostering an animal can be a great way to instill the importance of the human-animal bond in kids! If you can’t foster perhaps you might volunteer at a shelter and walk a dog or pet some cats. No time? Even a small donation can go a long way to helping pay for food, or medical treatment that is needed for the little ones. Want to get involved but not sure how? Send us a note to [email protected] and we’ll help guide you to an organization that fits.

Jingle Paws Jubilee is co-presented by Sarasota Pet Magazine, Ace Pet Resort and SarasotaDog.com.

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Breed Profile: Saint Bernard

by Lauren R. Tharp

There have been plenty of famous Saint Bernards over the years!  Fortunately for dog lovers everywhere, these pooches are more like Beethoven than Cujo.  Part of the Working group, the St. Bernard was first recognized by the AKC in 1885 and currently reigns as the 37th most popular breed of dog in the United States.

 

Stephen Huneck Gallery

Physical Traits

Size & Weight:  Extremely large.  24-25 inches tall at the shoulder and typically 130-200 pounds.  Males are
larger with the females on the “smaller” end of the spectrum.

Coat & Color:  Red and white with varying degrees of color dominance (mostly white with spots of red, or mostly red with spots of white).  Brownish-yellow is also a known color for the St. Bernard, but not as common. Their coat is shorthaired, dense, and rough to the touch.  Medium-length coats (sometimes called
“longhaired”) are also available.

Other:  While most St. Bernards fall within the size/weight range listed above, in 1981 a St. Bernard named Benedictine V Schwarzwald Hof reached 315 pounds and earned a spot in the Guinness Book of
World Records!

Life Expectancy:  7-10 years

Temperament: These gentle giants have been used as avalanche rescue dogs and family pets for many, many years.  Easily trained and highly protective of their owners, these dogs are perfect for men and women of all ages (though children and smaller adults may have trouble with getting toppled over by the Saint’s loving greetings!).  These dogs are friendly, patient, and make excellent watchdogs.

Wags:

  • If you start early, these dogs are incredibly easy to train and socialize.
  • Wonderful with children.  Again, if you start  the socialization early, you couldn’t wish for a better dog.  St. Bernard’s are incredibly patient and gentle with children, often treating them as if they were their own pups!
  • Alert and protective, these dogs make wonderful watchdogs without being too “barky.”

Challenges:

  • They slobber incessantly.  Be prepared for a cascade of drool to the likes you cannot imagine without
    experiencing it first hand.  You and everything you own will be wet.
  • Regular grooming is a must.  And even with regular grooming, your Saint will shed. A lot.
  • These poor dogs just do not do well in the heat.  In hot weather, you will need to take extra special precautions.

Looking for a St. Bernard? Please contact Florida St. Bernard Rescue  to learn more about their adoptable dogs.

A special thanks to Dog Mountain for use of this featured image of the St. Bernard.

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No-Kill Manatee – November Update

By Jean Peelen

Some great news!  State Senator Michael Bennett of Bradenton is introducing a bill to have the entire State of Florida become no-kill.  He is basing his effort and the legislation on Manatee County’s commitment to no-kill.  We can be so proud of ourselves.  We are the leaders in the State of Florida. Hurray Manatee County!

And here at home, no-kill Manatee is rolling on.  We have both progressed and stumbled along the way, but we keep moving forward.  In September, 55% of the dogs and cats that came into Animal Services were either adopted, turned over to rescue groups, or kept alive at Animal Services.  Our goal, by December 2012, is to have a 90% saved rate.

In October, our saved rate went up to 68%.  That’s an amazing improvement and well beyond the 2% per month we were expecting.  We don’t imagine that the rate of keep ‘em alive will continue so dramatically.  Adoptions are up, particularly by Animal Services directly, and up a little by other rescues and shelters.  Partly the jump in the numbers is due to holding more animals – not killing them.  Of course we can’t continue to do that.

To keep our numbers moving positively:

  • We have to help the rescue groups and shelters to take more Animal Services dogs and cats.  We can do this by enrolling more and more people in fostering animals until they can be adopted.
  • We have to increase the number of rescue groups that pull dogs and cats from Animal Services, and particularly ones that will take large dogs and pit mixes.  .This basically is a research project.
  • We have to have volunteers who will contact rescue groups to take particular dogs and cats.  We haven’t quite figured out the logistics of this task yet.

A very exciting new part of marketing our dogs more effectively is that a group of about 14 professional photographers are going to Animals Services regularly to take attractive photos of our dogs.  I’ve seen the first pictures and they are great!  Just imagine a grinning put bull on a pink velvet chair with pearls on her neck.  Very wonderful.  These photos will be posted on the Manatee County Animals Services Web site, but also on www.petfinder.com, and on BradentonDog.com.

We are doing a lot of thinking about how to deal with what we call “community cats.”  These are cats that are not feral, but also don’t seem to belong any more to a particular home.  When someone complains, and these cats are brought in, it is extremely rare that their owners come to get them.  They have been being killed at a high rate.  Right now, our program for so-called feral cats is to trap them, neuter them, return them to their colonies, and feed them.  In time, the colonies get smaller because the cats are neutered.  We are thinking about the possibility of doing something similar with non-feral cats. It would seem to me that almost anything would be preferable to death.  It’s going to take some considering.

And one more thing.  On Nov. 5, I attended the grand opening of Honor Sanctuary’s Dog Ranch.  You must come see it for yourself.  It is located at 5401 Lorraine Road, Bradenton.  Honor rescues and shelters dogs (and a few cats) there.  They have built (and are continuing to build) absolutely adorable cottages for their animals.  The dogs are housed five or six to a cottage, each with a separate wire run with a comfy bed in it – sometimes with quilts.  Each run has a doggie door to private outside runs.

The dogs living in these conditions are calm, non-stressed, even happy.  They are friendly and quiet – no hysterical barking.  As you might guess, this also makes them much more attractive for adoption.  I was so impressed by the vision involved in creating this shelter that is so totally different than any I’ve ever visited.  Kudos to Honor Animal Rescue for the wonderful place they have created.

So that’s the report for October.  Come aboard.  Adopt a pet or foster a pet.  We love snow bird fostering, so don’t let that stop you.  If you are interested in fostering, call me, Jean Peelen, at 941-896-5827, or write to me at [email protected].

And come meet me and talk about fostering.  I will be at Canine Christmas, November 19, at Bishop Animal Shelter on 51st St. W across from Blake Hospital.  I’ll be staffing the no-kill booth!  Come by and say hello.