APB needs a new home!

June 18th was our last Pet Parade at the Clark Rd. location. Please watch this space for updates on our search for a new adoption event location.

If you can help, or refer us to another potential facility, please e-mail info@apbpets.com, or call 517-346-4505!

Lansing Pet Parades will be held at:

PETCO
510 Frandor Avenue
Lansing, MI 48912

July 23rd, 12pm - 4pm
August 5th, 12pm - 4pm
August 13th, 12pm-4pm

Meet Wally

Wally is truly one of the sweetest dogs I have every met. He LOVES to be pet and cuddled and would do anything for just a little bit of attention. This little guy was found wandering outside of a gas station.

No one was looking for him.

He still looks for his people, wandering around whining but is starting to understand that they are NOT coming back.

Wally is good with everyone and everything - dogs, cats, kids, men (he LOVES men), women - you name it, he loves it! Wally does well with othe dogs, but is still learning how to "play". He ignores cats. Things he loves nearly as much as people are balls, food, stuffy toys and treats.

Wally is crate trained, and is doing really well with his house training. He never has "accidents", but was neutered as an adult. Because of this, he does mark occasionally, but is doing really well learning that marking is not something a sweet puppy should do. Wally does t have that beagle bay, but uses it sparingly, normally he barks twice per day - once when he sees you in the morning, once when you get home from work.

If you are looking for an extremely easy going dog to join your family, Wally is definitely the dog for you!

Free Dog & Cat Vaccines - 6/17/06

Animal Placement Bureau

AND

Michigan Humane Society

Free Dog & Cat Vaccines

Sat. June 17th

10AM to 2PM

at Ferris Park, Shiawassee & Pine

(2 blocks north of the Capitol, 3 blocks west of LCC)

ALL ANIMALS MUST BE ON LEASHES OR IN CARRIERS

FREE DHLPP vaccinations given to healthy dogs over 6 weeks old.

FREE FVRCP vaccinations given to healthy cats over 6 weeks old.

FREE RABIES vaccinations given to healthy dogs and cats over 4 months old.

DONATIONS APPRECIATED

Friendly Retiree Seeks Retirement Castle!

Muffin
Wheaten Terrier Mix
50 lbs
11 years old

I am an owner-surrender, looking for a new place to retire. I had to leave my home after my person suffered a stroke and couldn’t take care of me anymore. I’m fortunate and really glad to have found a temporary home with APB, but can’t wait to find my permanent retirement castle!

I like to play ball, go for walks, and especially car rides. I enjoy playing with other dogs, too; I’ll just take myself out of the game for a break on the sidelines now and then. Basically, I get along with everyone, but I suppose I might accidentally knock over a very small child if the child isn’t too stable on his or her feet yet. My eyesight is a little poor, since I have minor cataracts. I get around well; just sometimes need to be called in the right direction. When I catch sight of a squirrel in the yard, though, I’ve got no problem chasing him, just like the old days!

My ideal home would be one with somebody who can spend a lot of time with me, even just watching t.v. together. I’m a senior looking for a place where I can enjoy a leisurely life and be a companion to you and your other pets, too. Come to meet me at the next Pet Parade!

Up Coming Events APB will be at in Grand Rapids, MI

Park n Bark Adoption Expo: Noon to 4pm, Sunday, May 21st, sponsored by PETCO at 3165 Alpine NW in Grand Rapids. Mulitple rescue groups showing available dogs. Free Dog Bite Prevention Coloring Books courtesy Kent Co. Health Dept.

The Rescue Road Show: Sat, June 24th, 11am to 4pm at Furry Critterz Fashions & Gifts, 5293 Eastern Ave SE (Eastern at Kalamazoo SE) Grand Rapids, MI Multiple canine breed and all breed rescues.

Meet Trixie

Trixie came in last Saturday, one of the last six dogs to come out of a Collector situation in Baldwin.

Her job was to stay outdoors and alert the old man to anyone coming around his mobile home.

Apparently this job she did for him didn't pay so well as you could count every rib she had and her backbone was extremely prominant. Our go-between driver, who had been negociating with the man, had to do some fast talking to get Taffy and Trixie away from him. Said he didn't know what he'd do without their guard duties being filled.

Trixie is a blue tic hound, according to the old man, she's supposed to be 8 years old, but we doubt that. We'll know more after her vet appointment this week.

She's a lover. More outgoing than Taffy from the get go. She will flatten herself to the floor if you reach for her, but she's quickly up and looking for food and attention. She lives to eat and getting her from crate to back door is tricky unless treats are obvious because she's off, nose to the ground, snooping, scouting for kibble crumbs which Mitzy Morgan, my pitty-piglett girl distributes daily at each feeding, some of which land outside the crate. Thanks to Trixie, vaccuming duties have been greatly reduced.

Both girls have gained considerably in just the week they've been here, eating a generous portion of Eukanuba Kibble, canned mixed in and topped off with puppy replacement formula three times a day. A sporting dog water supplement was added to their water the first few days, giving them extra potassium, minerals and vitamins as they were both dehydrated as well as half starved.

The woman who brought them out of the situation had been up there twice and never saw any food or water dishes for them. She saw the old man throwing pieces of snicker candy bars at them the first time. The second time, it was potato chips he was tossing around.

But he had told her that he couldn't afford to feed all those dogs. (Total head count in the beginning was over 30. Mostly small dogs living in the trailer with him.) Guess no one ever pointed out that dog food is much cheaper than candy bars and potato chips. He refused to let the outdoor guardians go at the first visit, but finally conceded to let her take them the second time.

Miraculously, Trixie and Taffy both seem to be in pretty good health for being deprived so long. Firm stools from the beginning, they've been wormed now and Trixie's coat is getting some shine to it. Teeth are in pretty good shape too.

It breaks my heart to think of these two girls living out there in the dead of winter, no body fat and just a dog house and a chain. But that is how it must have been for them. Trixie was said to be allowed in the house at times at least.

Over the past month, a total of 22 dogs have been brought out of his place. There are 8 remaining, that he wants to keep. Small ones like the chihauhaus and matted fuzzy ones that Julie, Lisa, Bellowood and ANSOL have divided up.

Meet Taffy

Meet APB's new foster dog, Taffy. She's an Aussie mix that arrived last weekend from a collector situation in Baldwin, MI. She and Trixie were this old man's outdoor "guard dogs". Their job was to live at the end of a chain and bark if anyone came around.

They were enshrined, one on either side of his mobile home. Living alone in the midst of 30+ dogs total. For some reason, all of the small dogs, which lived in the trailer home with him, were not adequate noise to alert him to anyone coming around.

Extremely shy at first, Taffy was so thin that she could be picked up and carried with one arm. I swear she weighed less than 18 pound Beethoven, Mike's retired trucking terrier. Because of the fur, it wasn't as apparent in these before pictures, but she was probably as much underweight as Trixie. Very food motivated, to say the least. She's come around quickly.

With in three days she was coming to me for treats and then just for hugs and pets. The tail came up about Wednesday. Until then it would wag furiously while still tucked tightly between her back legs.

Karen J came over Tue to take pictures and Taffy ran when she saw her and wouldn't budge, even for food, from the refuge she took at the far end of the yard. When Karen came back on Wed night and we bathed Taffy, Taffy, despite being unfamiliar with and disgusted by the bathing process, started coming up to Karen.

Story goes that Taffy is supposed to be four years old. The old man had her mother and one day when he went to feed her, he found her dead and this puppy, Taffy, crawled out from under the dog house.

Taffy is a very loving little girl. After her vetting is done and we work on her shyness and housebreaking for a bit, I think she'll find a home soon.

Well, shyness and table surfing, lol. Brought her and Trixie in a couple nights ago and was busy trying to crate Trixie who was more interested in finding food morsels that Mitzy tosses around the vicinity of her crate than she was being crated, when suddenly I see that Taffy is standing in a diningroom chair, licking my plate clean. Now each trip in the back door requires that she stop off and check out the table. We're working on that.

Introducing Your New Pet

Introducing your new dog to the rest of your four legged family can be difficut, but there are ways to make the transition easier. There is a ton of information available on the internet on how to increase your chances at a successful introduction.

If you are introducing a new dog to a resident cat, the general consensus is to provide the cat with a medium sized room that includes her food, water and litter box. One website recommended feeding the cat and new dog on opposite sides of the door, and slowly moving the dishes closer together (with the door closed, of course), and then, using two doorstops, allow the animals to view each other, and repeat the process mentioned above.

Swapping scents is also a prevalent recommendation. Wipe one pet down with a towel and place it under the other's food dish, on their bed, or in their favorite space.

Removing the cat from its room, and allowing the new dog to sniff around will give the dog yet another way to get used to the cat's scent.

First and foremost, avoid fearful or aggressive meetings at all costs. If these behaviors become a habit, they can be extremely difficult to change.

For face to face meetings, some suggest that you keep your dog on a leash, and have another family member pay attention to the cat while in the same room. Start out with lots of short visits. Always supervise visits and make sure there is always an escape route for your cat.

Some recommend that for overly timid or fearful cats, to place the cat in a carrier and allow the dog and cat to sniff each other or place the dog in a crate and let the cat loose to sniff the dog.

Baby gates are our friends. Use them to keep your pets separate when unsupervised until you are confident that they live safely together.

All good behaviors must be rewarded!

More information is available at these websites:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Cat.html
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Introducing.html
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Intro.html
http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/catdog.html
http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/introducedog.htm
http://www.sspca.org/Dogs_IntroducingDogs.html