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KINDNESS TO ANIMALS TAKES
MANY FORMS
by Maggie Blutreich
When we think of the many animals that share our lives as pets
or livestock, the numbers of critters in zoos and circuses, the
wealth of species in the wild, it's easy to see how kindness can wear
many coats.
Preserving habitat is a form of kindness to the creatures of the
wild. Observing standards for proper animal husbandry and mental
health on farms and in zoos and circuses is a form of kindness.
Selecting a productive training approach for our pets is a form of
kindness.
If you are looking for a marvelous new training book for dogs,
consider Pat Miller's _The Power of Positive Dog Training_. Pat
brings her years of experience in shelter work to her writing and to
her position as the president of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
If you can't find the book in stores, order from www.dogwise.com
or
800-776-2665.
Many folks will tell you that cats cannot be trained. We have
Catherine Crawmer to show us differently. Her book, _Here Kitty,
Kitty_, is just about guaranteed to amaze us. Seeing photos of
Cathy's cats romping in open fields while being directed through dog
agility courses is a challenge to all of us to kindly train our own
Tabby. Never mind that Cathy also works with the really big cats.
Few of us will ever live with a lion or tiger! Visit
www.animaltrainermagazine.com
for information or learn more from
www.cattrainingbook.com.
An often overlooked form of kindness to our pets is spaying or
neutering. A quick glance at any newspaper will reveal a depressing
number of "free to good home" pets. We don't need to be math
wizards
to know there are more pets than "good" homes. Pets that are
spayed
or neutered do not contribute to the numbers of unwanted animals. As
an added bonus, sterilized pets usually live longer, healthier lives.
May is not only the month of "be kind to animals" awareness, but
"dog bite prevention" week as well. All dogs will bite and can
be
compared to guns. Some seem to be born "loaded." Others may or
may
not have one chamber or several filled. Some seem to have safety
catches. When overly stressed, every dog, just like every one of us,
has three options: freeze, flee or fight. Treating dogs with
kindness, consistency and respect is far better than playing any form
of bite roulette.
Two excellent resources for handling problem pooches are Jean
Donaldson's case study book, _Dogs are from Neptune_, and Karen
Pryor's fabulous, _Don't Shoot the Dog!_
Kindness is easy to distribute. Volunteer at a shelter. Take
your well trained dog to visit a nursing home. Offer to care for
your neighbor's critters in a pinch. Donate some of these excellent
books to your local library. Make an appointment for your own pet's
medical well check.
Recall part of that famous Henry Beston quote, "We patronize
them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken
form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err.
For the animal shall not be measured by man."
Maggie Blutreich is a professional trainer, a charter member of
the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and an American Kennel Club
Public Education Coordinator.
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