MUSICIANS JANEY KATZ - Zia Publishing

PETSHappyEndingsWRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUDY DOUBRAVABonnie, Lady and LulaLinda and Carol KeithHaving a soft spot for animals and volunteering atthe animal shelter is sometimes a tough combination.Linda's softest spot tends to be for Dobermans.Bonnie ended up at the shelter, afraid of everything.After being adopted by Linda and her family, she hasregained her confidence. With the Keiths’ activelifestyle, Linda felt that Bonnie needed constantcompanionship, so they adopted a dog for Bonnie.Lady livened up their home with all of her energy andbecame a great companion for Bonnie. The Keiths’daughter, Carol, needed a small dog for apartmentliving and found Lula the deer Chihuahua at theshelter. She's a deer Chihuahua because her legs areso long, but she is also a dear to the Keiths. Eventhough she is much smaller than the other two dogs,Lula rules the roost when she is visiting.Animals aren't the only ones that are warm and fuzzy – animalcompanions tend to give us warm and fuzzy feelings as well. Noteveryone is meant to have a pet, though. When considering adoptinga pet, please let some common sense be involved in the decision. Ifyou are never home, a pet, unless it is a fish, probably isn't for you. Ifyou have very young children, a large puppy that loves to jumpprobably isn't your best decision. Many pets end up at animalshelters because obtaining them was not a wise choice, or they werenot given enough time to adapt to their owner’s lifestyle.One thing that helps when adopting dogs is enrolling them in anobedience class or working with them on your own teaching basiccommands. ‘Sit,’ ‘lie down,’ ‘stay’ and ‘come’ are all good commandsto start with. A dog wants to please you and will feel proud when itlearns something new. Be consistent, and all will go well. Obedienceclasses will instruct you on how to teach your dog if you need morehelp with training.When adopting a shelter dog, keep in mind that you do not knowwhat they have been through and may need more patience thanothers. Submissive behavior does not always mean they weremistreated, but may simply mean they are unsure of their situation.Dogs are pack animals. When taken out of a pack, you, their newfamily, becomes the pack. Dogs need to know that you, not they, arethe boss. Do not simply tie or chain your dog outside and feed itonce a day as your only contact with it. The dog will feel separatedfrom its pack, and may become aggressive because it will naturallywant to protect its space, which is only the length of the chain.76 – SILVER CITY LIFEAngel, Tabitha Heather, Silky,Willie, Pepper, Princess, MistyMiriam & Pete BurrowsWho says you can't find heaven on earth? Four catsadopted from our local shelter have found it with Miriam andPete Burrows. These cats, along with 3 other cats thatrelocated from Wisconsin with their human companions,have a spacious yard with special cat fencing. They have 3cat doors to come and go as they please, and sand pitsavailable outside for their toilet needs. The yard has plentyof trees and more were planted for their climbing pleasures.Miriam went to the animal shelter looking for one extra catand came home with four. It was hard to decide which catsto adopt. "I would take them all home if I could," Miriam said.How do you come up with that many names? Theirnames are: Angel, Tabitha Heather (one name), Silky, Willie,Pepper, Princess, and Misty.