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ISSUE #13<br />
G O U V E S S H E L T E R C L U B P U B L I C A T I O N<br />
PAWS FOR THOUGHT<br />
MAY 2019<br />
M o n t h l y m a g a z i n e f o r m e m b e r s o f G o u v e s S h e l t e r C l u b<br />
WHO WILL BE THE<br />
SUMMER POOCH OF<br />
2019?<br />
HUGO & ATLAS<br />
THE ADVENTURE<br />
BEGINS!<br />
MUNICIPALITY &<br />
THE SHELTER<br />
WORKING<br />
TOGETHER!<br />
HOW YOU CAN<br />
HELP US BY<br />
SPRING<br />
CLEANING!<br />
WHEN DOG<br />
MEETS DOG:<br />
UNDERSTANDING<br />
DOGGY<br />
ETIQUETTE<br />
SPRING<br />
HAZARDS FOR<br />
YOU DOG!
cont<br />
ents<br />
The Situation At The Shelter<br />
The latest news on the situation of the<br />
Shelter!<br />
08<br />
Member Offers<br />
Offers exclusively for Gouves Shelter<br />
Members.<br />
Hugo & Atlas - The Adventure Begins!<br />
Follow the life of Hugo and Atlas, two<br />
inseparable boys!<br />
10<br />
12<br />
Our Goal and Our Mission<br />
17<br />
Learn what we're trying to achieve.<br />
24<br />
Cat Corner<br />
Meet the beautiful rescue<br />
kittens of the month.<br />
16<br />
14<br />
Fantastic<br />
on GPS T<br />
30<br />
Dog Of The Month<br />
Fall in love with the rescue dog of the<br />
month.<br />
The Municipality And The Shelter<br />
The municipality and the shelter working<br />
together to make a difference.<br />
18<br />
22<br />
PRAXI'S SPRING TREATS!!<br />
Praxi's spring treats are just<br />
the snack your dog will want<br />
on a warm spring day!<br />
WHEN DOG<br />
Doggy etti<br />
The Hobby Of The Month<br />
This time it's all about exploring the world!<br />
26<br />
04<br />
34<br />
2<br />
Meet The Volunteers<br />
This month, meet Vicky - our Yorkshire<br />
lass!<br />
Yappy Ever After<br />
One of our old timers who found their<br />
happy ever after last month!<br />
28<br />
35<br />
Find out more about<br />
your pet with our latest<br />
member offer from<br />
Embark!<br />
SPRING T<br />
FOR PET
Turn the page for our very<br />
exciting partnership with<br />
Essential Foods!<br />
Feed your dogs and ours!<br />
05<br />
Welcome!<br />
We’re so happy to have you in<br />
the Gouves Shelter Members<br />
Club! You're support will make<br />
a real difference.<br />
The aim of the club is to build up a<br />
regular income so that our volunteers<br />
are able focus on the well-being of<br />
the animals and the long term<br />
improvement of our facilities.<br />
Members only offer<br />
racking devices!<br />
32<br />
HOW YOU CAN HELP?<br />
Spring cleaning to help the<br />
ones in need!<br />
06<br />
MEETS DOG!<br />
qutte.<br />
Anyone sponsoring one of our dogs is<br />
automatically enrolled in our<br />
Members Club, but it’s also open to<br />
anyone else who can contribute a<br />
monthly donation of 5 Euros.<br />
In return, you receive our monthly<br />
online magazine, packed full of news<br />
and information from the shelter,<br />
interesting articles and members<br />
offers.<br />
Because the magazine is created by<br />
volunteers, we can guarantee that<br />
100% of the profit goes directly to the<br />
monthly costs of the shelter.<br />
We have taken the first step towards<br />
our goal of 1500 subscribers which<br />
would generate an income of almost<br />
7,000 Euros per month.<br />
From everyone at the shelter,<br />
Thank You<br />
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT<br />
SUMMER POOCH?<br />
IME HAZARDS<br />
S<br />
3
AN EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS ONLY OFFER!<br />
WHAT'S YOUR DOG'S BREED?<br />
Many rescue dog owners would love to know what kind of mix<br />
created their beloved friend - and we now with our latest membersonly<br />
offer, we can help!<br />
Embark, the leading dog DNA testing company has agreed to cooperate<br />
with us and give all our club members a fantastic discount!<br />
Visit their website and use the code PUPS20 to get $20 off your<br />
purchase!<br />
We're sure you'll be fascinated by the results. If you have a Gouves<br />
dog, please share your results with us - we'd be fascinated too!
5
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT<br />
SUMMER POOCH?<br />
Last year we held a summer<br />
pooch competition for the<br />
first time and since our<br />
followers really seemed to<br />
like it, we wanted to make it<br />
a yearly event!<br />
Finally a year has passed and<br />
May has arrived - so it's time to<br />
see who will win this year!<br />
What does it mean? What is a<br />
Summer Pooch competition? No<br />
worries, we will tell you all<br />
about it.<br />
Summer Pooch competition is<br />
held on Facebook and we invite<br />
everyone who has rescued a dog<br />
to participate!<br />
From the beginning of May, we<br />
will do a post about the<br />
competition.<br />
You can comment your dogs<br />
most "summery" photo to the<br />
post and the photo with most<br />
likes will move to the finals!<br />
For 3 week dogs can try to get<br />
their place in the top 3 and<br />
during the last week of May the<br />
winner will be chosen!<br />
So what does the winner get?<br />
Why should I participate? First<br />
of all, we love seeing happy<br />
photos of rescue dogs and so<br />
does everyone else! Secondly,<br />
the winner will of course get<br />
something out of it!<br />
6
The winner will be at the cover<br />
of our next magazine issue and<br />
have a whole article written<br />
about their story! How<br />
awesome is that?<br />
Last years winner was the<br />
lovely Bella! Her amazing<br />
images melt the hearts of our<br />
followers and her story<br />
brought smiles to may faces.<br />
We know this years winner will<br />
do the same!<br />
Do you think your rescue dog<br />
deserves a place in the cover?<br />
Get ready to take funny photos<br />
with a summer feeling in them<br />
and join the fun!<br />
PRO TIP:<br />
Be sure to invite all your<br />
friends and family to like your<br />
photo and give your rescue<br />
dog a boost!<br />
7
THE SHELTER NUMBERS<br />
- More than 5 dogs rescued last month<br />
- More than 4 emergency treatments at the vet<br />
- More than 20 interns enrolled for the summer<br />
- More than 20 dogs adopted<br />
- 210 dogs and 200 cats fed and taken care of, every single day!<br />
GOOD AND BAD NEWS<br />
SHELTER<br />
Shelter<br />
SO MANY LOSSES<br />
Last month we lost some very<br />
dear people and dogs. We lost<br />
an amazing woman Samantha,<br />
who had been a force to<br />
reckon with in the animal<br />
welfare world. She had<br />
supported our work in so<br />
many ways over the years and<br />
will be sorely missed.<br />
We also lost Verena, a dog that<br />
we had done everything we<br />
could for. In the end she died<br />
from Leishmania at the arms<br />
of her foster, who loved her<br />
dearly.<br />
PROGRESS WITH THE<br />
MUNICIPALITY<br />
We work tirelessly with the<br />
local municipality to make<br />
them part of the solution for<br />
strays problem.<br />
Now for the first time we held<br />
an animal welfare weekend,<br />
which was concentrating on<br />
volunteers as well as on the<br />
public. Vets, trainers and other<br />
specialist were giving advice<br />
and education while 150 free<br />
microchips were given to<br />
those who needed them.<br />
8
The summer is approaching and with it<br />
new and old friends come to visit us.<br />
Since we are in shortage of volunteers<br />
we are considering opening hours for<br />
public, so we can make sure people will<br />
have someone there to tell them about<br />
our work!<br />
www.gouvesshelter.com<br />
Situation<br />
EVEN SLOW PROGRESS IS PROGRESS<br />
9
MEMBER<br />
As well as knowing that you're making a huge difference to the dogs and c<br />
offers from our friends in and around the Gouves area. All you need to do<br />
granted. We try to bring you more offers each month.<br />
Use code GSCP15 for your 15%<br />
discount on a GPS Pet Tracker.<br />
See pages 14 & 15 for details!<br />
10% Discount on first<br />
groom for club member's<br />
pooches during April!
OFFERS<br />
ats in Gouves, your membership also provides you with exclusive<br />
is show the current edition of the magazine and your offer will be
THE ADVENTURES O<br />
THE STORY<br />
A "happily ever after"<br />
story, told by Hugo's<br />
new owner, Mira.<br />
The first thing I noticed<br />
was Hugo's noble way of<br />
carrying himself and the<br />
wisdom behind his eyes.<br />
Then I read his story and I<br />
could feel my heart sigh.<br />
He charmed me from that<br />
moment and I decided this<br />
is it - he will be our dog.<br />
But let's take a step back<br />
first.<br />
At the summer of 2018 we<br />
bought a small and<br />
adorable German Shepherd<br />
puppy Atlas. Within 9<br />
months he grew up to be<br />
35kg of love with<br />
unstoppable desire to redo<br />
our furniture whenever we<br />
were away.<br />
Since we kind of preferred<br />
to have at least the outer<br />
walls of the house intact, I<br />
started to look for a friend<br />
for him. As I scrolled<br />
through the Gouves Animal<br />
Shelter page I found Hugo<br />
and fell in love.<br />
The first step was to figure<br />
out how we could bring him<br />
to Finland. It turned out to<br />
be really simple and the<br />
preparations for Hugo's<br />
departure were started.<br />
Finally the day came when<br />
the flight escort arrived<br />
through pushing Hugo in his<br />
box at the airport arrivals.<br />
When we opened the box<br />
door, out came a happy, tail<br />
wagging Hugo, who was<br />
immediately the target of<br />
hugs and kisses. Even though<br />
the journey had been long,<br />
he was still happy and<br />
12
F HUGO & ATLAS<br />
BEGINS....<br />
www.gouvesshelter.com<br />
everyone's hearts and<br />
made his home on the<br />
sofa. He loves to be<br />
cuddled, run around the<br />
garden and sleep in his<br />
soft bed. While we are at<br />
work, he plays with Atlas<br />
or sleeps at the couch.<br />
Hugo has now been in his<br />
new home for a week.<br />
Atlas loves him with all of<br />
his heart, playing with the<br />
energy of a puppy and<br />
drowning Hugo in kisses.<br />
And the best part - no<br />
more renovating the<br />
house! Hugo is everything<br />
we were told he would be<br />
- he is friendly to<br />
everyone from people to<br />
cats. His new home also<br />
includes two cats, Tiuhti &<br />
Viuhti!<br />
When I come home, he<br />
greets me happily and<br />
when I sit to the couch, he<br />
jumps next to me, rest's<br />
his head on my chest and<br />
sighs. More than once<br />
have I shed tears of<br />
happiness in these<br />
moments. Just one week<br />
has passed and the<br />
adventures of Hugo and<br />
Atlas are just beginning!<br />
In a week he had melted<br />
13
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR DOG WITH OUR FANTASTIC<br />
MEMBERS ONLY OFFER!<br />
We're delighted that Gouves Shelter Club members are eligible for a<br />
whopping 15% discount off Tractive GPS tracking devices!<br />
Never worry about your dog getting lost again, since you can track their every<br />
movement! With Tractive you can see immediately where your dog is going<br />
with your cellphone, and be at ease!<br />
We only recommend things to our club members which we have tried<br />
ourselves, and I can honestly say that since we got our tracker for our rescue<br />
dog, Rozi, we have been so much more relaxed with her on walks. Even when<br />
she catches the scent of something and disappears, we know we will find her<br />
using the really user friendly app on our phones!<br />
It even lets us see where she is when we're not at home - just to make sure<br />
she's still there, and there's a handy buzzer you can activate to help locate<br />
your dog when you can't see them.<br />
Just go to tractive.com and use the voucher code GSCP15 to get your 15%<br />
discount - and some peace of mind!<br />
14
15
PRAXI'S SPRING TREATS!<br />
Ingredients<br />
2.5 cups whole wheat flour<br />
1 cup water<br />
1 tbsp vegetable oil<br />
1/2 cup quick oats<br />
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped<br />
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped<br />
10-12 drops green food coloring<br />
Instructions<br />
Preheat oven to 350 F and line a<br />
baking sheet with parchment<br />
paper.<br />
In a bowl, combine the flour,<br />
oats, oil, water, and herbs. Mix<br />
well.<br />
Storage<br />
Treats may be stored in an air<br />
tight container for 2 weeks, or<br />
in the freezer for up to 3<br />
months.<br />
Add food coloring, then knead<br />
the dough until color is evenly<br />
dispersed.<br />
Roll out the dough on parchment<br />
paper, using extra flour as<br />
needed so it doesn't stick.<br />
Roll out about 1/4 to 1/2<br />
thickness.<br />
Use a cookie cutter to cut out<br />
shapes.<br />
16<br />
Place on lined baking sheet and<br />
bake for 35 minutes.<br />
Let treats cool before serving.
OUR FIRST MILESTONE:<br />
50 MEMBERS!<br />
After 13 months we have 50 subscribers!<br />
Thank you to everyone, your help is so<br />
important for the animals. We need 1500<br />
monthly subscribers to enable us to meet<br />
all the regular running costs of the shelter<br />
and medical care of all our dogs and cats!<br />
Please help us to reach our goal by telling<br />
your friends about us.<br />
OUR MISSION<br />
The long term goal of any animal shelter should be to close<br />
down. Our dream is to live in a world where all pets have<br />
responsible owners who neuter them, so that one day there will<br />
be no more strays.<br />
We believe that the key lies in educating the current and the<br />
next generation of pet owners, and in neutering programs.<br />
Until we reach that goal, our aim is to be financially secure<br />
enough to help every sick or injured animal that finds its way to<br />
us, to provide the best care possible to all animals at the<br />
shelter and to find good homes for them as quickly as possible.<br />
What would please us more than anything is to be able to<br />
improve the facilities at the shelter. We do the very best that<br />
we can with the resources we have, but we could do so much<br />
more if we had the money to do it.<br />
If we can cover monthly costs with a members club, we will be<br />
taking a huge leap forward for our furry friends.<br />
FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS, THANK YOU. 17
L E S L Y<br />
T H E D O G O F<br />
T H E M O N T H
19
LESLY<br />
THE FORGOTTEN SWEETY<br />
Lesley came to the shelter<br />
two years ago with her sister<br />
Rika. They were both just<br />
puppies and we were<br />
confident they would find<br />
homes soon. Unfortunately<br />
they missed their cutest<br />
months and ended up staying<br />
in the shelter for far longer<br />
than we hoped for.<br />
We really don't understand<br />
why this little girl is so<br />
overlooked - she would be<br />
perfect in most homes!<br />
She is playful and<br />
submissive, loves to cuddle<br />
and would do anything for a<br />
treat. Training with her is<br />
always a pleasure, because<br />
she is smart and eager to<br />
learn. Not to mention her<br />
manners with other dogs!<br />
Lesly gets along with<br />
everyone and is always<br />
happy to make new friends.<br />
She goes to them politely,<br />
wagging her tail and turning<br />
her head from side to side.<br />
She radiates joy when she is<br />
outside playing with others<br />
or running after a ball. At the<br />
same time nothing would be<br />
better than cuddling with<br />
people and relaxing on a<br />
comfortable bed, her past<br />
completely forgotten and air<br />
filled with love.<br />
20
And she is just absolutely stunning with her snow white<br />
coat and beautiful caramel markings! A joy to see every<br />
day.<br />
She really does not have a bad bone in her and we could<br />
recommend her even as a first dog. Her easy going nature<br />
and submissive behavior is the perfect combination.<br />
Maybe this year Lesly will have better luck and someone<br />
will see just how special she is. We know if she would just<br />
have the chance, she would be the best thing that ever<br />
happened to one lucky family!<br />
Please let us<br />
know if you<br />
think Lesly<br />
could be the<br />
dog for you or<br />
someone you<br />
know.<br />
21
MUNICIPALITY TAKING ACTION<br />
TO CHANGE OPINIONS<br />
TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!<br />
MUNICIPALITY &<br />
THE SHELTER TOGETHER<br />
22
SLOWLY BUT STEADILY CHANGE<br />
WILL HAPPEN!<br />
We know that it takes a lot of effort and co-operation to make<br />
things better for the animals. Not only do we need to control<br />
the stray population by neutering, but we need to educate<br />
people about animal welfare and most importantly, how to<br />
humanely treat animals.<br />
This is a huge and long term goal, which wont be achieved in a<br />
year or without help. That is why it's essential that have the<br />
government's support. They need to enforce the laws that are<br />
already in place, they need to educate the public and they<br />
need to have a united front with the rescue organizations.<br />
Fortunately our municipality is one of those who are positive<br />
to make progress and who try to help the situation. We<br />
communicate with them openly and try to come up with ways<br />
to make things better. During the past years they have given<br />
food and free neutering for animals in need and this year, for<br />
the first time, they held a two day seminar about animals.<br />
The first day was for people<br />
involved within animal welfare, so<br />
we could share ideas and see where<br />
the municipality was heading. The<br />
second day was for<br />
public, to get basic info on<br />
animal care.<br />
It might not be a huge thing alone,<br />
but it tells us that our efforts are<br />
not in vain and that the<br />
municipality is ready to take action<br />
and do more than just making the<br />
right noises.<br />
Slowly we can make a change, when<br />
the right people come together!<br />
23
FOUR KITTENS DUMPED<br />
IN THE TRASH<br />
24<br />
This month we introduce<br />
you to four kittens who can<br />
be considered both the<br />
lucky and unlucky ones.<br />
These four cute kittens<br />
were found in a trash can in<br />
a nearby village. Why?<br />
Maybe they were the<br />
unwanted offspring of an<br />
owned cat or maybe<br />
someone local thought this<br />
would be an easy way to<br />
stop more stray cats from<br />
taking over the town.<br />
Whatever the reason, it<br />
meant a certain death for<br />
these little ones.<br />
Just days old, they were too<br />
young to keep themselves<br />
warm, not to mention their<br />
constant need of mothers<br />
milk with all of it's<br />
nutrients!<br />
Luckily the kind lady who<br />
found them decided to take<br />
action. The right person at<br />
the right time you could say!
This amazing person has<br />
fostered more cats than we<br />
can count and of course she<br />
made room for the kittens<br />
too. Now they are in her<br />
expert care and we hope<br />
their luck stays on this<br />
course.<br />
With kittens it is even more<br />
difficult to give them what<br />
they need, since formula<br />
milk and hot bottles only<br />
take you so far. Even with the<br />
best care these kittens are<br />
still in critical condition.<br />
All we can do now is hope<br />
that they will pull it through<br />
and once they do, they can<br />
find their forever families.<br />
They are in the best care and<br />
they have all the chances we<br />
could give to ensure they will<br />
become healthy and happy<br />
adult cats.<br />
25
When you have added a four<br />
legged friend to your household,<br />
you start thinking about the<br />
things you can do together. Many<br />
people love walking or even<br />
hiking – depending on their level<br />
of fitness and that of their dog.<br />
So before you end up in a daily<br />
routine that takes you to the<br />
same trees, garden and house<br />
corners every evening, why not<br />
become a bit more adventures?<br />
Depending on your dog and how<br />
comfortable it is in new<br />
environments, explore your very<br />
own hometown and towns, parks,<br />
forests. Choose carefully and<br />
don't overwhelm your dog.<br />
Sunday mornings are usually<br />
quieter in town centers and flea<br />
markets can be very crowded.<br />
Make sure your dog is on a safety<br />
leash just in case.<br />
Usually there are always areas<br />
and streets in one' s own town<br />
which are nice and where one has<br />
never been before. Or where you<br />
only go by car and then your miss<br />
the smaller streets.<br />
26<br />
EXPLORING THE WORLD<br />
THE PERFECT HOBBY<br />
So, look up your town on a map or<br />
on the internet, look for a parking<br />
lot or use public transport. If you<br />
think your dog can handle public<br />
transport, it will be a good<br />
learning experience. Maybe you<br />
can also form a group with other<br />
dog owners and meet regularly.<br />
Plan a bit ahead. Is there<br />
something interesting to see? Is<br />
there a park? Is there a coffee<br />
place? Is there a forest? Do you<br />
need food and water for you and<br />
the dog? Take your mobile and/or<br />
your camera and and make lots of<br />
pictures! Either snap shots or<br />
artful ones.<br />
When you are back home, collect<br />
your photos in a separate folder<br />
for each walk. Then you can print<br />
out a few good shots or have<br />
them printed on the internet,<br />
and make your own adventure<br />
book. Either you simply glue<br />
them in a notebook and add the<br />
little stories which happened or<br />
you make a high-end photo book<br />
of it. Or a blog or a site on the<br />
internet.
After some time you'll notice that<br />
you know your very own town<br />
much better, your and your dog's'<br />
fitness improves because you'll<br />
make longer walks than you<br />
normally do, your dog has a lot of<br />
new experiences to build on and<br />
you have a nice collection of<br />
memories.<br />
And maybe then you'll want to<br />
switch to bigger adventures, like<br />
a hiking trip. Your dog will have<br />
learned a lot on your previous<br />
walks. Choose the right location:<br />
The sea, soft hills or really high<br />
mountains? Either plan daily<br />
walks from one place or you' ll<br />
carry your luggage from one<br />
place to the next. Make sure the<br />
place takes dogs. Estimate the<br />
daily distance realistically –<br />
better less then too much, so<br />
ensure enough time to relax or<br />
for breaks on the way.<br />
Again a nice photo collection will<br />
be an additional reward for cold<br />
winter evenings. Your dog will<br />
learn to trust you much more and<br />
you'll become a fabulous team.
Vicky helped to set up Praxie's Prom<br />
the shelter's UK based charity whic<br />
to help raise funds for the shelter.<br />
MEET THE<br />
VOLUNTEERS<br />
"Caring for the<br />
helplesss has<br />
always been<br />
installed in me"<br />
This month we introduce Vicky who moved to Crete from<br />
Yorkshire, UK in 2010<br />
28<br />
How did you get involved with the shelter? It was 2012 when I first visited the<br />
shelter. I’d always known about it but hadn't visited until then. When I first walked<br />
in I was over whelmed by the amount of dogs there, and I knew from that moment<br />
that I had to get involved. I have always had a passion for dogs, going way back to<br />
being a young girl. When I was about 12 years old my best friend and I did a raffle<br />
at school to raise money for the RSPCA, and we made a speech about the need to<br />
help abused and abandoned animals. I think we raised about £55 and I still have<br />
the certificate somewhere. Caring for the helpless seems to be something that has<br />
always been installed in me.
ise,<br />
h aims<br />
Visit the Praxie's Promise website<br />
here.<br />
The charity was named after one<br />
of our longest residents.<br />
How do you help?<br />
I like to focus on the dogs that get<br />
overlooked; the ones that struggle and<br />
become depressed in the shelter. I have a<br />
great friend who lets me use her land for<br />
free and we have built a couple of<br />
kennels.<br />
I try to take the dogs that are having a<br />
hard time at the shelter - to get them well<br />
again. I also try desperately to prevent<br />
dogs from ending up in the shelter in the<br />
first place. I am fortunate enough to have<br />
lots of animal loving friends who quite<br />
often end up fostering dogs for us to<br />
prevent them ending up in the shelter in<br />
the first place.<br />
I also use my network of friends and<br />
contacts to transport dogs to the UK once<br />
we have found a home for them. The trip<br />
can be a logistical nightmare but all worth<br />
it when I see photos of the dogs in their<br />
lovely new homes.<br />
What do you hope for the future?<br />
I'm a huge believer of neutering the<br />
strays. I don't think the only answer is to<br />
scoop up all the strays and put them in a<br />
shelter. This will never solve the problem.<br />
We need to support the neutering of<br />
strays and focus on education. The<br />
younger generation will form the future<br />
so let’s try to teach them how to be kind<br />
and responsible as best we can. We<br />
cannot erase history but we can shape the<br />
future.<br />
29
WHEN DOG<br />
MEETS DOG<br />
We all know how to greet a friend<br />
or stranger in the right way – but<br />
it’s a lot different in the dog<br />
world – and there are some<br />
important things you should learn<br />
to look out for to avoid harm or<br />
stress to your dogs.<br />
When allowed to move freely a<br />
well-mannered (off leash) dog will<br />
avoid sustained direct eye contact<br />
when meeting a new dog. He<br />
willapproach with a smooth gait in<br />
a perpendicular or semi-circular<br />
manner.<br />
This allows each dog to size the<br />
other up and determine whether<br />
there is a threat to safety, or a<br />
polite invitation to say hello.<br />
Dogs sniff each other to gain<br />
information, usually beginning at<br />
the muzzle and working toward the<br />
anal glands.<br />
After about three seconds, dogs<br />
they typically either choose to<br />
play, or disengage.<br />
to signal non-threatening<br />
intentions.Leashed greetings are<br />
often face-to-face with sustained<br />
eye contact as they close the<br />
distance. Dogs normally do that<br />
when they are threatening each<br />
other.<br />
Meanwhile, their handlers may be<br />
standing still engaging in polite<br />
human greeting behavior. That<br />
forces dog to remain in close<br />
proximity far longer than they<br />
prefer.<br />
Imagine a human handshake that<br />
goes on…and on…and on…while<br />
the stranger is two feet away,<br />
staring at you. It would be<br />
uncomfortable for people, and it is<br />
uncomfortable for dogs.<br />
If leashed dogs choose to<br />
disengage, they are trapped by<br />
leashes and so tension rises until<br />
there is an outburst, which could<br />
lead to a fight.<br />
30<br />
It’s a different story when dogs<br />
meet whilst leashed because they<br />
lose the option of free movement,<br />
limiting their ability to<br />
communicate through body<br />
language. Communication is vital
If leashed dogs choose to play<br />
together, they can entangle<br />
themselves and their handlers, and<br />
that can turn to panic and conflict.<br />
If the same two dogs were to meet<br />
unleashed, the outcome could be<br />
entirely different. The best dog<br />
introductions are done off leash in a<br />
safe area, with two attentive and<br />
capable dog handlers who know how<br />
to read canine body language for<br />
stress signs.<br />
A second-best option is to use long<br />
training leads in which the slack is left<br />
on the ground so the dogs can move<br />
about.It can be a good idea to let the<br />
dogs greet briefly, then separate them,<br />
and let them greet again. Doing so<br />
several times allows them to gather<br />
scent and remain calmer during the<br />
process. With repetition, the drama of<br />
an initial greeting fades and they learn<br />
how to relax in the presence of other<br />
dogs.<br />
It can be tempting to take your dog<br />
over to meet other dogs – but it can be<br />
stressful for your dog and after all, if<br />
you were out for a walk (without your<br />
dog) you would probably just<br />
acknowledge strangers rather than<br />
rush up to them while shouting and<br />
waving your arms to greet them.<br />
We do not have to closely engage with<br />
everyone we see in the community,<br />
and neither do our dogs. There is far<br />
more value in giving our dogs a<br />
positive, relaxed experience each time<br />
they see another dog – and by<br />
understanding a little about doggy<br />
etiquette, it’s easy to do just that.<br />
31
HOW YOU<br />
CAN HELP<br />
START YOUR SPRING CLEANING!<br />
Spring is the time when<br />
nature comes back to life<br />
after a dark winter. So why<br />
not do the same and start<br />
with a fresh and cleaner<br />
environment - whilst<br />
helping the shelter at the<br />
same time!<br />
Spring cleaning is not only<br />
a great way to get your<br />
house tidy, it's also the<br />
perfect opportunity to get<br />
rid of some old stuff, that<br />
you have been hanging on<br />
to for far too long.<br />
But are those things really<br />
making you happy or are<br />
they just cluttering your<br />
house?<br />
De-cluttering for a good<br />
cause can be a great<br />
motivation.<br />
Sort through your house,<br />
room by room, deciding<br />
what to keep, what you can<br />
donate/sell and what<br />
should really belong in the<br />
bin!<br />
32<br />
We know this can be a<br />
difficult task, since we hold<br />
on to the idea that we will<br />
one day fit to those skinny<br />
jeans again, or that we will<br />
lose our memories if we get<br />
rid of stuff that is<br />
sentimental.
Spring without clutter and rubbish<br />
O n c e y o u s t a r t<br />
d e c l u t t e r i n g , i t c a n b e<br />
v e r y t h e r a p e u t i c a n d<br />
a d d i c t i v e !<br />
I f y o u w a n t t o t a k e i t<br />
s e r i o u s l y , c h e c k o u t t h e<br />
M a r i e K o n d o m e t h o d .<br />
O n e o f h e r t i p s i s t o a s k<br />
y o u r s e l f w h e t h e r a n<br />
i t e m ' s p a r k s j o y ' , w h e n<br />
d e c i d i n g w h e t h e r o r n o t<br />
t o k e e p i t .<br />
E v e r y i t e m y o u s e l l ,<br />
e v e n i f i t m a k e s o n l y o n e<br />
E u r o , w i l l m a k e a<br />
d i ff e r e n c e t o t h e s h e l t e r .<br />
S o , t h i s s p r i n g , m a k e a<br />
d i ff e r e n c e t o y o u r h o m e<br />
a n d t h e s h e l t e r a t t h e<br />
s a m e t i m e .<br />
H a p p y S p r i n g C l e a n i n g !<br />
O n c e y o u k n o w w h a t y o u<br />
w a n t t o g e t r i d o f , y o u<br />
c a n s e l l i t a t a l o c a l fl e a<br />
m a r k e t , o r o n l i n e .<br />
33
Dangers for dogs during spring<br />
34<br />
During spring some dangers start<br />
to crawl, fly and just plainly<br />
appear like out of nowhere. To<br />
keep your pet safe, be sure to<br />
prepare for one of these<br />
dangerous things that spring and<br />
summer tend to bring out!<br />
1. Snakes - Depending on where<br />
you live, this can be a bigger or a<br />
smaller hazard. Snakes wake up<br />
during the spring, when it starts to<br />
warm up and they can be easily<br />
found on your favorite walking<br />
paths. If your area has poisonous<br />
snakes, be sure to carry<br />
emergency medication with you<br />
and ask your local vet what is the<br />
best way to prepare and avoid<br />
snake bites.<br />
2. Bees - Bees start to emerge just<br />
like snakes during the spring.<br />
While these might not be as<br />
dangerous alone as snakes, a hive<br />
can be even deadly for a dog. So<br />
be sure to check for any beehives<br />
in your garden or by your walking<br />
paths to avoid your dog from<br />
getting stung.<br />
3. Ticks and other parasites<br />
Spring also brings out the nasty<br />
crawling things like ticks and other<br />
parasites. To protect your pet from<br />
these disease carrying things, be<br />
sure to use collars, liquids or pills.<br />
This way your pet can enjoy the<br />
warm sun without the danger of<br />
getting nasty parasites.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER<br />
This time we want to share the Happily Ever After of<br />
Tac, our wonderful little girl!<br />
Tac came to the shelter with her two brothers, Tic<br />
and Toe. They were just small puppies and we hoped<br />
they would find homes quickly. Unfortunately<br />
nobody seemed interested in them and they were<br />
overlooked at the shelter for some time.<br />
One day, Toe got a lucky break and found his forever<br />
home! We kept our hopes up and knew that one day<br />
someone would see how special Tic and Tac were<br />
too.<br />
And now we can tell you the good news - Tac is going to her forever home!<br />
Her loving personality and happy attitude will give her family endless amount<br />
of joy!<br />
Now our hopes are that Tic will be as lucky this year and this terrific trio will<br />
all have their happy ever afters!
THANK YOU<br />
FOR YOUR<br />
SUPPORT<br />
CONTACT US<br />
gouvesshelter@gmail.com<br />
www.gouvesshelter.com<br />
facebook.com/gouvesanimalshelter/<br />
Paypal: Gouvesanimalsheltercrete@gmail.com