Cats are trainable!!

A kitten kindergarten class at the Houston SPCA in Houston teaches felines how to work — or at least learn tricks — for their food. Photo taken by Pat Sulliven -- AP

See! Cats aren’t so aloof afterall. Many people think that cats are boring and aloof since they’re known for not obeying commands like dogs do. True cat people know different (sorry but yes I defend the species vehemently to those not truly in the know about these truly wonderful creatures).

The Houston SPCA has got it right. They have implemented a program, a sort of Kitty Kindergarten that trains felines to work for their food.

“A lot of people look kind of funny at us when we say we train the shelter cats,” says CJ Bentley of the humane society. Cats need more than just playtime outside the cage to be well-adjusted in the shelter environment, she says.

Problem-solving power
“It’s not just all about the physical, it’s the mental as well,” says Bentley. “To teach them to be able to solve problems on their own can reduce the stress. It gives them control over a situation.”

It’s not just shelter cats that need more, though. People expect pet cats to “just hang out, which isn’t realistic,” says Melissa Chan, behavior specialist at the Houston SPCA. Cats are naturally active animals, she says, and “one thing I wish I could tell every cat owner: Cats want to work for their food.”

Read the entire article here!

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Here’s Roscoe!

Roscoe the German Shepherd needs a home! Please find it in your heart to give him one if you can.

Hey everyone! Sorry it’s taking me so long in between posts. Between school, work and other things it’s been really hard. Hope all of you are having a wonderful November. Anyway, here is information on Roscoe, a beautiful German Shepherd that needs a forever home:

Hi everyone,

Right now we have a foster dog in need of a home. His name is “Roscoe.” He is a sweet German Shepherd mix, who was found wandering the streets in Palm Springs, but is now in Glendora. He had no tags, no chip, and part of a chain hanging from his collar, so I believe he escaped from a not-so-nice home. He is about 1 1/2 years old, and got all of his shots, and was neutered. He is very sweet and still very puppy-like. He loves to be with his “person,” and will follow you from room to room to lay at your feet. Roscoe’s left ear naturally flops down and he is very cute!

If you know anyone who may be interested in this guy, or anyone who could even foster him temporarily until a permanent home is found for him, please let me know ASAP. We currently have 3 of our own dogs, Roscoe, and another foster, so we really need to find him a new home very soon!

Thank you!

Jill Vegas
213-215-6229

“A righteous man regards the life of his animal” – Proverbs 12:10

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Two homeless dogs

Got a message from a friend about these two homeless dogs. Her brother and his wife have them at the moment. They have no tags and are not microchipped. If you lost these dogs or are looking to give some cute dogs a good home, please contact Mary at (818) 279-5234. The dogs are in Wrightwood.

Here’s another photo of them:

Here’s some recently updated information on the dogs:

Some hunters brought in these two dogs to the friend’s brother’s work. These dogs were reported loose in the forest a couple of weeks ago but nobody brought them in. They were both very hungry, thirsty and skinny. Both dogs quickly figured out how to use the doggy door with a bit of help.

The smaller one is a girl and the bigger one is a boy; they are probably related (both shepherd mixes but the bigger boy acts older and the smaller girl acts younger. They seem very well behaved–
even Maggie, their cat didn’t bolt from them!

So please pass this information on to everyone you know.

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