Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Way to go, New Jersey

New Jersey just passed 'Dusty's Law,' which gives greater protection to service dogs who are attacked by another dog. Before that, if a dog attacked a service dog it could only be investigated by animal agencies. Now the police can be involved and criminal charges can be filed. .

Service dogs are near-miracles and I love every one of them. Lot's of good people worked very hard to get this passed. Hats off to them and to everyone who supported it.



Thanks for reading.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old English Sheepdog

I'm not picking on Old English Sheepdogs, I'm just channeling my inner Tony Orlando. 

There's a movement afoot, called the Yellow Dog Project, that is trying to make the interactions between man and dog less stressful for the dog and safer for the people. The idea is that if you are out in public with a dog that, for whatever reason, needs his space, you tie a yellow ribbon on the collar or leash, so it's visible to anyone who may approach. This tells that person not to just run up and try to hug your cute little puppy, who may not appreciate the attention.This doesn't necessarily mean your dog is nasty or vicious, he may simply be shy, or in new surroundings, or have medical issues that make him a little edgy.

I see a lot of people who have no idea how to approach a dog, and cannot read the signals that dogs give off. I'm surprised that there are not more bites. I think this is a great idea, especially in helping children understand the dynamics of interacting with dogs.

I hope this becomes a thing that everyone knows about. On the web page is information on how you can volunteer.



Thanks for reading.