The Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue October 2010 Newsletter
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) suggests people who are looking for "man's best friend" to check out the millions of dogs at local shelters and rescues across the country. However, responsible pet ownership requires more than simply agreeing to take an animal into your life; the potential adopter should be ready to make a commitment that will enhance the lives of both the human and the animal.
With nearly 10 million animals entering local shelters across the country each year the Adopt a Shelter Dog Month helps focus attention on the pet population problem we face in this country.
Renowned dog trainer Joel Silverman also says that shelter animals make good pets, and that proper training is the key. Silverman's many canine pupils have starred in commercials, television shows, and feature films and often come from shelters. According to Silverman, pet owners that train their dogs have better relationships with their pets and less problems in the home.
"Most people don't realize that training is not as difficult as they think," says Silverman. "Training should be fun for both the pet owner and the dog and, in fact, usually strengthens the bond between them."
In a recent study conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, researchers surveyed people turning animals in to 12 various shelters around the country to try to find our exactly why animals end up there. The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, and can be seen at The ASPCA's Web site (http://www.aspca.org). The study's researchers reviewed reasons why people gave up their dogs up for adoption, and found the following frequency of answers:
- 29 percent surrendered their dogs due to behavior problems
- 29 percent surrendered their dogs because of the family's housing situation
- 25 percent surrendered their dogs citing incompatibility with the family's lifestyle
- 15 percent surrendering their dogs due to the family's preparation and/or expectations.
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For those of you who have adopted a dog or have gone through the adoption process with us at the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue, you've noticed, we ask a lot of questions! And this is why. We adopt out over 100 dogs a year. All have been in and through difficult situations before they got to RMLR - and the last thing we want to happen to them is to be put back into another non-permanent living situation. We strive to make every adoption a forever family. Some of the very basic questions to consider when adopting:
1. Am I ready to make a long-term commitment? Adopting a pet means being responsible for it's health and happiness for the rest of his or her life, which could be up to 15 years for dogs.
2. Is the animal right for my household? A strong, active pet may be too much for a young child or elderly person to handle. Small pets may be too delicate for rough play with children. Always make sure that everyone in the household agrees to adopt an animal.
3. Who will be the primary caretaker for the animal? One adult in the home should be designated as the primary caretaker so that the pet's needs do not become lost in the shuffle of busy schedules.
4. Can I afford the animal? The cost of a pet is more than just the purchase price or adoption fee; remember to include the cost of food, pet supplies, veterinarian bills and training.
5. Am I ready to commit to making this dog a good canine citizen? A well-trained dog is a pleasure and is welcome in public parks, on walks, and as a visitor. Research shows that people who take the time to train their dogs are more likely to keep them longer than people who don't.
Looking for a dog to add to your family? Consider adopting an RMLR or shelter dog today!
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Meet Marco - RMLR's Featured Dog
WANTED: In search of a best friend, a compadre, a numero uno who shares my zest for life! I am a young free spirited pup who would love to accompany you on all your outdoor adventures: hiking, running, walking...you name it! Coming from Kansas I have eagerly anticipated the Colorado lifestyle that caters to active young families who are only complete when their best "rover" is hanging by their side. Well that's me a highly qualified "rover." I am approximately one year old, I am always decked out in a fashionable but practical Chocolate fur coat accented by a white chest and a few white toes. One look in my bright gold eyes and you will see I am a smart boy eager to learn. I am very food/treat motivated which will only sweeten the pot during our training sessions. No, I'm not perfect, I enjoy eating alone and like all young dogs I would benefit from some training. You know what they say "a tired lab is a good lab." Well that's me Marco just a young dog aspiring to become a runner/hiker extraordinaire. I look forward to training for our first 14er! Just ask for me M-A-R-C-O!
Check out more information about Marco and our other Labs for Adoption under Adopting
Featured Success Story: Nick
As many of you are aware, we recently held a contest for RMLR Alumni and Adopters to get their dogs and stories into our 2011 Calendar. We have an overwhelming responce and had tons of touching stories and cute photos. Unfortunately, we couldn't pick them all. The new few months we will be featuring the runner ups as our Success Stories of the Month!
I'd been thinking about adopting a new dog for some time after our last girl, Stella, passed on at age 15. About a year later, I had a hip replacement and with all my free time started looking seriously into finding a new companion. We came upon RMLR and the week before Christmas 2008 brought Nick into our lives. My daughter Meaghan went into Denver with me to meet Nick with Meg's little Basset, Pella (had to make sure they'd get along!). They hit it off right away and we came up with the name Nick in honor of the holidays - St. Nick, you know. Nick was a great walking companion for me as I rehabbed my new hip and has been a wonderful addition to our family. Pella and he love to "rage" around the house - sometimes she treats him like a rawhide chew but he's so good-natured he never complains at all. Nick came to us with an injured front paw from an old, unknown incident. The vet's xrays showed several badly broken bones which, unfortunately, can't be repaired at this point. We figured out that a muttluk would help him out on hard surfaces but he does fine on grass and, his favorite, snow. And, as you can see, being the good Lab he is, he absolutely loves the water. Chicago Creek runs through our yard and there's nothing he enjoys better than hopping in to cool off. Nick is just about the gentlest, most laid-back, easy-going dog you could hope for. We really hit the jackpot and can't thank RMLR enough. Now if we can just keep him from helping himself to goodies off the kitchen counter. He sure looked funny with blueberry pie all over his big mug!
~The Quigley's
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, October 9th from 10am to 4pm
Petco Adoption Event
17132 West Colfax Avenue
Golden, CO 80401
303-384-0013
Please join RMLR and our awesome foster dogs for a rescue adoption event. This is a semi-annual event and there will also be other rescue groups in attendance.
We will have foster dogs available for adoption and volunteers there to answer questions. If you are approved to adopt and circumstances permit, you may be able to take your new family member home with you that day. We do ask that all household members, and especially your dogs (if you have any), are there to meet the available foster dogs.
Keeping in Touch with RMLR!
 
We invite you all to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We have a BRAND NEW facebook fan page that is in desperate need of photos!!! So post your success photos (unfortunately you can't tag a fan page - but we've reached our max friends limit on the normal friends page) and your favorite RMLR pictures on our fan page HERE!
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A Call for Volunteers
I have been writing, editing, designing and publishing the newsletter for almost 3 years now. It's fun being a bit of a window between the rescue and it's supporters.
My life has changed a lot in the last year. I no longer live in Colorado and am much less involved in the happenings of RMLR than I used to be. The economy presented me many challenges that have resulted in working sometimes around the clock with freelance work, as well as my daily full-time design job. I don't have the concentrated amount of time it takes me at the beginning of the month to produce the quality of newsletter that I want to produce.
This is my request for help. I'm interested in volunteers who may be interested in helping me write the newsletter. For the most part, it's just assembling the Dog of the Month, the Success Story, the Upcoming Events, etc. But I try hard to get something interesting and different in there every month. It doesn't need to be every month. If I could find a few writers that may be interested in switching off every other month to write an excerpt that I can include in the newsletter.
Please only consider this if you can be reliable, enjoy creative writing and have the time to dedicate to the project :) You don't need to be a professional writer, but good grammar and writing skills means less editing for me! ;)
Also - if by miracle chance, there is someone out there who is interested in taking this entire newsletter venture over - I would be willing to hand it over and train them in the technology and assembly of the newsletter. If you are interested in this, please know the basics about blogging tools, linking pictures and at least semi-familiar with layouts and templates.
If you are interested please email me, Meghan at rockymountainlabrescue@gmail.com
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