Responsible Rescue: Rescue Done Different.
In light of recent events, I've created a new FB group called...
Responsible Rescue: Rescue Done Different
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1383176369343135/
Prior to founding PackFit Dog Training and Behavior, I was a board certified health | nutrition | life coach, yoga | Pilates | kickboxing | personal fitness coach, and started a little biz called "Healthy Chick" (my blog was called "Hip Chicks Eat Spinach" :P).
Health, nutrition, stress management, trauma work, and overall wellness --- supporting, nourishing, and working *with* the whole body (mental, physical, *emotional*, and energetic)--- has always ranked very high on my personal value system, and also heavily plays into the work I do with people and their dogs. After all, the great majority of the "behavioral issues" people struggle with when it comes to their dogs- were conditioned *unknowingly* by them. Through...
- what they didn't know and weren't aware of,
- what they were doing and not doing,
- how they respond and react (to people, situations, events, etc.),
- what they bring to the table (stress, impatience, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, fear, reactivity, etc),
- level of responsibility (or lack thereof),
- level of engagement and investment (or lack thereof),
....and so on.
It's. All. Information.
And our dogs are watching, learning, taking on, and absorbing. Much like our children.
Given the fact that 90% of "dog training" is, in fact, human training...
And given the fact that, not only are behavior and health incredibly complex-- but humans are incredibly complex creatures, as are dogs.....
Approaching health and behavior through a holistic lens, paying attention to, supporting, and working on all their contributing parts... is key for real, lasting, effective, "better" outcomes.
There are a great many variables who contribute to : who humans and dogs are as individuals..... why they do what they do, their level of health, their level of trauma, the health of their nervous system, why they react they way they do, how they interpret and perceive information, situations, etc., and so on.
Understanding this, we can make the necessary adjustments and changes, heal, overcome, and move forward.
Now, I've been wanting to start a rescue and rehab for years, though this kicked into higher gear when I moved here to SoCal. I've never seen --- in my life --- what I see going on here on a daily basis. It's absolutely gut wrenching. And it's not a "dog problem"... but a human one. The dog crisis, sadly, is just the byproduct of the human problem we have.
The...
Rampant level of irresponsibility.
Carelessness.
Greed.
Lack of commitment.
Lack of investment.
Poor emotional health.
Unrealistic level of expectations.
Inconsistent.
What's "Fast-Cheap-Easy-and-Effortless" Mentality (especially perpetuated by the food | food-like product industry, as well as doctors and vets)
Now, back to this family of dogs in need.
As a recap of their story, I'd learned of a dog who was found at an organic waste management facility underneath a heavy metal waste container. She'd given birth to 9 puppies. The workers knew this because they stumbled upon a tiny little puppy laying in the dirt with the umbilical cord still attached. This little pup was (who we know now as) Cowboy.
3 of the 9 puppies were found already deceased, and another passed a few days later. Cowboy's life was questionable. At just days old, he was "adopted" to a family who was bottle-feeding him because, for some reason, it was thought he'd been rejected by Ava (the mother dog). This family ended up going away on vacation, and little Cowboy was being bounced around.
After several unsuccessful attempts at trying to find a reputable local rescue to take the family in, and although we didn't have the space or the financial means to take them, we did so. The last thing we wanted was for this family to end up in the hands of people with ill intentions, or getting sick in the county shelter - likely even euthanized.
So, although we didn't have the space- we created it.
Although we didn't have the financial means to take on 6 more dogs, we created it- and started fundraising efforts to support their cause.
Ava and her 5 puppies arrived the weekend before Christmas. Cowboy, included; and he was 1/5 the size of his brothers and sister. A teeny tiny little thing.
I was so very pleased to see Ava welcome him right in, and his journey of being nursed back to health began.
We've been providing and caring for Ava and her pups as we do our own.
Building gut and immune health, and nourishing and supporting the body through clean, biologically appropriate food (aka real, naturally nutrient dense food that the body is physiologically designed to take in, utilize, and absorb. NOT highly processed, cheap ingredient, low quality, enzyme deficient, artificially-pumped food-like product... which is what most animals who rely upon their humans to make their nutritional choices for them are consuming). This also plays a major role in natural flea, tick, and heart worm prevention (I'm proud to say that neither Ava or her puppies had any trace of parasites or worms--- unheard of for puppies their age, let alone strays).
Filtered water.
Following W. Jean Dodds' Hemopet, Petlifeline, Hemolife & Nutriscan vaccination schedule (can be found here: https://creekside-kennel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/vaccination-protocol1.pdf / over-vaccinating is another HUGE problem in the pet animal world. What many vets don't disclose is that most vaccinations last the lifetime of the dog. Titer before vaccinating. Case in point, we titered Ava before vaccinating her-- and I'm glad we did. She's already covered)
Ava's reproductive system is already fully developed, so she'll be spayed before going to her new home (we still need the funds for this).
None of the puppies will be altered prior to going to their new homes, which is another reason why we're being so selective. Their bodies are producing much-needed hormones the rest of their bodies need during this time of development. It will be in our contract that their humans wait until their reproductive systems are fully developed before altering. Not waiting to do so increases the risk of various cancers, orthopedic issues (even increasing hip dysplasia in some dogs by as much as 70%, ACL issues, etc), behavioral issues, joint disorders, urinary incontinence, etc.
Early socialization and enrichment.
Crate training.
...and so on.
We also have it in our contract that should, at any point in time, the person/family not be able to care for the dog any longer, they be returned to us.
Each pup will come with training, coaching, guidance, and support ***for the life of each pup*** - which will save them thousands of dollars.
When it comes to health and behavior, prevention is where it's at. It's far more costly (and stressful) to rehab than do things right from the get-go.
There's so much need for animal rescues. More than this, there's
so much need for rescues who are health and behaviorally fluent.
This rescue effort isn't about "getting them in and getting them out." No. It's about supporting their growing bodies, their developing minds and perceptions, protecting them from the incredible amount of dog fraud and people with ugly agendas (backyard breeding, dog fighting, dog flipping, etc.), and finding them their special people who will pick up the torch and continue to do the same. It’s also about properly educating and equipping fosters AND adopters. Most in rescue are dog lovers….NOT dog understander-ers. And many behaviors are misread and misinterpreted, mislabeled and misjudged, etc because of this. ANYONE working with dogs should have a solid understanding of *behavior* (which is not breed specific). This will reduce stress (on both ends of a leash), thr number of returns and rehomes, and set everyone up for their best life together. THIS is rescue. People who consider them as family, and will love and care for them for life.
This is our commitment to them, and to the special people who welcome them into their hearts and homes.
www.packfit.net
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Please contact Kimberly at: kimberly@packfit.net if interested in fostering or adopting one of these precious souls.
Donations to their continued care are desperately needed, and can be made through Venmo (where there are no additional fees)
Venmo: Kimberly-Artley-2
or
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/3ef19a44
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for supporting this special family's cause and our efforts to help them along into their best lives. As the back of my book, "Little Todd Finds His Forever Home" (https://a.co/d/0GBwaxU), says: "Oftentimes, the most difficult beginnings can have the most beautiful endings."
#rescue #rescuedog #rescuedismyfavoritebreed #fosterssavelives #fosterdog #foster #PACKFIT #ittakesavillage
