Pets & Children

• Pets and kids go together like peanut butter & jelly; they are great playmates, guardians, and confidants. But, children must learn proper handling and discipline, and pets must learn self- control so that they do not play too rough.

• Children must be supervised and taught that dogs are beings, not dolls or toys to dress-up or handled constantly. Teach children not to tease or rile up the pet unnecessarily. This includes chasing around the house, which can scare a pet, who may snap or try to scratch if cornered or frightened.

• Make sure your children know that it is not the pet’s fault if a dog chews up toys that are left out. Keeping doors shut & toys in toy boxes can help minimize damage. Make sure the pet have their own toys, and keep them in the same place all the time (like in a basket, or in the dog’s crate.)

• Children like the idea of caring for a pet, but the daily work of feeding, bathing, brushing, and cleaning up after the pet is not really suited for them.

• Recognize that the initial enthusiasm will wane quickly, and the true responsibility of caring for the pet will fall to the adults in the household. Young children should not walk foster dogs, as, even if the dog is easy to walk, the child cannot really handle any encounters with other dogs or cats that are bound to happen.

• Children should not play unsupervised with foster pets. For smaller pets, teach proper handling (pick up by the body, not the limbs), and limit interaction.

• Children need to be taught that a puppy’s mouthing is not biting, and that the puppy is not trying to hurt them. Perhaps most importantly, children must learn to properly discipline the foster dog/puppy (a sharp “no” or squirt with a water bottle). Children may think that squirting the pet is fun, and need to learn to only use it sparingly. Children often react to a dog’s bad behavior by hitting or trying to kick the pet, which is unacceptable.

The Butter Incident

Warning… the following story is not for people with a weak stomach.

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Earlier this year I fostered Rusty and Piper for four months for Courtney and Adam, a military family that was relocating to the UK.  The dogs needed to wait a prescribed amount of time after their vaccinations and also the very expensive cost of their traveling was prohibitive at the time and they needed to wait to get their tax return check to be able to afford it.  I happily fostered two of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met.

Unfortunately, Rusty – a very large Rhodesian Ridgeback – was extremely prone to counter surfing when no one was looking.  He developed an unhealthy taste for butter and no stick was safe from him no matter how far back on the counter it was.   Mostly he just nabbed half sticks or less so no harm, no foul.  One day I was baking so I took a pound out of the freezer and left on the counter to soften.  It was still wrapped and in its box so I thought it was safe.  Foolish me.

I was in the living room relaxing with Piper and my dog, Ramush, when I realized I hadn’t seen Rusty for a while and things were suspiciously quiet.  I went looking for him and found him in the kitchen finishing up the last stick of an entire pound of butter!

The vet said it might cause diarrhea but otherwise he should be fine.  Unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky.  About an two hours later, he vomited the entire pound all over my handmade carpet from Afghanistan.  I bet you didn’t know that butter turns rancid after sitting in a stomach for that long, did you?  Neither did I until I got close enough to try to clean it up.  When I got near the steaming puddle, I was subjected to the foulest, most disgusting, gut wrenching stench I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter.  The smell was so overwhelmingly hideous that I promptly horked up everything in my stomach (not butter, thank God!).  Having watched many crime shows, I remembered that detectives often put Vicks under their nose to counteract the smell of rotting bodies – which have nothing on the stench of rancid butter mixed with stomach acid and bile, believe me!  After applying a generous helping of Vicks under my nostrils, I then had to tie a bandanna over my face and donned elbow length rubber gloves (which I had to throw away).  For future reference, partially digested butter is a gelatinous greasy goo that is virtually impossible to pick up.  I went through an entire roll of paper towel trying to get it off the rug and then used the carpet cleaner with deodorizing shampoo about four times trying to get the smell out.   Even after all that, the stench stayed in the house for a couple of days and it was well over a month before I could eat butter again.  And, of course, Rusty was perfectly fine and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.

Unbelievably, I actually miss him – apart from his voracious butter appetite, he was a sweetheart.

- Written by Robin, previous foster mom in New Hampshire.

Spring has Sprung…

Spring has come quickly to most of the country.  With pollen levels at crazy high’s and temperatures quickly heating up, what needs to be done to prepare your four-legged friends for the change in season?  Here are a few things you can do:

1. Secure windows and screens:   We all love the fresh air that comes with opening the windows in the house and the car.  Make sure that the screens are securely in to protect your pets who might want to push their noses against it.
2. Check for pests:   With more outdoor activity comes more change for unwanted pests.  Protect your pets by checking for pests every time they come back inside.  Ask your vet about flea/tick preventive options now.
3. Bathe with care:  Make sure that the soaps that you use on your pets will not harm them.
4. Stay off the grass: Fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides may create healthy plants and lush lawns, but their ingredients can be toxic to our four-legged friends. Avoid formal lawns with “pesticide treated” signs or altogether as the chemicals can irritate paws and if licked off by cats or dogs can be extremely toxic.   Make sure to keep animals off the grass the allocated amount of time after you use products on your own lawn.
5. Buckle up:  Taking your pet on a drive?  Make sure they are buckled up for that car trip.  It’s for your protection and your pet’s. Always secure pets in a comfortable harness or crate when traveling.
6. Groom for the season: Most cats and dogs “blow coat” at this time of year, with longer-haired breeds prone to tangling and matts as the dry, dead winter hair fights to drop out. Regular brushing helps restore oil to the coat and your vet may recommend an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement to keep coat and skin in good shape.   Coats protect from both heat and cold, so leave at least an inch or two of coat for insulation from sun, heat and insects.

What other tips do you have?   Leave a comment and tell us about it!

- Written by Jessica Semon, National Marketing and Communications Director

OH NO… Where’s Buddy?

So you are a foster home for a soldier’s pet and everything is going great.  Until one day you let Buddy outside to get some exercise and turn your back for one minute only to discover…. Buddy’s gone!   It’s every pet owner’s nightmare and being a Foster Parent you have the added pressure…You’re taking care of someone else’s dog!!

Don’t panic.  Take a deep breathe.   There are many things that you can do to locate Buddy.   Swift action, paired with some resources that you have kept in your back pocket will increase the odds of Buddy coming home before dinner time.  The important thing to do is to get information out there.

Send out the Initial Search Team

As soon as you notice that Buddy is missing, talk to other people in the house.  When was the last time someone saw him?   Check the house – maybe he came in without you knowing.   Call his name and bring out his favorite toy as a way to grab his attention.

When your sure that Buddy’s not in the house or in the backyard – start walking around the neighborhood.  Start with your neighbors – maybe he jumped the fence and is hanging out on your neighbor’s back porch.   Bring a photo of Buddy with you in case your neighbors need a reminder of what Buddy looks like.   Get a team of neighbors together and check every nook and cranny – Buddy could be under a bush or in a shed hanging out till he is found.

Work the Phones

Your first calls should be to all the animal control agencies, and shelters groups in your area; one of them could have Buddy already thanks to a complete stranger.   Also give your state Foster Home Coordinator or State Director a call and give them a heads up that Buddy is missing.

Get the Word Out

What next?  Create a “lost pet” flyer to canvas the neighborhood with. We recommend sticking with one design, as repeated viewings of a consistent message are more likely to stick in people’s minds. You’ll need to include a lot of info on your flyer, so use your limited space wisely:

• A big, bold headline that people can read from a distance: “LOST DOG”
• Under the headline, a photo of Buddy is ideal. Make sure he’s still well-represented after the picture’s been photocopied or printed. List his breed, sex, color, age, weight, distinguishing features, and where and when he was last seen. It is very important that Buddy is described accurately.
• Provide your name and two phone numbers; yours, of course, and a back-up in case you cannot be reached (we recommend using your state Foster Home Coordinator as a back-up)

Blanket the Neighborhood

With your flyers in hand (and hopefully, a team of supportive helpers), it’s time to blanket the neighborhood. Good places to post your flyers may include:

• Dog runs and parks
• Pet supply stores and pet grooming shops
• Veterinary offices
• Various commercial establishments, such as grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, Laundromats, bars, cafes and restaurants.
• Lampposts and trees. Cover extra heavily the areas where you think your pet was lost, as well as busy commercial and pedestrian sections of your town.
• Around schools, at kids’-eye level. Children can be more observant than adults, especially when it comes to animals.

When posting flyers at business locations be sure to ask permission before posting your flyers!

Hit the  Internet

The Internet was made for networking. Send descriptive emails about your lost pet to your local friends, colleagues and family members, and ask them to pass on the info to anyone they can. Use social media platforms to further increase your reach.

Don’t Give Up!

This one’s important! And remember that many lost animals have found their way back home.

We hope that this doesn’t happen with any of our foster pets.  But if it does, we hope that these tips help to make the situation less stressful.

-Written by Jessica Semon, National Communications Director

Traveling with Your Pet

When you are in the military, traveling is a part of life and no matter how organized you are it’s still a very stressful time. And if you have pets, it can be downright daunting.  A million things run through your head, “I need to find housing that takes pets,” “How will I get my pet to the new city?” “How will they handle the move?”

The first plan of action is to be armed with as much information as you can. Here’s where the internet can be invaluable. It doesn’t matter how near or far away you are traveling; you can find the information you need for that area. Here are a few things to make sure you know before you leave:

• What are the pet policies at your new location?
• Does my pet need shots? And if so, you will need to find out this information in advance as this can take some time to coordinate.
• Are there any pet friendly hotels where we can stay? In case you need to find a place to live once you arrive.
• Are there any special animal laws in that state or country? Mandatory quarantines, etc.
• What veterinarian is nearby? Military or otherwise.
• What certificates do I need in order for my pet to travel? Typically there are two, a health certificate and a rabies certificate. Your military veterinarian can give you the information you need.

Next, call your airline to see if there are any restrictions and what paperwork you need to make sure your pet makes their flight. Consider talking to your veterinarian to see if there are any special circumstances for your pet’s breed that would need to be managed during transport.

Also, your pet must be crate trained to travel on public transportation and most often, to be allowed to stay in a hotel. So if your buddy isn’t used to a crate, start training them right away so they are used to the situation. It’s a good idea to have some personal item of theirs or yours in the crate so they feel less stressed. A shirt or blanket can make a big difference.

Air Mobility Command offers space-available flight, commonly known as Space-A travel, for military families and their pets.

For more detailed information, visit Military OneSource. They have numerous checklists and samples of a military pet care plan. 

- written by Kathy Brinck, CA Communications Coordinator