Cooperative Efforts Helps Homeless Puppies

A recent story in the Edmonton Journal showed how the spirit of collaboration and cooperation can move mountains.... well maybe not mountains, but most certainly puppies!

A truck loaded with 22 medium and large breed puppies from the Winnipeg Humane Society arrived at the Edmonton Humane Society on February 21. According to society spokeswoman, Shawna Randolph, the pups will be put up for adoption as soon as they have the required medical and behaviour tests.

Apparently, Winnipeg has had fewer adoptions recently and an inexplicable increase in the number of puppies being dropped off at the shelter.

Winnipeg Humane Society's executive director, Bill McDonald, said that he asked the Edmonton Humane Society to help find homes for the pups because of its recent success at adopting out homeless dogs from California. More than 90 per cent of the 112 small breed dogs flown by private jet to Edmonton from Fresco, Calfifornia, last month have already been adopted.

"We are so thankful that the Edmonton Humane Society is helping us give these dogs the proper start," he said. "It was a happy occasion to see these pups hit the road."

Randolph added that the transfer of the puppies was made possible with the generosity of Cochrane's Automotive Repair, a west-end Lexus dealership, as well as volunteers Sandy and Les Raubenheimer. The repair shop serviced the Edmonton Humane Society's truck for the 1,700-kilometre trip at no cost, while the Lexus dealership supplied $2,500 for gas. The Raubenheimers, who drove, covered their own expenses.

Randolph said the Edmonton society will help other humane organizations and animal rescue groups whenever it can. The society plans to help the Humane Rescue Animal Team of northern Alberta by taking 13 homeless dogs off its hands in a couple of weeks and will continue to help with the California Canine Cuties program.

The first pups should be up for adoption in a few days, and the public is advised to check www.edmontonhumanesociety.com for updates.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Setting Puppies & Kittens Up for Success

We all know that, without proper training, an adorable puppy can turn into less delightful adult dog - which helps explain why one in five puppies are abandoned before the age of two! New pet owners can feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of socializing, training, and caring for a puppy or kitten, and since more than one half of Canadian households (51 per cent) own a pet, a large part of the population faces these challenges every day. But new pet owners can feel more confident in their role thanks to the new free online resources, supposed by the good people at Purina Pet Care. Canadians can easily access pet-related information with the simple click of a mouse. For dogs: www.mypuppy.ca For cats: www.mykitten.ca They can even train their puppies by using the online interactive videos by award-winning dog trainer Kayl McCann. Kayl can speak with you about straightforward training techniques that highlight how easy it can be to train one's puppy or kitten (when you know what you're doing, of course).