How Do You Beat the Heat?

 

 

The Dog Days of Summer are Here!!!

The sun is out and someone has turned up the heat these past few days so we are enjoying it the best way that we know how - pool time! We have one pup in particular that could very well be part fish (try putting that info on Petfinder...) and her name is Lucy! During Lucy's stay at the sanctuary she has learned that she is a great swimmer and loves to lounge in the water but there are also the days that her inner puppy emerges and the result is lots of pouncing and zoomies! Please check out the clip below to see what we mean:

 

 



Lucy has also showed her teachers how smart she is by demonstrating that learning can be fun too! Lucy has opted to learn her lessons in our weekly sanctuary class from the pool this week. She is learning the value of being calm while there are other dogs and activitiy occurring outside of the fence. As you can imagine, this is a skill that is difficult for certain dogs but essential to existing happily at the Our Companions Animal Sanctuary. Lucy looks like she is an excellent student.

This gal is beauty and brains all wrapped into one petite package!

 

 

Fixing Up Kaylee

 What Are Those Patches On Your Rump, Kaylee?

Well, that's quite a story.  Like many dogs in Connecticut pounds and rescues, Kaylee's is a winding tale that starts down south.  Brought up north, untrained, and under-socialized, Kaylee wound up as a young, high energy pup in a local town pound.  She was adopted out quickly, only to test positive for heartworm and end up being returned.

So what is a good hearted town Animal Control Officer to do with a hyper, heartworm positive pup.  That's where Our Companions comes in.  As we often do, we stepped in to assist with Kaylee's heartworm treatments, which is where those shaved spots on her back end came from, and to provide her a home where she could get the exercise and training she needs to be a happy and highly adoptable dog.  She has since been cleared of her heartworm problems and been spayed while in our care. Now it's just time for her story to wind it's way into a perfect forever home.

The Ceiling Fan and Gidget

Have you ever had a dog that is startled by new things? Exposure to all  parts of life is essential to having a well-rounded, confident pup and that is one of the things that Our Companions is able to provide our pets! We have recently been exposing the dogs at the sanctuary to a common item in most homes but one that surprisingly makes a lot of dogs uncomfortable, the ceiling fan. Our ceiling fan is great at moving heat or A/C throughout the house and, with some recent renovations to the dog houses, is proving to be a great function to utilize. We are happy that the majority of our dogs are taking the spinning fan well but there's always the exception that requires extra attention and training and in this case the exception is named, Gidget.
Gidget came to us with a broken leg at approximately 6 months old. She was left at a local vet during the middle of the night and we knew that she was a dog that we needed to help! We suspect that she did not have much socialization during her young life and have been working diligently to expose her to the everyday aspects of living in a home. Gidget was initially very scared of the ceiling fan, she would display obvious signs of discomfort and would crouch when walking throughout the house. It was the work of constant positive reinforcement that is what is helping her to overcome her fears and feel comfortable when chewing one of her favorite bones in the living room. She is a great dog that is relishing all that we have to show her and is quickly learning that this world is less scary and increasingly fun!

 

Gidget is unsure about the ceiling fan. She is displaying this

through her pulled back ears, wide eyes and stiff body.

Our Companions has arrived....

 

The new Valerie Friedman Program Center in Manchester is now adorned with a beautiful sign so people will be able to find us.