Dogs With Jobs: Bet You Didn't Think Of This One

Dogs With Jobs. What pops into your mind? Police dog. Therapy dog. Drug-detection dog. Guide dog. But there's a job you may not have considered: "Chief Dog Officer" or CDO. Our CDO here at Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid head office is Tux. Here's a little introduction into what his job as CDO is all about.


Demonstration

As CDO, Tux regularly attends Pet First Aid classes and shows everyone the ropes. He's been doing this for awhile and as you can see, he's a pro.

Lap surfer

It's serious business keeping the course attendees happy and making them feel that they are receiving one-on-one attention. Tux does an excellent job of moving around the room and sharing the love.

Sometimes he even helps out with the exam!

Kids Camps

Tux volunteers his time regularly with BC SPCA teaching kids the introductory ropes of Pet First Aid. This might just be his favorite job since he loves children!

Event Host

Tux attends all sorts of public events as a host of the Walks 'N' Wags tent. There, he befriends pretty much everyone he meets and educates them about our program.

Model
Tux participates as a model regularly for Walks 'N' Wags, for RC Pet Products, and has also graced Modern Dog Magazine. This Fall he'll be featured in our ad in Canadian Dogs Annual too! Here's a sampling of some of his work:

Loyal Supervisor

Tux ensures that everything goes smoothly both in our classes and around the office. In his role as Supervisor, he is a "hands on" kind of guy and always willing to help.

Recruiting and Training

Tux has a hand in choosing which dogs enter the Walks 'N' Wags family. We carefully present our case to him and he ponders his options.

Earlier this year, Tux approved the addition of Dominic. He taught Dominic the ropes at home first, and then eventually welcomed him to class.

Sadly, Dominic unexpectedly passed away. We all miss him but are ready to open our hearts to a new family member. Tux has approved our new friend Floyd, who will arrive from Soi Dog Foundation on October 26th. We'll keep you posted as to how his training goes!

As you have seen, Tux is an important fixture as Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid's Chief Dog Officer. We couldn't do what we do without him, and we will always appreciate his willingness to lend a hand wherever he's needed. Of course, being a dog, every now and then he falls asleep on the job. But we love him anyway!

Learn more about Tux and Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid via the following links:
Web site
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

#ItsHotToBeCool. So Why Aren't People Getting The Message?

Summer has definitely arrived. With it, we're seeing the usual unwelcome news stories of animals suffering (and sometimes perishing) from Heatstroke.

Already this year, an Alabama police dog perished in a hot vehicle.

We've also seen images like this one of pets left in shopping mall parking lots.

Furthermore, we've had concerned citizens taking action, including one US Veteran who was arrested after smashing a window to rescue this dog. Charges were later dropped.

People are angry, and they aren't holding back their comments! Videos like this one from Pheonix, AZ show confrontations between angry pet lovers and irresponsible pet owners.

Year after year, we see the same tear jerking ads, desperately discouraging people from leaving their pets in hot vehicles. This summer, we decided to create a fresh, positive image encouraging people to keep their pets shaded and hydrated.
Our message: #ItsHotToBeCool!

We're also distributing 1000's of stickers of last year's message: #HotDogsAreForBBQs. If you'd like to purchase them in bulk, pop us a message for pricing.

Regardless of these successful campaigns, we still continue to hear the sad stories.

Why aren't people getting the message? What is it that they are missing year after year? Tell us what you think.

Pet First Aid Awareness Month: The History of Pet First Aid

We're pretty sure most of you have taken a Human First Aid Course at some point in time. Maybe it's current, maybe it's expired (time to renew!) but you have done it at some point yes? Your reasons for completing first aid will differ. Maybe you did it because your employer required it, maybe you took Infant CPR before the birth of your child, or maybe you just felt that the skills could be beneficial one day. Either way, you somehow learned how to assist people in need.

Now, how many of you have completed a Pet First Aid Certification Course? Maybe you've just heard of Pet First Aid recently? Maybe you've thought about it but haven't gotten around to it yet? We all want to keep our pets safe and help them in times of need, so why is it Pet First Aid is such a niche course?

The answer to this question isn't as complicated as you may think. While Human First Aid courses have been offered for decades, Pet First Aid's history is relatively fresh. In fact, the first Pet First Aid course held in Canada (and to our knowledge North America) wasn't until 1994. The idea behind Pet First Aid training was inspired by Ethne Dickinson of Calgary, Alberta Canada.

Both a Nurse and a Human First Aid training provider, Ethne had the unfortunate experience of running over a dog with her vehicle. Stepping out onto the road, Ethne was faced with a growling dog who looked quite different from her usual patients. Ethne did her best to assist the dog; however, it eventually died from its injuries. The experience stayed with Ethne and as an animal lover herself, she decided she should learn some animal first aid skills.

Ethne did some research and discovered that she was unable to find any courses offering first aid for animals. Every corner she turned she was faced with a dead end. Finally, she decided she would simply have to design her own program. She recruited a group of Veterinary professionals who together spent 18 months designing the Oakland Educational Services Ltd. "Pet First Aid" program. Ethne started teaching the program in Calgary, and soon found she was sought out across the country.

Ethne has since retired, and passed along her knowledge and program to Walks 'N' Wags back in 2007. Since that time we've updated the curriculum, expanded to offer our program in more than 100 Canadian locations, and we are actively expanding into the United States.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid and our founder, Lisa Wagner please visit our Blog Post "A Career Unchosen: How I came to work in Pet First Aid". You can also keep in touch with us via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We welcome you to contact us anytime to learn more about Pet First Aid. After all, it is Pet First Aid Awareness Month! What better time to get yourself signed up for that course you were thinking about taking. Our in-class programs can be found HERE and Distance Learning is available worldwide.

A few thoughts on Emma Paulsen and The Brookswood 6

Yesterday dog walker Emma Paulsen learned her fate after 6 dogs died in her care back in May 2014. She was handed 6 months in prison, cannot own pets for 10 years, and she can never care for other people's pets. For more details regarding this tragedy, please visit the following LINK.

The Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid Facebook page blew up with many heated comments from concerned citizens. I read them all and felt your anger, exasperation and also your empathy for the dogs and the families affected. A few of you thought outside the box and also expressed concern on how this life-altering event would affect Ms. Paulsen herself.

In my 15 years working in the pet industry, one thing I have learned is that sometimes people do dumb things. I don't know if it's lack of intelligence, a simple trip up in judgement, having a bad day, mental health issues, or what causes us to make these awful errors in judgement at times. But I know I am left scratching my head a lot of the time.

When I was in pet care I had employees make decisions that I simply could never wrap my head around. I can't tell you how many times I said to myself "Really? Are you kidding me?". Oh, and don't get me wrong, I made mistakes too. One thing that I do know from experience is that taking accountability for your actions can make all the difference. The mistakes we made in my pet care business (yes, we made them as we are human) were ALWAYS taken responsibility for. We cared and we did everything in our power to make something right when we had done something wrong (whether by accident or poor judgement). We then worked very hard to ensure that we learned from that error and that it was never repeated.

It makes me sad that news reports indicate that Paulsen has not apologized, nor shown any form of remorse for her actions. If she had, I think more of the public would not only feel that stinging anger regarding what happened, but also a little bit of pity for someone having taken such an awful wrong turn in life.

Please, if we can take one positive thing from the tragedy that happened to these dogs, let it be for us to make better choices overall and to educate others to do the same. Here are some of my ideas:

1. Screen your potential pet care providers. Don't just ask them if they are licenced, insured, bonded, and pet first aid trained. Be sure to actually SEE the paperwork. Their insurance could have expired. They could have taken Pet First Aid 12 years ago. The possibilities are endless. Do your due diligence and check references. *Please note: the owners should take no blame for what happened. They did the best they could with the knowledge that they had at the time.

2. Think twice about the decisions you are making about your pet's care. If you have to question your judgement it's likely for a reason. Prevention is power! Always think about the possible outcome of your actions.

3. Educate yourself. Do you know how long a dog can be left in a vehicle? Do you know the signs of heat stroke? Does your breed of animal overheat quicker than most? Know the risks, take the precautions, and know how to act if you need to.

4. Talk about it. The more we talk about things, the more people know about them. The more we will remember. Don't let this tragedy fade into the past, keep it at the forefront of your mind so that we can ensure that moving ahead we continue to have higher expectations of ourselves and of others.

5. Follow the Facebook page "The Brookswood 6", set up by the owners of the dogs who perished in this tragedy. Help them heal, support them, and learn from them.

We can and we will all do better for our animals. RIP sweet pups.

Sincerely,

Lisa Wagner
Operations Director
Walks 'N' Wags Pet First Aid

Contact me anytime at lisaw@walksnwags.com

SAINTS Rescue: Tux's Annual Adoption Anniversary Update

Today is the 2 year anniversary of our Chief Dog Officer Tux's adoption from SAINTS Rescue. It's becoming a bit of a tradition for him to share his yearly update.

Dear SAINTS:

It's been 2 years since I moved out of my home at SAINTS into my new forever family. I still miss everyone at SAINTS but wanted to let you know that I am very loved and happy here. Here's what happened this year:

The year started out with a BANG! Literally! We were away at our family cabin and got to watch some cool fireworks (which fortunately don't scare me). While there I also learned to ice fish and spent a lot of time exploring the frozen lakes and mountains.

By February I am pleased to say I met my goal weight! I am now just shy of 18 lbs, after losing a whopping 14 lbs. Yep, that's right I am almost half the man I used to be and I'm feeling grrrrrrreat!

Also in February, I went back to the cabin. This time it was still super cold! My winter wardrobe continues to grow...and my people always ensure I have lots of cozy blankets. Anyway it was so much fun!

In Spring I was featured (along with several other black dogs) in the Modern Dog Magazine article "Black Beauty". The article highlighted just how cool we black dogs are and I was honoured to be a part of it! Check out all the dogs featured HERE.

The year continued to fly by...and boy did I ever keep busy!

I taught a ton of Pet First Aid classes, including kids camps at BC SPCA.

Summer flew by because of all the cool activities I was doing, including attending a wedding and a visit back to SAINTS with some goodies at their Open House. Here are some of the things I did and I will save the biggest to last! You really won't believe it.

Okay, here's the biggie...drum roll...I climbed up one of the trails at The Chief in Squamish! Yep this little senior is in fine form my friends. It was grueling and I can't say I didn't need a little help due to my *ahem* "small" stature, but I DID IT!

You know, now that I think of it I did a few more fun things over the summer...

In the Fall I spent a bit more time inside because I really loath the rain. But as you can see I was pretty comfy. And I definitely liked to party it up any time it was a sunny day.

For Halloween I decided to remind my friends that chocolate is dangerous. You see, last year just before Christmas I had a little "incident" with chocolate. No need to remind ourselves of the details but let's just say I learned a valuable lesson.

In November, I attended a Remembrance Day ceremony and honoured those who have given their lives to serve our country and those who continue to do so. It was very touching to be a part of the event and I am proud to be a Canadian dog!

Also in late Fall I released another public safety announcement "It's Too Chilly For Chili". This time I modelled for an illustration. I was very happy with how the artist drew me, what do you think?

And I did a little more modelling for Walks 'N' Wags. I honestly think I've found my calling with this gig. They pay me pretty well too!

December I wanted to ensure everyone knew about rescue, and about SAINTS. I worked with my company to collect donations and took them out to my SAINTS friends. I also did a little shopping because I know you guys need a lot of cleaning supplies and I didn't want the livestock to be forgotten.

Well, that's about it. I spent the year having fun, working hard, and being loved by my 4 people.

I also have 3 furry family members who love me very much. Sometimes we even snuggle.

So, now 2014 is coming to a close and I had to let my friends at SAINTS know how things were going. And how much you will always hold a place in my heart. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am now. You loved me, accepted me, and helped me to find my forever home. I am eternally grateful and so are my humans.

Love you forever and ever.

Tux (aka Joey)

Veterinary Care vs Your Search Engine

The Facebook Group

A few months ago I joined an online pet health group on Facebook. The group seemed to have a lot of members sharing many curious-looking photos and stories about their pets. It seemed like an interesting resource!

I've been in the group for awhile now and some of the questions are in my opinion legitimate: people wanting to know if it's the right time to euthanize, people sharing the grief of the loss of their pets, people asking why their dog eats rocks etc...

These questions are discussion based and don't really have a right or wrong answer. They also aren't laypeople offering Veterinary advice, they involve sharing of thoughts, ideas and support.

However, some have been very concerning! From memory here are some examples: "My dog is vomiting blood what should I do?", "My dog has been hiding for 12 hours, won't come out, and won't eat or drink. What should I do?", "At what age should I spay my dog?".

The above 3 questions are of HUGE concern to me. My first thought is "Why are you on Facebook in a layperson group right now?" and "You should be at the Vet!". My second thought (as I read through the replies) is "Who are these people readily dishing out Veterinary advice? Surely they aren't Vets and RVT's, should they really be dispensing this sort of information? Is this really responsible?"


The Internet: friend or foe?

The invention of the internet has opened up a can of worms that I'm not sure we know how to manage. On the one hand, it's nice to look up the odd piece of information, to get news in real-time, and to watch your favorite tv shows. It's also nice to reach out to friends for support, celebrate our successes, and share our grief. But where is the line drawn with providing Veterinary/Medical advice?

To the defence of the aforementioned Facebook group, the vomiting blood dog received many "Why aren't you at the Vet?" and "Get to the Vet NOW!" responses. Phew, no one providing a home remedy of some random mushroom that's known to cure dogs who are vomiting blood. But I've also seen some VERY ignorant replies "I heard that..." "My neighbour says that..." for questions that a Veterinarian and only a Veterinarian should be answering.

Failure to provide Veterinary Care

Most places have laws regarding failure to provide Veterinary care. These laws are in place for a reason - to prevent unnecessary suffering to animals. I think we can all agree that most pet owners don't want to be responsible for our pet's pain and suffering, yes? So why are we turning to the internet instead of our Veterinarians? Answer: MONEY. Vets are expensive, period.

Well of course they are expensive! They spent $200-300k and many years to learn their craft and it's not cheap for them to offer a high quality of care. And frankly, for all of that effort, along with the high stress of their position, I think they should earn a decent living.

If you don't already have a good Veterinarian whom you trust, book a consult in with a new one and share with them what you are looking for in a new Vet. Give them the chance to say "I'm not that person" and move on if you need to. A good rapport with your Veterinarian is an absolute must and you should feel free to contact them at any time with "Do I need to bring my pet in for XYZ...?" types of questions. Please don't rely on the internet as your only source of Veterinary support!

Financial Aid Available

If you are in a financial hardship, there are many resources available to you. Here are a few for you to look into:

Assistance Providing Care for your Pet
Veterinary Financial Aid
Credit for Veterinary Care

Planning Ahead
Do you have Veterinary Insurance? There are so many options available now and it can be a lifesaver to both your pet and your bank account! I recently attended a VetGirl & Trupanion webinar and learned that only about 1% of North American's have pet insurance! That number is staggeringly low compared to the rest of the world.

What gives? Why are we not investing in our animal's health? This is a discussion that we could have for days...you would tell me: "It's too expensive" "There are too many exclusions" "I can't find a policy that meets my pet's needs".

If the above is true, this raises other questions: Why aren't we starting independent Veterinary bank accounts to protect our pets? Why do we have pets that we can't afford to care for? If the law says we must provide Veterinary care, should people have pets that they can't afford? These are all such difficult moral questions and as we all know they have no easy answer!

So, for now, I will stick with what I DO know the answer to. Get yourself a good Veterinarian. Tell your friends to do it too. And DON'T rely on the internet to be your source of Veterinary care.

Do it today and tell me all about it!

Lisa

Lisa Wagner is the Operations Director of Walks ‘N’ Wags Pet First Aid. Walks ‘N’ Wags offers Pet First Aid certification courses in-person and via Distance Learning.