ActionFall 2006 Animal Makeovers How the ASPCA brings out the best in pets. >> PRESIDENT’S NOTE Building Humane Communities Board of Directors With autumn right around the corner, many of us are looking Officers of the Board forward with relief to bidding Hoyle C. Jones, Chairman, Linda Lloyd Lambert, Vice Chairman, Sally Spooner, Secretary, farewell to summer.This year, most James W. Gerard, Treasurer of the country experienced a summer of rising temperatures and Members of the Board gas prices. Here at the ASPCA headquarters in New Penelope Ayers, Alexandra G. Bishop, J. Elizabeth York City, things were no different.The rising cost of Bradham, Reenie Brown, Patricia J. Crawford, gasoline had curtailed the efforts of the Mayor’s Alliance Jonathan D. Farkas, Franklin Maisano, William Morrison Matthews, Sean McCarthy, to fuel a transport van that shuttles animals from city Gurdon H. Metz, Michael F.X. Murdoch, shelters to foster homes until the animals can be James L. Nederlander, Marsha Reines Perelman, adopted. Most of these animals would otherwise be George Stuart Perry, Helen S.C. Pilkington, Gail euthanized. Sanger, William Secord, Frederick Tanne, In an effort to salvage this program aimed at Richard C. Thompson, Cathy Wallach protecting the city’s homeless pets and our overall Directors Emeriti commitment to making New York City a model Steven M. Elkman, George Gowen, Alastair B. humane community, the ASPCA agreed to donate Martin, Thomas N. McCarter 3rd, Marvin Schiller, $10,000 to the Mayor’s Alliance to continue its James F. Stebbins, Esq. transportation initiative as fuel costs rise.The public stepped up and matched our donation, dollar-for-dollar. The ASPCA 424 East 92nd Street This is just one more example of our ability to New York, NY 10128-6804 improve animals’ lives thanks to the generosity of (212) 876-7700 www.aspca.org ASPCA members.As one of our most dedicated E-mail: [email protected] supporters, you understand our commitment to finding Volume 2, Number 3 permanent, loving homes for America’s homeless pets ASPCA Action and putting an end to animal cruelty.Thank you for is published four times a year by joining us in our efforts to change the fate of America’s The American Society for homeless, abused, and neglected pets. the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 424 East 92nd Street New York, NY 10128-6804 Postmaster— Send address changes and undeliverable copies to: Edwin Sayres ASPCA Action Returns P.O. Box 97288 ASPCA President & CEO Washington, DC 20090-7288 Copyright © 2006 ASPCA. All rights reserved. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and ASPCA Action ASPCA are registered trademarks. Editorial created by Rebus LLC, 632 Broadway, 11th Floor, For permission to reprint material from ASPCA Action, New York, NY 10012. www.rebus.com please direct requests to: ASPCA Action Cover photo: Doug Menuez/Photodisc Green/Getty Images 110 Fifth Avenue Second Floor Send subscription inquiries to: ASPCA Action, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10011 New York, NY 10128-6804. E-mail for ASPCA Action: This newsletter is not intended to provide advice on individual pet health [email protected] matters or to substitute for consultation with a veterinary doctor. 2 ASPCA Action www.aspca.org >> COVER STORY Animal Makeovers ASPCA behavior experts help more pets find permanent, loving homes The three dogs were a sorry sight when ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents pulled them from the dark basement where they’d been abandoned. Emaciated and fearful, they were rushed to the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in Manhattan, where ASPCA experts could provide lifesaving veterinary treatment and tender care. “All three dogs were extremely withdrawn when they first came in,” says Victoria Wells, Manager of Shelter Behavior and Training at the ASPCA.“They stood in one spot, frozen, and threatened to snap when touched—telltale signs that a dog has had very little positive interaction with people.” Two months and twenty plus pounds later, the three brown-and-white husky-shepherd mixes were well on their way to new and better lives. Dubbed Months of “therapy” transformed the fearful Slim Jim Slim Jim, Oscar Meyer, and Mary Jane by ASPCA into a loving and pampered Freud. staff who office-fostered them, the three siblings responded remarkably well to the humans now adoption.And like many before, all found loving showing them such affection and care. homes: Mary Jane with her ASPCA foster “mom”; “Slim Jim was the most miraculous of the Oscar Meyer with an older gentleman; and Slim Jim turnarounds,” says Wells.“The second day I had been with a couple who, sympathetic to his lengthy sitting on the ground with him, talking to him and “therapy,” renamed him Freud. trying to feed him treats, when all of a sudden you could see the blank look in his eyes fade away.There A Few Simple Tricks was something living in there! As he became more Behavior training has helped all sorts of “problem” and more comfortable, it got to the point where if he animals at the ASPCA get a second chance.There was caught a glimpse of me from 20 feet away he’d run to Emma, the deaf white pit bull who with the help of a me to get hugged.” vibration collar and hand signals learned basic skills Like thousands of other abused and neglected that made her irresistible to a new pet parent.And animals rescued by the ASPCA, all three dogs 10-year-old Sheila, the bone-thin, tick-infested underwent extensive behavioral evaluations and German shepherd rescued from one backyard who rehabilitation to make sure they were suitable for spent a second puppy-hood romping through fields BEHAVIOR TIMELINE ASPCA: 140 years of fostering the human-animal bond Philanthropist The ASPCA first begins Behavior helpline ASPCA staff begin Henry Bergh offering dog obedience service is set up behavioral calls attention to classes. Brochures at the to provide new evaluations of 1866 the inhumane 1944 time note, “Dogs and owners pet owners with dogs and cats up treatment of are always trained together, 1970s ready advice 1980s for adoption. many animals in the theory being that we and information Programs for our society and teach you to train your dog,” on behavior Animal-Assisted establishes the a philosophy that continues questions. Therapy are ASPCA. to inform activities to this day. established. Fall 2006 3 >> COVER STORY with her new family—proof Society. Her own dog Sophie, an scope to foster happy, loving positive you can teach an old dog Eskimo-shepherd mix deemed relationships between people and new tricks.ASPCA Action readers “unadoptable” after she was their pets.” ■ may also remember Fluffy Bee, the rescued from a drainage ditch, painfully shy gray tabby who was went on to become a model adopted after ASPCA doctors put therapy dog, working with her on anti-anxiety medications. prisoners and troubled youth. “A few training techniques can make all the difference,” says Dr. Coming to Your Home Stephanie LaFarge, Senior The ASPCA offers a wealth of Director of Counseling Services at invaluable training tips at its website the ASPCA.Training can correct — www.aspca.org/behavior — everyday problems like jumping and is ramping up efforts to create up, pulling on the leash, or a “smarter” site that offers chewing up furniture, a major personalized guidance tailored to reason why so many pets end up individual needs, often in shelters in the first place. accompanied by tutoring videos. Knowing a few basic tricks like “This is going to be an enormous “Sit” or “Stay” may even be the help to pet parents,” says Dr. charm that gets an animal Pamela Reid, Certified Applied adopted, as graduates of the Animal Behaviorist and VP of the ASPCA’s first Charm School ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center training program learned first- in Urbana, IL. hand earlier this year. Reid cites statistics showing that Beyond basic good manners, most people experience some type select dogs at the ASPCA shelter of behavior problem with their are now identified as animal, yet few are able to do temperamentally suitable for much about it.“Even if you are therapy dog work, in which lucky enough to live near a intensively trained teams of people behavior expert, their fees can and their pets visit hospitals, pose an insurmountable barrier,” nursing homes, schools, and other she says. locales.“Therapy team visits can “The ASPCA wants to help as aid medical recovery or boost many pet guardians as we can, performance,” says LaFarge, who thereby reducing the number of runs Animal-Assisted Therapy pets being relinquished to Once deemed “unadoptable,” classes at the ASPCA, part of a shelters,” says Reid.“We have the Sophie went on to become a highly training program with the Delta expertise to help on a national skilled therapy dog. BEHAVIOR TIMELINE ASPCA: 140 years of fostering the human-animal bond The ASPCA begins conducting original The ASPCA The ASPCA The ASPCA expands nationally by research on pet behavior problems, holds an official offers the first establishing the Animal Behavior shelter dog behavior, and companion dedication for its post-doctoral Center in Urbana, IL, a sister 2002 animal loss, presenting papers at 2000 new behavior Fellowship in department to the Animal Poison 2005- 1990s training space in Applied Animal scientific meetings worldwide. Control Center that handles over its New York City Behavior. present 100,000 lifesaving requests a year. ASPCA staff help develop and review headquarters. more than 15 ASPCA books on pet The ASPCA staff includes five care and training. Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists. 4 ASPCA Action www.aspca.org >> NEWS Big Fix on the Gulf Coast the affected areas: Spay/Louisiana, the Humane Society of South Benefits of Spay and Neuter Mississippi, and Mississippi Spay • Fewer unwanted litters • Fewer animals entering shelters and Neuter (SPAN).These local • Fewer problem behaviors in groups will take a three-pronged pets (yowling, fighting, spraying, approach to ending animal roaming) overpopulation long-term: • Lower risk of certain cancers A spay and neuter voucher (uterine, ovarian, testicular) program.