{"id":320,"date":"2018-05-30T16:55:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T16:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=320"},"modified":"2018-05-30T16:56:35","modified_gmt":"2018-05-30T16:56:35","slug":"june-2018-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/june-2018-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"June 2018 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breed Discrimination and What It Means for Dogs and Owners<\/a>
\nThe Benefits of Fostering a Pet<\/a>
\nHow TNR Helps the Feral Cats in Neighborhoods<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Breed Discrimination and What It Means for Dogs and Owners<\/strong>
\nDog lovers should be aware of the acronym BSL, or breed-specific legislation. It is specific to certain types of dogs, discriminating based on appearance and a perception of being dangerous.<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cEnding dog breed discrimination against pit bull terriers and other dogs,\u201d at BestFriends.org, BSL is not a correct term in that the \u201claws target dogs not because they are a specific breed, but because someone thinks they may look like a certain breed. And even if dogs may look alike, it doesn\u2019t mean they will behave the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is assumed that certain breeds \u201care more prone to attacking and biting, though this is a misconception,\u201d the article said. The most affected breed of BSL is the \u201cpit bull\u201d terrier. By spreading inaccuracies of a breed, fear is easily spread to the public. Hence, \u201cBSL is often enacted to ease fears over public safety, but these laws are ineffective and very costly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although pit bulls have been singled out, other affected breeds include American Bulldogs, Rottweilers, German shepherds, etc., including dogs resembling these breeds, according to the article, \u201cBreed-Specific Legislation,\u201d at the ASPCA.org.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no evidence that breed-specific laws make communities safer for people or companion animals,\u201d the ASPCA article said. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has opposed the legislation following an in-depth study of fatalities that resulted from dog bites.<\/p>\n

There are numerous consequences of BSL, the ASPCA article said. Those who suffer include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dogs whose owners may attempt to \u201chide\u201d their dogs.
\n\u2022 Owners who may be unable to find housing.
\n\u2022 The public whereby the laws, \u201ccompromise rather than enhance public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alternatives to BSL include enforcement of dog license laws, better availability of low-cost spay\/neuter, and breed-neutral laws that focus on individual dogs and their guardians.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The Benefits of Fostering a Pet<\/strong>
\nPet fostering is kind and selfless, but what exactly is it?<\/p>\n

Fostering provides essential \u201ctemporary care to shelter animals who, for a variety of reasons, need to live in a home environment prior to adoption,\u201d according to the article, \u201cWhat is pet fostering?\u201d at Petsforpatriots.org.<\/p>\n

Shelters and rescue organizations are often overcrowded and in need of temporary homes until permanent placement is found for animals who have been:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Abandoned
\n\u2022 Lost
\n\u2022 Relinquished
\n\u2022 Abused<\/p>\n

A temporary foster home \u201chelps relieve overcrowding and reduces an animal\u2019s stress by providing a temporary and supportive sanctuary while it awaits permanent adoption,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, for people in emergency situations fostering provides a temporary place to house their pets. \u201cAnd deploying military personnel may need temporary yet long-term pet care if they don\u2019t have friends or family members who are able to make a commitment for the duration of their deployments,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

After you decide to foster, make sure to buy everything the pet will need, according to the article \u201cSo, You Want to Become a Pet Foster Parent?\u201d at Petful.com. \u201cIn some cases this may be provided for you, but it\u2019s always good to prepare yourself in case there are no materials or reimbursement included.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make inquiries with shelters to decide which organizations need fosters. If you already have pets, be sure to consider them as well. \u201cIntroducing a new animal or species can be confusing or spark a territory war between existing pets, so the shelter\u2019s recommendation of keeping a separate area for your foster pet is an important one,\u201d the Petful article said.<\/p>\n

In the end, you will have helped an animal before she goes to a permanent home, or you may become one of many \u201cfoster failures\u201d who end up adopting the pet yourself. Either way, it\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n

<\/a>How TNR Helps the Feral Cats in Neighborhoods<\/strong>
\nYou may have seen free-roaming cats in and around your neighborhood, and you are not alone. Sometimes, the cats you see have owners who allow them to roam, sometimes they are lost, and oftentimes they are feral or free-roaming cats living in communities.<\/p>\n

In order to keep the free-roaming cat population down, there is TNR, or Trap-Neuter-Return.<\/p>\n

TNR is humane, safe and effective. \u201cTNR improves the lives of cats, addresses community concerns, reduces complaints about cats, and stops the breeding cycle,\u201d according to the article, \u201cTrap-Neuter-Return (TNR) saves lives\u201d at Alley Cat Allies. Across the country, many cities are implementing TNR, which enables humans and these outdoor cats to co-exist, the article said. The programs help to stabilize these cat populations.<\/p>\n

According to the article, the TNR program is one where<\/p>\n

\u2022 Community cats are trapped humanely using box traps.
\n\u2022 Cats are then brought to a veterinarian for spay\/neuter.
\n\u2022 The cats are vaccinated and ear-tipped, which is \u201cthe universal sign that a community cat has been neutered and vaccinated.\u201d
\n\u2022 Cats are then returned to the outdoor area where they live.<\/p>\n

This management technique to help free-roaming homeless cats \u201cis a humane, non-lethal alternative to the trap-and-kill method of controlling cat populations,\u201d according to the article, \u201cFrequently Asked Questions About TNR,\u201d at BestFriends.org.<\/p>\n

People throughout the country volunteer to provide food, shelter and water for these cats. Some kittens and friendlier cats are sometimes able to be taken from colonies, socialized and actually placed in homes. That coupled with the end of breeding is extremely effective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the long term, TNR lowers the numbers of cats in the community more effectively than trap-and-kill,\u201d according to BestFriends.org. Other benefits include the promotion of public health due to vaccinated cats, improving lives of the cats due to sterilization and reducing admission to shelters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Breed Discrimination and What It Means for Dogs and Owners The Benefits of Fostering a Pet How TNR Helps the Feral Cats in Neighborhoods Breed Discrimination and What It Means for Dogs and Owners Dog lovers should be aware of the acronym BSL, or breed-specific legislation. It is specific to certain types of dogs, discriminating… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320\/revisions\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}