Pets Best Insurance Blog

Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet Adoption’

Pets as souvenirs: Adopting a foreign cat or dog

Posted on: January 12th, 2011 by

Two cats cuddle.
By: Chryssa Rich
For Pets Best Insurance

If you’re traveling internationally and want to adopt a pet, make sure you do your homework so it all goes smoothly. A little time and effort will help you bring home the best souvenir ever! Here’s my story.

It was September 16th in San Miguel de Allende, and the city was absolutely chaotic with Dia de la Independencia celebrations and preparations for the Running of the Bulls. I walked the decorated cobblestone streets to my job at a New Orleans-style restaurant, but when I got there, realized I had arrived for the wrong shift.

To kill time, I headed to an Internet café two blocks from home. The woman behind the counter had a fluffy white kitten in each hand, and she explained they’d been found on the street and didn’t belong to anyone. Over the next 10 seconds, my thoughts went like this… “I wonder if I’m still allergic to cats? I think white cats are less likely to cause an allergic reaction. Delta had pet tickets for $80, funny, but I could take her back to the states with me. She looks part Siamese, so I bet she’s smart.”

I pointed to the kitten that looked female, and asked in Spanish “Can I have it?” She said “sure” and handed it to me. I then asked “Is it a girl?” and she giggled, because in Mexico they have special gender words for animals, macho and hembra, so I had basically asked her if the kitten was a human girl. Either way, she wasn’t sure.

A pet shop owner confirmed kitty was hembra, and the next day I flipped though a Spanish magazine and found the name “Luisa”. I was so afraid I’d be allergic, I tried to make her sleep in a small box at the foot of my bed. But every night she’d dig into the bed covers with her little nails and climb up to curl up behind my knees, where she still sleeps today.

Almost a year went by, and I wasn’t able to get Luisa spayed because it was too expensive. Even though I earned pesos, I was American and therefore presumed wealthy. Vets wanted to charge me US$300 – $500. Luisa was an indoor cat and in heat for the third time. Her caterwauling was so bad, I had to sleep at friend’s houses. Despite feeling guilty about adding more cats to this world, I figured the only solution was to let her get pregnant. One night I waited for her boyfriend to appear – a giant orange tomcat with no tail – and let her out to play. Luisa ate an entire bowl of food the next morning and slept for 12 hours.

A few weeks later I decided it was time to head back to the United States. Luisa needed proof of rabies vaccination, a bill of good health from a vet and one of those $80 airline tickets to return home with me. The well-cat checkup only took a few minutes – the vet simply checked for signs of illness or infection.

I had a special harness so Luisa could walk around in the airport (and pee in the fake soil of a decorative plant) and we got through Customs no problem. One security guard was supposed to remove her from her airline-approved pet carrier and check the lining of the bag, but didn’t because “Last time I tried that, I got scratched.” They didn’t notice she was pregnant, and I’m not sure if that would have affected anything. There is some evidence that stress can trigger pre-term labor in pets, but I preferred to take that risk over leaving my beautiful kitty with strangers in Mexico.

Luisa’s five kittens were born in Boise, Idaho the morning of her due date, September 23rd, 2003. Two kittens didn’t survive, but I was happy to keep one myself and adopted the others out. I had both cats spayed as soon as possible.

Today, Luisa and her daughter Monica are 8 and 7 years old. They have moved with me countless times, including cross-country twice. I’ve never been allergic to either of them; interestingly, I was allergic to the black calico kitten. Luisa still plays with her stuffed hippo, and Monica is a spitting image of her father, except that ironically, she has an extra-long tail.

Pet insurance: A rise in responsible pet ownership

Posted on: December 31st, 2010 by

A Poodle with pet insurance is safe from the shelters.

Posted by: H.R.
For Pets Best Insurance

Because the holidays are a popular time for acquiring new family pets, there are likely many new dogs and cats adjusting to their new home right now. However, 2010 was an expensive year to dive into pet ownership in the US, where $20 billion was spent on vet bills according to market research firm Packaged Facts. Despite the lingering recession, this is an increase of 100% from over a decade ago.

It’s no surprise then that another pet care industry is also seeing an increase: pet insurance. More pet owners are gathering cat and dog insurance information and seeking security from high veterinary bills for the pets they love.

One possible future benefit to the rise in interest for pet health insurance may be less homeless pets in shelters.

According to two recent articles on the cost of owning animals published in the New York Times, one common reason pets are relinquished to shelters is because the adoptive family failed to realize the true cost of pet ownership. However, this may reverse if more pet owners think ahead, do a pet insurance comparison, and purchase policies.

For now, while most shelters are still seeing an increase in pets at their facilities, some, like Portland’s Oregon Humane Society, are noting an increase in adoption numbers. With two weeks left in 2010, the shelter had already adopted out over 130 more pets than 2009, according to an OregonLive.com article. By Christmas, the number of adoptions posted on their website was 10,764, topping 2009 adoptions by 651 lucky dogs and cats.

Shelter dogs: The end of a year doesn’t have to be the end of a life

Posted on: December 29th, 2010 by

A shelter dog waits to be adopted.
Posted by: H.R.
For Pets Best Insurance

You’ve likely seen someone post an urgent plea on Facebook or other social media sites to adopt a dog whose time is running out. And how can you resist to help spread the news when the dog looks so thin, defeated and sad?

Perhaps you’ve even replied, sending your hopes that someone has room in their home for this dog. Maybe you’ve read through the replies nervously, wondering if this dog with the mysterious past would ever take another warm nap on a soft couch.

As heartbreaking as this is, it’s understandable and commonplace for older dogs to miss out on adoption opportunities. Puppies are cute and cuddly, we know their background, can train them to our liking, buy them best pet insurance from an early age and hope to have at least a decade of worry-free pet ownership. But I know for myself, as cute as puppies are, older shelter dogs can be just as great of a companion.

When I adopted my dog, Mr. Blue, I was told he was “middle-aged” and that no one knew how old he really was. But I didn’t care. What I got when I adopted him was a happy, mellow dog who loved my cats the first time he saw them and already knew many commands. It was fun testing new tricks to see whether or not he already knew them.

His past is a mystery, and that made for some trying getting-to-know-you times, but positive training saw us through it. I could see in his eyes just how much he loves having a home of his own. It warms my heart knowing that I can provide him with his own couch to sleep on, rather than the concrete bed of his past.

Whether you opt to adopt a puppy or a senior-aged dog, one thing is certain: dog health is never a sure bet. I researched pet insurance for older dogs to help me avoid ever having to choose between Mr. Blue and my bank account. Something tells me that when he isn’t here any longer, another senior dog will find his way into my heart.

What’s wrong with black dogs?

Posted on: November 22nd, 2010 by

A sad black dog waits to be adopted.
By: Liz Blackman
Founder of TheBlackDogMission.org
For Pets Best Insurance

Would it surprise you to know that black dogs have a harder time getting adopted than dogs of any other color? The news shocked me. My childhood was spent in the company of one black dog after another, sometimes more than one at a time. All adopted. Some big, some small. Some smart, some not. But all of them great dogs. It wasn’t intentional. The ones who came our way just happened to all be black. They were lovely, loving, lovable dogs, every one of them in their own way.

So when I heard that black dogs have a tough time getting adopted, often lingering in shelters long after other dogs go off to a new home, sometimes never to be adopted, I couldn’t believe it. Why? I knew that shelters were overcrowded with dogs who need a good home. I knew that the problem worsened in a bad economy. But I didn’t know that black dogs in particular have it tougher than the rest and that the bigger or older the black dog, the slimmer are his chances of being adopted.

The problem is so big and so real that shelter workers have a name for it: Black Dog Syndrome. And there are several theories as to its cause. Some think the problem is that black dogs are hard to photograph and don’t show well on online adoption sites like AdoptAPet.com and PetFinder.com.

Well, I can attest to that. I have hundreds of horrible photos of all the black dogs in my life. Big black blobs in the middle of the photos with a hint of some white teeth and the certainty that there must be eyes in there somewhere. They are hard to photograph. Without the proper lighting and good equipment, it’s almost impossible to capture their soulful brown eyes, their smile or their expressive brows. I finally gave up and took our dog, Willhe, to a professional photographer recently in hopes of capturing even a little of his winsome, wonderful ways.

Another thought is that the problem lies in the dimly lit shelters. How is a little black dog, even a big black dog, supposed to make a good impression and catch the attention of someone shopping the rows of countless cages at a shelter when you can’t even see them because the lighting is so poor?

A third possible explanation is the most difficult to explain. Some people mistakenly think that black dogs just aren’t friendly. Ask anyone who has ever loved a black dog and they’ll surely tell you otherwise.

So what can you do? Well, this is what we did. My husband and I went online and looked for the oldest, biggest, blackest dog we could find. What we found was an 84-pound, 9-year old, purebred English Labrador Retriever who had been at our local shelter for nearly a month and whose time was running out. The only thing she had to her name was her name, Connie.

Day after day, week after week, Connie was passed up. The shelter staff described her as a love of a dog who played well with others and loved to fetch. Why was she there? Her family was moving and couldn’t take her with them. What was wrong with her? Nothing. At least nothing that a good, new home couldn’t fix.

She would have been a perfect choice for an active family with kids. She’s patient and she loves them. She would have been a great match for someone older or disabled. She’s happy to sit quietly at your feet. She knows how to sit and to shake and to use the bathroom outside. And she’s got plenty of good years left in her. Instead she wound up with us. But she could just as easily have wound up being put to sleep because not enough people choose to adopt. And of the ones who do, not enough choose a black dog.

So, give a black dog a chance. Behind those awful photos, the poor lighting and the misconceptions may be the dog of your dreams, waiting for the chance they deserve to be someone’s companion, confidant and kindred spirit. Maybe yours.

Note: Liz Blackman is the founder and president of 1-800-HELP-4-PETS (www.Help4Pets.com), a 24-hour, nationwide pet identification system, and the driving force behind The Black Dog Mission (www.TheBlackDogMission.org), a grassroots effort to improve the number of black dog adoptions.

A day in the life of an animal rescuer

Posted on: November 17th, 2010 by

Jayda, a former shelter dog waits to be adopted.
By: Lisa Deanne Gilman
The Rescue Train, for Pets Best Insurance

As a child I never said, “When I grow up I want to run an animal rescue.” So how did I end up dedicating my adult life to saving dogs and cats from euthanasia, and placing them in loving homes? It started when I visited an L.A. city animal shelter and a shelter worker informed me that a large number of adoptable shelter dogs and cats were euthanized every week because they had too many animals and not enough homes.

I was shocked that in the creative and affluent city of Los Angeles this was their solution to this problem. I remember standing in the loud, overcrowded kennel looking into all the dogs’ scared eyes and my heart just broke. Their faces haunted me and I could just not turn my back. And so my journey began.

After a decade of rescue work and over a thousand adoptions, I can tell you that running an animal rescue is not an easy job. For the staggering number of animals who need help every day it’s often life or death.

Pet overpopulation is a national crisis. The Humane Society of The United States estimates 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters across the country each year. Rescuers know that spaying and neutering is the solution to this crisis; however, getting local communities, city and state governments to agree on how to deal with the issue is difficult. Often times, pet insurance companies will even cover a portion of spaying and neutering in their benefits because they understand the importance.

People often tell me they can’t visit animal shelters because it makes them sad. Animal shelters make rescuers sad, too, but we refuse to let our emotions get in the way of saving lives. We understand we can’t save them all but we can and do make a difference. Alone, rescuers have shed many tears for animals they can’t save. But they get up the next day and get back into the ring as they fight for those creatures who can’t speak for themselves.

The number of lives we can save is dictated by the amount of funds raised. On any given day I can go into the shelter and have the funds to save five animals when 30 are facing euthanasia. How do I pick? In truth, it never gets easier. On The Rescue Train we try to have a diverse group of animals up for adoption. However there are certain animals that you come across that just tug at your heartstrings. Because of their age, breed or a treatable medical condition they will not get adopted by the public without some extra help. Those special cases can often be the most rewarding when they find their way home.

A typical day finds a rescuer going to the animal shelters, taking their rescues to vet appointments, rescuing animals living on the street, recruiting volunteers, answering phone calls and e-mails from people who want to give up their pet or who have found a lost or stray animal. We also educate the public on responsible pet ownership, go to adoption events, hold fundraisers, and visit kennels and foster homes to spend time with the animals in our care. But our favorite part of the job is delivering a dog or cat to its new forever home. There is no greater joy than when an animal who was so close to death gets adopted and becomes an important family member.

Every adoption is a victory and a joy, but there are some that stick out in my mind: PJ the golden retriever mix who was adopted for a little boy whose father had passed away, Liberty the beagle who helped her owner through her breast cancer treatments, and Tony who was labeled a hard to place dog until he was trained to be a companion for a woman in a wheelchair just to name a few.

As rescuers we know that every time we save an animal there is the possibility that this animal can make a profound impact on one person’s life. We dream of a day when our services won’t be needed, where there is a loving home waiting for every dog and cat in the world.

Note: Lisa Deanne Gilman is The Executive Director of The Rescue Train (www.therescuetrain.org) a Los Angeles based, 501(c)3, nonprofit, no kill dog and cat rescue dedicated to eliminating animal suffering and euthanasia through hands on rescue work, education and awareness.

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