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​Paw Prints

A blog by the friendly folks at ​Midland Humane Coalition

Welcoming a NEW PET to your home!

1/27/2021

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You have picked out your new pet and you are getting ready to welcome it into your home. Here are some tips to help you get off to a good start with your new family member.

Obviously, what you will feed is a priority and there is no shortage of pet food and treats on the market from which to choose (avoid rawhide).  Your pet store and veterinarian can help you with questions regarding diet and nutrition.  Just make sure that when changing your pet’s diet, you do it gradually by mixing the current food with the new food to avoid tummy upsets by an abrupt change. 

Another priority will be selecting a veterinarian.  Recommendations from friends and family can be a good place to begin in choosing the best one for you.  Just remember to consider location and hours of operation.

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Other items your pet will need include: 

Food and water bowls.  You can find everything from Fiesta ware to Waterford dog and cat bowls.  Nothing wrong with fun and folly, but remember, that is for you and your home décor; your pet doesn’t care about the brand or pattern of the dish, only what’s in it. Make sure that the bowls you choose are the right size for easy reach and comfortable eating and made of safe materials.

Litter box, kitty litter and poop bags. Decide where you want to place the litter box so that it is convenient for your cat and out of the way.  People usually choose a mudroom or utility room.  You will also need a scoop for keeping it clean between litter changes. A pooper-scooper is handy for the backyard and poop bags are a necessity for walks in the neighborhood or the park with your dog.     

Comfy bed.  Unless you have a pet with special needs such as arthritis, simply select a soft, warm bed from the many cat and dog beds on-line or at the pet store.  Make sure it is the right size for your dog or cat for cozy snuggling.  

Grooming tools. Shampoo, brush, toothbrush, dog safe toothpaste are a few items you will need to keep your pup looking and feeling its best.  Cats are excellent self-groomers.  However, they still may require some brushing.

A crate is a great option for keeping your pup safe and confined when you are not around, especially necessary for a puppy whose curiosity can cause it harm. Even cats may feel more secure in a cat carrier during a ride to the vet. A crate is an ideal space if you have workers in the house, a social gathering where someone may leave an exterior door open, or whenever you need to confine your animal.  Never to be used as punishment, dogs often find solace in their crate. It is their space, their den.  Make sure your selection is the right size so that your animal can stand and move around within the confine. 

Leash and collar.  Unless you are working on special training and need a certain-type lead, a standard 4-ft. leash is what you need for your dog, (please forgo the retractable ones as they can be a danger to your dog and to others), a comfortable collar with enough room for two-fingers as a checkpoint, and an identification tag with your information, including your cell phone number. Cats, on the other hand, climb and get into spaces that dogs probably would not. That said, collars can get caught posing the risk of a collar related injury such as strangulation or chocking.  Be sure you provide your cat with a break-away cat collar.

Toys are not just a luxury; they both stimulate and reassure your pet. Look at the fun toys on-line or at the pet store.  Make sure that the toy is large enough that they can’t swallow it or pieces of it.  If the dog is successful in retrieving the “squeaky” from inside the toy (and probably will be) take it away as it could be swallowed.  Don’t toss it though, put it in your camera bag as it becomes an excellent attention getter (ears up) for photos ops. Cats love catnip and toys designed for them, especially the mobile types that they can bat back and forth. Plus watching can give you hours of entertainment. 

Keep everyone happy!  Can’t say enough about the virtues of baby gates.  These portable gates are handy for blocking off rooms that are not puppy-proof, like the one with the oriental rug while you are house training. Provide your kitten or cat with scratching posts—better for their instinctive scratching activity than the arm of a chair or sofa.  
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To quote Nobel Prize winner, Anatole France, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” For many of us, a home without a furry friend is simply not complete. Enjoy your new family member.   
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Shelia Huffman, Contributor
Shelia recently moved to the Greenwood community of Midland from Dallas where she was a staff writer for White Rock Lake Weekly and a columnist for Bubblelife Media.  A retired travel agent and event planner, she has  been an animal activist her entire life.  Shelia  has a daughter and son-in-law in Midland, a grandson in Dallas and a granddaughter at Texas Tech. She lists cooking and writing about food, and,  of course, playing with her Terrier Mix rescue, Penelope, as some of her favorite things.
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Presto's Story:  from Forever Foster Dog to Forever Home

1/27/2021

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Presto is a gentle giant who is impressive in size, stature, composure and is such a sweet guy overall!

He arrived at MHC in June 2020.  Because of his size and a few other issues, we had some challenges trying to find the right home for him.  

Presto had been with another rescue since he was a young pup. He stayed up at the MHC  Adoption Center for 229 days, but we transferred him over to a foster home because we thought he'd do best outside a kennel environment.

After a grand total of 2,302 days as a rescue, shelter, foster, MHC dog -- Presto, who is a little over 6 years old, has finally found his perfect forever home!  

All it took was time, patience and a lot of love! 
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FUN PRESTO FACTS:
  • Presto is 6+ years old (born October 5, 2014)
  • Presto is actually American Staffordshire Terrier (pit bull), Boxer and Akita as per the DNA test.
  • He’s 81 pounds.  Fun fact – he's gained a few more pounds since he went into foster care! 


The story below was written by Jonna Smoot, MHC Board Member, Presto's former Foster Mom and new Forever Family 

Falling in love with Presto didn't take very long. In fact, it was almost love at first sight, except Presto wouldn't come to me so that I could actually see him.  Instead, he ran and hid under his bed at the Adoption Center, curled up in the tightest ball in the furthest corner. At that point, having come from another rescue to MHC, Presto had spent just under 6 years being a "homeless" rescue dog and he was just under 6 years old. I didn't think I had it in me to have a dog who had spent so long not knowing the comforts of a home and not having a "person" to love him. So, I fostered Presto in mid-August 2020, thinking I'd help prep him for his furrever home.

From the minute I got him home, Presto was truly the sweetest dog ever.  I even kept a journal of all of his comings, goings and doings for the person who would eventually end up with him. Presto had some issues with eating (wouldn't), being in the house (wouldn't) and greeting guests (couldn't).

​Over the next several months, I worked with MHC on tips to best acclimate Presto and how to let him properly decompress.  Each time, they were so helpful and welcoming with information. When it became apparent that Presto had severe trust issues with guests in my home, I turned again to MHC and they assisted me with getting Presto the paws-itive reinforcement training that he so desperately needed to be able to live a calm and happy life. I was still fostering Presto at that time and didn't want to not be able to assist him on his journey of getting to his "person" at his furrever home, wherever that might have been.



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A few more months went by and the paws-itive reinforcement training provided by Teresa Tuttle and Ricky Bedient allowed for a huge event to happen both in my life and in Presto's that I initially did not see coming when I went to MHC's Adoption Center to "just foster a dog" last August.

On January 23rd of 2021, I happily signed the MHC adoption papers to give Presto a furrever home where he would always be loved, properly cared for and comforted.  It turns out, he had already promised the same to me back in August when we started our journey.  


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Thanks Midland Humane Coalition and PetSmart for my Happily Furr-Ever After story.
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Midland Humane Coalition is honored to be a recipient of the  PetSmart Charities Adoption Preparation Grant for 2021.

With the help of this grant, we are able to prepare rescues for their new homes!  

Thank you, PetSmart Charities!

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Pet Proofing: Ensuring your New Pet's Safety

1/25/2021

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Bringing a new pet - whether adopted or fostered - into your home is more than just fun and games. Of course there will be plenty of time for that later, but first things first, you’ll need to prepare your home to ensure the safety and comfort of your new cat or dog. 

Pet proofing your home for a new pet, regardless of their age, is similar to baby proofing your household. Pets are inquisitive by nature and will be inclined to explore every corner of your house upon their arrival. 

It will be up to you as a responsible pet parent to ensure that every room in your house is a safe environment. Prior to welcoming your new pet, go through all the rooms in the house to get rid of potential hazards and danger zones. You may have to rearrange your home for a while, but this is temporary until your pet gets more acclimated to the new environment. 

Here are a few tips for pet proofing your entire house.

Kitchen

  • Store food properly. Make sure all food is locked away and stored inside the pantry and cupboards in containers. Always keep countertops and tables clear of food and cabinets and doors closed. Consider installing childproof latches for those extra clever pets.   Pets can and will get tempted to chew away at any exposed and accessible food including toxic food and packaging.  Many seemingly harmless human foods are toxic for dogs/cats — like chocolate, gum, onions, coffee, grapes/raisins, etc.  When it comes to food, it’s better to err on the side of safety and keep them all away from pets. 
  • Secure garbage bins.  One man’s trash is a curious pet’s unlimited buffet! Make sure your trash cans are securely covered so that your pets cannot access potentially toxic substances or things they can choke on or get suffocated by (such as bones, fruit pits, packaging, plastic bags). 
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​​Living Room 


  • Secure wires and cords.  Tuck away anything that your new pet could trip over or be tempted to chew on. 
  • Check for furniture that might topple over to avoid accidents. Make sure you don’t have any unsteady tables or chairs that your pet might attempt to climb or could tip over and hurt your new pet. 
  • Store your knick-knacks properly. The living room is the place where we relax, watch TV, read a book, work on hobbies and projects. With a new pet around, be sure to keep the living room space — from the floor to coffee tables — clutter-free so they don’t have access to any potential hazards (like craft items  and small objects — scissors, needles, yarn, glue, batteries, magnets, kids toys, etc). Make sure you put breakable/valuable items (vases, picture frames, albums, books, DVDs, games) that your new pet can destroy out of reach. 
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  • Keep plants out of reach. For the sake of both your plant babies and fur babies, make sure your plants are located safely out of your pet’s reach. Some common houseplants are poisonous when ingested. Younger pups and kittens tend to chew just about anything — so do your research to see if any of the plants you have are harmful to pets and store them away or get rid of them. 

Bedroom

  • Clear your nightstand. Don’t leave out any medicine, glass of water, lotions or candles lying around for your pet to ingest or topple over. 
  • Store everything in closets. When you kick off that good pair of shoes, store them in the closet so that you aren’t angry when you find them with teeth marks later!  
  • Inspect closets.  Check that your pet isn’t stuck or sleeping in a closet or drawer before shutting them closed. Keep the closet doors shut so your pet doesn’t have access to shoes and strings and buttons that they can choke on. 
  • Secure your electrical wires so your pet can’t access them. 
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Bathroom

  • Shut the door. Best to keep your new pet out of bathrooms where they can attempt to drink toilet water or shred toilet paper. 
  • Lock your cabinets. Keep medicine, bath soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and household cleaning supplies stored safely in a cabinet and away from your new pet. 


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Garage 


  • Keep chemicals out of reach. Move chemicals up high on shelves or locked in cabinets. Chemicals such as antifreeze/pesticides/lawn chemicals can cause death if ingested. 
  • Keep tools stored away. Make sure sharp objects and tools are where pets can’t access them.
  • Clear the floor. Pick up nails, screws, tools and other clutter off the floor and make sure it is clean and free from chemicals that your pet can ingest or choke on. 


Yard

  • Check your plants. Just like your indoor plants, make sure all the plants in your garden are safe for pets. If anything is poisonous, best to keep your pet away from it to avoid accidental ingestion. 
  • Inspect the fence. Check for gaps or holes that your pet might be able to squeeze through. Ensure that the latch on the gates are working properly. Consider installing a lock for the gates -- some pets have the uncanny ability of opening doors and gates! 
  • Keep pets off the lawn. If you’ve recently treated your lawn with fertilizer, weedkiller, insecticide or any other chemicals, keep your pet away from the area. Some dogs have been known to chew grass or nibble on mulch, which could potentially be dangerous if they were recently sprayed with chemicals. 

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​One last thing, when you're bringing a new pet home, especially a younger dog or cat, know that they will inevitably make mistakes or have accidents. Please be patient -- your new pet needs time to  learn the ropes.  

To avoid unfortunate incidents, make sure they have a safe, secure and comfortable space to call their own - like a play pen or a crate - where you can be certain that they are out of harm's way and unable to cause mischief around the house whenever you're not around to keep an eye on them. 

Once you’ve inspected your whole house and eliminated all potential threats, you can now relax and focus your time and energy on making your new pet feel right at home. 

And, yes, you can certainly bring out all the pet-safe toys and treats! 
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New Year, New (Foster) Pet!

1/25/2021

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Photo by Gilberto Reyes from Pexels

2021 is in full swing and we are all sharing the wish for a better year for everyone than last. 
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How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions so far? 

Another resolution you might consider that will make your life fuller and someone else’s better is fostering a homeless cat or dog. 
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Why foster a pet? Here are a few good reasons:
  • You are saving a life.  There are so many homeless dogs and cats that shelters become overcrowded and cannot accommodate all of them. You are providing a temporary home until they are adopted. MHC often needs foster homes to temporarily take in pets who need special care, cannot be put in the kennel environment yet, or until space opens up at the Adoption Center. 
  • An animal living in a home, a loving environment, is more relaxed, less stressed and less skittish than one living in a shelter, making it more adoptable. 
  • It does not cost you money.  The rescue you are fostering for usually pays for food and veterinarian expenses. MHC will provide you with everything you need to host a cat or dog in your home. 
  • Fostering helps your own dog become more socialized. Like young children, animals need to play and interact with one another.
  • It gives you the opportunity to see if you are ready to permanently take on  a new pet. MHC lets you do "Foster to Adopt" -- it's like a trial period to give you an opportunity to get to know a pet before committing to adopting. We want you to be very sure you're ready to adopt a pet and that it is a good match for your household. 
  • Volunteering and helping others, either people or animals, gives you a sense of purpose and makes you feel happier and more satisfied about life.

Providing a temporary home for an animal in need is a win, win situation!  The more foster homes we can get, the more cats & dogs we can rescue together.  

Then, when you’re bored with the diet and want a piece of cake, think you can’t do one more 30-minute session of exercise or attack another closet or drawer that needs organizing, you can cuddle on the sofa with a loving foster animal. 

Contact Midland Humane Coalition (or other local rescue groups) and find out how you can become a foster home.  Send an email to FOSTER@midlandhumane.org

Fore more information on our Foster Care Program, click here. 



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Shelia Huffman, Contributor
Shelia recently moved to the Greenwood community of Midland from Dallas where she was a staff writer for White Rock Lake Weekly and a columnist for Bubblelife Media.  A retired travel agent and event planner, she has  been an animal activist her entire life.  Shelia  has a daughter and son-in-law in Midland, a grandson in Dallas and a granddaughter at Texas Tech. She lists cooking and writing about food, and,  of course, playing with her Terrier Mix rescue, Penelope, as some of her favorite things.
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  • Home
  • Adopt
    • Adoptable Pets
    • How to Adopt >
      • Before Adoption
    • Senior to Senior Program
    • HAPPY TALES
    • RESCUE STORIES
  • Volunteer
    • Foster
    • Adoption Center
    • Special Events
    • Online Volunteer
  • Donate
    • Our Sponsors
  • Resources
    • Vaccinations
    • Microchips
    • Spay/Neuter
    • Lost & Found Pets >
      • Lost Pets
      • Found Pets
    • Re-homing a Pet
    • Kitten Care
    • Helping Stray/Feral Cats
    • Midland Vet Clinics
    • Shelters & Rescues
  • Events
    • Blog
    • Hot Dog Run 2023 >
      • HDR 2023 Sponsorships
    • Furr Ball 2022 >
      • Sponsorship Opportunities
      • 2022 Sponsors
    • Pawtrait Auction
    • In the News
  • About Us
    • The Mabee ARC
    • Our History
    • Our People
    • SHOP
    • Contact >
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      • FAQ
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