Finding the paw-fect fit

Recently, we had to find a dog walker for our furry children. Naturally, we were anxious about finding the paw-fect fit, but we could not have anticipated how difficult it could actually be to find just the right people to care for our pups while we are at work.

In the Northern New Jersey area, there seem to be only a few options of insured and bonded dog walkers. Of those, many simply had no room for new clients. We wound up finding the Peaks Pet Nanny. Everyone was very friendly and professional, and we set up a new client consultation with our nannies. Both the pups and the nannies seemed to take to each other right away.

Unfortunately, our early walk nanny left the profession of dog walking last week. Her proposed replacement complained that the dogs are too difficult to walk without use of a "gentle leader" type restraint. We got the restraints, but can't tell yet if they work for us. We will try them out over the weekend and see how it goes.

This is all they want to be doing! Now we need to find a way to make it happen.

Florida pups

Today I was too busy with my real job to submit any applications for freelance work. I will have to make up for it this weekend! I will be seeing some Floridian pups this weekend, a rescued Pit Bull, Lucy, and German Shepard mix, Regan.

Lucy exemplifies the bad rap that pit bulls get. She is always sweet and loving, and gets along with her sister Regan. Since pit bulls are unfortunately often the victims of abuse, I researched Florida's animal cruelty laws. Happily, they are more stringent than those in New Jersey (discussed here), even if they are still not harsh enough.  For a person who is cruel to an animal, Florida classifies this offense as a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable by either: (1) a fine of not more than $5,000; (2) up to a year in jail; or (3) both. Again, no mandatory jail time! Still shocking, but unlike New Jersey, at least jail time is a possibility in Florida.

And, since I have a brindle baby of my own, here is another one to brighten up your day:

Of course, I will miss my own pups while I am away. Who will they greet by presenting a stuffed octopus for tug of war?? Luckily, I know they will be cared for at the Morris Animal Inn with the "princess package." I won't be able to wait until Monday morning to see their happy faces and smell their freshly washed fur!

Reckoning with animal cruelty laws

I read an article yesterday on Mother Nature Network, http://www.mnn.com/, where scientists determined that dogs have the sentience of a human child. They concluded that we should therefore rethink how we treat dogs.

To any pet owner, the conclusion is no surprise. The truth is, regardless of their cognitive ability, we should respect dogs and all animals simply because they are other living beings. Since I am a lawyer by day, this prompted me to look up the laws on animal cruelty in my home state, New Jersey. The ASCPA makes every state's animal cruelty laws easily accessible at https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/advocacy-center/state-animal-cruelty-laws.

In New Jersey, there is a legal penalty for a person who shall "torment, torture, maim, hang, poison, unnecessarily or cruelly beat, cruelly abuse, or needlessly mutilate a living animal or creature . . ." 

Reading the list of punishable acts above, one would think there would be at least significant jail time for such horrific atrocities. Certainly we do not want a person who would do such things, whether to a human or an animal, free in society.

Right? Wrong.

The punishment is "a sum of not less than $1,000 and not more than $3,000."  This is just wrong. It should be beyond question that any person who is evil enough to torture, needlessly mutilate, beat, etc, a helpless and innocent creature should be in jail - not paying a paltry fine. The laws need to be changed. Familiarizing myself with these inadequate laws has only strengthened my conviction to help pups, including to work towards a change in these laws so that offenders are appropriately punished.

After all, who could ever be mean to this little one?

Link to the MNN article: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/dogs-have-capacity-for-emotion-study-finds

See the NJ law at https://www.animallaw.info/statute/nj-cruelty-consolidated-cruelty-statutes#s26

First Submission In!

Well, I did it. The first submission is in! I submitted to dogster, www.dogster.com. I am addicted to their site, and their team shares my philosophy towards pups. Our furry friends are definitely "whos," not "its," "whats-its," or "what-nots."  I submitted to the confessional series, which deals with personal accounts of life with the writer's dogs. The confessional was easy for me to write, as it comes straight from the heart. Really, I could go on for days.

See, there are Nessie and Daisy rooting for publication! They want to help other pups too! Or, in Nessie's case, she wants to see her picture in print for the masses to adore. Fingers crossed.

Let's save them all

Maybe I can't save them all, but I can try.

I'm harnessing my passion for pups and the pen on a quest to do just that. To start, I will freelance for pet publications. Whatever payment I receive, will go straight to the pups. It will be used to help dogs, in any way possible. There are far too many opportunities to do so popping up on social media every day.

 

 

These two cuddly, mischievous girls are my inspiration. Nessie is a stubborn, smart, and only grudgingly cuddly basset hound mix. Her younger sister Daisy is a one-eyed wonky and loving hound mix. As I am sure is true for most pet owners, they are wholly family members. Their  unflinching love and playfulness transform each day into a rainbow of colors. I take nothing more seriously than caring for them, so that their dependence on myself and my boyfriend, and their trust, is never disappointed. So, while I chronicle my journey in attempting to secure freelancing gigs, I will chronicle much more. I will share the lives of these and other pups, as well as any other pet related information that strikes my fancy. Here's to saving them all.