Juneau Animal Rescue's monthly newsletter

Happy Tails

Monthly Newsletter from Juneau Animal Rescue

June 2023

Dear Animal Lover,

Summer is here, and with it our annual Whales for Tails Cruise! Join Juneau Animal Rescue and our supporters for a three hour Whale Watching Cruise while mingling with other pet lovers, enjoying the beautiful Alaskan waters and watching some Humpback whales! This amazing event is great for both locals AND your visiting summer guests!

Tickets available NOW online and at JAR! We will provide some hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will also be available. There will also be all sorts of JAR's amazing logo merchandise for sale on the boat!

We absolutely love this annual event and the chance it gives us to meet with our supporters in a casual setting while celebrating the amazing scenery and wildlife that makes our city so unique. What makes this event even better is that all proceeds go to benefit the animals at Juneau Animal Rescue.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Samantha Blankenship

Executive Director

Pet Story of the Month

Lone Wolves Need Families Too

Juneau Animal Rescue has seen more pets come into the shelter in need of homes this year than we have seen in the last 15 years! Even more surprising is how many of these pets are DOGS! If you are currently in search of a pet, please consider ADOPTING NOW! We need your help to spread the word that OUR PETS NEED HOMES.

While the best possible care is provided to all animals at JAR, dogs that are particularly quiet and shy, or dogs that are reactive to other dogs can become stressed by a prolonged stay in the shelter environment. The most humane care for these pets is sometimes OUTSIDE of the shelter in a quiet home setting.

While we have many generous foster families, most have other pets. We are in need of adoption and foster homes with NO OTHER PETS IN THE HOME. This is especially true for some of our pets that prefer to get ALL of the attention in a home, or that "don't play well with others." Oftentimes, it is more difficult to find loving homes for dogs and cats that do not get along well with other pets as most animal lovers already have a small pack of dogs or clowder of cats that they may be looking to add to.

This unique situation presents a fantastic opportunity for pet lovers that aren't quite ready for a long-term commitment but still want to help out, or for those individuals who travel frequently but love pet companionship while they are home. Some of our pets simply do best as the ONLY pet in the home, but can also benefit from additional socialization outside of the shelter until they can find their forever home.

If you have no other pets in your home, please consider filling out a foster application TODAY HERE, or better yet, see our adoption animals and find adoption applications HERE. We have visiting hours every day except Tuesday and Sunday from 1:00pm to 5:30pm (last visit with animals begin at 5:15).

Particularly in need of a loving home is the sweet Margie, a three year-old St. Bernard mix who has been at JAR since March. She is one of our "Lone Wolves." The term lone wolf is generally used to describe a person (or animal) who prefers to work, act, or live alone. However, wolf experts say that a lone wolf isn’t alone because they don’t like being around others, they're just alone temporarily as they try to find a mate and a place to have a family. We like to think of our "Lone Wolf" dogs as just that... alone temporarily and trying to find a place to have a family.

Margie is big, sweet girl who is very loyal and thinks she still needs to be a lap-dog, despite her size. She loves to carry around her stuffies and take them outside with her to play. She is the sweetest burly girl with familiar people, but occasionally can be selective when meeting new people. She generally gets along with everyone and would love to find her new furever home.

Margie has been at the shelter for three long months, most likely because she does not enjoy the company of other animals. Because she can be reactive to other pets, Margie will do best in a home with a large fenced yard or where she can go on frequent leashed walks in lower traffic areas.

Juneau Animal Rescue wants to stress that reactive dogs still make great pets. These dogs can sometimes adjust to being around other pets with a dedicated family willing to take on the efforts of additional positive reinforcement training and the patience to see it through. There are many resources to continue to work on a dog's reactivity, including this ASPCA link on leash reactivity and this Hills Pet Nutrition link on prey drive. Even dogs that don't respond to additional training can still live perfectly healthy and joyous lives as the only pet in a home, merely enjoying the company of human interaction and affection.

While many pets find their forever homes quickly, there are many more that have been waiting a long time to leave JAR. It is even more difficult to find homes for special needs dogs that would prefer their own space. Dogs like George, a 2-year-old standard poodle who has been waiting two months for his forever home or a loving foster to provide a quieter space to wait for his new home.

George was diagnosed with Juvenile Cataracts, a progressive clouding in the lens of the eye, the structure that helps us focus on objects. When the normally clear lens gets cloudy, it prevents light from entering the eye and obscures vision. Fortunately, cataracts are not painful, but sometimes can lead to other diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma, which can be very painful and would need to be treated.

At this stage of his disease, George can still see somewhat, but his vision is limited and varies with the light. This is sometimes disorienting for him, as he can’t always see what is happening. The result is that he is a bit cautious and can be easily startled if someone reaches for him when he isn’t aware. Blind pets do best in calm environments without a lot of change. As such, we believe George would do best in a home without children or other pets. This makes him another one of our "Lone Wolf" dogs. He will need a place with a set floor plan that he can learn to navigate as he loses more of his vision. By not moving furniture, George can get to know where things are and walk around with confidence that he will not have a painful run-in with a stray footstool or chair.

If you think this handsome, special needs boy might be your new best friend, please call us to arrange a visit and a discussion with our veterinarian about George’s special needs.

Check out some of our other dogs in need of adoption below.

Pilot, 8 yr old Shepherd/Cattle Dog mix; at JAR 1.5 months

Tatiana, 4 yr old Sharpei; at JAR 2 months

Kyle, 2 yr old Akita mix; at JAR 1 month

If you are interested in adopting Margie, George, Pilot, Tatiana, Kyle, or one of our other amazing pets, check out our adoption page HERE.

Juneau Animal Rescue can house and care for dogs like Margie for extended periods of time through funding from our Second Chance Fund. You can help us maintain this valuable fund so that we can continue to help animals that need extra veterinary care.

Will you please consider contributing to our Second Chance Fund by clicking on the button below? Your donation goes directly to help pets like Margie who need special care and attention. Help us help them by donating today.

Samantha Blankenship

Executive Director

DONATE TO JAR NOW

Separation Anxiety in Dogs

What Is Separation Anxiety?

Just like humans can have separation anxiety when left alone or when leaving a pet or child alone, your dog can be excessively anxious when left by themselves.

Separation anxiety often manifests as destructive behavior, barking, howling, urinating, defecating, or attempts to escape. These behaviors can also be symptoms of medical issues, so if you notice a change in behavior, a vet visit can help determine if there is a medical or behavioral cause. In the case of separation anxiety, when your dog pees on your bed or tears up the couch when you're gone, they aren't trying to get revenge for being left alone: they are enduring anxiety and don't know how to feel safe and relaxed without you there with them.

Some triggers of separation anxiety can be moving to a new residence, a change of ownership for your pet - including adoption, change in the household membership - like having a child or having someone moving away, or other changes in schedule or daily routine.

How to Help Your Anxious Dog

If you or your vet have determined that your dog is dealing with separation anxiety, you can help mitigate their anxiety.

A good way to manage separation anxiety is to start by keeping departures and arrivals calm. Lots of petting, hugging, or telling your dog "I'll miss you so much!" is actually going to add to your pet's anxiety. Likewise, reacting with excitement the moment you arrive home and see them reinforces their concern and any anxious behavior they displayed while you were absent. Wait to greet your pet until a few minutes after you return to help them learn that your arrival is not something they should be in constant, anxious anticipation over.

Counterconditioning is a tried and true way to mitigate separation anxiety. By associating something your dog dislikes - being left alone - with something they enjoy, negative reactions of fear, anxiety, and aggression become excitement for the thing they're looking forward to instead. Food and high-value treats are a good way to countercondition dogs. Just before leaving your dog alone, provide them with food in a form that will take longer to consume - like a puzzle toy or a frozen KONG with low-fat peanut butter or cottage cheese (consult your vet about healthy treat options suitable for your dog). It should occupy them for about 20-30 minutes to distract them from their anxiety and relax them. If you leave your dog alone in the morning, consider feeding them their breakfast with a puzzle toy or KONG.

When Anxiety is More Severe

Counterconditioning with food and treats will only work for dogs with mild anxiety, however. Dogs with moderate anxiety won't eat without their owner around so other measures are needed to reduce their anxiety.

Gradual changes help slowly reduce anxiety. Trying too much too fast with a dog that is dealing with separation anxiety can cause more stress and have an adverse effect. If your dog becomes anxious when you put on your shoes or pick up your keys, show them that this isn't always a pre-departure cue by putting on your shoes or picking up your keys then watching TV or otherwise staying at home with them. For dogs that become anxious after you depart, or once your dog is no longer anxious with pre-departure cues, start with short absences first - just a few seconds at a time. Over the course of several weeks, slowly increase the amount of time your dog spends alone. If you're having trouble, consider getting the help of a Certified Professional Trainer.

Reducing separation anxiety is a long process that requires patience and diligence. It is important to make sure that your dog is only experiencing a low-intensity version of their fear. If they reach full-blown anxiety during this training, it will backfire and make their anxiety worse.

Find more information about separation anxiety, as well as more in-depth counterconditioning and desensitization tips from the ASPCA.