Evan is Sleeping in a Home Tonight!

 

I took Evan to Kevin's house today.  We took him on a walk around the neighborhood before going into his new home.  He explored around and quickly found his own reflection and the water bowl.  This dog is set for life.  There is no one more perfect for him than Kevin.  Evan is safe, warm, and home.  He is not in a kennel.  We will both sleep well tonight.

Put on Your Party Hats!

                                       I will be taking Evan to his new home on Friday!

Evan Goes Hiking

There wasn't a class this past weekend so Charlotte took Evan to Arabia Mountain for a little hike, and he loved it.  It is the perfect time of year for walking around the local parks.  It is not too hot or cold, and the leaves are changing.

Evan is still working on his training at the shelter, and he is making new friends everyday.  Today, a nice man even came out to the shelter to meet him!  They both seemed to like each other.  It is so great when Evan gets the chance to meet new people and/or have new experiences.

Of course Evan was great in class last weekend...

Evan has really been excelling in class lately.  At the shelter he has been much more eager to meet new people and once you get him out of his kennel he walks right up to strangers looking for pets and nuzzles.  I took him out during a volunteer orientation the other day to talk about fostering opportunities.  Evan is a dog we would love to see in a foster home until he can get adopted.  It is quite the commitment because we need a special person who would be willing to continue his training until we found him a forever family, but we would provide them with guidance, support, food, medical, and a crate. 

As a community, we can change this dog's life.  He started off as a stray on Evan's Mill Rd years ago and we hope to see him in a loving home, whether that be permanent or foster by the end of th year.  While he is making great strides here, we know that he will go much further in a more stable and secure environment.  If you would like more information about fostering Evan or any of our other dogs please contact Laura at lmckelvey@pawsatlanta.org.  I would love to set up a time with you to meet him and to discuss his future!

In the picture below Evan is playing with his friend, Nacho, who was just adopted yesterday.  It is an ongoing idea at PAWS that as soon as a dog plays with Evan they are sure to get adopted soon.  This is great for them, but we hate to see Evan watch all his friends go.  Let's make it Evan's turn this time!

Nacho and Evan's Play Date--We all had a blast!

A Stroll Around Freedom Trail

Last Saturday, the Canine PhD class took a walk around Freedom Trail.  There were people out and about, doing all sorts of things.  Evan met up with a young, exuberant, pit mix.  He doesn't always know how to introduce himself to other dogs, though he clearly wants to meet them, and they were content to sniff each other and say hello.  He really loves other dogs, and he gets so excited to see them.  He runs right up to them.  So, we need to work on letting him meet other dogs, without him pulling on the leash or acting overzealous.  That can be scary for some pets. 

 

This class ended another 6 week course and so next week we start with a whole new set of dogs and people.  I am very excited to meet everyone, and I know Evan will love it too.  We are going to keep Evan going to training so that he can continue to gain confidence and to give him a break from the shelter life as much as possible.

Someone came to the shelter not so long ago and spent some time with Evan.  Evan is so soft, so sweet, and so smart.  They just kept asking "what's wrong with him that he would be at a shelter for so long?"  They thought he was wonderful but they were worried that I wasn't telling them something.  We are always very honest with adopters because we want our placements to succeed for life.  Evan is going to need an owner who will continue working with him and will be patient with him as he adjusts to a new home.  He is healthy and vibrant, but he is scared.  There is a whole group of people who love him and will be available to help.  Evan gets so attached to the people who take the time to know him.  Someone will be very lucky to have him.

Sometimes dogs and cats are at the shelter longer than we would hope and there are a variety of reasons for it.  Pit bulls, black dogs, older cats and dogs are not looked at as often as their younger and smaller counterparts.  Sometimes it is something else.  People always tell me, when they come in, that they want their new dog to "pick them."  That can be a great way of adopting a new pet, but a lot of pets do not know how to "pick their person."  It does not mean that they will not bond completely with the wonderful person that will end up taking them home.  It just means that the stress of the shelter makes them more shy instead of outgoing.  These dogs may hide in the back of their kennels when people walk in, they may tremble a little.  They may also be so excited to go on a walk that they focus on smelling everything around them, instead of focusing their attention on the person that might be interested in adopting them.

If you come out to the shelter and see Evan in the back of his kennel, don't walk by him, ask someone on staff if you can take him out for a walk.  Even if you cannot adopt him, it is important that he gets to meet new people and have positive experiences with guests of the shelter.  He may be  shy, but he is absolutely kind hearted.  He has just never had a family to call his own and does not know how to ask for one.

 

Hanging Out in Inman Park

Evan and his friends walked around Inman Park last week as part of his training course.  There is one busy stretch of road that always puts Evan into a panic.  There is music playing from a nearby restaurant, cars driving by, people jogging on the narrow sidewalk, bicycles, and a food stand.  Meredith, the dog trainer, suggested that we sit for a little while at the stand.  We bought Evan some delicious treats from the lovely man that is their every week, and we let Evan lick cheese off our fingers.  He was thrilled.  I bet his old worst nightmare will become his new favorite spot!

After all the fun we had at the fruit stand we decided to go to the park, and we had Evan practice "place" on various podiums.  It helps build his confidence, and he is great at it.

 

All in all, it was another super fun class at Canine PhD.  We all had a blast.  Looking forward to this upcoming Saturday.

Good Morning!!

 

It is a great day at the shelter.  A new and very dedicated volunteer, Suzanne, has come out, and that usually means the dogs all get a lot of good quality time outside of the kennels!  I took Evan and Frannie out first thing this morning, and they were SO excited to see each other and to have the chance to play. 

 

They were moving so fast that it was hard to get a decent picture of the two of them.  Frannie would flip and flop and jump over Evan like a reindeer.  He loved every minute of it.

 

                                                            Tackle!  Pinned ya again!

Later, maybe we can go out with Zamora again and then work on some of our training exercises....

 

Not Enough Time in a Day

There are so many pets at the shelter, and they all need so much attention.  Thank goodness for volunteers.  Sometimes, depending on the weather, only a few people show up though.  Play groups are always fun, but they are imperative on these days.  We can get a lot more dogs out, they can stay out longer, and they can go to bed sleepy.  In the above picture, Evan is playing with the incredibly sweet Zamora.

 

Evan, Frannie, and I decided to go check out what the vet techs were doing.  We had already run around for some time, but we needed to settle down before Frannie went to Fox 5 and became famous on Good Day Atlanta.

 

 

You can clearly see how happy Evan and Frannie are together!  Okay okay.  They might have also been happy about doing some basic training drills in order to get treats.

The Tellington Touch

Connor, Harriet, Laura, and Evan on the PAWS Atlanta walking trail.

We love Evan, and we want him to be a happy and confident guy.  We know that we need to try a variety of things with him to ensure that he has the best possible life.  Another thing we try to integrate into his training regime is the Tellington Touch.  This is a way of using touch, balance, and massage to help calm stressed dogs and to develop a bond between the handler and the dog.  During training, we gently move Evan's tail, rub his ears, and pet him in slow circular motions.  Evan loves it, and it really does work!  For a very basic overview you can check out this website (http://www.pawsnlearn.com/basic.htm), do a quick google search, and/or read the book The Tellington TTouch : A Revolutionary Natural Method to Train and Care for Your Favorite Animal by Linda Tellington-Jones.

An Offsite Adventure

Class was canceled last weekend, but Charlotte did not want Evan to miss out on an opportunity to get Evan out of the kennel and into the world.  The weather was perfect, and he has so few chances to experience life as a regular dog.  She took him to their old stomping ground, Stone Mountain.  They use to go there every weekend before training classes began.  He got to see children, bikes, and other dogs as he sniffed around and explored the local flora.  He did fantastic and seemed to have a really good time!  On the way home Charlotte bought him a special treat and he devoured it happily.  We are excited to get back to class at Canine PhD this Saturday.  Evan is going to make a family very proud one day.  He is such a smart, fun dog!

Unfortunately, it is difficult to take pictures if you are just one person!  This is an old picture of me and Evan at Stone Mountain--clearly during the winter.  Charlotte had let me tag along with them that weekend, and we had a lot of fun.  He is wearing a Thundershirt, a product designed to help calm anxious dogs.

It's The Little Things

Charlotte took some extra time this weekend to sit in front of Evan's kennel and offer him calming signals.  Calming signals, for dogs, may include yawning, turning their head away, shaking off, sniffing, and so on.  Dogs use these signals to communicate with other dogs, and they try to use them with us though we so frequently miss or ignore them.  Cathy, another amazing volunteer, once lent me a book entitled On Talking Terms, which really broke it down (http://www.amazon.com/On-Talking-Terms-With-Dogs/dp/1929242360).  These signals helped Evan start relaxing and finally he laid down.  I always joke that it is a good thing we go to class so early on Saturdays because I am always inadvertantly giving Evan calming signals, mostly yawning!

For more information, check out this link from the woman who wrote On Talking Terms:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

Pawsitively Proud

Evan is hanging out at the front desk today.  It is so important that he gets a substantial amount of time out of his kennel every day after being here for almost three years.  He seems to appreciate, so much, the extra attention and toys.  He is particularly fond of a squeeky stuffed bunny.  At the desk, Evan gets to meet new people from a comfortable distance.  He can also work on his training periodically, and the air conditioning is not half bad either.

He was a star in his class this weekend!  We took a long walk around Inman Park and saw lots of joggers, cyclists, other dogs, baby strollers, and other things.  To the inexperienced eye, he looked just like any other happy dog walking in a group, but we did still notice that his tail was held high and curled over his back so we know he did not completely put his guard down.  He was still communicating with us that he needed to be kept safe, and we assured him we would by not forcing him into anything he was not ready for, rewarding him with sniffing and chewing on grass, and praising him all the while.

Training Exercises

Evan loves playing with the chase it toy purchased for him by Charlotte.  His trainer, Meredith, wants to keep him engaged in play.  As we all know, a playful, well exercised dog is a happy dog.  It was great for him to be so active with Harriet because she was someone he did not know that well, and he really bonded with her.

Evan is walking on a short leash with Laura, a staff member he knows and trusts, while Harriet, someone less familiar to him, walks him on a long lead.  This way he feels safe because she is at a distance, but he gets use to her being there.

BAT training: A Walk in the Park

Evan attended another class at CaninePhD last Saturday.  It was a big day for all the dogs and humans involved.  We have moved from the indoor classes to the great outdoors and this week we took a walk, as a group, around Inman Park.  This is a big deal for Evan who is commonly frightened in new settings.

We began work in the parking lot by practicing BAT training.  This is a positive and confidence-building technique that teaches dogs to respond to fearful situations in a calm and healthy manner.  The handler is essentially teaching the dog new ways of responding to a variety of situations.  For example, if a dog barks and pulls at the leash every time a dog walks by this type of training works to teach him/her to respond in another way, adverting their gaze, yawning, shaking off, showing calming signals.  In the case of an anxious dog, like Evan, distance can be used as a reward.  If he sees something that he finds frightening from a safe distance, he gives a calming signal, and he is rewarded by the handler who retreats with him.  He is learning that calmness in the face of fear gets him what he ultimately wants, which is a sense of safety.  It is a great way of building a bond/trust between animal and human.  It also increases the dog's self-confidence and makes them braver, as well as more able to handle real life situations.  In Saturday's class Evan met, at a distance, a tall man wearing a hat that was unknown to him.  This is a situation that might make him shake or bolt in another setting, but he is getting better and bolder with each new lesson.  He was nervous, but he did fantastic and responded with several calming signals.

After BAT training, we took our walk around the park. Evan had a rough start, but near the end of the walk he was resting and chewing on blades of grass.  He seemed to enjoy his time away from the chaos of shelter life, and he made us all very proud.  His next class is this upcoming Saturday, and we are excited to have yet another chance to teach, learn, and brag about our boy.

  This picture was taken about 2 months ago.  It shows Evan, resting calmly, as a volunteer group works on the kennels behind him.

Meredith's 2nd Training Session With Evan at PAWS Atlanta

Meredith came out to the shelter to work with Evan and Laura yesterday!  We practiced having Evan go in and out of his kennel in a calm manner.  It was a really great exercise because it not only helped Evan, but it also started to help his neighbors get use to having another dog walk by. 

We also began working on helping Evan get comfortable with someone other than a staff member or longterm volunteer walking him on a lead.  We did this by having Laura walk him on a short leash and Meredith walk about ten feet away holding onto a long lead. 

Evan responded really well to both exercises, and he relaxed more quickly this time than the last time Meredith came to work with him!  These tasks may seem small, but they are huge to a dog that is living in the insecure environment of a shelter, particularly a pup like Evan who is incredibly sweet but also highly stressed out. 

One of the most fun things about working with a wonderful dog like Evan is seeing his progress, but it also neat to try out new, postive, and unique techniques.  Meredith is constantly doing research, talking to other trainers, and learning about new tools for the success of all of the dogs/people she teaches.  For example, we are going to start having everyone who walks Evan wear Lavender.  It is a naturally calming scent, but it will also give him a positive association with the smell that he will link back to Charlotte, Mike, Laura, and those who take him out for walks and entertainment most often.

This is Evan wearing his beloved cooling vest, which was donated to him, during his Saturday morning class at CaninePhD.  He is currently in his 3rd six week course there.