Supervise your newest canine addition and young children to discourage unwanted behaviors and create an environment of safe play.

      Introducing Cats

      Chances are your existing dog and cat can learn to live harmoniously—even if they dislike each other. Your new dog also needs to learn that chasing, eating, or terrorizing the cat is unacceptable behavior that should be dropped immediately. To help set a positive relationship, provide your cat with plenty of escape routes. Cats like being up high, so provide plenty of access to countertops, furniture, and so forth. Also, provide your cat with a room of his own, such as a spare room, office, or den, so he can escape canine antics and not be bothered. For the first introduction, keep your new dog on leash so he can’t chase or harass your cat (an ex-pen or baby gates also work well). You don’t want your dog’s first introduction to be a scratched nose! Depending on your dog’s history, you will need to determine if he stands a chance of being safe around cats. The more dogs you keep together, the greater the chance they will switch to a pack mentality if they become overly excited. Some herding breeds, such as Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, and Belgian Tervurens like to stalk cats. So you’ll want to be on the lookout for signs of this behavior and keep it under control. Allowing your dog to harass a cat or other animal is neither fair nor funny and should never be encouraged or tolerated. Always reward dogs and cats for behaving calmly in each other’s presence.

      Must Love Dogs…And Birds, Rabbits, Hamsters, and Other Critters

      Some dogs are naturally gentle and calm around other animals, be they birds, rabbits, chickens, horses, or other companion animals. Stories have been told of dogs who developed the most unlikely best-friend relationships with horses, goats, sheep, chickens, and so forth. How your dog reacts around non-dog animals will greatly depend on his history, age, and whether or not his previous owner allowed him to develop unwanted habits. Chasing livestock is an instinctive behaviors for many dogs. In many areas, livestock owners are legally allowed to shoot a dog caught harassing their livestock. So taking the time to make your household a peaceable kingdom is well worth the effort. Follow these doable tips for keeping your animals safe:

      •Make introductions slowly to allow plenty of time for your dog and the other animal to get used to each other. This may take several days or weeks.

      •Keep your dog leashed and your bird, rabbit, hamster, or the like caged until you are absolutely certain they are both comfortable. Otherwise, depending on your dog’s breed, history, instinct, and prey drive, the outcome may be disastrous.

      •Choose a neutral area for introductions. For example, a room where your bird’s cage is not normally located.

      •Reward both dog and bird (or rabbit, ferret, etc.) for good behavior. (Be sure to have plenty of treats on hand before beginning your introductions.)

      •Once your dog and other small pet become comfortable in the same room together, begin allowing your dog off leash as long as he continues to behave himself! Never leave your bird, rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, ferret in the same room unattended. Dogs are easily stimulated, and accidents can happen with even the most well-trained dog.

      Dogs and cats can learn to live together harmoniously.

      Horses

      What’s more fun than a trail ride with your best canine friend running alongside? While plenty of dogs do chase horses, and plenty of horses are fearful of dogs, in many cases, when precautions are taken, dogs and horses can learn to tolerate and even care for each other. Clashes between dogs and horses can quickly escalate into a dangerous situation for dog, horse, and rider. Therefore, a few doable precautions will keep everyone safe.

      •Introduce your dog to horses at an early age and train/reward him for being calm. Ideally, this is easiest when puppies are young and impressionable. Depending on your dog’s age and history and how he responds (i.e., fear or aggression), you may need to invest extra time and effort.

      •Horses with positive experiences around dogs are ideal for introductions and socialization because they minimize the risk to dogs—especially puppies.

      •If either animal is nervous, always work within their threshold by starting with enough distance between them so they can see each other, yet still take treats and respond to commands.

      •Obedience train your dog—Come, Sit, Down, Stay, Wait—so you can preempt a chase or keep your dog safe should a horse panic, bolt, or become unruly.

      •Keep your dog leashed and under control when around horses—especially if he lacks a solid, reliable recall (Come) command.

      •Do not allow your dog to practice unwanted behaviors, such as barking or chasing horses. Some breeds are easily stimulated by movement (think herding dogs!), and a moving horse can easily excite a dog’s natural prey or chase instinct.

      Rescue Tip:

      Commit to a Few Days

      Ideally, you will want to bring your newest addition home when you have a few days to spend together, such as the weekend. Otherwise, consider taking a few days off work to be home with the dogs. Although it may seem excessive, in the long run, it will help with the bonding process and to build a more solid human-canine relationship. Spending time together helps to ease some of the stress and anxiety your dogs may be feeling. You can monitor their behavior, learn about your new dog’s habits, and intercept any potential problems. Doing so will help the transition, and your future time together will be much smoother. Spending time with your new and existing dog is important. However, not everyone has the luxury of taking a few days or a week off to hang out with the dogs. In these instances, try to spend as much time with them as possible—especially when you’re not working. For example, avoid scheduling activities during your nonwork hours—unless you plan to take your dogs with you! Same with vacations—try to avoid taking them and being away from your dogs for extended periods for the first few months. Again, it seems excessive, but the more time you can spend with your dogs, the smoother the transition and bonding process will be for you and the dogs.

      2: Socialization

      Lily Bella—A Social Butterfly

      Lily Bella is a Pit Bull mix who was found as a stray.

      Is there such a thing as too much cuteness? Not when you‘re a mixed-breed named Lily Bella, who melts your heart when you look at her. Her cute, intelligent face coupled with an elegant, compact sleekness makes you think there’s a little (or a lot) of hound and terrier milling about in her DNA. This endearing little gal may not possess the characteristic “pit bull“ brawn, but no doubt her inherited strength, tenacity, and intelligence kept her alive when she and her littermate brother were dumped and left to fend for themselves.

      As is common in plenty of economically struggling communities, animals (especially dogs) are regularly and casually discarded at vacant lots, parks, or on roadsides. As with many strays, the process started with a telephone call to animal control: two puppies living under an abandoned house. Possibly someone moved away and left them behind, but the house appeared to have been abandoned for a good long time. Nothing indicated or hinted that their canine mom was ever present. Most mama dogs rarely leave their puppies unless it is in search of food, and even then they are seldom far away. No one recalls seeing a mama dog—ever. All evidence suggests that the littermates, barely old enough to be weaned, had been dumped. What happened to mama is anyone‘s guess. The potential scenarios are too heartbreaking to imagine.

      How long the puppies had been on their own remains equally perplexing and elusive. Thin and sickly in appearance, the puppies should have been carefree bundles of sweetness romping in green grass and summer sun, yet their life was cowering under the house during the

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