One thing that we do at Redwood Pals Rescue is to work with the dogs at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter that have not yet passed their shelter temperament testing. Sometimes these dogs are very shy, or overwhelmed by the barking and activity of the shelter. Handling them gently, bringing them goodies and exposing them…
Dogtown: Entertaining games to keep your pup occupied
I mentioned recently that we had some visitors from the Shelter Playgroup Alliance come present a workshop at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter. These folks are trainers from the Bay Area who specialize in helping volunteers and staff to provide enrichment activities for dogs at animal shelters. Most of the activities can be put together at…
Dogtown: Sweet Tater never fails to entertain
I’m writing this week from the middle of a fascinating workshop presented by a group called the Shelter Playgroup Alliance. They have come here to share their experience with various forms of enrichment for shelter dogs, including how to safely create playgroups for the dogs so that they get to have social time with their…
Dogtown: Jax, an adventurer, and Otis, a distinguished gentleman
How are your pets doing with all this warm weather? I know my dogs sure enjoyed the opportunity to go for a swim in the Mad River the other evening. Well, some swam; others just dipped their toes, but they were all pleasantly surprised that the humans decided on an early evening outing! The shelter…
Dogtown: Don’t over-console your pet during the ‘end of the world’
The Fourth of July, or as some pets call it, “the end of the world,” is just a day away. I ran a few tips for keeping your animals safe last week. Here are a few more. Fireworks and matches can be toxic to pets so make sure all the garbage gets swept up and…
Dogtown: Get pally with survivors Allie and Mali
We’ve mentioned the shelter’s Emergency Medical Fund (EMF) here before. It is independent of the shelter and run by Friends for Life Animal Rescue. The EMF was created to provide funds for necessary veterinary procedures that are outside of the shelter’s limited budget. Like so many charities, December is the big giving month and by…
Dogtown: A glorious dog day at the Kinetic races
Hi everyone. Hank here, to give you this year’s dog’s eye perspective on the Kinetic Sculpture Race. My favorite sculpture is Sparky, who looks a lot like me. My humans have been participating in the race with Sparky for four years now. They all like dogs, especially Mom, and they decided that putting a dog…
Dogtown: Bomb-proof pups enter Kinetic race
Sparky the Kinetic Foster Dog will be riding in the Kinetic Sculpture Race again this weekend! Sparky will be accompanied by several adoptable dogs at the Arcata Plaza on Saturday. These will be what we think of as the bomb-proof dogs, as there usually are several thousand onlookers at the start of the race! Look…
Dogtown: This amazing dog will blossom with some TLC
Redwood Pals Rescue has the lovely Holly available for adoption. Does she look familiar? She is the daughter of Rosie, a shelter dog who was featured here recently. Mother and daughter look very similar. Holly was in the care of Redwood Pals when she was just a pup, along with her mother and siblings. We…
Dogtown: A sturdy Mamacita and a pair of pocket pups
We have had lots of adoptions this past week! It is always so rewarding to see the dogs go off to new homes, especially the ones who have been at the shelter or in foster homes for a while. We can really see the positive effects of the training and socialization that the dogs get…