Chained for Life

Chained by the neck, they exist without respect, love, exercise, social interaction, and sometimes even basic nourishment. They live as prisoners, yet long to be pets. Yes, we are talking about pets and mainly dogs.

Chaining is not only inhumane for dogs, but has taken a severe toll on this nation’s children as well. In the period from October 2003 through June 2008, there were at least 214 children killed or seriously injured by chained dogs across the country. Chained dogs, unsocialized with humans, can become very territorial of their tiny space, and any two year old who wanders into this space can be attacked and killed before adults can intervene. A recent attack in Texas in March, 2007 left 2 year old Carolina Sotello dead from head and neck wounds. She was attacked and killed by an unneutered male dog chained in the backyard, next to an unspayed female with puppies.

Would you for one second choose to live the life of these dogs? No matter what reason is given, the bottom line is that it is NOT ok to chain a dog for life. Dogs should not have to live chained or penned as prisoners, yearning for a place in a family, craving acknowledgement, respect, and love. They DESERVE BETTER, and we as caretakers have the obligation to provide it for them.

Please consider today how you can help the dogs in your neighborhood. If you see a chained dog or a penned dog daily, it is time to take action.

And please visit our new web site - www.saveamericaspets.org - for more information on how you can be a part of the solution.

No-Show Policy

From No-Show/No-Call:
I have a customer who called for an appointment and now has too many no-show/no-calls on record. When I brought this to his attention, he told me that my receptionist must have made a mistake.

I told him that he will have to become a pre-pay customer and that it is nothing personal, just business. He very rudely informed me that he should not be penalized for my receptionist being so dumb. Now what?

Dear No-Show,
When you want to rent a car, or a hotel room, or an airline ticket, they make you guarantee or pay up front. It is a standard practice.We give our customers the benefit of the doubt, so they get one chance to no-show/no-call.

If they want to make an appointment after the first no-show, we explain our cancellation policy to them. All no-show/no-call clients are asked for a credit card to hold their next appointment. Appointments may be cancelled with a 24 hour notice or they will be charged for the missed appointment.

We not only mail them a reminder card one week prior, but also call the night before. Just knowing this, they call and reschedule or cancel as they do not want to be charged. I honestly can’t remember ever charging anyone because it works.

New Posts - Same Old Grooming Problems

Greetings! I am starting this blog to support my new site - SAGE Advice. It will feature questions from the pet grooming community and answers from the SAGE. Over the years, I have become a Salon and Grooming Expert - a SAGE. I would like to share my experience with pet groomers and stylists around the world. Here is a question I received about BITING.

Dear SAGE - The new groomer got a bad bite today!
I feel so sorry for her, she has only been working here for a week. We got this 15 year old husky mix in and the owner told us to shave her down. I was already doing a shave down on a big dog so I told the new groomer she could do this one. The owner handed the dog over and walked out without a word. The whole time she was grooming this dog it was snapping and complaining, I finaly told her to muzzle it and after that everything was fine.

The owners teen son shows to get the dog, the next thing I know the groomer is coming to the front with a towel wrapped around her hand asking for the owner to get the dog out of the cage. He goes back lets the dog out and leaves (as she is bleeding through the towel!) Not even a sorry. When she reached in to get the dog it bit her hand putting a canine tooth right through the tender part of her hand (between the thumb and index finger).

Dear Bitten - PLEASE REMEMBER - Dogs protect their den!

Sorry for the bite. We need to teach all our employees especially the new ones, "Bite Abatement". If we do not, we are asking for trouble.

I have also said that you have to work with the dog's natural instincts and never let your guard down. Reaching into a kennel is like reaching for a dog's food while they are eating. Dogs are den animals. In the wild they would dig a den and protect it with their lives. That is why they go under the bed or end table when it is storming out.

You can get some dogs into a kennel but try and get them out and they will bite, protecting their den (space). We see the whole demeanor of the dog change once they pass the threshhold of the kennel door. It is like night and day. I believe that this is called "Kennel Shy."

A lot of dogs are like this and I believe that it is worse during certain times of the year, like breeding season, the full moon. We hang a kennel lead outside the cage with a dog known to be "Kennel Shy" so we can pull them out without having to go in. We will also do this with any new client until we know they are ok to handle in the kennel.

Instinct is strong, work with it or it will bite you. Keep a rabies pole on hand. Bite gloves can be used for those first time clients.

Some tips include:

Never put your face within biting distance.

Let the owner hand off the lead so you may gain control before picking up the dog.

Hold the lead so you may pull the dogs muzzle away from your face.

Never "corner" a dog with it's owner. Have the owner lead the dog into the shop and hand it off instead of dragging the dog away from the owner.

Keep a kennel lead by each kennel so you may avoid beibg bitten when you try to pull the dog out.

If you are afraid of the dog get another to handle it. Chew some gum. They smell your fear in your breath!

Bites can be avoided with understanding and training. We put safety first with new employees. I have an employee who was a vet tech and went to pick up a dog from a customer. The dog jumped up and bit her on the lips, not badly, but she realized that being in a hurry is no excuse for bite awareness and incorrect handling.