September 14, 2009
This is almost a preview of the Ad Council’s upcoming PSA campaign, the Shelter Pet Project! (The campaign launches 9/24 — in conjunction with HSUS and Maddie’s Fund.) Make adoption your first option!
Vodpod videos no longer available.
February 9, 2009
So many dog-mags, so little time to read them all!
In my “spare” time that is what I do — read dog magazines. #1 on my list for “culture” (since 1997; I have an almost complete collection!) has always been The Bark (taglines “Dog is my co-pilot” and “the New Yorker for dog lovers”; lots of content available free online). More recently, there’s a slew of new and not-so-new pubs on the market: American Dog (target market predecessors: Colorado Dog and Chicago Dog), Baltimore Dog (not related to American Dog or its affiliates), and NovaDog (not that much local content to start out other than the calendar; focus is almost 100% on Northern Virginia and the District, little or nothing on suburban Maryland). Older dog lifestyle pubs include Modern Dog (since 2003), and Fido Friendly (also since 2003; for travels with your pooch). These are all supported by advertising and take a hip, upscale approach to “life with dog.”
For health and behavior, my #1 choice is the Whole Dog Journal (selected content available free online; other online content for paid subscribers only). Other faves for health are two newsletters from vet schools — DogWatch from Cornell, and Your Dog from Tufts (index and selected articles archived online). While there’s often some repetition as assorted stories take prominence depending on research announcements and breaking news, I like getting the reinforcement of content from multiple sources. All three of these are independent to one degree or another, i.e., not supported by advertising. The two vet school publishers naturally highlight their own vets; the good news is that the writing is consumer-friendly and informative rather than forcing you to take their word as gospel. WDJ is completely independent, giving their writers 100% free range to be critical thinkers. All three are more than favorably disposed toward positive training, especially WDJ.
If you’re in the (companion) animal welfare world, there’s Animal Sheltering Magazine (lots of content available free online), published by The Humane Society of the US. If you’re in that world, you already understand that shelters and rescue organizations around the country are not connected to HSUS in any kind of parent-organization-and-chapters structure. HSUS does provide support and guidance, and AS often does so through thoughtful, in-depth feature discussions. You may not always agree with their conclusions; regardless, the discussion is plentiful to prompt your own thinking even more. If you’re not already a staffer or volunteer with an animal organization, AS will give you some keen insights into the joys and challenges of this type of work.
I would love to hear from editors, publishers and readers around the country about other magazines and significant newsletters in your geographic areas. Is anyone holding local animal care organizations (think shelters, rescues, animal control, nonprofits, etc.) up for scrutiny? I’m not talking about coverage in your local media such as newspapers, TV and online. I’m talking about hard copy magazines whose content focus is dogs. I want to know who’s being looked at under the magnifying glass, why, and how the outcome of such investigation is evolving. Not just the fun lifestyle stuff, but things like shelter management, how the animals are being treated (or not), community success (or failure) in finding a good balance between animal and human populations. In other words, who cares enough to identify local problems and report on them regularly through specialty publications? Is there a market for that kind of content anywhere?
February 3, 2009
I finally got to see Hotel for Dogs. After helping to staff a table for the Montgomery County Humane Society at three area theaters when the film first opened, at last it was my turn to actually see the picture. And it was a lot of fun!
As with Marley, there are a few flaws in the concept, but overall it’s a family-friendly “tail” of entertainment that ends on a clever note. In this case, the flaw is the way the local “pound” is depicted — run by men who are uncaring, and focusing simply on getting unwanted dogs off the streets and out of people’s way as fast as possible, rather than on compassion and giving strays a chance at being matched with a new, loving family. There’s a reference as the plot builds to a “no kill” shelter just across the county line, but no explanation that not all pounds are shelters, and vice versa, let alone that there’s even such a thing as an open admission shelter that can be no kill. But I understand that omission — that’s a discussion that is truthfully beyond the scope of this kid pic and one I hope to take up later in this blog.
So the discerning viewer should consider these two aspects: Entertainment value (high for its target audience), and bottom line — whether the human characters do right by the canines (ultimately, yes). What’s not to love about a cast of dozens of multicultural dogs who’ve been so perfectly trained to behave as a team? They not only sit, bark, and high five on cue, they also take care of bidness together. The Hotel ultimately gets converted into a high end adoption center, boarding facility, and retail pet supply shop all in one, and even the kids (Emma Roberts, Jake Austin) get a happy ending when their social worker (Don Cheadle) and his wife adopt them.
There’s also an abundance of product placement advertising for Pedigree dog food, which made me wonder a couple of times if I was watching a feature-length commercial that happened to have a story wrapped around it. Nevertheless, Pedigree is to be commended for its campaign to promote pet adoptions from shelters — a theme reflected in the commercials developed for Super Bowl.
In a nuanced way, Hotel offers up a critique not only of those animal facilities that are inhumane, but also of the foster child system in the U.S. If we can learn that animals’ lives are not to throw away, then surely we can act on the underlying theme that children’s lives also are to to throw away. We still have a lot to learn about the human-animal bond, how to foster and protect it.
Our rating: 8.7 kongs
January 8, 2009
<Note: The following assumes you’ve seen the movie or read the book!>
Launching at last! With the spate of flicks about dogs, this is the opportune time to let the pups loose. Starting with Marley and Me, I love all the attention canines are commanding this season, especially the emphasis from the producers and theaters on promoting adoption.
OK, so John Grogan didn’t adopt Marley the ideal way. His journalist colleague was clueless about everything that caring for an animal involves. The breeder wasn’t what I’d call responsible, i.e., she didn’t screen the Grogans as prospective owners in terms of their knowledge of the breed’s characteristics, the extra work raising a puppy entails, and the couple’s capability to adapt their lifestyle while getting the right kind of training for that particular doggone-ality.
And the Grogans completely missed that training boat. Let this be a lesson to all you first-time dog owners! Want to know a secret? Positive is the magic word! Positive trainers show you how to get your furry friend to do what you want because the animal wants to, not because of fear of what might happen otherwise. Don’t be misled by TV program wizards who are more about entertainment and short-term results. If you want a pet you can live with for the animal’s entire life — and this is what is meant by responsible animal caregiving — plan to put in a little extra time, love and affection to get optimal results. Your pet will thank you, and you’ll thank yourself for making that kind of commitment!
Despite these flaws, Marley is a fun flick for all ages. The best thing is that we get to experience the family’s emotional growth and intuitively rewarding the human-animal bond. In the end, they do the right things for Marley for the right reasons, love chief among them. World’s worst dog? Not this guy.
Our rating: 8.5 kongs
Tie-ins with the American Humane Association to promote adoption! Yessss!
Check out these other must-know resources for info on positive training and animal behavior:
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Next up: Hotel for Dogs, opening soon!
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