Richmond SPCA Blog

Call 12 with your pet behavior questions tonight on NBC 12

You may have seen our adoption commercial that encourages you to "Meet your soulmate at the Richmond SPCA," but did you know that that well-mannered, scene stealing dog is one of our own alumni? Gus found his forever home with Pat Manning of Richmond, but as perfect as Pat's love for Gus is, he's not always as perfectly behaved as he was in this 30-second spot: 

Pat recognized that she needed help to develop a training plan for Gus, and she turned to the Richmond SPCA's Behavior Helpline. Tune in tonight at 5 p.m. on NBC 12 to see Pat's story. Members of our behavior and training team will be staffing the Call 12 lines (804-345-1212) to take your pet behavior questions until 6:30 p.m. 

Whether it's a cat or dog whose less than perfect conduct is causing you distress, our resources are at your disposal. A call or email to the Behavior Helpline, 804-643-SPCA or behaviorhelpline@richmondspca.org, is a free service that we offer through Project Safety Net. Our behaviorists will return your call or email and work with you to develop a training plan that focuses on modifying behavior through positive reinforcement. 

Tabitha Hanes is the director of communications at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Sizing up the right dog

Among my “guilty” pleasures are the home shows on HGTV and TLC. Since I rent in an apartment in the Fan, maybe the pleasure lies in the fact that anything that requires improvement or repair isn’t my responsibility, so I can sit idly on a Saturday and watch other people’s headaches instead. One of my favorites of these shows is “House Hunters International,” and an episode I saw recently featured a couple’s search for an apartment to buy in Paris. I don’t bring this up because of the three tiny apartments they were shown, or the magnificent views of the city, but it was, of course, their dog that caught my attention.

After the couple decided to purchase an apartment that would be considered almost inconceivably small by American standards, they were shown walking through a Parisian park with their adorably large black lab. What a difference in attitude! I’ve often been surprised by visitors to our center who state, “We’re looking for an inside dog,” after walking past wonderful dogs who are already housetrained and know basic manners. It’s not the personality or training or anything about the dogs’ behavior that have cause them to be passed by, only their size.

It’s not a fenced yard in suburbia that a dog like the adorable 50 lbs. Shelby longs for. An attentive owner who will take her on leashed walks and rub her belly while she lies at his feet would be a much better match. Providing enrichment for a dog of any size is part of giving her a loving home. In Richmond, there are a great number of options to make that one of the most enjoyable things about having a dog. Flyball anyone? How about dog parks? Giving your dog exercise and stimulation isn't just good for him. It’s good for the human too! 

Tabitha Hanes is the community relations manager at the Richmond SPCA. To read her complete biography, or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before submitting a comment, please review our guidelines.

Find your soul mate at the Richmond SPCA

As you’ve watched TV in the last week, we hope you’ve seen our adoption advertising campaign, or maybe you’ve viewed it on YouTube. It’s a fun campaign that first launched two summers ago, and it still makes me smile each time I see it. The creative concept was conceived by the excellent team at Barber Martin Agency, which has been providing pro-bono creative services to the Richmond SPCA since 2004. Park Production Group of Richmond produced the spot, and it features terrific local actors – including one of our own alumni. Gus the dog belongs to Pat Manning, a member of our Board of Directors. He was adopted from the Robins-Starr Humane Center in 2008 and trained by our own behavior team to perform in the commercial.

It seems obvious that we would choose a romantic partner, roommate or even friend based on more than looks alone. If you’re going to spend any amount of time with a person, being compatible in areas like manners and common interests becomes much more important. The same is true of our pets, and our compatibility survey – known as Meet Your Match – helps adopters examine their lifestyle and other needs to find the right match. Is your home like a library? We can find the “secret admirer” kitty who won’t disturb the peace. Are you an avid runner? Maybe that “couch potato” dog isn’t your best fit, but we can point you toward a “go getter” who will help set the pace for your nightly run. Want your dog to delicately take a treat like the adorable Gus shares a French fry? Well, for that we’ll put you in touch with our training team who can start you out with a Canine Manners class and continue on through our Making Fido Famous program to learn fancier tricks.

We hope you'll share the commercial with your friends on Facebook or with your Twitter followers (shortened URL: http://ht.ly/2f6VJ), as well as the ease of our compatibility survey (http://ht.ly/2gQ6t). Help us spread the word - adoption is the best option, and your soul mate is waiting for you at the Richmond SPCA!

Tabitha Hanes is the community relations manager at the Richmond SPCA. To read her complete biography, or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before submitting a comment, please review our guidelines.