Richmond SPCA Blog

Katie Manning Memorial Scholarship will provide dog training in memory of a beloved companion

Earlier this month a dear supporter of the Richmond SPCA, Pat Manning, experienced the goodbye every person who has loved a pet dreads. Pat’s dear companion Katie passed away after a short but courageous battle with cancer.

Katie could not have been a luckier dog. In Pat she found the type of guardian we wish for every homeless pet to encounter, and their meeting was entirely by chance. Pat took Katie into her home when the young shepherd mix was left behind by a neighbor who moved away. Where some would have seen a dog with too much energy and too little focus, Pat saw a need for training and provided it. Together they enrolled in classes at the Richmond SPCA where Katie’s eagerness to learn began to shine and her bond with Pat grew stronger. Last fall when we launched the Richmond SPCA School for Dogs, Katie was soon enrolled in the program.

Katie’s vivacious spirit comes through in the video below.

As a tribute to this dog who was loved so well and learned with such zeal, we have created the Katie Manning Memorial Scholarship Fund that will provide access to training services that will benefit future dogs like her, keeping them in their homes and building stronger bonds with their guardians. To make a contribution in her memory visit www.richmondspca.org/donate and select "Katie Manning Memorial Scholarship Fund" as the designation for your gift. 

If you've experienced the loss of a pet, the pet loss counseling group at the VCU School of Medicine's Center for Human-Animal Interaction can provide support. Call 804-827-PAWS or visit them online. 

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Tabitha Frizzell Hanes is the director of communications for the Richmond SPCA. Video editing by Eric Steigleder, community relations coordinator. 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.

Save your shoes, and your wallet, by giving your puppy a good start through Richmond SPCA training classes

“Oh, my goodness I have forgotten how hard this is…”

Those are words I hear repeated time and time again from my students attending puppy class. So, why is it so hard?

To start, puppies are just so darn cute and irresistible. Coming home after a long day at work they make you feel like sunshine on a cloudy day. The excited barking, the jumping and love nibbles are just their way of saying “I missed you so much!” And then it happens… what was once irresistible, adorable puppy behavior turns into unacceptable behavior. The last straw may be the day you walk into a room, after only being gone for ten minutes, and your puppy latches onto your favorite shoes, or jumps up and tears into your stockings, or clamps onto your pant leg where his needle-like teeth make a nice bite-sized hole... But, all he was saying was “I missed you so much!”

Puppy class to the rescue! The Richmond SPCA offers TWO puppy classes: Good Start Puppy Class for puppies 9 weeks to 4 months old and Surviving Adolescence for puppies 4 to 6 months old.

What we know is that puppies learn best with positive reinforcement and frequent repetition, and that it’s often we, the owners, who confuse our pets by not being clear and consistent about what is expected of them. With this in mind, each class is geared to teach owners how to communicate more effectively with their puppies. It’s our job to show you how training your puppy can be FUN AND EFFECTIVE for humans and their highly distractible puppies – remember, if you’re not having fun, neither is your puppy!

To date, we have graduated hundreds of puppies from the Richmond SPCA program. Classes are held weekly at the Children’s Museum in Short Pump – log on to www.richmondspca.org/classes to learn more about each class and register today.

Jackie Laubacker, CPDT-KA, is a behavior and training specialist 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.  

Treibball, a German sport for dogs, makes its debut at the Richmond SPCA!

It may be hard to spell and difficult to pronounce, but Treibball is a great way to train and spend time with your dog! Developed in Germany, Treibball (correctly pronounced "Try-Ball") is a sport that combines intensive training, team work and cooperation. The ultimate goal is to have your dog move a group of large balls, placed at various points around the room, into a net behind you, using only their muzzle. And while the final result may appear flawless, the sport of Treiball takes dedication and a lot of practice. If you're interested in enrolling in the beginner's class, watch the video below to get a short introduction to the training process, as narrated by trainer Donna Anderson:

 

The next Beginner Treibball class begins Thursday, Nov. 17 at 4:45 p.m. Visit www.richmondspca.org/classes to enroll. 

Eric Steigleder is the community relations coordinator 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.  

Alumni Feature: For Gus and Esmerelda, it's puppy love

Earlier this month, the Richmond SPCA School for Dogs was launched. It's an innovative training option that allows families to drop their dogs off at our training annex, where they spend two days each week with our trainers working on an individualized instruction plan. 

Two of our first students are also Richmond SPCA alumni, adopted from our Robins-Starr Humane Center. Gus was adopted by Pat Manning in 2008, the year he also starred in our Meet Your Match ad campaign. Esmerelda found her second chance earlier this year when she was rescued from a dog fighting ring before joining the family of Bart and Dawn Hinkle. The scruffy terrier and the timid pit bull have taken quite a liking to one another. See for yourselves! 

Eric Steigleder is the community relations coordinator 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. 

Introducing the brand new Richmond SPCA School for Dogs (with video tour!)

The new Richmond SPCA School for Dogs seeks to educate, train and socialize your pup! Our professional dog training staff will be offering instruction every Monday and Wednesday in the training annex, our newly spruced-up facility right beside the Robins-Star Humane Center. The building, which used to be Lakeside Appliance, has now been converted into well-equipped dog training area. Our trainers will be offering a custom-tailored lesson plan to fit your goals for your pet. Dogs will be enrolled for four-week sessions, two days a week. At the end of each day of training, owners will receive a video of their dog's progress through the program to facilitate ongoing training at home. There will be an open house on Oct. 8 to give you an opportunity to tour the facility and meet the trainers involved. We hope to see you there!

Below is a video tour of the facility guided by our chief of education and training Sarah Babcock. To let us know you’re coming to the open house, call Gail Bird Necklace at 804-521-1332 or email her at gbirdnecklace@richmondspca.org.

Eric Steigleder is the interim community relations coordinator 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. 

QUESTION: Which of the following pet behavior and training services are offered for free at the Richmond SPCA?

1. Discussions with one of our trainers over the phone via our Behavior Helpline (804) 643-7722. 

2. On-line documents covering common behavior challenges and solutions at http://www.richmondspca.org/behavior. 

3. Guidance provided via e-mail by writing to behaviorhelpline@richmondspca.org.

4. Face-to-face 1-hour consults for you and your pet with one of our trainers.

5. Educational presentations to small groups.

ANSWER:  All of them.

We do ask that people make a $20 donation to the Richmond SPCA for a face-to-face behavior consult, making it the best deal in town. However, keeping pets in their current homes is one of our primary goals. So, if your family could benefit from a face-to-face consult with one of our trainers, please don't hesitate to call. We also welcome contributions to make these consults available for pet guardians regardless of ability to pay. We want to do everything we can to provide educational, training or behavior modification services that help improve your relationship with your pet.

Feel FREE to contact us.

Marie Tripton is a senior behavior and training specialist at the Richmond SPCA. To read Marie's biography and those 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.

What Makes a Good Therapy Dog?

• T = trained
  The dog should understand basic cues like sit, down, come, stay and leave it, and have basic skills like leash walking.
• H = healthy
  The dog should be fit, healthy and up-to-date on shots, worming and other preventative care.
• E = enthusiastic about the job
  The dog should genuinely like meeting new people in new places.
• R = reliable in the face of distractions
  Additionally, dogs should not rattled by noises, movement, unexpected events, etc.
• A = accepting of handling and petting by strangers (clumsy or awkward as it may be)
• P = prepared
  The dog should have his nails trimmed and be clean and neatly groomed before visits. A dog who is willing to ride in cars, able to ride in elevators and go through automatic doors is well prepared for the environment he will enter.
• Y = you
  Because every therapy dog is part of a team, the handler needs to enjoy and be good at the job too.

Do you Think you and your best friend have what it takes? Come to the Richmond SPCA Therapy Dog Workshop on Sept. 10 to find out more!

Sarah Babcock is the chief of education and training 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. 

Previous therapy dog posts:
Alumni Feature: Sara Lee brings love and comfort to hospital patients 
A therapy dog’s perspective – to him it’s “People Therapy” 
Grateful facilities praise the work of therapy dogs

Summer programs let hundreds of area children camp with the critters at the Richmond SPCA

It’s hard to believe that Labor Day weekend is already here, and students will soon begin the new school year. Over the course of the summer, our Humane Education team has provided hours upon hours of education and enrichment for area students, not to mention an immeasurable amount of fun. Last week was the final session of our 2011 summer programs, which presented an all new creative line up for kids from age 5 through 18. 

In 10 weeks of camp we held 19 camp sessions including...

Feline Fun

 

Canine Capers

Dogs with Jobs

More Dogs with Jobs

Junior Dog Trainers

At Your Service

... and more, including the first ever Veterinary Career Observation Program (but that deserves its own post). 

In all, that’s a total of 439 campers! Thanks to all of the families who made humane education at the Richmond SPCA part of your children's summer. 

Thanks to generous donations, we were able to offer scholarships to 15 of our campers this summer. If you would like to support humane education programs like these, please click here and select Snap's Community Education Fund as the designation. 

Can’t get enough of camp photos? Look for additional photos on our Flickr account (coming soon). 

Photos by Sarah Babcock, Phyllis Harris, Lisa Clarke and Tabitha Hanes. 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.  

Working dogs demonstrate intelligence and devotion to duty during "Dogs with Jobs" camp

One of the newest additions to the Richmond SPCA's lineup of summer programming for children is "Dogs with Jobs," and the first session, held the week of July 6-8, captured the attention of the 27 campers who attended. Staff who could take a short break from their work often filled the back of the Track & Training Center to catch a glimpse of the fascinating working dog presentations. The dogs and handlers who presented in July will return to the Richmond SPCA for another sold-out session the week of Aug. 17; however we have an all new roster next week, Aug. 10-12, and there's still time to register your kids to see presentations from agility dogs, acting dogs, service dogs and more. 

Here's a look at the guest speakers and their amazing working dogs who made the first Dogs with Jobs session such a success. 

Officer AJ Jackson explains how tracking dogs are trained and used by the Richmond Police Department. During this three-day session in July, Critter Campers learned about the variety of working and service dogs and how they perform their jobs. Each day featured four presentations from guest speakers such as Officer Jackson.

Officer Jackson and his pal Hopper demonstrated their bond along with the many skills that are required of tracking dogs. 

 
Hopper, a tracking dog for the Richmond Police Department, searches to find a scent among the crowd of campers. 

 
Hopper receives his reward – a squirt of canned cheese – for "finding" camper Devlin Montgomery. Devlin volunteered for the demonstration and gave his hat for Hopper to get his scent.  

Liberty, a black lab mix, works with Hanover County Fire & EMS on their search and rescue team. As an Urban Search & Rescue dog, one of Liberty's main duties is to search for people who remain alive and stuck in rubble after a building is destroyed. 

Vernon Frayser and Liberty perform Search & Rescue for Hanover County Fire & EMS; they also enjoy meeting with children and demonstrating their teamwork. 

Carol Maupin, who specializes in training obedience dogs, lets her dog Topper show off for the crowd of kids. Topper is a Belgian Shepherd Tervuren who followed Carol's commands through different obedience trials to showcase his skills. 

Topper retrieves and returns a tool to his handler and trainer, Carol, demonstrating his willingness to retreive most anything. 

The Richmond Police Department's K9 Corps brought Vadar to teach the campers about patrol dogs. Sergeant Bohannan explained …

Liberty visits with a group of campers. 

Officer Robin Robinson with her dog Bo, who is a narcotics detection dog. 

Bunny Wilks (far right) and Ephriam Seidman train puppies and prepare them to be Guiding Eyes. This yellow lab, Vera, will be a service dog for the sight impaired when she gets older.

Hunter is a working dog employed by Loyal Pest Control to detect termites. 

Susan Markam explains freestyle frisbee competition as her dog Ripper waits eagerly to begin the demonstration. 

Ripper is shown in a mid-air catch of a disc thrown by Susan. 

Susan Markam poses with Ripper, who is training for frisbee competition, and Hurricane, a retired champion disc dog, and the campers who attended Dogs With Jobs in July. 

Photographs by Sarah Babcock, Lisa Clarke and Tabitha Hanes. 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.

Non-stop 90 minutes of pet behavior assistance provided on Call 12

When I spoke to NBC 12 Special Projects Producer Jennifer Warnick two weeks ago about featuring the Richmond SPCA’s animal behavior experts on Call 12, it was a “Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” moment. Following the experience of fielding 55 pet behavior calls in the span of 90 minutes on Wednesday evening, I think the five behavior and training experts who staffed the Call 12 lines all agree that it was a perfect match.

Calls came through the Call 12 lines non-stop from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and questions covered a wide range of pet behavior issues. Callers asked about topics including cats who aren’t using the litter box, pets with anxiety, dogs and puppies who’ve chewed their owners’ possessions, fearful pets, dogs nipping at children, destructive behavior and more. The common thread is that many people love their pets dearly but just need some guidance in order to work on problems as they arise.

Sarah Babcock, Richmond SPCA chief of education and training, said, “Lots of callers seem to have tried to address problems before calling us, but many had been given outdated or downright odd training advice. All were VERY grateful for our help and happy to get the behavior helpline phone number and email so that they could contact us again in the future!”  

Many callers who spoke with trainers through Call 12 asked for follow-up calls to continue developing a training plan for their pets, and our staff will likely schedule in-person consults for a few. We provide the Behavior Helpline at no charge and only suggest a $20 donation for one-on-one consultations with our trainers because we want to help guardians develop better relationships with their pets.

Behaviorist Marie Tripton often responds to helpline calls and emails from people who are already in dire straits over a pet issue, and this is something she hopes will change. “I’d like people to think of us as the organization who would like to help you love your pet.  You don’t have to wait until your pet actually bites someone, you can contact us if your dog is barking when the doorbell rings or hard to walk on leash, or if your cat starts hiding from visitors.”

Whether they were giving general guidance on the basics of pet behavior or sharing ideas to address specific unwanted behaviors, the trainers who volunteered at Call 12 said the experience of providing advice and resources to NBC 12 viewers was both fun and rewarding.

To learn more about the behavior resources offered at the Richmond SPCA, visit www.richmondspca.org/behavior, call 804-643-SPCA or email behaviorhelpline@richmondspca.org. 

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.