I get emotional every time we get a new foster dog or I help with recieving dogs at a rescue transport. Because I have to realize. Each one of them Someone decided they were disposable. But I also look at it as those people have now lost out on the oppourtunity to experience the unconditional love these dogs are capable of. And the people who adopt them are very lucky people. I always try to find a way to tell them that in a PC way. You are the only person other than me that says they carry a dog first aid kit. But I always carry a quite advanced first aid kit in all our vehicles. So it was not very hard to add a few dog specific items. I had to get permission from my Fire Chief. But he allowed me to put 2 sizes of dog oxygen masks on our Aid Car. Which their can be several different reasons a dog my need O2. And usually it is due to an exposure issue. That a few minuets of pure O2 can clear up. And yes I have taken a dog CPR course. But being certified in High Performanc CPR as an EMS provider. The only difference is how to position your patient. Secureing the airway is also similar. But with a dog they are on their side. And you need to make sure their toung is not falling back and blocking the airway. And FYI. If you have a large and a small (Small Animal) O2 mask. That will take care of almost all dogs. And for those who know what I am talking about. If you have what is called a Pocket Mask. Which is used to safely give mouth to mouth respirations to people. You can take the removable one way valve off of the Pocket Mask. And it will fit on the Small Animal O2 masks. To make your mouth to snoot attempts on a dog. Even more efficient. Ok, sorry my comment is too long.
You give great advice on that Pocket Mask. Thank you for that idea and for advocating for animal friendly equipment to be carried on your truck. That really needs to be standard issue for all fire departments. It could save so many lives and broken hearts. How would you go about getting that as just a part of the required equipment for all stations country wide?
It would be very hard to get it mandated as a piece of equipment on alll EMS (Emergency Medical Services) BLS (Basic Life Support) units. Which include all Aid Units and private ambulance service units. And ALS (Advance Life Support) Units. Which include all Paramedic units. Because the primary reason eather or both are available in municiple fire departments or County Fire Districts. Are for responding to human life support. But a very high number of fire departments and fire districts. Already carry them on the Aid and Paramedic units. You will see several videos of pets that were saved out of a structural fire. That the firefighters are administrating oxygen to them. You do not absolutly need the small animal O2 mask to administer O2 to a dog, cat or other pet. Depending on the size of the animal you can use an adult or pediatric O2 mask and just hold it close to their snoot. But the small animal O2 mask is more efficient. The other thing that everyone needs to consider. Is that the pets may not tolerate the mask being placed on their snoot. In which case you must use the same method and just hold it close to the snoot.
Very good to know! There’s also an important acupuncture/acupressure point on both dogs and humans (maybe cats too but I don’t know) that can have amazing results at restoring life. On humans it’s by that dent at the base of the nose where the nose joins the top of the gums. Similar position on dogs. Not that it works in every case, but it’s always worth a try if your animal (or human) has collapsed. Whole Dog Journal talked about using this on dogs, for one. We found out about it after we lost my Labrador, Brigid, to a sudden heart attack in November 2021. My husband did CPR, but it was no use. She went the way she needed to go, quietly at home surrounded by love, but I’ll always wonder if we could’ve saved her had we known then.
I also need to make a correction on the idea of the pocket mask one way valve fitting on the small animal O2 masks. It may not fit on all of them. I have only checked it on one manufacturers mask and I cannot remember the manufacturer of the one we have on our Aid Unit. But if you have a small animal O2 mask and a one way valve for a pocket mask. Adapting it to fit should only require using a piece of clear plastic hose to addapt the fit. Which needs to be figured out when you get the masks. Not just when you need to use it.
All of mine were rescues, too, and my Anatolian Shepherd was even declared "Unadoptable" before the wonderful people at NASRN got him. (He wasn't unadoptable. He is an Anatolian. These are wonderful animals but definitely not the dogs for everyone!)
Some of our loss prevention is basic things like not being allowed outside of the house or dog yard without a leash attached to a human and a fence that is at least four feet tall. Physical fencing only. Never invisible. No doggie doors. EVER. I don't want them outside without us home. None of ours are escape artists, but at our last house, we rimmed the yard with heavy poles to discourage digging.
We have them travel in harnesses belted into the vehicle with limited range of motion, i.e. not allowed in the driver's compartment, for safety.
We bought all of them BreakAway collars by Chinook. We did not want our pups to be without a collar at all for loss prevention. But neither did we want them to be in a standard collar, get stuck, and be killed. This is the best of both worlds.
These collars will "break" when stress like getting their head stuck in a fence or bush, in rough play, or under something occurs. They are not expensive, and THEY WORK.
We just had a crisis or loss prevented when one of ours actually BROKE broke his. He probably thrust his Hound nose through the fence and his neck followed, then got stuck. The collar generally just breaks apart and can be put back together, so for this to break indicates there was enough stress on the collar to have caused him to strangle in a "normal" collar.
Three of ours have microchips, but the one is an old microchip. We tried to get a new one, but the vet refused saying there was no way of knowing which would be scanned. The old microchip was registered to a company that insisted on a very steep annual fee, unlike the ones our two newest pack members have. We've tried to get it transferred without success.
So there is another thing! An article on the ins and outs of microchips and how to be sure they are current and registered to you, especially if you have a rescue, would be helpful.
Maybe one issue is how visual information has gotten, especially with the younger animal lovers. Many will not take the time to read an entire article like those of us who still remember wall phones and pay phones.
Do you have a YouTube channel? Or do you do videos on Instagram? Perhaps videos featuring your pups, various rescues, with permission of the owner, of course, and the individual loss prevention topics could be helpful.
We, too, are working on providing for any animals we may have in the event we suddenly expired. That is a different kind of loss prevention. Our plan is to work out the trust within the estate rather than just from a savings account, so that the proceeds of the house sale would provide for them.
It's tricky, though. Many of us whose lives are in our animals do not have extended family members who would continue that, and perhaps have no children without paws at all. It has to be in a trust so that whoever is our beneficiary cannot just run through the money and say whoopsies, too bad.
There is also a need for a different kind of pet sanctuary, one that would have a network of long term fosters whose expenses were covered by the trusts. And a brick and mortar home place where packs would not have to be separated and lose each other as well as the people and home they loved.
Then there's also a need for animal lover centric assisted living facilities, so the loss doesn't any happen earlier than need be. I have an idea on that one, but I don't have the financial resources to make it a reality. Maybe one day!
Here’s another loss prevention that people don’t always think of: never have a ball or toy smaller than your largest dog can swallow, but especially balls.
Our old GSD Doberman once had a ball shoot down his throat and get stuck. I immobilized him while my husband worked it back up his throat.
I will never forget the look on his face in his eyes when his breathing was cut off.
He was immediately himself after the ball popped out. We, however, were absolute wrecks. We went on a search and destroy mission and removed every ball of a size that he might swallow. After that, all balls have been 4 inches in diameter or larger.
You are one of the few other people I have seen that say they put thier dogs in harnesses that can be secured by the seatbelts. Several harnesses are now available that have wide chest support with a little padding. I first found out about specific seat belt harnesses over 30 years ago. When I was told about them by one of my fellow firefighters. That they had seen an article about a firefighter who lost his dog in an accident when it was thrown through the windshield. Which gave him the idea to design a harness with wide chest support and a loop on the back to put a seat belt through. Which yes it also keeps everyone safe as the dogs cannot get in the drivers lap or face while they are driving. Thank you for mentioning that you take that precaution for you and your dogs.
Thank you! It amazes me how many people have their dogs unsecured in their vehicles. Even in a mild slamming on the brakes situation, they can become dangerous and endangered projectiles. I knew someone who wrapped their car around a telephone pole because she was trying to break up a fight between her unsecured Jack Russell Terriers. Harnesses are essential. To attach a pup only by their collars risks a broken neck. It's just not worth the risk on any score.
I have owned 2 Jack Russell's (Not at the same time). And we are currently fostering a Jack Russell mix. 2 unsecured Jack Russell's in the same car are possibly equal to a bomb ready to go off at any time
Getting people to microchip and put ID tags on their pets requires a simple message repeated over and over and over. And it’s so frustrating to learn that people who consult their cell phone for hours a day can’t take five minutes to update the contact information on their pet’s microchip, rendering it almost useless. Maybe have a simple cartoon, like Smokey the Bear. “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” How many kids had that message permanently drilled into their brain? Use Tino as your spokesdog and inspire the kiddoes to tell their parents to get their pup chipped. Many shelters subsidize the chip fee and that could be publicized. I volunteer at a private cat shelter and our primary focus is rescue, neutering and adoption to good homes. We microchip all our cats and have a $10 microchip program with our local vet. Thank you for all you and your dogs do. You are heroes!
Loving your Smokey the Bear type message idea. That's great. Like maybe have Tino as Sherlock Pup saying, "Don't be a dip - Microchip!" (Okay, that's no good since no one is called a dip anymore, but you get the idea.)
You are a pioneer in this field, James. The concept of pet loss prevention is new to me. Once you explained it, it's obviously a good thing to do but it's not self -evident to take the steps you outline. I agree with Ms. Woodward and Ms. Morris, that advertising the idea of loss prevention, and handouts at all humane societies/rescue groups/pet finders on specific steps to take would be good. Educating people about a new idea takes repetition (don't be daunted that people do not immediately get it; it takes time to integrate new ideas) and saying it in more than one way, but mainly repetition. A second idea would be to "concretize" what your abstract steps to take mean. I.e., use a real life example of how your steps shortened the time between lost dog, lost cat and reuniting with his or her owner. Start with a dramatic story of a lost dog, lost cat and how your loss prevention steps made short work of finding the lost animal. Contrast with what the usual result is of a lost dog, lost cat with no prevention loss strategies in place. Make it real for people and you will get somewhere. I always like the "inductive" approach. I.e., start with the facts of reality and abstract from the facts to the ideas. I don't like it when I have to read the abstract ideas on what to do, and then later on learn WHY it's important to do it. I need motivation to apply my brain and take action.
Thank you for everything you and your family do, James. Maybe you have already thought of this, but I wonder if working (educating/pleading?) with the staff at the shelters and rescues would benefit at least some of the pets who get adopted? If every potential new owner of an animal from one of these organizations were given printouts or pdf files of your guidelines, along with a serious, informative speech about how long it may take a "shelter pet" to acclimate to their new home, and some breed-specific behavior to be aware of (Huskies, anyone?) could help prevent loss? It seems to me it would. When I got my JinJin from Kitsap Humane Society I'd have happily paid a few extra bucks for that kind of information. There's not a single person or entity who comes to mind as having done nearly the amount of work you've done to ensure the safety of dogs and cats in King County. It's time for the organizations who already do great work in rescuing and sheltering these animals to take the next step by partnering with you to prevent that needless loss in the first place.
Thank you. I know that some rescues actually do provide links to my articles on loss prevention. I will contact the shelters and see if they can give this information to new adopters.
When one of our foster dogs start their 2 week trial adoption. I provid the adoptor with the link to James website and suggest they study it. I also make a scent artical in front of the adoptor. Bag it, tag it and date it. And tell them to keep it in their freezer at home. Since I started doing both of those things. None of our foster dogs have been lost. But I associate it to luck more than the info provided.
I get emotional every time we get a new foster dog or I help with recieving dogs at a rescue transport. Because I have to realize. Each one of them Someone decided they were disposable. But I also look at it as those people have now lost out on the oppourtunity to experience the unconditional love these dogs are capable of. And the people who adopt them are very lucky people. I always try to find a way to tell them that in a PC way. You are the only person other than me that says they carry a dog first aid kit. But I always carry a quite advanced first aid kit in all our vehicles. So it was not very hard to add a few dog specific items. I had to get permission from my Fire Chief. But he allowed me to put 2 sizes of dog oxygen masks on our Aid Car. Which their can be several different reasons a dog my need O2. And usually it is due to an exposure issue. That a few minuets of pure O2 can clear up. And yes I have taken a dog CPR course. But being certified in High Performanc CPR as an EMS provider. The only difference is how to position your patient. Secureing the airway is also similar. But with a dog they are on their side. And you need to make sure their toung is not falling back and blocking the airway. And FYI. If you have a large and a small (Small Animal) O2 mask. That will take care of almost all dogs. And for those who know what I am talking about. If you have what is called a Pocket Mask. Which is used to safely give mouth to mouth respirations to people. You can take the removable one way valve off of the Pocket Mask. And it will fit on the Small Animal O2 masks. To make your mouth to snoot attempts on a dog. Even more efficient. Ok, sorry my comment is too long.
You give great advice on that Pocket Mask. Thank you for that idea and for advocating for animal friendly equipment to be carried on your truck. That really needs to be standard issue for all fire departments. It could save so many lives and broken hearts. How would you go about getting that as just a part of the required equipment for all stations country wide?
It would be very hard to get it mandated as a piece of equipment on alll EMS (Emergency Medical Services) BLS (Basic Life Support) units. Which include all Aid Units and private ambulance service units. And ALS (Advance Life Support) Units. Which include all Paramedic units. Because the primary reason eather or both are available in municiple fire departments or County Fire Districts. Are for responding to human life support. But a very high number of fire departments and fire districts. Already carry them on the Aid and Paramedic units. You will see several videos of pets that were saved out of a structural fire. That the firefighters are administrating oxygen to them. You do not absolutly need the small animal O2 mask to administer O2 to a dog, cat or other pet. Depending on the size of the animal you can use an adult or pediatric O2 mask and just hold it close to their snoot. But the small animal O2 mask is more efficient. The other thing that everyone needs to consider. Is that the pets may not tolerate the mask being placed on their snoot. In which case you must use the same method and just hold it close to the snoot.
Very good to know! There’s also an important acupuncture/acupressure point on both dogs and humans (maybe cats too but I don’t know) that can have amazing results at restoring life. On humans it’s by that dent at the base of the nose where the nose joins the top of the gums. Similar position on dogs. Not that it works in every case, but it’s always worth a try if your animal (or human) has collapsed. Whole Dog Journal talked about using this on dogs, for one. We found out about it after we lost my Labrador, Brigid, to a sudden heart attack in November 2021. My husband did CPR, but it was no use. She went the way she needed to go, quietly at home surrounded by love, but I’ll always wonder if we could’ve saved her had we known then.
I also need to make a correction on the idea of the pocket mask one way valve fitting on the small animal O2 masks. It may not fit on all of them. I have only checked it on one manufacturers mask and I cannot remember the manufacturer of the one we have on our Aid Unit. But if you have a small animal O2 mask and a one way valve for a pocket mask. Adapting it to fit should only require using a piece of clear plastic hose to addapt the fit. Which needs to be figured out when you get the masks. Not just when you need to use it.
All of mine were rescues, too, and my Anatolian Shepherd was even declared "Unadoptable" before the wonderful people at NASRN got him. (He wasn't unadoptable. He is an Anatolian. These are wonderful animals but definitely not the dogs for everyone!)
Some of our loss prevention is basic things like not being allowed outside of the house or dog yard without a leash attached to a human and a fence that is at least four feet tall. Physical fencing only. Never invisible. No doggie doors. EVER. I don't want them outside without us home. None of ours are escape artists, but at our last house, we rimmed the yard with heavy poles to discourage digging.
We have them travel in harnesses belted into the vehicle with limited range of motion, i.e. not allowed in the driver's compartment, for safety.
We bought all of them BreakAway collars by Chinook. We did not want our pups to be without a collar at all for loss prevention. But neither did we want them to be in a standard collar, get stuck, and be killed. This is the best of both worlds.
These collars will "break" when stress like getting their head stuck in a fence or bush, in rough play, or under something occurs. They are not expensive, and THEY WORK.
We just had a crisis or loss prevented when one of ours actually BROKE broke his. He probably thrust his Hound nose through the fence and his neck followed, then got stuck. The collar generally just breaks apart and can be put back together, so for this to break indicates there was enough stress on the collar to have caused him to strangle in a "normal" collar.
Three of ours have microchips, but the one is an old microchip. We tried to get a new one, but the vet refused saying there was no way of knowing which would be scanned. The old microchip was registered to a company that insisted on a very steep annual fee, unlike the ones our two newest pack members have. We've tried to get it transferred without success.
So there is another thing! An article on the ins and outs of microchips and how to be sure they are current and registered to you, especially if you have a rescue, would be helpful.
Maybe one issue is how visual information has gotten, especially with the younger animal lovers. Many will not take the time to read an entire article like those of us who still remember wall phones and pay phones.
Do you have a YouTube channel? Or do you do videos on Instagram? Perhaps videos featuring your pups, various rescues, with permission of the owner, of course, and the individual loss prevention topics could be helpful.
We, too, are working on providing for any animals we may have in the event we suddenly expired. That is a different kind of loss prevention. Our plan is to work out the trust within the estate rather than just from a savings account, so that the proceeds of the house sale would provide for them.
It's tricky, though. Many of us whose lives are in our animals do not have extended family members who would continue that, and perhaps have no children without paws at all. It has to be in a trust so that whoever is our beneficiary cannot just run through the money and say whoopsies, too bad.
There is also a need for a different kind of pet sanctuary, one that would have a network of long term fosters whose expenses were covered by the trusts. And a brick and mortar home place where packs would not have to be separated and lose each other as well as the people and home they loved.
Then there's also a need for animal lover centric assisted living facilities, so the loss doesn't any happen earlier than need be. I have an idea on that one, but I don't have the financial resources to make it a reality. Maybe one day!
Thank you for the ideas. I actually do have a video for loss prevention, but I will make more.
https://youtu.be/NRq4rGKyaZk
Here’s another loss prevention that people don’t always think of: never have a ball or toy smaller than your largest dog can swallow, but especially balls.
Our old GSD Doberman once had a ball shoot down his throat and get stuck. I immobilized him while my husband worked it back up his throat.
I will never forget the look on his face in his eyes when his breathing was cut off.
He was immediately himself after the ball popped out. We, however, were absolute wrecks. We went on a search and destroy mission and removed every ball of a size that he might swallow. After that, all balls have been 4 inches in diameter or larger.
You are one of the few other people I have seen that say they put thier dogs in harnesses that can be secured by the seatbelts. Several harnesses are now available that have wide chest support with a little padding. I first found out about specific seat belt harnesses over 30 years ago. When I was told about them by one of my fellow firefighters. That they had seen an article about a firefighter who lost his dog in an accident when it was thrown through the windshield. Which gave him the idea to design a harness with wide chest support and a loop on the back to put a seat belt through. Which yes it also keeps everyone safe as the dogs cannot get in the drivers lap or face while they are driving. Thank you for mentioning that you take that precaution for you and your dogs.
Thank you! It amazes me how many people have their dogs unsecured in their vehicles. Even in a mild slamming on the brakes situation, they can become dangerous and endangered projectiles. I knew someone who wrapped their car around a telephone pole because she was trying to break up a fight between her unsecured Jack Russell Terriers. Harnesses are essential. To attach a pup only by their collars risks a broken neck. It's just not worth the risk on any score.
I have owned 2 Jack Russell's (Not at the same time). And we are currently fostering a Jack Russell mix. 2 unsecured Jack Russell's in the same car are possibly equal to a bomb ready to go off at any time
Getting people to microchip and put ID tags on their pets requires a simple message repeated over and over and over. And it’s so frustrating to learn that people who consult their cell phone for hours a day can’t take five minutes to update the contact information on their pet’s microchip, rendering it almost useless. Maybe have a simple cartoon, like Smokey the Bear. “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” How many kids had that message permanently drilled into their brain? Use Tino as your spokesdog and inspire the kiddoes to tell their parents to get their pup chipped. Many shelters subsidize the chip fee and that could be publicized. I volunteer at a private cat shelter and our primary focus is rescue, neutering and adoption to good homes. We microchip all our cats and have a $10 microchip program with our local vet. Thank you for all you and your dogs do. You are heroes!
Microchips are so easy, and they are lifesavers.
Loving your Smokey the Bear type message idea. That's great. Like maybe have Tino as Sherlock Pup saying, "Don't be a dip - Microchip!" (Okay, that's no good since no one is called a dip anymore, but you get the idea.)
You are a pioneer in this field, James. The concept of pet loss prevention is new to me. Once you explained it, it's obviously a good thing to do but it's not self -evident to take the steps you outline. I agree with Ms. Woodward and Ms. Morris, that advertising the idea of loss prevention, and handouts at all humane societies/rescue groups/pet finders on specific steps to take would be good. Educating people about a new idea takes repetition (don't be daunted that people do not immediately get it; it takes time to integrate new ideas) and saying it in more than one way, but mainly repetition. A second idea would be to "concretize" what your abstract steps to take mean. I.e., use a real life example of how your steps shortened the time between lost dog, lost cat and reuniting with his or her owner. Start with a dramatic story of a lost dog, lost cat and how your loss prevention steps made short work of finding the lost animal. Contrast with what the usual result is of a lost dog, lost cat with no prevention loss strategies in place. Make it real for people and you will get somewhere. I always like the "inductive" approach. I.e., start with the facts of reality and abstract from the facts to the ideas. I don't like it when I have to read the abstract ideas on what to do, and then later on learn WHY it's important to do it. I need motivation to apply my brain and take action.
Thank you for everything you and your family do, James. Maybe you have already thought of this, but I wonder if working (educating/pleading?) with the staff at the shelters and rescues would benefit at least some of the pets who get adopted? If every potential new owner of an animal from one of these organizations were given printouts or pdf files of your guidelines, along with a serious, informative speech about how long it may take a "shelter pet" to acclimate to their new home, and some breed-specific behavior to be aware of (Huskies, anyone?) could help prevent loss? It seems to me it would. When I got my JinJin from Kitsap Humane Society I'd have happily paid a few extra bucks for that kind of information. There's not a single person or entity who comes to mind as having done nearly the amount of work you've done to ensure the safety of dogs and cats in King County. It's time for the organizations who already do great work in rescuing and sheltering these animals to take the next step by partnering with you to prevent that needless loss in the first place.
Thank you. I know that some rescues actually do provide links to my articles on loss prevention. I will contact the shelters and see if they can give this information to new adopters.
When one of our foster dogs start their 2 week trial adoption. I provid the adoptor with the link to James website and suggest they study it. I also make a scent artical in front of the adoptor. Bag it, tag it and date it. And tell them to keep it in their freezer at home. Since I started doing both of those things. None of our foster dogs have been lost. But I associate it to luck more than the info provided.