The More You Know: Pit Bulls

by Kristy Chestnutt

The other day I was having a conversation with my mom about the Pit Bull next door. She was afraid it would get through the fence to attack her two dogs or possibly her, which then lead to the conversation of how Pit Bulls always seem to be labeled as “bad dogs.” I see Pit Bulls almost every weekend and they are always extremely sweet to me. So… why do these dogs have such a bad rap?

Let’s Get to the Roots:

“Pit Bull” is not necessarily a breed; it is more of a term used to describe different breeds with similar traits. Some use this term to describe as many as five breeds (and all mixes) or as little as two. The three breeds that clearly fit into this label are the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier – I will be using the term “Pit Bull” to not leave out any of the mixed breed. Pit Bulls came to America from England, Scotland, and Ireland where they were originally used to help control livestock. Immigrants brought these dogs over to America and soon began to breed them for the unfortunate sport known as “baiting.” These dogs were used to attack other animals while people watched for entertainment. Cruel, right? It gets worse. The sport was banned in the early 1800s; however, people then began to have the Pit Bulls fight against each other, hence creating the inhumane sport known as dog fighting. People began to breed Pit Bulls that would make a faster, more agile opponent in the ring.

Temperament:

Like humans, all dogs are different and have different personalities. So, first the negative traits – normally when dogs fight, it is not with the intent to severely hurt or kill an opponent. It’s more of an argument with circling, growling, possible nipping, and teeth showing instead of shouting. Just imagine a Cleveland Browns fan and Pittsburgh Steelers fan fighting over a game (kidding!). Since these dogs have been bred to fight for their lives, they may go through the standard stages of agitation other dogs do. Instead they may lash out without warning, are less likely to back down and could become quick to aggression when provoked. Now for the positive – Pit Bulls actually make great family pets. They are extremely loyal and protective of their master. They are also fantastic with children – which led to their nickname “nursemaid’s dog.” Many Pit Bulls work as Registered Therapy Dogs as well as compete in agility contests. These dogs have an uncanny ability to know when to protect their owners; however, because of their intelligence and courageousness they can sometimes be unruly with submissive owners. Pit Bulls are love to please their masters; which can be positive and negative depending on the type of owner. People have a huge part in developing a Pit Bull’s temperament. The type of situations we put these dogs in could determine on whether the pup becomes a friendly family dog, or a dog fueled off of anger and fear.

The Importance of Having A Cool Dog

by Kristy Chestnutt

Winter is finally over and summer is just around the corner. While our minds instantly think of all the outdoor activities we can now do with our furry companions, planning too many activities can sometimes plan out danger for them. We are constantly told to protect ourselves from the sun and to hydrate – the same goes for our loveable best friends. The sun and heat can be just as dangerous, if not more, to our pets than it is to us.

Overheating:

Dogs can easily become overheated during the summer months and this can become life-threatening if left unattended. Unlike humans, dogs cannot sweat through their skin. They sweat through their paw pads; however, panting is how they really cool off. When a dog pants he circulates air through his body to help maintain a healthy body temperature. When put into warm environments, panting becomes quicker as a dog’s need to cool down becomes more essential.

Warning Signs:

If you plan on being in the sun for long periods of time, watch for the following signs:

Cat Communication: Body Language

by Chrissy Reese
A series on the three most important ways in which cats communicate with their humans – body language, scent communication and vocalization.

For part one of this three-part series, we’ll take a look at cats’ body language. While it’s often too subtle for humans to notice, there are some more obvious communicatory signals that are important to pay attention to. Whether your feline friend is happy to talk your ear off or more of the strong and silent type, all cats communicate best with their body language. While a cat may seem content to communicate with you through vocal signals, it’s like a human speaking a second language – they can do it, but it’s not always their most effective way of communicating.

Body language is somewhat complicated. Just like with humans, there are several different communicatory areas on the cat including the face, the posture and the tail position. However, their messages are more about the sum of these parts than what each one says individually. If a person has his arms crossed, is he angry? Bored? Cold? It’s difficult to tell until you take signals from the rest of their body. The same goes for cats – an arched back could be from fear, anger or just a relaxed stretch. The only way to tell is to take in all of the context clues.

“I didn’t know that Cheshire cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”
“They all can,” said the Duchess; “and most of ‘em do.”
“I don’t know of any that do,” Alice said very politely, feeling quite pleased to have got into a conversation.
“You don’t know much,” said the Duchess; “and that’s a fact.”

While you can always tell a Cheshire cat by its grin, the rest of the feline population isn’t quite so transparent in their expression (pun intended… sorry). The most important parts of a cat’s face to pay attention to are its eyes and ears. We humans love eye contact – looking someone in the eyes means that you’re present, you’re open and you’re trustworthy. In cat language, it means quite the opposite – looking a cat in the eyes for any length of time is considered rather impolite. Cats have excellent peripheral vision, and they use it much more than we realize (think kitty is daydreaming? She’s actually taking in large amounts of information through her periphery). When a cat stares directly at something, it may mean that they’re considering attacking.

May’s Pet of the Month: Indigo

by Kristy Chestnutt

Please help us find Indigo a home!

Haaaave you met Indigo? She is a beautiful tuxedo kitty with piercing green eyes. When Indigo first came to Paws and Prayers she was not the friendliest cat you could hope to meet. She would hiss at anyone who tried to take care of her, and being in a cage at PetSmart was definitely not her forte. Indigo was put into a foster home to help her adjust to life in a home setting as well as to other animals.

Look at those amazing green eyes!

Since then, Indigo’s foster mom has seen a vast improvement in her behavior. At first she can be very timid and hide, but her weakness is that she loves attention. Once she becomes bored of hiding, she will slowly start to come out of her hiding spot and seek out her owner for pettings and lovin’. Indigo may seem like a tough cat on the outside, but do not let that fool you — she’s just had a rough life. Trusting strange people is hard for humans, let alone a cat that has been abandoned. Indigo is a sweet kitty, she just needs time and patience to adjust to new environments. Once she realizes that she can trust her surroundings, Indigo will sleep with her owners at night as well as hang out them during the day.

Lookin’ for some lovin’

Indigo has proven to her foster mom that she can live with other cats as well as dogs. Her favorite hobby is bird watching with the other cats in the house and I believe she was even spotted sleeping next to the dog one night!  Indigo is declawed, up to date on all her vaccinations, and spayed. Her adoption fee is sponsored, so she is free to whomever will give this special kitty the patient, loving, home she deserves.

If you are interested in adoption Indigo, please fill out an adoption application on our main website.

Playtime with Indigo

If you have any questions, please visit the Adoptable Cats area of our website. Indigo’s foster mom’s information is listed under her profile. Please help us find this kitty the caring home she needs!

High Five for NAW’s High Success

by Kristy Chestnutt

High five!

Many cats and dogs found their “furever” homes over the weekend. The total amount from each location is still being determined, but it is known that 18 cats were adopted from our main location, Chapel Hill PetSmart. Even without the other store’s adoptions factored in, that is still a fantastic number. The weekend started off slower than February’s NAW, with Summit County Animal Control only able to provide 15 cats instead of 25 — but we still found many great animals loving homes and, after all, that is the point of all of this, right? Raffle baskets were put on hold for the event this time (we have a bigger adoption event coming up in June), but Paws and Prayers wrist bands were available for a one dollar donation. These were a hit among families with children and with the volunteers, as well.

The credit for this weekend’s success is definitely due to our volunteers/staff and our adopters! Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to come out and support this occasion. These events could not be possible, let alone successful, if we did not have such dedicated volunteers. I know a few of them were there the whole weekend for at least eight hours a day. It says a lot about Paws and Prayers when we can participate in something like this and have enough volunteers to strongly support it throughout the entire weekend.

The best part about these events is seeing all types of animal lovers come together to help a common cause. On the last day of the event, a very nice person fell in love with one of our cats, Pastel. Unfortunately, this person could not take her home, but generously donated her adoption fee in hope that she would get a good home as soon as possible. Pastel was adopted early yesterday thanks to this person’s generosity!

There are still many cats and dogs searching for their new families. Please visit our website at PawsAndPrayers.org if you are interested in adopting. Our next event will be the Adopt Me Meow! event, held June 21st-22nd. This is during kitten season so there will be plenty of cats needing homes.

Again, a huge shot out to all volunteers and participants in last weekend’s event. Paws and Prayers appreciates you all!

PetSmart National Adoption Weekend, May 2-4, 2014

by Kristy Chestnutt

This weekend, May 2-4, Paws and Prayers is thrilled to have the chance to participate in PetSmart’s National Adoption Weekend (NAW). For those unfamiliar with the event, it is a three-day occasion in which PetSmart allows their partnered charities to show more animals than usual at their stores. This is a great opportunity because Paws and Prayers is able to have almost three times the amount of adoptable cats at our locations for people to come and meet. We are also able to bring our adoptable dogs out to the event once each day for a 3-hour period of time (Friday 4-7 PM, Saturday 11-2 PM, Sunday 11-2 PM).

This weekend’s event will see Paws and Prayers participating in three locations. Our main location is at the PetSmart near Chapel Hill in Cuyahoga Falls (355 Howe Avenue). We will also have animals at the Montrose PetSmart in Fairlawn (3750 W. Market Street) and, our brand new location, PetSmart in North Canton (5465 Dressler Road NW). We had our first adoption from the new location last weekend and we are very excited to see what the future will bring for us here.

The last Valentine’s-themed NAW in February found close to 60 animals homes in one weekend. It was a phenomenal feat, and we hope to accomplish that again this weekend. Alongside the great adoption turnout there was a raffle for donated gift baskets. This raffle helped bring in close to $200.00 in donations. Not only did Paws and Prayers find so many animals great homes, but we also raised some desperately needed funds to help us save more animals.

If you have been thinking about adding a furry new friend to your family, this weekend is the weekend to do it. All animals are up to date on vaccinations as well as spayed or neutered. Adoption fees will be dropped this weekend for the event. Adoption counselors will be available to answer any questions you may have. If you know someone who is looking to adopt, let them know about the event. It will be the last National Adoption Weekend until the fall, so let’s make it a good one!

Kitten Season 2014

by Chrissy Reese

May is just around the corner, which means we’re well into the beginning of kitten season! While it sounds like the most adorable season ever, it’s actually a pretty big problem.

What is kitten season and why does it happen?

Kitten season is the time from late spring to early fall in which the rate of feral kittens being born spikes significantly. During winter, feral and stray cats are busy fending for themselves – trying to stay warm, sheltered and fed. But when the weather begins to warm up, our feline friends can relax a little and come out of hiding. If a female cat is not spayed, her hormones will begin to kick in and she will begin her first heat cycle for the year, which is regulated by the weather. She will then repeat that cycle until she becomes pregnant.

Why is kitten season a problem?

Kittens are born after 9 weeks of gestation and are ready to be taken from their mothers and placed for adoption when they are 8 weeks old. A female cat that is 5 months or older and not spayed is able to get pregnant. Since heat cycles are regulated by the weather, that means that any and every cat who is 5 months or older and is not spayed will most likely be delivering a litter of kittens in early spring. These kittens are then brought in to shelters by the dozen, and resources – money, food, beds, space, people – are spread extremely thin. It puts an extreme amount of stress on no-kill shelters and rescues.

Several motherless kittens mewling during feeding time at Paws and Prayers Pet Rescue, Kitten Season 2013.