This summer, we posted on our Facebook page that Bea needed a new home.  Who’s Bea?  Bea is a little chihuahua-terrier mix that I met while driving on my street.  Her elderly owner was walking her.  I said ‘Hello’  from my car and we quickly struck up a conversation about her adorable dog.  Bea’s owner, Claudette, related to me that she was heartbroken that soon she would have to give up her dog.  She was moving to a new home for the elderly and was not able to take Bea with her.

‘That is so sad!’ I said.  ‘Do you know anyone who is interested in taking her?’.  Bea’s owner said that unfortunately she hadn’t been able to find anyone as of yet.  I offered to help her by putting up photos of Bea on our Facebook page and to get back to her with the results.  Finally, the day of the move, I went to see Claudette.  Neither of us had heard even a peep out of anyone who might be possibly interested in welcoming Bea into thier home.  In my mind, I knew that letting Bea go to the SPCA was not an option.  Here was a sweet, calm, loving dog that would make an excellent companion for just about anyone with a pulse.  How long would she survive if she got sent to the SPCA??

Enter Myriam Chartier! (Add super hero jingle of your choice here.)

`I will take your dog, Claudette.  I will try to find her a forever family.’  My mind was made up and I could not let this little dog down.  There was an emotional, tearful goodbye between Bea and Claudette.  I assured her that Bea would be in good hands and off I went with tiny Bea whisking her away to another destiny.

Upon bringing Bea home, I immediately noticed what a very good dog she is.  She understands well what humans want to communicate to her. She comes when called instead of darting the opposite direction and stays close when off leash. She is cuddly and small, therefor doesn’t take up to much room in a home.  Small dog also means small poop!  Small means that she can warm you up when she curls up on your lap!  Bea is also not a fussy eater and was happy eating supermarket food.  An economical dog.  Another plus!

‘Wow…maybe I don’t want to find this dog another family.  I may just want to keep her myself…’  Still, whenever friends asked me what was new, I always mentionned that I had a new doggie roomate.

‘What is she like?’ people would ask.

‘She is just adorable.  When she looks at me with those sweet eyes, that big smile and wags her entire butt, my heart just melts!  She’s so smart.  She understands what I’m telling her right away.’

Well, it didn’t take long before my stories about Bea reached the right set of ears.  A friend of mine had been considering owning a dog for some time now but the stars had never seemed to align for her family and a potential dog.

Enter Bea! (Add super hero jingle of your choice here.)

An introduction was arranged and my friend, her husband and thier three sons fell under Bea’s charms.  It was the beginning of thier ‘happily-ever-after’.  Now, my friend’s children are learning the joys of pet ownership. They get a kick out of watching her twirl for her supper.  They are learning essential life skills like being responsable and they get to enjoy the unconditional love of a constant companion.  In return, Bea has a whole new exciting way of life.  She follows the family on off leash nature walks, camping trips and even on bike rides!  As a result of this new active life style, Bea’s health has greatly improved.  When she first moved in with her new family, she could barely make it up three steps.  Now, she is able to zoom all the way up and down an entire set of stairs!

It just warms my heart that my friend’s family and Bea were the pieces of the puzzle that fit for eachother.  Claudette was also made aware of Bea’s new forever family and was peaceful in knowing that she is well.  And as a sweet bonus for me,  I still get to see tiny Bea when I visit my friends and have her curl up on my lap once more.

It’s a story that has ended well for our little Bea.  We have saved one dog from possibly being euthanized.  We hope it will inspire you to consider adopting from a shelter or the SPCA.  Wonderful companionships await!

Who has never dreamed of having a pet as a cuddly companion?  Pets are cute! No doubt about it.  They offer us that unconditional love that can be so hard to find in this world.  Like the dog that greets you after work with such happiness, as though he thought you had dismantled every nuclear bomb on earth that day.  Like the cat that looks like a ninja in pyjamas rolling around on the carpet, just beckoning you to scratch that fuzzy fur.   Even I dreamed of owning a pet squirrel as a child.  I also tried to hatch a store bought egg by making a nest for it on the heater in my room.  But alas, those pet-relationships were not meant to be!

Pets bring peace to a home.  Just by looking at your pet you can be momentarily free of stress and remember the softness in life.

Isn’t that wonderful? Yes! It is!  Should every citizen rush to the nearest pet store to adopt the first baby St-Bernard in sight?? Maybe not…Before you make a mad dash to purchase every known pet commodity in order to welcome your future pet, take a moment to sit with me.  Relax.  Have some chamomile tea.

This future pet of yours is ready to give you unconditional love (97 % of the time).  And what are you prepared to give it in return?

“He will eat from a diamond studded food bowl!” you proclaim.  “I will purchase iceberg water for his drinking fountain!  A Gucci coat for walking in the rain!”

That sounds lovely!  Wouldn’t mind all that for myself actually.  But there is something far more priceless that your pet wants from you.

I see your rolling eyes.  “Pfff…what says I love you more than a diamond studded food bowl?”

At a loss?

The thing your pet wants and needs most from you is for you to be their forever family.  (FOREVER meaning until one of you dies.) Mm-hmm.  I’ve lost a few of you already.

Let’s take a moment to look at some interesting statistics on pet abandonment. (Please see below for sources)

• 50,000 animals are abandoned each year in the Montreal area alone.
• In Quebec in 2013, 500 000 pets were euthanized while there were also 730,000 new adoptions.
• Pets are kept an average of 8 years in Quebec despite the life expectancy being much higher.
• (The internet is filled with different statistics for pet abandonment in different areas of the world. All are very sad and call for a change in how we treat our animals.  Seeing as we are a business based in Quebec, I have focused here on the information that applies to our part of the world.)

Now this begs the question: Are pets objects? Like a chair that you can give away if it’s no longer in style?  Your pet has survival instincts, could possibly save you in life-threatening situations as some pet heroes have, is able to make you laugh, soften your heart and give you love unconditionally. Therefore, I propose that no, pets are not objects that should be so easy to dispose of.

I would like to help reduce the likelihood of people abandoning their pets.  Let’s test your pet-adoption-readiness, shall we?  Let me share a few stories of real events that have happened to me or other pet parents I know.   Ask yourself if you would still want to keep your pet if these events happened to you.  For example, what if:

Your dog jumps on the kitchen table and eats the cake you made just as your whole family is singing happy birthday?

Your cat is extremely shy and won’t come out for strangers despite being adorable with you?

Your dog gets loose from the backyard, while you are making school lunches, sending you running down the street with no coat on in snowy weather.  (My daughter’s teacher happened to see the situation from her car as she was driving to school and helped me to locate my dog.  What a good impression that was.)

Your rescue cat presents difficult behavioral issues which include a fair amount of pee and poo needing to be cleaned up…

You have to vacuum fur every day as some of our clients do…

What if you realize after adopting a pet that you are allergic to it? Would it be fair for him or her to change families because of that?

Your dog starts to eat your shoes as an adult dog and even though it never did that as a puppy?

What if your pet develops diabetes and needs twice daily shots? Or needs a costly operation?  Or behavioral therapy?

What if your cute little Havanese dog literally eats your couch while you are off to work?

Your cat begins to mark its territory everywhere in your posh new condo after a stressful move?

What if your Labrador doesn’t act the way your neighbor’s beloved Labrador acts? As in, your neighbor’s Lab is mellow and easy-going but yours seems wired and ready to defend your territory at any cost?

What if your circumstances in life change?  Right now perhaps you are single and you have time to care for 2 Yorkshire puppies.  But what happens if you fall in love and want to travel often with your new spouse?  Will you be overwhelmed by the organization it takes to have them watched by a family member or the extra cost of boarding them?

I hear you now saying, “Hey sunshine, shouldn’t you be encouraging us to adopt pets?”

Yes, I absolutely want you to adopt a pet, especially from a rescue or shelter.  However, in order to make sure you can be a good forever family, you need to know what you’re getting into!

Without even mentioning the basic costs of food, vaccinations and other veterinary  and pet-sitting costs, extra time it takes to clean your pet and your home, many `fun little surprises’ await you in your new life with pets. (This is on top of all the other pressures that you may have in your daily life, by the way.) In view of this (and the deer in the head lights look you have on your face), it might be a good idea to view your future pet as though it were a child.   You wouldn’t drop off your child at the SPCA if he or she did any of these things now would you? (Although some parents might be tempted I am sure…)

Now, if you are not fazed and you responded enthusiastically within your heart to all the ‘what-ifs’ above, then you are ready to give a pet as much unconditional love as it is ready to give you.  So by the power invested in me, I declare that you should happy-dance yourself all the way to the nearest pet rescue and adopt the most slobbery of St-Bernard in sight!   Don’t let me or any red light stop you!

You may, however, feel I have deflated your bubble a little.  Perhaps you recognize that owning a pet may ask more from you than originally thought but you still feel like you would make a great pet owner and benefit from that long term relationship. If that is the case then please take the time necessary, actually please take more than enough time necessary, to choose your pet wisely.

How much time per day to you want to devote to your pet?  Minimum an hour per day?  Love the outdoors and walking in any kind of weather?  Perhaps you would make a great dog owner!  How do you feel about fur, slobber, barking, cutting nails and grooming, having less space in your home?  Please understand, I love dogs.  However, these are things that people don’t always take under consideration when imagining owning the perfect dog.  How about matching your lifestyle to a specific dog breed? (Please do not consider purchasing a Husky, Vizla, Labrador, Australian Sheppard among others…if you are not a seriously active person.)

Have a look at this website that has great suggestions for matching your lifestyle to a specific dog breed:

http://www.akc.org/find-a-match/#slide1

If owning a dog sounds intimidating for the moment, there are different possibilities out there such as owning a cat, rabbit, ferret, fish, turtles, hamster …(Maybe not all of these all at once!) All are wonderful options with each their own different set of pros and cons to consider.

If I have completely traumatized you, but you still have a glimmer of hope to get closer to some cuddly creatures, fret not.  I have more options up my sleeve for you.  Before making the jump to being a forever family for a pet, why not consider becoming a pet-grandparent or pet-auntie/uncle? How? By pet-sitting your neighbor’s dog for a weekend or visiting your cousin’s cat while she’s on holiday.  There are also probably numerous animal shelters or rescues in your area that could benefit from your volunteer work.  How about being a foster family for an animal shelter?  Even with a few hours of your time each week or each month, you will benefit by witnessing firsthand how wonderful pets can be.  How cute that hamster is rolled up like a furry golf ball.  How adorable those bunnies are snuggled up together. How funny that Bernese mountain dog is gallivanting on your off leash walk.  How therapeutic it can be to have a warm kitty purring on your lap.  This way, just like extended family, you can enjoy all the benefits of a pet with almost no responsibilities!

There are approximately 5 kazillion people who watch cute animal videos on YouTube every day.  Imagine if all those people spent half that time volunteering at their local pet shelter.  What a different world this would be.

Being a pet-relative is a great place to start your journey.  And who knows with all this experience behind you, maybe soon the right time will come for you to buy your own pet his personalized diamond studded food bowl.

Sources:http://www.pressreader.com/canada/montreal-gazette/20111215/282557310041681http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/40cd-d3f4-5318e1a2-8d0c-64ceac1c606d%7C_0.htmlhttp://www.sterilisationanimalequebec.info/statistiques/combien-de-temps-les-quebecois-gardent-leurs-animaux/

Même si nous sommes conscients que ceci ne changera complètement pas votre vie, nous sommes très excités de démarrer ce blogue qui concerne les chiens, chats, lapins, oiseaux, poissons, chinchillas, cochons d’Inde, etc …et dont nous prenons plaisir à s’occuper ici dans la belle région de l’Outaouais. Nos animaux domestiques peuvent certainement nous divertir et ils ne cessent de nous surprendre. Nous souhaitons que ce blogue vous mette le sourire aux lèvres et qu’il vous tiendra informés des choses qui se passent dans le merveilleux monde des animaux domestiques.
Au plaisir!

Now, we’re sure this won’t change your life, but we are quite excited to launch our blog all about the dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, fish, chinchillas, guinea pigs…(you name it!) that we have the pleasure of taking care of on a regular basis right here in our beautiful Outaouais region.  Our pets can be master entertainers and they sure never cease to surprise us.  We hope that this blog can bring a smile to your face and keep you informed about things happening in the pet world.

Cheers!