Tails of Aloha BlogCompelled by Compassion, Driven by Love, Inspired through Hope

Normally we would say that giving  or receiving animals as pets around the holidays is a bad idea, but this is urgent, and this doggie is housebroken! Does anyone have room in their hearts and homes for Tucker? Please email cbanks312@gmail.com  or ashwo64@gmail.com

Tucker is a 2yr old American Bulldog born here in Hawaii on May 11. 2009. He’s about 85-90 lbs, and an absolute sweetheart. He is up to date on all shots.  He’s on flea and heartworm prevention and microchipped. Tucker has been through obedience training as a puppy and knows how to walk on a leash and basic commands (sit, stay, come and lay down). He’s great around kids, just watch him with little ones, because he doesn’t know his size and may knock them over trying to play. He’s good around other dogs, but will chase cats and small animals.

Because he still has some puppy energy, he may occasionally get to a slipper or shoe if they are left out for him, but more often than not, he will chew his toys or dog bones. He will beg for food, but will go lay down will you tell him to (may have to say it 2-3 times if he really likes the smell of the food

As you can see he’s a great dog, he loves to play, but is a chill dog overall.

Tucker Needs a Home

 

Last time we checked, there were over 202,000 views on Babe’s newest video, filmed by someone who noticed her playing in Hawaii Kai:

Here is Babe’s story:

Tails of Aloha is very proud to call Babe one of our own

Speak up and spread the word to help all of our animal friends, regardless of species or location

There’s huge news today out of Alaska: A federal judge just rejected the state’s attempts to deny Endangered Species Act protection for Cook Inlet beluga whales.

Today’s ruling is a major victory in our decade-long battle to protect the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, one of Alaska’s most imperiled species whose population plummeted from 1,300 in the 1970s to only just 300 to 400 today.

Thank you. Belugas wouldn’t be getting the protections they need and deserve without your help and support over the last 12 years and the major push this year to stop Alaska’s latest attacks.

This win is the latest chapter in a long-term fight for the survival of belugas — and it’s far from over.

The Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned to protect Cook Inlet beluga whales under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. The whale population faced a long list of powerful threats, including oil and gas development and pollution from Anchorage, the fastest-growing watershed in Alaska.

We finally won Endangered Species Act protections for Cook Inlet belugas in 2008, and in early 2011, our long-running efforts secured protection for nearly 2 million acres of their habitat.

But shortly after belugas were listed in 2008, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced politically motivated plans to sue over the listing, which sparked the lawsuit under Gov. Sean Parnell — the lawsuit that we defeated today.

The Center and allies fought back Palin’s suit in court and, today, the judge rejected the state’s arguments, saying the Fisheries Service’s decision to protect the belugas was based on the best available science.

I’m proud to say that the dedication and support of our members and staff brought about this critical win for the whales, and I want to share today’s victory with you.

For now, thanks to your efforts, Cook Inlet beluga whales will continue to get the protections they desperately need and that the Center has fought so long and so hard to secure.

Please share this win with your friends and post on Facebook.

Here’s to a future for beluga whales that’s safe, secure and long-lasting.

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. Even as we celebrate today’s win, we can’t let our guard down. Alaska’s beluga population still faces a long list of threats, including offshore oil development in its habitat and a state government that remains hostile to its survival. The Center will keep you updated on our work to save these belugas and let you know about any new attacks. 

Beluga photo courtesy Flickr Creative Commons/James Grimmelmann.

Check out Meri, a therapy cat with Tails of Aloha! She may be a black cat, but as this video shows, there is nothing scary about her

Here is some basic info on Miss Marley Isamo:

Marley is a one & ½-yr-old white pit bull that has been spayed and is about 45-50 pounds. She needs a temporary foster home, most preferably on the Honolulu side of Oahu. This is because her owner is relocating back to Oahu and needs a safe harbor for her while he secures a job and a permanent dog-friendly residence.

The whole idea here is to keep them together.

Marley’s owner is a responsible dog owner who loves his dog—he has had her since she was a tiny, tiny puppy. Since Marley has been in foster care, her owner has consistently visited. He takes her on walks & down to the beach to run and swim. He also makes sure she has food and plenty of doggie treats. Additionally, her owner made a donation to L.A.R.C. in appreciation and support of the great services provided by the organization.

In other words, he is a very involved pet-parent.

Marley has great qualities too! She is an even-tempered, sweet-natured dog. You can tell she has been treated well—not neurotic, or “hand-shy” at all. She does very well on walks and isn’t bothered by other dogs we encounter when we’re out-and-about. She seems to get along well with other dogs. She does tend to get overly excited when she sees cats around the house, but barely raises an eyebrow when Wild Turkeys come to our yard to snack on guava. Marley also tends to sleep through the night—very quiet at night and the early morning hours.

She does have some behavioral issues that anyone who fosters her should be aware of. First, because she has been raised as an outside dog, she has not been potty trained. However, that’s a fairly simple fix. A harder task would be the chewing. She is a chewer. That’s okay when she’s outside, but inside it could be disastrous—at least for someone without an understanding of dog behavior and training.

Oh. And jumping. When she gets super happy and excited, she will jump on you.

Okay, I think I’ve addressed the most important issues at hand. I hope all will fall in to place and culminate in a happy ending for all. Please contact blairboucher@gmail.com if you can help or know of someone who can take Marley or help her owner find a dog-friendly place to live in the Honolulu area. Mahalo!

(Written by Blair Boucher, who has also just written a book about the unfair myths surrounding the beloved Pit Bull: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0982696477/ref%3dsib_dp_pt#reader-link)

Peggy writes:  It is with much sadness that I share the following news with all of you.  Smallz, the male shar pei that was rescued with Sadie, was killed by rat poison intentionally by neighbors.
I was so thrilled when my friend and her husband adopted him, I knew he was going to be loved, spoiled forever, and have a great life.
They even started him on obedience classes, even though he was already obedient, sweet, and a QUIET dog. He was loving and ever so patient with his puppies.
He was a such a good dog, and did not deserve to be poisoned by neighbors.
Yes, reports were made, but nothing will come of it, as there is no witness, or video.
His owners are devastated, and I cried for weeks.

Smallz, all of us who got to know you, we miss you terribly, and love you.

One of our Tails of Aloha Team Members Kathy wrote about her experience at one of her frequent hospital visits, she writes: I took Willy to the Aloha Care and Rehab Nursing Home in Kaneohe. We visited with about 25 residents. It is always so touching to see these old people respond to a dog when they have not been responding at all. Willy loves them all and is so utterly patient with their often awkward ways of petting him. We have much to learn from the love of a kind and gentle dog.

One of our Tails of Aloha Team Members Kathy wrote about her experience at one of her frequent hospital visits, she writes: Today I take my Golden Retriever therapy dog WIlly to visit several Hospice patients at a nursing home. WIlly is 8 years old and as gentle and loving as a dog can be. He is really an angel of peace to people. One lady wanted to say the Lord’s prayer with Willy so she did. Another man was so touched to see a dog near him and did not want WIlly to leave. The responses of the people are not to me but to this dog who offers such unconditional love to each person.  I think of all the social issues in the world that need help and if not for so many family responsibilities I would go to one of those places. I think  that I always pray to be an advocate for peace and think of many young people in parts of the world giving their lives for freedom. I am too old and far away to make a difference for them but I know WIlly has brought peace today in a nursing home in a small Hawaiian town. What he has done has mattered.

Willie is on the left and Sophie on the right

Tails of Aloha’s volunteers are everywhere, including some local schools. Our therapy dogs are, among other wonderful things, great listeners, and our local keiki can attain higher reading scores by reading to them! For more information on local schools participating in this program, please scroll to the bottom of this page. Mahalo

There are two articles included here. The first article is from the website of Cesar Millan, aka the Dog Whisperer; the second article is from The Animal Rescue Site:

By Joe Wilkes

Lately, there have been a number of programs springing up around the world where young children and older children with learning disabilities have been entered into programs where they have been reading to dogs. Dogs, you say? While our canine brethren have been enthusiasts of running, Frisbee, swimming, and many athletic pursuits, it’s been rare that they’ve been regarded by us humans as any meaningful participant in a literary salon. The vast majority of pooches haven’t even read Old Yeller, The Call of the Wild, or even Marley and Me.

Yet, these four-legged critics are being enlisted to hear recitations of Dr. Seuss, Hans Christian Andersen, and J.K. Rowling in schools and libraries everywhere, where previously they might not even have been let through the door due to various hygiene considerations. So what’s going on?

For children who are beginning to read, or are a little behind developmentally, or suffer from dyslexia, autism, or learning disabilities, an environment with a friendly companion like a professional therapy dog (or even a well-trained family pet) can create a safe atmosphere where they can work out their difficulties but not feel trivialized by classroom peers or fear disapproval of adult authority figures. Studies have begun to show conclusively that children who read to an audience perform much better when the audience is a dog as opposed to an adult human or a group of human peers. The theory is that because the dog (usually a trained therapy dog) is attentive and nonjudgmental, the child feels more comfortable working through any difficulties sounding out the words or assembling the sentences conceptually knowing the dog won’t mock or laugh, but only support.

The use of dogs to provide encouragement to improve literacy can’t solve all problems associated with learning disabilities. Other educational techniques must be used in conjunction with reading to dogs to help overcome whatever challenges the reader faces. But what can be avoided is the embarrassment of making mistakes in front of others. Dogs relieve the social pressure for the beginning reader to “get it right.” Dogs will enjoy the story even if the words are mispronounced or the delivery is halted. The dog won’t laugh and won’t make wisecracks if the reader makes mistakes. And the dog’s attention and lack of judgment will hopefully help the reader keep moving forward and improving. Studies have shown the improvements in the “dog readers” outshine the ones who don’t read to dogs.

When my nephews were young and learning to read, a common holiday pastime was to ask them to come out and read a book to me. They were usually told for encouragement and aspiration that their uncle made his living reading and writing and he would be really excited to see how good they were (so, no pressure!). And my nephews, who had horsed around with me all day, giggled about everything, and been generally relaxed, sat down on the couch next to me, cracked open a storybook and began to read. They would sit stiffly and read in trembling voices, with fearful glances at me to see if they had said the words correctly. It was painful, like watching a hostage read a prepared statement. I told them not to worry, that I thought they were awesome and you know, I still screwed up words, too. And I think they kind of believed me. But still, I couldn’t say it like a dog could.

From:  http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/Dog-Eared-Books-A-New-Definition?utm_source=mobilestorm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Aug11NL_3

Aug 12, 2011 11:04:48 PM

In a study of 18 second graders, researchers from the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine found that students who read to dogs showed improved reading abilities and an increased enjoyment of reading than students who read to humans.

Last summer, researchers divided the group of children into two, with half reading aloud to dogs and half reading aloud to humans for 30 minutes each week. After five weeks, the dog group showed an increase in the words the children could read per minute, while the human group showed a decrease. In addition, the children of the dog group reported an improved attitude toward reading while the control group saw a slight decrease in enjoyment.

Although the study was too small to be statistically significant, Lisa Freeman, Tufts professor in the department of clinical sciences, told the news source that reading to dogs “really builds their confidence.”

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there are millions of homeless pets in animal rescue shelters across the United States that could use a loving home.

From: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/ars/article/Dogs-may-help-children-read904

Some Local Schools Participating in the Reading to Therapy Dogs program:

Alvah Scott Elementary, 98-1230 Moanalua Road, Aiea,HI 96701;  Team contact:  Kaori Fiack – jncwalking@gmail.com; Warren Hoopii – jijisbaby@gmail.com

Easter Seals Variety Schools; Team Contact: Jennifer Yee;  Jjvariety@gmail.com

Kainalu Elementary School; Sherrie Sunabe – principal; 266-7835

Kalihia Kai Elemetary; Contact team member/principal  – Laura Ahn; 832-3310

Kapolei Middle School; Bobby-Lynn Kupihea-Char, Counselor; 693-7025 ext 335; Bobbi-Lynn_Kupihea-Char/Kapomid/hidoe@notes.k12.hi.us

Pauoa Elementary; 2301 Pauoa Rd.,Honolulu; Laura Laubach@aol.com or Laura_Lauback@notes.k12.hi.us; 587-4500 ext 239 (school); 610-320-2084 (cell)

Chris recently adopted another kitten from Neko House,  she adopted momo to keep yuki company. Momo is Yuki’s sibling. At first we thought that Momo was a male tabby but found out when he went in to get neutered that he was a she!  But since Momo means peach, it’s a name that can be used for either male or female whew!   Momo now lives with Chris, her children and Yuki comfortably in a nice warm and loving home.  Neko House and Tails of Aloha thank Chris for opening her heart and home for two wonderful kittens!