Take a look at the trailer for my new book, The Complete Single’s Guide To Being A Dog Owner!
Pass it on!
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There is an amazing apartment building at the end of my block that has been sitting mostly empty for at least a year. From years back when I first moved to Beverly Hills I had always admired it, but I knew it was quite pet unfriendly and remained so at least up through this year when I was recently on the 
apartment hunt.
But last week I noticed a bevvy of action around the building. Apartments that had been empty for months were all of the sudden lit up and the building buzzed with the sounds of people, and wait what was that, yes it was the harumphs of dogs barking. Looking in the windows as I walked by with Ranger I have seen a boxer in one apartment and a poodle and a hound of some variety in another. Aparently the landlords have had a change of heart.
I’m sure it has something to do with the economy, I mean how long could they let these apartment lose money. But it got me thinking about dogs and renting. Why are landlords so hesitant to rent to dog owners. Of course there is the obvious soiling (nice euphamism, right?) issues, but I’ve seen non-dog onwers rip a place to shreds and besides landlords usually take a fat pet deposit to cover these cost. Then there is also the issue of noise, but I’ve had plenty of neighbors make tons of noise without the help of a canine friend.
I’m lucky enough to have found an amazing apartment (it was designed by famed architect Paul Williams who also designed that crazy building at the center of LAX) that was willing to take Bella, and now Ranger. But I also came with good references from my former apartment building. If you are a dog owning renter, and are having a tough time, do the following.
1. Give yourself time to find a pet friendly place. There are pet freindly apartments in every city. It just takes some time. Craigslist is awesome for finding pet friendly places.
2. Don’t give up. Dogs are too often given up because people can’t find housing right away. When you start looking for a place line up an interim place to stay, and or someome to babysit your dog in case there is lag between when you have to move out of one place and when you find the second place.
3. Always ask. Particularly in this economy even places that say no dogs may consider it if you sign a 12 month or even offer to sign a longer lease if they take your dog.
4. Have references ready to give from your former landlord or neighbors. It may seem a little hokey but it might be enough to get them to consider you.
5. Get renters insurance that covers your dog. You never plan for things to happen but they do, and this way at a resonable cost you can protect yourself, your dog and your wallet!
6. Be a conscientious dog owner. When you’re not, you ruin it for the rest of us!
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that the agency is investigating NUTRO pet food, following a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. Consumers have been complaining for more than two years that their pets have become ill after eating NUTRO products; many have recovered when they were switched to other foods. The company has steadfastly denied that its food is to blame.
What's in your bowl?
Until now, the FDA has been mum about whether it was actively investigating the company. Today, the FDA’s Division of Freedom of Information confirmed the agency has an ongoing investigation into NUTRO — and said that investigation could be criminal or civil in nature. The office did not elaborate on the nature or focus of that investigation.
The investigation came to light when the FDA denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by ConsumerAffairs.com seeking a list of complaints and lab results the agency has collected regarding NUTRO pet food. The agency denied the request and said that releasing the information could hamper “prospective or ongoing” action by law enforcement.
Click Here to read full story on the Consumer Affairs website!
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Yesterday I wrote about Bo Obama- the girls named him Bo– and referred to him as a rescue dog. I actually struggled with whether I should add the words “sort of” at the end of that statement. Ultimately I left it off and now I regret it.
While Bo was given back to the breeder, something that happens a lot with puppies (FYI a sign of a good breeder is whether or not they will take a dog back, so I am at least grateful that they found a decent ethical breeder) I realize that I don’t think their bringing Bo into the White House is in sync with what was promised– that they would rescue a dog. Sorry, but no matter how much I have been behind Obama, I can’t quite buy that a dog from The Kennedy’s chosen breeder should be consider a rescued dog.
Reports indicate that The Obamas will donate to the Humane Society, but to me actions speak louder than words, and in this case money. The donation is a consolation prize and while a nice sentiment, it will be but a blip on the Obama dog radar. Rather Bo will be around for a long time, and people will think in order to get a good, worthy dog they must get a breeder dog.
And lest anyone claim it was an issue of allergies, there are hundreds of dog dying in shelters around the country every day who are just as hypo-allergenic as Bo Obama.
I am sad and extremely disappointed in the example The Obamas are setting.
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It’s incredibly hard to know about an animal in need and or about to be put down and not do something about it. And some rescuers simply can’t say no. They become unable to create boundaries; venturing into what’s called hoarding or collecting. The distinction between these two scenarios is subtle, but generally hoarders become unable to care for their dogs while collectors maintain adequate hygene and care–but far from what a dog needs.
Schnauzer Poodle Mix at Collector
A rescue group I work with, Lhasa Happy Homes was called to help the nephew of one such collector deal with more than 80 dogs and 120 cats that his ailing aunt has in her “care”. The aunt recently had a stroke, and is now incapcitated leaving the close-to-200 animals in jeopardy.
There are Labs, Huskies, Poodle mixes, Pomeranians, you name it and they are all in desperate need of homes and or help. They have been relatively well cared for, and most are well socialized and all things considered are pretty healthy.
Click the picture to see some of the cuties and if you’re interested visit Lhasa Happy Homes or email them at lhasahappyhomes@aol.com.
To understand more about collecting, click here.
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In writing The Complete Single’s Guide to Being a Dog Owner, one of my goals is to take at least a tiny step in bridging the gap between rescuers and potential adopters. There are tons of dogs for adoption, tons of rescuers and tons of people wanting dogs, yet the adoption process can be challenging to say the least, and I hear about it from both sides…a lot.
Available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Border's
Potential adopters complain of difficult rescuers, and frustrating, dead-end, even sometimes demoralizing adoption processes and yet I also know the plight of rescuers. So along with the book, I am starting a series in my blog of DOG RESCUE FAQs; common questions about rescue answered to help both rescuers and adopters communicate more effectively. Because remember, it’s the rescue dogs who suffer when communications break down.
Applications serve many functions including creating a record of where the dog goes and to whom. But an equally important function the application process is to weed out less than serious potential adopters. If you’re not willing to put the effort into filling out an application, then what other somewhat-inconvenient things are they not willing to do? Having a dog is wonderful, but it is also a series of responsibilities; the first of which is filling out that application! Now that said, I know applications can be annoying. So if you’re filling out many applications, keep an electronic copy of your previously filled out answers; in case questions are the same from one app to the other, you can cut and paste your responses.
Rescuers do home checks not because they are nosy, but rather to make sure your home is dog ready. Many of the dogs we end up with have been runaways in the first place. Rescuers look for potential escape routes regular people probably wouldn’t notice, and they also look for other hazards- poisonous plants and or the precarious placement of precious items a new dog might knock over- dogs are often given back for destroying things. And finally, one big reason they do home checks is because sadly, people lie on their applications… a lot. They say their yard is fenced, it’s not. They say they live in a house; it’s a studio apartment. They say live alone; they live with their parents who are actually allergic and hate dogs. So it’s nothing personal against you; it’s usually a blanket protection policy.
Rescue applications often ask for your date of birth because, while age is not always a perfect indicator of where you personally are at in life, certain life stages are more condusive to raising a dog than others. Hello I just finished a book dedicated to helping younger, single people care for their dogs. So, if anyone does, I know young single people can be great dog owners. But it’s not always easy. Rescuers get so many younger people turning in dogs because they can’t handle or afford it. However, by communicating what it is about you that would make you better suited to care for a dog for the long term– you are in a stable job, or have the support of your family, or own your house, or will get pet insurance, and or you would live in your car rather than give up your dog– you will have a better shot transcending the age bias of some rescuers.
On the other end of the spectrum, rescuers are also a bit reticent to adopt a very young dog to older owners because while older owners can make the commitment and spend lots of a time with a dog now, dogs live 10-15 years and rescuers want to make sure that dog is taken care of for the rest of its life. To deal with this problem, I always encourage older owners to demonstrate what they would do with a dog in case they encounter an unexpected health problem. This can be a simple as providing contact information for who would take the dog in case of emergency or some dog owners even write out wills!
So that’s the first of my DOG RESCUE FAQs! I hope you find these helpful. I’d love to hear from you if you have a burning dog rescue question!
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On Thursday night I went to the opening of a great new store called Woof Worx. It’s a pet store, and it sells dogs. If you knew me at all you’d be in shock that I actually put those two sentences together. But it’s true!
Woof Worx
Woof Worx rocks because they are the first (in hopefully a long line) of pet stores which operates under Best Friend’s Puppy-Store-Free Campaign, i.e. Woof Worx has adorable puppies that come from the shelter instead of a puppy mill. Indeed the pups at Woof Worx are creatures not commodities.
Previously, the space located in the Glen Center (a Betsy favorite from way back a little shout out to Santo Pietro’s, Vera’s, Shane on the Glen and Sushi Ko), was occupied by a seriously vile place called Pets of Bel Air that you may recognize from the news. It was busted for it’s inhumane and illegal practices “A fraud and false advertising lawsuit against Pets of Bel Air claims animals the store said were from private breeders actually came from puppy mills and were less than healthy and hardy.”
Thankfully those days are gone and it’s now a gorgeous store that we all must support because, its success will hopefully inspire other puppy stores to follow in its footsteps. And if sheer inspiration doesn’t do it, I’m hoping the growing sentiment against and deserved suspicion of puppy stores will make them obsolete in the very near future!
Visit Woof Worx at
2924 North Beverly Glen Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90077
310.474.1211
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Bella & Her Bone
The weekend before Bella passed, I was lucky enough to have scheduled a photo session with Miss Elisabeth Caren (Elisabeth Caren Photography.) She is an amazing photographer who I also have the pleasure of being friends with. She does still photography on movie and film sets and she also does fashion and celebrity shoots. Yep she’s pretty fancy, but she also is a devoted dog mom who has done amazing work photographing dogs.
With the book coming out, I have been asked for PR pictures and had been thinking about setting up a shoot with Elisabeth. But truth be told I’d been in saving mode preparing to take on the expenses related to promoting the book. But again truth be told, I’m terrible about denying myself something I want, I can be fabulously vain and also mostly I really wanted Elisabeth-quality photos of Bella. So I decided to blow my budget and go for the pics, and thank god.
Me & B
It’s hard to believe Bella would be gone just three days later. Getting the pictures done with Elisabeth were both divine and as far as I’m concerned divine intervention. Elisabeth spent hours with us and took hundred and hundred of frames. She is so thorough and thoughtful. Take a look at a few of my favorites as well at some simple tips about to to take the best pictures of your dog!
SIMPLE BACKGROUND
Keep the background of your photo as simple as possible. Your dog should be the center of attention within the frame with no distractions or clutter. Nothing ruins an otherwise good picture like a random soda can, pile of papers or worse lurking in the background.
NATURAL LIGHT-FILLED BACKGROUND
One big problem with dog pictures is red-eye or even green-eye that happens as a result of the flash. To avoid this rather attractive phenomenon, take photos of your dog during the day in a well lit area.
DOWN ON ALL FOURS
Get down on eye level with your dog and make sure that you aren’t too far away. Your dog should be dominant in the frame. A picture in which you are either too far away or too far above the dog will flatten out their cute face.
A GOOD DOG MODEL IS A SEMI-TIRED DOG-MODEL
Getting a dog to sit still can be one of the biggest hurdles to taking a good dog photo. While you don’t want your dog to be so pooped that they can’t appear engaged or alert, you might want to think about running him or her around the block a few times to take the edge off. They might be more apt to sit or lie down for a picture if they’ve just expended a bit of energy.
Squeaky Toys Work Wonders
SQUEAKY TOY
FAST SHUTTER
Even a tired dog will tend to move in the time between when you press down on the button of a digital camera and when the image is actually captured. For this reason, if it’s possible (OY, I know it’s just another expensive thing to add to the list), get a camera with a short lag time. This way the picture you take is the picture you get. If you’re not able to go out and buy a fancy and fast camera, pull out one of your old film cameras and use it. They tend to have a faster shutter speed and film can still be developed digitally so that you can share your photos… with everyone.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Finally, remember that your dog is a dog. He or she isn’t a full-time model (most likely) and doesn’t understand how you can be so close to them and not be petting them. You might need to patient with your dog and practice a few times before you get things right. Whatever you do, don’t get frustrated. While they don’t understand your words, they will understand your tone. If you find yourself getting aggravated, take a break and try again in a few minutes. While pictures are important, you can always take more… just don’t take too long 
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Losing Bella and the aftermath there of- -grieving, taking in a foster, contemplating looking for another forever friend has really put me through my puppy paces. It is one thing to write about these events in the book and on this blog but certainly another to live them.
Bella & Me Feb 28 by Elisabeth Caren
Bella was no spring chicken when she passed; probably around 12 or 13, maybe? And so for about the last year or maybe six months, especially since the loss of my beloved dog from college, Tucker, I had taken moments as Bella and I did our daily routine just to say to myself: Betsy this drink in. Remember this time fondly because life is precious. Maybe I thought doing that, having that memory would help me control the eventual pain that I knew I would face when she passed.
Um, super good, control-freaktastic idea. But it still totally sucks to lose her. And I am sort of a basket case.
But instead of taking it easy and compensating for the fact I have had major problems sleeping, I somewhat-hastily tried to take in a foster dog. Her name is Tiki; she is absolutely most elegant, beautiful 10-month old German Shepherd girl I have ever met. She was dumped by her family because she requires medicine that cost about 40 dollars a month. And while every penny counts these days, her former parents could afford it, but just chose not to and turned her into German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County which is a wonderful rescue group that everyone should know of and donate to!
Tiki
While I had never thought of myself as a German Shepherd girl, I love the group and this girl needed a foster. But sadly she was a bit too much dog for me. (I should have never gone for a younger dog, something else I write about in the book. Check out the Senior Dog Project for why Senior Dogs rock.) Tiki really needs a home, even a foster home with a yard (she never peed on the leash once in 3 days) and another dog to play with. I just couldn’t provide that for her. But if you know of anyone who might fit the bill please pass on her info. I do LOVE HER!
Ugh, so through heaving tears I brought her back to rescue- but thankfully GSROC is a rescue not the pound and Tiki is safe and will find great home. That is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to adopt from a group. Dogs will be safe if it’s not a match and dogs have been fostered first so more can be known about them.
All that goodness aside though, having to bring her back made me, on top of feeling devastated about Bella, feel like an ass. What kind of dog person amd I?
And then I realized I’m a human dog person for lack of a better term. I realize, almost as I write this that I am not a perfect dog owner. Far from it and I hope that writing from that place will make more people relate to the book and this blog. Bella while loved more than any dog I know didn’t eat at the same time every day, and that sometime I left her for an hour longer than I should have. And while she went to doggie bootcamp to get along with other dogs, there was no way I would be able to maintain her good canine manners after the course ended because I couldn’t keep her training up for a variety of reasons which can be best summed up with I’ve been a single girl trying to live my life (dating working, etc.) And that doesn’t mean you can’t be a great loving dog owner. You just have to be smart about it and find the right situation for your life.
Clearly a 10-month old German Shepherd was not the right situation and I will find the right one in time. But just like anything else in life, I have realized the hard way rushing through or into something just isn’t going to take you anywhere you want to be. So I’m going to take my time, miss my baby Bella and see what the Universe sends my way.
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As much as I knew it would be coming, Bella’s passing has been beyond devastating. Being a quasi-pragmatist, OK planner/control freak– I tried to intellectualize my way around the pain: I made every right decisions, she experienced far less pain than other dogs with Osteosarcoma and she knew that I love her so deeply–blah blah blah. It ends up that there is no way to work around the stark truth that she is literally missing from my life and that just hurts like hell and it feels weird to go on with normal life without her.
Hall & Oates
I find myself totally fine and then something trips me up and I break out into tears. I do however have a new appreciation for some classic sad songs which now dominate my mental ipod (i.e. I can’t effing get them out of my head.) These tearjerker “classics”include She’s Gone by Hall & Oats and When It’s Over by Sugar Ray; music snob I am not.
And people by thy way (probably many of you reading this) been so supportive and amazing. Thank You all truly so much. I heard some extremely helpful things. One that hit close to home was regarding the sadness and how it’s just different. As opposed to other sadnesses a single girl in her 30’s has no doubt experienced i.e. a bad break-up, being laid off or having a falling out with a friend, when losing a dog there is of course sadness, but it’s uncomplicated. There is a sweetness to a dog and our relationships with them. Losing it that connection just hurts; in your gut.
So what to do? For some people it doesn’t feel right not having a dog. I have friends who have beloved dogs and years later can’t even fathom getting another. For me I knew I couldn’t be without one for long. So… meet Zsa Zsa my new foster.
Zsa Zsa
She is a sweet German Shepherd girl who was turned into to Orange German Shepherd Rescue because she has an enzyme disorder and needs 3/4 of a teaspoon of enzyme powder on her food to aid digestion. I love people. She was in boarding and needed a foster and I needed to give some puppy love. So while I have never pictured myself with a GSD, let’s see how we do!
Bringing Zsa Zsa into our lives will be quite the test for me. My book, The Complete Single’s Guide To Being A Dog Owner, which is currently available for pre-sale (shameless plug) among other things gives the 411 on bringing a new dog into your home. It seems like god’s little joke that as my book comes out and I will hopefully be sharing dog advice with the world, I am now in the position that I must walk the walk not just talk the talk–i.e. I’ve got to put into practice the very advice I have given! OY!
Of course I am only fostering sweet Zsa Zsa but fingers crossed we are a match!
Stay tuned.
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