How to Teach Kids to Interact With Dogs

We have all experienced the "awwwwww" moment of seeing a cute dog and wanting to go up and grab it around the neck. If you are a parent, you have probably also experienced the anxiety of having your child run up to a strange dog and wondering if the dog was friendly.

Teaching a child how to safely approach and pet a dog is incredibly important for parent and child alike. The Victor Valley Daily Press has a great article with valuable tips:

Some experts suggest having the child putting out a closed fist or a hand with palm upraised, others say just stand there. But all agree: let the dog decide whether to approach the child. Don’t hold a dog still in your lap for petting, and respect the dog’s decision if it turns away or moves behind the owner.

If the dog does approach, observe the body language. Don’t concentrate on the tail, it can be hard to read. Pelar says, “I tell people that if they’re looking at the tail, they’re watching the wrong end of the dog.”

Instead, the mouth can give a lot of clues. A dog that’s licking lips, panting excessively, or yawning, is showing that he’s not comfortable. These are oral self-soothing behaviors much like sucking your thumb, says Pelar. In contrast - opposite of the common maternal fear of the teeth showing - if the dog’s mouth is open, that’s a sign that it’s relaxed.

Quarantine in The UK

From Amy Christy - International Personal Move Counselor

While the UK now allows pets to effectively serve the mandatory 6 month quarantine in the U.S. if all of the Pet Travel Scheme requirements are met, some pet owners who must move quickly to the UK or for various other reasons may prefer to send their pets to a UK approved quarantine facility.

All approved quarantine premises in the UK are privately owned, and have different fee structures. Payment of all costs associated with the quarantine of your pet is the responsibility of the owner. You should make arrangements directly with a UK approved quarantine facility prior to sending your pet. When selecting a facility, you will want to ensure that it is within reasonable travelling distance of your home so that you can visit your pet easily.

The quarantine facility you select will apply directly to DEFRA for an import license, referred to as a “Boarding Document,” which will be required to travel with your pet. Your pet must travel with the following documents:

1. Boarding Document issued by DEFRA

2. UK Red Rabies Label

3. International Health Certificate issued within 10 days of arrival.

All pets transported into quarantine must travel as manifest cargo and must land at specific airports. We can assist you in determining the best airlines and itinerary for your pet.

In some cases, your pet may not be required to serve an entire 6 months at the quarantine facility and may qualify for early release. This is true, for instance, if your pet has already started the veterinary work for the Pet Travel Scheme, but 6 months have not elapsed after the rabies titre test before you must transport your pet. In this case, you should provide the quarantine facility with all supporting veterinary documentation (proof of microchip implant date, rabies vaccination certificate, and results of the rabies titre blood test), and the facility’s veterinarian will complete an application for early release on your behalf. We can also review all veterinary documents to ensure that all is in order for your pet’s early release.

We have worked closely with many of the quarantine facilities in the UK, will make all necessary travel arrangements, provide veterinary instructions and all required kennel labeling, including preparing the UK Red Rabies Label on your behalf. We have found them to be staffed by professional, caring individuals that strive to offer a high level of comfort and care for your pet during their stay at their facilities!

Do NOT let your pet birds around Non-Stick Cookware!

From our friends at the Pet Connection Blog. I had no idea!

Like most anyone who is always giving out advice to pet-lovers, I sometimes forget the things I think are absolutely-everyone-knows-this facts aren’t anywhere near as widely known as I’d hope.

Which is why across all our media platfoms (and aren’t those fancy words for newspaper column, Web sites, blogs and the TV/radio appearances for Dr. Becker?) we always find ourselves doubling back to hit the basics. Because sometimes people mean well, but just don’t know any better.

That’s why this afternoon I’m reminding everyone that pet birds should never be caged in the kitchen, and that if you use non-stick cookware, maybe you ought not. I gave away the nonstick stuff when I first got a parrot and haven’t any since.

Why? Because the fumes given off by the non-stick coating can kill your bird. It’s actually common enough that I know several people who have killed their birds this way, just not realizing the danger.

And it’s really deadly stuff for birds. From the Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinal in Maine:

Could nonstick coating material used on some kitchen cookware have caused the deaths of a dozen exotic birds this past weekend?

Probably, says Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner, director of the diagnostic laboratory at the University of Maine, who performed a necropsy — an examination of the internal organs — on several of the dead birds.

Contacted late Wednesday, Lichtenwalner said her test results point to fumes from nonstick coatings on cookware as the most likely cause of death.

“The lesions common to the several birds that we necropsied were consistent with acute death due to an inhaled toxicant,” Lichtenwalner said. “I was able to reach the caretaker of the animals who said she was cooking with a pan; it was a nonstick pan.

“That is the most likely cause. That’s likely to have been the case.”

The cockatiels, parrots and parakeets died suddenly Sunday night as a woman was making dinner for herself and two other adults.

The birds, said Starks Fire Chief Julie Costigan, were in cages just 10 feet from the cooking area. They all died within 30 minutes of one another.

BE AWARE!

Comiing to the US from Great Britain

We have written many articles about taking pets to the UK, however we often take for granted those coming the other way. We have indeed written about the requirements for coming into the US with pets.

However we thought we would include a great article from Shelter Offshore about considerations for taking posts in the US.


When most of us think of expatriating and working abroad we think of heading off to exotic destinations where the sun shines, the local language and culture will be as much of a learning experience as adapting to the new ways of working, and we see it all as something of an adventure. However, what about going to work abroad in America?

For professional and managerial level employees, the reality of an overseas assignment can indeed mean relocating State-side…so is such an adventure as exciting and challenging as a move abroad to somewhere like Dubai or Australia?

According to a new paper published by Human Resources Executive Online, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ In fact, according to their research and expert opinion, a relocation to America can be just as cross-culturally challenging as one to a nation where English is not the spoken language!

A relocation abroad for work purposes is often considered to be of mind expanding and career enhancing benefit to an individual, and advantageous in terms of international competitiveness for companies. Therefore it is very important that a relocation abroad actually works – which is why so much research and effort goes into understanding how expats adjust, and what level of HR support an individual and their family requires once they expatriate.

However, less thought is often given to those who expatriate from the UK and Ireland to go and live and work in America. It is assumed that because the language barrier is removed, there will be no other cross-cultural issues of major importance to address. According to Human Resources Executive Online that’s not actually the case. So, for companies thinking of sending staff to the US and for those actively contemplating a move to America, what is there to consider?

The level of social and workplace support required is high – adjustments are needed in everything from understanding and securing accommodation to travel, taxation and even the hours one is expected to work and the level of commitment one is expected to give to a job, a team, a manager and a company. Work-based performance can be measured differently in the US to how it is measured in the UK for example, therefore a company taking on an expatriate has an obligation to make its expectations clear. At the same time, an expat has the right to question and should not make broad assumptions about their new assignment. I.e., communication is key to an effective relocation to America.

Next up, according to the report from Human Resources Executive Online, there are three keys to a successful overseas assignment – whether that be in the US or elsewhere – and these three keys have to be understood and faced by both the prospective expat and their overseas employer. The three keys are work adjustment, social or general adjustment and family adjustment.

The first adjustment is probably the most straightforward, because in its simplest form the expat is just doing the same job in a new location. As mentioned, a certain amount of communication is still required to ensure performance expectations are articulated and regular reviews can usually address any issues that arise. When it comes to social or general adjustments this refers to getting to know and like living in America. Support can be given in the form of helping an expat find accommodation, introducing them to their new community and the facilities it has available, and being on hand to give advice and support for the day-to-day issues that can arise.

The last key to making an expat assignment successful is family adjustment – and in our opinion at Shelter Offshore it is actually this adjustment that is the make or break for most expatriates working abroad. It’s a fact that spousal adjustment will have more impact on the work performance of an expatriate employee than cultural adjustment, and therefore the most effort has to go into ensuring the family is integrated and settles well in America if an overseas assignment in the US is going to work.

Please be aware of Puppy Scams

We receive questions daily regarding puppy scam artists. They most often originate from Cameroon, but this is by no means all.

They often often puppies for "free", usually yorkies or english bulldogs, and only request you pay the shipping. They will only accept money via Western Union (of course because there is no way to get it back). They will even give you flight information.

BUT THERE IS NO PUPPY AND THERE IS NO FLIGHT. They will then ask for additional money because there was a "glitch" in the paperwork and they just need "$xxx" to fix it. Of course they will string you along as long as possible.

One such company is Global Pet Relocators. Please be careful. Verify everything with phone numbers and if you have any questions, please shoot us a quick email and we will let you know.