The Franklin County Dog Shelter will be conducting a low cost rabies immunization clinic on May 16th from 09:00 am to Noon. Immunizations will be offered for $5.00 (cash) and microchipping for $10.00 (Cash). You can get further details on their website at franklincountydogs.com or by calling 614-462-3411.

Here's a story out of MO where a 2 legged dog is helping students learn about living with hardships. This dog was born missing one leg and the other deformed, but as you can see, manages just fine and is a very happy dog. Dogs are truly amazing and there's so much we can learn from them...

This story has horrible audio (sorry), but it's a great follow-up to the K9 Guy's dog post yesterday about tag day for dogs this weekend. Helping your dog find its way home should it ever be lost or stolen is easy if you think ahead.

Yesterday we discussed simply buying tags for your dog's collar with your contact information. I've always been a big proponent of microchips for dogs as well because they don't fall or get removed by accident or on purpose (if someone steals your dog - yes there are people out there who do such things).

This video shows a microchipping, but the reason I posted it is that this shelter is doing it for all dogs they adopt out. What a great program for all shelters to explore. I would suspect this shelter has some sponsorship assistance or discounting from a vendor, because they are able to do this with only a $5.00 price increase for adoptions.

If your dog isn't microchipped, talk to your Vet. The fees vary, but are modest for life-long protection for a pet. Also, wherever you get your dog microchipped, make certain all necessary paperwork is handled so that the chip is registered! The chip's useless if the proper paperwork isn't completed.

This story brings up some important information regarding lost dogs vs lost cats in OH. If a lost dog winds up at a shelter in Ohio they must be kept several days, and several weeks if they have any id on them. Not so for cats. The discrepancy probably stems from the fact that dogs are recognized as property and cats are not. This is why dogs must be licensed annually in Ohio.

The National Humane Society is having a "tag Day" this weekend in an effort to remind pet owners the importance of getting identification tags for their pets to wear on their collars. I know in our county you can even get a dog's owner contact information if you find a stray that has only a rabies tag. An even better solution is micro chipping your pet since collars and tags can come off or be removed.

As I discuss training issues on this dog blog, I thought it worth a moment to discuss the overall concept of training. Sometimes I feel that very few people think about training their dog pro actively. Sure, once a problem crops up they may consider training as a solution (or part of a solution), but I'd like to suggest that dog training should be more than that. Dog training should be something conscientious owners consider early in their pet's life...

Read more »