General Training and Behavior Resources
Local Resources
Your Dog’s Friend – a local non-profit group dedicated to keeping dogs out of shelters that offers excellent free workshops – www.yourdogsfriend.org
Websites recommended by Your Dog’s Friend
Spot On Training – for group classes, workshops, etc. – spotondogtrainingdc.com
Online Resources
ASPCA Virtual Pet Behaviorist – http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care
Dog Star Daily – http://www.dogstardaily.com
Dogster – www.dogster.com
Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS – drsophiayin.com
DogsLife – www.dogslife.com
In Memoriam 2014 
Print Resources
Periodicals
The Whole Dog Journal – “A monthly guide to natural dog care and training”
(also available online at www.whole-dog-journal.com)
Your Dog – “The newsletter for caring dog owners”
(Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University)
Dog Watch – “Expert information on medicine, behavior and health from a world
leader in veterinary medicine” (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine)
Books
Donaldson, Jean. The Culture Clash. (Berkeley, CA: James and Kenneth Publishers, 1996).
McConnell, Patricia, PhD. The Other End of the Leash. (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 2002).
Pryor, Karen. Don’t Shoot the Dog – The New Art of Teaching and Training. 2nd ed. (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1999).
Resources for Reactive and Anxious Dogs
TTouch
“Tellington TTouch offers a method of training which can help to overcome behavioral, physical and performance problems in companion animals and horses through private sessions, workshops and classes.”
-Pam Wanveer, Woodside TTouch, http://woodsidettouch.com/index.html
“Tellington TTouch® uses a combination of circular touches, slides, and lifts, as well as movement and body wraps, to effect positive changes in stress levels, physical and emotional balance, and the ability to learn. When working with a human-animal team, TTouch enhances communication, focus, and connection.”
-Marnie Montgomery, Joyful Dog LLC, http://joyfuldogllc.com/about-tellington-ttouch-and-training/
General
Nationwide TTouch website – http://www.ttouch.com
Local TTouch Practitioners
Pam Wanveer of Woodside TTouch – Level 3 (? the highest level) Practioner (as well as a Craniosacral Practitoner) with years of TTouch experience who offers private sessions, workshops, and classes.
http://woodsidettouch.com
Marnie Montgomery of Joyful Dog: http://www.joyfuldogllc.com
Calming Aids
Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) products: collars, diffusers, spray. Brands: Adaptil, Comfort Zone. Available on various pet retail websites.
Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy for Dogs (Rescue Remedy Pet) – http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet
Through a Dog’s Ear – http://www.throughadogsear.com
CDs or MP3s designed to desensitize dogs to specific sounds they fear. Canine Audio Therapy – http://www.scarednomore.com; Canine Noise Phobia Series – http://throughadogsear.com/canine-noise-phobia-series
Thundershirt (a product similar to the body wraps used in TTouch)
http://www.thundershirt.com
Pet Loss Prevention Tips
Some pet loss is inevitable: equipment malfunctions, pets can be in cars when car crashes happen, some pets are stolen, and, of course, there’s simple human error (gates not fully closed, careless – or careful, but just not sufficiently careful – walkers or sitters, etc.). Despite, even because of, that inevitability, pet parents should not only take care to avoid all of those circumstances, they should take extra precautions in case this happens to their pet. These steps can greatly increase the chances of recovering a pet.
1. Microchip your pet! Make sure both that your pet has a microchip and that you have registered your information (name, address, phone number, etc.) on the microchip company’s website – a microchip is no help if it scanning it does not reveal any information. Also, in case your pet’s disappearance is due to theft and you (or the police) are able to find the person who took your pet, that microchip is the only way to prove ownership! (Even if you can produce pictures identical to the pet found, the thief can claim it’s a littermate or a coincidence.) Having the microchip scanned settles the matter indisputably.
2. Make sure that you have a clear, colorful picture of your pet. It should have both good coverage (show most of the pet’s body) and good contrast against the background. That way, if you need to make flyers because your pet is missing, people will have an accurate of what your pet looks like. Consider which of the two pictures below is more likely to get someone to recognize the pet and call to report a sighting.
3. Make and keep a scent article of your pet. Especially if you have multiple pets, a scent item like a bed or a toy could be “contaminated” (with the scent of more than one of them), so telling the tracking dog to match and follow the scent on that article would be unclear and confusing to the dog. Therefore, you should make a scent article for your pet (or each of your pets, if you have more than one). To do this, take a clean absorbent item like cotton (I use a rag / cloth, but things like gauze pads work fine too) and rub it all over your pet: face, ears, mouth, butt – all the smelliest places! – and try to get a little fur. Then put the article into a sealed plastic bag (like a ziploc bag), label it, and put it in your freezer. It’s very simple to do, but can be invaluable some day!
Pet Tracking Resources
Local Pet Tracking Resources
Pure Gold Pet Trackers
Sam Connelly – Top Recommended Tracker with very broad service area (anywhere along the East Coast with main focus in the Mid-Atlantic area; exceptions made on a case to case basis).
(410) 365-7456 – puregoldpettrack@aol.com – www.puregoldpettrackers.net
General Lost Pet Resources
Volunteer, Advocacy, and Rescue Resources
Volunteer Resources
An abundance of volunteer opportunities exist throughout the greater DC Metro Area Animal Shelters:
- Washington Humane Society
- New York Avenue Shelter
- Georgia Avenue Shelter
- Washington Animal Rescue League
- Animal Welfare League of Arlington
- Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
- Montgomery County Humane Society
- Prince William County Humane Society
- SPCA-Humane Society of Prince George’s County
- Loudon County Animal Services
Another option is to volunteer with rescue organizations – see “Rescue Resources” below.
Advocacy Resources
General Advocacy:
These are two most informative, thorough sites that provide excellent, very current data on the state of animal law as well as efforts to change it. They often detail opportunities for the public to help advocate for animal rights.
The ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/take-action/advocacy-center
Best Friends Animal Society:
- Awakening to Advocacy – http://bestfriends.org/stories-blog-videos/latest-news/awakening-advocacy
- Tips for Effective Animal Advocacy – http://bestfriends.org/stories-blog-videos/latest-news/tips-effective-animal-advocacy
- Join the Best Friends Legislative Action Center – http://bestfriends.org/stories-blog-videos/latest-news/tips-effective-animal-advocacy
Pit Bull Advocacy:
BADRAP – Bay Area Dog-Lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls – badrap.org
Pit Bull Rescue Central – Where Education Meets Rescue – pitbullrescuecentral.com
The Sula Foundation – sulafoundation.org
Other Advocacy Websites:
The American Humane Association – http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/advocacy/
Animal Welfare Groups in the Washington, DC Area – http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/advocacy/
World Advocacy for Animal Rights and Protection – http://www.worldadvocacy.com/animal_1.html
Wikipedia List of Animal Rights Groups – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_rights_groups
Rescue Resources
Greater DC Metro Area Rescues
DC Paws Rescue – https://dcpawsrescue.org
A Forever Home Rescue Foundation – aforeverhome.org
Friends of Homeless Animals – foha.org
City Dogs Rescue – citydogsrescuedc.org
Operation Paws for Homes – https://ophrescue.org
Lucky Dog Rescue – luckydoganimalrescue.org
Jasmine’s House (for Pit Bulls and Kids) – jasmineshouse.org
National / Regional Rescues
Best Friends Animal Society – bestfriends.org
Animal Farm Foundation – animalfarmfoundation.org
Villa Lobos Rescue Center – a Pit Bulls Dog Rescue – www.vrcpitbull.net
Pet Finder – National Database of Dogs Up for Adoption – Petfinder.com
Breed-Specific Rescues
List from All Dogs Welcome – http://alldogswelcome.com/breed-specific-rescues.html