Monthly Archives September 2020

Should you let a new dog sniff your hand?

  How many of us were taught to extend our hand when meeting a new dog to allow them to smell it? The “sniff test” is common advice that we have probably all done, but is no longer the advisable way to introduce yourself to a new dog.  Extending your hand towards a dog you don’t know could be seen as a potential threat, and trigger a defensive bite.  Instead, turn sideways, avoid direct eye contact, and possibly toss (don’t hand) the dog some treats. Dogs have amazing senses of smell – they can gather information just fine from where
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Cat got the zoomies? Should you be concerned?

  Most people are familiar with the concept of dog “zoomies,” but it’s not as widely known that cats can, and do, absolutely have the zoomies, too. Those moments when your cat is spontaneously tearing around the house and you can’t get him to stop, even for his favorite treat? He’s likely in zoomie mode. Why does this happen? It could be that he just woke up from an epic cat nap! Cats can sleep up to 16 hours a day to conserve energy for hunting. When they wake up, the zoomies can happen because they’re reinvigorating their minds and
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Gemma is home at last!

We had been searching for a puppy for months. When Gemma popped up on the website I filled out the application and raced to HSHV. We knew we had found our girl as soon as we met her. Her beautiful dual-colored eyes, her name (patron saint of scoliosis), and her goofiness were all we needed to fall in love. With some research, I have learned all that she went through to get to HSHV and it was a hard trip. Through it all, she is a smart girl and is happy to learn, play, and please. Training is bringing her
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Penelope is thriving!!

My boyfriend and I adopted Penelope in 2017! She was only 3 months old when we met her. Her big eyes, sassy personality, and beautiful colors made us fall in love. She is a smart and sophisticated cat! Her favorites spots to chill are our shoulders, her cat tree, or our laps. Thank you HSHV for your dedication to animals ❤️ Penelope/Penny
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“Shy kitten” no more!

We adopted Kili (formerly Lawrence, which we kept as his middle name) just over a year ago. We had a resident cat already, and felt she would do better adjusting to a kitten than an adult. My husband really wanted an all-gray kitten, and Kili instantly captured his heart. When we were going through the paperwork, they gave us a handout on how to socialize a “shy kitten”. Kili could not be further from a shy boy! He is always running around, annoying his sister, and wanting to meet everyone who comes in the door! He often chirps instead of
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Our Boys

We were going to adopt 1 kitten…and the family who walked in before us adopted the one we had our eye on. I was expecting to leave that day without a kitten, but we looked around anyway and I found the cutest, most playful kitten! He let me just hold him and give him all the kisses. But we still weren’t sure. My husband was playing with the other kittens in his litter and found one he really liked. But we were only going to get one! Well, that lasted for about 5 minutes before we decided to adopt two:
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The Amazing American Heritage Girls

The American Heritage Girl Troop 0100 is pretty awesome! They voted on service projects and chose to help HSHV because they love animals so much. The troop hosted a week long supply drive at school and ended up donating an amazing amount of towels, washcloths, food, litter, and pans! Their donation will help our animal residents so much! We are so grateful to the American Heritage Girl Troop 0100 for their compassion, kindness, and service to their wider community! Thank you!
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Spaniel rescue melts hearts

After 13 long years of life, my parents’ Cocker Spaniel succumbed to a list of health problems. My father swore up and down that he’d never get another dog – the overall experience involving said list of health problems was very emotionally draining. But through a series of events, we received news that a one-year-old, (mostly) house-broken Spaniel mix would be coming up from HARTT on a Love Train, and I encouraged my parents to “just meet her and see what happens”. Fast forward to now, where Casey (fka Midge or Midget) now constantly demands belly rubs from Dad, and
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Fenella’s Home

Having recently lost my rabbit Jovi, I was unsure if I wanted to get another pet. I looked on the HSHV website and I saw Queenie, now Fenella. I thought that she was so cute and exactly what I was looking for. I still didn’t think I was ready, so I didn’t look any further. The next week I looked at the website again and saw that Queenie was still available, so I went in to visit. I loved her, but was going out of town soon after for a few weeks, so I didn’t think I could adopt her.
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One weirdly-named cat

He recently came home with me (9.18.2020), but Longitude has absolutely been the best buddy I’ve needed in my life. He’s such a good fit for me and absolutely thriving! He sleeps on my bed while I attend online classes (or will sleep in my lap while I’m working) and he’s a night owl just like me. I come home from my late-night, in-person work and he’s up and ready to play. It always lifts my spirits to see him chasing his wool mice (his favorite type of toy) around the room even when I’m exhausted. I went to the
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