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Rhea Father & Chicks Photo Copyright & Courtesy of Mehgan Murphy & The National Zoo.

Father’s Day is upon us once again and I thought I would talk a little bit about a couple of unique animal fathers that exist out there in the animal world.

In the animal kingdom the males of many species usually do not stick around to help with their offspring. The drive behind this is to spread their genes with little investment of time or energy.

The female’s role is different since she is invested in the survival of her genes. Usually it is she who carries, nurtures, guards, and teaches her youngsters so they have a better chance of long term survival so her genes get carried forward.

Nature has some adaptions that people don’t like such as synchrony of cycles in female groups such as in African lions.

If a new male takes over the pride he usually kills the offspring of the previous pride male. This causes the females to cycle again. He then mates and his genes are passed on to a new generation. He does protect those cubs–but when it comes to other activities he can be a bit lazy.

Of course there are also those aberrant fathers such as the Grizzly bear–who actually attempt to kill cubs in their territory.

This action removes their genes from the genetic pool but also is thought to keep the bear population down (narrowing competition) if he is successful in his attacks.

However, there are males that help rear young. So, I thought I’d mention a couple in honor of Father’s Day.

Rhea
Rheas are large, flightless birds native to South America known as ratites. Most people do not know that rhea chicks are raised by their fathers, who also incubate the eggs.

The National Zoo’s rhea chicks sleep nestled in their father’s feathers on his back. During their daily meandering dad guards over them and warns of danger through a rapid clacking of his bill to bring them all running back under his wings.

Red Fox
The Red Fox dad looks after his vixen who stays in the den for the first month after the birth of her litter.

He feeds her until his offspring come out of the den. Then he spends time, not only teaching them, but playing too.

In a few months the male helps train them to find food and shares survival skills to help them become more independent.

Of course there are other great animal fathers out there. Do you have a favorite? If so please comment below.

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Bathing cats is possible if you start early enough…and some breeds are more cooperative than others. This is a great example of a kitten who is relaxed during bath time.

Fortunately, it cuts off before the anal gland clearing!

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Recently I asked for some tips and hints to see just what was important to them.

Immediately I received a flood of emails with a number of topics that were near and dear to their hearts.

Although it was difficult to choose the best, I am happy to announce the participant selected to win the first prize (insert drum roll here) :

Congratulations to Sheila Gibbs of Victoria, British Columbia.

Sheila took the time to write tips she thought were useful. What was outstanding about her submissions is that she also described in detail how they were valuable and how they applied to her pet household.

The prize?

Sheila will receive a copy of the newly released Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals. If you have not purchased your copy–it was released this week and you can read my extensive book review about Reaching the Animal Mind here.

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Lately I’ve been amused by some of the things I’ve seen or have heard from my students.

My career has mostly been centered on the training of wild and exotic animals but when I moved to the mountains I began to work with domestic animals and their owners.

I no longer offer group classes and my clients are strictly referral but I am always amazed that the same things come up again and again.

One of my students told me she has been reading a lot of animal training books and that “everything that you have told me to do is right on.”

*sigh*

I am glad to see that she is avidly reading and is goal oriented but my friend’s laugh when I share the story.

Why? Because I have a degree in exotic animal training and management, certifications in several animal training specialties, and many more years experience than some of those who have authored such books.

But this situation is not unique. It has always amazed me to find people who have hired professionals for assistance and then continue to ask others or look elsewhere for verification.

When someone asks me about their trainer or the strategies being used–I usually refer them back to the trainer for clarification.

The whole reason you hire a professional is to get the coaching to short cut the work. In most cases you don’t need to go beyond that decision.

When people second guess that professional or argue over the protocols–it has always has amazed me.

I remember when my colleague was in the hospital for an extended period of time.

His former apprentice and I split up his practice so it kept running and gave him an income while he was incapacitated.

His specialty was the non-force rehabilitation of dangerous dogs.

These were dogs who were going to face euthanasia if they were not rehabilitated. The list included dogs that had bitten everyone in the family, tore off the ear of a child, or were a danger to society.

During a routine history, before I met the dog at one home, I asked, “When was the last time this dog bit someone?”

The answer?

“Two week ago.”

The father of the family held up his hand to display two deep canine puncture wounds through the fleshy part of his hand.

After I met the dog (a large, dominant bitch) I outlined the protocol.

The family immediately began to argue with me about the 100% compliance I required.

I couldn’t believe it.

So, I took a deep breath and said, “You can be 100% compliant or euthanize the dog–which do you choose?“

Believe it or not they continued to argue–and I continued to ask the same question until I got the answer–which was that they would comply.

People want animal training to be easy and to see quick results.

If you are persistent and consistent–it can be. However, in most cases it requires that you follow through and don’t make exceptions to the directives you have been give.

It also takes daily effort and conscious attention to those pattens of behavior within the household that contribute to the undesirable (and sometimes dangerous) behavior.

Plus the owner must apply those techniques and follow the protocol outlined–without exceptions.

When you make exceptions that is when can mean trouble.

The family did not do everything outlined as quickly as I would have liked, so instead of seeing results in 8 to 16 weeks, it took them six months to achieve the goal.

When I got the excited phone call reporting that they had successfully had a party without the dog biting anyone–I took a deep breath and then congratulated them.

I would have preferred faster results but they were elated that they had finally accomplished their goal and that the dog was now a successful member of the family.

Today, I still see people who think that they can make an exception to the rules.

Nonsense!

Follow the directions of your animal trainer or behavior consultant and contact them when you are unsure or if there is an incident.

As animal trainers we won’t always explain the nuances behind the protocols we assign.

Our ultimate goal is to get the pet owner (or animal caretaker) to follow through…to success.

Do you follow through or do you have a story to share? If so, leave your story below!

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This means that when you adopt a pet from the shelter that you can get another one without any additional fees.

Now you might feel that this is a good deal–which it is considering some of the adoption fees these days.

But, what kind of picture is being set up about the animals and our relationship wiht them?

Yes, animals are considered pets or family members by most of the people I know.

However, in some circles they are commodities –nd the BOGO mindset reminds me simply of stores trying to move inventory–which is probably also true of shelters.

But the subliminal message?

Not that animals are valuable but that they are a commodity–and can be picked up during this bargain period.

Does that create value in the mind of the buyer?

I understand the marketing idea behind it but is it a good one?

What do you think about BOGO Pets?

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During the time I worked as an adoption counselor I was mortified at just how difficult the shelter made it to adopt animals.

Suitable households would often be denied an animal because of one minor flaw in a long list of criterion and many, many rules.

This did not prevent animals from being brought back once they were adopted either–which I think was the goal but that doesn’t guarantee anything.

Over the last month two of my close friends have shared experiences with me.

The first works for a cat rescue group. She had three siblings that SHE wanted to go to the same home. In the end, that did not happen and the cats remain in her care.

Not to say that they don’t have it good–they have it better than most animals I know–but her expectations were unrealistic.

From the behavior end, I would never recommend that sibling animals be placed together (in most cases) for a variety of reasons.

And just how many people want to take on three new animals at once?

While many animals sit in cages or abnormal conditions waiting for homes–people are denied adoption rights because someone or some group has to “sanction” the adoption.

Personally, I think some screening is a good idea but would rather see an animal get into a home instead of sitting in a cage for six months as was the case with another pal’s new animal.

This person has been a cat owner for over fifty years. She has spent thousands of dollars on her senior cats–including periodontal work.

However when she went to adopt her newest cat–it was a circus.

First, the cat was in a small cage where he could barely stretch or move around and had been there for over six months.

Her visitations to this cat were no less than four AND she also had a few of her closest friends to go and check him out too.

Once that was done, two adoption agency people came over for home inspections.

But they were amazingly anal and stupid when it came to handling their new human client. I certainly would not want to recommend anyone adopt from that agency based on the behavior of the volunteers and staff–and what was said to my friend.

Ultimately, that cat is happily living in a home where he is loved and is adjusting to life outside of the cage.

He is happy and my friend is thrilled–but is it really necessary to make animal adoptions so difficult?

So, my questions to you are: how extreme do you think agencies and people adopting out animals should get? Do you see a need for change or are you happy with such adoption practics as they stand today?

Finally, I’d love to hear your experiences.

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