Give a Dog a Bone is an organization in San Francisco, (I DO miss my home town) all about making life so much better for dogs kept in long-term care. Check in at their site for some really inspirational ideas about how to make the dogs in your shelter's kennel just that much healthier and happier.
Yesterday I felt like I wasn't helping at all, then I remembered the Give a Dog a Bone folks and it reminded me that I do, actually, make a difference that counts.
Please be sure to read the safety precautions at the end of this post before trying this relaxation technique. Always remember these are shelter dogs we're dealing with and the normal expressions of dog behavior don't necessarily apply.
Now, my personal tip for the day to all new and/or untrained dog-walking volunteers: You don't actually have to walk the entire time.
In fact I've found that many of the dogs I handle are so frantic about the entire experience of just being outdoors they don't actually enjoy it. A "walk" that is spent with you holding onto one end of a leash for dear life and a dog on the other end who isn't really aware you're even back there is no walk at all. It's a battle of strength and will for both of you the entire time. Nobody in their right mind can really believe that kind of experience will have any beneficial effect on their mental health. Yours or the dogs.
