Dog Star Animal Sanctuary

Dog Star Animal Sanctuary

Country Roads and Dogs

The majority of dogs given up to shelters or dumped on country roads are there because of behavior problems. Studies have shown the number one factor in an animal staying in a home for it's whole lifetime is training. People get a cute lil puppy and it jumps,chews,barks and pees on the floor but because it's little the only training it gets is a "NO", pushed away or a rolled up newspaper which stops the behavior then but doesn't TEACH anything except maybe to be hand-shy or pee behind the couch-- not in front of you:0) The dog does nothing wrong but grow up. Then you have a30 or 50 pounder jumping,chewing,barking and peeing on the floor. You can't live with that. And not to demonize the owner I have seen over and over in my years volunteering at the shelter heart-sick but determined people bringing in their dog because they don't know what else to do. There are few people born with the a natural gift for training so most people (myself included) have to be taught. It's so simple and now with positive training it's even fun but if you don't know how, you don't know how. We're working towards a sanctuary where dogs can live in large fenced-in grassy areas with 4 or 5 others. So there's room to run,someone to sleep next to, to play with, squabble with, all the doggy drama that makes life interesting. But they will not be turned out in a pasture and left. We're in the process of training a small army of volunteer ;we will adopt out trained animals so they will stay in their new home. It's a way to break this cycle. If they cannot be rehabilitated or no one wants to adopt them they can live out their life with room to run and play or sleep in the sun with their belly touching Mother Earth. We will train sit,sit-stay,down,down-stay, come,when you're called, walking on a loose leash because these basic behaviors are not just the foundation of learning for a companion animal they are the way to problem solving. Can't jump on someone if you're sitting. We also will train frisbee dogs,tracking dogs,dogs that know lots of tricks,therapy dogs, and whatever else we and the dogs can think of. To break this cycle of abandonment like so many other vicious cycles on this old Earth takes education. Dogs love to learn,LOVE IT! People.... not so much, but to be fair most dog training has been the 'ol choke chain method where you waffle between being uncomfortable because your choking and scaring your dog to the other end where your bored to tears. Happily we use clicker training and clicker training is FUN! I call it tail-wagging training because their tails wag all the time. I have 5 dogs and when the clicker comes out it's "Please Mom-- pick me, pick me. Let me train today." Dog Star is a group of dedicated people determined to make life better for abused and abandoned dogs through living in a more natural environment and training.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Rescue Print



I'm a painter and a dog trainer. This is a painting of a rescue of a little dog who has been dumped on a country road to starve but her hunger and fear are about over, altho a storm is coming in she'll spend no more nights out there alone because this kind person has found her and will be taking her home.

The painting pays homage to all those good people that love and rescue animals.

I'm having prints made and will be selling them to raise money for DogStar Animal Sanctuary. It's a new sanctuary started by a small group of dedicated people in the rolling hills of southern Iowa.

It is an 18x24 Giclee Print. It will not be numbered because this will be an unlimited edition. As long as there are people wanting to buy to help not just DogStar but any rescue or humane society we will be selling them. Prints are $175. If you would be interested in selling this print for fundraising contact me at artwarm@sbcglobal.net
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

This print is beautiful! Keep up the great work, and please keep posting to your blog! I may be moving to Fairfield in the Fall and I would love to know more about your sanctuary. Sincerely, Ellen Voss, WV

June 1, 2007 at 6:21 PM

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