NEW YORK—Misunderstood pet behavior is the main reason people give up their pets.
“People give up their pets for simple reasons like pulling on a leash or jumping on people; barking at people; for dogs and for cats, urinating outside the litter box,” said Dr. Debra Horwitz, a veterinary behavior consultant.
Horwitz encourages pet owners to go to veterinarians for assistance, rather than drop them at Animal Care & Control. “We veterinarians can help change those behaviors and get people to keep their pets; that’s the point of the tour.”
Horwitz is also spokesperson for the “Keep the L.O.V.E. Alive, Behavior Express Tour,” currently in New York City.
New York is a unique living environment. “A lot of people in the city experience increased stress by living in an intense urban environment and it seems our patients [their pets] do as well,” said Dr. E'Lise Christensen, a veterinary behaviorist who has been treating animals in New York since 2004. She teaches pet owners that there is no “one size fits all” approach to improve animal behavior.
A lot of the pets at New York’s shelters were given up due to people’s changing living conditions. The animals are often in great condition and are waiting for the right owners.
In 2011, about a quarter of the animals brought in were euthanized.
Finding the Right Match
Orlinda Calmeid, a certified medical assistant and resident of Manhattan, recently acquired 4-year-old Satchel. Calmeid was looking to adopt a dog when she heard Satchels previous owner was moving into an apartment that didn’t permit pets.
“First the dog had to get to know me as a person and I had to get to know the dog as he is,” she said of the adjustment process. “One has to socialize; I don’t think he was socializing a whole lot before, he has improved a whole lot.”
Calmeid now seems satisfied with her new companion and said it was worth it to work at building the relationship: “Always, always.”
It is important to find a good match, said Julie Bank, executive director of Animal Care & Control of NYC. “A lot of people get pets without considering what the individual pets needs are and what your lifestyle is like and how they meshes,” Bank said. She encourages adoption with good consideration. “They’re little animals and have special behavioral needs.”
Behavior Tour
To encourage people to hold onto their pets, the “Keep the L.O.V.E. Alive, Behavior Express Tour 2012” was established by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists with Ceva Animal Health. The tour bus will travel 12,500 miles and stop in six cities for a free pet fair to promote issues surrounding pet behavior.
The tour will stop at Hudson River Park, Pier 84 Dog Run, Friday, Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Local board-certified veterinarians will also be available to discuss behavior problems with pet owners.
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