More Before and After Shots from the Shelter

Sheri Berliner of Petraits Pet Photography is not only a talented photographer, she has a heart of gold too. Sheri regularly photographs adoptable dogs at Chicago Animal Care and Control and helps place many, many dogs, cats and other critters into loving homes. Sheri also photographed the cover of our book, the author shot and a smiley Golden Retriever who will be introducing a chapter.

Here are some of the before and after shots Sheri took of the dogs Billy and his crew groomed at Chicago Animal Care and Control last Sunday.

Shy Guy was shy because he was sooooo stinky and full of dead coat. Once he was bathed, brushed and pampered he was ready to find a home and he did that same day! Here is Shy Guy with his new mom and dad. We are certain Shy Guy's new family will make him a happy, confident dog so he won't be shy for much longer!

Tina was so sad because she was such a matted and scraggly mess. The poor girl was so uncomfortable! Tina loved the attention and pampering while she was made over. Once her matted coat came off and she was hand stripped, massaged and cuddled, we could finally see what a stunning girl she really is. And, she has personalty plus and loved to be handled and cuddled. We hope Tina finds her forever home soon-she deserves it!

Lucky Foxy got the full treatment from Billy: wash, brush, pedicure and hand-scissored haircut. Foxy's whole underbelly was covered in burs and mats--ouch. She loved being groomed and was especially fond of Sue who held her while Billy worked his magic. Foxy was adopted by the lovely couple pictured here with Billy. We know Doris and Michael are providing Foxy with a loving and happy home. It's certainly a match made in heaven!

Sam could hardly see through his mats. Billy and his crew worked hard on this sweet Bichon mix. After 5 hours of brushing, bathing and pampering, Sam was ready for his close up and a new home. He was all kisses and tail wagging while he was with us. We hope he ends up in a wonderful home with a family who will love and care for him. Psst--we know of a really good groomer to keep Sam's coat looking so fine.

This energetic guy was all wound up because he smelled and had never had proper grooming. Spartan had so much dirt and dead fur on him that he actually changed color while he was groomed! He loved being pampered and even calmed down in his crate after a nice long bath. This little guy looks so spiffy now that we know he'll find a home right away!

It's hard to tell from the photos, but Baker desperately needed a bath and nail trim, not to mention some TLC. His favorite part of grooming was the long massage he received from Jus. Baker fell right asleep when she rubbed his neck and shoulders! He was so sweet and charming that we know he'll find a wonderful forever home.

For information on adopting any of the dogs here (Other than Shy Guy and Foxy), please click here.

Now that you can see what a difference a bit of grooming makes in the life of a homeless or down on his luck pooch, we hope you will lend a hand. Many shelters and rescues would love to have volunteers come in and bathe, brush and pamper the animals.

Shelter Dog Makeovers

Here are a few examples of the dogs Billy and his helpers groomed over the weekend at Chicago Animal Care and Control, which is the city pound. This shelter cares for Chicago's neediest animals.

At least 3 of dogs were adopted after their transformation. Some of the dogs needed only a bath, brushing and a nail trim and without smell-o-vision, it is hard to see the change, which was significant--many of the dogs clearly were enjoying their first bath ever and loved the pampering! (Click here to see more dogs available for adoption from CACC).

Sam is a Bishon mix. His coat was matted to the skin and we filled a garbage bag with the fur that came off of him. He must have lost 20 pounds! Sam was a trooper and sweet as can be even though his makeover took well over over 5 hours. Everyone in the room felt Sam relax as soon as the mats were shaved off and he was so proud to wear his beautiful new hairdo! What a difference grooming makes--not only physically, but emotionally.

This little guy (above) was so scruffy that everyone thought he was a girl. Once Billy started working on the pooch, he corrected the mistake and changed his name from Honey Bun to Harry B. Harry loved the personal attention and pranced out of the grooming area. He is in his new home today.

More photos to come soon!

Why Groom: Before and After Photos

As part of our continuing effort to improve your dog's body, mind and spirit, we wanted to show you some real-life examples of how grooming can change a dog's life.

A few years ago, Jill was searching Petfinder to find a new dog to adopt. She came across this dog, a Miniature Poodle named Shadow, at Small Dog Adoption in Plantation, FL a small rescue run by a loving and dedicated couple Barbara and Bob Malina. Like any shelter/rescue dog, Shadow desperately needed a hair cut and some grooming TLC. As you can imagine, most shelters and rescues have little money to allocate to grooming, and instead rely on volunteers.

Luckily for Jill and Shadow, Billy had already taught her that all a shelter/rescue dog usually needs is one grooming session to bring out the true essence of that pooch. With this is mind, Jill fell in love and brought Shadow home, scraggly coat at all. (Shadow's foster mom had brushed him regularly so he had no mats, which is unusual for a rescued pooch). The photo on the top shows Shadow on his first day with Jill's family. After a day of pampering at Uncle Billy's salon, Shadow looked mah-velous. (See photo on the bottom).

In our book, Happy Dog: Caring for your Dog's Body Mind and Spirit (coming 9/1/09), we teach you how to groom and care for your pooch. Once you learn how, we are counting on our readers to visit local shelters and spiff up the dogs there too. After all, a dog that looks like a pet instead of a stray is more likely to be adopted.

Today, Billy along with his able-bodied assistant Jill, friend Sue Naiden, grooming students including Jus Erickson and some of the wonderful volunteers from Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control spent the afternoon at Chicago Animal Care and Control to groom the shelter's dogs. We hope we made the dogs feel better and more adoptable, since they'll be beautiful and smell nice. Sheri Berliner of Petraits, an extremely talented pet photographer and friend of the shelter, was on hand photographing the dogs, so we'll post many before and after pictures. Maybe you'll fall in love and adopt one of the dogs! At the very least, we hope you'll be inspired to spend some time helping dogs in need.

Guest Column: Greyhounds are GREYT!!

Today, we have a special guest columnist: Jill's friend Amy R., a Greyhound rescue expert. Amy and her husband have opened their hearts and home to several former racing dogs. We thought it would be a good idea to present Amy's guide to rescuing retired racing Greyhounds -- a group of pooches who are always in need of a helping paw. Greyhounds are one of the many breeds subject to misguided preconceptions, which sadly prevent people from adopting these beautiful and graceful animals. Some people think that Greyhounds are high strung, high energy dogs who need to live on 30 acres in order to be happy. Not so! Thus, as part of our larger effort to help dogs in need and debunk old wives' tales, we give you Amy:

Greyhounds are wonderful dogs. Here's some basic information and corrections to some common myths about this breed.

1. Greyhounds are indoor dogs and are excellent pets for people in urban environments and/or yard-less environments. Since greyhounds have little body fat and thin/short fur, they are NOT meant to stay outdoors for any length of time. We live in a townhouse in a city neighborhood with no meaningful outdoor space and our dogs fit great. They are very graceful, body-aware dogs and rarely bump into anything. We walk them several times a day and occasionally take them to the dog park and they are healthy and fit.

2. Greyhounds are mellow, docile and very affectionate. They are not high-strung at all. On the contrary, they are low-key, and love nothing more than to hang with their people and snuggle up for an ear- or belly-rub.

3. With short coats that generate little oil - they rarely generate a "doggy" smell and they hardly shed. (Note from Billy: Use a rubber curry to bestow a relaxing massage and remove any dead coat before it falls off your Greyhound).

4. Greyhounds sleep most of the day, with only occasional bursts of energy. They are often called the "30 mile an hour couch potato." Ours have one or two 5-minute bursts of energy per day - after playing with their toys or running up and down the stairs - it's back to nap time.

5. Greyhounds are purebreds but rarely have the genetic problems common to many large dogs, such as hip dysplasia. Greyhound breeders keep rigorous records back several generations of each dog's genealogy so they can avoid in-breeding. Here's a link to the family tree of our newest grey, Patti (aka Looking Forward). The racing industry also maintains detailed records of each dog's career. Our 9-year-old boy Miller (aka Butch Miller) had an illustrious career before he retired 5 years ago. Click here to see what a racing resume looks like.

Here are a couple of sites where you can learn more about greyhounds. Click here and here. It's easy to adopt a retired racer even if you live in a state without racing. check it out - there may be one waiting for you!

Thanks Amy for sharing this important information! If you are looking for a new furry family member, be sure to consider a retired racer!

Charley: Rags to Riches to Robes

Like millions of Americans, at Happy Dog Land we are inspired by President Obama's inauguration speech. We hope that you are too! President Omaba asked us all to do our share by helping our communities in order to make America great again. Assisting animals in need is a wonderful place to start. You can volunteer at a shelter or even use your social network to help place a stray, neglected or unwanted animal on your own. Here's an example to get you started.



RAGS: A few years ago, Jill and a few friends joined together to find a new home for a pooch in need. A Chicago family adopted a cute little Maltese from a shelter. Although the family probably meant well, they could not properly care for the dog or devote adequate time to him. In fact, when the pooch's leg was injured, the family never even took him to the vet. One friend, Jillisa, heard about the dog and convinced the family to give him up. She called Jill, who called another friend, Stacey. Working together, the friends found the scruffy little guy a forever home with another friend who lived out of state.

RICHES: Charley's new life is full of love, pampering, good grooming and proper veterinary care. Charley's new mom Jill recently wrote us with an update: "I consider Charley a true gift of love from Stacey [one of the rescuers], because she had lost her boy Sunny at about the same time we lost our cat. Stacey could have easily kept Charley as the newest member of her family, but she gave him to us. Charley has truly enhanced my life, as I have always been afraid of dogs! Now, I can't get enough of them. I'm truly a reformed cat person."


ROBES: Charley also inspired his mom to start a new business Doggie Robes. After she whipped up a terry cloth robe for Charley, her friends encouraged her to sell them. Charley is the company model and we hear that he "is quite a ham!"

We think President Obama would be pleased to hear about Charley! Rather than doing nothing, this group of friends took action. Their willingness to help others enabled a neglected pooch find a perfect home and they enriched the lives of Charley's parents too.

Who will be the First Dog? A variety of rescue options.

President-elect Obama announced this weekend that the choice for First Dog is now between a Labradoodle and a Portuguese Water Dog. Here at Happy Dog Land, we're rooting for the Portie in honor of Billy's dog Zeke and his previous Portie pooch Gabriel.

Regardless of the Obama family's choice, we hope that they rescue their new pooch and set an example for the rest of the world. After all, the eyes of the world are upon our new President, and his doggy decisions will mean a lot to millions of dogs across the country and around the world.

If you want to rescue a dog, you're not limited to traditional animal shelters and rescues, although they're a good place to start. Nowadays, many shelters (even city pounds) have purebred and designer dogs waiting for a new home as a result of the economic crisis.

If, like the Obamas, you want a specific breed, start with Petfinder which is a clearinghouse for over 12,000 shelters, rescues, veterinarians and private people helping dogs in need. Jill adopted Shadow, her purebred Miniature Poodle, from Small Dog Adoption in Plantation, FL after finding him through a breed specific search on Petfinder.

In addition, there are loads of breed specific rescues, that can help direct you to reputable breeders who have retired show dogs and other dogs that are not up to show dog snuff. Although not in a shelter, these breeder rejects are in need of good homes too and, of course, make wonderful pets. Billy rescued Arthur from a breeder who had retired him from the show ring. Before Billy, Arthur spent the first 15 months of his life in a cage with his hair wrapped in plastic and slathered with gobs of coat conditioner. Once he earned his championship, Arthur was retired. He's much happier now that he sleeps in Billy's bed and is a full-fledged member of the family. Billy also rescued Zeke from a breeder. Zeke is a carrier for a congenital disease that breeders are trying to remove from the Portie gene pool, so he was of no use as as stud or show dog. Lucky for Zeke, Billy didn't care about Zeke's genes and it was love at first sight.

Many good Samaritans, animal hospitals and doggy businesses take in strays and help them find homes too. The possibilities for rescue and adoption are endless.

If you are buying your dog, it's buyer beware. Never buy a dog from a puppy mill or pet store. Last year the Oprah Winfrey Show publicized the horrors of puppy mills. Just because a pet store is "fancy," the owners are "nice," or the little tiny puppies are cute, doesn't mean that they're not supporting the deplorable puppy mill industry. Some breeders are merely puppy mills in disguise. Learn how to avoid supporting puppy mills and recognize responsible breeders.

Photos by Michael Vistia, Vistia Designs