All of us have a story to tell. Well I believe we do. Whether it is first hand witnessing fires destroying beautiful forest, or seeing deforestation happening due to people's "need" to build, manufacture and space, saving every drop of water because your town, city or country is running dry due to severe drought or you know someone that has experienced these and you saw the fear, the sadness, the despondency

I wasn't really one to take note of these international days of.... whatever they may be. Experiencing drought here in the Western Cape, seeing how the water quality started affecting our Beagles and feeling extreme gratitude that we were able to invest in bottled water and a water from air machine to be able to save our dogs from getting ill...... We decided to take note of these days. Australia just had a fire, all over the world forests are being destroyed to make furniture, make space for shopping malls, parking lots and homes. 

Rivers, streams, dams, so many fresh water bodies are being polluted by us when we can so easily just not litter. 

Make a difference in your area, to clean up the rivers, the streams, the forests, plant a tree, create awareness. 

We would like to hear positive stories - what forest/s do you take your Beagle/s for a walk? What rivers, streams, dams do they like to swim?

Even though technically February is Cancer Awareness month for humans (well we made this assumption due to there being a Pet Cancer Awareness Month in May) we have decided to jump on the proverbial bandwagon and kind of hijack February 4th as World Cancer Day for Hounds as well as humans. We don't want to wait until May to share the info.

There is so much information out there and there will always be new and more research done. We try to lean towards the more natural options but always consult with your veterinary specialist regarding anything we mention. The one thing that continuously  stares at us the more we learn is that there simply is not a "blanket"/"one-for-all" answer by means of any sort of therapy, holistic or otherwise. It depends on the dog which again reiterates why it is oh so important that you know your dog and know them well. If you don't then you will get completely overwhelmed if or when times get stressed and intense and you will struggle to separate your emotions from your fears and possibly make hasty decisions that aren't in the best interest of your pet but rather in the best interest of protecting your emotions.

Please continue reading for several links to websites and videos we have found helpful in our journey to learn more about cancer as well as book suggestions. 

This little (Actually, its HUGE) series we HIGHLY recommend. If you can afford to purchase it, do so, we doubt anyone would be disappointed. 
​This is episode 1 to give you an idea.

If you have lost a dog to cancer, you have recently learnt that your dog has cancer or you would like to know more about dealing with a dog with cancer, please sign up below. We would like to start a world wide support group where Beagle Parents can support and learn from one another. Not just through yet another facebook group but through interaction. By seeing what sort of interest there is it will give us the indication of the direction we can take. We look forward to getting to know you.

Recipe:
2kg Beef knuckle bones
500g Cow heels
500g Ostrich knee caps

(Optional: 
200g Celery
200g Carrots
30g Parsley)

1/3 Cup apple cider vinegar
6.75l Water

Place the bones in a heavy/thick based pot (with the carrots, celery and parsley if you choose to use them at this point).
Add enough water to cover the bones and veg, apple cider vinegar and other supplements such as turmeric or rooibos tea should you choose to use them. 
Put on a low heat with the lid on for a minimum of 24 hours (we leave it 2 - 3 days). Do not leave on the heat overnight. Switch off and carry on the next day. 
Remove the bones and vegetables and discard. Do not feed these bones to your dogs. Now you can get creative and add vegetables and herbs, medicinal mushrooms and so forth. 
Let the broth cool with the additions and then place in the kitchen overnight or for a few hours. 
You should be able to chip or scrape off the fat - toss the fat in your green bin or compost heap.
Scoop the broth into ice cube trays or containers to freeze or store in the fridge and scoop some over your dogs food daily. In the fridge it will last about 4 - 5 days. 

This recipe yielded 5l of bone broth.

Though the act of adopting can be a very noble action we are finding that it is becoming less noble and more egoic. Potential owners have become increasingly entitled when it comes to interest shown in a dog that has been posted on a rescue organisation's social media page or website. Especially when it comes to puppies. A growing trend of "I saw it, it's mine" is happening and is causing a lot of damage to not only a rescue org that this happens to but to "rescue" in general as people tend to tarnish all rescue organisations with the same brush when it comes to negative experiences. 

As a potential adopter you need to understand and accept that until the dog is in your home you cannot assume the dog is yours. If you expressed interest on social media or via e-mail or a phone or a message, even filling in an adoption application form specifying a dog in which you are interested does not mean you will be getting the dog. You may have had a successful home check, a good meet 'n greet - there are many things that can still happen that causes the organisation to tell you that unfortunately you are not getting the dog such as a foster home deciding they would like to adopt - as one example (discussed another time).

We will discuss in a later post ways you can help the process in getting the dog you want.

For now, if you are someone that has felt that you have the right to a dog merely because you showed interest and not getting the dog has tainted your opinion of the rescue organisation or the action of rescue/adoption in general please start changing your mindset. Understand that the want to adopt needs an open mind and an open heart to be most successful and be most pleasant. 

At times this goes hand in hand with entitlement. In our view it has become an almost pandemic problem within rescue. People being picky about the look of the dog and giving the organisation a "shopping list" of looks and traits a dog needs to have in order for them to consider adopting it. Then they sit back and get frustrated when organisations don't "get the goods" fast enough.

Rescue organisation volunteers are not your personal shoppers to find you what you consider would be the perfect dog. They are people that rescue dogs from being abandoned, unwanted and sometimes abused and their "job" is to find that dog the most ideal home, regardless of whether the person responded first or 1oth, has a bigger garden or smaller garden. For us at Beagle in Mind and BRAG and many other organisations it is about the most compatible match for the new owners and the dog. Finding you a dog that ticks all your boxes is not a priority. If this is something you expect then you need to consider that adoption is probably not for you. 

To have the mentality that you are "paying" for something thus have some sort of right to expect volunteers to find you what you want is something that needs to change. You need to ask yourself - am I willing to deal with potential issues that come along with adoption? If your answer is not a resounding yes, think long and hard. Adoption is not an "easy" route. 

Also remember; Adoption fees are not selling prices. They are there to help keep the organisation running. Pay vet bills, food, transport costs, etc. 

Liver
Liver is the most nutrient dense organ meat being high in vitamin A (beneficial for eye health and reducing diseases that cause inflammation - such as arthritis), folic acid, iron and zinc (important for the functioning of the immune system and thyroid function)

Brown rice flour vs wheat flours for dogs
This is a personal preference. As allergy symptoms are becoming more prevalent we prefer to do all baking without wheat. So many dogs are showing signs of wheat sensitivity or allergies. We feel "better safe than sorry". 

Recipe:
500g raw liver
3 eggs
About 2.5 cups brown rice flour
We added chopped parsley to this recipe

Blend the liver and eggs together.
Add the flour to the liver and egg mixture and pour into a greased and lined baking tin or tray. 
Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 40 - 50 minutes in a loaf pan, 10 minutes if in a flat baking sheet and 20 minutes if in muffin tins.
Cut into cubes (smaller cubes for pups or to use as training treats).
​You can freeze these as is or dry them out in a very low oven to store in an airtight container.

We have noticed the absence of this question on every Adoption Application form we have seen. 
​The person applying to adopt get asked everything from how previous pets passed on, to the details of their home, family and divulging their household income, 

But we never see them be asked - Why? - Why have you considered adopting. 

​Perhaps because "it's obvious"? Perhaps because no one has ever thought to ask. Perhaps because no one cares why a person or family wants to adopt - as long as they want to adopt. 

Why do we think it's an important question to ask?
We're encountering more and more cases where potential adopters - whether they realise it or not - are choosing the adoption option not because of what adoption means (more on this in another post) but simply and only because it is cheaper than buying a puppy. 
We understand that many may be afraid to ask the question or even be rather angry at the suggestion to ask the question. Asking it may deter people from adopting. The answer is irrelevant. Whatever your reasoning is to not ask the question - we ask you to please step back and think about it more deeply than just "a dog needs a home, why ask why?"

By asking a person why they want to adopt it would give you as the organisation trying to make sure the dog goes to the correct home and won't be re-entering the rescue system another layer to finding the right fit. 
We're not saying people that are adopting because its cheaper should not qualify to adopt a dog by any means (most people probably would not even be honest enough to admit that). What we are saying is by adding this question to your application form the answer you get will give you more insight to the applicant and better equip yourself to the dog you place with or suggest to them should they qualify to adopt.

We would like to suggest to you to further extend the "Why?" to other parts of your application form. Most application forms, due to the way the questions are asked, give the impression that you as an organisation are asking people to fill out an order sheet and inadvertently promises that you will give them what they are asking for. Next thing those dealing with potential adopters that get frustrated or dissappointed because they have a sense of entitlement want to hit the roof. Step back and understand that it starts with the Adoption Application - it looks as though you are making a promise - and one that very often cannot be kept. 
So, change the way the application form is set-up. Don't be afraid to as Why? Why do you want that sex? Why do you want that age? Why do you want that breed?

Get people to think about their application rather than it be a mere formality of a quick (sometimes offensive) for to fill in. Get more insight other than whether they have a big yard and a good income.

Surely we all feel there's more to keeping a dog happy and giving them a good home than big yards and enough money?

Thoughts for Potential Adopters
If you read or scanned through the above you know what's coming. There needs to be more honesty, raw honesty, with yourself when you decide to adopt. The dog deserves that, your other pets and family deserves that and it is crucial for the adoption process to be successful. 

The trend for "failed" adoptions is rising. People seeing the posts of the dog that was adopted and then back up for adoption look at the picture and think "oh dear, problem dog". Sometimes that is the case. But unfortunately this is usually not the case anymore. 

People are critisizing animal rescue organisations for being to strict/harsh/unfair when it comes to adoption applications and yes, we agree, sometimes it does happen. The organisations can hardly be blamed. Our society of instagratitlement (instant gratification and entitlement) and cheapness has made Rescue and Adoption an entirely different monster. 
Because so many people have started using adoption as a cheap alternative and wanting what they want NOW and not wanting to put in the effort people used to understand comes with adoption organisations have the difficult task of not just finding a home that is loving and safe but that one needs to do some sort of character check on the person applying and their family to make sure that they won't give up within a week because the dog gave the cat a funny look. 

To add this level of assessment is an astronomical task as it takes up so much time (a discussion for another post). You can assist with this process by doing some self assessment first. If you can only answer because its cheaper than buying a puppy you need to further your line of questioning. 
Do you understand what adoption actually means?

Thoughts for foster volunteers
We will be discussing fostering in its own series. We would however like for people fostering, considering fostering or those that used to foster and stopped for whatever reason to also take a moment ad as yourself why? Why do you want to foster? Why did you stop? Why do you not want to foster? Please ponder this question and either comment below or e-mail us with your answer (info@beagle-in-mind.org). We would love to hear from you.

Previous: From the outside looking in
​Next: Dibs! Supermarket Rescue
​

As an educational trust our main mission since inception has been to assist and support owners so we can avoid seeing Beagles enter the rescue system through misunderstood perceived behavioural "problems". 

Through our journey it became clear that we cannot completely separate ourselves from the world that is rescue. We had tried to distance ourselves to some degree as we're simply unable to do what the "Rescue big wigs" do and couldn't take on what the volunteers that start up smaller orgs do. We had had some experience in observing quite a lot of politics within the NPO/Welfare/Rescue community which was another reason why we made the decision to be an educational trust with the hope of working alongside and behind orgs rather than be "yet another" animal welfare organisation. 

By aligning ourselves with one organisation the goal is to create awareness that we are here to work with any organisation to assist with the successful rehoming of Beagles or here to be a point of contact for owners and fosters that have questions. It is also a way of "getting our foot in the door" to make other organisations that rehome Beagles aware of what we do.
We understand that Rescue Organisations have a full time job in just processing adoption applications, surrender forms, organising foster carers, vet visits, doing home checks, checking fosters have enough food and so forth that to still be on hand to answer questions, assist with behavioural issues and so forth makes it an almost impossible task. As Beagle in Mind this is where our intent is to pick up that slack. 

To get to the point of this series of posts:
In the last months we have found ourselves ever more immersed in the world of Rescue Organisations. We have our own opinions that have formed and we try not to let this influence when we answer people's questions about the rescue process. Not only does each organisation have their own process and way of doing things - sometimes organised, sometimes not. - each situation with each different animal can change "exact protocol" at the drop of a hat. In other words - rescue is simply not an exact science.
We have however come to realise that this (understanding "Rescue") also needs to form part of our educational mission. We have been experiencing many people contacting us confused, frustrated, sad, angry, feeling misled (to name a few) due to their dealings with rescue organisations. 

We would like to share with you in a few blog posts what we have generally experienced either ourselves or through the communication with people considering adoption or surrendering their hounds or chatting with people that work for and even head up animal welfare and rescue organisation. 
Please understand that these posts are not targeted at anyone or any organisation in specific. It is a tough "business" - the world of rescue - and it is impossible to keep everyone happy all of the time. We would like to give some tips to those out there wanting to adopt, those wanting to surrender as well as a few suggestions to recue organisations to keep in mind. Not everyone will agree, like I said, each org has its own way of doing this. These posts are intended to provide "food for thought". Whether it be for people running orgs to be reminded of things they once knew but forgot (as one gets so swept up in the "monster" that is animal rescue) or people out there wanting to adopt, have gotten frustrated in trying to adopt or have just gotten generally confused.

We hope that everyone can read this series with an open heart and an open mind. If offense is taken, this is not our intention. All we want is for all parties concerned in the rescue process to step back and understand that there are other aspects to the process than what you see when you are busy with your part of the process - rescuing, adopting, fostering, surrendering. 

If you find any of what we say helpful or insightful please do share. It will find those meant to read it. We would love to hear your thoughts on anything. We learn from everyone's insights and so can others. 

​If you would like to be notified of the other parts of this blog series please pop us an e-mail: info@beagle-in-mind.org, Subject: The World of Rescue Blog series update request

Next: The World of Rescue Part 1: The reason we need to ask Why?