Understanding DOLA - Speaking Of Dogs Speaking of Dogs

Saving just one dog won’t change the world...
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Understanding DOLA
March 2016
the official speaking of dogs
monthly newsletter
In this month’s newsletter
Dogs looking for homes.................................2
Events............................................................4
Ask the trainer...............................................5
Bits & bites.....................................................6
Recent adoptions...........................................7
In memoriam.................................................9
About Speaking of Dogs
Speaking of Dogs is a Toronto-based
organization that launched in 2001 and is
dedicated to educating and enlightening
people about dogs through seminars, workshop
forums, outreach and rescue. Our goal is to
end cruelty, abandonment, mistreatment and
homelessness of man’s best friend.
The Dog Owners’ Liability Act is an
important piece of legislation that affects
all dog owners and everyone who works
with dogs. However, understanding the
full implications of the act is not always
easy or obvious.
During this half-day seminar, Kim
Smithers, a supervisor with the Toronto
Animal Services Enforcement and Mobile
Response Unit, will look at the act in
detail and shed light on all of its
complexities. As a veteran staff member
with Toronto Animal Services, Smithers
understands DOLA and can answer any
questions you may have.
Don’t miss this practical and beneficial
seminar! To register, please visit
http://www.speakingofdogs.com/eventsseminars/seminars/.
See page 4 for more information.
Party 4 Paws Is Sold Out!!!
Enthusiastic wags and wiggles for Chris and Denice, who are organizing Party 4 Paws.
The event is now sold out! If you have your tickets we’ll see you on Saturday,
and if you weren’t able to get tickets we hope to see you next year!
Speaking of Dogs Rescue is the operating name of
Speaking of Dogs Rescue Program, a not-for-profit
charitable corporation in the Province of Ontario.
Contact Speaking of Dogs
1277 York Mills Road, Box 33508
Toronto, ON Canada M3A 3R5
Phone: 416-444-4190 | Fax: 416-444-7116
Email: info@speakingofdogs.com
Web: www.speakingofdogs.com
Newsletter Team
Editor: Nancy Foran
Design: Cathy Vandergeest at www.gawck.ca
Contributors: Nancy Foran, Lorraine Houston,
Kim Gladding and Emily Fisher
Newsletters
If you no longer want to receive our newsletter,
email newsletter@speakingofdogs.com, with
“unsubscribe” written in the subject line.
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 1
Zoey
whippet / shepherd mix
medium, young, female
This beautiful Bambi look-alike is Zoey. She is a whippet and shepherd
mix (best guess) who is approximately 18 months old and spayed.
Zoey originally came into a local Toronto shelter as a stray and was
never claimed, so she went up for general adoption and was chosen by
a family who had two cats. Unfortunately Zoey was a cat chaser and
found herself back at the shelter. She was quickly adopted again, but
being left alone all day for a young, social, and energetic girl like Zoey
didn’t work out either. She was transferred to Speaking of Dogs Rescue
in an effort to find her the perfect match.
Zoey has a lovely nature and is always ready for fun and frolic. She
needs daily stimulation, both mental and physical. Zoey has never met
a dog she couldn’t get along with, so a home with another playful dog
would be a big bonus. An adopter who enjoys going to the dog park
would also get a gold star from our Zoey! Although she has a nice
nature she may not be the best match for small children, as she does
have a tendency to jump up when excited.
A friend in need
is a friend indeed
Angel
beagle
small, senior, female
Kuma
akita / shepherd mix
large, senior, female
Without a doubt, a dog is a real
friend. Our dogs come in all
shapes and sizes, but they have one
thing in common – they all need
loving forever homes. Open your
heart and your home to a rescue
dog. You’ll be glad you did. For
complete information about
the adoption process, please
visit www.speakingofdogs.com/
adoption-process
For more information on each dog,
simply click on their name.
Chewy
chihuahua
small, senior, male
Carmella
labrador retriever mix
medium, senior, female
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 2
dogs looking for homes
featured dog:
dogs looking for homes
Rocky
shih tzu
small, adult, male
Milo
maltese / toy poodle mix
small, adult, male
Daisy
sheltie / pomeranian mix
small, senior, female
Sage
german shepherd
large, adult, female
Max
Jack russel terrier
small, adult, male
Joey
bichon frise
small, senior, male
can you lend a paw?
Although we have a partnership with a doggy daycare, we do not have a physical shelter; our dogs are in-home
fostered by caring, loving volunteers. Because of the way our rescue is structured, the only hands-on volunteer
position with our dogs is fostering. Can’t foster but want to help our dogs? Consider donating
new or gently used items for them. We are always in need of
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Gas gift cards
Global Pet Foods or Pet Valu gift cards
Kong or other treat-disensing toys
Canned and dry quality dog foods
Martingale collars
Kuranda beds
Thunder Shirts
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 3
Speaking of Dogs presents:
Understanding DOLA
(Dog Owner’s Liability Act)
This seminar will answer questions like:
• What is DOLA?
• What are my responsibilities as a dog owner?
• Can I be held liable for my dog’s behaviour?
• What precautions should I take to keep my dog and others safe?
• Can my dog be seized?
• What is the definition of a “pit bull”?
• How is a pit bull identified?
• Can pit bulls be transferred out of Ontario?
• What is an order to prohibit dog ownership?
• When should I muzzle my dog?
• What if my dog bites someone during a break in?
Featuring Kim Smithers, Supervisor, Toronto Animal
Services Enforcement & Mobile Response Unit
Sunday April 3rd, 2016
Broadlands Community Centre
19 Castlegrove Blvd. (DVP and Lawrence), Toronto M3A 1K9
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Light snacks/refreshments served
$50.00 (plus HST)
We all want to make the right choices when it comes to our
dogs. We know that being a dog owner is a responsibility
that needs to be taken seriously, but understanding the Dog
Owners Liability Act (DOLA) can be complex and confusing.
Join us for this informative presentation as Kim Smithers,
veteran supervisor at Toronto Animal Services, examines and
explains the details of DOLA.
A portion of the proceeds from the DOLA seminar will be
donated to Toronto Animal Services.
Scenario B, Learner’s Perspective
Emily Fisher, CPDT-KA Scratch and
Sniff Canine Services, Guelph, ON
Training as Teaching
“Education is not the filling of a bucket
but the lighting of a fire.”
Scenario A, Learner’s Perspective
You’re sitting in a high school math
class, Introduction to Calculus. The
teacher is facing the blackboard, a
plethora of letters spouting from her
lips as squiggles, stripes, and puzzle
shapes sprawl across the board. She
concludes triumphantly, “So you can
obviously see the tangent line at (x,
f(x)) – the derivative f(x) of a curve at a
point is, of course, the slope of the line
tangent to that curve at that point.”
You raise your hand and stumble
through a question. The teacher snaps,
“Have you not been listening to a word
I’ve said? Differential calculus, the
derivative is a linear operator!” She
whacks the chalk into the blackboard
hard enough to crumble the end to dust.
You nod, still not understanding. Is it
too late to drop this class? Maybe you
won’t follow your passion for science if
this is what it’s going to be like.
Scenario A, Teacher’s Perspective
Your class is working on the simplest of
concepts, and they aren’t even trying!
You describe, demonstrate, use visuals,
and yet there seems to be more apathy
than passion in this classroom. You
are beyond frustrated with these kids.
Every time you make eye contact with a
student, they look down at the doodles
in their notebooks where equations
should be. These students seem to get
Someone holds up a piece of candy
for you, but every time you try to
take it, they snatch it away. As they
offer it a second time, they move the
candy down toward the floor and then
horizontally away from you. You follow
it by taking a step forward and reaching
down, and they snatch it away and
punctuate the movement with angry
words. You give up, and they wave it in
your face and give you a shove. Never
mind the stupid candy, you’ve got to get
away from this unpredictable person!
Scenario B, Teacher’s Perspective
This dog is so stubborn he won’t even
lie down. Maybe he’s dominant and
won’t go into a submissive position?
He’s obviously disrespecting you when
he tries to walk away in the middle of
training. This stupid treat thing isn’t
working; you’re just going to give a push
on his shoulders. What a defiant dog.
From the perspective of the teachers in
both scenarios, the learner was wrong.
The student wasn’t trying hard enough,
and they asked unintelligent questions
and doodled instead of copying notes.
The dog is stubborn because he walks
after the lure instead of lying down and
then disengages from the owner.
From the perspective of the student,
the teacher moved along too quickly,
building upon a shaky foundation
of information that is barely
understood. The dog is puzzled by
the incomprehensible movement of
the treat lure and the unpredictable
behaviour of the owner.
Labelling the students “stupid and lazy”
or the dog “defiant and stubborn” is
a brick wall. With these assessments,
both teaching and learning come to a
screeching halt.
Like the student in a high school calculus
class, your dog is a captive learner. Their
willingness to engage is shaped not only
by the response to a correct answer,
but also by the response to an incorrect
answer. If the result of an incorrect
answer shuts down the learner, the
teacher has lost his influence. The student
and dog become avoidant, offering only
the most minimal engagement to avoid
consequences for the wrong answer.
Teaching, no matter the species, is the
art of understanding your subject matter
from the perspective of the learner. As
teachers, it is easy to get wrapped up in
what you know and forget the process
of how you came to know it. You just
fall into using drills and tests as negative
motivators rather than as a tool of
assessment. That is, an assessment of
the proficiency of the teacher, not the
abilities of the learner.
Teaching/learning is a two-way street
of communication. Rather than solely
imparting knowledge on the learner,
the teacher must also be empathetic
and receptive to feedback from the
student. This feedback is seen in the
aptitude of the student. When failure
is misunderstood as “poor learning” it
suddenly becomes easy to blame the
learner when learning doesn’t happen.
Don’t fall into this trap when your dog
disconnects from you or when they
are inconsistent or flat out wrong. Your
training session is hijacked the moment
you call your dog lazy, stupid, or
stubborn. If you don’t like what you see,
both the fault and the prospect of repair
lie in your teaching.
You simultaneously bear responsibility
and enormous potential for change.
Interpreting disengagement and wrong
answers from your dog as a reflection of
his lack of understanding or motivation
puts control squarely in your court.
Change your teaching and you will
change your dog’s learning.
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 5
ask the trainer
more obtuse each year. Maybe you
should go back to work in the lab and
forget about inspiring young minds.
Concerned about
over-vaccinating
your pets? Find out
more about tither
testing.
A group of lawyers
is trying to block
the OSPCA’s
application to
euthanize 21 dogs
seized during the
raid of a suspected dog-fighting ring.
The OSPCA claims the dogs have
“irreconcilable behavioural issues.”
The city of Laval,
near Montreal, has
hired Berger Blanc
to control animals
for the next two
years, despite the
for-profit shelter’s controversial history.
An interesting blog
post from Julie
Morris, senior
vice president
of community
outreach at the
ASPCA, about how the words we
choose when discussing animal rescue
can affect our perceptions.
video Bits & Bites
After a decade
of breed-specific
legislation banning
so-called pit bulls
in Ontario, dog-bite
rates in Toronto are
at an all-time high.
The East Bay SPCA
did a very funny
cover of the song
“Uptown Funk”
starring some of
their cutest and
most talented adoptable dogs.
Did you miss
the big game last
month? Catch
Puppy Bowl XII
online!
Speaking of Dogs has
eye-catching branded swag
for sale on the Cafe Press
website. Everything from
t-shirts for you and t-shirts
for your dogs to mugs, water
bottles, and water bowls!
Just visit www.cafepress.
com/speakingofdogsrescue
to see all the items available
and place your order.
A portion of the price of
every item sold goes to
Speaking of Dogs Rescue.
Come by the Spring
Canadian Pet Expo!
Come on out to
Canadian Pet Expo
and stop by the
Speaking of Dogs
Rescue Program
booth. Better still,
consider volunteering at our booth!
Interested volunteers should
contact Daniela Rodrigues at
rodrigues.daniela@yahoo.com.
The event will include over 300
exhibitors and feature a flyball
competition and Canada’s largest cat
show. Pets are, of course, welcome!
Date: March 25–27, 2016
Time: Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6
p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: International Centre, 6900
Airport Road, Mississauga
To find out more you can visit
http://www.springcpe.ca/#.
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 6
& bites
Simply click on a summary to be
whisked away to the internet page
where you can read the full story.
Check out the
Never Been
Shocked Trick
Challenge and help
ban shock collars in
Canada.
bits
Bits & Bites
recent
recent adoptions
adoptions
Happy
Tails
February 2016 adoptions:
A big thank you to our foster parents and our new adoptive guardians
for helping give these loving dogs a second chance.
Brandy
Matilda
Lucky
thanks happy tails
Rhonda
Hank
Pee Wee
Pepper
Alfie
Bill
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 7
recent
recent adoptions
adoptions
PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
Breed Specific and
All Breed Rescue Contacts 2016*
Elsa
Stevie
back home
“Pearl”
Loved by: The Animalert Team
Photo by: Carole Dutton
Includes Provincial Shelters
*
We Have a
Directory Cover!
Skiddles
Denver
forever in foster
The photos were submitted,
the shortlist created, the votes
tallied, and the winner is… Pearl!
Huge thanks to everyone who
submitted photos for the 2016
rescue directory cover and to the
volunteers who helped choose the
winning photo. Special thanks to
Cathy from www.gawck.ca who
designed our beautiful cover.
Winter Wonderland
Photos Wanted!
Miley, photo by Cathy Vandergeest
We’re already collecting photos
for the 2017 calendar, and
we’d love to include photos of
your dog enjoying this wintery
weather! Ideal photos would
not include people but can
include a four-legged friend.
Pictures should be at least
300 dpi at 5 x 7 inches in size
and can be colour or black and
white. Please email photos to
lorraine@speakingofdogs.com.
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 8
in memoriam
recent
adoptions
Farlke, Jimy, Jen & Lorraine
Patric
2015
y N o r a,
October Loved b
n foster y 2016
Forever i
ebruar
Passed F
Loved b
Maggie
y CAS G
r aham
Stuart
Adopted November & Ellio
t Bowe
n
Passed febr
2014
uary 20
16
Speaking of Dogs Newsletter | March 2016 | 9