Pet Picks

Hank is a 1-year-old, 28-pound Terrier mix who came to Atlanta Pet Rescue from an outlying animal control facility. Hank is a typical Terrier, always looking for a good time. He likes to cock his head to the side as if to say, “what is that silly person doing, anyway?” Hank would love to have a new home where he can chase balls in the safety of a secure fence. He loves playing with other dogs and would be happiest in a home with another canine companion.

Prissy is a 31/2-year-old Domestic Short Hair kitty. Her former owner surrendered her, along with her sister Yahtzee. Prissy is very social and loves to be held. She purrs a lot, too. She is OK around dogs but doesn’t like being chased or being bothered by them. She will occasionally play with a cat toy but would rather sit on a windowsill and enjoy the scenery. She is definitely the “greeter” in the cat room, and is quick to make friends with anyone who comes to visit.

Atlanta Pet Rescue is open Tuesday to Friday, 11a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.. For more information about Atlanta Pet Rescue or how to adopt Hank, Prissy or any of our 80+ dogs, cats, puppies and kittens looking for homes, visit www.atlantapetrescue.org.

Pet Briefs

Worldwide, over 100 million people saw the movie Pay It Forward about a 7th grader who takes the challenge of his school teacher to “create something to change the world” and then put it into action. Paw it Forward is a takeoff on that concept, and Bob Littell and Robyn Spizman are collecting stories for an anthology about humans who have rescued an animal – from a humane society or from the side of the road – and the pet has gone on to rescue the human, emotionally, physically or both. To submit a story and find out more about the project, visit www.pawitforward.net.

Briarcliff Animal Clinic is debuting Puppy Kindergarten with convenient open enrollment for puppies ages 7 to 14 weeks.The structured curriculum gives dogs a head start and positive reinforcement program to live by to prevent problems before they start. “Our goal is to help owners better understand how their puppies learn with a non-aversive training program that uses proven, positive reinforcement methods,” said Dr. Peter Mueller III, owner of Briarcliff Animal Clinic.The comprehensive course addresses how dogs learn with crate and housetraining; chew training and bite inhibition; anti-jumping and basic control behavior; loose leash walking; and learning basic commands. For more details and cost, visit www.briarcliffanimal.com.

Thanks to the efforts of local advocates, many Atlanta area pet stores have signed The Humane Society of the United States’ Puppy Friendly Pet Store Pledge – committing not to sell puppies, but instead support local animal adoption programs and provide literature that helps customers learn how to locate a reputable breeder. The independent retailers in the Atlanta area that have recently signed the puppy friendly pledge to not sell puppies are: Citydog Market, Intown Healthy Hound, Park Pet Supply and Pet Supplies “Plus”. To learn more about puppy mills, visit humanesociety.org/puppymills.

Collin Kelley

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.