Homeward Pet | Becky Looks for Her Full House

Becky Looks for Her Full House

Posted on: September 26th, 2018 @ 11:26 am, By Natasha Danzinger

Looking for the love of your life? A devoted companion that would love nothing more than to be by your side? Becky is an affectionate and eager to please pup – she will be your copilot through all of life’s adventures. Becky will thrive in a home that can offer her consistency, and she adapts easily to routines: play time, walk time, meal time, sleep time, and her favorite of all times, snuggle time! A home that is on the quieter side would be best for her – apartments and condos would likely be a little too busy. Becky is looking for a home without any other pets so she can soak up all of your love, affection and attention. She is also looking for a loving adult-only home that will continue her training and help her reach her full potential. In return she will reward you with endless love and companionship.

Becky is a staff favorite at the shelter and Animal Behavior Manager, Jenny Black, has only the best things to say about her:

“Becky greets everyone with tail wags, wiggles, and kisses, no matter if she has already seen you ten times that day or is just meeting you for the first time. Her favorite things to do include cuddling, trying to perfect her very important job of being a lap dog, splashing in her pool, and learning new tricks! As if being happy and cuddly wasn’t enough, she’s also smart and athletic – can you ask for more? She’s a great walker on leash, she has the best smile, and she’s ready to be your best friend!”

Come in to learn more about her and see if Becky is a match!

Sponsor Spotlight: Seattle Veterinary Associates

Posted on: September 25th, 2018 @ 3:50 pm, By Kim Gorga

Thank you to September’s e-newsletter sponsor, Seattle Veterinary Associates! This group of practices has locations throughout Seattle, and offers compassionate care and treatment to a variety of animal species—including pigs!

Kelly Semple, SVA staff, shares this about SVA:

“Seattle Veterinary Associates (SVA) is a veterinarian-owned, locally-grown group of four practices to serve your pets’ medical needs. Our practices include Green Lake Animal Hospital, Queen Anne Animal Clinic, Northwest Veterinary Hospital, and Ravenna Animal Hospital. We also offer mobile services provided in the comfort of your pets’ own home through our SVA On The Go service. Our company was established in 1971 by veterinarians whose passion was to provide the highest quality medical care combined with building long-lasting relationships with their clients and patients. Led by our second generation of veterinarian owners, today we continue our founders’ passion and have been a mainstay in the Seattle veterinary community for over 47 years. We are committed to your pets’ healthcare by providing continuing education and supporting the special interests of our veterinarians and staff. We also collaborate with area specialty hospitals to ensure your pets always have access to gold standard veterinary care.

Koko smiles as Mr. June for the Homeward Pet 2018 calendar

Our mission is to “Make life better for people and their pets.” Of course, staff knows that it’s really about making life better for pets and their people.

Over the years SVA has had many, many memorable clients and patients, some of which are Homeward Pet alumni. We’re particularly proud of being early adopters of the Fear-Free philosophy and have required all staff to learn methods of low-stress handling before interacting with our patients. Practicing in a low-stress, fear-free environment was particularly helpful when it came to Koko, a high-stress malamute mix who was featured in the Homeward Pet 2018 calendar. Koko was one of the handsomest, sweetest dogs but he hated having his nails trimmed. Through positive reinforcement and kindness, we were able to help transform Koko’s appointments from something he found terrifying to something Koko looked forward to. He went from needing a muzzle to laying down eagerly and taking treats politely during his pedicure.

One of our hospitals has a doctor who even sees pigs. One of the things that stands out about our treatment of pigs is that we extend the same low-stress fear-free handling to our pig patients as we do to dogs and cats. Our doctor recognizes that pet pigs are not farm animals and deserve the same patience, care, and respect as we offer our other patients.

One of the reasons we all choose to do what we do is our love of animals. And we like to treat our patients just like we want our own pets treated. With kindness. After all, our pets are our patients, too!

We support Homeward Pet because we know they are a quality rescue that really takes the same pride in their treatment of animals that we do. We hope that all of the pets who are adopted from Homeward Pet are able to continue to receive the same high level of compassionate care throughout their lives as their shelter offers. If a rescue can do it, their vet can, too!”

Learn more about Seattle Veterinary Associates.

The Seattle Veterinary Association Team

Relaxing and Realigning with Kitten Yoga

Posted on: September 25th, 2018 @ 2:32 pm, By Kim Gorga

It’s well-known that time with animals relieves stress. It’s difficult to cuddle with a happy, playful kitten and not feel at least a little better about the dark, dark world. At Homeward Pet, we thought we could do one better by combining two stress-relieving activities into one: light yoga and time with a goofy litter of kittens.

And so once the 20 or so yogis lined up their mats around the room, we brought in the carriers with the five kittens and their mama inside. Lots of squeals, laughter, and awws accompanied the kittens’ dramatic entrance. Sweet Potato, Rutabaga, Turnip, Beet, Carrot, and Radish bounded around the room to the enjoyment of their audience, occasionally adjusting visitors’ forms with well-placed jumps. Yoga instructor Vicki generously donated her time, leading the whole group in relaxation and stretching despite the (frequent!) distractions.

It wasn’t a traditional yoga class by any means, but we’re pretty sure everyone had a good time. A few participants paused in their poses when kittens leapt on their backs. Savasana, where yogis lay quiet and still on the floor in the name of relaxation, was punctuated by laughter from kittens bouncing from stomach to stomach. Turnip and Radish, more cuddlers than exercise enthusiasts, spent most of the class snuggling in participants’ arms while Rutabaga, Carrot, and Beet hammed it up, leaping at ponytails, phone screens, and anything vaguely interesting.

All participants left with a strong knowledge of Cat Pose, which our kitten instructors were very gracious in teaching them.

With the success of the first session, Kitten Yoga Round 2 will be happening on October 9. Tickets sold out within 4 hours of being released; the kitten instructors say they’re “very, very excited” for the second session and “can’t wait to inspire relaxation and positivity” with their antics.