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For the LOVE of DOGS ... the Barn Dog Rescue
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July's DOG of the MonthOllie
Ollie finds a pair of play pals!!!
click on photo to learn more about Ollie
Ollie is a smart.. like, crazy, ridiculous smart little dog with a personality so huge and so entertaining you'd imagine he was trained to do the funny things he does!! Nah-uh! He's just brilliant! We want to get some of his handlers ( all members of the Ollie fan club of course) to chime in on their own experiences with this hilarious and somewhat challenging boy! Things as often is the case have been busy and we've not yet collected the Ollie tales.. BUT they will come! Please stay tuned! And in the meantime visit his bio page! Click on any photo to get there!
GOINGS ON ABOUT THE FARM
The Anna Twinney Clinic
What do horses have to do with dogs you might wonder! During the last week LOVE DOGS staff had the opportunity to work with renowned animal behaviorist & true horse whisperer, Anna Twinney. Turns out, horses, like dogs are constantly reading our body language, energy, mood, presence, or lack of & we humans whether aware or not are continually sending messages to our 4-legged friends. They are also continually sending us messages whether we realize it or not! We all had amazing take aways from our experience and will share in more detail in coming days!!
Greeting a Dog.. their way!
Saying hello to a dog is something most people have done and feel comfortable doing! Dogs have been an integral part of out lives for centuries. However, not many people stop to think "Does this dog want me to pet it right now?" We are often overcome with love and admiration for their adorable faces, we tend to move right in and begin petting the dog in front of us.
One of the biggest causes for dog bites are miscommunications between humans and dogs. We tend to think we know what dogs are feeling.. but these assumptions are not often accurate. We humans have ways of communicating with one another that are in fact similar to dogs.. however there are a few major differences that can cause our doggie friends to feel threatened by us without you even knowing!
We assume dogs enjoy what we do when we greet them.. things like: bending over so they can smell our hand.. making eye contact or staring at them.. standing shoulder square.. approaching with intention to touch them.. bending down and hugging them.. holding their face while we kiss them.. touching their belly when they roll over.. to name a few!
In truth, most dogs do not like any of this type of interaction when first meeting you! All of these behaviors feel super invasive to dogs and most dogs need established trust with an individual to enjoy these interactions. For us, it would be like meeting a stranger and instead of extending a hand to shake, they kiss you on the lips! That would be extremely WEIRD and you might have some words for that person.. you may even push them away from you! But for some reason, we expect dogs to tolerate our incredibly rude but well intentioned behavior.. Interesting, isn't it?!
You must be thinking.. well how SHOULD I say hello to a dog then? Easy! Greeting a dog should include lots of observation and neutral engagement! Meaning.. just hang out standing or squatting where you are, use a happy voice to invite the dog over to you, allow the dog to come to you and sniff without you bending over them or petting them too much. Remember, dogs explore with their nose and them sniffing you isn't an invitation to pet them! That's just them being curious about you!
This will give you a few moments to get to know the dog and judge their comfort level. Anything less then jumpy, wiggly, tail wagging, mouth open uncontrollable obvious joy from the dog about your presence means the dog isn't fully comfy and will need some space from you. Here are some easy to follow rules: 1. Let the dog come to you! If they don't come to you, they don't feel comfortable or safe to say hello yet. Don't force them! 2. 3 Second Pet Rule. Imagine your naked and everyone wants to touch you.. not fun, right? Well, that's how dogs feel when they are being petted TOO much! The 3 Second Pet Rule is an easy way to pet the doggie while also ensuring you're not overwhelming them. Only touch the dog for max 3 seconds them stop. See what the dog does.. does he walk away, does he come closer to you, does he slink under a table? This will give you valuable information on where you stand with that doggie! 3. Don't bend over. Bending at the waist is REALLY scary to dogs! Direct eye contact and bending over are both very threatening in their language! Instead, squat or stand off to the side, keep your shoulders back and chin up. Do not put your face to their face. That is a big NO NO! The next dog you say hello to will most surely THANK YOU for speaking their language!! Find a way to turn on the NOSE and watch how it opens the pathway for a dog to overcome worries!!!
Dog Trainer Jamie's corner!
Mama Jamie & son Keaton
Click on photo for articles and doggie info! Our Sweetie-Pie Award
goes to Michelle! 
We ordinarily give this award to dogs but this time we had to give it to a superb human.. Why?? Oh my... for so many reasons ..but for this award we are just going to honor our Michelle's massive "above & beyond" dedication, special gift and unique calling to give her time, attention and that beautiful "Michelle Magic" to the completely freaked out.. nippy.. weird and ridiculously shy dogs! She has provided a doorway to discovering trust and respect for countless "special needs" dogs! We see her face light up and her huge heart explode with compassion when she has that so familiar to us moment when she recognizes her next doggie's adventure in healing!!
WE LOVE YOU MICHELLE!!!! Thank you so much for all you give! Our Talented and Dedicated Dog Handlers!
Check out our awesome Dog/Handler leash walking skills!Two occasionally reactive dogs happily sharing space while staying focused on their handlers. What a lovely sight to see!👏🏼 Scout with Handler Beck & Kayley with Handler Nick 
Recent Adoptions
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Thank you!
GRAVEY
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has applied and/or inquired about adopting a dog from us. We are thrilled to such a huge response to give one of our rescue dogs a new and better life. We are so grateful to each of you!
Lucille & Truff
JULY TRANSPORT DOGS ARE HERE!!!
All 11 dogs (see below) made their way from North Carolina to is and many thanks to our fellow rescuer and transport coordinator, driver and crazy dog lover Elena Strauman they were calm & happy upon arrival! Big shout out to Lynn Angel and her awesome Dawg patch staff for helping skinny, scared and often skittish dogs become relaxed and trusting dogs who arrive to us expecting the best from people!!!
Here at a meeting with our manager/trainer Jamie and happy fosters for Johnny B, Miss Bear (who upon her arrival to us was extremely shy and reluctant to share space with new people) and her handler took the opportunity to join a very relaxed gathering as non essential elements of the purpose, completely free to explore .. approach and retreat, engage/disengage.. Well the result was so very lovely to observe and experience firsthand .. Fosters were awesomely chill & Johnny (also a shy boy) was delighted to introduce himself to Bear.. they did play bows, circular sniffing, paws on each other, rolling romping and and all manner of perfectly polite and easy, magnificently executed interactions! This was a major moment for Bear!! In this experience she was able to feel all the delights of her dogginess within the circle of mellow humans who so naturally gave her everything she needed to feel safe to express her Bear-ness!! JUST FABULOUS!! We LOVE this!!! Thank you so much JB fosters!!
Doggie Candids
Muttsy Bobbing for treats!!
Whats Up
with all the talk about SOCIAL DISTANCING?! 
Gus is saying "I NEED more distance please"
After over a decade of working in rescue and having the amazing experience of sharing life and learning from thousands of dogs.. one word that always ends up at the core of why dogs do what they do is "DISTANCE". Much of what dogs communicate to each other and to humans has to do with comfort and a sense of safety. Established intimacy can shift a dogs comfort with closeness but not always .. not all the time..
This cute little poodle has been an affectionate, devoted and much beloved companion in his adoptive home for many years. He like a fair amount of other dogs tends to stall out in the phase between being asleep and awake. This is a potentially dangerous phase & could easily render a bite if his sense of space and security feel threatened. You can see the white of his eye.. sometimes referred to as "whale eye", lip licking, a growl, the growl growing in intensity, and although not in the clip he went on to bare his teeth. He is unambiguously declaring "I will MESS YOU UP if you don't back off"
We would not place this otherwise super sweet playful and adorable doggie in a home with small children or anyone unfamiliar with or lacking understanding of this type of canine communication. Were the person who was inadvertently nudging the sleepy dog to react fearfully or harshly there most certainly would have been a bite! AND it would not have been due to anything but a lack of understanding and experience. We have noticed that most people soften at the sight of a dog, & tend to think of dogs as soft, friendly companions .. and assume, largely based on limited experience with dogs that most dogs are friendly and would only enjoy our approach, closeness and touch.
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Spotlight on Adoptable LOVE DOGS dogs!
Ralfi
Sweet mushy super chill but sensitive pittie boy |
MUTTSY
Dotty spotty lover boy, charmingly insecure.. requires a "brave parent" to deal with life's weird sounds and peculiar objects! |
SCOUT &
ROCKFORD |
WANTED!!! Love Dogs Fosters
Worried trio of owner surrenders!
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We specialize in saving older dogs, dogs with medical issues and dogs who need a little extra time and attention. The need at times is overwhelming. Not many rescues are able to take in these forgotten pups! We are hoping to develop a network of LOVE DOGS fosters who wish to provide loving homes for these darling doggies while they see our specialists and get their broken bits and pieces tended to!
Fostering is a wonderful way to support rescue! Very often these sweet dogs ask for very little & offer all their love and gratitude!
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Maybe while at you are at home.. in quarantine.. you'd consider devoting some of your time and attention to a needy rescue dog Enjoy the incredibly rewarding experience of building a special relationship with one of our needy dogs.. their lives would be forever changed by the love and attention only a home and the love & focused attention of a trusted friend can provide!!
For the LOVE of HORSES
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Part of the magic here has to do with the integrity of our mission. Our combined efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home animals stem from a foundation of respect, kindness, clear intention and a humble desire to learn from every animal in our care.
Our rescue is located on the grounds of a serene and magnificent, private horse farm in Westchester County NY. Not only does the farm provide a sanctuary for homeless dogs it also provides sanctuary for special equines in need. As with our dogs the ponies and horses are given all they need to go to live happy and fulfilling lives. Some become "homies" at the farm.. many others are adopted to loving homes!
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