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Information on Houston dog training facilities, Houston boarding kennels, Houston Pet Shelters & Dog Adoption Services, Houston Lost & Found Pets.

Holly's Den in Houston and Sugar Land offers Puppy Headstart Obedience Training, Basic Obedience Dog Training and Behavioral Counseling.    Dog Training Services

Holly's Den "Behavior Modification Training Guide for Reactive & Aggressive Dogs" is available for ordering in PDF format. See: Aggression Guide  

Holly's Den recommended online source for dog training supplies: http://www.petexpertise.com/hollysden

PetExpertise ( http://www.petexpertise.com  ) is an online store run by APDT member Jess Rollins.  Jess carries many items that can be difficult to find in local pet stores and is always happy to answer any questions you may have. The Holly's Den page lists some of the items that I sometimes recommend to clients, depending on their individual needs.

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Houston Agility Facilities

Monty jumping through hoop

  Other Houston Obedience Trainers  

What is an Obedience Title?

What is an obedience title, really? Not just a brag, not just a steppingstone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores -- a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it; a way to honor the dog, and an ultimate memorial. It will remain, in record and in memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard.

And though the dog itself doesn't know or care that its achievements have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans where such things count.

A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that pleased you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.

And...a title says that you loved your dog; that you loved to spend time with it because it was a good dog, that you believed in it enough to give it another chance when it failed, and that in the end, your faith was justified.

A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few; and that in a world filled with disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved and loved greatly in return.

So, when that dear, short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind -- the best you can give to a deserving friend, and it speaks volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name or before.

An obedience title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received, and permanently recorded.                 By Sandy Mowery

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(Greater) Houston Boarding Kennels & Pet Sitters

Houston Animal Assisted Therapy Groups

Caring Critters, Inc:

Post Office Box 16279
Houston, Texas 77222
Phone: 713.812.4322

www.caringcritters.org

Caring Critters is a secular organization (not affiliated with a national group) that visits many of the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. They hold workshops and tests a couple times a year and require teams to go through their training and tests, even if they are registered with another organization (including Delta or TDI). They also require that their teams visit in groups.

Faithful Friends:

207 Briarwood Court
League City, Texas 77573

(281) 286-4769

http://www.ghg.net/starbear/ 

starbear@faithfulfriendsaat.org

Faithful Friends is a Baptist-ministry based AAP group, affiliated with University Baptist Church in the Clear Lake area.  Although they are church-ministry-based, they are open to anyone who meets their requirements, which include taking their classes and tests. 

Faithful Paws: Bellaire United Methodist (not associated with Faithful Friends in Friendswood).  Requires the AKC CGC test for certification. Free CGC preparation classes are held every Tuesday at 7:30 at the church for those folks seriously interested in becoming certified for Pet Therapy. Contact: 
Vickey Willard
Faithful Paws Team Captain

vickey.willard@us.abb.com

Montgomery Pet Partners

Barbara Kott
936-597-8691

BGKott@txucom.net

MPP is a Delta-affiliated group out of Montgomery County...mostly serving in Conroe and areas north. They also are a R.E.A.D. affliate and do reading programs with schools as well as nursing home visits. They have about 40 members. 

PetShare:Pets and People for Positive Change

P.O. Box 590403
Houston, TX 77259-0403
281-772-0069

petsshare@earthlink.net
This group, led by Delta instructor Audrey Schwartz Rivers, requires  Delta registration.  Their focus is on at-risk children in the Houston area. They have a weekly after-school program in League City, and work with sexually abused children at the Children's Assessment Center.

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Training Equipment and Supplies

Videos, Books & Periodicals

Pet Dog Training Videos/DVDs:

Sound Sensitivity Tapes

 Holly's Den - Favorite Dog Training Books

1. Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

2. Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog by Pat Miller

3. The Power of Positive Dog Training  by Pat Miller

4. Click for Joy by Melissa Alexander

5. Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons

6. The Other End of the Leash

7. For the Love of a Dog by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. 

8. Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt

Plus All the following booklets

For Dog Trainers, add the following:

Also Worth Reading

Periodicals and Articles

Fiction

If you like good mysteries, good writing and dogs, you will love the mystery series by Susan Conant featuring Holly Winter and her Alaskan malamutes Rowdy and Kimi.  When you need to get away from the worries and stress of this world, escape into Holly's where the man in her life is a vet, her best friend and upstairs neighbor is a psychotherapist, her dog training facility is only a short walk away and the rotten people who not only commit murder and mayhem but are often mean to dogs as well always get what they deserve.

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Low Cost Houston Spay-Neuter Services  

Houston Humane Society   www.houstonhumane.org

713-433-6421  14700 Almeda
SNAP 713-863-0010 1603 Shepherd Drive
SNAP Mobile Clinic--713-522-2337

Houston Pet Adoption Centers

Breed Rescue Groups provide help for unwanted, abandoned, lost and abused pets.

For additional information please click here: Help for Homeless Animals.

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Lost & Found Dog Information

Many dogs are picked up by kind strangers or just wander up to people's homes.  You will have a much better chance of getting your dog back unharmed if he is wearing a collar/ID tags with your phone number on them.  

If you have lost a dog, time is crucial!

The first thing you need to do is to make signs, phone and go by area shelters, and call vet clinics.  This can be time consuming so ask your friends and neighbors to help you.  Animal control shelters are so crowded that they usually only hold dogs for 3-7 days. The city/county facilities are incredibly busy, so plan to check there daily because you cannot rely on someone there telling you that your dog has been found,  and most will only hold dogs for three days before euthanizing them.  Click here for: Houston Animal Shelters & Rescue Groups

Remember too that each county has its own animal control facilities as well as shelters, so if you are in a suburban area, don't assume that you should only look in Houston or Harris County. Ft. Bend, for example has at least four animal pounds.

If you have lost or found a dog:

Put up signs right away and of course, check for other people’s posted signs. Make signs that say LOST or FOUND and the breed of dog with your phone number.  Offer a reward if you have lost a dog--it can make a difference.  Use a black permanent marker and big letters. White (plastic) paper plates and packaging tape hold up well in the wind and rain. Post them at the entrances to your subdivision and at several busy intersections in your area.  Spread the word to as many people as possible--and don't forget the neighborhood children since they tend to be out and about.  

Be sure to post  notices on the bulletin board at the nearest Petsmart and PetCo stores and at any smaller neighborhood pet stores, grooming salons, etc.  Some supermarkets have community bulletin boards where you can post notices. Take flyers to area vet clinics and talk to the staff in person.

Place a lost and found ad and check lost & found columns of the daily newspaper as well as local neighborhood and advertising papers as well. Don't assume that a dog advertised as lost in a different area is actually a different dog. People pick up and transport dogs and let them go, steal them, or the dogs can just roam far distances on their own.  

Give a lost or found dog report (including a flyer offering a reward) to the following:

If you find a dog: 

Follow the same instructions above (for those who have lost dogs) for notifying area vets, shelters, rescue groups and for posting signs.  If you have found a dog, you should go through these same notification and sign posting procedures.  Don't forget to check newspaper ads!

Check for identification:  This could be a tattoo on the inside of the leg ( usually high upper thigh) or inside the ear. Tattoos on thighs are often easy to miss because they can be obscured by the dog’s hair or the male dog’s genitalia when he is lying on his side, so look carefully. If this is an AKC number, you can call them at 919-233-3600 and they can help you find the owner. Many dogs have implanted microchips which can be scanned by a veterinarian who is a member of the Home Again or Avid network. Micro chipped dogs may also have a referral tag with the number for Home Again (800-252-7894). The Avid chip number is 1-800-336-AVID. A few lucky dogs will have ID tags attached. A rabies tag has the phone number of the treating veterinarian.

Don't make it easy for someone who is not the real owner to claim the dog--When you make your "Found" signs, it is important not to give out too much information. Your sign should say FOUND, the breed of the dog, and your phone number. Leave out the dog’s sex and any identifying marks, collars, etc.  

When you get a call: Before you offer details about the dog, let the caller describe the dog to you. Some unscrupulous people respond to Found signs and actually comb the lost and found ads as well as "free-to-good-home" ads looking for intact dogs that can be used as breeding stock in wholesale puppy mill operations. Others are looking for dogs that can be sold to research labs.  If the description doesn't match up, don't offer any further information. Also get a phone number from anyone coming to look at the dog and call them back to make arrangements.  Even if they seem to know the dog, check their driver's license and take the information down before you let them have the dog.

If you cannot find the dog's owner: If you can't keep the dog permanently but you can foster him, click here on  Finding a New Home.

Remember--Wearing ID tags can save your dog's life!  Tags can save you and your dog a world of grief!  To protect your dog, unless he is in his crate, keep a well-fitting buckle collar and ID tags on your dog (even if it is "strictly a housedog"). At most Petsmart, PetCo and Wal-Mart stores there are machines available to make on-the-spot collar I.D. tags, so even if you've recently moved, make a new I.D. tag and notify the vet in your old neighborhood of your new phone number, address, etc.  ID tags are the most important form of identification to use and should be your first priority.  Check the tags frequently to make sure they are secure. My dogs wear metal tags that thread through the collar so they can't break off; order them from: http://www.gotags.com/

To add permanent ID, consider a tattoo plus the Home Again or Avid microchip which is available from your veterinarian. These chips include tags that go on the dog's collar and a 24-hour referral number.  

Houston Animal Shelters & Rescue Groups