COMING IN THROUGH THE DOG DOOR
September 13, 2000 marked the Third Anniversary
of a landmark program for people and animals at Borders Bookstore in Sand City,
Ca.
In September 1997, Dr. Joann Marie Donahoe, DVM,
a Carmel native and Housecall Veterinarian, approached Lin Blazkovich,
Community Relations Coordinator for a newly opened Borders store, about having
a monthly forum for Animal Lovers.
Spearheaded by Blazkovich, and for the last two years headed by Dorothy
Gander, the Animal Lovers Hour is embarking on its fourth year as a fun,
informative, lifesaving and networking resource for "animal parents"
far and wide!
But just what is an Animal Lover's Hour? Asked directly about this, Dr. Donahoe's
face lights up, as she feels it's incredibly rewarding and a golden
opportunity, since her belief is that awareness is curative.
Dr. Donahoe has been a lifetime Animal Lover and
a professional in the field of Veterinary Medicine for the last 28 years, and
addresses both behavioral and physiological problems in her housecall
practice. But the premise of every
medium that she works in, whether it's her practice, radio, TV or new audiobook
series, is prevention and education.
She knows the technological advances in
Veterinary Medicine are phenomenal, but she's dedicated to teaching prevention
so that those advanced resources never need to be tapped.
Joann is thrilled that over the last quarter of
a century, she's watched animals move from the backyard into the bedroom. But with that transition is a desperate need
for some parenting guidelines. Hence
the birth of her first audiobook entitled "Parenting Your K‑9
Angel".
While it is very gratifying to have the surgical
skill and knowledge to be able to spay and neuter an animal, to personally help
to reduce the overpopulation crisis, what remains the #1 cause for animal
abandonment and death is behavioral issues.
Just as people haven't had a roadmap to guide
them in raising their own children, they can certainly be intimidated by
raising another species. Hence the
increase in dog bites to over 4 million per year, and animal deaths at shelters
to 10 to 20 million per year.
Dr. Donahoe is dedicated to being a voice for
the voiceless who speak with their hearts.
To that end, she devotes an enormous amount of time teaching “Animal
Parenting...the Natural Way”, in both individual appointments and group forums
like the Animal Lovers Hour.
Animal
Parenting is modeled after how animals raise their young. Think about a dog or a cat that can have
from 1 to 16 offspring all at one time, and essentially you've got a single mom
raising an abundance of children all at once.
She doesn't use tricks, treats, drugs or external controls to raise her
young. But she does use Love, Trust,
Respect and Commitment to Consistency.
These are the four most important cornerstones Dr. Donahoe has observed
every species use and she uses these as the basis for her own individual
behavioral appointments and sessions at Borders.
No one sets out to have an aggressive, out of
control, dysfunctional animal, any more than they set out to have a
dysfunctional human family. But through
unconscious conditioning and misinformation, we've got millions of both. And it's a problem that can be easily
resolved with the proper information and awareness.
As an example of how exciting Animal Lovers can
be, a couple recently came to Animal Lovers after hearing the audiobook. They had an extremely aggressive fear‑biting
dog, who had been out of control for five years, in spite of every book,
method, technique or trainer they had used.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being perfect, they felt the dog was a
three. They came to Borders and the
next day they called for an individual appointment. After one appointment, and a couple of days of implementing the
information, they had a dog that was an 8 on a scale of 10, and climbing. That's extremely gratifying and life‑saving
because a fear‑biting dog is like having a loaded gun in the house.
Dr. Donahoe's goal
with the Animal Lovers Hour is multilayered:
1.)
With this forum, people have an opportunity to take advantage of professional
expertise, with no "white coat syndrome" involved and at no charge,
as Dr. Donahoe volunteers all her time given to this event.
2.)
People have plenty of time to have their "whys" answered so that they
can be informed as to how to prevent problems.
3.)
Attendees have an opportunity to discuss behavior, nutrition, dental problems,
urinary, parasitic and dermatological problems, to name just a few topics
covered.
4.) Have an opportunity to learn to be a conscious Animal Parent, with a ripple effect that can help to be a foundation for better Human Parenting
5.)
Network with other animal rescuers for people knowing of animals needing
adopting
6.)
Discuss new programs, opportunities or media events that promote animal
adoption, awareness and education; ie.
Adoptathon 2000, a worldwide adoption event, a new show called Miracle
Pets, and internet networking for assistance in Animal Rescue
7.)
Educate in ways to stop the overpopulation epidemic. This is one epidemic that doesn't require fund‑raising for
research or a vaccine to cure. It just
requires caring and responsible behavior.
8.) It is also a forum for aspiring veterinarians of all ages. Both children and adults have come to get their questions answered about pursuing a career in veterinary medicine, which is a delight for Dr. Donahoe, since she feels so passionate about her profession.
9.)
This forum also serves as a networking billboard to discuss just some of the
capacities in which animals affect our lives, not only in the home, but also in
an endless multitude of other capacities
like:
‑Animal
Assisted Therapy
‑Schools
‑Youth‑at‑risk‑programs
‑Hospitals
‑Prisons
-Airports
‑Police
Depts
‑Search
and Rescue
This
is all tip of the iceberg, in terms of the capabilities of animals. The capacity to share our world with
animals, is limited only by our imagination.
Dr.
Donahoe also speaks from first hand experience as a seeing‑eye person for
a dog born blind. "Sonith Balonith
the
Bandit
Kisser" was brought in to be killed when he was 3 weeks old. He was rescued by Joann and has been the
Angel on her Shoulder for the past 11 years.
He also has a harem of seeing‑eye cats, which he rescued.
Joann
says he is not just her co‑author in her new series in name and face, but
also in research capabilities. He draws
people to him like a magnet and they reveal their heart feelings about
animals, which get shared at Borders and in the books.
A
highlight for Dr. Donahoe in the last 3 years has not only been meeting all the
people and helping to assist and/or
save
animal lives, but to also get a special blessing from one of her biggest
hero/mentors, Dr. Bernie Siegel, MD.
Dr. Siegel is a bestselling author and a world famous medical pioneer,
who had this to say about "Parenting Your K‑9 Angel":
"Joann, your tape series on Parenting Your K‑9 Angel is great. It is sound and wise advice for a parent of any species. It has helped me with our pets, children and patients. Bless you for your tender heart and wonderful advice.
Bernie Siegel, MD
Author
Love, Medicine and Miracles and Prescriptions for Living
P.S. When the Feline Angel comes out, send me one"
So, whether you’re a current Animal Parent, prospective
parent, or just love and cherish animals, come and join us for this monthly
special event. However, Dr. Donahoe
says be warned, because in her opinion, Animals are Angelic Conspirators who
know no boundaries and will stop at nothing to bring you abundant love and
happiness.