Humane Society of Missouri, American Veterinary Medical Association team up to help puppies Schaumburg, IL — Pet owners who have lost hope are relinquishing their puppies and turning them in to shelters because of behavior problems. The American Veterinary Medical Association, an expert in puppy socialization and the Humane Society of Missouri are hoping to change that.
"We see it all too frequently," said Dr. Steven Schwartz, director of veterinary services at the Humane Society of Missouri. "When people acquire a pet, what they get is a puppy – and what they want is a dog. There is a critical period of time where the opportunity is there for people to train the puppy to become a dog, rather than the dog training the people to become servants."
The Missouri Humane Society will be providing puppies for a socialization lab led by Dr. Kersti Seksel at the American Veterinary Medical Association's Annual Convention Saturday, July 16, at America's Center in Downtown St. Louis. The lab runs from 2 p.m. until 5:50 p.m., and Dr. Seksel, along with Humane Society representatives, will be available for media interviews. Members of the media are also welcome to observe and film portions of the socialization lab.
While the lab is geared toward veterinarians, Drs. Schwartz and Seksel hope the media will help spread the message to the public that puppy socialization is critical for the long-term welfare and well-being of the family pet.
"Millions of U.S. dogs are relinquished to shelters each year, and behavioral problems are the most frequent reason cited by pet owners," Dr. Seksel says. "Although it has been shown that the treatment of behavioral problems helps to decrease canine relinquishment rates, only a relatively small proportion of pet owners participate in activities to address these problems."
The socialization lab will also benefit the puppies that will be taking part.
"In general, the more things puppies are exposed to in terms of interactions with people and other situations, the better off for their development," says Dr. Schwartz. "We believe this will be just one more way to help these particular puppies be better adapted to their environment."
And puppy socialization isn't difficult, either.
"Socializing your puppy is remarkably easy," Dr. Seksel says. "A little time spent socializing your pet at the beginning of your relationship will go a long way in the end."
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The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world. More than 81,500 member veterinarians worldwide are engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. The AVMA is celebrating Vet2011, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the first veterinary school in Lyon, France.
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