Thank you for doubling our lifesaving mission in 2022!

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Thank you for supporting Aska’s Animals in 2022! We grew because of you! Our mission is possible because you’ve donated, volunteered, and followed us on social media. With your help, we can continue to expand and help more homeless animals in our area.

As we reflect on 2022, we have so much to be grateful for…thanks to donors and volunteers like you,

  • We added 2 new puppy palaces
  • We housed 102 puppies
  • We cared for 30 kittens
  • We welcomed 6 pigs for long-term residence
  • We used approximately 2,000 puppy pee pads
  • We went through about 50 jars of peanut butter
  • We hired our first part-time employee and started the process of hiring our first full-time employee
  • We strengthened our relationship with regional shelters

The additional puppy palaces give us the space to say ‘yes’ to more homeless puppies and their moms, reducing the amount of overcrowding in our local shelters. Daily, we provide training, enrichment, and exposure to a variety of volunteers, so the puppies are well-adjusted and highly adoptable dogs entering the communities of these various partner programs. The thoughtful work we do in the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life support their family once they are adopted into new home.

Ali, our Animal Care Coordinator, joined our team this year. She has helped us increase our capacity for animals, increase our volunteer program and allowed our Board to push forward pressing items that are not just about picking up poop and managing day-to-day operations.

We hosted 3 free Dog Behavior Workshops with Krissi Goetz of JH Positive Training. Community members circled around the barn to learn about cortisol and the dog’s brain as well as to ask questions about their pets. We also hosted 6 Volunteer Orientations where members of the community got to learn about our mission, meet like-minded animal lovers and participate in the daily routines of Aska’s Animals.

We hosted our first Pig and Puppy Yoga thanks to the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson. 10 people soaked up the sun while stretching and hanging out with our long-term resident pigs in addition to our adoptable puppies. We have always imagined Aska’s Animals as a place for animal lovers to gather to enrich their lives and the animals’ lives. This event was a huge success, and we can’t wait to do more events like it in 2023.

We now have 11 long-term pig residents. Sometimes, people don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they buy a pig as a family pet…we are grateful to be able to have the space and the support to allow pigs to live out their lives in a safe place where pigs can be pigs.

In 2022, we strengthened relationships with regional shelters. We added the Behavior Modification Program which allows us to provide dogs in local shelters a much-needed retreat to Aska’s Animals where they can de-stress in quiet accommodations and learn new skills, making them more adoptable. We also facilitated our first ‘trade’ with another animal rescue to provide behavioral support for two of our residents – a pig and a dog. This is a great reminder that although we want to provide temporary and (when needed) long-term housing for all homeless animals, sometimes, we aren’t the best place for the animal.

2022 was a fantastic year at Aska’s Animals. Thank you for your support. You play an essential role in our mission; to provide a progressive environment for animals through rehabilitation, adoption, education, and community outreach, and filling the critical gap between shelter and permanent rescue. We look forward to 2023 and the opportunity to expand our program!

Thank you,

Aska Shiratori-Langman

Founder & Board President

Cortisol and Your Dog’s Brain

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The Link Between Cortisol and Behavior

 

As we discussed in the ‘Is Your Dog Trying to Talk to You?’ blog post, all dog behavior is communication. And canine behavior is influenced by many factors; genetics and breed, age and phase of development, gender, learning history, environment, pain levels, quality and quantity of sleep, quality and quantity of exercise, emotional state of the dog and those around them, and stress levels.

 

This blog post focuses on stress levels, and how stressors can change cortisol levels in your dog’s body. Both overwhelming and overstimulating experiences can result in significantly increased cortisol levels, which can then cause all kinds of stress-related behavior such as hyperactivity, reactivity, compulsive behaviors, and yes, even increased “aggression”.

 

Cortisol, just like in humans, is the primary stress hormone…it also helps regulate body weight, blood sugar, and other aspects of general health and well-being. But cortisol is probably most well-known for activating the sympathetic nervous system and preparing the body for ‘fight or flight’. Just like in humans, prolonged stress and excessive cortisol not only results in less than ideal behavior, but it puts health at risk. Stress hormones can accumulate and take some time to dissipate….it can take up to 72 hours for cortisol levels to return to normal, which means it can trickle down into behavior for days. And for dogs who regularly experience overwhelming or over arousing events, cortisol levels stay elevated long term. Just like with people, this means a more touchy and edgy dog in general who is quicker to overreact to things.

 

What causes a surge of cortisol in your dog? It depends on the dog! 

 

For some dogs, car rides are extremely stressful. Does your dog bark, whine, or chase cars through the window? That might mean that car rides are too stimulating for your pet. One way to reduce stress in the car is to put your dog in their crate and cover the crate with a blanket. Provide your dog a chew toy or food puzzle to relieve stress. 

 

For some dogs, playing fetch is too over arousing. Does your dog show obsessive or addictive behavior about tennis balls? That might mean that 15 minutes of fetch is more overstimulating than exhausting for your dog, and all that cortisol produced can tip your dog over into undesirable behavior. When you only have 10 or 15 minutes to exercise your dog before, during, or after work, you may think your dog wants to play fetch, but if your dog shows signs of overstimulation with the tennis ball (can’t think or respond to cues, dilated pupils, happy to run through a brick wall to get the ball)…that’s not healthy or beneficial. We’d suggest you go for a bike ride or jog instead. 

 

For some dogs, having other animals or children around is too stimulating. Does your dog excessively bark, pant, or yawn in the presence of other animals or kids? That might mean that the park, outdoor seating at a restaurant, or a friend’s backyard barbecue is more stressful than fun for your dog. Perhaps you can walk your dog someplace quiet before the event and leave him home to enjoy a big fat bone to gnaw on instead.

 

How do you reduce stress in your life? Many humans use walks in nature, meditation, and yoga to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels. Your dog needs to reduce stress too, and low stress levels are key to good quality of life. Dogs find sniffing, chewing, shredding, and licking all soothing and stress reducing, and these activities lower canine cortisol levels. Let your dog be a dog and fulfill their biological needs with enrichment (visit our ‘Resources’ page for more enrichment ideas) and you’ll notice a more contented dog and better behavior!