So, You Want a Puppy

Puppies are wonderful! They are cute, funny and lovable. They are also a lot of responsibility and cost money to care for. If you care for your puppy well, you will have a long-time companion and protector.

When you decide to get a puppy make sure you aren't making a mistake by thinking of getting a puppy for:

• A toy for your children or yourself. A puppy is like a child-it takes energy, time and money to care for it. It can get sick and need medical care. It also will grow quickly into an adult dog and won't be the cute, cuddly thing it once was.
• A burglar alarm or protection. A dog that is your loyal companion will make you feel safe and will often bark when strangers are near. It's important, though, to not get a puppy just for protection but also because you want a companion animal. Too many dogs, poorly cared for, will form packs and can viciously attack strangers. If this happens you could end up in court with a hefty lawsuit, not to mention the guilt at having harmed an innocent person.

If you want a companion animal, it will take work to get the animal to listen to you! Teaching a puppy, like teaching a child, will not work if negative reinforcement, such as hitting, is used as discipline. A puppy learns best from positive reinforcement, for instance, when it is praised and given treats for good behavior.

When you get a puppy expect to provide the animal with a sheltered place to sleep, fresh water (not just drinking from puddles), regular food at least twice a day (not just table scraps or fending for themselves), and medication for deworming, fleas and ticks, and sometimes mange.

Your puppy will grow quickly and can start having litters very young. You should plan on spaying or neutering your animal to keep them from roaming and to keep them healthy. Females that aren't spayed are attacked and pestered when in heat and will need extra food and attention when pregnant or nursing. Males will wander off your property, spread venereal diseases and get into more fights when they are not neutered.

If, after considering all the responsibility a puppy will entail, you would like to offer a puppy a safe and loving home, please call the American Samoa Humane Society!

FOUND: Population Study Manager

We are happy to announce that the ASHS has found a manager for the Population Study.

Sara Krosch, a recent addition to American Samoa, will work with Scott Sweet for our Population Study.

Sara has Master's degrees in International Development and Health Communication with experience conducting random sample surveys and statistical analysis and reporting to government agencies and non-governmental organizations. She has served as an independent project manager for research-based projects in The Federated States of Micronesia, Eritrea and Sudan.

Since recently moving to American Samoa she has worked with the American Samoan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition on research analysis of community surveys for program planning and she is developing training modules on SPSS statistical software for the American Samoan Community Cancer Network.

Scott, who has worked as a Wildlife Biologist, with years of experience conducting animal population studies with the United States Parks Service and other agencies, will assist Sara.

The study will take place April through June in the larger communities of Pago Pago, Leone, Tafuna/Nu'uli; and in the representative villages on the East and West sides of the island, Masefau, Faalii, Laulii, and Vaitogi.

The study guidelines were developed by WSPA International, the funding source for the study. GIS data will be used to complete the study.

We look forward to working with Scott and Sara and using their work to help guide our future projects.

The above photo is Sara and the Lion's Park Community, Free-Roaming, Semi-Owned, Ed The Dog (female). Photo by Scott Sweet.

Population Study

The American Samoa Humane Society has received a study grant from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to conduct a canine population study.
We are looking for a Project Manager to complete the project.
A job description is available at the ASHS Website.
This project will allow us to understand the dog population on Tutuilla. We hope this project will help us understand the numbers of truly feral dogs versus partially owned but roaming animals, in addition to other information such as their general health and their sex.
This information is vital to knowing how to plan future work with the dog populations.

Talofa!

This is the first blog for the American Samoa Humane Society!

We are starting this endeavor in the hope of providing information and updates on the state of the companion animals and their human counterparts on the islands of American Samoa. We recognize that living on a small island in the South Pacific and owning and caring for animals provides it's own special set of challenges and hope to tailor our information specifically to those needs. Many informational sites refer you to your veterinarian for help or advice-what happens when there are no private veterinarians? What if you'd like to spay and neuter your animal and you can't figure out where to go? Where do you find healthy animals for adoption?

Hopefully this blog will help answer these questions and more!

We foresee this blog as providing:
1.) Pet Care Suggestions
2.) Pet Training Suggestions
3.) Animal Health Information
4.) A voice for our voiceless companions (Advocacy)
5.) Information about current public policy regarding animal welfare
6.) Pet Adoption Information

Please feel free to contact us with questions and suggestions and we will be happy to respond.
If you are looking for an animal to adopt please see the contact information in the box to your right.