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Health & Fitness

Scooter & Magnus - so happy together!

An update on Jen's recently adopted dog, Magnus - 4 hairy paws from HAWS!

Hard to believe Magnus has been part of our family for almost 3 months! Like many things, it seems both longer than that and shorter as well. He certainly acts like he's always been a part of our family...and Scooter and our cat, Elliott, have accepted him as a sibling, too.

The adjustment period for a new pet can be challenging - and we decided to make ours even more interesting by taking "Mags" on a hiking vacation with us less than a month after the papers were signed! Not something I would recommend for everyone, but it really helped us all bond, and gave Magnus a true taste of the good life. Dog-friendly cafes! Door County parks! The beach! (A tired dog is a good dog...)

Magnus definitely has his issues. He has a very high "startle" and can be quite the momma's boy. One thing that will help that is time - he's becoming more confident of his permanence with our family with each passing day. But another tactic is exposure - to strange new experiences, people, animals, noises and more. He'll be wearing a harness for safety when out and about for the foreseeable future. And we're keeping treats close by to positively reinforce his good reactions.

I'm fortunate to have so many resources where I work! HAWS' Behavior Department staff and volunteers have been extremely helpful while we navigate "underconfident dog" territory. Oh, and that tick that latched on to him about a month ago and was fully engorged? Thankfully the vet staff in our SNIP clinic were able to calm me down. And it is so nice to have a groomer for a co-worker when your pet resembles a miniature woolly mammoth.

As HAWS' marketing person I often use the phrase "HAWS is the #1 resource for pets and their people." I personally am testing that - and loving the results! Hey - how about YOU come and adopt 4 paws from HAWS and see for yourself?!

By the way - summer time fun times at HAWS include a WKLH Choose Your Cruise registration event (7/26), our 5th Ride for Rover motorcycle rally (8/16) and the Pet Fair in the Falls (8/16, too). Join us!





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