Blue Ridge Humane Society has been awarded a grant by the Community Foundation of Henderson County to provide assistance for pet owners seeking housing. Blue Ridge Humane Society is committed to keeping pets in loving homes through a range of programs and assistance for community pets. The new program adds a needed service to assist in the current pet-friendly housing challenges facing Henderson County residents.

The new program will assist pet owners through two avenues—either through assisting with temporary boarding cost while the owner is unable to keep an animal due to relocation or other emergency circumstances; or through assisting with one-time pet deposit for a rental unit.

Those needing assistance or interested in learning more about the program can call (828) 393-5832 (you may experience a delay on holidays and weekends).

Thanks to a spay/neuter grant received by Asheville Humane Society from Bissell Pets Foundation, low-cost spay/neuter will be more widely available to Buncombe County residents during these difficult times. To help meet the demand for low-cost spay/neuter in the community, Asheville Humane Society is partnering with Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, whose mobile spay/neuter clinic visits the Community Center on Wednesdays to give more people and their pets access to these services. The Community Center is located at 1425 Patton Avenue, behind the Asheville Humane Thrift Store. Call the Asheville Humane Safety Net helpline at 828-761-2008 for more information. 

Cold temperatures mean bundling up for humans... but what about your dog? Short-haired dogs and small dogs in particular may not produce enough body heat during colder weather, so a sweater for these pups is probably a good idea. One caution, though: Some dogs willingly accept sweaters while others simply won't tolerate them.

YourDogAdvisor.com has put together an informative and comprehensive guide to dog sweaters. It includes information on sizes as well as the best dog sweaters. Six dog sweaters are reviewed in detail. Check it out here: https://yourdogadvisor.com/best-dog-sweater/

Image: YourDogAdvisor.com

Hiking Hounds is one of the most popular Asheville Humane Society volunteer activities. Each month, volunteers take shelter dogs on hikes as part of the enrichment programming. You'll spend a few hours in Bent Creek hiking the trails with dogs who will love you for it.

The next hike is on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Spots for two new hikers will be available on each hike.

If you are a new hiker… once you sign up for a hike you will be sent a link to a virtual orientation. You must watch this, and sign a waiver before attending a hike. All new hikers will come on their first hike without a dog; you will be paired with a hiking buddy to become familiar with the process of the program, and make sure this is an activity you will enjoy. 

If you are a seasoned volunteer… you are asked to watch the orientation as a refresher and you will be sent the link when you sign up for a hike.  

Note: New and repeat hikers alike are required to sign up in advance. If you'd like to sign up for this hike, email ahshikinghounds@outlook.com. Hikers are signed up on a "first come-first serve basis" and you must have a confirmed reservation to attend a hike. If you don’t get an email from Hiking Hounds, assume they didn’t get yours! Please be sure you can actually make the hike; if we have late cancellations, a dog gets left behind without a hike.

Start time is 9 AM. Hikes are typically 3-5 miles at a brisk pace with elevation changes and provide vigorous exercise for our volunteer hikers as well. They do not cancel hikes because of rain, as our pups don’t mind getting wet. Hikers generally return to the shelter at 16 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville around 11:30 AM to 12 PM.

Hiking Hounds now operates under these Covid-19 protocols:

We will ask that no one sign up for our hikes if they are at risk or have compromised immune systems. If you sign up and begin to feel ill, we ask that you cancel immediately.

We are asking all volunteers to stay in the parking lot, and not come into the building. The hike leaders will sign in the volunteers and will bring the dogs out to them. AHS is asking that ONLY hike leaders enter the building, no volunteers; anyone in the building must wear a mask. You will not be allowed to use the restroom inside the building, so plan on using the port-a-john at the Arboretum, or the woods. 

Bring hand sanitizer if you have it.

Please bring a leash of your own (if you have one), the fewer objects changing hands the better. 

We will maintain a 6 ft bubble as usual, for the safety of our volunteers and the dog's safety and comfort.  

We will eliminate bandanas and cards about the dogs; we can promote them through social media.

We will have one hiker go ahead of our caravan with all the Arboretum passes. That hiker will alert the security personal at the gate & will swipe ALL the passes so each hiker does not have to handle them. 

 When we return to the shelter, all volunteers will again stay outdoors and the hike leaders will come get your dog. This is our normal procedure as our dogs always need social distancing.  

All equipment that we use will be sanitized between hikes. 

For more information visit the Hiking Hounds Facebook page.

If you're looking for some of the best gear for doggies that came out last year, you'll want to check out the extensive product review by Whole Dog Journal. Experts evaluated and reviewed a whole bunch of products in different categories, some of which are sure to be of interest to you and your four-legged friend. Some of the products reviewed include:

• Toppl Treat Toy, an innovative toy that just might replace the long-standing "Kong"
• Keepsafe Breakway Collar, a proven system that protects against collar strangulation
• Wash 'N Zip Bed, an ingenious, easy-to-care-for doggie bed.

You'll find reviews of these products and much more here:
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/lifestyle/whole-dog-journal-product-review-2020-dog-gear-of-the-year/