Western Fremont County Humane Society

10/17/2026

🐾 Not every dog wants to be touched — and that's okay.

Dogs are not public property, and we should never assume that an unfamiliar (or even familiar) dog is inviting interaction just by being present.

The golden rule: don't approach unknown dogs. Give them space, stay relaxed, look slightly away, and let them come to you.

And even when a dog does approach you, sniffing, standing nearby, or coming close is NOT necessarily an invitation to pat them. Wait for clearer signals — loose, relaxed body language, leaning into your leg, gentle eye contact, a nudge, a paw, or a play bow. Those are consent.

Once you have those signals, you can ask their guardian if it's okay to interact. Keep it brief, and pause to check if they want to continue.

🚫 Avoid: patting on the head, pushing your hand in their face, hugging, or overwhelming them with too many people or too much intensity.

⚠️ Signs a dog is uncomfortable: lip licking, yawning, looking away, moving away, ears pinned back, tail tucked, whale eye (whites of the eyes showing) — and of course snapping or growling, which is an immediate request for more space.

This applies to children too — teaching kids that unknown dogs are not to be approached is one of the most important lessons we can pass on.

I've put together an infographic breaking all of this down — save it and share it! 👆

And if you want to go deeper, I've also made a video exploring whether people should even have the expectation to pat an unknown dog — and why "asking first" doesn't always make it okay 👇
📺 https://youtu.be/K2D8cOGUhs4

10/11/2026

10/10/2026

Wyoming just became the sixth no-kill state in the country! 🧡

Getting there took local solutions and a lot of teamwork. Shelters, rescue groups, and community members worked together to save more pets, including vulnerable cats who needed specialized care.

It's a not only a huge milestone but also a reminder that lifesaving doesn’t stop here. Every adoption, foster home, volunteer and advocate helps move more of us toward a future where no healthy or treatable pet loses their life simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home. ➡️ https://bestfriends.org/who-we-are/media/wyoming-now-no-kill-state

10/10/2026

We have a weird standard of "good" for dogs.
And I don't think we notice it much.

We talk a lot about what dogs should tolerate.
What they should just accept.
And what they should allow us to do.

They should just "behave" when we do it.

But we've created a standard for them we just wouldn't accept for ourselves.

The better behaved they are, the more we seem to expect them to just put up with.
The more they put up with, the more we see them as "good".

Somewhere along the way, a dog's ability to tolerate us became a measure of their behaviour rather than ours.

If our definition of a “good dog” is one who is expected to just absorb everything people ask of them, maybe it isn't the dog whose behaviour needs looking at.

Maybe we've confused tolerance with permission.

10/08/2026

Cues, Markers, and Reinforcements, oh my!

This week’s blog post talks about the importance of learning the difference, whether when communicating with your own dog or working with clients. I was motivated to write about this after revising The Puppy Primer, last updated in 2008! Of course, I talked about cues and positive reinforcement in the earlier version, but I worked hard on this updated work to help people understand how fast and fun training can be when you understand the difference and know how and when to use them.

In the new version, I mention using clickers as markers, but settle on using a verbal marker, “Good!”, after watching the kick-ass trainers at Natural Encounters use them to train raptors, macaws, and crows.

What about you: What do you use as a marker?
Read it here: https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/unpacking-cues-markers-praise-positive-reinforcements/

10/06/2026

Our local veterinarian, Dr. Copeland, has stated there is algae bloom in the Wind River and is advising livestock and pet owners to not allow the animals in the river water or to drink it. For more information, please contact the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.