It seems to me there are a couple of issues here. I don't think a shelter wants just any JoeBloe walking in one day to say "hey I'd like to help by walking your dogs". The shelter needs to know something about its volunteers though a criminal check might be a bit much. If someone has been volunteering at a shelter for some time so the staff knows them and now new policies are being put into effect, then the shelter should have some sort of informational meeting/handout for all its volunteers so they know what and why. And even when volunteers have been accepted, some mini-training should be included for handling dogs. Many shelter dogs have been abused so I wouldn't want a volunteer who grew up under the "old" system of training with spanking and collar yerking now handling a special needs dog. Actual certification for dog walkers - no - the government intrudes enough.
Heimlich Maneuver for Dogs
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Found this Interesting and could be helpful.
Hopefully no one has to use it. -
I had one choking incident a long time ago, with my girl Tamu. She got a piece of apple core stuck in her throat and was frantic to dislodge it. She could breath (and scream!) and also was lashing out at anyone who came near her. I didn't have an actual plan except to avoid being bitten, but I did manage to remove the offending core, after which she was just fine, but it was a scary moment. And a reminder that a scared or hurting dog may bite! She even snapped at my other girl, Lady, when she came close. Of my five Basenjis, two would react badly to pain (e.g. painfully cold feet in winter), the other three were stoic and knew that you were trying to help them in a crisis.
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@Kembe, nice post! We've gone to solid food chopped up in a food processor, but we're grinding it a bit more course as we go. So far, no puppies are choking, but good to know!
