It’s official: Magneto is a good citizen. This New Yorker strolls the streets calmly, unfazed by the sights and sounds of the busy city. Horn honks, sidewalk trash, subway smells, touchy passersby—Magneto takes it all in stride. Magneto is a good dog. And his owner has the papers to prove it.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognizes dogs that demonstrate good citizenship. The official title for these city-wise pups is Urban Canine Good Citizen. The Urban CGC is one of four titles the AKC gives for doggie citizenship.
Dogs must have a registered AKC number and pass the basic Canine Good Citizen test before being allowed to take the urban version of the exam.
The basic test has been around for about 25 years. More than 700,000 dogs have passed. The urban version requires a bit more self-restraint on the part of the pooch.
AKC officials administer the Urban CGC test in tough city settings. Streets, cars, noises, elevators, outdoor cafes, and other distractions are all part of the real-world exam.
Dogs perform a 10-step test of skills. For example, they must wait patiently for “walk” lights at pedestrian crossings, clamber in and out of cars or taxis, and ignore tempting street food. Two of the most difficult parts of the test involve a dog’s tolerating hugs and strokes from strangers and remaining still while its owner browses in a dog-friendly shop.
Some people think the test of doggie etiquette is barking up the wrong tree. “It’s more that the owners could step up their game,” observed one New Yorker.
Why do owners put their dogs through these urban paces? For one thing, it’s a way to “consider others,” as in Philippians 2:3. But additionally, from a practical point of view, some people believe good dog behavior will pay off. Some homeowners’ insurers have agreed to cover certain breeds with the basic canine good citizen title according to the AKC. Further, some think the Urban CGC title might help get a beloved pet into the best co-ops and condos.
What does the pooch get for its efforts? The AKC awards each dog that successfully passes the citizenship test the suffix “CGC” after its name—that and a doggie treat.
Some canines will do anything to stay out of the doghouse.
Emily h.
Do you want to start a no-kill animal shelter when you grow up?
(Emily H)
Sure! But I really wan't to be a horse trainer
Emily H
That's an awesome goal!! :) Do you ride?
Rebekah S
That's alright. I actually just got over a cold about a week ago. Hope you're feeling much better! :) Oh, I hope that Abby gets adopted!!
(Emily H)
Yes I ride! And I really wan't to pursue horses they are incredible animals
Emily H
I would love to ride!!! I have to admit I'm a bit envious. :) I've always wanted to, but it's really expensive. :(
Emily h.
Cool! I took some riding lessons about 5 or 6 years ago--it would be nice to get back in the saddle again! :)
Gabrielle p.
Shelter update for yesterday-
Jasmine has a home visit on Saturday!
Isaac is adopted!
There is a new cat and a cute Chihuahua, Rat terrier mix puppy that weighs 6lbs!
Gabrielle p.
Jasmine has been adopted!! :)
Rebekah S
That's wonderful to hear!!!! :D
Gabrielle p.
Shelter update for yesterday--
The shelter has a mother dog and her litter of seven 6-week old puppies. They and their dad were rescued from a neglect/cruelty case and went to IACC; sadly the dad is still st IACC. Sadly all the puppies and the mother have kennel cough.
There are two new dogs.
Buttercup is going to get adopted!!
Gabrielle p.
Abby is still in her foster home. Hopefully she'll get adopted soon!!
Rebekah S
Yes, hopefully so. :)
( Emily H)
Are there any horses up for adoption? Just curious
Emily H
There is an animal shelter in Utah called Best Friends' Animal Society, I know that they have quite a few horses up for adoption. :) They're website is bestfriends.org, you can check out the adoptable horses there. Hope that helps. :)
Emily H
Sorry, that's supposed to say *their website*.
Gabrielle p.
Shelter update-
All but one of the puppies are well.
Buttercup is going to get adopted!
Abby is still in the foster home.
Rebekah S
Uh oh, what happened to one of the puppies? Is he/she sick?
Gabrielle P.
When the next World Teen issue comes out, this article will no longer be under Pop Smart. So we can continue to comment, type in the article's name into the search icon.
Gabrielle P.
The puppy, Sawyer, is fine, but he still has kennel cough. Hopefully he'll get it over soon.
Rocky the dog got adopted!
I will not be able to volunteer at the shelter this week.
gabrielle p.
When I last volunteered at Loving Heart, I asked a couple of questions about how the shelter got started and such. The founder, Sandy, said that when you first start a shelter, you have to start small, probably won't be able to have a building, and you won't be able to pay yourself; thus, you must work another job along with running your shelter. You also have to write bylaws and get animals in your shelter that will be able to be adopted out quickly.
Rebekah S
Well I hope that Sawyer gets better soon. :)
Rebekah S
Okay. So would doing fundraisers also be a help to starting an animal shelter? Alongside of other work.
Gabrielle P.
Yes. At first, when you have a small shelter, you won't need to do as much fundraising. But when a shelter gets bigger and such, fundraisers will need to be done more often. You'd also want to gather business sponsors and donors; recently Loving Heart and Subaru had an event and donated about $11,000 to Loving Heart!
Gabrielle P.
The founder also mentioned that you won't need to take any college courses to start a shelter; you just need to find somebody that knows how to get the 501 c 3 non-profit status.
gabrielle p.
Here they are!
Sampson:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13173779_101538401711835...
Sherman:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13173802_101538401712985...
Stewart:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13124880_101538401713835...
Sawyer:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13082765_101538401714435...
Sylvester:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13177492_101538401714935...
Sammie:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13179102_101538401716885...
Shelby:
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13174144_101538401717485...
They won't be available for 3-4 weeks, but Loving Heart is accepting applications now.
gabrielle p.
And here's the puppies' mom.....Sasha!
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13138765_101538402370235...
Gabrielle p.
Here's another picture of the puppies' mom, Sasha!
https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13103263_101538445012035...
Be sure to check out Loving Heart's Facebook page as well--there's a video of the puppies!
(Emily H)
Do you both go to the same shelter to help the animals or go to diffrent ones?
Rebekah S
Oh My Goodness!!!!! They are sooooo adorable!! I love Sampson's spots, and Sawyer's blue eyes. Sawyer looks like he has such an expressive face. :D I'd take all of them if I could. :)
Emily H
No, we live in different states. I'm not really able to volunteer at a shelter right now unfortunately. :( So Rebekah sends me updates (from the shelter she volunteers at) about some of the animals there or tells me about new ones. :)
Gabrielle P.
Yes, all the puppies are adorable. The puppies' dad is a Great Dane/Labrador retriever mix (I'm not sure if I have told you this already) and may still be at IACC.
I'd take Sawyer if I could; maybe somehow something will happen. :)
I'll be volunteering at Loving Heart earlier this week because I will not be able to later this week when I usually volunteer.
Gabrielle P. and Emily H.
Have either of you heard of Blankets Fur Beasties? The organization was started by a girl called Harley and it collects donations to give to shelters in the northeastern Ohio area. You can visit their website at www.blanketsfurbeasties.com.
I was kind of thinking to start up something like that in my area and call it Love4Paws.
Gabrielle P.
Sampson looks a lot like his dad.
wow
600+ comments. 13 pages. Is this a worldteen record?
Rebekah S
So is Sasha a pit bull? I kind of thought the puppies might have a bit of Labrador or Golden Retriever in them, but Great Dane too? Wow! :)
Gabrielle p.
Shelter update-
Today I got to interact with the puppies for the first time. Sawyer is my favorite; he's sweet but timid and would rather cuddle than play. Shelby, one of the female puppies, has an approved application; she'll get adopted once she's fully vetted. Sampson likes to bark a lot!
Hercules is in a foster-to-adopt home!
Rosie, a Labrador retriever, Greyhound, Siberian Husky mix, was adopted but has been returned because she was chasing the adopter's cat.
There is a new cat. She doesn't have a name yet and may be pregnant.
Rebekah S
Yes, I've heard of Blankets for Beasties. That would be a cool idea. :) I like the name, Love4Paws.
Gabrielle P.
Yes, Sasha is a pit bull mix. The puppies' dad is a Great Dane/Labrador retriever mix, so he may have some other breeds in him. The puppies don't really look like Golden retrievers.
Sasha, the mom, is a really sweet and easy-going girl! Hopefully she'll find a home once she's available for adoption! :)
Gabrielle P.
Thanks! :)
Gabrielle p.
Although this doesn't happen quite often, we're posting comments at the same time! :)
Rebekah S
So there might be some kittens soon? :)
Rebekah S
Yes, we are, aren't we. XD
Gabrielle P.
Yes, there might be kittens soon; however, the two last cats that were supposed to be"pregnant" weren't pregnant at all!
Rebekah S
Oh wow!! I bet that finding out they weren't pregnant at all was more of a surprise than finding out they might be pregnant.
gabrielle p.
I sure would be surprised if that ever happened to me when I have a so-called "pregnant" cat!
Guys
Its because I told everybody to on the mercury thing
gabrielle p.
How did you learn about Blankets Fur Beasties?
gabrielle p.
Check out the video of the puppies having breakfast on Loving Heart's Facebook page!
Rebekah S
I saw a story about it on the news a while back. :)
Pages