What is my pup saying?

Gloria J. Towle, Special to The County
2 weeks ago

Mark your calendars for the weekend of Oct. 19 and 20. The Caribou Arts and Craft Show is always a popular fall event to enjoy, and we at the Central Aroostook Humane Society are excited to participate once again. 

Last year our bake sale was such a hit, we will be returning with lots of tasty treats — for humans and your pets. Also, we will definitely be having our fun “lottery board” raffle, along with some other surprises. All of the proceeds will continue to support our new shelter project.

Speaking of our new building, if any of you have driven by to check out the progress, we are thrilled to report that the building is very close to being finished. The ground work has been started and it won’t be long before the moving process will begin. 

We can’t begin to explain what this amazing news means to all of us, not only for the animals and our hardworking employees, but for the 30 communities that contract with the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We will continue to keep you updated and share our plans for an open house once the dust settles.

Canines and humans have a long history of being extremely adaptable friends. Dogs are open to learning all they can from us and working hard to fit into our world. We owe it to our canine companions to learn a little of their language. If you’re curious what your pup might mean when he looks a certain way, read on.

Listening: A subtle, tilted head says, “I’m all ears.”

Friendly: There’s the pointed-ears and wiggly-body “I’m feeling happy” look.

Playful: We all know the “Really, you should drop everything and throw me that ball’ look, known as the play bow position.

Alert: Dogs have an incredible sense of hearing. An erect neck and perked-up ears tell us that they are well aware of what’s going on. Amazingly, dogs can locate the source of a sound in six-hundredths of a second.

Tail Wagging: Dogs tend to wag their tails to the right when feeling positive, like interacting with their human. A dog wagging its tail more to the left may be facing something negative. Of course, then there is the helicopter tail wag (spinning in circles), which is definitely a “happy” wag. At the end of the day, we all want our beloved pet to enjoy life, be safe and especially be loved.

Please visit the shelter’s Facebook page to check out all the latest news and also what pets are up for adoption. You can also stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society at 24 Cross St. in Presque Isle. Our hours are Tuesdays from 12 to 4 p.m., and Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closing for lunch from 12 to 12:30 p.m. 

Please be responsible: spay or neuter your pets.

Gloria J. Towle is the secretary for the Central Aroostook Humane Society board of directors.