Hallmark Cocker Spaniels

Hello to all our devoted fans, friends, and family! 😍

I need your help ASAP! 🙏

I know many are aware that Revival Animal Health- the makers of Breeder's Edge and Shelter's Choice puppy/kitten milk replacement formulas had a big recall on all of their PUPPY milk replacers.

We had a donation drive a few months back to restock our puppy milk replacement formula and kitten too. You guys showed up and filled our shelves for my Hallmark spca foster nicu and the SPCA of East Texas shelves for our other bottle fosters. 🥰

Unfortunately, due to the recall, ALL of our PUPPY milk replacement formula that you donated for our newborn nicu intakes was a part of the recall and has to be destroyed. 😭

I am working with Amazon and Revival Animal Health to hopefully be able to get the donated recalled formula refunded/replaced...but it is a VERY tedious process and is taking FOREVER. Ugh! 😩

Our problem is we now have EMPTY shelves for our newborn intakes which means we are scrambling to get more formula asap! Our most urgent need is PUPPY formula- and since Revival Animal Health does not know when they will have their formula stocking again, we are going to restock with a different, but still well known brand. 🫶

We really need help with this restock because formula isn't cheap and the costs add up FAST when you are feeding multiple tiny babies in need. So, if you could, would you please go to my Amazon SPCA foster wishlist and donate more PUPPY formula to help these sweet newborns in need?! We sure do appreciate any help in getting our shelves full again. Puppy formula of any type in our wishlist is perfect!! 🙌

We do also have other NICU foster items we still need, and you are certainly welcome to donate KITTEN formula too, but Puppy formula is empty currently and most urgently needed. 👍

I just admitted 3 newborn kittens into my NICU this afternoon- so they are enjoying the kitten formula donations you've already sent us. Yay! 🐱 I'll post pictures of these sweet babies soon.

Thank you for ANY help in restocking our shelves and the SPCA of East Texas shelves. It certainly takes a village to save these tiny, most innocent lives and I am so grateful to all who help me, and us in this mission. 🥰

SPCA foster NICU Amazon wishlist:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2XNQQ44DB3RGN?ref_=wl_share

PLEASE SHARE!! 🙏

Great information! :-)

“My dog doesn’t like other dogs…”

Let’s talk about something that often worries dog owners unnecessarily. Dogs not liking other dogs or people.

⚠️The reality is that the vast majority of dogs are socially selective.

What does that mean?

It means they don’t automatically like every dog, every person, or every situation they encounter. Instead, they have preferences, just like we do.

In fact, we can roughly think of dogs as falling into three broad groups:

🟢 A small percentage genuinely love everyone and everything

* Every dog is their best friend.
* Every human is exciting.
* They happily greet strangers and unfamiliar dogs.

🟡 The vast majority are socially selective

* They enjoy some dogs but not others.
* They may prefer a small circle of canine friends.
* They may enjoy interactions with familiar people but have little interest in strangers.
* They choose who they want to interact with and when.

🔴 A very small percentage genuinely dislike most social interactions

* They may be uncomfortable around unfamiliar dogs or people.
* They often prefer space and distance.
* Some may have genetic predispositions, poor early experiences, health issues, or simply a naturally reserved temperament.

The problem?

🟢The small green group is highly visible.

They’re the dogs we see at dog parks, outdoor cafés, busy events, pet stores, and social media videos. Because they’re so visible, we start believing that all dogs should be like that.

As a result, many owners develop unrealistic expectations for their own dogs.

💭 “Why doesn’t my dog want to play with every dog?”
💭 “Why doesn’t my dog greet strangers happily?”
💭 “Why doesn’t my dog enjoy busy environments?”

❗️Because being selective is normal.

Let’s compare dogs to humans.

Even the most extroverted people don’t get along with everyone they meet.

Most of us have friends, acquaintances, and people we’d rather avoid altogether.

We don’t expect every person to enjoy every social interaction, so why do we expect it from dogs?

🐾 Being socially selective is not a behavioural problem.

🐾 Wanting personal space is not a behavioural problem.

🐾 Having a small friendship circle is not a behavioural problem.

🐾 Choosing not to interact is not a behavioural problem.

💢In fact, social selectivity is considered completely normal canine behaviour.

Research has repeatedly shown that dogs form individual social preferences and relationships rather than interacting equally with all dogs. Studies examining free-ranging dogs, companion dogs, and social groups consistently demonstrate that dogs establish preferred social partners, avoid certain individuals, and maintain varying levels of social engagement depending on familiarity, previous experiences, genetics, and temperament.

👉What often creates problems is not the selectivity itself, but when we repeatedly place dogs into situations where they are expected to interact with individuals they would rather avoid.

✅A dog does not need 100 friends.

✅A dog does not need to greet every dog.

✅A dog does not need to love every person.

🩵What they need is the freedom to make choices, the confidence to communicate their preferences, and owners who respect those preferences.

Sometimes the happiest dog is not the one playing with twenty dogs at the park.

Sometimes the happiest dog is the one walking peacefully with their trusted human, completely content with their small social circle. ❤️

Very important in these hot summer months!

HOT WEATHER PET SAFETY TIPS!!!

Things are heating up in East Texas for sure. Please remember Pet Safety tips regarding paws.

Also never leave a pet in a parked car unattended—even for "just a minute" or with the windows cracked. Temperatures inside a vehicle rise rapidly, turning it into a deadly oven. A parked car's interior can heat up by 20°F in just 10 minutes, putting pets at severe risk of heatstroke and death.

Today Miss Ethel got all her official health testing completed. 🥰

Vet said everything looked great so she should pass everything. She's a gorgeous girl with a delightful personality! We adore her! 😍

Once we get her official health testing results back, she will then officially join our breeding program. 🥳

She's still a bit groggy from the anesthesia 🤪

CPR instructions for dogs. Important information to keep! ❤️‍🩹

This was made for me. Very sweet gesture. 🥰

He's walked with me...he's carried me. ❤

Every single step in my life has been under his watchful care...yes...even the traumatic, the heartbreaking, the difficult, the disappointing, the rejected.

He has a beautiful way of transforming all the bad into a light that shines brightly for the world to see. A light that permeates into the darkness and pain of others to help show them the way. ❤️‍🩹

Love,
Kellina

I can. But I’m not going to.

I don’t want your dog to shrink away while I insist on ruffling their hair up.
They don’t need me to touch them to prove “I’m safe”.

What they actually need is for me to keep my hands in my pocket and wait for some signals of consent.

We have a tactile “obsession” when it comes to dogs.

Maybe it starts when they’re puppies and their squidginess draws our hands in.
100% their fur and wee fat rolls combined are irresistible.
From there though, it can become a habit.

We see a person up the street we haven’t seen for a while, stop for a chat and our hand goes down to pat while we say “Aww whose this wee girl”.
That’s how easy these habits grow.

They’re ingrained.

How about we start to normalise not touching?
And start normalising watching for consent.