tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43000140600236420322024-03-23T03:14:58.327-07:00DogTails - The "Give a Dog a Bone" Blog<a href="http://gadab.org">GADAB</a>--Enriching the lives of long-term shelter dogs everywhereCorinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143697819604215869noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-10566144945420558142011-06-10T10:51:00.000-07:002011-06-10T10:51:18.720-07:00So, how to approach a fearful dog in your shelter? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK1czLYSpJijsVDFojuXLmmqzGamrq7C83eZ85jLVTA79wOG3mXAKYYvW0Gy24Hg60UJydzgN-QC_3YiaWaPIjSlfkiqSuL5dXoVLnZjLtI0S0COBkJowZ4Atxt3WnUzKP2ury33V0PM/s1600/dogGADAB1708+-+Version+2_SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwK1czLYSpJijsVDFojuXLmmqzGamrq7C83eZ85jLVTA79wOG3mXAKYYvW0Gy24Hg60UJydzgN-QC_3YiaWaPIjSlfkiqSuL5dXoVLnZjLtI0S0COBkJowZ4Atxt3WnUzKP2ury33V0PM/s320/dogGADAB1708+-+Version+2_SW.jpg" t8="true" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yawning may indicate nervousness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<br />
<br />
We've had wonderful success stories <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">with this approach.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://baywoof.com/1106.GoodDog.shtml">http://baywoof.com/1106.GoodDog.shtml</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"From Snap to Sugar Snap" in this blog also keys in on a fearful dog.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-38651134297683935092011-01-31T11:34:00.000-08:002011-01-31T11:34:44.172-08:00POSEY + LUCY + AGILITY = THE GOOD LIFE<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>PARTNERS IN TIME</u>, a column published every so often by DogTails columnist Reed S. Anact </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Column XXI, all rights reserved, comments welcome)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recently I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview the incomparable Posey and her guardian Lucy. Wow. Posey’s and Lucy’s journey began eight years ago at <a href="http://www.sfgov.org/acc">SF/ACC</a>. Posey, all of 4 weeks old, was in the custody cat room, too small and too young to be kenneled in the puppy room.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IujHUCx1-bhbNsJRzuzfQSd4UnPJjHF6hrgtp319c47XBgAvg9G9aYcGxNAIwa_NCxe8q65T0jqnFRwN0FBZSBrifPJ4MPFx6CvEvV6o7lDBMWuY3RBcCVfRcbw6NAgwnt_lGGwV6jg/s1600/4081537871_31058c37a2%255B1%255D+Posey+up+the+A-frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IujHUCx1-bhbNsJRzuzfQSd4UnPJjHF6hrgtp319c47XBgAvg9G9aYcGxNAIwa_NCxe8q65T0jqnFRwN0FBZSBrifPJ4MPFx6CvEvV6o7lDBMWuY3RBcCVfRcbw6NAgwnt_lGGwV6jg/s200/4081537871_31058c37a2%255B1%255D+Posey+up+the+A-frame.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">poetry in motion</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jump to December 2010, Posey having been invited to the AKC Agility Invitational. How this shelter pittie wound up winning 3 ribbons (out of a possible four) at this national event is the story of today’s column. This interview is taking place in a typical agility ring, and I’ll tell you, folks, watching Lucy and Posey together is the real deal. I’m sure enjoying being here, I must say.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: Tell me about the first day you saw Posey and how you wound up taking her home. Did you name her? You were volunteering for <em><a href="http://www.gadab.org/">Give a Dog a Bone</a></em> at that time, were you not?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Well, I first saw Posey with a shelter employee outside of SF/ACC. I was a GADAB </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">volunteer, coming in for my shift. She was so tiny, her legs looked the size of my finger. Her </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">eyes were blue and she was blinking in the bright sunlight. I was told her name was Posey. I </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">thought she was cute, but went on my way. I had no idea she would become a huge part of my </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: May I interject? I knew, I just knew that Lucy was the right person for me, I can’t say </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">how I knew, I just did.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: So you took the little American Pit Bull Terrier mix home, and then what? How did your </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">life change?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Well, she was so energetic, I suddenly had my hands full keeping her busy. I worked hard </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">to housebreak her, and made sure she got lots of socializing with both people and dogs. Back in </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">those days, we went to the dog park so she could run around, and to tennis courts to throw the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ball for exercise. She needed to be taken out for running twice per day</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: Boy, did my life change. I was just a baby after all, and looking back to when I was just </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">a puppy, from what I can remember, Lucy had a lot of patience with me – I didn’t know much of </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">anything and I kind of got into everything, well, I tried, but most of the time Lucy let me know </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">what was cool and what was totally uncool. I had to learn a lot. Lucy is a good teacher, and if I </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">may say so, we do teach each other.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: That’s so key to a good relationship with your dog.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: So you took Posey out twice daily and threw 100 balls for her in an enclosed unused </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">tennis court? That’s amazing to me – she needed that much exercise. Can you comment on that?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Posey really settled down after our exercises. I can’t emphasize enough how priceless exercise is. She needed to run her little tail off, pretty much before anything else we did, like manners training, so that’s what we did.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: I plead the fifth.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: So you moved due to work, and is that when you began agility with Posey? What brought </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">you to agility?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: I actually started agility before I left San Francisco for Seattle. I thought that Posey was </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">a smart dog, and deserved something more than just throwing a tennis ball around, so I started </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">looking online. Agility seemed like the most fun thing to try. I found an agility school close to </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">my home that had a great reputation so I sent them an email and enrolled in a beginner class. That’s how the addiction started.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ8Si29inxUhTkpF32aB9mCV-goOdmy5mFzW8JMSnvxJPrSs7IA93jN-OEDiYdXx_-OPjZ6uiW0Rw2v0iq5YF_1OjNa509AOuUwEEhxa80O2UhDJmI0ylkTYVcEtQxKbb1q947DpiyMA/s1600/4081540805_e2689640bf+Posey+flying+over+a+double+pole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZ8Si29inxUhTkpF32aB9mCV-goOdmy5mFzW8JMSnvxJPrSs7IA93jN-OEDiYdXx_-OPjZ6uiW0Rw2v0iq5YF_1OjNa509AOuUwEEhxa80O2UhDJmI0ylkTYVcEtQxKbb1q947DpiyMA/s200/4081540805_e2689640bf+Posey+flying+over+a+double+pole.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">so graceful</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: I loved going to agility class!! I knew when you brought out the treats and tug toy that’s </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">where we were going!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: I understand that a lot of people like to do agility with their dogs because it’s fun, and then </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">there’s a whole other realm of the agility world: competition agility. I know our readers would </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">like to hear more on that. I hear the words “positive reinforcement” and “the human/animal </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">bond”. Is competition agility a good fit with those two phrases?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Absolutely! I think competition agility is a perfect fit! To me, having fun, bonding with </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">your dog, and doing competition agility are all one in the same. I can’t imagine anything more </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">fun to do with my dog! Agility is a timed sport, so both the dog and handler need to be fast, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">motivated, and enthusiastic. The way you get that is through positive reinforcement and making </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the obstacles highly rewarding for the dog. When you are able to give clear cues and the dog </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">understands your body language, it strengthens the bond between the two of you. It’s the perfect </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">match for us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: Totally. Agility is amazing. I love everything about it. My mom and I rock. We just love this.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: Lucy, before I turned the mike on, you used a word with which I am not familiar: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the “zoomies”. Can you tell us what that means, especially for you and Posey when you are </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">trialing?</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: (laughs) Well, Posey sometimes runs like a crazy dog in circles, especially in cool weather. It’s one of those things, you can’t say what it is, but you know it when you see it. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some people say it’s stress relief, some people say it’s a training issue. I just think that Posey is an active, exuberant dog who enjoys life and sometimes needs to get her ya ya’s out. Before a trial in cool weather I need to run her around a little bit with things like long-distance stays/recalls so that she can focus.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: I literally can’t help it. It feels like, oh, it feels like I’m flying, as if all the joys in the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">world were compressed into me, actually, and I just burst with the unparalleled energy of it all. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">It’s sheer ecstasy. Does that sort of explain it? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: That’s quite a description, Posey, you said that very well. Very well indeed. Might I say that I myself would like to experience the “zoomies” sometime! Another question for you both: could you elaborate on the past six years, from starting out to where you are now?</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqpxyVbxR2AkHERDmPD9Pgcd9mwWAwSbY8I-EJF78oriHM2pcXF07Ns1nbF7gMtOGqS6h3UIIRqgvts-sj7SyYTSVxDcK3RWv2hyphenhyphenhEieNrXfxErbFIUko01xP-BG5rI24bTIqMQfw2Kk/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqpxyVbxR2AkHERDmPD9Pgcd9mwWAwSbY8I-EJF78oriHM2pcXF07Ns1nbF7gMtOGqS6h3UIIRqgvts-sj7SyYTSVxDcK3RWv2hyphenhyphenhEieNrXfxErbFIUko01xP-BG5rI24bTIqMQfw2Kk/s200/IMG_0276.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">posey relaxing with her ducky</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Well, we’ve been doing competitive agility for six years now, and I can’t imagine my dog-related life without it. We’ve progressed from ‘please pay attention to me’ into a great team that had the privilege of attending the 2010 AKC Invitational. I’ve learned how dogs respond to my body language and non-verbal communication, and that has strengthened the bond between me and my dogs.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: I am the luckiest pit bull in the world. My mom and I are tight. I mean tight. Agility </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">brought a renewed depth to our relationship and it keeps on giving. I LOVE agility, especially </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the tunnel. Going through the tunnel rocks big-time. Now the weave poles, not my strong suit, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">but Lucy and I are getting there – it is hard work, tons of practice time, but when you get to do </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the thing you love most in the world with the person you love most in the world, tell me what </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">could be better than that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: Looks like we’re almost out of time here, but Lucy, I feel it’s important for our readers to </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">know how deeply you feel about trialing a shelter dog, especially a pit bull. They get such bad </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">press.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv-Wua3biyYPJq71P1vddGkMzYUB-Ti8E_KVNLuuJA_PfJ5R4cQtTHvp1G5gv1oQrUUKaPI7sa_D1TO1YQUWhwejWCfsjcZdVtVnHe-CzZMzPMx7vI3tUb9wie9oO8acVzvNxWQtSdpU/s1600/IMG_0264+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv-Wua3biyYPJq71P1vddGkMzYUB-Ti8E_KVNLuuJA_PfJ5R4cQtTHvp1G5gv1oQrUUKaPI7sa_D1TO1YQUWhwejWCfsjcZdVtVnHe-CzZMzPMx7vI3tUb9wie9oO8acVzvNxWQtSdpU/s200/IMG_0264+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">family: posey and hammer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: That’s very true. I feel that if you have a shelter pit, it’s so important to do positive public </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">things with them to improve their image. Agility is physically demanding, and as Posey gets </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">older I will look for other things to do with her so that her breed can be put in a positive light. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I’ve started competitive obedience with Posey recently, and that will be our next adventure.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: My mom is so proud of me. And she shows it too. Boy, does that make me feel mucho </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">mucho bueno, I just can’t tell you. I can roll with the obedience, too, it’s a whole different challenge for us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: Anything you’d like to add, ladies?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: The most important thing to me is to enjoy your dog and have fun with what you do. If </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">you do that, everything else will follow.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: She nailed that one. I totally second that. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Reed</strong>: Ladies, I can’t thank you enough for giving me this time with both of you. Readers, I’ve </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">learned a lot here with Lucy and Posey, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I have. Now, we have a special treat for you. A professional video of Posey and Lucy’s first run at the invitational. For you agility buffs, here’s Lucy’s explanation of why she chose this round (<em>around a minute long</em>):</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">“I like Round 1 the best, because it's standard and we ran clean. It shows all the obstacles, including teeter, tire, A-frame and dogwalk. Our other two Jumpers runs are clean, but just shows jumps and weaves.” <a href="http://www.youtube.com/agilepit#p/u/3/4-11vkmcsWQ">http://www.youtube.com/agilepit#p/u/3/4-11vkmcsWQ</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notice the teamwork these two have and listen for Lucy’s praise to Posey at the end of the run. It’s beautiful.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Lucy</strong>: Thank you, Reed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Posey</strong>: Woof!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reed S. Anact on special assignment</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-86780330163451692492011-01-13T16:05:00.000-08:002011-02-21T17:56:05.380-08:00Princess Pepper T. Lincecum<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVVPh_IyzEmAqKaNzRvun4W5Vm6JoUKi3M5Eahfz7YZtdyI-oo_Zl7ur9q-ehPsnIrrD_AbJFZcS6oQkoLZtBep-pNr6WSmdjdikuc7YnGhTDA_s9vYBIkxy_6hzmSE1AFrJ-PFRXc9U/s1600/pepperStuffedanimal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVVPh_IyzEmAqKaNzRvun4W5Vm6JoUKi3M5Eahfz7YZtdyI-oo_Zl7ur9q-ehPsnIrrD_AbJFZcS6oQkoLZtBep-pNr6WSmdjdikuc7YnGhTDA_s9vYBIkxy_6hzmSE1AFrJ-PFRXc9U/s200/pepperStuffedanimal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">She's 11 years old and looks it. Greying muzzle, warty, lumpy, wonky hips, but one doesn’t really see all that. One sees that happy tail, that beautiful face reaching up for touch, and the carefree body wiggle when she spots pretty much anyone.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She wasn’t that open when she came to live at my house. It’s been a new and wondrous adventure for all of us; myself, my two little guys - Munchie and Mutley, also from Give a Dog a Bone - and her especially. After having led an unbelievably barren life for most of her 11 years, moving into a home with furniture, music, television, other people, doggie beds and water bowls everywhere, and in particular, enough food, she’s well on her way to being a regular dog. All new to her.</span></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She eats regularly, something else new, and when she first began to recognize doggie meal preparation indicators, my heart stung at the sight of her drool on the floor. She was so very anxious. After around three months, she still gets a bit worried around meal time, but her progression from high level anxiety to almost mere nervousness is so gratifying.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kd5B8iJzzhQrdvsmAzbiWFpNe13iesp4v4S6T0xyboqCW3i9h-mHPXvuLw93Lz8yjWjQQCxPUlyWDvL64XyJLWG9y61-rJrKPBmeXWtU5EnQU76PICPUb8tdSo1XvO9jHhYy0PjCdHI/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kd5B8iJzzhQrdvsmAzbiWFpNe13iesp4v4S6T0xyboqCW3i9h-mHPXvuLw93Lz8yjWjQQCxPUlyWDvL64XyJLWG9y61-rJrKPBmeXWtU5EnQU76PICPUb8tdSo1XvO9jHhYy0PjCdHI/s200/IMG_0124.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She rearranges the dog beds frequently, and curls up in the smallest of beds. She hops in pleasure and heads for the front door when she spies her leash in my hand. She is able to settle now, unlike when she first moved in, unable to relax. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">She loves riding in the car.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsB9ND17OQCJeyQAy_ob1Z5KWDcEbhYQHXkBRQs9Z_lKLewEKx-LQYUYNWh4f-gqS8wSPd3UE5W4-I-ot30qU5XoHWSeHUVuA3MNtEaYTM0yEShxiBjJQoDfC9PEM1lKO_vn60ZewPR4/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsB9ND17OQCJeyQAy_ob1Z5KWDcEbhYQHXkBRQs9Z_lKLewEKx-LQYUYNWh4f-gqS8wSPd3UE5W4-I-ot30qU5XoHWSeHUVuA3MNtEaYTM0yEShxiBjJQoDfC9PEM1lKO_vn60ZewPR4/s200/IMG_0113.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She loves going on walks. Her favorite place to go turned out to be Bernal Hill, as soon as she discovered the joy of trolling for gophers. If staring into holes on the hill for long periods of time was an Olympic event, the Princess would win the gold medal hands down. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She’s slowed down some, my theory being that she finally feels safe, and I think that if she spoke English, she would now be able to define the word “home”. She IS safe, she is cherished, the boys are comfortable around her, and she with them. I do not allow her to make mistakes with them. We have had, of course, some “faux paws”, not at all unexpected, but our learning curve continually steadies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cPI5eUxFS27tex0YBNTnx_f-JLUEPr8h-NN1FY8A5tR3JoxL9U9t9T_caZDtiFkg_u9I4CKDbfCXdMPYm3gcHsMILFp-TRL1eTR0_Agb2iH9HdctIiTtyAz8FpJIZs45N0yO5dqdSQ8/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cPI5eUxFS27tex0YBNTnx_f-JLUEPr8h-NN1FY8A5tR3JoxL9U9t9T_caZDtiFkg_u9I4CKDbfCXdMPYm3gcHsMILFp-TRL1eTR0_Agb2iH9HdctIiTtyAz8FpJIZs45N0yO5dqdSQ8/s200/IMG_0243.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> When we go upstairs at night, she hums softly as I kneel and tuck her into her bed, covers up to her neck. Bedtime rituals have developed. Pepper sleeps on two soft beds, with a lovely heavy quilt covering her. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> I feel almost compelled to photograph her. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I have to document that she has a life, that she is a good </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">weight now. Not just for me, but for her shelter family, who have greatly loved and cared for her. Each of us remembers being stricken by our first sight of her, every rib visible, her bony skull, her graying muzzle. </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">We’re well aware that Pepper’s life, her life now, is to be recognized and cheered. I don’t need to say why that is so. Soon she’ll just be a regular dog. I can’t think of anything better.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> For more on Pepper and from whence she hailed: </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> read incorrigible animal lover Eileen Mitchell's column in the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate at <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2010/12/29/DDAV1GUCSQ.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2010/12/29/DDAV1GUCSQ.DTL</a></span></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #274e13;"> "</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"><em>Give a Dog a Bone cares for animals in custody" </em></span></div><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> (Please note Pepper’s unique necklace.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> I</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;">t’s made of <em><span style="color: red;">2010 World Series tix</span></em>. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> The Princess is a diehard </span><span id="goog_1670743184"></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><a href="http://sanfranciscogiants.org/"><span style="color: #b45f06;">SF Giants</span><span id="goog_1670743185"></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="color: black;">fan</span>. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> She looooves Orange Fridays in particular) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> - <em><strong>AND - </strong></em> from the January 2011 issue of the Bay Woof: </span><br />
<a href="http://baywoof.com/1101.HappyTails.shtml"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://baywoof.com/1101.HappyTails.shtml</span></a>.<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"> (scroll down Happy Tails for Princess Pepper T. Lincecum ) </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-14141614615714298962010-12-29T13:03:00.000-08:002010-12-29T14:15:00.866-08:00ONE VOLUNTEER AT GADAB<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PARTNERS IN TIME, a column published every so often by </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">DogTails columnist Reed S. Anact</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(Column XVIX, all rights reserved, comments welcome) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once again, from behind the green door, this reporter shares the story of a real life hero.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Time to welcome to this column the incomparable Christine and her beloved Sormei. Confirmed vegans, they envision a world in which we all "act as a guardian towards our kindred beings". </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLd58pi9V7IxaUmQwyznd9AYI5jsTcpQi3g_WmtHz1hWp_Xqy3R0I-HLnYro0eAUdkYxJYYSqTO7_QZ1bBz9-1YkNF16SVfi-l_N4jZx3rXnjjcF7XdStQOCkKLgObVCF7B1TVg9nTUM/s1600/Christine+with+white+pittie+in+park+-+Cammie+11-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLd58pi9V7IxaUmQwyznd9AYI5jsTcpQi3g_WmtHz1hWp_Xqy3R0I-HLnYro0eAUdkYxJYYSqTO7_QZ1bBz9-1YkNF16SVfi-l_N4jZx3rXnjjcF7XdStQOCkKLgObVCF7B1TVg9nTUM/s200/Christine+with+white+pittie+in+park+-+Cammie+11-09.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Christine is an Usui Reiki Master and an avid animal rights advocate on many fronts, from local city government to national and international issues. Her focus on energetic healing of emotional and physical traumas may not be visible to all, but the dogs have a special hurrah for her. One has to listen carefully to discern the different quality of this unique salute. Christine has a new website featuring her reiki practice and also her reiki products, found at <a href="http://www.sassymonkeyreiki.com/">http://www.sassymonkeyreiki.com/</a>, a real plus for GADAB canine residents.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Christine also enjoys helping out dogs in foster with <a href="mailto:info@gratefuldogsrescue.org">Grateful Dogs Rescue</a>. She takes them on outings, socializing them to the real world, giving each dog time alone with her. Most of these 4 legged buddies hail from GADAB.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Christine, an avid animal advocate in every sense of the word, talks the talk, walks the walk, and every Sunday can be found in the shelter park with our dogs, or making up a fabulous Kong for one of our buddies, communicating with them in her unique manner, while Sormei awaits her eagerly at home after preparing one of Christine's favorite vegan drinks with her top secret ingredients. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdJTOSeH2Ezbo2ZyhHtmgVvyG4Ppu3IgspT27oeilHYtNSRX9fn92_VynYCP9KUhNnXrQzzHwTb1IrqRu18eAo8gVd30LljoZvbf-OAjVPSCIhOJVY26-SWiJ-XjWU9_oNjO4O7x9W0k/s1600/Christine+and+Sormei+10-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdJTOSeH2Ezbo2ZyhHtmgVvyG4Ppu3IgspT27oeilHYtNSRX9fn92_VynYCP9KUhNnXrQzzHwTb1IrqRu18eAo8gVd30LljoZvbf-OAjVPSCIhOJVY26-SWiJ-XjWU9_oNjO4O7x9W0k/s200/Christine+and+Sormei+10-08.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Premier mixologists world-wide have attempted to duplicate Sormei's recipe without success, but this drink belongs to Christine alone, reports Sormei. Sormei is the perfect listener, curling up in her Special Somebody's lap while Christine narrates her day and sips on Sormei's tasty treat. They both treasure this special time together. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Reed S. Anact, on special assignment</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-87419185961762797842010-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:002010-11-18T13:27:42.126-08:00join us, support us, we'll be "sittin' on the docks of the bay . ."<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"><em></em></span><br />
Four Paws Up !!! <br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> for Bella the Boxer's </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> <u>'Secrets of a Working Dog</u> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>What</em></u>: Book launch seminar for <u>Secrets of a Working Dog</u>: </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"><u>Unleash Your Potential and Achieve Success</u> by Bella the Boxer, with Ellen and Patrick Galvin </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6Xbj_wMJNadJ-xwi5WpnhDcmA3FfLJqiX6UiWMFuZpdM22zk_zERcKrDgANBKSXYdbCVL2InorsywxpID2EmPdG5x2masRybS7jECKjWzA-4ULerXxWPmsX1JpSlK0GxV4XND1PkTY0/s1600/IMG_1594+Bear+in+park+with+tongue+and+stuffie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6Xbj_wMJNadJ-xwi5WpnhDcmA3FfLJqiX6UiWMFuZpdM22zk_zERcKrDgANBKSXYdbCVL2InorsywxpID2EmPdG5x2masRybS7jECKjWzA-4ULerXxWPmsX1JpSlK0GxV4XND1PkTY0/s200/IMG_1594+Bear+in+park+with+tongue+and+stuffie.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i'll be there in spirit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">and</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">Fundraiser for </span></em></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">Give a Dog a Bone </span></em></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;">Bella, Ellen and Patrick are generously donating 50% from books sales</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong>this evening</strong> to Give a Dog a Bone </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>Where</em></u>: Club Room, OCSC SAILING, One Spinnaker Way, Berkeley, CA 94710</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>Date</em></u>: Monday, November 22, 2010 - coming right up!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>Time</em></u>: 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM (snacks and networking) and 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (program)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>Program Details</em></u>:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;">. . . . connect with your "inner dog" </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> The friendship between humans and dogs goes back thousands of years. In this fun and insightful evening, we’ll discuss how dogs are much more than great companions. They can teach you how to work smarter and be happier using techniques that come naturally to them. Presenters Ellen Galvin and Patrick Galvin live and work with Bella the Boxer, America’s self-proclaimed smartest work dog. They are also the co-authors with Bella of the recently-released book Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Achieve Success. Specifically, Ellen and Patrick will lead a conversation about how dogs can help you:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> · Make happiness happen</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> · Keep your eyes on the ball</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> · Shake off setbacks and pursue your dreams</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> · Show meaningful appreciation </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;"> · Incorporate play into your daily life</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><u>Oh, and also. . .</u></em> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;">Meet Bella the Boxer who comes to the San Francisco Bay Area about once a year. When she’s not begging for snacks, Bella will be selling “pawtographed” copies of her book for $19.95. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u><em>About the Presenters</em></u>:</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c343d;">Bella the Boxer is the director of goodwill (D.O.G.) at Galvin Communications, a word of mouth marketing firm in Portland, Oregon that has handled PR for OCSC Sailing for the past five years. Ellen Galvin is the company’s chief wordsmith. Patrick Galvin is a professional speaker who galvanizes audiences to achieve greater levels of success in work and life.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-76330249084430133472010-10-27T13:49:00.000-07:002010-10-31T12:02:20.079-07:00OPPOSABLE THUMBS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyGpJWWT0xmvRQrEwUhYyC3VPzR_gg3F3cp-9sdDsNZCAM5bKNVj6uj2mVvhISpyNthg3FpFi0-e7k2OvGkMzCHXCDUiW1Qb-RbkuLz_Ih41l_5vl2EC_9iABqMcEEJn_9pcIpV8N6QA/s1600/MONKEY~2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyGpJWWT0xmvRQrEwUhYyC3VPzR_gg3F3cp-9sdDsNZCAM5bKNVj6uj2mVvhISpyNthg3FpFi0-e7k2OvGkMzCHXCDUiW1Qb-RbkuLz_Ih41l_5vl2EC_9iABqMcEEJn_9pcIpV8N6QA/s200/MONKEY~2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Why, yes, I have gained a few lbs. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thank you for asking.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Skinny, skinny, skinny. Oh, skinny. That would be the first thing one noticed. The second would be her way of greeting pretty much anyone. An over-the-top, where’s-your-face-you-need-a kiss black whirl of a dog. What’s a collar? What’s a leash? WHERE’s the food? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And how do I get the food? That pretty much summed up Spirit’s primary interest, as any dog who’s been starved will tell you. Around a year old, she was the epitome of unchanneled energy with the attention span of a gnat. Was there really going to be a person who wanted to take all that on? Challenging, grabby, exasperating at times, the meaning of focus completely eluded her, and there was never a doubt in her mind that any possibility existed of her not getting whatever she wanted. There was something though, none of us can define it, but all of us can see it. Spirit had it. </span></span><br />
<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And the right person saw it.Then he did everything in the right order. James visited Spirit over and over again, he made sure that his life partner was on board with getting another dog, consulted with his male dog’s trainer, Kelley Filson<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> of</span></span> </span><a href="http://www.dogevolve.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DogEvolve</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, who then choreographed a meet and greet between Spirit and Bruno. Does everything have to run smoothly from the get-go, or can dog/dog relationships evolve, given time and care, lots of monitoring by their guardians, and a fabulous trainer? Who’s to say? </span></span><br />
<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7iQrakFXX8tuwRzS8EejqeCfYpPJVma-oOd_gZya9ILBNJHVBlGcE1NzxsYYOJfHAyUXqoJHCO5K7m4uzaqZ00eYyfbzFX2-FAE8TC3cyPg9Fmhrd17sWZa7g14M4EbYXJjfI1Ptbvk/s1600/Bruno+&+Spirit+1%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7iQrakFXX8tuwRzS8EejqeCfYpPJVma-oOd_gZya9ILBNJHVBlGcE1NzxsYYOJfHAyUXqoJHCO5K7m4uzaqZ00eYyfbzFX2-FAE8TC3cyPg9Fmhrd17sWZa7g14M4EbYXJjfI1Ptbvk/s200/Bruno+&+Spirit+1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">BFF 4ever</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ultimately, Bruno and Spirit. But not alone. Two very different dogs, with two loving guardians, who patiently and firmly, led both dogs into a relationship that worked for both of them. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Every day, there was a good long training walk with Alice of <a href="mailto:lockealice@yahoo.com">Go Ask Alice Dog Training</a>, and under Kelley’s innovative guidance, Spirit gradually learned Rules To Live By. She learned how to play with other dogs. And she learned some pretty cool tricks as well. Spirit can jump rope with the best of them. She may always be a scavenger, but I theorize that, biologically, her brain failed to learn how to properly communicate with her stomach in those early days of never having enough to eat, and having experienced enough starving dogs who come into the shelter, it seems to hold true. No science involved here, just observations. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">About those opposable thumbs? Well, I was Spirit’s designated dog sitter, and was warned by one of her guardians about her sleeping habits. Seemed that Spirit had picked one side of the bed to be her own, and once she settled in, she planted herself as if she had roots growing through the bed. No grouchiness, not touchy or bratty, she just simply morphed into a rock with roots. So I needed a plan, since Spirit’s side of the bed was the one with the bed lamp, and I like to read in bed. Here’s what I did, every time I dog-sat her. With my OT’s, I turned the doorknob to shut Spirit out of the bedroom, and got ready for bed, covers turned down, everything I needed in place, and then, again with my OT’s, I opened the door. Spirit, of course, was just on the other side of the door, ready. I raced her to the bed, leapt in just ahead of her, pulled the covers up over both of us, and she, forever the loser in this particular situation, settled for snuggling as close to me as she could get. Not a bad deal for many of us – pittie snuggles are as good as it gets.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXupCqXpPGOAjUwHHkjzZOZS00Ewi34jWT7sDbWJWFTQniXivQe3vkzTfx6Gf6HOZ0gfFpXFZtjqGBeX-Nu-BgNAH4aLoRep21oSE1Yg9EgBOJhi2HPLr7T_aSg38dCdIRYv-Zk__k0c/s200/remy1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wait,<em> I'm</em> getted adopted???</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXupCqXpPGOAjUwHHkjzZOZS00Ewi34jWT7sDbWJWFTQniXivQe3vkzTfx6Gf6HOZ0gfFpXFZtjqGBeX-Nu-BgNAH4aLoRep21oSE1Yg9EgBOJhi2HPLr7T_aSg38dCdIRYv-Zk__k0c/s1600/remy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">End of story? Not quite. Everybody moved to New York. But the family was not yet complete. When James and Rob were shown a photo of a young dog by a friend whose daughter was fostering the little guy from </span><a href="http://oaklandanimalservices.org/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oakland Animal Services</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">, and were told his story, they knew immediately where his forever home would be, as they had been discussing adopting another pit bull. They learned that about five months prior, “firefighters responding to a call of “shots fired” arrived on the scene fully expecting to find a human in need . . . "but were hard-pressed to find any victim at all. That is, until a careful search of the Oakland address led firefighter Ryan Minnagen to a <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">black-and-white pit bull puppy suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.” Little Remy had been shot five times, in his front leg, pelvis and back. </span></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After meeting Remy for the first time, Rob recognized another match. And after Remy’s surgeries, convalescence, and another plane flight by Rob, this time with Remy, for the first time, the dogs in the household outnumbered the humans. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqhVckoncL3pc2LyEkod18wgCFAL6bdyPFylxVvmtS2i-viQm6W1BXdh6ZMu4bvBhhBGZllbdUpFaMdPRsgOBNzdZucVkjXiArFVrEcOrbpMUSPY-VLjKN_3ddO5axS_44fw6CUt-0WU/s1600/Remy+and+Spirit+1%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqhVckoncL3pc2LyEkod18wgCFAL6bdyPFylxVvmtS2i-viQm6W1BXdh6ZMu4bvBhhBGZllbdUpFaMdPRsgOBNzdZucVkjXiArFVrEcOrbpMUSPY-VLjKN_3ddO5axS_44fw6CUt-0WU/s200/Remy+and+Spirit+1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Sweet dreams, babies. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All happy, all healthy. Once more, it’s about the love, baby, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">but don’t forget about the how, the time, and the R+ training. Whether you get a trainer or go to classes with your new dog, you're off to a good start. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Take a look at these two. Life’s good, right? </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-92172487720229752392010-05-07T05:20:00.000-07:002010-05-07T05:40:25.545-07:00N0T QUITE THE USUAL PUZZLEIn my last life, I created crossword puzzles. I was famous. So famous that I had to retreat to northern Nova Scotia to escape the endless hordes of enthusiasts who pursued me relentlessly. “How, how, how, did you create this?”, they would ask me breathlessly while they jabbed repeatedly at a particularly clever and complicated witticism, stabbing their paper so hard with their precious pen that one could no longer decipher the place at which they were poking. Paper, after all, is not meant for jabbing. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
After I found my retreat, I was alone at last. I could not create fast enough, since those who had hounded me relentlessly could no longer find me. I had found the solitude that I craved, and my mind exploded with crossword puzzles that made their way to my public so circuitously that my whereabouts remained a puzzle in itself. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Now, I find myself in a different body, and I am no longer the creator, but rather, the one who deciphers different puzzles with which I am presented. I am utterly fascinated by this, and I find myself understanding those who pursued me in my former life. I love figuring out puzzles! How ironic that I now find myself at the opposite end of the spectrum – from the creator to the aficionado.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiburYG8sFvJoaASJaV65xS0E2JbVDDax0VZb8n_BdJFdrWrg4Yt8_ndtNwuhXL3CBA1CdSpLkPctOX8Syz1zHJozpWvtG_fHtb3x2WJFBhJ9BHaKoAJz9Rek5Qn4sj4hJPJK0QeUEQSNc/s1600/dog+with+milk+box+food+puzzle+SS+11-07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiburYG8sFvJoaASJaV65xS0E2JbVDDax0VZb8n_BdJFdrWrg4Yt8_ndtNwuhXL3CBA1CdSpLkPctOX8Syz1zHJozpWvtG_fHtb3x2WJFBhJ9BHaKoAJz9Rek5Qn4sj4hJPJK0QeUEQSNc/s320/dog+with+milk+box+food+puzzle+SS+11-07.JPG" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This particular puzzle is a milk crate, </div>but I have been successful with plain <br />
cardboard boxes of all sizes, I have found treasures in traffic cones, and pawed through small piles of rocks to get to my reward.<br />
<br />
My nose is incredible, a gift, I might say,<br />
that leads and stimulates me to figure out just how to get my reward. When I figure out how to get to my treasure (S!), I get praised profusely, and I get to eat my reward, or play with it. Under my puzzles are what my puzzle makers call my “motivators” – that is, what motivates me to try to get what is underneath that puzzle. For me, its’ treats, but I also LOVE squeaky balls, and stuffed toys rank right up there in my top five as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZsPUbjBQWIQEak7Zc1szF9G80XBaGX7B5XQFDqzbCUVYk3U6NDmAINEhmkliMUuLVPEKnnnEvdJS4ZzBW5eIpspgWcGCeOwujgq8uo_lnoms4IrBdAHEBLfKvz93WfzDNayL4ZCsa1w/s1600/dog+conquering+cardboard+box+11-07+SS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZsPUbjBQWIQEak7Zc1szF9G80XBaGX7B5XQFDqzbCUVYk3U6NDmAINEhmkliMUuLVPEKnnnEvdJS4ZzBW5eIpspgWcGCeOwujgq8uo_lnoms4IrBdAHEBLfKvz93WfzDNayL4ZCsa1w/s320/dog+conquering+cardboard+box+11-07+SS.JPG" tt="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here’s my friend<br />
Pokey<br />
walking <br />
<em>through </em><br />
a box<br />
puzzle. <br />
He looks like he's <br />
walking <br />
on water, <br />
doesn't he? He's a happy feller.<br />
<br />
So, if I may present some advice to all of you shelter volunteers, please see for yourself how our brains work. Do we get to our treasures with our paws, or do we use our mouths, or do we push the puzzles around with our noses until the box upends itself? You see, we are still learning how things work and anything that stimulates our mind, well, it might be as exhausting for us as calculus might be for you. Challenge our brains!<br />
<br />
Our puzzle makers make sure we’ve got the zoomies out of us, that we’ve done our business, and we’ve checked all the doggie mail. Then out comes the box, and we watch carefully to see what is going under it. Oh, yeah. Then the puzzle makers clap and say, “Get It!” and we hop to it. Well, some if us; not all of us enjoy it, but plenty do!<br />
<br />
woo-hoo! You puzzle makers rock! And the affection you give us – oh, mama . . . .Corinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143697819604215869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-83615931769541712832010-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:002010-05-07T05:37:25.554-07:00BELOVED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ib-L_TlM0V60U3N5IAoMYIlVpXl0e9lw303tsJ2XsbMwXBtcLOitxAgY6dfCoQ5XsZ8C6EofARQGGObLG1waqwpDQkpZjhKgwJ6UoPTjPRcOowYH4tpnyFna7yXtpDmRg2eWYBPbebA/s1600/20080828_gadab_final_0305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ib-L_TlM0V60U3N5IAoMYIlVpXl0e9lw303tsJ2XsbMwXBtcLOitxAgY6dfCoQ5XsZ8C6EofARQGGObLG1waqwpDQkpZjhKgwJ6UoPTjPRcOowYH4tpnyFna7yXtpDmRg2eWYBPbebA/s320/20080828_gadab_final_0305.jpg" tt="true" width="214" /></a></div><br />
And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? <br />
I did. <br />
And what did you want?<br />
To call myself beloved, <br />
to feel myself<br />
beloved on this earth. <br />
<br />
- Raymond Carver, “Late Fragment”<br />
<br />
Why does this quote strike me as apropos for<br />
<em>Give a Dog a Bone?</em><br />
<br />
Perhaps it has to do with the love that we receive from our dogs. I am beloved by my dogs. I<em> feel</em> so beloved. What we have together has nothing to do with pulling them from the shelter and bringing them into my, now our, home.<br />
<br />
People we meet ask sometimes if they are rescues; clearly they are not identifiable as a particular breed, but the word “rescue” brings with it a connotation that implies that I rescued them. More accurately, I feel, is that we found each other. The odds were pretty good since I used to spend most of my time in a shelter. <br />
<br />
They are both formerly GADAB dogs. And perhaps why this quote resonated so strongly with me is that the dogs with whom we work are beloved as well. Do dogs know that they are supposed to feel beloved? <br />
<br />
They are.<br />
<br />
As are we.Corinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143697819604215869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-2976656323500466172010-04-07T01:08:00.000-07:002010-05-07T06:13:01.856-07:00Oh, Errant Blogger<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsUl7QR-lomaBKRPiVJfGqglgLO52zuHxqd7VyqaaYKiRfFgSY4utePfZje1R5uINba46HwvYr7fG4ve6-ntumzExqzLREP8R1tpaqfIiqSUZx6TywQm7DfQKRX2DNLpowQnil7S2Q5o/s1600/IMG_1407+pittie+pups+resting+in+kennel+bed+-+Lola%27s+pups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsUl7QR-lomaBKRPiVJfGqglgLO52zuHxqd7VyqaaYKiRfFgSY4utePfZje1R5uINba46HwvYr7fG4ve6-ntumzExqzLREP8R1tpaqfIiqSUZx6TywQm7DfQKRX2DNLpowQnil7S2Q5o/s200/IMG_1407+pittie+pups+resting+in+kennel+bed+-+Lola%27s+pups.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">My goodness, not the same spending most of my days at the shelter. The tears still come, especially when I think of Pepper, and days go by as I wonder who is taking out whom to the shelter park. The pictures of the kennels and the runs are in my head, not all the time, mind you, but I don’t even know the dogs who occupy those kennels. I’m not in the thick of things. But yes, I truly need this away time. Those pesky tears just out themselves without warning. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4uU8En2Oq1kgGWAp0DgBlzfcuDGtHJaFHrMtMCVdDCZv6K6NJy4S60ZR945XXiA4GbdTHjOIJRZ5Lm8TkOyNZqXXQe1x7Aw3ZMMyon51rhpGk3FNCzrDt3QRL-Kr1VikOtoocg1d9ro/s1600/meAndBabygirl%5B1%5D+Christine+Barnett+and+Baby+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4uU8En2Oq1kgGWAp0DgBlzfcuDGtHJaFHrMtMCVdDCZv6K6NJy4S60ZR945XXiA4GbdTHjOIJRZ5Lm8TkOyNZqXXQe1x7Aw3ZMMyon51rhpGk3FNCzrDt3QRL-Kr1VikOtoocg1d9ro/s320/meAndBabygirl%5B1%5D+Christine+Barnett+and+Baby+Girl.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know that they are being well cared for. The volunteers, bless them one and all, keep in touch and send photos, and our GADAB shelter ops director, bless her, keeps things running as smoothly as possible. I miss my co-workers, I miss a lot. The little joys. The big joys. The camaraderie. I miss talking and laughing and commiserating with those who understand how life in a shelter is. No one else knows the bittersweet of the day-to-day complexities, and it’s not just taking out dogs, or spending time with those who can never leave their cage, or filling kongs. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gZsuH8l0vxzAsADDNHjHedY1aNmbZORtASyWMPNhnRXnYMLMDqYVZcjU7iUwJXln-ju2aQzbsBZX53oypVlHuYJKDLunWmESwteq9cHeHJRpVYufvxjai8WDp5X3yV914WgB6VNUuMA/s1600/GADAB1.19.09_001%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gZsuH8l0vxzAsADDNHjHedY1aNmbZORtASyWMPNhnRXnYMLMDqYVZcjU7iUwJXln-ju2aQzbsBZX53oypVlHuYJKDLunWmESwteq9cHeHJRpVYufvxjai8WDp5X3yV914WgB6VNUuMA/s200/GADAB1.19.09_001%5B1%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIj-K-Jra6SWzNZe0WcoA-9ZLRJ4ah1E4-_vIKUtsAr6yNo5RwJgWuLjFxFxya_URS7sf6o230g8Vcg66RugZlMAvY03CqCo_uZCXcaKmKMqYenIXBEAAUeiUiqYXlqipzduCJgGldLw/s1600/dogGADAB0007_SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIj-K-Jra6SWzNZe0WcoA-9ZLRJ4ah1E4-_vIKUtsAr6yNo5RwJgWuLjFxFxya_URS7sf6o230g8Vcg66RugZlMAvY03CqCo_uZCXcaKmKMqYenIXBEAAUeiUiqYXlqipzduCJgGldLw/s200/dogGADAB0007_SW.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> It’s endlessly looking for kongs to fill, or the sudden need for a clean blanket so the puppies won’t step in their own poop, the rush to prepare a kennel for an incoming dog, up and down the concrete stairs countless times a day to get something special that you just thought of that would be perfect for a sweet old dog, or to find a sheet to cover one-half of the front of a kennel so a fearful dog can have some visual protection from any passer-by. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ26flM0TjYWtRQp6FhsvSXTacSYZNrlCcOPHNC88YEgVTElzPfHklG1_sDIcZ__3wfuPnNsADfVmJfGfV1DRJ6BNBSWlPknCBXoH_7LL6dRq4D8M9etuygqaKZsp7N8eI-UcD5fEbiXc/s1600/IMG_1838+-+little+chi+in+kennel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ26flM0TjYWtRQp6FhsvSXTacSYZNrlCcOPHNC88YEgVTElzPfHklG1_sDIcZ__3wfuPnNsADfVmJfGfV1DRJ6BNBSWlPknCBXoH_7LL6dRq4D8M9etuygqaKZsp7N8eI-UcD5fEbiXc/s320/IMG_1838+-+little+chi+in+kennel.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">What is it? Why do we do it? Where does the compassion come from? Some say that compassion comes from our own hurt. Part of that is true for many of us, and having found a way to address that which cannot be expressed, except in this particular way, in this particular place, is what it is.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So vital that we find joy in what we do. And we do. Plenty of sorrow and anger, no doubt about that, but to keep sight of any light at the end of the tunnel is a must. To think that there will be more resources, there will be more volunteers, there will be more kongs, and more people to stuff them might sound a bit bright and cheery and unrealistic, but if you don’t put it out there, then what? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Ideas for enrichment, simple things, no-brainers - keep on coming, but how to implement them? Keep your eyes on those prizes. We are. Sustainability and strategic planning have become part of my vocabulary. We’ve got some good people, but it’s gonna take some time.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6Xbj_wMJNadJ-xwi5WpnhDcmA3FfLJqiX6UiWMFuZpdM22zk_zERcKrDgANBKSXYdbCVL2InorsywxpID2EmPdG5x2masRybS7jECKjWzA-4ULerXxWPmsX1JpSlK0GxV4XND1PkTY0/s1600/IMG_1594+Bear+in+park+with+tongue+and+stuffie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6Xbj_wMJNadJ-xwi5WpnhDcmA3FfLJqiX6UiWMFuZpdM22zk_zERcKrDgANBKSXYdbCVL2InorsywxpID2EmPdG5x2masRybS7jECKjWzA-4ULerXxWPmsX1JpSlK0GxV4XND1PkTY0/s320/IMG_1594+Bear+in+park+with+tongue+and+stuffie.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We will have the time that we need to care for the endless animals coming into the shelter. We will encounter many loving animal guardians, and moving along towards an end goal, there will be education. It’s only education that will stop the cycle. And you. You and I know that it comes down to all of us.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOGl4i-ExlbOHDQjrXU8xN_2IJJuUh349mgvtfI286kpDUQ4VZHMHj8oc9pGpS7gyAlw0NHz4RcPadugy8NQiwDcM0X-B9Pq3C6JAD793R1akXjuzS6ZNk3dKr8-GvF288l7woFAUfZk/s1600/IMG_1343+Chigga+laying+in+the+park+with+her+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOGl4i-ExlbOHDQjrXU8xN_2IJJuUh349mgvtfI286kpDUQ4VZHMHj8oc9pGpS7gyAlw0NHz4RcPadugy8NQiwDcM0X-B9Pq3C6JAD793R1akXjuzS6ZNk3dKr8-GvF288l7woFAUfZk/s200/IMG_1343+Chigga+laying+in+the+park+with+her+baby.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">None of this will be a dream if you practice compassion. Times are tough for all, and this is not a plea, but an optimistic wake-up call. We still need your help. Give a little, or if you have a lot, give more. For those of you who already wear that hat, hats off to all of you.</span> </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-48017802155303438422010-02-18T21:11:00.000-08:002010-02-18T21:15:20.641-08:00the longest memory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH2opItkGGbTGP2PpZlesCbRWfbXbtVt13Yiy9oxJeE77IRQTeE-lmlOplXqIxxYgKgPqxNB-XlHwD_p0HD5RNsw81zm7gkhX7SiaWpt3R5ZviyX1INH2KDYl6d63SY2KWFTQuBq3OXA/s1600-h/dogGADAB0251_SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH2opItkGGbTGP2PpZlesCbRWfbXbtVt13Yiy9oxJeE77IRQTeE-lmlOplXqIxxYgKgPqxNB-XlHwD_p0HD5RNsw81zm7gkhX7SiaWpt3R5ZviyX1INH2KDYl6d63SY2KWFTQuBq3OXA/s320/dogGADAB0251_SW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>i reach my hand <br />
gently and slowly towards you<br />
<br />
and even after five lovely years together, <br />
<br />
at times i still see an almost imperceptible head flinch<br />
as you shrink ever so slightly away from my hand. <br />
<br />
I imagine once again what your first year of life was like.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-64159979710210416552010-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:002010-01-21T13:25:05.678-08:00MANNERS ???? . . . . puh-leese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2f4ToasdJPOFjhZiViAGxBxRQB6W7Xu5d_-k6lAOxPJmYypRqa66P8XseMcCCGwDS1b5oPIiv3tNfdfx2F0oAv4FTqx-26MWlre7RFiSO7vda86CGBXLWTHmlb8868-GW14M6ZHsI20/s1600-h/IMG_2458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2f4ToasdJPOFjhZiViAGxBxRQB6W7Xu5d_-k6lAOxPJmYypRqa66P8XseMcCCGwDS1b5oPIiv3tNfdfx2F0oAv4FTqx-26MWlre7RFiSO7vda86CGBXLWTHmlb8868-GW14M6ZHsI20/s320/IMG_2458.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what to do, for example, with that intact 9 month old who has zero impulse control, has no idea how to harness his energy, which is off the charts, and whom adopters pass by time and time again? We all know that the guy has lots to offer, but even volunteer dog walkers take a strengthening breath as they approach his kennel to get him out.</span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bottom line is that manners, an essential component of environmental enrichment, impacts adoptability. And how many adopters can then go home with their new dog, and proudly say, “we got him from the shelter, and look what he can do!” Or doesn’t do, such as jumping up on everyone that he comes across. Better adoptions, more adoptions, less returns, good pr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1_gEKdih3fiVIyjlXIJOXWRW1VtwDUQbpJfe3IFRcvo1fZ3PpEbXjHs6YrKh7wR7q8mhFaKZxn_qKgltvyv4UyX7qVuhJFxwmrbCUFa29aBKjr3goqydSb88-mBkWX3CgOFgZ0Ezne4/s1600-h/GADAB_7_17_07_0032_SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1_gEKdih3fiVIyjlXIJOXWRW1VtwDUQbpJfe3IFRcvo1fZ3PpEbXjHs6YrKh7wR7q8mhFaKZxn_qKgltvyv4UyX7qVuhJFxwmrbCUFa29aBKjr3goqydSb88-mBkWX3CgOFgZ0Ezne4/s320/GADAB_7_17_07_0032_SW.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you’re walking down the run, headed towards Sparkplug’s kennel, and he is barking and leaping about excitedly. You have your equipment with you, a fitted collar, a fitted front clip harness, and your leash. You stop in front of Sparkplug’s kennel, equipment organized in your hand, and wait for that millisecond when he settles. When he does, move your hand quickly towards the lock on the kennel. The millisecond is over as soon as he sees your hand move. You stop. Wait for another millisecond. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You both have the same end goal, you’re both totally focused on each other, but since he’s never been taught any impulse control, it’s going to take some time for him to learn the criteria that you have set for each dog to leave their kennel and get out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically what we require for dogs to leave their kennels is to settle. That means that the dog waits for you to enter his kennel, put on his equipment, and waits for you to leave the kennel first. The likelihood of the process being picture perfect is highly unlikely! We don’t ask him to sit, or to be perfectly motionless, he can lick you in anticipation, he can wiggle some, but there’s no jumping up, no bouncing around the kennel, no shoving past you to get through the door, no frantic barking. Not acceptable behavior, but that is precisely what you’re working on. Your job is to have the equipment ready to put on, using a soothing/low cheerful voice to help settle Sparkplug, and treats aren’t a bad deal either, if you need them. If you sense that Sparkplug is approaching threshold, you have the option to stop and/or leave his kennel until he settles himself. Give him a couple/few moments, then try again. He will learn what behaviors will get him out of his kennel, although learning them all at one time would be like winning the lottery. (You should always have your body next to the door of the kennel; the dog should never be blocking your exit from the kennel.) Sparkplug will get it, maybe in small increments, for which he should be praised softly, but he will get it, and his reward is leaving the kennel. Each dog is different, and after learning the basics, you will able to adapt your methods to each individual as you better learn to read your dogs’ body language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, you’re both out and you’ve shortened the leash so you have more control over him -- success! Now, as you walk down the run, your body is by the wall, not by the other kennels as you leave the run. Why? If anyone is planning a fence fight as you leave with Sparkplug, your body is not in the line of action if Sparkplug reacts to another dog’s arousal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our terminal goal is to get to our shelter park. We’ve gotten over the first hurdle, now we have a couple more impulse control exercises as we manouver our way there. We require a wait at each threshold prior to the dog getting through the door. We also go first. This does not stem from any misplaced sense of “dominance theory”; it has to do with safety. We want to know what or who is on the other side of the door before we let Sparkplug through. And the other factor involved in Sparkplug getting through that door is a nice settle – no jumping, no pawing, doesn’t have to sit, just has to show a modicum of impulse control. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILyIUNuERefHLC-ccvtWjjTYlQQWRDRXKDM06hKxu2lGUhoW71SSIzbwxDyINOjqonnLZ3ylycn9UHG4AOxXetTDTbQzYctHCq_nb3TzDp7DKSFf6Gth2q6WdgodYJTdQRQqTP_chRXQ/s1600-h/dogGADAB0087_SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILyIUNuERefHLC-ccvtWjjTYlQQWRDRXKDM06hKxu2lGUhoW71SSIzbwxDyINOjqonnLZ3ylycn9UHG4AOxXetTDTbQzYctHCq_nb3TzDp7DKSFf6Gth2q6WdgodYJTdQRQqTP_chRXQ/s320/dogGADAB0087_SW.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I’ve found that asking for a “watch” is quite effective for that settle and quite often, the dog offers a sit along with the watch. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They also do get better at waiting. Consistency is key – if you break and let Sparkplug through without maintaining your criteria, well, the next few times will be much more challenging for you. Dogs do, after all, teach us patience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZLTr_OtD1uLnaF3khOHDz-BKuAhQiW2OMfeMHXC4rYuYQh7C_CZZ9PGNmMlYr0Ak_J0MjNnmzscyq6hpEkyZDWoiBU-Z1GltCAox_XdfwdfJC2BT3Ky3aZb3I6d0EksqFyOANZdd1dw/s1600-h/GADAB_sarah_leslie_112_FCP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZLTr_OtD1uLnaF3khOHDz-BKuAhQiW2OMfeMHXC4rYuYQh7C_CZZ9PGNmMlYr0Ak_J0MjNnmzscyq6hpEkyZDWoiBU-Z1GltCAox_XdfwdfJC2BT3Ky3aZb3I6d0EksqFyOANZdd1dw/s320/GADAB_sarah_leslie_112_FCP.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then, of course, pulling. The front clip harness helps a lot, but what we’d really like is for Sparkplug to LEARN not to pull. There are many methods for teaching dogs to walk on a loose leash. Again, it’s up to you and what works best for the dog. Red light, green light is one way, with verbal cues to help your dog along. And he’s so eager, and you want him to get there to have some fun, and you have a gazillion more dogs to get out, but in the long run, all of these impulse control exercises are going to benefit every dog that you ever work with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And with any luck, you’ll be the one who does the introduction to potential adopters or rescue organizations, and you can show them how you’ve worked with Sparkplug, as well as facilitate transferring his manners-in-progress to the people who are going to love him as much as you do.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDruM69GyWa-we0nQX7qAm04UGHVP3-VgDJQ3pRB3kIXoye3UWxfQTLRBoXm802kmFvCy6q2dJlp9VxTEn8_kgQ-9zK8_oyrgGK-1HL0PB9HIDXQA3_D6iqY-rL7Vg9ZzmcN2MkStFARA/s1600-h/Capone_running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDruM69GyWa-we0nQX7qAm04UGHVP3-VgDJQ3pRB3kIXoye3UWxfQTLRBoXm802kmFvCy6q2dJlp9VxTEn8_kgQ-9zK8_oyrgGK-1HL0PB9HIDXQA3_D6iqY-rL7Vg9ZzmcN2MkStFARA/s400/Capone_running.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-25969396557235715592009-12-17T11:18:00.000-08:002009-12-17T11:42:32.300-08:00Take a minute to help us out.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUnz3hFpqblFR5fmSWAWEld37KOCaFbhSEQUPUtYGUOVzB1kIlfyIgEgdj2LLmUFRc44MZ5oIp6rjwWFrLTfUz2nDPyibl36xn8E-rjcDp9BExyjW4h6SmE3tho0mkEqFVVLOH7ZMddY/s1600-h/Corinne+w-+puppy+in+kennel+3+SS+9-07.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416287161710753186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUnz3hFpqblFR5fmSWAWEld37KOCaFbhSEQUPUtYGUOVzB1kIlfyIgEgdj2LLmUFRc44MZ5oIp6rjwWFrLTfUz2nDPyibl36xn8E-rjcDp9BExyjW4h6SmE3tho0mkEqFVVLOH7ZMddY/s320/Corinne+w-+puppy+in+kennel+3+SS+9-07.JPG" /></a><br />donations matter . . .<br /><br />paypal has a pretty good job with our dogs(you can just click on the paypal banner on the home page of our website, and the dogs do take checks as well.<br /><br />send directly to to their current (not by choice) abode, Give a Dog a Bone, 1200 15th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103<br /><br />cheers, woofs, wags, and deck those halls, eh? And drive safely, for the love of Mike.Corinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143697819604215869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-36617261889433122832009-12-02T14:04:00.000-08:002009-12-04T09:36:02.213-08:00VOTE EARLY!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY6afIA0mN_3brWawe1Y4iDcgYjdelmJY7DyrACOyJDdXpV1GWZhj0oxHTpUJWxv4AJia0UwUaCtyuOu-6RhnLTvoelNwL4SwoCHwHfyPSCAmEaWCE5rRzL00o7jZ_VZD0GxT0jg7yb0/s1600-h/GADAB_sarah_leslie_106_FCP.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411425281472960146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY6afIA0mN_3brWawe1Y4iDcgYjdelmJY7DyrACOyJDdXpV1GWZhj0oxHTpUJWxv4AJia0UwUaCtyuOu-6RhnLTvoelNwL4SwoCHwHfyPSCAmEaWCE5rRzL00o7jZ_VZD0GxT0jg7yb0/s320/GADAB_sarah_leslie_106_FCP.jpg" border="0" /></a> ok, this is dorky and self-serving,<br />but I did it anyway.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><em><span style="font-size:130%;">Chase Community Giving is donating $5,000,000 to charities around the USA <strong>through Facebook.</strong> </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></em><br />Chase is donating $5 million to charities in your community, and your votes help decide where it goes.<br /><br />Facebook users are voting for the recipients! <em>And it's easy to do . . . .</em><br /><br />Log in to Facebook and do a search for my name (Corinne Dowling), you will see a Chase icon on my wall, click on that to go to their link, and vote for us and any other 501(c)3) that you would like to support.<br /><br />Muttville. Grateful Dogs Rescue. Wonder Dog Rescue. Gimme Shelter. Toni's Kitty Rescue. Home at Last. While I'm not sure that they are all on Facebook, when you go to the Chase icon, it is easy to search your charities of choice.<br /><br />And - check out my notes and photos with captions on Facebook.<br /><br /><a onclick="'ft(" href="http://www.facebook.com/nonprofits?ref=mf">Non-Profits on Facebook</a><br /><br />Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite non-profit in the Chase Community Giving: You decide What Matters campaign.<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#333333;">Cheers, woofs, and wags especially from the you-know-whos.</span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-20387126758758875452009-11-15T15:23:00.001-08:002009-11-26T09:33:13.468-08:00CIAO, BELLISSIMA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxDZMYTVW2ykBx6jgWLQSr5pJ0lhSwz4FA2XaXVlij39R2KFYbRtS0pNXOkouKf2aYGzv0ADvgVa0ujYGHPbYFgKvcQhPzKCYbBA4vxSTdegSL90a_TFy2Rp9kqNqcwum3gI8QMgTnfI/s1600/dogGADAB0715_SW.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404476831058098850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxDZMYTVW2ykBx6jgWLQSr5pJ0lhSwz4FA2XaXVlij39R2KFYbRtS0pNXOkouKf2aYGzv0ADvgVa0ujYGHPbYFgKvcQhPzKCYbBA4vxSTdegSL90a_TFy2Rp9kqNqcwum3gI8QMgTnfI/s320/dogGADAB0715_SW.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">I woke up this morning thinking about one of our dogs. She had two stays with us, the last one lasting for seven months. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">She was something else. A huge dog, nothing small about her at all. Intimidating. For weeks, she roared her displeasure every time one of us even opened the door to her run and walked past her kennel. When she stood, as she did every time during those weeks, she almost reached the top of the front fencing with her paws. She growled, she bared teeth, she lunged at us, and if one can take that as intent, well, our girl had already proven that she was serious. She was impounded on a bite complaint, and subsequent investigation showed that there had been more than one.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">She wasn't born that way, she was clearly damaged goods, and as with pretty much all dog aggression that we encounter (if not all), as she began to let us in, the threat displays dwindled, and the fear that all of that had masked appeared in heartbreaking ways. We learned some of her triggers, but never all of them, and her unpredictability ensured that there would always be a safety barrier between her and us. We never touched her. I don't know how long it would have taken her to be comfortable with touch.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">But we did get through to her. Greeting her cheerfully by name as we opened the door to her run to let her know who was coming was a good start towards forming our relationship with her. We would pass by at an easy pace, not looking at her, with gentling, quiet words, as we rounded her kennel. I had sheeted one end of her kennel for calming and although she dashed over to the other side as we passed, she became more curious about us. We were not invading her world, not being intrusive, not asking her to stop protecting herself. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We began taking a little longer on our pass-bys, tossing goodies on the floor, always stooping to do so, so she never saw a raised hand. We gradually stopped for longer and then even longer periods of time, meaning minutes. She determined how long it was safe for her to be with us - we always left as she began to show signs of reaching threshold, so she had some control over her environment. Her threat displays diminished over time, and got to the point where if we could see one coming on, we could just say in a normal voice, "oh, knock it off, silly", and we could almost hear her saying to herself, "oh, right, what am I thinking, no need for this", and she would stop.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Food helped a lot. On impound, all of her ribs were showing, and although she was very picky about what she ate, we discovered a high quality nutricious kibble that she loved, and she was fed frequently by each of us. There were rules of course - since our lassie showed food possession, we had to be careful how we fed her, and she learned to sit or down a distance away from the food bowl while we slid it into the bowl hole. And, yes, she filled out nicely.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">She learned boundaries, something I don't think she'd ever had before. That made her comfortable, gave structure to her life. She also learned how to play - such a young dog not to know how to play, and how it made us laugh to watch her playfulness emerge. Not much, and not for long, it made her nervous initially, but as her confidence grew, she was able to play with us for longer times. She also learned to relax. One of the most beautiful memories that I have of her is the vision of her laying calmly on her bed, just looking at me, soft as could be.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">She loved kongs, she loved music - a friend of GADAB had gifted us with a CD/radio and we played music for her all day - classical mostly, but she really enjoyed a wacky Norwegian CD that one of our volunteers had brought in. She also loved being sung to, and, this was amazing, some nights when I stayed late, I'd sit in front of her kennel and sing to her, songs that I love and can remember the words to, and here's what she would do. She would sit and look at me, then lay down, then put her head on her forepaw, and then, I would hear her snoring. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Oh, baby mama. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I danced for her too and she play-bowed back at me and bounced around awkwardly in response. She learned to give paw from one of our volunteers and learned how to stand up on her hind legs on cue.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">All of us loved her; many short or long visits from whoever was there filled her days. We made sure that she had the biggest quilts that we could find. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">You'd think she was the only dog that we had, but not so. It's been crazy busy this year with all the dogs for whom we've cared, so, so many, and how do you pick one victim to whom you want to give every star in the sky? I can't say. Any one of us could write volumes about our buddies, and the time we spend with them, but tell me, where would that time come from? </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">How does her story end? No judgements from any of us on that; it's her life that counted.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Truly, the memories will always be an honored part of each of us, the happy more than the sad for me. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I cried bitter tears when I learned that she was dead. I was almost inconsolable that I was not able to be with her during her final moments. There was nothing more I could for her. Nothing. I am left, however, with wonderful mental images that put a smile on my face when they come to mind. Thanks, baby. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Buona notte, Bellissima.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-52874009297354544712009-11-10T17:58:00.000-08:002009-11-11T04:33:12.976-08:00FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTHanticipation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBIrpcKmUE-Qiy_cXyuymGaqA2oXW6OkUVo2lbpHOjvyCzTbciRjpokfBXhcMv922Q49nbpHFvSKcumIIdRjQzEcUlMBAzP4qlzFZXIsWUf90oQGceBG3nw1EuJFIK0ga7drVhruXb9M/s1600-h/Stripe+aka+Slick+-+Melinda+6-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402575471102676338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBIrpcKmUE-Qiy_cXyuymGaqA2oXW6OkUVo2lbpHOjvyCzTbciRjpokfBXhcMv922Q49nbpHFvSKcumIIdRjQzEcUlMBAzP4qlzFZXIsWUf90oQGceBG3nw1EuJFIK0ga7drVhruXb9M/s320/Stripe+aka+Slick+-+Melinda+6-09.jpg" border="0" /></a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>joy.<br /><br />tummy rubs.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt0YmsiyUi5Dk83MY_CHYhXk8tiVEa51gQqkmJU7JASKV1VOz7kQN6cXuiNCVTmuOSqBuWdZUYiXMymqqxUsr7gmmJO2ukn9uLuerUHk5UF_B4f_JAxaI_yEfLqdl1HUanATApbCXpRM/s1600-h/Christine+with+white+pittie+in+park+-+Cammie+11-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402571359443503650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt0YmsiyUi5Dk83MY_CHYhXk8tiVEa51gQqkmJU7JASKV1VOz7kQN6cXuiNCVTmuOSqBuWdZUYiXMymqqxUsr7gmmJO2ukn9uLuerUHk5UF_B4f_JAxaI_yEfLqdl1HUanATApbCXpRM/s320/Christine+with+white+pittie+in+park+-+Cammie+11-09.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTL8czX05tO8-O5e73IyIlPMzAWaiFaI7w-mby0HzFF2V_VqCC2UK4qF_flUvuBBcC4VN-aiwzbphysaZZDZ05yWoFm_SnK2DiM1P-UPN7AvwBzRyqnh6wIZsPEIjWOkvyFNfBdBCak40/s1600-h/P1010043.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394222600663338226" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTL8czX05tO8-O5e73IyIlPMzAWaiFaI7w-mby0HzFF2V_VqCC2UK4qF_flUvuBBcC4VN-aiwzbphysaZZDZ05yWoFm_SnK2DiM1P-UPN7AvwBzRyqnh6wIZsPEIjWOkvyFNfBdBCak40/s320/P1010043.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Not too long ago, I was contacted by Elizabeth Brock, of Zootoo PetNews, which is a national online site devoted to the animal world in which we are fortunate enough to reside.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://zootoo.nypost.com/petnews/alonedetaineddogsfeelwomanslov-1413"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://zootoo.nypost.com/petnews/alonedetaineddogsfeelwomanslov-1413</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />This was a different kind of interview, done entirely by email, which gave me the opportunity to really reflect upon her questions, some of which I either hadn't thought about in a long time or hadn't thought about at all. I found myself in a place that I can't quite explain - jumbled feelings and memories that I had to sort out, as well as many clear, concise pictures of the past few years that came to mind, bringing up issues that appear over and over again. I really had to think about how to convey my world in a way that readers could feel the truth. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Truth.</span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"For me, dogs have always been a measure of our humanity, not only in how we regard and treat them, but perhaps, even more important, in how they help us to regard and treat our fellow humans. The miracle of dogs for me - and Orson was the living embodiment of this - is the way they brought me back to people. . . . Through him, I came to see that the work of dogs is not to lead us away from humanity but towards it." <em>A Good Dog </em>Jon Katz (<a href="http://www.bedlamfarm.com/">http://www.bedlamfarm.com/</a>)<br /><br />People and dogs. Quality of life. Compassion. Humanity. Shelter dogs. Volunteers.<br /><br />Our babies thrive on affection.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394202330686740258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtyNBOWrZS9q2cB0mgoFZw3EsqLSyFl-VRyPW1JE8VjDvykLY2c9u7spfiGna1WtdXHXtivpxJUvQbGrGz04WUjjWrC2sE8xquWq6tvDe-E-O6F0pUpDTpea-6jjlwDUC2JckIGuTSyk/s320/IMAGE_252%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /> Quiet time. Down time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Shelter dogs, not surprisingly,<br />lose the ability to relax</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">in such a species </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">inappropriate<br />environment.<br /><br />Just sitting with them is such a gift.<br /><br />One stick, two road cones, and a young dog braves the leap, enticed by a treat in a volunteer's hand that holds good things. Learning that hands are good is huge for a lot of our dogs. </p></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><p></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvQ59l1IY5gHATpusx_dcmRQmxCRSdH9ll5ZER1z_X6R1Igv_kNA2JDNqldamEZ5_VYy2hr1Pk4_XwQMS7dkGCftFIbKHqabD5LVppXN0DUmsnstzJj_0PncexYrsnkTUCmPmQgHA27w/s1600-h/GADAB_sarah_leslie_139_FCP.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394179635665946210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvQ59l1IY5gHATpusx_dcmRQmxCRSdH9ll5ZER1z_X6R1Igv_kNA2JDNqldamEZ5_VYy2hr1Pk4_XwQMS7dkGCftFIbKHqabD5LVppXN0DUmsnstzJj_0PncexYrsnkTUCmPmQgHA27w/s320/GADAB_sarah_leslie_139_FCP.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">One of our buddies follows the treat hand as the other hand controls how slowly this homemade see-saw<span style="color:#000000;"> lowers. Our hesitant buddy learns confidence as the volunteer handler responds only to the dog's movements. And then we throw a party as our pal </span><span style="color:#000000;">makes it on through to the other side. No hurry, pal, we're on your time. </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7puW2keLoOqVQN2WGR8-8S3lZx8Rlz71tl0Qk1MyCPI0ExnB1UsrIOdBEcQ_G4322J4dhUNHa5v8TUR9tM5TRR6I7wczfqK4I7nnk-kPZ9l2g6nfDZvpAOabT7ahHUzjadKsYVvDxPaY/s1600-h/dogGADAB0526_SW.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394176208084536514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7puW2keLoOqVQN2WGR8-8S3lZx8Rlz71tl0Qk1MyCPI0ExnB1UsrIOdBEcQ_G4322J4dhUNHa5v8TUR9tM5TRR6I7wczfqK4I7nnk-kPZ9l2g6nfDZvpAOabT7ahHUzjadKsYVvDxPaY/s320/dogGADAB0526_SW.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One case of neglected demodex. This little guy was bald on intake, and in this photo is in the midst of traditional (our shelter vet) and alternative (GADAB) treatments, and now enjoys a good life with a full, healthy coat in a good home.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394175380597836498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfveQzc8VszaSOJ5lrwhMBrMoAXWQM7nH29ns9gGvf9Q2EtEHW2xUL_hLs5WoBKXN7eS31wWeDyq1syif2Si-Yus3tuLO0N9p0dAi9YPir48R35p4ydEbMN686v3e7muk7XTspz0qljtI/s320/IMG_0131.JPG" border="0" /><br /></span><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Real life "weave" objects and an enthusiastic volunteer handler allow our four-legged friends to become comfortable with everyday objects, some of them upside down, some with treats on them, and a big jackpot at the end with a sit. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394174552861753394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGSEm6er1aTt-rYCKgX-GfJB06Lq5qy8CPk9NlYLl048gza7VVjgQSWcOpWtIBz0JLP0t_WV4criQ-hnYPpNiIUTD4L1_J11LYg0_dVa95FEkszH6yuFjwIoW7olSYtkavCgjgZ7Lgv8/s320/Leslie+%26+Blackie+doing+realworld+weaves.JPG" border="0" />A hose? That's what I'm talkin' about!<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56LVFQx6j5V6kxFe6vdT2d1mbFujeTy9enabITDCu2em4cCt1u5H43k8Aqq2syu-ZOBPgUeWzGuTOfeeHs7Xj49nnuaDq1GJY4loFaX0hsqWoG0uHl1pks8xOI9qxOTWKRVWNZZEwS7E/s1600-h/Picture+017.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394174192630556850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56LVFQx6j5V6kxFe6vdT2d1mbFujeTy9enabITDCu2em4cCt1u5H43k8Aqq2syu-ZOBPgUeWzGuTOfeeHs7Xj49nnuaDq1GJY4loFaX0hsqWoG0uHl1pks8xOI9qxOTWKRVWNZZEwS7E/s320/Picture+017.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfH63xbOPrAsq6S_0XbkvwTjf8kJC9AakrK11ric1dGGo_n-K_Xq0kcQZNRnMUpd-Iyr8IhM6F-DCppVULwJjs9MEYE2g9YgEQaS80b5sRI7LFbeCHQF16EL4-54HDUOd3y3eRR0DSK4/s1600-h/dogGADAB0167_SW.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394173789237331186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfH63xbOPrAsq6S_0XbkvwTjf8kJC9AakrK11ric1dGGo_n-K_Xq0kcQZNRnMUpd-Iyr8IhM6F-DCppVULwJjs9MEYE2g9YgEQaS80b5sRI7LFbeCHQF16EL4-54HDUOd3y3eRR0DSK4/s320/dogGADAB0167_SW.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> This little fellow, a victim of sickening abuse, perches himself on a homemade tunnel that he has learned to jauntily run through with the encouragement of this volunteer, and next (not seen), he will balance himself, hind legs on the tunnel and forelegs on the fire hydrant, for a jackpot. Hey, what else can we do with this tunnel and this fire hydrant? Rehomed happily. </span><br /><br />Dog with people. Quality of life for all of us. Make it so for all species.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-77240824885289353402009-10-08T13:06:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:42:35.429-07:00SOMETIMES TREATS JUST AREN'T ENOUGH<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bn-tw6-u1WBEpFlTZIup6C_fqQdwL0eJURjMy72Fy42e7oyrF1b5aOX68QdV2pq_DpxJAnvx4LrYl7mLKeJ8pc2o1AuqCedr-i4xsqDzgtufcJlTXvh-FKreM71wPHgVYraQM4lz3ko/s1600-h/dogGADAB0128_SW.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390340160347489346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bn-tw6-u1WBEpFlTZIup6C_fqQdwL0eJURjMy72Fy42e7oyrF1b5aOX68QdV2pq_DpxJAnvx4LrYl7mLKeJ8pc2o1AuqCedr-i4xsqDzgtufcJlTXvh-FKreM71wPHgVYraQM4lz3ko/s200/dogGADAB0128_SW.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339993451991410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4WstgMQXfa_CMdPVK2p9E68El5sYR7t2L54PK7OUtXr3USqQm2RI1h-LolJH7C07S7r9XaUgEJURT2OzqS_xIjDuwuQLzCPuWhK_v_fz96ofGmhlV5t3Kw53y3iCnSrgbF7rePo8hWE/s200/dogGADAB0134_SW.jpg" border="0" />Who would have thought that a dog would notice the small opening between the floor and the elevator? Most of our dogs have never given a thought to that opening but to this dog, not only did he notice the opening, he had severe misgivings about crossing over it. Just look at what his body language is telling us. <div><div><br /><div>He considered the treat lures that were offered, but to him, the value of those treats (which he had thoroughly enjoyed just moments ago out in our shelter park) were not enough to overcome his fear of making it over that threshold safely. </div><br /><div>So we covered the threat, a very simple solution to a very real problem for our buddy, and it worked for him. His body language in the second photo is telling us that it's not a done deal for him, but he succeeded. Bigtime. That's what this scenario was about - giving the dog control over his environment and giving him an opportunity for success. Kudoes to our brave buddy. </div><br /><div>No pushing the dog , no dragging the dog with the leash, no carrying the dog, no loud voice telling him it's ok when he knows perfectly well that it's not, all of which would have exacerbated his fear and done nothing to change it. We created the beginning of a positive emotional response to this particular fear. Each small success leads to a more confident dog. Not to mention the trust factor that we're establishing</div><br /><div>So, thanks, honeybunch, for giving us yet another tool to work with youse guys. (No, I'm not from the Bronx.)</div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-55441519323742711062009-09-18T12:29:00.000-07:002009-09-18T17:23:24.965-07:00BANJO DECIDES TO JOIN THE WORLD<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w5BePiv_uSxqh0n2YUa-1izKR4fr7sS7epYAGmQ0iVHCnTVUIBhj-nREEAmoYZmlkE0mQKJmRMN79fnDWfHetexMRKH63MldvtOkS79SqkQVqol5GpAvbyKwP7wdXttHEe1AwjuskrY/s1600-h/Banjo+8-09+-+Jonathan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382904256053048530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w5BePiv_uSxqh0n2YUa-1izKR4fr7sS7epYAGmQ0iVHCnTVUIBhj-nREEAmoYZmlkE0mQKJmRMN79fnDWfHetexMRKH63MldvtOkS79SqkQVqol5GpAvbyKwP7wdXttHEe1AwjuskrY/s320/Banjo+8-09+-+Jonathan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Meet Banjo. We believe that he hails from the ancient Isles of Rivatelah, the second dog from there whom we have been fortunate enough to have encountered here at <em>GADAB.</em> Although the people of Rivatelah are long gone, the breed has always been admired for their prowess in the art of lap snuggling and their outstanding ability to capture hearts.<br /><br />Unlike The Captain, our first Rivatelahan, it took Banjo some time to get used to us. We used the tried and true techniques that we use with all our, "I don't really want to bite you, so please stay away from me" signals that we get from our fearful buddies. But once he decided to come around, he exhibited traits that Rivatelahan Snuggle Terriers were known for, although he is clearly a mix. What really got to us was his outstanding underbite. If you are a sucker for a good underbite, like I am, this guy could win prizes all over the world just for that. He shines as well in many other important ways, perhaps the most delightful being his cheerful demeanor. He loves playing outdoors with us, truly a people loving dog.<br /><br />As we noted before with The Captain, not much is known today about the Isles of Rivatelah. They were thought to have been in the Irish Sea between Ireland and England. The scant artifacts that the Rivatelahans have left include many images and partial sculptures of dogs resembling the Snuggle Terrier in loving positions with human companions, indicating a profound intimacy between the two species.<br /><br />Banjo lives now in a foster home with <a href="http://infor@gratefuldogsrescue.org">Grateful Dogs Rescue</a>. His background and the wonderful times we had with him lead us to believe that his forever home isn't too far off in the future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-54309348195620166272009-09-02T11:28:00.000-07:002009-10-09T10:10:05.984-07:00SEEN ANY FLYING PIT BULL TERRIERS LATELY??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfc79E0_Pkg6S1wiK-3TEJeCh2XW5OL8RahnosqAWX3K8h-4ZX77XEaRAxLuCQfOp53ndqXeqi1PeQ4FZbRjylXfqmCMeWb1U6YErzuhQyw5AInX2iD_aaSozFZ7UvPBaJjEXNfiLELM/s1600-h/JonathanCrew2.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376943930347942738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfc79E0_Pkg6S1wiK-3TEJeCh2XW5OL8RahnosqAWX3K8h-4ZX77XEaRAxLuCQfOp53ndqXeqi1PeQ4FZbRjylXfqmCMeWb1U6YErzuhQyw5AInX2iD_aaSozFZ7UvPBaJjEXNfiLELM/s320/JonathanCrew2.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_TXLOoO7Zon1CosfhwuZW3qe0ZaNE7iBWH0oQ_uITHRkSsyDgi22_KWcKcbw9auO9b3yQQUEAQ6MZHHKhZwF3zvBS-ItM-IJeT88sAx-sZgZ-87blLRun619jZRlWvaZ57pW0QtYxIY/s1600-h/JonathanRuby1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376943790678149218" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 274px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_TXLOoO7Zon1CosfhwuZW3qe0ZaNE7iBWH0oQ_uITHRkSsyDgi22_KWcKcbw9auO9b3yQQUEAQ6MZHHKhZwF3zvBS-ItM-IJeT88sAx-sZgZ-87blLRun619jZRlWvaZ57pW0QtYxIY/s320/JonathanRuby1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzi_vufQ08VvHwj4_xRfgdJRbcJnZT_ZlVNbv37izdYixT2wgZbcjQZJaD9HEMM5V-APT9v1454CM4OOgbMQbq1RyWhyTLHg0fd29rvF8We0ViloYBxrVEN7gcQdQOn_2vZ9QBC_X5bk/s1600-h/JonathanAztec1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376943676950869410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzi_vufQ08VvHwj4_xRfgdJRbcJnZT_ZlVNbv37izdYixT2wgZbcjQZJaD9HEMM5V-APT9v1454CM4OOgbMQbq1RyWhyTLHg0fd29rvF8We0ViloYBxrVEN7gcQdQOn_2vZ9QBC_X5bk/s320/JonathanAztec1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Meet our newest volunteer, Jonathan, along with a couple of his dogs. He's now teaching our dogs, mostly pitties, the joys of frisbee.<br /><br /><div><div><div>The dogs come back in from a frisbee outing, panting happily, tails wagging, and exhibiting the famous pit bull grin. They've learned impulse control, gotten unbelievable exercise, and once back in their kennels, take a well-deserved looooong nap.<br /><br />Nothing like seeing a stretched out shelter dog snoring away in his bed, completely oblivious to his or her surroundings. Wonder what they are dreaming of? Since dogs live in the moment, what more can we ask for than a happy, well-exercised dog who is relaxed enough to conk out completely in a shelter environment?<br />One of these days, we'll be publishing a new super-star from <em>GADAB </em>because Jonathan will be looking for a foster from us.<br /><br />Right now, it's Aztec and Ruby who compete with Jonathan and give demos to delighted and astounded folks in the Bay Area. <br /><br />Sadie is retired after an illustrious career. </div><div></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong><br /><br />UPDATE ALERT</strong>!!!</span></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"></span></strong></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">Jonathan, Aztec, and Ruby will be showing their stuff just behind the Give a Dog a Bone booth at Pet Pride Day on Sunday, October 25. Pet Pride Day is the annual San Francisco Care & Control outdoor super event. For more info, go to <a href="http://www.petprideday.com/">http://www.petprideday.com/</a></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-74704703385269076582009-09-01T16:43:00.000-07:002009-09-03T22:08:12.895-07:00Pippin, World Class Dock DiverNone of you could have forgotten our Christmas story this past year . . . posted on our blog December 22, 2008, entitled "Our Christmas Story" . . . starring Pippin and a young man whom we will always salute as a hero.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y90QQmINXhM&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y90QQmINXhM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />AND HERE SHE IS, THE FEARLESS ADVENTURE LOVER, PIP-PIP !!!!! And MaxineeBean shakes her head indulgently at the antics of her young roommate as she heads back to the tent where multiple doggie comforts await. Angela puts her babies first, as do we all, don't we now?<br /><br />We will forever be grateful to the young man who rescued Pippin, and to Angela, a truly fabulous mom.<br /><br />Truly an ending we never could have foreseen. It's still all about the love, baby.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-34534751665621552492009-08-22T17:52:00.000-07:002009-08-23T10:49:56.321-07:00SHADOW DOZES OFF<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0dIrD2lrtk2v1m8G_yd0-agDcxXv1QuuC5ZBM5FvOwXh2xLPpEu4dI62WuLSpBGL8jkp-gWCM3y-E_zYu3p7jx51zhlelzV2UK5OaHuWMrX95lIenorP1aJgh6_4uaedzM3AN8ql_HA/s1600-h/shadowFrogPllow+-+Christine+8-09+final.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373210017150241058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0dIrD2lrtk2v1m8G_yd0-agDcxXv1QuuC5ZBM5FvOwXh2xLPpEu4dI62WuLSpBGL8jkp-gWCM3y-E_zYu3p7jx51zhlelzV2UK5OaHuWMrX95lIenorP1aJgh6_4uaedzM3AN8ql_HA/s320/shadowFrogPllow+-+Christine+8-09+final.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sweet dreams, darlin', darlin'.<br /><div></div><div></div><div><br />"Lay your head</div><div>Upon my pillow.</div><div>Hold your warm and tender body</div><div>Close to mine . . . "</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">For the Good Times</span></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">by Kris Kristofferson</span></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-11796744729863960052009-08-22T16:24:00.001-07:002009-08-22T17:47:36.143-07:00FROM SNAP TO SUGAR SNAP<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pf0lqIWOKAJU0ciCvU3W-XeHnYTTH1YewmgMv4hD8ylWmfZdcg-KEYOuN-zMIEFkyv_FX5HUdEoXkxWkEGUW4Sp7zUvCB2drUvIVFN8M7SeGcCdTbcxeL2B2TNDUiouQnruduSPjhmY/s1600-h/Sugar+Snap+-+Susan+8-09.jpg"><span></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372933909123758466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 186px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pf0lqIWOKAJU0ciCvU3W-XeHnYTTH1YewmgMv4hD8ylWmfZdcg-KEYOuN-zMIEFkyv_FX5HUdEoXkxWkEGUW4Sp7zUvCB2drUvIVFN8M7SeGcCdTbcxeL2B2TNDUiouQnruduSPjhmY/s200/Sugar+Snap+-+Susan+8-09.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M3CFuYypO-ux4qjfFCCqnjCTic6tNFkDupD-Cg4hr7G3e4xtaH9vKWZMiXD9QA-rcx1D5UM1FQpMhZcjy_NpZ3v02td22oDOzU66TIcBoX_DmOulteznkIY0jcOmgMCanT1tb2ToKng/s1600-h/Sugar+Snap+in+park+with+Susie+-+Susan+8-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372933481650543906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M3CFuYypO-ux4qjfFCCqnjCTic6tNFkDupD-Cg4hr7G3e4xtaH9vKWZMiXD9QA-rcx1D5UM1FQpMhZcjy_NpZ3v02td22oDOzU66TIcBoX_DmOulteznkIY0jcOmgMCanT1tb2ToKng/s200/Sugar+Snap+in+park+with+Susie+-+Susan+8-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Someone had named her "Snap".</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And snap she did, as close to the rear corner of her kennel as she could possibly be, from anyone who approached her in any way, lunging, baring teeth, growling. So utterly fearful of absolutely everyone - had her former people named her Snap because they thought it was funny to see such a tiny little dog acting so ferociously? Someone clearly had made this little girl act incredibly aggressively towards people - for one of those insane reasons we don't even want to guess at.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />But we had something different in mind for her. And lots of experience with good instincts based on former successes. I waited her out. I would pass by her kennel and say hello to her without looking at her a few times a day. I would open her kennel door, and again, without looking at her, place some tasty morsels on the floor, close the door quietly and leave. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /><br />Then I spent short increments of time laying down as far away from her as I could be and ignored her. I did not lift my limbs, I moved very slowly, and not towards her. Using a lot of the calming techniques of Turid Rugas, such as keeping my body relaxed, soft yawning, quiet lip smacking, and never looking directly at her. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /><br />I upped the ante slowly, letting her feel safe enough to initiate an approach. At first, of course, there would be slight movements towards me with lots of darting retreats. Gradually, very gradually, her approaches became closer and she began eating treats in front of me, then from my hand. I still did not make eye contact with her, keeping my head lowered and facing away from her. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />When I first touched her, I still did not face her directly, but let my hand drift towards her neck, speaking softly and cheerfully, saying her name a lot, and letting the tips of my fingers wiggle playfully just the tiniest bit. It worked. She was ready. My hand came towards her, always touching the blanket, and I never lifted it until I reached her neck and then I reached up to underneath her neck where she could see it. I stroked her gently and she stayed. Oh, baby.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />That was the beginning of our love affair. It went slowly for a while and then she made the leap. Suddenly I was the apple of her eye, the person who made her twirl with happiness and jump for joy, who made her heart sing. She trusted someone. She found out about love. And how!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />Then it was time for others to do the same thing. She needed to continue to grow and expand. She decided that was a good thing to do, although it took time with each new person, with each new place, and with each new dog whom she encountered. She met each challenge with suspicion and wariness and perhaps she always will.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />Someone changed her name to Sugar Snap. Perfect. A little ( :-) ), or a lot (!), of each, our baby has finally made it out of the kennel where she began her transition into the dog she will become.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><br />Sugar Snap is in a foster home with <a href="http://info@gratefuldogrescue.org/">Grateful Dog Rescue</a> and awaits her forever home.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5uvUwiuDajfhgPyxXc0yxJyBhvXQWax2ulVtpTChlgWgnz565uT-c3iRlK1mF9L8fpDBl1dTk99EJSLhWLc-A3yWxrIjq4WtlCIht09f7rzNF1IK6GpJ6steKDiRV11e6sP0MedYsSc/s1600-h/Sugar+Snap+-+Susan+8-09.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5uvUwiuDajfhgPyxXc0yxJyBhvXQWax2ulVtpTChlgWgnz565uT-c3iRlK1mF9L8fpDBl1dTk99EJSLhWLc-A3yWxrIjq4WtlCIht09f7rzNF1IK6GpJ6steKDiRV11e6sP0MedYsSc/s1600-h/Sugar+Snap+-+Susan+8-09.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5uvUwiuDajfhgPyxXc0yxJyBhvXQWax2ulVtpTChlgWgnz565uT-c3iRlK1mF9L8fpDBl1dTk99EJSLhWLc-A3yWxrIjq4WtlCIht09f7rzNF1IK6GpJ6steKDiRV11e6sP0MedYsSc/s1600-h/Sugar+Snap+-+Susan+8-09.jpg"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-33299053374708946342009-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:002009-10-07T17:35:09.601-07:00FARAH aka LADYBUG - update!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4RBo2XE-OJOfI_gHZmhW0OeTMa_ZO_b7Fk1V5zbw62MOebQJ0-9BCxH6yXoPNc_llnPbw4xyWqVKiM7hJHoYOn0VJvxil7Aika_RdKrHOscPv3cb81QghzRQIduU6EsruT1L6VGSjRI/s1600-h/Ladybug+coy++-+Joyce+8-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372920390239562050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4RBo2XE-OJOfI_gHZmhW0OeTMa_ZO_b7Fk1V5zbw62MOebQJ0-9BCxH6yXoPNc_llnPbw4xyWqVKiM7hJHoYOn0VJvxil7Aika_RdKrHOscPv3cb81QghzRQIduU6EsruT1L6VGSjRI/s200/Ladybug+coy++-+Joyce+8-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBfXOPNEo7k9SGWvm6Z50jnn8XW4vO8docW69vvYsjhqI1peis0yF7CusN_lPSZSdd_xFzsr0FEGfpI5NI1Gl2KXaeLwJqaHeLlMQCfet6ln1DeKNM2gLIk2MKE7h2lXolQv52TUdT9k/s1600-h/Ladybug"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372910033365175682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBfXOPNEo7k9SGWvm6Z50jnn8XW4vO8docW69vvYsjhqI1peis0yF7CusN_lPSZSdd_xFzsr0FEGfpI5NI1Gl2KXaeLwJqaHeLlMQCfet6ln1DeKNM2gLIk2MKE7h2lXolQv52TUdT9k/s200/Ladybug's+cute+head+-+Joyce+8-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Who could resist a face like this? </div><div></div><div><br />Well, it didn't take long for our little charmer to find a forever home, but it's turned out that there was a glitch in the works,as she reports from Lake Tahoe (where she spent the weekend with her foster family), "my new forever family has had a family emergency that is going to be a long term time commitment, so they had to put off getting a dog. Yup, me. Oh, dear, dear. So, I'm going to be with my lovely foster family until my new forever home finds me. My foster dad emailed this about me: I am housetrained, crate trained, I know sit, down, stay and come. We are working on loose-leash walking and I am improving on that quickly with his good leadership. I am (listen to this!!) incredibly good with adults and older children, and other dogs. I am active and affectionate and snuggly.<br /><br /><div>"I've been living on the streets of San Francisco (yes, I have heard of the tv show!) for most of my young life with different folks and I was never sure who my family was. How I landed in the isolation kennel at <a href="http://san%20francisco%20animal%20care%20&%20control/">SF/ACC</a> I'm not really sure, but there were some bald patches on my skin that made me itch like crazy, so I'm guessing that someone just dropped me off. One bath and a few Full Spa Treatments from the folks at <em>GADAB </em>changed that pretty quickly. Here's the kicker, though, I was adopted from ACC by <a href="http://home%20at%20last%20rescue/">Home at Last Rescue</a> through the magnificent efforts of a particularly spectacular woman who is an ace at finding foster and forever homes. Her name is Joyce. Remember that, all you people who are looking to hire a most excellent foster coordinator. This is her true calling and we need to keep her in this field!!! By gosh and by golly!!!"</div><br /><div>"Anyway, on one of the first days that Corinne had taken me out to the shelter park, she tossed a ball for me, and as I ran to catch it, I slipped onto my belly and then frog-legged to the ball. That cracked her up so much that she almost fell over too! Add that to my natural affection for people, that I play well with most dogs, and you can see why she called Joyce about me that same night.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>"I am a lucky, lucky dog. J and C (as I call them) make a fabu team. Hey, guys and gals, I'm here to tell you - Dreams will come true."</div><div> </div><div>10/06/09 </div><div> </div><div>And so it did. I have a nice size family: two (count 'em - 2!) dads, a doggie brother, and a kittie.</div><div>Thank you, thank you, thank you, Joyce of <a href="http://home%20at%20last%20rescue/">Home at Last Rescue</a> in Berkeley.</div><div></div><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-28842937452003924552009-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:002009-07-27T14:13:16.754-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6J27nUAwlbgCpRtxqQgp5vnbnWawa8rgxeYSzUqDB73oLJexQvGmWqn3tpQ6tyEnyEulhrnFx2SUzWFnMtBEHsjrwjhAqcDb1DyobBIGJRjhxhavIY_XmFLF6f7k3DlEwTzA7B5n_Hc/s1600-h/Bruno+laying+in+the+grass+with+his+ball.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363251011197886802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 188px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6J27nUAwlbgCpRtxqQgp5vnbnWawa8rgxeYSzUqDB73oLJexQvGmWqn3tpQ6tyEnyEulhrnFx2SUzWFnMtBEHsjrwjhAqcDb1DyobBIGJRjhxhavIY_XmFLF6f7k3DlEwTzA7B5n_Hc/s200/Bruno+laying+in+the+grass+with+his+ball.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>ANIMAL TORTURERS</strong><br /><br />Make my blood boil. Horrified beyond belief. Afraid yet compelled to read one more paragraph. I’m sorry, I like happy endings as much as the next person, they very much make my day, but how do I ignore the rest? Soapbox time. Graphic too, I’m afraid, and very off topic from GADAB’s Mission Statement, but may I? For the squeamish, skip through to the last four paragraphs if you just need to know how you can make a difference.<br /><br />The recent news stories, about the three state dog fighting ring, involving 30 men and 350 dogs, made news, I’m afraid, because of the sheer numbers involved. And that would just be the current number of dogs, not those maimed and killed over the years that these men were in business.<br /><br />Men and women who fight animals are profiteers in other ways - arms smugglers, drug smugglers, gamblers – big money. It’s a huge business as well as a sick pleasure. You say it doesn’t happen in Canada because it’s illegal? Here’s a wake-up call – dog fighting is illegal in every state in the Union. Multitudes of animals are fought all over the world. Perhaps Michael Vick could offer some insight into the vast networks of global animal fighters.<br /><br />Those of us who are familiar with dog fighting busts, canary fighting busts, cockfighting busts, also know about those animals who are bred to be tortured daily in testing laboratories all over the world. Include beagles as a breed especially victimized by animal laboratories, bunnies, monkeys and other primates bred as “test” animals by agencies that are both familiar and unfamiliar to you. The packaged meats that are displayed in your supermarket and butcher stores with nice fake grass sticking up between the different cuts – those farm animals live sickening, abysmal lives that the consumer does not see.<br /><br />How about that new mascara being touted as “24 hour perfect long-lash” worn by the beautiful model smiling at you from the full page ad in a national magazine? That mascara was tested on many, many cute animals that you would snuggle in your arms as quickly as you could swoop them up, but she wouldn’t have any eyes, since the chemicals used to test that mascara have burned those little eyes crisply and effectively, without anesthesia. Anesthesia is too costly. But those companies don’t tell you that other, equally effective ways have been developed to test those live-saving drugs that are pushed as the reason for animal cruelty. Cosmetics are barely mentioned.<br /><br />Those eggs that were $.79 a dozen last week at the supermarket chain people shop at were produced by chickens living in filthy cages so small that they could not move. They are filthy themselves, living in stacked cages, beaks removed so they cannot injure each other, living with dead chickens. Their life span, understandably and thankfully, is very short. Eggs come at a cost higher than $.79/dozen.<br /><br />Puppy mills have been in the news lately. Good. Those darling little white and fluffies in the pet shops are damaged goods - both physically and behaviorally through no fault of their own. Breeders are to be looked at carefully; and just try to meet the dams and sires of those little ones. The lives of the dams especially would make you gag.<br /><br />And Breed Specific Legislation? How safe does BSL make you feel? Wait til they target your favorite breed. Who will stand up for you?<br /><br />What to do? Really, where to start? As always, with education. Then, in this economy, how do most of us afford to put our money where our mouth is?<br /><br />As always, there is finding out who our legislators are and writing them, emailing them, calling them. There’s one-person boycotts, again contacting a corporation or company who practice animal cruelty and letting them know that your dollars are going to a socially conscious competitor. There’s going bigger - joining an organized group or donating a few or lots of your hard-earned dollars. In this networked world, it’s pretty effortless to do something easily and quickly.<br /><br />Go to <a href="http://caringconsumer.com/">caringconsumer.com</a>, do a search on Covance Research Products or Huntingdon Life Sciences. Your helping stop animal cruelty can just be a click away.<br /><br />As for dog fighters, harder to find, harder to stop. But we can make our laws stronger, the penalties more severe, and teach our kids that morality applies to all species.<br /><br />Speak up.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-67642127184803200752009-07-23T08:25:00.000-07:002009-07-23T08:44:16.378-07:00STOP THE MICHAEL VICKS OF THIS WORLD<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEctc4LXh_gr9ZLI2NJ969rjuJm1iKPkUpKdHbvY4f_Asx2X47Q3adwvk9PCA7Oo0RBsgvyImPnF8hp4c-l1TK_dx24JxuWbmiNNOk-yCfXWAWYTXUhF3GuTSW6wyCMkes0I3P-Ejqvms/s1600-h/Isis+and+Corinne+-+ss+-+8-08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361681836989820674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEctc4LXh_gr9ZLI2NJ969rjuJm1iKPkUpKdHbvY4f_Asx2X47Q3adwvk9PCA7Oo0RBsgvyImPnF8hp4c-l1TK_dx24JxuWbmiNNOk-yCfXWAWYTXUhF3GuTSW6wyCMkes0I3P-Ejqvms/s320/Isis+and+Corinne+-+ss+-+8-08.jpg" border="0" /></a>ENOUGH<br /><br />For <a href="http://nationalfootballleague/">NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell </a>to even consider meeting with Michael Vick, who was recently released from federal custody for dog fighting, speaks volumes about the NFL.<br /><br />As for Michael Vick, his efforts to resume his professional football career indicate that he has little understanding of how sickened we were, and are, by the "blood sport" which he practiced. And, how additionally sickening that he wants to return to his former "glory days". It's over, Michael Vick. There are no more glory days for you. We all know who you are.<br /><br />If such a meeting does occur, from the statements given by the Commissioner's office, I hold little hope that it would be to discuss <a href="http://michaelvick/">Michael Vick's </a>more appropriate future, which would be to spend the rest of his life speaking publicly, openly, and apologetically about the harm he has inflicted on the most maligned and victimized dog breed in our world today, the <a href="http://animalfarmfoundation/">American Pit Bull Terrier</a>. Easy victims are brutalized by the most cowardly of people.<br /><br />Courage, Michael Vick, means openly recognizing that you chose to victimize helpless living beings in unspeakably cruel ways. Courage means owning up the harm that you have done. Courage means saying no in the first place.<br /><br />But it also means that you, along with your influential friends and acquaintances, have a unique opportunity to educate the public and to actively promote the positive character of American Pit Bull Terriers, and even further, to discuss animal cruelty in an open, humane forum that addresses the possibility that one day, our species will stop hurting other species. Activism works. I hope you can meet some of the dogs that you terrorized and tell them that you are truly sorry and I hope you have heart enough to mean it. I hope you cry until you have no more tears. It will do you good to cry.<br /><br />And then I hope you put your money where it belongs - directly to the shelters all over this country who care for these animals. Do you have guts enough to volunteer in a shelter? You see, it's not the animals who judge you - it's us, we're the ones who will be looking at you and trying to understand and forgive while we mop up canine blood from the floor.<br /><br />Don't even think about giving your money to big animal organizations - that's the easy way out, to write a big check. Do some homework. Opportunities exist for you to make some reparation.<br /><br />Then you can look your kids in the eyes and tell them that their daddy finally learned how to do the right thing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300014060023642032.post-49377505874745937592009-06-18T18:26:00.000-07:002009-06-18T19:12:14.090-07:00JOIN US THIS SATURDAY - JUNE 20 over at SF/SPCA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gqEkY3zP9AgLp8QjcAptN29O0s_geIfukqx7Fx_n0kHBpbZ5C3XslEOSdeKDiGpY8ua3rTomPunCNErut-YHLppQ6Apc_HOQdURS-69CiB7745SLb_geC4FIftIWsSFhGzbpMTjBOtc/s1600-h/Judi+and+Booda+10-07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348848614913551186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gqEkY3zP9AgLp8QjcAptN29O0s_geIfukqx7Fx_n0kHBpbZ5C3XslEOSdeKDiGpY8ua3rTomPunCNErut-YHLppQ6Apc_HOQdURS-69CiB7745SLb_geC4FIftIWsSFhGzbpMTjBOtc/s200/Judi+and+Booda+10-07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Rescue Recycle Renew Adoption Fair</span><br /></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs7mj3neVbnwcIXZlMsI1hUECzR2IIU31OSdkCoHtzxSvzpOikhRyWwNrf5PdDeYOYWcP5lUMlE1V6oiG2_BQy22JITct_r-MoMkqlvEfChB_-B7qN3VKV-YoD5nJva0pS2autQixqUA/s1600-h/Zeus+leaping+over+broom+pole++-+ss+-+8-08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348848279020680626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs7mj3neVbnwcIXZlMsI1hUECzR2IIU31OSdkCoHtzxSvzpOikhRyWwNrf5PdDeYOYWcP5lUMlE1V6oiG2_BQy22JITct_r-MoMkqlvEfChB_-B7qN3VKV-YoD5nJva0pS2autQixqUA/s200/Zeus+leaping+over+broom+pole++-+ss+-+8-08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em><strong>Come look for our table</strong></em><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN-PAbel7-lWaM1nIrNERxW2Bu2Q2HJyPzOsOk_QnRW7Sk8MRMbzsatIU-404C4YXlSuurT36JaFL1JnkpQMjDSqIP777JULKWrZwr1YSEffuaPJAWMRep1oFgnSL67ObNiWSyM0Ew_U/s1600-h/happy+happy+mulan,+ball+in+mouth"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348848006986115554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN-PAbel7-lWaM1nIrNERxW2Bu2Q2HJyPzOsOk_QnRW7Sk8MRMbzsatIU-404C4YXlSuurT36JaFL1JnkpQMjDSqIP777JULKWrZwr1YSEffuaPJAWMRep1oFgnSL67ObNiWSyM0Ew_U/s320/happy+happy+mulan,+ball+in+mouth" border="0" /></a>have a great time with all <div>of us! Cats, dogs, birds, bunnies, other small mammals . . . </div><div>and YOU!</div><div><br />San Francisco SPCA invites you</div><div>Rescue, Recycle, Renew </div><div>Free Adoption Fair<br /><br />Saturday, June 20th, 2009<br /><br />11:00 am - 3:00 pm</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>201 Alabama Street<br />(in the courtyard of The SF/SPCA’s Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center)<br /><br />FREE parking available<br /><br />♥ Variety of Rescue Groups (adoption fees apply for each group)<br />♥ “Second Chance Sale” of new or gently used pet toys, outfits, bric-a-brac, supplies & more<br />♥ Education on recycling: garbage vs. compost vs. recyclables<br />♥ Tours of the new SF/SPCA Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center<br />♥ Maddies Pet Adoption Center<br />♥ Foster Care Program with kittens, and Fospice (Foster/Hospice) animals<br /><br />Participating Bay Area Groups:<br /><br />California Chins<br />Copper's Dream Animal Rescue<br />The Dog Spot Rescue<br /><br /><strong><em>Give A Dog A Bone</em></strong><br /><br />Golden State Greyhound Adoption<br />Grateful Dogs Rescue<br /><br />Hopalong and Second Chance Animal Rescue<br />Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue<br />The Milo Foundation<br /><br />Muttville<br />Rocket Dog<br />San Francisco Animal Care & Control<br /><br />Save A Bunny<br />Toni's Kitty Rescue<br />Wonder Dog Rescue </div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong> Meet some really cool animals and bring your kids</strong></div><div><strong> - the next</strong> <strong>generation of adopters.</strong></div><div><br />Adopt a homeless animal and save a life! Join The SF/SPCA and Bay Area rescue groups for a free Adoption Fair featuring cats and dogs of all ages, birds, bunnies, and other small mammals!<br />------------------------------------------<br />Participating Vendors ...<br /><br />Dress My Pooch<br />Greenhome </div><div>-------------------------------------------<br />Sponsored by ... PetCo Foundation - thank you, PetCo!</div><div></div><div></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"> <em>SEE YOU ALL THERE !!!! </em></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em></em></span></strong> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_sVplCKlQI2mGWiu5h4HgK_X6ZA0VII-F3uAk86ZYXvhyphenhyphenBVMSkjbFco87h16ruNqvXC-BsOyz1QeOlMRtEZKD6PklB2qZsvoFRSwU6fbR-1c3VhSqYoMYW4xA9GaLp0nud8_mSUjQVe8/s1600-h/squeaker_water.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_sVplCKlQI2mGWiu5h4HgK_X6ZA0VII-F3uAk86ZYXvhyphenhyphenBVMSkjbFco87h16ruNqvXC-BsOyz1QeOlMRtEZKD6PklB2qZsvoFRSwU6fbR-1c3VhSqYoMYW4xA9GaLp0nud8_mSUjQVe8/s1600-h/squeaker_water.jpg"></a> </div>Corinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143697819604215869noreply@blogger.com0