Pictures of the Week

Sometimes

photos just tell it how it is -

and you're reminded

of that oh-so-sweet

puppy breath
and your heart gets to melt

all over again.

One great ball, three great dogs

Hennessey thinks that keep-away is the best game EVER and is really, really, realllllly good at it. When he absolutely has to, meaning that I've managed to either do a treat exchange for the ball, or waited him out as he gaily prances by me over and over with The Ball of the Day in his mouth as he gets closer and closer to me, knowing perfectly well that I won't grab for it, he finally drops it in front of me, then sit as he's been taught, and wait for me to throw it for him again. A real prankster, but if you don't know his game, he'll pass by you just close enough so you think you can grab it from him. You can't. Just try. Or he'll drop it and pretend he's interested in something else to tempt you to believe that he's lost interest and you can walk over casually to him to pick up the ball. Oh, no. He'll wait until you get just soooo close and then grab it and dash away. One has to laugh. Funny, delightful boy.


Who else loves this ball? Roxie, that's who.
She actually retreives for a treat exchange. Nice - she learned that one pretty quickly as she swerved on a dime, ball in mouth, to see what my outstretched hand held for her. Beautifully built, lavish with affection, and a glutton for belly rubs, Roxie is truly poetry in motion. She had a particularly hard time being kenneled, so we hope it's a good thing that she was redeemed yesterday by her owner. Have a great life, Roxie girl.

Then what about Cui? What is a Cui? Hard to tell, but when a standard Poodle has not been groomed for eight months, this is a horrific look at neglect. When he arrived at GADAB, he was frightened, undersocialized, and young - he is eight months old. We do know that he was kept in a small space, not walked or exercised. Was he ever groomed? We don't know. It was hard to feel anything but mats on this guy. But, the amazing resilience we see over and over again with our dogs has surfaced in Cui, and he is absolutely delighted to be in a world that he had no idea existed.

Still head shy, we are playing Treats Rain from the Sky with him so he'll learn that hands mean good things are coming to him, and I've tossed the favored ball up in the air and he actually lifted his head UP to try to grab the ball. I playbow, he play bows - he loves to run with me, his docked tail is now waving happily as we play and it seems that he wants to do everything that I show him. We're going as slow as we need to with him; he still startles easily, but with time, it looks like this special guy will enjoy life to its absolute fullest. And oh, yeah, he had to be pretty much completely shaved and underneath that rug of hair is an obviously unused body - no muscle tone. But how much better must he feel.

Was it Billy Crystal in his Fernando Lamas persona who said something like, "Dahling', listen to me, in order to feel mahvelous, one must look mahvelous". Cui is both now - devilishly handsome and feelin' mahvelous!

Written by Corinne Dowling

Tito and Booda

I love explaining what GADAB is all about to people who ask what we do when we volunteer at the shelter. Most people don't think about the dogs behind the scenes-the dogs that are at the shelter for legal reasons and aren't up for adoption. Some of these dogs may become available for adoption, depending on the circumstances, and some may not. I try not to focus on that when we go hang out with the dogs...dogs live in the moment, and during our time at the shelter, so do we.

We started to volunteer for GADAB because we have two pit bulls at home, and have special love for any dog that has had a hard past, a bad reputation, or rough circumstances. My boy Po would have had a really hard time if he had ever ended up at the shelter. He was a street dog and had outsmarted all of the people trying to catch him. He had been abused, that was obvious, and it took him a long time to trust people again. Our dog Puddin' spent 3 months at the Berkeley shelter. She had been bred and dumped in the night drop box. We love these dogs more than anything, and because we have a little extra love, we like to share it with the GADAB dogs.

Tito is an amazing boy. He reminds me so much of one of Po's old friends, Monty. He's brindle, athletic, and a bit of a goof. SJ and I had taken him out before, and Saturday we took him out with Corinne. Such a happy boy, he likes to play fetch, tug-o-war, and chase the water from the hose. Corinne is amazing, and we have been learning so, so much about dogs through this program. Saturday, we learned about the psychology of tug-o-war, and when the game is being played well and when a dog is playing with their own rules. "We are not here to be play slaves" was the lesson of the day, and time and time again, Tito had to ask nicely, and play nicely, in order to play games with us. We learned that, during tug, the dog is not allowed to "move up" the rope with his mouth, and if he does, the game is over. He also had to sit before each tug session; if he jumped up, the game wouldn't start. Tito was a star, and we had a great play session. He's one happy dog, and he definitely makes the most of his time in the yard.

Our last visit of the day took us to the puppy room. Looking down, I saw a little chub of a puppy that about hurt my heart. Now, I love puppies, but this puppy....he was like a piece of candy. Beautiful eyes, wagging tail, and puppy breath...pure pit bull terrier sweetness. Corinne showed us the proper way to socialize and handle puppies...including handling techniques, the right way to deal with climbing and jumping, and a little bit of clicker training. Booda was the perfect puppy student, and made sure to kiss and lick our faces before we left. This is one little guy I have to visit during my lunch hour...I can't get enough of that puppy smell.

GADAB is an amazing program, and we're lucky to be part of it. Being a positive part of these dogs' lives is really a feel-good experience, and on top of that...we get to hang out with dogs all morning. It's a win-win situation!

Give a Dog a Bone's Position on Michael Vick

We at Give a Dog a Bone are outraged and sickened by the dog fighting and animal cruelty allegations brought against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and his subsequent guilty plea.

Sadly, it's naïve to think that such violence occurs only in certain regions of the country or in rural areas. Here in San Francisco, the most humane city in the country according to the Humane Society of the United States, we see the effects of dog fighting and attend to its victims
on a regular basis.

Give a Dog a Bone, a pioneering environmental enrichment program, cares for long term shelter dogs at San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Dogs, especially pit bulls, who have been used in fighting are among those we care for. We also care for dogs who have been subjected to felony cruelty, similar to those in the Vick case.

Our program ensures these dogs have kind human contact, yummy treats, rawhides or bones to chew on, soft blankets to sleep on, and clean quarters. We give these dogs affection, and strive to relieve their suffering and stress by giving them outlets for natural dog behavior. Additionally, we engage in training which the dogs look forward to. In short, within the confines and constraints of a shelter, we try to provide these dogs with the love and affection each companion animal deserves.

There is no doubt that even dogs "bred to fight" suffer terribly -- they would not and do not choose this life for themselves. Dogs are by nature social predators—that is, they survive by collaboration with each other, not by fighting each other to the death. Breeding dogs to fight is a perversion of this essential nature.

Dog fighting is unspeakably cruel, and we at Give a Dog a Bone work for the day when animal cruelty no longer exists.

Guilty.

The Michael Vick story has made a mess of me. At home, I’m banned from cnn.com and I’m not supposed to watch the news. But it’s pretty much illegal to drive around San Francisco without NPR on and I can’t bring myself to turn the dial. So I manage to hear the latest.

My question to the NFL: What are you waiting for? If I found out that someone who worked for me – even if he was my star employee – enjoyed abusing and killing animals, I wouldn’t hire him to clean my toilet. Dump Vick. Don’t let him near a dog, a fish, or a fly. Don’t let him water a houseplant.

And how is it that he’s being commended for “doing the right thing” by pleading guilty? He only did so when it was clear the evidence against him was strong enough to yield a conviction. What a coward. It's not ok to torture people, and it's not ok to torture animals. The "just a dog" argument sickens me. Suffering is suffering -- no species should have to endure it for the sake of another's entertainment.

As for apologizing to everyone, those he hurt the most will never get an apology (as if that could undo the torture that was inflicted anyway). Vick isn’t sorry for anything other than getting caught. This was not a one-time mistake. This was not an error in judgment. Hanging a dog takes forethought. Electrocuting a dog takes planning. Starving a dog takes persistence and determination. These were choices Vick made again and again, not a one-time act done out of carelessness.

And as for Vick’s potential, yeah, it truly is a waste. He’s a failure as a human being.

And in Some States, Merely a Misdemeanor

I wonder how long it will be before I get used to seeing suffering. This week was particularly unbearable. Sage was so emaciated, I was shocked he could even stand up. And Angel's tumor had become so large, the skin around it was broken, exposing a football-sized mass of blood, bone, guts, and bacteria. At Give a Dog a Bone, we frequently see the victims of neglect and cruelty, but rarely do we see the perpetrators. Maybe that's for the best. If Michael Vick is guilty of the crimes he's been accused of, he deserves worse than anything I could inflict. Had his property been in San Francisco, his surviving dogs would now be in custody, in our care. So instead of hoping for justice that can never be served (no matter what Vick's sentence, it won't erase the torture these dogs endured), I'll throw the tennis ball for Trixie, one of the many pit bulls at ACC now. Living in a tiny kennel, with 20 minutes in the park on a good day, it's hard to believe she is one of the lucky ones.

What We Do Here

Teaching ours dogs new behaviors is one of the many things we do at GADAB. Training custody dogs, especially puppies, gives them much-needed mental stimulation and focus, something that can be very fleeting in the din of a noisy, crowded kennel. For dogs cleared to go outside to the shelter park we often introduce them to agility behaviors such as the obstacle run you see little Beefcake running through here.

His 15 Minutes

Splinter is aptly named. His image sticks with me (and it hurts a little). The highlight of Splinter's day is the 15-minute walk we do around the shelter; he's heart-broken when we return to his kennel. Affectionate and full of energy, he deserves so much more than I or any of the volunteers can give him. He deserves a family. Sometimes I wonder if he'll ever have the chance to roll around in real grass or fall asleep in an actual home. Five months old, and already his pitbull label puts him at a disadvantage. There's a strong possibility he'll never leave the shelter. Only 23 hours and 45 minutes until that kennel door opens again. The wait must feel interminable.

I Hate Posts Like This

The happiness of Little Papa's good news is unfortunately dampened a bit by what I have to share about Bear - the pitbull who came in with LP on the same cruelty case. Bear was euthanized after being officially surrendered to Animal Care and Control and subsequently failing her handling tests. As was the case with Momo and Minna earlier in the year this is a heartbreaker. We worked hard with Bear while she was with us the last 6 months and she came a long way. Unfortunately, she deteriorated behaviorwise from being in the shelter for so long and even the attention we gave wasn't enough to counteract the effects of longterm custody on her. I'll think of bear every time I see a tennis ball (she loved fetch) or a garden hose (chasing water was close second to tennis balls). Farewell, Bear. I hope you've met someone who can throw a ball a few miles for you.

His Name Is Radar

Last Friday on my way out of the animal hospital, a small, frightened pit bull was making his way in. Huge patches of fur were either hanging off of him or missing completely, and deep cuts ran across his throat and chest. All four legs were spotted with pink open sores, some the size of quarters, and his right front leg appeared dislocated, horribly swollen, or both. A vet technician spoke lovingly to him as she coaxed him through the door. She told me that the dog had been born and bred to fight. Apparently he'd lost this bout and was dumped on the street to die.

All weekend, he drifted in and out of my thoughts; like many of the dogs I work with, he appeared in my dreams. When he was well enough to travel, I knew he would wind up here at ACC, and on Monday when I came in, there he was, gazing at me from his makeshift bed in his kennel. Woozy from pain medication, he looked nearly as roughed up as he had two days ago. Still, I was overjoyed to see him. As I crouched in next to him, he moved slowly and deliberately closer to me. I stayed there stroking him a long time, avoiding his wounds and his injured leg. He nuzzled into me so intensely, a bit of his patchy fur remained stuck to my sweatshirt when I finally pulled away.

On Tuesday, he seemed better. Or maybe I just wanted him to seem better. When I went in to sit, his appetite instantaneously returned and he began eating the kibble he'd thus far left untouched. I told him I knew he was a gentle dog, and I promised he'd never be made to fight again. On Wednesday his tail wagged as I approached his kennel. Limping, he walked the few steps to greet me. I worried to see him struggling out of his bed, but I was thrilled he felt strong enough to attempt it. On Friday he licked peanut butter off of my fingers and seemed to smile, the way dogs do, as I cooed and pet him.

Today, Saturday, it rained, and the shelter felt gray and cold in those morning hours. As usual, we snuggled for a long long time, he and on his bed and me sitting beside him, so close I felt each breath come in and out. I worried about his injured leg, but each time I'd shift to give him space, he moved closer to me, his brown eyes sorrowful, yet somehow brimmed with hope. "You're so beautiful," I told him. "You didn't deserve this."

I got the phone call a few hours later; a decision had been made. A scared dog, wary of humans, he'd be euthanized within the hour. Because the sadness stung so acutely, I tried to focus on the indignation: born to be abused, made to fight, sentenced to a life of pain and cruelty. I had wanted so badly for this dog to be the exception, to somehow prove that a week of tenderness could erase the fear. That he could know, finally, a happier life. The sense of injustice is overwhelming. I can't find any meaning in it, and writing about it doesn't help.

But at least I can keep my promise. He'll never fight again.

Dog of the Week

Meet Jeckel. He's a very smart, highly energetic pitbull mix. He loves running, playing fetch and is extremely trainable. He's also a very typical Give a Dog a Bone resident -- he joined us for a few weeks while his owner was in jail. Since there were no friends or family to take care of him, Jeckel came to Animal Care and Control and was put under GADAB's care.

Put the Word Out For Gracie

Folks who've visited this blog before may recognize Gracie. She came in with a litter of 5 and her mom at the beginning of this year. She's now in a foster home but needs a permanent pack.

You can find out more details about her and who to contact at Home At Last Rescue

Sweet on Brownie

I'm in love with a dog named Brownie. She's shy and soulful, just like the guys who made me swoon in high school. When we get out to the park, she doesn't zoom back and forth, like Lilli, or immediately attack the first tennis ball she sees, like Bear. She sniffs around cautiously, meticulously, and perks her ears at the sound of passing skateboards. She takes her time. There is a wisdom about her.

Unlike the boys in high school, Brownie's always got one eye on me. She checks in often for long stints of petting and cooing. I sit in the grass -- er... astroturf -- and she nuzzles into my shoulder. It's hot out today, but she nudges closer and closer until I'm trapped between her mass of pit bull muscle and the park fence. We sit together in the shade like that until it's time to go back inside.

Meet Otis

Give a big welcome to Otis. He's a nine-month old intact male pitbull who's in custody because of a spay-neuter violation. He has a condition called entropian (an inwardly turned eyelid) in his right eye, which is why he looks like he's squinting all the time. Otis is very sweet but not very sure of himself yet. We'll be working with him on building confidence.

Farewell, My Friends

This has been one of the sadder periods I've had in 6 years of volunteering for Give a Dog a Bone. Two of our long-term charges, Minna and Momo, were euthanized recently after spending 14 months in our care. Sad as it is, it was the right decision--Minna was too fearful and Momo too unpredictable to make viable pets or rescue dogs. They both failed multiple temperament tests. The damage was done long before they came into the program and--with a shelter and city full of unwanted animals--they simply didn't have a chance.


In a program like this saying goodbye is something you have to be prepared for. A lot of the dogs that come through our doors simply don't get back out. It's a cold, hard reality and, as much as we'd like it to be, our role isn't to rehabilitate every single pup into an adoptable, pet-worthy dog. Sometimes our gift is to give them a chance, even if brief, to be a dog for a change: to sniff and mark, to get their ears scratched, or maybe even learn a few behaviors "sit" or "come". In cases like Momo and Minna, the dogs have endured prolonged abuse at the hands of their owners and they haven't had the chance to learn how to be normal around other dogs or people. All we can do is work with them, play with them, be patient and kind with them and show them that not all people are cruel.

I say all this now as I try to reconcile the loss of these two friends. Saying goodbye to a dog at GADAB is a bittersweet thing--no matter the context. Sometimes you wish them the best as they return to a home you know in your heart of hearts is not right for them and that they'll probably be back. Other times, as with Momo and Minna, they work their way into your heart and, in turn, you work as hard as you can to change the odds--knowing full well the chances are slim. From time to time, though, there is a happy ending and a dog like Murphy or Franco makes it to a rescue group or loving, adoptive home.

This is indeed a heartbreaker because we tried really hard with Momo and Minna--hoping against hope that they'd fall into that last, special group. As sad as this moment is, though, it underscores the need for a program like GADAB to not only care for dogs like Minna and Momo who've been dealt a rotten hand but to also get the word out that there is a very real and horribly sad consequence to irresponsible pet ownership.

Momo and Minna, it was an honor to know you.

Capone leaping towards adoption!

Oh, happy day! Great day in the mornin'! Capone (renamed Pony) been moved over to the available section of the shelter, so now he's got a chance for a good home. You don't have to look much past the crummy ear cut to see the loving, playful Pony. He's a great guy, a favorite of the volunteers and staff. Loves to chase stuffed toys and like every good pit bull, can't get enough affection.

Thinking about a GIANT bone . . .

Big, big yawn from our Snoop . . . . too much fun today, buddy???

And that’s mostly what Snoop is learning with us – how to enjoy life.

Every dog in our care has a “DogLog” – it’s how we track milestones, successes, what works for individual dogs, what one dog might like and another dog might not, along those lines. Although all the dogs for whom we care may not have that happy ending, we give them the best that we can while they’re with us.

Here’s Snoop’s personal DogLog - I don’t think he’d mind if you take a peek –

12/27 Corinne. Snoop’s neighbor is trying to engage him in fence fighting but Snoop is not interested. Good boy, Snoop. Came up to the front of his kennel to greet me, not moving too quickly, head lowered slightly. Hand fed him at his eye level and then kept moving my treat hand up so his head would move up – my theory that body movement can shape emotions seems to be true a lot. In Snoop’s case, he kept his head up even after we began doing other things. Seems like a very sweet dog, very responsive - tries hard, but does have trouble with find-its. He does squint some.

12/28 Kelley. Relaxed in kennel today. -- Takes treats gently. Seems to enjoy hearing a voice. Likes to play *find-it* in the blankets.

12/30 Mark. Snoop is very similar to Capone -- skittish and fearful when I first entered the kennel. Need to be very measured and slow with your movements around them -- Snoop would not leave my side in the park and every object (balls, pool, ramp) was initially cause for some alarm. He is very affectionate and loves having his ears rubbed.

12/31 Susan. Nice visit, nice dog.

1/2/07 Corinne. Had a lot of the same experience with him that Mark did. Startled at the garage door opening - initially stayed close by me, then began running after thrown balls and stuffed toys playfully, dashing back to me and jumping up happily at me. Working on that. Need to keep four on the floor, good buddy. Unsocialized to pretty much everything – was he a backyard dog? Very tolerant to handling, a wanna-be lap dog. He learned today that life can be fun and I think he will break out of his hesitancy and wariness about stuff in the world to which we introduce him. Curious, sniffing around a lot and left my side several times. I put the agility jump down very low and he jumped over it with me several times, went into the kiddie pool, loves praise and affection.

1/5 Leslie. A real sweetie. Very jumpy so we worked to shape a “sit” and he’s almost got it. Lots of stroking and affection when he wasn’t zooming around.

1/6 Mark. First day of confidence-building workshop. Took Snoop out to the yard and got him used to the blue agility tube. Let him sniff it, etc. Tossed some treats in but he showed no interest. Threw the squeaky toy through and got perky ears. While he was sniffing the toy, I walked to the other end of the tube, dropped a treat and called out his name in a high voice. He came all the way through to the other side. Yay, Snoops. Also was able to get him to hop over the jump -- set very low.

1/7 Susan. Moo tube visit.

1/8 Leslie. Crazy time trying to get his collar on to go out -- he was so excited. Once out though, he alternated between zoomies and coming over for stroking.

1/9 Corinne/Kelley. We had a blast today - discovering while filling the pool that Snoop loves to eat the water coming out of the hose. So he got a real workout, dashing about after the hose, in the pool, to the wall, following the hose squiggling around. We then put up the agility jump and he jumped over back and forth to follow the hose end. Not once did he come up on it - strictly a toy for him. He was one tired lad when we brought him back in, ready to settle down with a good chewie after a rubdown to dry him off. He loved every second of that too.

Corinne

Meet Capone

Capone joined us in late December '06 along with Snoops, Mommies and a litter of newly born puppies. All the dogs are with us during an ongoing cruelty investigation. Capone is a pitbull mix with very amateurly cropped ears. Despite his intended-to-be imposing appearance, he's really anything but. He's very shy and scared. This photo was taken on his first outing to the shelter park where I just let him be a dog for 20-25 minutes. He did a lot of sniffing and marking and investigating but always made sure I was close by. We'll work on instilling some confidence in him over the rest of his stay.

Say Hello to Snoop

Meet Snoop, a recent addition to Give a Dog a Bone. Snoop joined us along with Capone and five puppies due to a cruelty investigation. Snoop's a big guy but he's very shy and timid -- pretty much afraid of everything. When I'm out in the training yard with him he won't let me out of his sight and stays within a couple feet of me at all times. We're going to work on getting him to be a bit more sure of himself.

Picture of the Day

Good luck today, Minna and Momo!!
Donate to GADAB by buying this photo. All proceeds go to Give a Dog a Bone