Princess Pepper T. Lincecum

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.

                 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.

                 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.

           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.       
She loves riding in the car. 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.                

            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.

            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.                                                                   

         I feel almost compelled to photograph her. I have to document that she has a life, that she is a good 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.                                                                                                    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.

 For more on Pepper and from whence she hailed:                   

 read incorrigible animal lover Eileen Mitchell's column in the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2010/12/29/DDAV1GUCSQ.DTL

              "Give a Dog a Bone cares for animals in custody"

  (Please note Pepper’s unique necklace.
     It’s made of 2010 World Series tix.
        The Princess is a diehard SF Giants fan.
            She looooves Orange Fridays in particular)  
 - AND -  from the January 2011 issue of the Bay Woof:
http://baywoof.com/1101.HappyTails.shtml.
    (scroll down Happy Tails for Princess Pepper T. Lincecum )

Update: Danni the Great

Now, this is a happy ending.

Do you remember Dandelion? She's the adorable girl who came in to Give a Dog a Bone under some unfortunate circumstances. She was instantly a favorite...and how could she not be? All love, this little girl wanted nothing but affection, attention, and to crawl into a lap. She was very lucky to be fostered by some very kind and patient foster parents while she was put up for adoption through Grateful Dogs Rescue.

I just so happened to be Dandy's biggest fan, and sent out an email to friends and coworkers, touting her adorableness (is that a word?). A very good friend of mine from Sacramento happened to share this email with her friend/coworker, who just happened to be looking for a 3rd dog to join their family.

A few days later, Barbara was on her way down to San Francisco.

Now, no story doesn't have a few bumps, and there were a few little bumps when Dandy, now deemed Danni, joined her new family. The dogs all had to adjust to the new dynamic. But, because they were committed to making it work, Barbara and her husband took the time to learn how to make all of the dogs comfortable in their roles in the family. And soon, the dogs were doing great, and Danni was even going to doggie school, and from what I hear, was the best dog in the class.

Plenty of exercise, dog companions, loving owners...this girl hit the jackpot.

"I am so excited to have her, she brings such great energy to our family," said Barbara in an email to me, and I have to say...it makes me a little verklempt every time I think about Danni, starting out behind the bars of the shelter, and now...well, look for yourself...







So, thanks to Corinne for running a program that allows such happy endings to occur, and thanks to Jordan and Ellie for being great foster parents, thanks to Grateful Dogs Rescue for putting Danni in their program...and thanks to Barbara for giving the girl a chance...and for making a special little pittie's dreams come true!

The Nothing-in-Life-is-Free Club

is not, by any means, exclusive. Not at all. Any ill-mannered dog should join, if they don't, they're headed for trouble.

If a pup is not taught manners, it may mean that her life will be spent in a back yard with no understanding of why she is not in her home with her people pack because, after all, when she was a puppy, her people family thought all of that nipping and jumping up was cute. A cute puppy jumping up on your child means an adult dog jumping up on your child. If dogs are not taught manners, it can mean the difference between a good life, a lonely, distressed life, or death. We are all social creatures.

What NILF does is let our pups, and some adults, know that impulse control is a good thing. It's part of our quality of life practices. It's absolutely a given that quality of life directly impacts adoptability. The bond between our two species is only enhanced when both species understand how to live with each other.

I'm not sure why C.K. looks worried here, could it be that he's looking at his treasured squeaky stuffed toy while Christine is taking his photo and wondering why he can't have it RIGHT NOW? Our little redhead is learning that he can't grab toys from our hands, that by being mannerly at doors will get him through that door, and that jumping up gets him - nothing. Nothing. We just ignore that behavior. We know that he knows better and we have a lot of patience. Dogs like little C.K. have taught us lots of patience.

Both he and our little Pippin are reminded over and over again that rewards for good behavior are many and varied. They've learned to sit, to watch (making eye contact with people is huge), C.K. has learned down and roll-over, and done some "agility jumping". Miss Pippin, being newer to GADAB, is still learning down, learning to use her mouth on objects, and has a good watch working. She loves to chase stuffies - it is her main joy in life. She is also a very funny dog - just look at her little froggie imitation, and that's only one of the many ways in which she makes us laugh.

Pippin's ugly destiny was changed forever when she was rescued by an unlikely hero. Like too many of the dogs whom we see, she has a hideous case of demodex (non-contagious mange), but our little froggie love bunny's skin is slowly getting better, with both traditional and alternative medical treatments. Our shelter vet does the traditional; we do the alternative. She's going to be a big girl - she's only 3 1/2 months old in this photo!

Both of these confident, fearless tykes, who came in as cruelty cases, love other dogs and will learn proper play skills in their new foster homes. Yes, they're outta here! They have been adopted by Grateful Dogs Rescue, and their fosters, carefully selected, will continue to socialize, train, and love them until they find their forever homes.

Stay well, little treasures!