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2012 Shelter Dogs : Petsmart Adoption Events

2012-02-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

Petsmart Adoption Event days are, well, eventful. The store is packed, there is usually at least one other rescue or shelter group in attendance (greyhound rescue!) but ya gotta love the public response to these dogs!

It's fantastic. For me, it's watching people interact with these dogs, and leave knowing that perfect canine specimens get turned into your local shelter all the time, through no fault of there own. They are not broken. They are not faulty. They are just waiting... maybe even for you.

Austin (left) needed some extra TLC this weekend with us, reinforcing leash behavior and observing his stress levels. I'm happy to say he was absolutely perfect (save for some pee marking incidents). Though his kennel card says he isn't good with kids, he disproved that at Petsmart. Under all the pressure of people and dogs everywhere, new sounds, sights and smells - he put on the charm. It seemed natural to him to be pretty freaking awesome. The desired outcome for Petsmart days is what we found with Austin - a dog who shows his true colors outside of his shelter kennel, hoping to win the heart of someone he meets at the adoption event.

Here's all the lovely dogs that got some time out of their kennel this weekend...

max the collie mix

fred the hound/pointer mix

austin the staffordshire terrier mix

rudolph the lab mix

ruby the beagle/lab mix

jack-jack the schipperke/jrt mix

taz the pomeranian mix

sweet mitchey the beagle/pomeranian mix

spike the boston terrier/staffy mix

sweet betsy the pit mix

Do you think events like Petsmart Adoption Days are effective?

2012 Shelter Dogs : Mitchey, the twice returned

2012-02-10T18:16:00.001-05:00

Mitchey the little beagle/pomeranian mix was returned to the shelter this week because he has a bad tooth.

This little dude is 10, so he's bound to need some special care in his golden years. I guess for some people, that care is too much to handle.

So, horsesrule1, if you are still interested in Mitchey - send me an email!

I am certainly stuggling to not bring this boy home. He's been returned twice now, neither time's his fault. I just want him to come home with me!
Five dogs is impracticable though... right?!

2012 Shelter Dogs : scout the elderbull

2012-02-06T23:34:00.002-05:00

Why do people abandon their senior dogs?

Too expensive?

Too much time needed?

Maybe they just don't look the same anymore...

Play the same?

Scout would like to know why he's got to sleep on a hard, cold floor when all these years he's been faithful. He's been a good dog. He's been everything he should have been.
More, probably.

He just doesn't look happy in any photo I've taken of him. I can't blame him. The shelter environment must be confusing, and stressful.

But while he's there, we'll make it the best we can. Good treats, nice walks, chin scratches.

We'll be taking him to Petsmart this weekend for an adoption event. Here's hoping someone wants to lavish this dog with attention in his golden years.

Good luck, Scout!

chart : nail trimming

2012-02-02T09:58:00.002-05:00

(click to enlarge)

If you are anything like me, sometimes dog nails can be intimidating to trim. Of our four dogs, three of them have some black nails that are impossible to gauge where the blood supply is.

Hopefully this chart will help a little!

What kind of nail trimming tool do you use?

Response to - DOG DIETS: DRIVING ME CRAZY

2012-01-31T14:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks, anonymous, for sending me this link...
It was a fun read.

I want to start by saying that while I did a lot of research into commercial and home prepared dog diets, the one lesson that keeps repeating itself is : know thy dog.
If you know your dog, you'll recognize what a diet does for your dog. You'll notice improvements and declines and you won't allow anyone to persuade you otherwise. You'll be informed and you won't be pulled into slick marketing or hype because you know your dog. What works for your dog might not work for my dog.
That is the "dog diet golden rule".

Show dogs attend Dog Shows, one would think. These shows are sponsored, heavily, by certain dog food brand names like Purina, Eukanuba and Pedigree. I'm pretty sure that the handlers or breeders of the dogs in these sponsored shows will be pushing these foods. Not all, sure, but some.

Now - the article. Consider the source : Show Dog Super Site's feature called "Breeder Vet".
I wrote the website an email to ask who the person or persons are who write these articles. The only name I see is : Mary Wakeman, DVM. According to her own website, she is the owner of the Ashford Animal Clinic - Canine Fertility Center, has been a breeder and exhibitor of Puli for 25 years. As a breeder, exhibitor and veterinarian she brings a unique perspective to her veterinary practice.

Super. So let's assume she wrote the article about Dog Diets. She's a veterinarian and as goes the saying, veterinarian's do not get a whole lot of nutrition training while in school.

The article starts :

Purina is the company that has put out information on the correct shape for your dog. They have said that your dog, when viewed from above, should have a discernable 'waist' behind the ribs and in front of the pelvis. The ribs should have a slight covering of fat on them. Well, in 2002, Purina published information that they had taken dogs conforming to their definition of perfect weight, and cut their food consumption by 25%. The dogs on 25% less food lived on average two years longer than those in their formerly identified 'perfect weight' classification. We're not talking a couple of weeks, we're talking a couple of years. Why should your veterinarian have to say anything more? Doesn't everyone want their pet to live an extra two years?

The next dog food company that presented new information in 2002 was Iams/Eukanuba. In a study of 1500 dogs (most studies are run on much lower numbers) the newly formulated 'Eukanuba Premium Performance' kibble produced an average of two more puppies per litter. Once again, we're not talking subtleties here. In urging my clients with bitches being bred to change to this, I've had anecdotal and visual evidence of many unexpected benefits of this ultimate dog food. Instant change in coat condition in short haired dogs where you can observe this easily and reduced coat loss in the bitch after weaning a litter. Being a concentrated food you might expect a tendency for weight gain; instead we seem to be seeing a better utilization of the food and more muscle than fat being laid down, and even old neutered dogs coming into wonderful coat. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I speculate that if you get extra puppies per litter, improved coat and improved muscle mass, this food must be meeting a great many nutritional needs that the previously used high quality food didn't meet.

I've always contended that the larger the pet food manufacturer, the better and more frequent quality control and more research they will run, eventually benefiting you and your dog. One very important factor to consider in purchasing dog food is freshness. Don't buy your food at a low volume boutique pet store; you want a place where the food flies off the shelves. Don't buy more than a month's supply at a time of any dry food.

Oh Purina, oh Eukanuba. How could we ever feed our furry family members without you!?
These larger pet food companies have more money, more funding for feeding trials and tests, and more marketing power than smaller pet food companies. True. It doesn't mean their findings are the end-all, be-all. Why else would Proctor and Gamble want to acquire a company like Natura? They want to appeal to the "Super Premium Pet Food Segment". One then makes the assumption that all the other pet foods (Iams, Eukanuba) Proctor and Gamble back are not "super premium" despite all the money their companies pour into these studies. They use the word "premium" in their marketing and labeling, but I suppose the word "super" is the qualifier here.

Quality is another word that seems to be subjective in articles like this. What is quality? What defines a quality dog food? I would argue that the ingredients are key.
For me, when a company makes it difficult to find their ingredient list, I worry. After a small amount of searching, I found the ingredients to Eukanuba's Premium Performance:

Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Fish Meal, Dried Egg Product, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Fructooligosaccharides, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Inositol, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Vitamin E Supplement, L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Mmm. By-products and corn.
Let's compare to something like Acana Sport & Agility. Although "premium" isn't in the title of the food, I think the ingredients speak for themselves.

Chicken meal, steamed oats, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and
rosemary), peas, fresh free-run chicken, brown rice, fresh boneless salmon, fresh
whole eggs, chicken liver, salmon oil, sun-cured alfalfa, leaf pumpkin, chicken
cartilage (natural source of glucosamine), psyllium fiber, red delicious apples, carrots,
turnip greens, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, organic sea vegetables (kelp,
bladderwrack, dulse), burdock root, marshmallow root, juniper berries, fenugreek,
sweet fennel, angelica root, sea buckthorn, chicory root, stinging nettle, red raspberry
leaf, milk thistle, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, Lactobacillus
acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.
Vitamins (vit. A, vit. D3, vit. E, niacin, riboflavin, lysine, thiamine mononitrate, vit. B12,
pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin). Minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese
proteinate, cobalt proteinate, copper proteinate).

To me, it just looks premium. Sure the addition of all the vegetation probably spruces up what you are looking at, but if milk thistle can help my dog then I'm not opposed to feeding it within this kibble.

I love what she says about food flying off the shelves in the last paragraph above. Before I wrote this response, I went to my local grocery store and my local Pet Supplies Plus. The medium sized bag of Acana Pacifica I purchased from PSP expires in July 2012. The bag of Pedigree I look at in the grocery store expires in March 2012. Um... Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe her logic has a lot of holes in it.

So we continue...

Our society is driven so much - and more all the time, it seems - by marketing that we are well into damaging our dogs by becoming the disciples of idiots with a good pitch. I am not naming names here, but rational readers will immediately know what I mean; of course, the gullible brain-washed culties will never get it. I saw one newly advertised dog food produced by a Mom-and-Pop (as they proudly proclaimed) business. Well, unless Mom or Pop was Chairman of the Animal Nutrition Department at the local land-grant university, and unless their annual sales are in the billions of dollars, I personally wouldn't even bother to read the label.

Then there are those who scan the human nutrition news until they find mention of a new exotic plant that may turn out to have some benefit to humans. They immediately throw a stick of this stuff in the batch of food and add it to their ingredients list. Come on, where's our natural common sense? I'll tell you; it's been advertised out of us. We all want to show off by using the newest and self-proclaimed best. We want to have a secret that we can tell others about. And we never seem to think about applying a modicum of common sense to the subject.

We all seem to loathe the idea of feeding 'grocery store' dog food, but consider this; the grocery store food comes from huge companies with superb quality control and research programs. It flies off the shelves and doesn't get stale. The billions of pets eating these foods come into the vet's office happy, healthy and glowing. And, they only need to come in once a year for their shots.

Yowza! Someone doesn't like competition. Mom and Pop businesses, they are what I strive to support. Maybe she's different, maybe you are too. I would rather buy a handcrafted bar of goat milk soap made on a local farm than spend just as much on a multi-pack of Dove. I strive to think globally but act locally.
I would prefer to buy a dog food, in any form, that was formulated by someone who used their knowledge of animal nutrition from a local university than purchase bags of Purina. The care and consideration most of the smaller companies put into their products helps me keep the faith in commercial products. A company like Annamaet can be considered one of these smaller companies. I'm not going to sell you on their foods, just look at their website. Not too flashy, but a lot of thought and care went into it. Their company philosophy and history gives me the warm fuzzies, sure, but more than that - their products' labels, which I take the time to read, speak volumes. Before each ingredient listing, they give you a paragraph about why they chose the ingredients they did. I thank them for wanting us to be informed. I'm a fan of their grain free line (full disclosure - I do not feed it regularly). Lots of meat, starches, oils and vegetation. I'm all about it.
You can call them, as I have, and be invited to tour their facility or sample their products. Can you do that with Pedigree?
And it's not because they are new, or self-proclaimed best. The beauty of a smaller company is that the concept is NOT new, and the products HAVE to be the best they can be, or this small venture will fold.
I love me a "mom & pop" company.
Again... maybe that's just me.

I would stop here, but she has to go on about raw and home prepared diets...

The people who feed barf, raw, or home-cooked diets are the ones I really want to identify. First their dogs are at severe risk for many many problems. For instance, the dog with a high blood phosphorous level; does it have kidney disease or an owner feeding barf? The bitch that can't become pregnant; is she hormonally challenged, infected, being bred at the wrong time, or is her owner cooking for her and adding estrogen-like compounds to her diet?

These home-made diets may follow a recipe in a book. And of course, if it's printed in a book it's automatically true, correct, authentic, well researched and intelligent - isn't it? If we assume that there is even the slightest provable merit to these diets, we'd next have to ask if the owner has a lab-quality balance to measure every ingredient on, and every other piece of equipment to finish the nutritional analysis of each meal.

Thankfully, most of us (dog owners) recognize that a lot of those books are full of bovine excreta. And nearly all of us (Veterinarians) are laughing all the way to the bank after we fix - if possible - the problems caused by some of the alternative diets to the tune of $5,000.00, more or less, per dog. Many of the problems can't be fixed, and the pet dies. So instead of the extra two years of life Purina has shown us we can achieve, we're opting for illness, pain and early death for our dogs by refusing to feed them appropriately.

The most frustrating problem with these patients, however, is the cult-like belief of their owners. The worst thing I have found about those who answer the questions about diet as raw, barf or home-cooked on my admission sheet, is that they to be somewhat uneducable. I spend great amounts of time supplying my clients with information that I have, and that I think will be of assistance to them and benefit to their dog. I know however, that with this group, my efforts will fall on deaf ears. I ask them a simple question; 'Are you a nutritionist'? They stand there, their eyes moving and their lips clenched - verging on saying something, but never getting it out. It seems that they feel they are nutritionists by virtue of reading alternative diet books and Internet articles. They want to say they are. But they know I can call their bluff if they do. It's a fascinating look at human behavior. It results, pretty often, in visible hostility to me. A simple question. Perhaps I should change it to 'Do you have a university degree in nutrition?' - that would make it easier for them to answer, or would it? Actually, there's a hotel ad something like that, isn't there -- "no I'm not really an animal nutritionist, but I did stay at a H-- Inn last night"?

Oh yeah. She went there. Not only does she not want to broaden her horizons by reading pet food labels, but she thinks all the books written about natural food diets are full of shit.
And she will be laughing all the way to the bank after your pet died because you belong to a cult of people striving to feed the best they can.
Can I bring my dogs to you for their health care? Oh please!

I'm going to refer to raw foods, cooked whole foods (table 'scraps') and dehydrated raw commercial diets as "whole foods".

The whole food "craze" started before the biscuit/kibble food "phase". It's the history of the dog food industry, look it up. My grandmother used to hack up a chicken, boil the offal for gravy, and give the scraps to her Irish Setter. She then would make mash with grains, and give a small portion to her Irish Setter. When her dog had any issues, she would make teas or boil plants she grew or knew of in the woods. I remember her making a birch sap drink once for her and her dog for help with aching joints.

My grandmother is old school. She makes quilts for her own use, knits her own winter wear, and maintains an impressive herb garden. She's not in a cult for choosing to feed her dog with whole foods.
Her dog lived a good, long life. She had pups, she moved across the country with my grandparents and watched my father grow up.

Maybe my choice to want to feed my dogs a more wholesome diet, sometimes utilizing a bag of kibble or can of food, comes from my grandmother's example. I'm OK with that. Whatever she did, it worked for her dog. Whatever she does for herself works too, she's an active, healthy senior living a full independent life. I want to follow her footsteps, it's a healthy, simple way to live.

Another note about a wonderful food like the Eukanuba Premium Performance; it is a perfectly balanced food, and it is that precise balance, even more than specific ingredients, that makes it a better dog food. If you are feeding a nutritionally balanced commercial dog food, and you start adding table scraps, raw or cooked meat, chunks of broccoli or carrots, cottage cheese or yogurt, you are unbalancing it. Don't do that, at least don't do it very much.

And don't give your dog treats of any kind, because now their diets are unbalanced!! Or are Eukanuba labeled treats acceptable?

The end of the article has a "bit about bones" where she advocates feeding beef femurs, which are well known and have documented proof that these types of wreck/recreational bones break teeth. More power to you, Mary Wakeman DVM. I bet she's also laughing all the way to the bank after she sees your dog for a fractured molar.

Last but not least, the final nugget of the article...

We just have to stop thinking of dogs as either an extension of ourselves and our preferences, or as experimental systems, where we try new things on them just to see what will happen. If your dog has been thriving on grocery store dog food - as most do - the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' should leap to mind. Marketing is difficult to resist, but I think we look at most of the ads on TV with a grain of skepticism these days. So please, apply that skepticism to claims of new dog food products. Use your computer and Google-out the information you need to become fully informed.

I'm not convinced. When I google "premium pet foods", I see a lot of different results from Blue Buffalo to Newman's Own to Nutro to Royal Canin. This isn't filtered information, and apparently Eukanuba doesn't have a Google monopoly on "premium".

My mom's dearly departed dog Honey was fed grocery store food. I wouldn't say she thrived, even if she did live to be 17. She died in pain, she couldn't breath from the fluid clogging her lungs and heart cavities. She was constantly gagging and coughing up fluid. She was on a diuretic and heart medication. She had terrible cataracts that left her blind. She was deaf. She was incontinent. Her legs were unreliable beneath her. Definitely signs we see in aging dogs... but is it something we should accept? What if our dogs could live to be 26 or 30 or 45? What if they didn't have to suffer in their old age? What if cancer was a thing of the past? Wouldn't you want to take the chance and FIX IT because dog health (purebred or mixed breed) is - in fact - broke.

So that's my feedback. It's not the final word by any means, because I'm open to learning how to be better for my dogs. I want to know everything there is to know, try what I feel is safe and worth trying, and see my beloved furry family members live a long, healthy life. If that means feeding Acana Pacifica or Sojo's or Merrick canned foods or 'people food' leftovers or a full raw duck carcass, I'll do what I can to see them live the life they were meant to live. That's what I signed up for when I brought them into my home. I promised to care for them the best I could. I'm still learning what "best" is, and I strongly feel that breeder/veterinarians should be open to learning, too.

reesie, and why it sometimes hurts getting to know shelter dogs

2012-01-30T22:36:00.001-05:00

Reesie represents a shelter conundrum for me.

On the surface, she's an adorable happy dog. Underneath, she has unpleasant, unpredictable behaviors with some people. She seems to pick out people that she doesnt' like, and she'll react. She's nipped, and fixated, and growled.

I've not seen it, but it's not that I don't believe it. With me, she's fine. Great, in fact.
I've played with her quite a bit. I've reached over her, jumped out in front of her, bumped into her, sort of wedged her between me and a tree (lightly of course), taken toys and treats from her and nothing makes her growl.

And yet, she remains in quarantine, away from the public adoption sections because she's reacted towards a kennel worker.

See, the logical side of me understands why she shouldn't be available to the public. But the sentimental "gotta save um all" side wants to, well, save her.

I don't regret getting to know her, she really is a lovely dog. To me, anyway.

So, which side is right?

I think the safe middle ground was to go up to the shelter, get some good photos of her, and email her entire story (good and bad behaviors) to rescues. I just hope someone steps up for her now... I'm not sure what else to do. I can't live with two Kiba's, this much I know!

2012 Shelter Dogs : Are You My Valentine photo project

2012-01-29T10:27:00.001-05:00

I'm no photographer, but I have a nice camera and I'm used to taking photos of an unpredictable, moving furry object. So, I have spent the last few weekends snapping photos of adoptable dogs and cats to promote on our shelter's social media pages.

The turnout is unbelievably awesome. In the last seven days these pets have been adopted...

my lizzie! over a year at the shelter and now she's home.

guido

ellie

harley

snoopy

taylor, sweet depressed taylor got out of the shelter.

midnight

krista, she was adopted then returned a month ago. i hope round 2 works for her!

big theo

lakota

callie. i think this photo is going into a calendar or something.

zipper

sheba

senior sam

jules

totally adorable marley. i saw her leave yesterday :)

fred

mushu. he posed like that for three full minutes.

cody. he reminded me of cousin cody from step by step. just livin in a van in the backyard...

heidi

dudley

emeril. the ridiculous basket and teddy bear work, I guess.

are you a small animal expert?

2012-01-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping to create an educational video for the public a few weeks before Easter.
I want to include care tips about rabbits, ducks, ferrets, mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, lizards, frogs, turtles, etc.

If you have had experience caring for any of these types of animals - can you answer these questions in a comment? Your participation could save an animal from someone making an impulse purchase!

___________________________________________

Small Animal Type

Lifespan

Had your small animal been spayed or neutered?

How long have you owned him/her?

Where did you get the animal?

How much time did the animal spend inside the house?

Was the animal litter box trained?

The animal was housed in: Wire bottom cage //Outdoor hutch or habitat // Indoors Only (no cage)

The animal was compatible with : Other of the same species // Cats // Dogs // Children

The animal could be described as:
Sedate // Reserved // Shy // Playful // Affectionate

The animal's diet:

The animal was been fed: In the AM // In the PM// Free Fed All day

Common Illness // Injury?

Anything else that you would like to say about this animal:

wordless wednesday : Shelter Dog Valentines

2012-01-25T12:06:00.001-05:00

gibson

lady

sully

mason

ruben

twister

rudolph

all these pups are adoptable!

Guest Blogger: Kristin - Shiba Snow Play (Movie)

2012-01-24T08:27:00.003-05:00

Miso and Sake LOVE playing in the snow!

Follow Miso and Sake on Twitter @MisoSakeShibas

snow makes pups happy

2012-01-23T19:52:00.001-05:00

Did you know? Snow makes all dogs act like puppies!
I spent a good hour with our dogs exploring the snow covered world... watching them prance around like deer and bounce like rabbits. 'Adorable' doesn't even cut it.
Taking photos of us running like crazy beings would have ruined the moment.

When they were good and tired, I took some photos. Snow, like lush green grass, brings out the best in my dogs (in my opinion, anyway).

Treats can't keep Buckley from sniffing his way out of the frame... and it can't keep Tsuki from being interested in where Buckley's going.

Cute little B.

Handsome Kit.

Pretty Sooks.
She's got snow nose.

Noble Kiba.

introducing : neville

2012-01-22T23:27:00.000-05:00

Nope, no new dog.

he looks like a neville.

Our new adopted rat!

The Mr. has wanted a pet rat for a long time. He declared that since his birthday - a milestone year - is around the corner that we should seriously consider adding a rat to our furry family. We finally took the plunge and found a decent, long cage (I never wanted to get rats and house them in a teeny habitat) and adopted our rat from the local shelter. Yes, even rats get turned into shelters!

Our little rodent has his own set of issues (he's aggressive with other rats) and his age is unknown. Isn't he cute?

This is one half of his almost-finished habitat...

It's a six foot, metal-mesh cage with two ramps and two second level landings.

I had a lot of fun scanning Pet Supplies Plus for treats and supplements. Turns out that half the trail mix I make for myself is rat friendly! I get to share my pumpkin seeds, dried papaya/banana/pineapple, raisins, peanuts and oats. The dogs get to share their dried out sweet potato sticks with the new guy.

We did a hefty amount of research before we found our rat. We researched housing/habitats, feeding requirements, health issues (we made sure our vet would see/treat rats), life expectancy (2 years! so short!), and what makes pet rats happy.
He's got lots of stuff to dig and hide in/under. He's got a cardboard tube to explore. He's got sticks and wooden toys to chomp on. I used recycled tissue boxes, a shoe box and a box from soda cans so he can have even more hiding spots.

The dogs will not be allowed to interact with Neville, ever. I have these flashes of when Kit and Kiba tag teamed a mouse this winter in the tall grasses near the creek... or the time Tsuki got a squirrel by the tail... or the time Buckley barked furiously at a rabbit. I just don't think our dogs are small animal friendly.
Therefore, Neville's habitat and run around space is all safely contained in the Mr's studio/office. He should get a lot of out-of-the-cage time too as we attempt to train the him. Plus, every time I went to check on him, the Mr. was holding him...

Welcome home, Neville.

2012 Shelter Dogs: Adoption Promotions and Events (month by month)

2012-01-21T11:24:00.000-05:00

I'm looking for ideas!

Does your rescue or shelter have adoption events and animal promotions throughout the year?

Some ideas I'm working on getting approved for our local shelter...

JANUARY 22 to FEBRUARY 14 - "Are You My Valentine?"
Dog and Cat petfinder/website/facebook promotion featuring each dog and cat in ridiculous valentines outfits (tutus! clip on flowers! teddy bears!) and an updated petfinder listing set to look like something from match.com : "Lady is an athletic gal who likes long walks in the park, she has a fun sense of humor and loves spending quality time with her special person."

*Approved! I'm starting the valentine's promotion this weekend :)

FEBRUARY 15 to MARCH 17 - "I'm Your Lucky Charm!"
Dog and Cat petfinder/website/facebook promotional photos with green props, bowties, flowers, etc.
PLUS - St. Patrick's Day Parade in our town features the shelter dogs and promotes adoption.

*Approved!

APRIL (Easter) - Small Animal Awareness... maybe a webinar about what requirements small animals have (rabbits, hamsters, etc). Call for donations for small animal supplies

MAY 5 to AUGUST 5 - "Dog Days of Summer"
Promotes longer term fostering May 5th to June 5th, June 5th to July 5th, July 5th to August 5th intervals

JUNE is also "Adopt a Cat Month" - perhaps we can do trial adoptions?
discounted adoption fees? Call for cage sponsors who pay the difference of the adoption fee.

OCTOBER is "Adopt a Dog Month" - discounted adoption fees? Call for kennel sponsors who pay the difference of the adoption fee.

NOVEMBER - "Count Your Blessings" donation drive for kongs, bones, kuranda beds, cat stuff, etc

DECEMBER 22 to JANUARY 2 - "Home for the Holidays" foster program

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The optimal end result is public awareness, higher adoption rates, and all the photos we do of the dogs throughout the year (especially season/holiday specific) are going to into a 2013 calendar, and 100% of the profits of that calendar are going to fund kuranda beds for every dog kennel.

What other ideas do you have?

four = complete

2012-01-19T12:57:00.002-05:00

The Mr. and I just celebrated our 7th anniversary together. We acknowledged that our little family feels quite complete these days.
Four dogs isn't weird, overboard or too much. It's just enough.

It kind of keeps me from fostering more dogs at this point. I really don't want to mess up a good thing.
Although - it would be nice to share the love with a foster.
There is certainly love in our little home... a whole lot of love.

Pre-Wordless Wednesday : Stop SOPA/PIPA

2012-01-17T15:57:00.003-05:00

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

thanks for the heads up, something wagging this way comes!

2012 Shelter Dogs : The Lovely Bones

2012-01-16T01:13:00.001-05:00

Do you have an extra $10-$20?

It's a simple little plan : take that cash, head to a pet supply store, and load up on various bones.

Part two is even easier : take those bones to your local shelter and pass them out to the pets waiting for their forever homes.

These bones or chew treats help keep these dogs from getting worsened kennel stress.

Even if its just five minutes of distraction, it's five minutes that a shelter dog doesn't have to focus on the stressful environment.

It doesn't take much to make a real difference in the life of a shelter dog!

the war on wax

2012-01-15T01:56:00.000-05:00

Buckley has a problem, an ear problem.

Specifically, it's a left ear, wax build-up problem.

I don't know what causes it, just that every six months or so his left ear starts to get real waxy. I try to keep up with cleaning it daily, but it always gets out of control and we have to get some Otomax.

According to Drs. Foster & Smith:

What is Otomax?
Otomax is an ointment used to treat ear infections. It is a combination steroid, antibacterial, and antifungal ear medication labeled for use in dogs.

Otomax is an effective combination steroid, antibacterial, and antifungal ointment used to treat acute and chronic ear infections. The active ingredients are betamethasone valerate, a steroid; gentamicin sulfate, an antibiotic; and clotrimazole, which is antifungal. These ingredients work together to combat painful infections of the ear.

How does Otomax work?
Otomax treats acute and chronic otitis (ear infection) with gentamicin (an antibiotic) and betamethasone (a corticosteroid). This combination is approved for the treatment of inflammation and bacterial infections of the ear. Also contains clotrimazole, for the effective treatment of fungal (yeast) infections of the ear.

We give him about three drops in his ear once a day, massaging it in so he doesn't just shake the ointment out. After the first treatment, his ear gets full of even MORE wax, which is cleaned out. After three or four days, his ear starts to clear up and after seven days he's back to having a clean, non-smelly, non-waxy ear.

This is the third round of Otomax we've had to use on Buckley in the last year and a half.
I'm starting to think I have to research the root of the issue.

I remember with Linus the basset hound, although he had a waxy odor and his ears needed to be flushed once a week, he never got a build up like Buckley. Maybe I need to start flushing B's ears? But only one gets the build-up. Strange...

Why do dogs with flappy ears get a wax build-up?
How can I prevent it?

on being judgemental.

2012-01-13T15:08:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, I brought Lizzie back to the shelter.
I was also planning to bring a dog to Petsmart for an adoption event, so I got to the shelter early.

They have two sets of operating hours, the morning is for people surrendering animals and the afternoon is for adoption.

I arrived during the last hour of the surrender time frame.

I sat in my car for a bit and gave Liz some last scritches and treats, and I saw a woman unloading stuff from her car. A dry erase board and lots of plastic containers. Toys, and treats. So I smiled at her, and she refused to smile back.
Ok then.

So I get out, take a quick jog around the building with Liz, and bring her to the entrance of the shelter where I ran into the same woman. I smile, she practically scowls. Whatever.

I got Liz into her kennel, and spent about ten minutes passing out the ginormous bag of cow ears I brought for all the dogs in the adoption areas.

When I went back to the shelter lobby I was introduced to this woman, as she runs the volunteer effort for the Petsmart runs. She smiled at me.

It hit me... she thought I was surrendering a dog. A dog that most volunteers know to be Liz, a long time shelter resident. I didn't owe her an explanation when I was walking Liz back to the shelter, I just smiled at her and got judgement in return.

Uncool.

I understand, to a point, that the shelter workers and volunteers can get jaded. Pets flood the floors of the shelter because of people issues. However, there are legitimate reasons people turn to the shelter. It is, after all, called a shelter which I hope we could take to mean "a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals". 'Abandoned' covers a wide array of people situations.

A smile isn't hard to give.
Hell, a simple smile can turn into a small conversation... which might just uncover why someone would be surrendering their pet to the shelter... and maybe you could even offer solutions or help the owner never considered.

A scowl does not open any lines of communication.

- Do you think people are judged, harshly, by shelter staff or rescue volunteers when they have to surrender an animal?
- Do you think the judgement is ever justified?

this is what happens when...

2012-01-11T18:23:00.001-05:00

...you put a one-inch nubbin of a himalayan dog chew in the microwave for one minute.

BAM! It's big again.

Still solid, and still takes a pup a decent amount of time to finish.

Neat, huh?!

2012 Shelter Dogs : Promoting Betsy

2012-01-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

Betsy is an adorable pit bull mix gal at the shelter.

She's been promoted as "pet of the week" on our local news station, and this past weekend I brought her to Petsmart for the shelter's adoption event.

Three hours of standing outside Petsmart in the cold... not too much to ask to help this gal find her forever home. In that time, she learned to sit, shake, and look at the treat instead of whining at other dogs.

Almost everyone asked to pet her, but no one put in an adoption application for her.
I can't understand why... just look at that face.

How can I make her more appealing (than she naturally is) to adopters?

2012 Shelter Dogs : Good Luck, Lizzie!

2012-01-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

This weekend was an eventful one. Lizzie took a dozen adventures on the other end of a leash, and proved she can calm down if given the tools to do so.

The greatest tool ever?
- Bad Cuz (again!)

Whenever Dizzy Lizzie would latch onto her leash, I squeaked the Cuz. She dropped the leash right away and proceeded to carry the Cuz around, happy as can be.

The leash is just a toy to Lizzie, and the more frustrated with pent up energy she is - the more focused she is on the leash.

I don't know how to prevent her from being a leash shark when she gets out for a walk at the shelter, but I will be making a sign that says "don't forget to bring a toy on our walk!".

We briefly discussed what we would have to do to make Lizzie a longer term foster. It simply wouldn't work.
Kiba is still reactive to dogs he's not around often, and likewise, she charges the gate quite a bit at our four dogs. If they hadn't had the gate between them, she and Kiba would have fought at least four times yesterday.
I believe her main issue with the other dogs to be resource guarding. She's lunged mostly after giving a brief warning while standing over a bone or a crumb from a mostly-eaten treat.
The mister and I can, however, take bones and toys away from her without issue.
Liz did get to sniff Buckley twice on a walk, she was very excited, but didn't show signs of distress.
She also met one of my neighbors and my brother today, she was a peach! Excited, but well behaved.
But then after all that, she lunged frantically at Kiba after he barked at a noise outside. Oy.
It's a bit too chaotic in a home that already houses four dogs. I just can't do this one...

The mister and I agreed that we'd ask the shelter to put out a foster plea for Liz. There has to be more people out there who can open their homes to a dog who wants all their attention, right?!

.
This gal just needs time and a structured environment that allows her to calm down and mature.
Our home isn't the best place, and unfortunately the shelter is not the best place either! She's been there so long, that she's essentially grown up in the shelter. She's practiced these 'bad manners' every moment she's been in her kennel, she just needs to be in a home if she's going to be expected to act like a beloved pet.

I sure do hope there is an adoption or better suited foster home on the horizon for Liz - she's a great dog for someone looking to have just one dog!

a whale poo sniffer dog

2012-01-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

how fun!

From NPR:

In Puget Sound, a team of researchers is relying on a secret weapon with a killer nose to figure out what's wrong with the orcas in Northwestern waters.

...Tucker is an 8-year-old black Lab mix. He's what those in the dog world call "ball-obsessed." He'll do anything for a game of fetch — even if that means sniffing out floating whale scat from a mile away — because he knows that when he finds the scat, he gets to play with his ball.

...Tucker wanders back and forth across the bow, but doesn't seem too excited.
"What he'll do if he doesn't have anything, is he'll come back and settle down and sit right next to me," says Liz Seely, Tucker's trainer. She has him on a leash as the boat crisscrosses the waters where the whales last surfaced.
"When he gets excited, he'll start standing up on the bow, wagging his tail, getting really animated."

...With orca populations in Puget Sound still disturbingly low, researchers believe the answers may lie in these floating globules of data. After all, a sample of whale poop is kind of like a snapshot of pollution levels in coastal waters.

2012 Shelter Dogs : Lizzie's slumber party

2012-01-06T22:51:00.002-05:00

Dizzy Miss Lizzie is going to be sleeping over for two nights while I attempt to teach her some leash manners.

Two days is not enough time to properly teach her, but we'll do what we can!

Tonight's walk was promising. She did some mad dashes, nearly dislocated my shoulder, and tried in vain to chew the leash apart... but I learned something about her. She's extremely sensitive to a loud voice.
When she ran out so fast that my shoulder actually popped I yelled out "AH! LIZZIE!" and she rolled on her back.
Ok then.
Sorry girl, didn't mean to upset you!

But I can use this. Before she reaches the end of her leash, I can make a sound because I know it will get her attention, as treats certainly do not.

She's super quiet in the house and the car. She's been here about six hours and besides the walk, she's been sleeping on the crib mattress...

a lizzie kiss in 3, 2, 1...

She's sweet.
Really sweet.
Besides the difficult leash stuff, I'm not really sure why she hasn't been adopted yet.

Kiba is even limiting his posturing and growls! Maybe he's starting to understand why we're doing this.


buckley's waiting for it...

the weekend is so close

2012-01-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

and all I want to do is...

Instead, I'll be picking up Liz from the shelter Friday. I'm hoping for a successful weekend of leash training with her.
Sunday there is an adoption event at our local Petsmart, and I'm hoping to bring Liz (unless she proves to be both kennel stressed and reactive on leash).
Monday... classes start up again.
Bum bum bum!

I am quite determined to stay true to my resolution, despite how busy other aspects of life may get this semester.

2012 Shelter Dogs : In which Jeanie gets adopted

2012-01-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

We didn't adopt her... some other awesome people with fabulous taste in canine company did!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

From the shelter manager:
"Jeanie has a great applicant at the moment. Her cat test was fine. I brought both the adopters and Jeanie into our downstairs office where we had 9 cats and a random kitten. She was surrounded completely and wanted no part of them. She's going for her spay today and they are picking her up Friday. They have a male Pit Bull mix that is playful, so I think she'll have some fun."

Her kennel card read "no cats".
When Jeanie slept over our place, she couldn't care less about the sneaky cat that poops in our yard.
That creepy cat drives the beagle boys insane - barking, carrying on until it leaves their view.
Jeanie? No worries.
I told the shelter manager this, and it paid off. That little tidbit of information (found out through fostering her a mere five days) helped change Jeanie's life.

I think I'll have a smile plastered on my face for the next couple of days!

2012 Shelter Dogs : Sheba

2012-01-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sheba is a sweet, itty bitty pittie from our local shelter.

She has a larger-than-her-size personality... but her petfinder page and accompanying photo didn't reflect that.

You see, shelter staff don't always have time to take really good photos of the dogs in their care. They might not have enough time to spend with the dogs, to get to know their personality, either. Petfinder is designed to personalize the pets listed on the site. Sheba is fun, energetic, and full of love.

Sometimes a single photo speaks to someone - and I wanted Sheba to have a fighting chance to speak to her future people - wherever they are.

So for Sheba, I took some photos to update her petfinder listing...

You can see so much more of her personality in these, right?

I'm far from a good photographer, and even though Sheba didn't stay still longer than a second... I hope these help her!

my new years' resolution

2012-01-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

Liz is an awesome dog at our local shelter. She's been there a while... why?!

Since four dogs are more than enough responsibility (and honestly, I don't think I can handle a fifth for any length of time) my resolution for 2012 is to help dogs like Lizzie without taking them home.

But how?

Liz, for instance, can be a jumpy 'leash shark' - that is - she's so excited to be leaving her kennel that she grabs hold of the leash with her mouth and trashes back and forth. It doesn't make walking her all that pleasant, and it gives the wrong first impression if anyone is interested in her.

Lizzie just needs someone to help her redirect all that excitement, and she needs to understand what the leash means.
The leash doesn't mean you've got to wrap your jaws around it, it means we're going to explore!

Knowing what I know about Ms. Liz...
- She loves a trail near the shelter and is fully redirected from biting the leash while on the trail
- She's food motivated
- She likes to be talked to

All these things say to me, Liz is very trainable. She aims to please, but she's got so much pent up energy in the shelter that she can't help herself!

Using these calming/training treats, I went to see Liz armed with my super basic, positive reinforcement training knowledge to teach easy things like her shelter name (most dogs are named at the shelter and aren't familiar with the new word! You'd be surprised how many times I've heard "this dog doesn't know its name. is it deaf?"), sit, down, and redirecting her mouth away from the leash.

It's small, but it's something. Maybe it will improve her chances of adoption?

I'm going to try to document most of my efforts with these shelter dogs in 2012, hoping that someone will see these little efforts and go "hey, I CAN do that" or hell, "I can do MORE than that!"

Here's to Liz, happy new year girlie. Let's hope you get adopted in 2012!

creatures of comfort

2011-12-29T04:32:00.000-05:00

my dogs are definitely creatures of comfort. we wonder if they know how good they have it...

lessons learned from jeanie

2011-12-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

- Kiba still has issues with new dogs.
He's growled and charged the gate quite a few times in the last couple of days. Although his training certainly paid off, and he didn't growl at her everytime they sniffed through the gate, its enough to remind me that he still has the potential to cause harm to a dog he's not comfortable with.

I think over the last few months I certainly have let my guard down with him, letting him interact off leash with Hachi, but whether its purely barrier frustration or the reactivity he's always shown us - he's still reminding me to be careful.

- Our dogs want us to be a small(er) dog family. It could be only her size (she's a large dog for sure!) or her exuberance towards other dogs, but there is certainly something every one of our dogs doesn't quite like about Jeanie.
*With Tsuki, it might be the fact that Jeanie is intact. Tsuki's weakness in dog interactions is intact females which still surprises me since we socialized her with all kinds of dogs, including intact females. Hachi was intact for a while when she lived with us and Tsuki didn't have an issue with her... still, Tsuki can be quite the bitch when she wants to be! She's growled at Jeanie a handful of times right after sniffing her back side through the gate.
*Kitsu has screamed at her when she bounces towards him wanting to play. I think he's just being a tool.
*Kiba, see above.
*Buckley hasn't growled at her, but he did have to snap at her when she tackled him! He's the only one that has met Jeanie without a barrier.

After she sniffed him intensely, she basically stood over him, not letting him out from under her, and wagged her tail so hard I thought it would become a propeller and lift her!

Needless to say, Buckley was probably more than a little intimidated by this large, bounding, wiggling creature. Maybe he was having flashbacks to when Vander would step on him and make him puke.

So, like we did with Vander, we held Jeanie by the haunches and let them sniff a tad more calmly without her having the full range of her powerful body. Buckley appreciated that, but chose to hide behind me after a brief sniff, so we ended the greeting session early.

She's just a lot of dog to them, I guess.

- I have an awesome partner.
I've had a wicked cold since the 23rd, and the Mr. has taken on walking FIVE dogs twice a day without one single complaint. He opened his heart with reckless abandon for Jeanie, too. Knowing our time with her was limited, he made the most of it. He usually distances himself from fosters, knowing the inevitable broken heart that will occur... but this time he jumped in head first.

I'm so proud of him.
I love him, I honestly love him!

- Happy tail isn't so happy. Not ONE method of taping or padding or protecting stayed on her tail very long, and she barely messed with it. The harder she wagged her tail, the harder it was for any type of bandage or tape to stay attached, and the more she bled.

The most reliable coverage came from a 15 cc syringe barrel (with an air-flow hole drilled in) shoved onto her tail for protection, wrapped in flexible, self adhesive wound wrap, and medical tape, to attempt to keep it in place. But even that only stayed on a few hours at a time. Ugh.
At least we were able to keep a steady layer of Sulfodene 3-Way ointment on the wound.

The shelter also gave her a larger kennel upon her return today, so her tail would be less likely to bash against the concrete.

- I have a love/hate relationship with fostering.
I love what fostering can do for a dog... dogs like Lexi & Henson can recover in a home setting, dogs like Hanzo can get where they are meant to go, dogs like Rudy can die peacefully and comfortably, and dogs like Kiba find a forever home from their foster.
For a dog like Jeanie, meant to only be a temporary house guest for a holiday foster program, the most we could do (short of adopting her) is promote her.
Our photos and information learned about her updated her petfinder listing, she got a pretty new collar so hopefully someone notices her and wants to get to know her as we do.

doesn't she look snazzy in this lucy collar?

We were able to give her a few days of comfort, fun, love, peace and relaxation. It's what we promised to do, and we did it.

Then we had to bring her back. We briefly discussed what we'd have to do to make Jeanie a longer term foster dog, and it just wasn't feasible at this point in time. Besides our dogs' reaction to her, we are still adjusting to a new house (with lots of new responsibilities), my job only allows me a little time off here and there, and the upcoming semester is going to be an intense one for me. Jeanie needs more space, time and one on one attention from someone who has eyes just for her. And her tail.

This is the part of fostering I hate, the heartbreaking perspective one sometimes needs to make decisions in the best interest of their family and the dog(s) in question. I hated coming to terms with the fact that Jeanie had to go back to the shelter for the reasons listed above. I hope I did everything I could in five short days to improve her chances of adoption.

Walking away from her shelter kennel today... goodness... my heart broke. I felt it. It hurt. I hope she understands somehow, that it's not her... that something better is out there...

But you know what... I'd do it again tomorrow.

comfort and joy

2011-12-23T23:11:00.001-05:00

It's all we could promise her, for these few days.

Comfort...

fleece neck wrap keeps the pittie warm in the slushy snow

And joy.

so photogenic!

The thought of bringing her back in a couple of days is more painful than I can describe in this post. Damn it.

I hope and hope and hope there will be someone else out there who sees what we see in this adorable gal. Like, today.
She really is the perfect dog.

Happy Holidays from the inu-baka family!

healing a happy tail

2011-12-23T19:41:00.001-05:00

Saline, for tail dipping.

Petroleum jelly, for gauze dressing.

Gauze, for tail rapping.

And tegaderm film, for keeping all that safe from further harm.

Miraculously, she's not paying all that much attention to her tail. She pulled the film a little, but leaves it alone for the most part.

It's not pretty, but its functional.
I sure hope it helps the tail heal!! She's such a sweet girl, she deserves to be wagging her happy little tail without harm.

jeanie and the mr.

introducing our foster, Jeanie!

2011-12-22T21:17:00.001-05:00

Jeanie is an adorable young adult pit bull mix from our local shelter.
We're fostering her for five days as it's their first "Home for the Holidays" foster program and we really wanted to support this initiative.

She's a cutie! She's super sweet, she's quiet and isn't terribly strong, she's great in the car, she likes other dogs and I'm honestly not really sure why she hasn't been adopted yet.

She's been here about an hour and is already settling in.

One unfortunate thing is her "happy tail". It's the reason we chose to bring her here instead of my favorite shelter dog, Ruben the beagle/boxer mix. We're hoping to give her tail a chance to heal a little, but she hits it off EVERYTHING! Cabinets, walls, the gate, her sides, me... bloody bloody bloody.

Any pit bull people know how to remedy that?! It sort of splits and sprays everywhere because her tail never stops wagging!

Kiba reacted like we thought he would. Incredibly exaggerated and loud.

But the beauty of it is - his training REALLY paid off. He's easily redirected by food and therefore totally managable.

We'll see what the next four days bring!

truthiness list

2011-12-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure I've talked about the incidents before, but inspired by Our Waldo Bungie to tell the truth (even when the truth isn't pretty), to date...

- The first dog fight I ever witnessed was between Kitsu and Kobe, our first foster shiba. Kitsu's arm got a laceration and Kobe had lots of missing fur. My arm was deeply punctured from incorrectly breaking up the fight and Mr.'s thumb was bit. We later determined this fight was over Oreo's I was eating, Kitsu wanted them and Kobe was too near to them.
Kobe went to a new foster home a week later, where he was adopted.
I learned exactly what "resource guarding" meant, and I learned to begin to manage Kitsu. I admit I looked at him differently after that, and I took more caution.

- Tsuki and Kitsu got into one scuffle, no bloody wounds, over a raw marrow bone.
I learned that even dogs that seemed 'bullet proof' together could still get into it if I wasn't careful.

- Our next incident was between Hanzo and Tsuki. Tsuki's nose was nicked, but not bleeding. She didn't fight back at all. We realized early on that Hanzo didn't want anything to do with Tsuki, Kitsu or Hachi. Eventually he consented to being walked with Hachi as long as she didn't try to sniff him.
I learned what "dog reactive" meant, and I learned how to use baby gates and xpens to my advantage in managing multiple dogs where one dog could potentially cause an issue.

- Kitsu then attacked Henson during his heartworm recovery... thankfully he didn't cause any damage or set back for Henson. This was over a sliver of cheese that fell from the counter while I made a lasagna. Henson lost some fur from the incident and Kitsu's neck was wet with slobber.
I learned that I wasn't doing enough to manage Kitsu, and gave him far too much freedom around a foster. I also started to wonder if his reactivity was more towards males than females, as he never went after Hachi or Tsuki after small things like crumbs.

- Sadly, Kitsu also attacked Jiro shortly after Jiro was neutered. What we could determine is that Kitsu was nervous of the outside world already, and I left the door open (screen door closed, but he could hear people walking by outside) and Jiro must have just brushed up on him the wrong way. No injuries, just bruised egos on both ends.
I learned that Kitsu probably was more likely to attack a male than he was to attack a female in similar situations.

- Maisy the feisty cur dog had several scuffles, mostly with Tsuki. The last of which was the determining factor in why we returned Maisy to the no-kill shelter because Tsuki was injured near her eye and her front leg. Maisy's ear was torn. It wasn't pretty. Maisy would get really worked up and antagonize the shibas, and Tsuki would correct her. Maisy didn't like being corrected and turned that warning into a challenge, and 9 times out of 10 they'd fight. We managed Maisy the best we could, but she also would guard random objects from me, often growling and lunging towards my hands and feet if I wasn't careful. It wasn't worth waiting for something terrible to happen...
I learned that even though I thought I did everything right - management, training, time, patience, understand, and love - that I still can't control every factor in helping a dog adjust to our home. We intended to permanently adopt Maisy, but it just wasn't the right fit. That was hard to accept.

- And then there was Kiba. I've written more about his ups and downs (biting Tsuki during a rough play-turned-fight session, and Kitsu over unknown circumstances... growling at the Mr. frequently and lunging at his arms a few times. He growled at me a few times at the beginning, but it's been a long time since he's done that).
Knowing everything I know, and doing everything I could to prevent and manage, I still failed. I'm always really proud to see him now... see how far we've come. I'm afraid to jeopardize that, very afraid. But I trust myself more.

I hope I don't have another incident to add to the truthiness list after our short five day foster (incoming this Thursday!). I suppose we'll just have to see...

dogs in cars

2011-12-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

Dogs in Cars from keith on Vimeo.

i love mr. chewy's

2011-12-17T17:57:00.000-05:00

I found Mr. Chewy's site when I googled "acana ranchlands 29.7lbs" because for some reason, that formula of Acana is super hard to find in the large bag!

Not only did Mr. Chewy's have it, but they also offer FREE SHIPPING on every single order over $49!
And if you schedule auto deliveries, you get a discount on your first order!

Our food came in two days... that's it! Free shipping = 2 days. That's awesome.

Needless to say, my first order with Mr. Chewy's saved me some cash and made four inus super happy!

But what sealed the deal for my return to Mr. Chewy's came in the mail a week ago...

A personalized holiday card, handwritten, from Mr. Chewy's.

Seriously - how GREAT is that!?

To me - it means this isn't just a company, but they care. They get it, they want to truly be there for my and my dogs' needs.
I love that.

If you order your dog food/treats/supplies online, or if you have trouble finding a specialty food or size of food, check out Mr. Chewy's. You will NOT be disappointed!!

Guest Blogger, Kristin: 10 Years and Helping Paws

2011-12-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago today I lost one of the greatest people in my life, my father. It was the most difficult time in my life and it has only gotten slightly easier ten years later. I still get teary eyed when I think of him or talk about him, or when I see something on TV that reminds me of him, I even cried at Pirates of the Caribbean because he looks just like Captain Jack Sparrow.

There are few things that soothe the ache in my heart I have for my father, one of those being my dogs. When he passed away I didn't have a dog at the time and I didn't have a cuddly furbody to hold onto and take comfort from. I rescued Sasha, my amazing Husky girl shortly after his death and I realized why I always had a dog in my life. They care, about you about life, about how you feel. Sasha really got me through the next few years. Anytime I needed to cry, she would curl up with me and would just let me hold her and cry. She made the pain bearable, because she understood. I just needed love and companionship and a dog that would look at me like I was the most amazing wonderful person in the whole world. Loosing Sasha was awful, it was like loosing a family member all over again. The hurt and anguish I felt was overwhelming, not only because I lost my best friend, but because she was the one who got me through the whole thing, she was my reason for smiling in the mornings.

I knew living without a dog was just not possible, and the fates really threw me a golden star. His name is Miso. He is my soul mate in dog form if I ever had one. He knows me, understands me, cuddles me, loves me and just lets me be his companion as much as he is mine. He knows when I am sad and just sits with me, he knows when I am happy and plays with me. He really is the most soulful wonderful animal I have ever met.

I know that this 10 year anniversary brings a lot of sadness, but I am glad I have my helping paws to get me through another year, and I know I will always have helping paws in my life. It's just who I am, crazy about my dogs.

Sasha...my first rescue, my first love

Miso, my heart and soul...

I love you James Wilfred Crawford, thank you for being my source of strength.

leaving the past in the past

2011-12-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

Updated to say : we will not be calling. According to the shelter manager, this family was furious that Kiba wasn't destroyed, and even more furious that they allowed him to go into foster care. I do not want them to know anything about my Kiba, there is nothing to be gained from calling.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So... to make a long story relatively short...
- we had to track down where kiba got his rabies shot when he was briefly adopted in January of this year
- our vet couldn't get the paperwork and asked us to try
- the shelter gave us the former owner's last name and the vet office where his rabies shot came from
- in order to get those files, the vet had to get an OK from the owner (apparently?)

And now my dilemma...
- the person who briefly adopted kiba, then returned him when he bit them, now knows he's adopted, and asked the vet's office to relay the following message "please call us, we'd like to discuss the dog"

Important points
* they wanted him destroyed (killed) for biting
* they relinquished ownership and the right to any information about Kiba when they surrendered him
* they could call the shelter, who I know wouldn't give them any of our information
* I just don't feel comfortable with their request... at all. It's like they realized he's still alive and want to find out why.

Would you call the previous owners?

The only benefit
* We might get a better idea of why and how he bit... but generally do most people really hyper-analyze why a dog bit??

I'm 99.999999999% sure I'm not going to call.

What would you do?

the yearly check-up

2011-12-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

Ah, the four-dog vet visit.
Just plain fun!

Actually, all the dogs behaved relatively well. Kiba was uber attentive to the cheese I brought, Buckley and Tsuki too. Kitsu is always a bit too on edge to eat treats, but the Mr. held him to keep him comfortable.
I realized that as a team, he and I have a pretty good handle on four dogs.
Yay us!

So the check up...
Tsuki, 4yrs old, 19lbs and healthy
- she was due for her 3 year rabies and distemper (done and done)
- 4DX snap test (heartworm, lyme, ehrlichia, anaplasma) test all negative

Buckley, 2yrs old, 27lbs (!!!) and healthy
- 4DX snap test negative

Kiba, 7yrs old, 40lbs and healthy!
- 4DX snap test negative
*my vet found this super interesting as we treated him for a high positive for Lymes in February of this year. We retested him in August, and he was within a normal range. He now tests negative for Lymes.
- T4 and FT4 Thyroid tests all within normal range

Kitsu, 5yrs old, 31lbs and healthy
- 4DX snap test negative
- T4 and FT4 Thyroid tests all within a normal functioning range
(in May we tested Kitsu and he was slightly low... we didn't do anything but retest and now he's in the normal range)

Our vet explained the basic range of the T4 and the F(ree) T4, and how the dog's thyroid function is determined is by basing their tested levels on half the range total.

Lab Range T4 = 1.0 - 4.0
50% of Range = 2.5
Kitsu's May T4 = 2.44
Kitsu's December T4 = 2.6

Lab Range Free T4 = .65 - 3.0
50% of Range = 1.825
Kitsu's May Free T4 = 1.74
Kitsu's December Free T4 = 1.91

Our vet had us retest because even though Kitsu presented multiple symptoms (he gained 7lbs in the last two years, seasonal skin issues, anxiety, behavior issues that come and go - like conditions that may or may not cause aggression, lethargy) that may indicate low thyroid function, she wasn't entirely convinced that he was actually hypothyroid. So, I guess her know-how was right, because his levels are fine now.

I don't even pretend to know the first thing about thyroid levels, functions and diagnostics so for now I'm taking my vet's word for it.
Can anyone recommend any good books on the canine thyroid function?

we love snow days

2011-12-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

i love to explore the little patch of woods all covered in snow...

It
was
THE
perfect
day.

The shibas are in their element in the snow. Their faces say it all!

Kiba just looks so natural in his little patch of nature.
Oh I love this dog.

Buckley has a different habit... sniffing the snow so intently his face gets buried in it.

It's cute, no?

We hope you get to enjoy some snow this season!

my new shirt

2011-12-10T19:28:00.001-05:00

it's wicked cool, right?!

you can find this and other awesome stuff at threadless

kiba : i'm a keeper

2011-12-09T18:45:00.001-05:00

Kiba's story is on the Best Friends Animal Society website - check it out!

possible fosters

2011-12-09T13:40:00.001-05:00

Mr. and I went to the local shelter yesterday to meet the dogs who might be available for their first ever Home for the Holidays foster program. We will be fostering one dog from the shelter from December 21-27.

This is Mitchey:

I L-O-V-E Mitchey. He's thought to be a pomeranian/beagle mix. He was recently adopted and returned for not getting along with the dog in his adopter's home.

This is Ruben.

Ruben is a ham. He's great on leash and super wiggly. I think he's a beagle/boxer mix. He's iffy around new dogs but loves, loves, loves people. He's our second choice.

Tara.

I'd pick Tara only because she's been at the shelter since February of this year. She's a little rough around the edges behavior wise (she has zero manners!) but she's moldable. I think she's adorable!

This is Lady.

Lady didn't stop for longer than a millisecond so all her photos are in motion! She'd probably not be the best fit for our situation but I think she'd help me lose a few pounds instead of gaining them from all the holiday food!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Best case scenario all these wonderful dogs get adopted and we foster a totally different one... time will tell.
Check back with us closer to Christmas to meet our next foster!

i'm not a doggy dumpster

2011-12-07T11:31:00.001-05:00

Monday night my cell phone rings, I look to see who it is and my display tells me its a former landlord.No thanks.
Hoping they leave a voicemail (because I'm intrigued) I waited... no voicemail.

Last night the phone rings, I look to see who it is and its a number I do not recognize.
No thanks.
Hoping they leave a voicemail (because again, I'm intrigued... don't judge me! I don't have cable!) I waited.
A voicemail!

"Uh hi, Jen, this is Lance Russell. Your former landlord Robin gave me your phone number. I got two dogs I need to get rid of and he said you'd help me. I'll expect a return call tonight."

what. the. hell.

So I log on to my email so I can ask why the EFF they are giving my personal information out to complete strangers and see this email:

Hi Jen, We have this tenant who wants to give up his two pit bulls. His name is Lance Russell and his number is ###-###-####. Please give him a call and see if you can help arrange for someone to take the dogs. Thanks. Robin

Seriously?! You give me one day to respond before you give him my number?
And furthermore, what makes you think that I can help? Because I fostered dogs while I rented from you?

So I wrote back:

I received a call from him tonight. How did he get my phone number?

I'm not a rescue, I only volunteer for rescues and the local Animal Shelter, which is where I would refer him to if he lives in this County.
There are a few pit bull rescues in our county that he can google.

If you can relay this information to him that would be great, and if you could refrain from giving out my personal information that would be even better. Thanks.

On one hand, I thoroughly appreciate that I'm thought of as a "dog person" and even appreciate "person who takes in unwanted dogs", but there is a fine line here. I am not a doggy dumpster. I am not a rescue. I wish I was.
I don't have people at my beck and call that can take dogs from a guy who wants to give his dogs away.
I wish I did.

I do not appreciate someone trying to make their issue my problem. I really don't... because now I can't get those two dogs out of my mind. I don't even know what they look like, but I can't stop thinking about them.

I don't know what his reasons were, or what his issue actually is beyond wanting to 'get rid of' two dogs. I want to want to help this man, but I will not be calling him back. I feel absolutely terrible for these two dogs and whatever their futures may be... but this time, it's just not my problem.

heartbreak

2011-12-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, we transported a basenji. He was being given up by his owner and going to a great foster home through a breed specific rescue.

I don't know why he was being given up, and I didn't ask.

When we met with his owner in the parking lot of a hotel, I could tell immediately that circumstances beyond either of their control were forcing them apart. His owner tried, in vain, to contain his overwhelming emotions while he was living the last moments he would have with his dog.
"I've had him for almost four years, I never imagined I'd have to... I just... he's such a good dog" he sobbed.

It killed me. I put my hand on his owner's shoulder and assured him that the rescue group now responsible for his dog was an amazing one. I told him I'd heard fantastic things about the foster home, it was basenji savvy and very ready for his dog. I told him he was doing his dog justice by going through this rescue group.

It still didn't help, I could see that. Maybe those sentiments would bring him comfort in the days to come.
There was no way I could judge this man, in this time of an obvious difficulty, I only wanted to hug him.
And tell him I'd been there... I know. It sucks. It may never get easier, even looking back on the good times, but we do the best we could. I could tell he had, as I had with dogs like Maisy.

It broke my heart to load up each personal item he was sending with his dog. He choked back tears as he told us that his dog preferred a comforter to a dog bed, because he destroys dog beds. He might chew his harness if we left it on in the car, so we should take it off.

The final moment came, he handed me the leather leash and he bent down. He took his dogs face into his hands and held it to his forehead. He smelled him, gave him a kiss, removed his ID tag, and said "be a good dog".

We just witnessed a very touching and heartbreaking moment between two beings who had found one another and relied on one another for some time in this life.
And now it was over.

We loaded the dog into our car, and his owner walked the other way.

As we got ready to drive off, we watched this dog's (now former) owner start to cry heavily and steadily in his car.
This was probably one of the hardest things he'll ever have to do.

The pup was visibly confused and concerned.

I don't know if dogs have memories or if they truly do live in the moment as many believe... but in this particular moment, this dog knew something was wrong. Something was changing.
He started to whine.

Just like his owner, I think his heart was breaking too.

On the ride back, he did eventually settle down and nap on his familiar comforter.

He ate some tater tots from Sonic, listened to Iron and Wine, and took it all in stride as dogs generally do.

I wonder if he knew his life was changed forever.

Two weeks after the transport, I got an email from the man we met in the hotel parking lot.
It read :

Jen,I just wanted to say thank you for helping in the process of finding a new home for [my dog]. The whole thing was very stressful for me and I'm glad [the rescue] was able to help. I think my dog has a a much better chance of finding a good family to live with now than if I had just taken him to the pound. I plan to volunteer for [the rescue] when I can to help out other people in my situation. I'm so thankful to you for your time and effort. Have a happy holiday

It's moments like this, as hard as they seem, that I am glad rescue exists. I'm proud to call myself a rescuer, a dog adopter, a transporter, a volunteer. I'm glad that I can help in various areas of rescue - even for a mere two hour transport - just to be there for two beings going through so much. To one, I extended my arms, and to the other, I handed his leash to his foster so he could begin his new life.

happy national mutt day!

2011-12-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

National Mutt Day is December 2.

National Mutt Day was created in 2005 by Celebrity
Pet Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate Colleen Paige,
and is all about embracing, saving and celebrating mixed breed dogs. The biggest percentage of dogs euthanized in the shelter each year are unwanted, medium to large mixed breed dogs, due to the constant over-breeding and public desire of designer dogs and pure bred puppies that are sold to pet stores supplied by puppy mills that often produce ill and horribly neglected animals.

National Mutt Day was created to raise awareness of the plight of mixed breed dogs in shelters around the nation and to educate the public about the sea of mixed breed dogs that desperately await new homes. Mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier, better behaved, they live longer and are just as able to perform the duties of pure bred dogs - such as bomb and drug sniffing, search and rescue and guiding the blind.

There are millions of loving and healthy mixed breed dogs sitting in shelters, who are desperately searching for a new home. One of the county's most famous movie dogs is Benji, is a mixed breed Terrier.

So please visit your local shelter and find a new friend today! If you can't adopt a mixed breed friend on December 2nd, please donate at least $5 to your local animal shelter, as they all need financial assistance and every dollar counts!

You can also volunteer to walk a dog, donate food and other supplies needed to your local animal shelter or make a donation in the memory of a loved dog who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Our goal is to save 10,000 Mutts this December 2nd from coast to coast!

I sure do love my two beagley mutts!

katherine heigl hates balls

2011-11-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

Katherine Heigl Hates Balls from Katherine Heigl

my little successes

2011-11-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

"...people require [little successes] to get through the day. There's got to be something that makes you feel good about yourself... people create these kinds of ... trophies for themselves."

- Bill Murray

He's talking about his character, Dr. Raleigh St. Clair, from The Royal Tenenbaums film. His character finds Dudley, his little success - his science project that he gets to control, judge and determine what he is and what he represents.

After hearing this commentary, it struck me that this is a huge part of why I fill my house with an uncommon number of dogs.

Everything they do fascinates me.

They associate with the world around them in a way so different from myself.
They see what I fail to see.
They smell what I do not notice.

They remind me to live each moment, in the moment.

They find joy in the simplest of things!
Something as simple as a good old stick to chew can thrill little Buckley.

I find myself staring at him while he interacts with this little scrap of wood... wondering what is so special.

I took a photo so I can try to remember why this moment was meaningful to him, and why it should be meaningful to me.

Something as simple as a flower... Kiba wouldn't go near it at first. His second response was to try to chew it. I smelled it, then he smelled it.

I took the photo so I wouldn't forget that moment.

He looks at me like he understands me. And I strive to understand him.

I once considered him unpredictable, and possibly dangerous but I wasn't seeing him clearly.
I do now.

I wonder what these dogs see in me.
Why they show affection and excitement towards me... am I somehow a success to them? One of the humans that "gets" it?

It's why I embrace what will be inevitable heartbreak. These dogs will not live as long as I do, and some are not with us long. Even those dogs, like my dear Rudy, captured my heart and my full attention. I was in awe by his ability to navigate considering his condition

I could watch him find his way for hours... I wanted to know how his mind processed what he navigated given his limited senses. Amazing.

And Lexi, watching her heal was just, well, awesome. I wanted to film every moment and remember it.

She was my project, something I wanted to see through until she was adopted. I was so grateful for the opportunity, even though initially I was very nervous I would screw up. She healed just fine! And I learned so much.

I'm always amazed at how they teach me to see them, to hear them, to communicate with them.

I had to learn to be very deliberate with my movements, presentation of rewards, words, tone, and timing in order to effectively communicate with these dogs.

A dog like Kiba - it mattered a great deal that we accomplish that open line of communication. It was imperative that he learned to respond to my direction of looking for the treat instead of reacting to another dog.
It saved him, and it taught me so much.

I respect him as his own being, and I had to earn his respect by being fair and predictable.

I see emotions in these dogs. Happiness, fear, vitality, anxiety, confidence, frustration, trust, envy, and most of all love.

I love happy shiba faces.

These beings are so much more than a yard ornament, status symbol, hunting partner or plaything. From the first day my first dog came home I watched, I listened. I wanted to learn to truly appreciate dogs.

And even though this introspective observation is one sided (what benefits me) - the dogs that live with me benefit greatly too. Because I am in awe of them, I do everything I can to treat them with absolute dignity and careful consideration. I truly love dogs.

And so they became that thing that helped me get through the day. The thing that defined me. My little successes.

We are this misfit little family. People always remark that our dogs "match" because they're all brown and white... if they only knew how far apart these dogs originally were before they all came together in my home. I see these four dogs, who in theory shouldn't be very compatible and I'm insanely proud of all of us.

I hope I never stop seeing the marvel that is a dog, and I hope they never stop teaching me.

Guest Blogger Kristin: Swimming With Sharks and Rays!

2011-11-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

Totally unrelated to dogs, but I just had to share with my Inubaka friends! We went on a cruise last week and during our stop in Belize we went to Shark Ray Alley and got to swim with Sting Rays and Nurse Sharks. We even got to pet them, it was AMAZING! The alley is a preserve and the rays and sharks know that when they hear the boat motor and people in the water they are getting sardines so they come swarming for their fishes! It was seriously one of the coolest experiences I have ever had and couldn't believe how amazing it was.

Now related to dogs, we were away all week and the dogs were SO happy when we got back. The shiba greeting that we got from Miso and Sake was amazing. :)

chained v 2.0

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Kiba was a dog who was chained all his life, and a dog who bit because of that chain.
Because I live with a dog who is just so happy to be living life indoors with his family, I fully appreciate and understand the force behind projects like Dogs Deserve Better, Unchain your dog and Washington state's proposed legislature to limit the time a dog can be tethered.

A chained life is no life for man's best friend.

our [extended] backyard

2011-11-23T13:10:00.001-05:00

welcome to our extended backyard

can you see our house?

When we lived in the 'burbs we had to drive to a destination this fun and beautiful.

Now it's a two minute walk...

there is so much more thicket to explore!

the shibas - fearless.

stickers and pickers!

finding mice

the last leaf

giveaway : royal canin

2011-11-21T09:18:00.001-05:00

Do you have a dachshund? A bulldog puppy? A large breed puppy? Or small breed mama dog and puppies?

Then you are in luck.

Royal Canin wants to give you free starter packs of their targetted food for dogs who meet the above criteria.

In the interest of full disclosure about what is contained in these giveaway foods...

1. Dachshund 28 Kibble (one 2.5 bag)

- Ingredients listed here

- Proposed Benefits include : a tailor made kibble size (small, square), joint health (glucosamine/chondroitin), healthy weight, and aging care (antioxidants)

*If you are interested in this food - please leave a comment below and email your shipping info to jen (at) inubakablog.com.
The first dachshund owner who wants to try this food gets it!

2. Bulldog 30 for puppies (two 12oz bags)

- Ingredients listed here

- Proposed Benefits include : a tailor made kibble size for this brachycephalic jaw, natural defenses (vitamins e & c), joint support (glucosamine & chondroitin), and digestive health.

*If you are interested in this food - please leave a comment below and email your shipping info to jen (at) inubakablog.com.
The first bulldog puppy owner gets it!

3. Maxi [large breed] Puppy with adult weight 56-100lbs (12oz bag)

- Ingredients listed here

- Proposed Benefits include : digestive health (prebiotics), moderate energy content, natural defenses (antioxidants), healthy joints (chondroitin), and it promotes harmonious long growth through its optimal protein content.

*If you are interested in this food - please leave a comment below and email your shipping info to jen (at) inubakablog.com.

The first large breed puppy owner who wants to try this food gets it!

This last one is a very interesting concept.

4. Mini Starter for Mother and Babydog (end of gestation to lactation up to 2 months for breeds 2-22lbs)
This package contains one 12oz bag and four 5.8oz cans.

- Ingredients listed here

- Proposed Benefits include : gestation/lactation support (high energy needs met through ingredients), easy rehydration, ideal transition from milk.

*If you are interested in this food - please leave a comment below and email your shipping info to jen (at) inubakablog.com.

The first prego dog/young puppy owner who wants to try this food gets it!

I have not fed Royal Canin to any of my own personal dogs, but I would be very interested in any reviews of responses from anyone who wishes to try these foods, especially if they can show how the proposed benefits work.

kitsu in charcoal

2011-11-20T23:50:00.001-05:00

a mr. inu-baka creation.

rin tin tin : the life and the legend

2011-11-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

Author Susan Orlean recounts Rin Tin Tin's journey from being a stray puppy on a World War I battlefield to becoming a silent film star and an American icon.

Has anyone read this book? I'd be interested in your review!

preparing kiba for a foster dog

2011-11-18T12:46:00.001-05:00

The thing about traditional fostering is there is no guaranteed time frame.A good thing about the "Home for the Holidays" foster program that our local shelter is trying this year is there is a guaranteed time frame : December 22-27.

Welcome an adoptable pet from Griffin Pond Animal Shelter into your home as a foster animal from December 22-27th. The biggest rewards in fostering are the opportunity to brighten a homeless pet’s holiday season and the love and affection you’ll receive in return. By fostering and providing a pet with much needed attention and warmth, you’ll help to socialize him or her and improve adoption options. You’ll get answers to questions that most pet people have: How would my cat or dog feel about having another pet in our home? Would my cat get along with a dog? And for those without a pet, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn if you’re ready for one.
Who knows, you just may give your foster pet the best holiday gift of all – a new forever home!

I know dogs don't have a concept of what a holiday is, and I know that it seems a little sad that after 5 days in a home a dog may potentially have to go back to the shelter... but that is five whole days a dog is OUT of the shelter. It will improve adoption options when a dog goes back having learned something valuable (whether a trick, or how to be better on leash).

It's better than being stuck at the shelter those five days.

Most of all - this is a fantastic start to a foster program for our shelter. I want to support it in every single way. I offered to be a foster mentor, adoption counselor, and we too will be fostering for those five days.

For us, it will be a chance to see how far Kiba has progressed. I do not expect him to get along with a new dog in just five days. I don't even expect him to accept a dog in just five days. But I do expect us to all learn from this and be better for it.
We're already equipped with lots of extra room now, extra leashes and harnesses, xpens and expertise.

One thing is certain : we - as a family - are not ready to adopt a fifth dog.
Temporarily fostering is our compromise.

I wonder who our foster will be...

willie nelson is awesome... ohio can be too

2011-11-17T15:54:00.001-05:00

not actually willie nelson

Country singer Willie Nelson called Ohio's 24-year-old law declaring the "pit bull" to be a "vicious" dog by virtue of its existence an "archaic breed‐discriminatory law."

...Mr. Nelson, an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society, urged passage of House Bill 14. The bill would do away with the breed-specific language and make other changes to dog enforcement law.
"Ohio is the only state that discriminates against dogs who share a cluster of physical characteristics by classifying this group as 'vicious' without any regard to individual dog behavior," the email reads. "These dogs are considered 'vicious' at birth, even though there are countless dogs of unknown heritage who are deemed 'pit bulls' who are wonderful family pets.
"In addition to being beloved pets, many 'pit bulls' are show dogs, search and rescue dogs, and service dogs," Mr. Nelson wrote.
"The current law infringes on responsible dog owners' rights to own any dog they choose, no matter what the dog's appearance. Dogs, like people, are individuals and should each be judged on his/her own merits."

source

Help send Ohio the message that we the people want to end breed discrimination!

talk me down.

2011-11-16T11:14:00.001-05:00

I'm having a really really hard time not bringing a dog home.

I went up to the shelter with a friend who is ready to adopt a dog. I took a few small dogs out for her to pet and walk. One such dog was Peanut, probably a chihuahua/minpin/terrier mix, I picked her up because she walked to the front of her cage and started to cry. Her big, sad eyes were pleading with me to hold her.
So I did.
Mistake.

I can't stop thinking about her. Scared, sad, fragile, just wanting to be held.

I asked Mr. Inu-Baka this morning if he would even consider - NO! - another - NO! - dog - NO NO NO!
Four is enough.
Four is sometimes more than enough.

But we have extra space now!
NO!
I have so much love to give!
NO!
She's so tiny!
NO!
I could take her to work all day!
NO!
Kiba will learn to like her!
NO!

I talked to my godmother about her, she's "the chihuahua lady". We're going back up Saturday so she can meet her.

If she doesn't take her, and no one else adopted her by then... I might gain a dog and lose a husband this weekend.

ceiridwen terrill's 'part wild'

2011-11-14T12:30:00.000-05:00

I picked up Part Wild after reading Dr. McConnell's review of it.

I really can't say it any better than she does, Ceiridwen Terrill's account of her experience with a wolfdog is a poignant cautionary tale, absolutely, but its also a celebration of domestic dogs.

Parts of her book are heartbreaking, and difficult to read. She's so honest and open, at some points the story is just very, well, raw.

More than I ever have before, I appreciate my dogs as dogs. Not wolf descendents, or distant cousins of something wild and mysterious. Just dogs.
A quote from the book sums it up beautifully

"To love dogs is to keep them close, to love wolves is to keep them wild."

Every time I see a wild animal, it takes my breath away. Be it salamander, bird, deer, or wolf - I love that in a world centered around technology and superficiality - we can still find nature. I feel so at home covered in dirt, searching for crayfish to marvel at before returning them to their rocks.
Of course I understand how the concept of a wolf or wolfdog would appeal to people looking to capture some essence of nature in their every day lives. I understand wanting to connect to a wild thing, and I sort of understand wanting to control something wild. I've read Jack London's White Fang, I get it.
I'm sure ego reigns when people seek out the toughest dog, the biggest dog, the most exotic and rare dog... and to those people I ask that they read this book. It serves as a unique insight into the struggles of choosing to live life with a wolfdog, the consequences of that choice that the wolfdog suffers.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs, or loves wolves.

Even Dr. Temple Grandin agrees that this book is a really riveting read!

the net of life and time

2011-11-10T12:32:00.000-05:00

"For the animal shall not be measured by man... They are not brethren, they are not underlings, they are other Nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time."
- Henry Beston, The Outermost House

I watch them, these beings I chose to live with.
I care for them.
I learn from them.

When they have a little bit of fresh air, of freedom, I realize their worlds do not revolve around me.

I purposely leave their collars off unless we have company or go on a walk. I want to see them as they were meant to be.
I want them to be what they are, not what I want them to be. I want to pretend that they could live without interruption from cars or property lines. I want to believe that they would choose to be my companions without gates and doors forcing the union.

They are my responsibility, but more than that they are sentient beings of their own accord that I remind myself, moment after moment, that I should not seek to control... only protect.

But sometimes out of the corner of their eye, when the rest of the world might have a majority of their attention, I know they see me.
The real me.
The me that I want to see reflected back.
I know they know.

We have a short walk on this earth, and in this time - and we are sharing it together.

Mutual respect, love, and dare I say admiration is shared here in this home, in the net of life and time.
I love my life with dogs.

review : green tripe chews

2011-11-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

Best Bully Sticks has these awesome chews, at a very awesome price.

They say:

Contains all essential fatty acids and juices within a cows stomach
Makes one of the healthiest and most nutritious treats available to dogs
Cleans teath and helps overall skin and coat condition
Has a slight odor and outdoor feeding is recommended
Sticks are approximately 5 to 7 inches long

The pack shown is the "1/2 pound" portion. It's about 18 tripe chews. Granted, they don't last very long... five minutes at most, but the dogs LOVE them.

I'm fairly certain that green tripe, in any form, is somewhat beneficial to a dog. They don't smell as awful as you might think (and I have an insanely sensitive nose).

We highly recommend these green tripe chews!!!
Inu approved, definitely.

kiba and hachi

2011-11-08T10:56:00.000-05:00

Kiba's progress has taken a long time.

To put it in perspective:
- 263 days since Kiba came to live with us
- 261 days since he first growled at John and gate-attacked at Kitsu
- 256 days since he first met (and snapped at) Hachi
- 244 days since he bit Tsuki's neck/face
- 222 days since I started reintegrating him since that first bite
- 217 days since I first considered adopting him
- 109 days since he bit Kitsu and we started to seriously question our goals for, and safety around, Kiba
- 105 days since we did a full medical work up on Kiba to rule out medical reasons for his behavior
- 102 days since Best Friends Society sponsored us to hire a behavior trainer
- 93 days since we started to notice a remarkable change in his behavior toward John and response to new dogs
- 68 days since we transferred ownership from the shelter
- 22 days since we completed our training sessions
- 16 days since we moved to the country and didn't have to separate the dogs AT ALL in the process. Awesome stuff.
- 2 days since I've been the proudest that I've ever been of Kiba.

You see, Hachi visited the new house.
The beauty of the new house is hard to sum up... basically it's much different than the old house which was right on a busy street (busy with cars, people, dogs). We would intercept dogs on every single walk. Now we might hear a dog on a walk once in a while, but we've only seen another dog three times, and only one was off leash. We still keep up training on walks (Look and Treat for dog sounds/sights/motorcycles, etc) but he's far more distracted by the wooded surroundings and fun new places to smell and run.
Ultimately, it makes for a much calmer household and much calmer Kiba.

So we invited Hachi and her person to see the new house. I was admittedly quite nervous at first. Every single time Kiba has been around Hachi, he's snapped and growled at her. He was never off leash around her. I had the xpens and penny can ready...

His response? Pure awesome.
We took a walk with all five dogs immediately, so he got to sniff her outside on leash a few times and was absolutely NON reactive.
The we brought the dog party inside

He was really adamant about sniffing her as soon as she walked through the door, and she growled at him twice (rightly so!). His response to that was to bark in her face and he showed teeth once but he was easy to correct - all I had to do was call his name and he came to me. I would then take a moment and rub his belly until he was calmer.

After a short while, he was goofing around with Kitsu and then went on following Hachi for a short time.

I am just so freaking proud of him, of Hachi, of us, of everything we've done and how far we've all come.
It's just a great feeling of accomplishment.

With this Shiba, I thee wed...

2011-11-07T11:38:00.010-05:00

Three and half years ago my husband (then boyfriend) asked me to marry him. It was nothing extravagant or over-the-top, just me, him and the shibas at my apartment. Since our lives already revolved around the shibas' whims. It only made sense to include them.

While I was never thrilled with our engagement photos, the boys really stood out. They can be such hams around the camera. To this day I still regard this as one of the best photos of them, often cropping out my husband and I.

We spent the next year planning, knowing we had to have the sheebs involved somehow.

We found a place (Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio) that would allow the boys to be a apart of the ceremony and they were a pet friendly hotel. Our wonderful friend, Carina, escorted them and took great care of them. Two years ago today we were married. I'll let the photos do the rest of the blogging.

Jiro and Yuki getting ready for the big day.

Jiro with his smug, "Yea I make these flowers look good, so what?" look.

Yuki wondering if that food is for him.

Jiro understands the seriousness of the occasion. Yuki? Not so much.

Down the aisle they go.

Posing for photos, what they do best.

After 9 years together, 2 of which we've been married, our sheebs are always with us.

Guest Blogger Kristin: The Golden Rule

2011-11-07T10:30:00.001-05:00

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

It's the most simple statement, basic, easy to understand. Don't hit someone if you don't want them to hit you, don't lie to someone if you don't want them to lie to you. This saying has been around for thousands of years and has been used in many different religions.

I am a true believer in the golden rule. I try very hard every day to treat every being I come into contact with, with respect and courtesy. And I mean every BEING, not just people. It says do unto OTHERS, not do unto PEOPLE.

So this is why I treat the animals that are in my life with respect, generosity, courtesy and love, even the animals that are not mine. I know that just like with people, I may not always get the love and respect back, but this doesn't stop me from treating them the way I do.

I thought of this after reading a post regarding Mr. Calm Assertive. Would he like the animals he "treats" to do the things he does to them, to him? Probably not. I can't imagine poking, shushing, kicking or using a choke/prong collar on someone who isn't being nice to me. (although now that I think about it there might be a few people...)

I found this quote a while ago and it really hits home with me and this whole thing:
‎"Yes, owners should be calm and assertive and it's true to help dogs, we need to be in charge. But dominance and leadership are two different things. Dominance is defined as the use of force to gain priority access of the things you want, so animals compete for food, toys and favorite resting areas by fighting. Leadership is the ability to convince others to do things they normally wouldn't do otherwise. A person can be a leader by bullying, or by providing incentives and rewards; in other words convincing followers you're working for the same goals. Would you rather follow a leader like Castro or Ghandi? It's no different for dogs." ~ Dr. Sophia Yin - UCDavis

I want to be a leader, I want my dogs to respect and love me as much as I respect and love them. I don't want to force them to do anything I wouldn't want to be forced to do. And I think my dogs and I have this relationship down really well, we love each other, respect each other and we treat each other with that regard. There is no "dominance" in my house, just a peaceful pack who is happy and healthy and full of love. They listen to me and I listen to them. When they need to go out, I let them, when it's time to come in I ask them and reward them for doing so. They TRUST me and I trust them. They are home for hours alone and I trust they aren't chewing everything to bits. It is mutual respect that creates a happy pack, not dominance.

I don't alpha roll my husband when I don't get what I want... ;)

new-old walking destination

2011-11-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

The creek.
I grew up loving this spot... we'd swim in warm weather... 'hunt' salamanders and crayfish... and just sit and listen to the water flow. It is surrounded by small patches of thicket and tall grass where we loved finding rabbits, mice, raccoons and sometimes deer.

Now I get to share it with my husband, and our inus. Every single day.

tiny prints holiday cards

2011-11-05T00:55:00.004-04:00

Check out all the adorable holiday card options from tinyprints!

I think we'll be getting this one:

We will be able to customize, choose the paper finish type, and pick address labels to accompany like this adorable bone design!

Filters on the left hand side of their website make it easy to narrow down the selection!

They offer tons of adorable holiday address labels as well as fabulous holiday party invitations.

Hope you check them out!

bribe vs. reward

2011-11-03T12:31:00.000-04:00

"The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread."
~Portuguese Proverb

There is, I've heard, a difference between bribery and effectively using food as a reward for a desired action/behavior.

Bribery is the act of presenting the food to the dog in order to get the dog to perform a desired behavior.
Rewarding is the act of presenting something a dog finds valuable (food, toy, praise, etc.) after the dog has performed the behavior.
source

I learned from Kiba's trainer that I intermingled the two ways of using treats. I would bribe my dogs into a down, but then reward them for a stay. Our trainer had to keep reminding me to not show them the treat before asking for the behavior. She trained me to not bribe.

His response to other dogs is drastically different from when we started the training process.
Now he looks AT us when he hears/sees another dog. We still carry small treats and reward the response we worked so hard to get from him.
So now the question we're pondering with Kiba is : do we try to wean him off treats as a reward?
\
Kiba loves treats. Kiba also loves attention, and toys. When we're walking (where the undesirable behavior generally presents itself) treats and attention are the easiest rewards to give.
He knows, though, that one of his three favorite treats awaits him when he looks at us instead of barking at another dog. I kind of feel that he deserves the extra treat, and I don't plan on weening him off the food reward any time soon. I mean, their life is short. Whats a few extra cheese treats here and there?

Do you think treats are a bad rut to get into when training a dog?

first snow of the year!

2011-10-31T19:44:00.000-04:00

And it's at least a month early.
Inus aren't complaining, though...

About 10 inches fell.

Kiba was generally unimpressed. He's probably had to endure more than his share of cold weather, so I didn't make him stay out in it very long.

It's too bad he can't appreciate the beautiful, calm, clean scenery of our new back yard.

So when we weren't outside enjoying the frosty change of weather, we snuggled up by the window and watched the snow fall.

anticipation

2011-10-28T15:30:00.001-04:00

They can't wait until we finish fencing in the rest of their half acre.

But for now they will have to deal with 100 feet of a dog run, and new walking paths in the woods.

We can't wait for spring!

Do you feed Royal Canin?

2011-10-25T15:10:00.004-04:00

Royal Canin is celebrating their new Bulldog puppy food by offering pet parents the chance to win a year supply of puppy food. The contest (at www.facebook.com/RoyalCanin.us “Puppy Contest” tab) highlights the five breed-specific puppy diets, which are scientifically formulated based on unique breed attributes.

Owners can simply upload a photo of their four-legged friend and tell us why their pup deserves the best nutrition.

The winner receives 12 months of Royal Canin (more than $720 value) specifically formulated for their puppy. Hopefuls can enter up until November 20, and the winner will be announced on December 30.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at the Breed Specific Formulas

- Golden Retriever kibble shape prevents gulping. L-carnitine is added to help prevent heart issues that Goldens are prone to. Omega 3s & 6s added to keep their coat healthy.

Overall ingredients:

Chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal, rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, natural chicken flavor, powdered cellulose, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), sodium silico aluminate, soya oil, potassium chloride, psyllium seed husk, salt, fructo-oligosaccharides, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium carbonate, taurine, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], DL-methionine, glucosamine hydrochloride, choline chloride, L-carnitine, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), tea (green tea extract), lycopene, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

- Pug kibble shape is easier for brachycephalic breeds to grab. L-carnitine is added to maximize fat metabolism. Omega 3s &6s added to help keep their skin folds healthy.

Overall ingredients:

Chicken meal, brown rice, rice, ground corn, oatmeal, chicken fat, corn gluten meal, natural chicken flavor, soy isolate, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), wheat gluten meal, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), dried brewers yeast, soya oil, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, fructo-oligosaccharides, DL-methionine, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, taurine, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], L-lysine, choline chloride, magnesium oxide, Trace Minerals [zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], glucosamine hydrochloride, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), tea (green tea extract), L-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid.

Interesting. Besides the kibble shape, these are remarkably similar foods. Golden Retrievers and pugs must then be remarkably similar breeds?

Maybe the Yorkshire Terrier ingredients will be a lot different?

No?

Labrador Retriever? Chihuahua? German Shepherd?

Really... no?

Just the shape of the kibble is different.

So, you tell me : Could Kibble Shape make a difference in how your dog benefits from their diet?

movin' to the country...

2011-10-19T14:57:00.002-04:00

The four inus and their two bakas are moving!

they have no idea what's about to happen

Truth be told, even though I'm doing this for them, I'm most nervous about how the dogs will adjust.
Will they take it out on each other?
Will they revert to their primitive ways?
Will they soil the carpets?
Will we have to go back to separating Kiba for a while?
Will they eat my couch?

I'm going to try to maintain our regular routine as much as possible. But there are obvious changes!

Kiba disapproves of the new furniture placement.

The last time we moved, Tsuki was about 1, Kitsu was about 2. They were young enough to not care about their surroundings as long as they were together. We also had Hachi at the time, but she took the move very hard. She hid under furniture for weeks...

We are armed with rescue remedy, the Thundershirt, and we'll be hooking up at least two DAP diffusers in the new house.

The best part of all of this - each one of our dogs has already been to the new house before. They will be getting a yard three times the size of the one we have now (when we finish fencing it in). We will no longer be on a busy street, Kiba will encounter far less dogs, and Kitsu will not have to deal with all kinds of new people several times a day. We can maybe get some chickens, or build a few small kennels for more foster dogs. The possibilities of this new home are great. I love the country. I just hope the dogs do, too.

What can I do to ease the dogs during the move?
How long is the "new house" transition, generally?

super cool 'pupcakes'

2011-10-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

A friend made these for me for my last birthday and I finally uploaded the photos.

dogs! dogs! dogs!

I think I'm officially "that dog gal".

The dachshund was my favorite.

ah, peace.

2011-10-15T19:44:00.000-04:00

we are finally at a point where the four inus can peacefully enjoy bully sticks together.

I think we view this as an example of how far we've come with integrating Kiba, managing Kitsu's resource guarding, Tsuki's tendency to bitch about bones, and Buckley's inability to focus long enough so Tsuki doesn't steal his bone.

We are at a point now where having four permanent dogs isn't as much as a chore, but a new way of life.

review : lamb airy bites

2011-10-14T12:29:00.000-04:00

The same company who makes the Super Gravy makes fun, limited ingredient treats.
We tried Lamb Airy Bites, which were on sale at our local pet food supply store.

Ingredients : Lamb lung, air dried organic spinach, air dried organic pumpkin, air dried organic carrot

They are larger treats than I normally give, but they aren't smelly or sticky. The dogs love them!

inu approved!

ghost dog! GHOST DOG!

2011-10-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

Just in time for everyone's favorite 'holiday'... a story about a ghost dog.

Leeds Castle in Kent, England, is said to be haunted by a large, black dog. He pays no attention to the people who visit the castle, but he’s said to be an omen of death for anyone who spots him.

The ghost that is said to haunt the castle is a black dog, described by a witness as a 'curly-haired retriever' which would 'appear and disappear within moments, sometimes fading into a wall or passing through a closed door.' The dog has come to be associated with a death or other misfortune befalling a member of the castle owner's family.

There is no clear indication of who this dog belonged to in the history of the Castle.

photo credit

Shrouded in mist, mystery and legend, Leeds Castle is one of England's most picturesque. Leeds Castle sits on two small islands in a tranquil lake. It has survived for 1,000 years and today is one of the greatest buildings of the British Isles...

Although animal lovers will undoubtedly wonder what is so scary about a large black doggie? This one appears as an omen of death. There is a story though that the ghost once saved the life of a woman. She was sitting in a bay window when she saw the ghost; alarmed she jumped away from the window and within seconds the wall with the window collapsed into the moat!
source

What do you think? I'd rather like to see a ghost dog...

Guest Blogger Kristin: A Day at the Beach!

2011-10-11T10:14:00.002-04:00

Saturday was a beautiful summer day in New England. Which for October is rare, so we took full advantage! We took the Inu's to the beach! Miso grew up on the beach and although he hates the water and won't go near it, he loves the sand and the sounds of the ocean and especially the people! Sake doesn't mind the water, but won't go in on her own accord, and is scared of most the people and those pesky trash cans, but overall they had a great day and were pooped out all the rest of the weekend!

This awesome guy was walking by as well, yes that is a parrot on his shoulder, Jimmy Buffet tattoo's and a mowhawk!!!

the ones who know

2011-10-11T09:25:00.002-04:00

when they ask how far love goes

when my job's done

they'll be the ones who know

rescue evaluations

2011-10-10T15:01:00.002-04:00

A great way to help donate your time (and knowledge) to dog rescues is through evaluating dogs eligible for foster care. The information gained from evaluations is used to determine what type of foster or forever home this dog is best suited for. Evaluations are a vital part of getting a dog into the care of rescue!

There are many ways dogs end up on a rescue's radar. Some are surrendered by their owner, but many are already waiting in a shelter. When the rescue is notified about a dog, they may have very little to no information to go by. Generally, the person in charge of intake (which dogs are taken into rescue care) contacts a volunteer to evaluate dogs for the rescue.

It helps to know about dogs (health, behavior & temperament) - and if you are evaluating for a purebred rescue - it helps to be able to compare and contrast your evaluation to other purebreds... such as "Benji is destructive when bored, like most Basenjis!".

Some rescues have readily available lists of questions and criteria to aid their volunteers in the evaluation.
This is a sampling of BRAT's list:

Has the dog had any formal training?
Does the dog pull on a leash when they are walking him?
Does the dog ride in the car often?
What do you do with the dog when company comes?
Is your dog bothered by thunder?
Does your dog like being cuddled?
What does the dog do if you try to move him from a spot where he is comfortable?
What makes your dog growl or snark?
Did the dog come up to you readily?
Did the dog growl at you at any point?
Did the dog readily take treats from the palm of your hand?
Did the dog ask for more treats?
Could you reach out your hand to the dog, after he approached you?
Did he jump away when you reached toward him?

This weekend I evaluated Benji - a tri color male Basenji soon to be available for adoption through BRAT.

My evaluation was easy, all I had to really do was verify the information his caretaker already told BRAT about him and observe him while I visited.
Benji thought I was the bees knees after I gave him some of the treats I brought.

I was too busy talking and watching to take a really good photo...

After spending an hour with Benji and his caretaker, my report looked something like this:
The Good:
- He is cuddly and loves to lick. He loves all their attention.
- Loves car rides, very calm in the car.
- Isn't crated when left alone.
- Not as interested in toys, but likes playing when his people engage him.
- Seems fine with all aspects of handling by his family. No issues with grooming.
- Doesn't seem to want to bolt out the front door. He's gotten away a handful of times but always comes back home shortly.
- Is compatible with his female foster sisters (beagles) but is too high strung for them. They are fed together with no issues.
- No fears have been observed yet.
- High energy but can (and does) settle down with appropriate exercise/stimulation
The Not-So-Good:
- No Cats!
- No Small Children!
- Not housebroken
- Needs at least a few minutes to orient himself to visitors. He sniffed me excitedly for the first few minutes. I was able to give him two treats, pet him, and he licked my arm after a short while. He didn't growl at me once.
- Does not like to be physically disturbed when sleeping. He has growled and gave a warning bite when disturbed while sleeping.
- He pulls on leash.
- Slightly destructive when bored, seems to prefer paper, clothing and shoes.
Overall:
He's a great dog, handsome, with small and easily worked-around requirements. A great candidate for rescue!

So how can you volunteer your time & expertise to evaluate dogs?
Contact your favorite rescue today!

uber sweet

2011-10-09T01:46:00.000-04:00

and uber cute!

i love my dogs.

*you can see (her knee) that tsuki's been without raw food for the last three weeks. oh, what a difference a short time frame makes.

Hey, Northeast! 22 Shibas In Need!

2011-10-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

A puppy mill in NJ is releasing 22 dogs to rescue in about a week.

Here are a list of the dogs:
- 3 PUPS Approx 8 Weeks, 2 Creams M/F, 1 Tricolor M
- 4 PUPS Approx 16 Weeks 3 B/T 2M/1F 1 Cream F (one B/T is long hair)
- 7 PUPS Approx 10 months 4 B/T Female, 3 B/T Males
- 5 Adults Approx 2 years 3 B/T Female s 2 Cream males
- 3 year Female dog
- 3 year Black and Tan male
- 4 year old cream female ( possibly pregnant)

(key : m = male, f = female, b/t = black and tan marked shiba)

Shiba Rescue of Ocean County NJ is calling for help, NYCSR has agreed to take at least five of these dogs and will take more if necessary. Tri-State Shiba Rescue is taking dogs, and Safe Harbor is also taking dogs.

THEY NEED VOLUNTEERS!

If you have ever considered donating towards, transporting or fostering a Shiba, please do it now!

Fostering entails : caring for a dog as though they were your own until a forever home is found (the rescue takes care of finding & screening the forever home). It is your job to discover who this dog is, and what kinds of homes are ideal (with cats? with kids? high energy? low key?). Be prepared to buy any equipment and food you will need for this dog just in case the rescue cannot cover those expenses.

If you can help contact :
Tri-State Shiba Rescue
Safe Harbor (Ohio)
Shiba Rescue of Ocean County
NYC Shiba Rescue

going off alone, to die

2011-10-06T23:28:00.001-04:00

This is Nina.

I've posted about Nina before.

Nina had mammary cancer, labored breathing and no appetite in the last few days.

Nina was last seen on Tuesday night.
Her caretaker had let Nina and three other chihuahua gals out around midnight Tuesday for their last pee break of the night. After ten minutes, only the three other gals returned to the front door.
Nina's caretaker waited a few more minutes, called her many times, but Nina didn't come back.
Her caretaker searched for her, flashlight in hand.
No Nina.
All the next day, everyone searched for Nina. Neighbors were notified, fliers were made. I contacted shelters and vet offices within 50 miles of Nina's home.
Where is she?

Nina's caretaker, who has been with Nina since she was much younger, believes she deliberately wandered into the woods to die.

I've heard that before - older dogs hiding themselves under porches or wandering off to die alone.
Google seems to think there is merit to this theory...

Reference.com says:

The answer to your question "do old dogs wander off to die" is yes. Although human beings have domesticated dogs, they still have natural instincts. Dogs know when their time has come to die. My own experience is housedogs will roam aimlessly from room to room looking for the right spot. If you let the dog into the yard, he/she will continue to wander until just the right spot is found. Sometimes they will dig into the ground to make it comfortable.

Petlossmessageboard.com has an entire thread dedicated to anecdotal stories about dogs wandering off to die alone.

I just keep thinking... was Nina taken by a coyote? A hawk? Her caretaker doesn't believe so because her other dogs would have barked at an intruder in their yard.
Or did she finally succumb to her tired, cancer ridden body and choose to die alone?
A dog that had her wits about her and never left her rural yard before, it's hard to think she would willingly wander off for any other reason.

And yet, I can't accept that a dog would choose to do this. A pet dog. A house dog.

Why would a dog wander off to die alone? Especially Nina - who has been lucky to have been loved so dearly by her caretaker all these years.

Is it instinct?
eHow.com says:

Despite being tamed and bred to look the way they do today, dogs are still genetically identical to their wild counterparts. In the wild, dogs are pack animals. One theory on why they wander off to die is so they do not slow down their pack mates or allow the pack to become vulnerable to attack. You are your dog's pack now, so it is thought this instinct is still intact to save you from any threat.

Or is it psychology?
eHow.com also says:

Those who believe in animal psychology feel some dogs go off alone to die to spare owners the grief of having to watch. Some animal psychologists also believe this is a way for a dog to maintain his dignity.

Nina's whereabouts and reason for wandering off will probably always be a mystery.
Coincidence or not, she was dying.
I just hope if she passed, that she did so peacefully and on her own terms.

Do you have any experience with dogs going off alone to die?

ugh. fleas.

2011-10-05T23:02:00.000-04:00

we just can't get rid of these things this year!
today i discovered some flea dirt on kitsu.

flea dirt

yay.

flea dirt is is dried blood left behind by feeding fleas. it is a guarantee that you'll find a flea or two (or three) on your dog.

to make sure its flea dirt and not regular old dirt, placing flea dirt in water will reveal the reddish hue of re-hydrated blood.

as far as we can tell, there are never more than a few fleas per dog in our house. in other words, it never becomes an infestation. we caved sometime around july and applied k9 advantix II to each dog after being unable to control the fleas with oil repellents and "pull off" method.

a dead flea. super small and hard to find.

according to k9's packaging insert "K9 Advantix II stops fleas from biting in less than 5 minutes and kills 98-100% of fleas on your dog within 12 hours of application. K9 Advantix II kills fleas before they have a chance to lay eggs and also kills flea larva before they develop into biting fleas - thus breaking the flea life cycle. Re-infesting fleas are killed within 2 hours for reliable treatment against fleas of all stages. In many instances Advantix II is so effective it kills fleas before they have a chance to bite your pet, preventing conditions such as Flea Allergy Dermatitis"

this summer, it lasted only a month. on the dot. we've even had to give capstar twice this summer!

it does kill fleas within its time frame, though. one day after k9 application, we pick through all four dogs' fur with a flea comb, then bath the dogs.

i've been told the secret to ridding your home of fleas is understanding the life cycle of fleas.

Life Cycle of the Flea
Fleas can be a problem because they reproduce so rapidly. A single female flea may produce up to 2,000 eggs over her lifetime. Eggs hatch and can develop into adults within only three weeks. Adult female fleas feed by ingesting blood from your pet and subsequently lay eggs, which drop off your pet's coat. Within days, larvae hatch from the eggs and live undetected in your pet's surroundings, such as the carpet, bedding and other protected areas. Flea larvae spin a cocoon, and, when appropriately stimulated, a young adult flea emerges and jumps onto your pet to continue the life cycle.

besides trying to prevent and ultimately treating/killing - we clean the entire premises after each live flea is found. every carpet fiber, each stitch of every dog toy is thoroughly cleaned. and yet, the fleas are never really gone.

it's certainly not a perfect prevention or treatment plan this summer... but i'm at a loss.
what are we missing?

it's 'tag official'

2011-10-05T16:04:00.000-04:00

His tag used to say "foster dog". But now...

review : simply nourish canned food

2011-10-03T21:37:00.001-04:00

I saw this food mentioned on Musings of a Biologist and Dog Lover's blog, and I had to try it out.

It's important (to me, anyway) that whatever store I visit, I can find a suitable food for my dogs.
Simply Nourish can be found at Petsmart.

It's all about reading and understanding the label.
Simply Nourish has five formulas.
- All but one (Tuna & Salmon) contain chicken.
- Three out of five are grain free

Ingredients of Chicken & Pasta Stew :

Chicken (you can actually see above), Water Sufficient for Processing, Carrot (you can actually see above), Pumpkin (you can actually see above), Green Pea (you can actually see above), Pasta (you can actually see above), Tapioca Starch, Sunflower Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum*, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement (B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Folic acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 10%
Crude Fat (min) 1.4%
Moisture (max) 83%

A super swell aspect of this food? The LID!

The (actual) extra lid that helps you reseal and keep the left overs fresh. Seriously cool.

This food is 4-inus approved!

Guest Blogger Kristin: Good Luck Mr. Inu Baka!

2011-10-03T09:53:00.001-04:00

On behalf of all the guest bloggers and the inubaka fans I want to send a warm, heartfelt GOOD LUCK and Speedy Recovery to Mr. Inu Baka, John! He is undergoing minor surgery today and I know my thoughts are with both John and Jen today.

Heal Fast John! Those inus need you!

bugs?

2011-10-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

So, I switched the blog from a blogspot.com site to its own domain - inubakablog.com

In doing so, I've noticed lots of "bugs" in the site transition. I think we temporarily lost comments, but they all seem to be back. The labels added to the posts don't seem to archive beyond July 2011, which stinks since I spent a lot of time labeling all my old posts! I'm working on it, though.
I'm switching back to the old template until I can fix all the kinks.

But you - the reader - if you are experiencing any issues or bugs with this site, I'd really love to know.
Feel free to comment or email (jen at inubakablog.com)
Thank You & Happy Reading!

kiba's continued progress

2011-10-02T10:13:00.002-04:00

Kiba continues to make progress through his training.
Our major success is Kiba's improved relationship with John.
While we can manage his reactivity, and we've accepted that he may never be able to greet a new dog (he may never be able to walk by one without a reaction of any magnitude) we still have to find a way to live with him.

He hasn't growled at John at all recently. A large portion of that has been John's changed approach to Kiba - he gives him lots of positive reinforcement when they work together, and he is more aware of Kiba's comfort zone. Kiba's shiba side has 'space issues' - you can pet him on the back on minute, but the next minute he might not want you to continue. And his beagle side makes him stubborn and vocal about it. It's something we've come to accept and adjust to.

In return, Kiba responds to John with anticipation and enthusiasm now. It's awesome.
I actually a little jealous these days... Kiba only had eyes for me at first! And now I catch them cuddling.
I'm awfully proud of my boys.

we love homemade toys!

2011-10-01T11:10:00.000-04:00

We love these re-purposed gems, and the awesome gal who made them!

for rudy, one year later

2011-09-30T00:39:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that I met Rudy a little over one year ago. I was working on a post that would both explain Rudy's situation to new readers and honor his memory with people who know his story.

Why do I want to keep telling Rudy's story?
Well, I loved that dog dearly... still do.
I learned a great deal from him, and because of him.
It's important to me that anyone who has adopted or fostered would consider a "less adoptable" dog.
And of course, all our dogs are aging. My experience with Rudy will undoubtedly help another of our dogs some day.

Before I finished the post for this blog, I was contacted by Guarding Dogs : A Documentary and they offered me an awesome opportunity to contribute to their project.

Guarding Dogs is an upcoming documentary film that strives to raise awareness of all of the wonderful dogs that are waiting to find their forever homes, and the rescuers who devote their time and energy to reaching that goal. It is the film’s mission to not only emphasize the importance of rescue and adoption, but to also influence the way people think about animal companionship; not as an owner/property relationship but rather as a guardian/companion dynamic that encourages respect and reduces abuse and neglect.

Guarding Dogs has a blog where they have been sharing stories about rescuers, rescues, and the dogs in their care. They shared Rudy's story...

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Rudy's Legacy

My life changed on September 2, 2010. As my husband and I waited outside a McDonalds, we talked about all our foster dogs up to this point. We had no idea what to expect from our next foster dog, due to arrive at any moment.

Two weeks prior, I had seen a Petfinder page floating around Facebook. It was for a ten year old Shiba Inu female who was believed to be blind and deaf. Her name was Kira. I couldn’t believe no one was committing to this dog, so I enlisted the help of NYC Shiba Rescue to facilitate Kira’s shelter release and a transport was set up to bring her north.

Much to our surprise, when Kira arrived, the transporter informed us that this dog was actually an intact male! It’s incredible to think he spent a month at a shelter and no one noticed this. When we saw “male shiba” for the first time, stiff and scared getting lifted from a car to the grass by McDonald’s, I fell in love. He was so handsome, so dignified, the epitome of a Shiba Inu.

We named him Rudy, a revered dog name in our family. We soon learned that he was indeed blind. One eye was a full blown cataract while the other was either lacerated from trauma or burst from glaucoma. His body was very stiff and he spent a lot of his time pacing even though he was unsteady on his feet. Occasionally he would howl. He did not seem to respond to any noises except those that caused a vibration. We began trying to familiarize him with his boundaries and general routine through vibration.

Most of the time, it was not possible to handle him beyond soft petting as he would scream in pain. Our veterinarian determined he had very atrophied muscles and severe arthritis. We also discovered Rudy was heartworm positive, a heavy enough load that caused him to frequently gag and cough. We immediately began a crash course in pain management, and decided to not put him through heartworm treatment.

I suppose we realized around the first month of care that this foster would not be adopted by anyone but us. To our delight however, our other three dogs (all young and ill-behaved), were very aware and respectful of Rudy. Not one of the other three ever bumped into him or tackled him as they often did to one another. Rudy was officially home.

Over a short period of time, we had to increase and compound pain medications, anti-inflammatory medications, joint supplements and various orthotic tools to keep Rudy as comfortable as we could. He had a few good days where he would let us pick him up and bring him outside. He would lounge in the plush grass and soak up the sun. Sometimes I swore he “looked” right at me and smiled. It warmed my heart to see him able to enjoy such a simple thing we often take for granted.

Still, a majority of his days were dominated by pain and discomfort. Sometimes a full day would go by and he would stay asleep on his layered bed. He often would not eat or drink. I would roast chicken and vegetables to entice him. He had to eat, as he was taking the anti-inflammatory medications. On the worst of these days, we’d find he soiled himself while he slept.

During these ‘bad days’, I would sit and run my fingers through his soft, plush coat. He would sigh as he kept his eyes closed in sleep. I knew I truly loved this dog. I hoped, when he was younger, that his life was good. I imagined him running with great precision, standing proud as Shibas do, knowing people are admiring them. It was hard to see him suffering in pain, but in a way I was grateful I didn’t have anything else to compare his current state to. I could not be nostalgic for his younger days, I had to remain in the present and keep that perspective if I was to do my best by Rudy.

About mid-November, Rudy stopped eating (and therefore stopped taking pain medications). We were totally unable to touch him. With the guidance of our veterinarian, and the support several rescue friends and my husband, I realized that the kindest thing I could do for Rudy was also the hardest decision I’ve ever made. He should be euthanized to end his suffering. I had to be sure that this was the right course to take. How could I know? Was I being hasty? Rudy forced me to really be aware of his condition, of myself, and of the foreseeable future.
I cried the entire time I made the arrangements over the phone. It was to be Saturday; I had three days left with Rudy. I wanted to be proven wrong, I wanted him to eat something… anything… and I would cancel the appointment. But that did not happen.

The drive to the veterinarians’ office was somber, to say the least. He lay very stiff on a pillow on my lap. I told him I hoped we gave him some true comfort in his short days with us. I hoped that even though I could not hug him, that every touch or bowl of food resonated with the love I felt for him. I asked him to forgive me for what I was about to do. I told him that I hoped there was a rainbow bridge, because I wanted to believe we would someday meet again. I told him we loved him, and that he was our dog. I told him how much he would be mourned, and missed. I thanked him for all he taught us. I thanked him for changing my life, for revealing a kind of strength I didn’t know I was capable of. I thanked him for helping me understand what rescue could be.
After the sedative, he looked so peaceful. His furrowed brows relaxed and he breathed deep, long breaths. After his last breath, I knew we made the right decision. When he died, I was holding him close for the first and last time. I kissed him goodbye. I could barely breathe between the sobbing. He no longer had heartworms or atrophied muscles. He no longer felt hunger or thirst. He was no longer in pain, he no longer was suffering.

Since Rudy’s death almost one year ago, his legacy lives on. We have fostered two more dogs. The first was recovering from being hit by a car. We felt capable of helping her only because of what we learned from Rudy’s pain management. The second foster dog was on his last leg at the shelter due to behavioral issues. Because of Rudy, I know now how grave a decision euthanasia is. It sounds obvious, but until I had to make that decision, I did not fully understand how permanent that course of action is. This current foster dog lived; we transferred ownership from the shelter and now he lives with us because I knew euthanasia wasn’t the answer. Rudy taught me that rescue success isn’t defined by how fast you can find a dog’s forever home. Rescue never has guarantees, it is hard but the rewards are great. Something as simple as watching a dog relax in grass after years of neglect is an intangible, incredible reward. To me, rescue now means always giving an animal a true sense of home and providing loving comfort at your fullest capacity. Rudy taught me to be an unwavering advocate for these animals – the rescued.

you tell me : after surgery with dogs

2011-09-28T23:06:00.003-04:00

Mr. Inu Baka is having some minor surgery on Monday.
The surgeon told him he'll have to protect his abdominal area for at least two weeks.

For us, this means the dogs can't sleep on the bed (to be safe) for two weeks.
Why? They tend to jump up, and the beagley boys have very little awareness of personal space.

Noooooooooo! I don't think I can handle this.
This is what I'm used to seeing next to me all night!

Queen sized bed, no real leg room for humans, lots of furry space heaters.

I don't think I can sleep without that familiar level of frustrating contortion.

And I'm fairly certain they won't sleep soundly without me.

Maybe Mr. Inu Baka will have the bed all to himself, and I'll have to share the couch with the four inus.

Yikes...

Have you ever had to change your sleeping arrangements with your dog for a short time?

Did you both adjust?