Peaceful dog

More TTouch for Sandy

2012-02-27T07:12:00.053-05:00

On the day Sandy met her new Dad, she was scheduled to go to her second TTouch session as well. Since the meeting went so well, I thought it would be great for him to come along and watch. When he agreed to indulge us Takoma Park hippies with our wacky New Age ideas, I knew this guy was a keeper.

This time Pam had us work in the bathroom so Sandy would have a smaller space to feel compelled to explore. Though there was a lot of sniffing about at first, she settled down a lot more quickly this time! Pam was also happy to find that her little prunie nose was less squished up and tense.

She worked all over her face again, then moved down to her tail and butt. A firm hand on the sacrum to allow Sandy to feel that part of her body.

Pam said there was a lot of heat coming from her sacrum. A sign of all the tension being released.

Pam said that in addition to the nose and face, unsettled dogs often hold tension in their tails as well. So she devoted some time to rotating the tail, and waving it up and down like a little sine wave.

Then Pam lifted each paw and rotated it. She noted that in a balanced dog, the remaining three paws would adjust when the fourth one was lifted. But Sandy lost her balance!

A few of you have asked if there are good books out there on TTouch so you can explore it yourselves. There are several, which you can find on the website of the founder of TTouch, Linda Tellngton-Jones. My favorite is called Unlock Your Dog's Potential: How to Achieve a Calm and Happy Canine, by Sarah Fisher. It is full of great pictures and clear explanations on how to use this fantastic therapeutic technique. I found so much in this book that is directly applicable to my little canine projects. Consider this, apropos of both Sandy and Fozzie:

...many animals improve in their behavior and in their ability to operate in a calm and focused mode once tension in the mouth is reduced....Dogs with tension around the muzzle may also bark, drink, pant and mouth excessively, and may show a particular obsession with food, toys, and other articles. They may be quick to arouse and prone to hyperactive behavior. They can be slow to mature mentally and emotionally. They may be boisterous, pushy and over the top and may alternate between being totally full on and fast asleep. If forced beyond their comfort zone...they may mouth hard and/or grab the handler's clothing or the lead.

There are so many things in this book that had me in wonderment that the things I experience with my dogs are relatively common problems, and problems with solutions--or at least practices that may help.

So great to learn new ways to help a little ungrounded bundle of dogness like Sandy, as she is not the first... unbalanced...dog I have had, and will unlikely be the last!

As Sandy's new Dad has said he may be trying out some fostering once Sandy settles in, I'm sure he'll be putting the info to good use too.

That's what we like to hear!

Sandy's TTouch Session

2012-02-24T07:15:00.002-05:00

Before Sandy met her fantastic new Dad, who is patient and happy with her in all her puppy rambunctiousness, I thought it would be a good idea to bring her for a TTouch session or two to see if I could temper her wildness a bit and make her a tad more palatable to any adopter.

Just like for Fozzie's first session, Pam sat on the floor with Sandy and just held her harness, waiting for her to settle down.

It took a long time! Sandy is such a busy little bee. All her whining, sniffing, stretching, and straining showed just how stressful it was for her just to be asked to be still!

While she struggled and sniffed and whined, Pam just patiently held her and did some TTouch on her. She especially worked her nose and face, and noted how tight they were.

She showed me how her little nose was wrinkled up, with the skin around the tip of her nose bunched up like a prune. Pam focused her TTouch right around those wrinkles and tight spots, doing circles all over her nose and head.

Pam even put her finger in Sandy's mouth and stretched out her lip, to show Sandy how it felt to have those lip muscles in a position other than tight.

After a bit of this, even Sandy was able to see that it could be rewarding to just Be Here Now. So wonderful to watch her learn a new way of being!

Hopefully her dad will let us know soon whether those new lessons stuck, or whether she is still bouncing off the walls.

Wordlessly-Happy-In-Her-New-Home-Wednesday

2012-02-22T07:27:00.003-05:00

Photo: Chris Engl

Sandy update

2012-02-21T07:17:00.008-05:00

Sandy seems to be getting along fine in her new home! I got this update from her new Dad her first night home

Leash shopping in Baltimore (Photo Chris Engl)
With every passing moment, I get a greater glimpse of how special [Sandy] truly is....We took a long walk around the neighborhood and Sandy met more than a handful of friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and even a few dogs. We have taken exactly one walk on "The Avenue" and she is already a show stopper. Three groups of people stopped in their tracks to interact with her. She was great with every encounter. I have already realized how much she loves to bait humans into tug of war with her leash. LOL. She also marked her territory after peeing on our walk about 10 times. Sandy is such an inquisitive little girl. Everything new attracts her attention and it is amazing to witness.

It did not take long for me to realize you were an awesome mom to her. I really think that will help to make the transition much easier. Well, kinda. You give me hope that I too can foster without completely losing it when the time comes. I realize it takes a lot of strength and courage to do it.

Sandy was very active all evening, until recently. Now we are settling in for sleep and she is very quiet. I worry about separation anxiety, but I will do everything I can to make her feel better/loved. I took off of work tomorrow so she doesn't have to spend a single minute alone.

Photo: Chris Engl

I included that little bit about how awesome I am not to toot my own horn, but to show you the kind of guy Sandy's new Dad is! Sounds pretty amazing, huh?

Sandy, you hit the jackpot!

Sandy's New Home

2012-02-20T07:27:00.002-05:00

Well just as suddenly as she came into our lives, Sandy has moved on.

Those of you who visited us last week may have noticed one particularly auspicious comment on the post about Sandy's bath. Chris was considering another Jasmine's House dog, but it turned out that his foster decided to keep him--at just about the same time that another prospective adopter for Sandy fell through!

I had a pretty good feeling about things when Chris was undaunted by Lamar's shrill barks and Fozzie and Sandy's aerial displays of excitement. Even better when he seemed delighted about the lovely muddy pawprint pattern Sandy painted all over his clothes when we went in the backyard.

And when I went up to Baltimore the following day for the home visit, the good omens were almost uncanny. On our walk through his neighborhood, which includes miles of trails through a wooded park, I was telling him about the great pit bull walks I've heard about in Baltimore organized by B-More Dog. We turned the corner and literally at that moment a very happy woman came up asking us if she could pet Sandy. It turned out that woman was a B-More Dog board member, and lives right in Chris' neighborhood.

Chris already walks miles every day and is looking forward to having a little pit bull to parade around and to join in with Pit Bulls on Parade. Sandy is going to have a future full of long walks, cuddling, and socializing with dogs and people in positive ways. It's no wonder that when it was time to leave, Sandy was reluctant to go home with her foster mom!

When Chris came to pick up Sandy yesterday, the way she greeted him was confirmation that, despite my own feelings of my heart ripping right out of my chest, this is a wonderful match and a wonderful new beginning for Sandy.

Sandy is really a special little dog, with her loving hugs and her snorty grunts and her attentiveness and her affection.

But I remember being just about devastated every time I adopted out a foster dog back when it was happening more frequently. Every dog is special, and I take consolation in the fact that if I were to go to the shelter today and take home another one, I'd form a bond with that one just like I did with Sandy.

I am so excited that Sandy gets to go to a home where she can realize her potential in so many ways.

I will miss her sweet snorty nose and tiny red sleek pittie body, but when I start to miss her I'll think of how great it is for her to be in a place where she's not picking up bad habits from my reactive boys, and where her person really has the time to devote to her that she deserves.

Trash repurposed

2012-02-15T07:21:00.002-05:00

Although my particular dog situation might be best served by living out in the country somewhere miles away from anyone else, I do have the good fortune of living in a suburb that is more mellow and diverse than some and that is characterized by spacious yards, large trees, and tolerant neighbors.

One of my favorite neighbors is the daycare down the street, where all the kiddies go out on a walk with their caretakers a few times a day and walk past our house. They smile and wave at the big doggies looking out at them from behind my fence, and aren't scared at all.

They also throw away cool stuff on occasion. My buddy Francine, who has some dog walking and training clients on my street, scored a nifty little plastic kiddie castle one day. She tossed it into her Ford and brought it home to use with dogs on confidence building and agility, but her partner Karen thought it was a trashy looking piece of plastic crap and wanted it gone.

Good thing my backyard was handy.

Kiddie play stuff can make great dog equipment. Sturdy enough to withstand a bevy of toddlers and built for safety, this sort of trashy plastic stuff is just perfect for the kind of dogs who love to run, jump, and climb.

I've always wanted to set up some agility and other dog play equipment in my yard, but didn't want to put expensive high-quality stuff out there knowing the treatment it would undergo.

The dogs love their kiddie castle and it gives me another way to tire them out. They love to climb up on it, jump over it, and go through the tire that Francine ingeniously attached.

I can hold up a stick and get Sandy to jump endlessly over the little plastic step. A little refinement and I'm sure I can chain all sorts of fun behaviors.

The possibilities are endless!

Sandy Goes to Class

2012-02-14T07:04:00.002-05:00

All of this focus on healing and learning with Fozzie has made me newly committed to helping Sandy achieve her potential as well. So this past weekend we decided to bring Sandy to my buddy Francine's class right down the street.

Francine is so welcoming and awesome; we always joke with each other about how we'll never be resource guarders with each other like some of the other dog trainers we know.

When I first got Sandy, I used to bring her to adoption events and marvel at how great she was with other dogs, kids, and people. As she's gotten older and had a couple of little scrappies with Fozzie though, I've wondered if she was growing into a bit more testiness and if it was something I had to watch out for.

The good thing about a little puppy like her though is that that personality is still so malleable.

In Francine's class, she was eager to greet the other dogs but the greetings were friendly. A little energetic, but she was easy to redirect with cheesy snacks.

When I asked her for sits and downs, she was attentive and focused.

She paid attention to me even with dogs all around her and kids romping madly behind her.

You would think that a positive dog trainer like myself would remember the power of a little focused training to bring out the best in a dog and start to shift any tendencies in a positive direction.

For some reason the things I tell my own students every week are things I so easily forget with my own dogs. That's why we trainers have to hang out together and help each other out. Thanks Francine!

Dog laundering operation

2012-02-13T07:01:00.002-05:00

You may think that a professional groomer, and I do emphasize professional, would take pains to keep her own dogs in top-notch, lemon-fresh, sparking clean condition.

Well, you would be wrong.

My dogs spend so much time scrapping around in the wilderness area that is our backyard that keeping them clean is a lost cause.

It generally doesn't even occur to me that there is a way to have them smell other than like muddy fritos.

And when it does, the idea of a bath hits me like an epiphany. I realize that a dog bath, with all its connotations of sudsy hedonism, is not just something the "other half" gets to enjoy while I, the grunt laborer, toils away to bring them this indulgence.

Oh, no! I have the skills, the products, and yes even the will to stick my own scrappy pit mix rescues in the tub and launder them like they were labradoodles.

So the other night, in preparation for our TTouch session with Pam, which I contemplated with horror when I imagined Pam's hands after an hour of doing circles on Sandy's scrappy self, we did just that with our little rescue frito.

Into the tub with Sandy, and a bit of Organically Correct Enriched Protein Shampoo for Dogs later we had ourselves a sudsy little squirt getting nice and squeaky clean.

Sandy was pretty good in the tub; she didn't seem to mind getting lathered up.

She did want to get out of there a bit before she was done, but more in the way of a curious puppy wanting to move on than in the way of a tragic figure who has been forever scarred by the traumatic experience of being bathed, like many of my clients.

After a while she even started realizing how much fun a bath can be, and playing in the water like a goofy little puppy.

Hey, this sudsy almond-smelling wet stuff is really almost exactly the same as the muddy, dank-smelling wet stuff in the backyard!

The reward for our labors is a sweet-smelling, cuddly little pup who is, if possible, even more kissable than before.

Turning over a New Leaf

2012-02-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

Now that I've made peace with the idea that Fozzie may be sticking around, I've experienced this burst of joyful energy about getting him the training and attention he needs. What was a burden before, when I contemplated the necessity of doing it for someone else's benefit, is now a fun project as I think of how great it will be for us.

As many of you helped me realize in your wonderful responses to my recent posts on Fozzie's reactivity, Fozzie desperately needs regular walks with other dogs and understanding humans. I know that groups like B-more dogs that put on walks for pit bull-type dogs to go out together, socialize, and be ambassadors for their breed. There are also organized walks for pit bulls who would not necessarily be the best breed ambassadors because they happen to have some leash...issues, but who benefit from community dog walks. I tried to track down similar amazing organized pit bull walks in the DC area, and came up with nothing. Fortunately, we do have Francine.

Francine is my good buddy and fellow dog trainer. When I told Francine about my need for organized socialization opportunities for Fozzie, she welcomed me to her classes that take place just down the street from me.

On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon Fozzie and I suited up in our dual-attachment leash, head halter, and step-in harness and went to join Francine, her partner Karen, her frequent companion Jubal--a border collie whose parents are always traveling--the gorgeous Shepherd puppy Rocky, and his humans.

There was some initial lunging and loud barking, at which I quickly directed Fozzie's face away from his two classmates. After that, he didn't exactly become Mr. Mello Yello but he did look at me when I called him and eat his treats in full awareness of other dogs not 15 feet away from him. He did a nice Paws up on a scrap of flooring Francine brought, and he walked around some traffic cones, and he generally was able to focus on me and what I asked of him. Huge progress!

Equipment Changes

2012-02-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

9My work with Pam on TTouch for Fozzie has tipped me off on some equipment that can really make a difference for working with dogs like him.

For the groundwork part of our session the other day, Pam got out a nifty little leash with attachment hardware on both ends, and attached one end to his harness and the other to his head halter. You can make one yourself by getting a carabiner from the hardware store for a few bucks and putting it on the handle end of your regular nylon leash.

The single leash attached in two places makes handling Fozzie so much easier.

Pam also recommended not using the Easy-Walk harness we have always used. She showed me how the Easy Walk restricts movement with the band that goes right across the shoulder where it moves, and indeed, Fozzie has always shied away from me when I hold it up to put it on him. We have started using a step-in harness that Fozzie inherited from his cousin Genghis.

I try to make putting on the harness fun by luring him forward to step in it himself. For a dog who is so gregarious and tough-looking, Fozzie is surprisingly hesitant and shy about certain things. He cowers and runs behind the rocking chair or the rose bush when I hold up his harness. I am certain that it has to do with my own impatience...or maybe the Easy Walk was really uncomfortable for him. In any case, we are really enjoying the game of putting the step-in harness on the ground, enticing Fozzie to step those gorgeous little white-tipped wonders forward, and then celebrating with a cheer and a cheesy snack when they go right where they're supposed to and I can snap that harness in place.

So precious. It makes me feel like I'm dressing my kid up for school.

I also like the step-in because it provides a nice handle on top, so you can lift your dog like a six-pack.

It is certainly not ideal having to manage walks so tightly with all this equipment, but I do believe that with enough practice with the right equipment, which prevents practicing the behaviors we don't want, the good behaviors will become second nature. Fozzie and I are boldly going forward toward that day.

Healing

2012-02-07T11:02:00.005-05:00

As you know if you follow many of the wonderful dog blogs that enliven this community, our friends at PittieFullove lost their beloved Knox this week.

I never met Knox but just to look at his pictures and hear the stories about him is to feel what a special, happy, velvety man he was. If you haven't already, stop on over and read the beautiful tributes Jess has been posting about this sweet boy, and send her a virtual hug and Knox a blessing, or a prayer, or a wink and a belly scratch as he traverses the bardo of becoming between this life and the next, or the peaceful time of merging with all that is, or whatever it is that dogs experience and we will all experience, one day, when we leave this realm.

As I've read some of the sad posts that have come through Blogville over the past months, and contemplated how to say something that could possibly be helpful to someone who has lost a beloved dog, I've realized that there's really nothing you can say.

I've had the same feeling when close friends or relatives were suffering from some affliction of mind or body. Often they won't tell me how bad they are feeling, but I know. And there's nothing I can do. At these times, well-meaning advice is misplaced and any words of comfort can feel hollow.

The only thing I have found truly helpful is a Buddhist practice for healing I learned years ago.

Visualize the person or animal who is suffering, and visualize that person's physical pain, emotional distress, or other limitation as a black smoke surrounding him or her.

As you inhale, imagine that you are breathing in the black smoke so that the suffering person or animal has less of it to bear.

Medicine Buddha

As you breathe it in and it fills your chest cavity, it transforms into white light that nourishes you and cleans your cells, clearing any confusion or unhealthiness.

As you exhale, exhale the white light back out into the universe and especially to the person or animal who is suffering, so that her or his pain is alleviated.

I find that this practice makes me feel less helpless when people and animals I know and love are suffering, and when I feel less helpless, I can offer better support.

And although I don't know for sure, I think it's very possible that sending out intentions for peace and healing ultimately does have tangible results in the world.

Product Reviews and the Revolution

2012-02-06T08:31:00.001-05:00

I was having a bit of a bummer of a day last week--occasioned by Sandy being not so nice to a dog in the park we'd been walking to--so when I came home from work I was in sore need of a little pick-me-up. Imagine my joy to find a big box on my porch from Mr. Chewy's, a mere two days after I had ordered it.

Full disclosure: Mr. Chewy's asked me to write a product review in exchange for a very nice coupon for free stuff--which, combined with Mr. Chewy's free shipping on all orders over $49, made for an offer this house of hungry canine consumers couldn't refuse.

Now this blog is generally not the place for product reviews. But before you go calling this kinda-vegan, activist-groovy, anti-corporate, Buddhist-New Agey blogger a SELLOUT to the throwaway culture of rampant consumerism that threatens to swallow all of us and our families and our dogs and the things we truly value like sunny walks in the park and delicious meals among friends whole, let me tell you this: Mr Chewy's donates $10 from every order from a friend you refer to a charity of your choice!

Take THAT, corporate America!

As others have noted, Mr. Chewy's has an incredible selection of dog and cat food, treats, and flea and tick products at prices that are affordable to the scruffiest of activists.

We decided to get maximum bang for our buck by ordering three cases of delicious medium-grade canned food and some tasty treats for all of our leash walk training and bedtime desensitization exercises.

The Sweet Potato and Fish formula treats are ones we had not yet tried, and have a delightful texture and crunch that is unique among baked dog snacks.

There really are a lot of reasons to try Mr. Chewy's. In addition to the convincing ones at right:

Items are packaged with brown paper, not nonrecyclable, ozone-destroying styrofoam pebbles
The time you would have spent driving your biodiesel vehicle or riding your bike trailer to the pet store can be spent planting a community garden or doing a teach-in at your local university
Large box used for shipping can be dismantled and made into cardboard signs to bring to your next protest

Now how can you pass that up?

Sandy and Sam go wild

2012-02-03T07:20:00.002-05:00

The other day we went by our friend Eric's house to see if Sandy would hit it off with his dog Sam as well as Fozzie did.

Eric has an amazing house with a yard backing on woods with a bamboo forest and vast garden space. He is outside with Sam all the time but loves it when we come over because he knows that whatever he does with Sam, he can't play with him the way another dog can.

Sam looks like a Ridgeback, pit, lab or some sort of Brown Dog mix, but Eric swears he's part greyhound just from how fast he can run. I never thought I'd see a dog who could so easily outrun Sandy but it sure was fun to watch.

They were so perfectly matched in every way--both ready to run when the other was, ready to wrestle, seemed to really like each other.

Sandy deferred nicely to Sam when he was eating a snack, and they both gave very appropriate signals and respected each other's boundaries. This surprised me and made me happy, as Sandy does not seem to be very respectful of Fozzie's boundaries. Maybe she knows she can take advantage of him, as he'll usually tolerate her brattiness like an indulgent uncle?

Or maybe it's just that she loves making a frog, and will take any excuse to do it? I know lots of pit bulls love to make frogs--and of course, our friends at Pit Bull Frogs have a delightful calendar, with pictures of Fozzie, Sandy, and tons of other amazing pit bull frogs to prove it--but I think Sandy has got to be one of the froggiest dogs out there.

Do your pitties seem to absolutely love to make themselves into frogs? Are there other dogs besides pitties (and Akitas--my sister's dog Genghis seems to love it too) that do a froggie pose so readily?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T07:14:00.000-05:00

More T-Touch and Impulse Control

2012-01-31T08:39:00.002-05:00

With our newfound commitment to an ambitious self-improvement program, Fozzie and I were ready for our second T-Touch session last week.

We went into Pam's bathroom to start out with, so she could work with Fozzie in a small space where there was not too much for him to sniff, explore, and distract himself with.

As before, he spent the first 10 minutes or so doing everything he could to keep busy and avoid just "Being Here Now," as us hippies would say. Sniffing the toilet, the floor, the picture frame, the window, the door, the towel rack for God's sake, then whining, pacing, circling, wagging, and looking at us entreatingly.

After a while, he finally just lay down. Pam then started narrating all the little releases she saw. Stomach gurgle-yay! Release! Burp--Yay! Sigh, yawn, lip lick, blink, flatulence--yay!

She began doing some cranio-sacral work on him, just holding the bones of his cranium as they shifted around slightly. His lips and nose began to twitch, and Pam told me when she felt his C2 vertebra release.

And I thought, here's a dog who was hours away from being thrown away like so much trash, and now he has a T-Touch practitioner tuning in to his C2 vertebra and helping it release. Pretty cool. I wish every impulsive shelter dog awaiting rescue could get that kind of attention.

Pam taught me a simple impulse control exercise. Sit in a chair with the dog sitting between your legs, facing away. Hold the dog's collar and just wait.

The dog, depending on his impulsivity, will whine, struggle, paw, chew on your hands. Ignore it. Avoid eye contact and just take away any of your body parts that is being chewed upon. Eventually, the dog will lie down. Great. Keep holding the dog until he really relaxes, so when you let go he doesn't just bounce up. When you do let go, just calmly flow into getting up and doing whatever you were doing, without making a big fuss. It works like absolute magic and is a dream for any dog that is all over the place with energy and doesn't know what to do with him or herself. I tried it on Sandy the other night when she was bouncing around like a maniac, and she fell asleep, and then stayed asleep.

After Fozzie spent some time getting in touch with himself in the bathroom, we went outside to do some groundwork. Groundwork is as integral to TTouch as is the bodywork component; it's the part where the dog gets to practice walking through obstacles, over novel surfaces, etc. so that he learns to pay attention to his body even when in stimulating outdoor environments.

I'd brought Fozzie with his head halter and a body harness. Pam walked Fozzie through a PVC labyrinth and over some obstacles she created with boards, and showed me how to gently lead his head with me when he stares at a squirrel, tenses at a dog he sees in the distance, or otherwise starts to react. The main force of my pull is on his body harness; there is a gentle tug, but not a yank, on the head halter to make sure we don't injure that burly-looking-but-still-vulnerable neck.

She lifted his paws and rotated his legs as he stood on the board, to get him to loosen up those tense things as he inclined toward a squirrel.

I was glad that Pam got to see how impossible it is to get his attention back once he fixates on something. She was confident, though, that with regular practice of impulse control, TTouch to get him more grounded, and gentle work with the head halter, we will be able to get his attention at some point down the line.

Fozzie loves all the sweet attention he gets with Pam and I love learning so much about progressive, even revolutionary ways to interact with my powerful, distracted, sensitive, misunderstood friend.

Lessons Learned from a Sleepover

2012-01-30T07:30:00.002-05:00

To get some more help and perspective in resolving my two-year-long dilemma over whether to keep Fozzie or keep searching for his perfect adopter, recently I decided to let him go on a sleepover with a prospective adopter. This was our friend who had expressed an interest in adopting him, but--for good reason--hasn't been sure. We thought it would be good for both of us to see what it was like to have him with her, and away from me, for a short trial.

It was a good exercise. As I stood on the curb watching her car pull away with Fozzie's worried face looking out the side, I felt my heart rip in pieces. I felt like a terrible parent, abandoning my baby after going through so much with him.

That evening, with just two dogs clamoring for attention and space on the bed, the calmness that we experienced was incredible. In the morning, just having to go on one walk was a delight. Lamar was more relaxed. Everything was easier, but we still missed our Fozzie. As many of you have helpfully noted, after two years he really does feel like my dog. And much as I love the others, Fozzie has a sensitivity and a closeness to us that is unique.

I'm glad Fozzie's back, and Florian is certainly glad. Fozzie slept deeply as soon as he got back, and has seemed even more grateful and sensitive than usual.

So I won't call it quite an epiphany, more like a few more nails in the coffin of the idea that I could let him go. What its done is made me feel a commitment to him that wasn't there before. Now, since I see how little chance there is that he'll end up with someone else, I get to make him into my little project. I get to take his sensitivity, his intelligence, his gentle mouth, his athleticism and get him to realize his potential in all those ways. This is going to be fun!

T-Touch for Fozzie

2012-01-26T07:54:00.003-05:00

Despite having some small successes with a few techniques, Fozzie's reactivity when he sees another dog on leash has not changed substantially from when I first got him.

When we go on a hike where we see other people and dogs--like to Great Falls or Harper's Ferry--it is a serious pain to manage him in all his lunging, barking strength and muscularity. We generally have to find a rock to hide behind.

This is one of my main reasons for feeling that Fozzie might be best in another home, with a person who doesn't frequent popular trails or someone who has only Fozzie and so can dedicate more attention to working with him. But since the right adopter for Fozzie may never materialize, I have been racking my brains for a trainer who might be able to address his unique issues. I already know a fair amount about the techniques that work with many reactive dogs--those that are fear-reactive and will accept treats when on walks--so I needed someone who could bring us a really new perspective.

I've been meaning forever to have a session with my friend Pam Wanveer of Woodside TTouch, but kept forgetting or putting it off because I thought Fozzie was about to be adopted. I decided it was time!

Note stiff front left paw

Pam is so great. It was she who taught me and Tashi about the use of an anxiety wrap, and she reminded me how helpful that could be for Fozzie. She had some great insights about how he perceives the world.

Fozzie doesn't know how to relax. His skin all over is tight, showing just how tensely he holds himself. Even when he's resting, he tries to keep some part of himself stiff--like those front paws that stretch out and push against Florian's chest when they're cuddling.

As she touched him, he started to sniff all over the room, rub against her, and then stare at me and whine. This is his way of processing anxiety--when he doesn't know what to do with himself, he gets busy.

I, of course, am in the habit of petting him, comforting him, talking to him when he stares at me and whines, or climbs in my lap, or humps Florian's leg (one of his nighttime activities lately).

So there are several ways that we can help Fozzie learn new ways of dealing with his anxiety. If I can resist the urge to respond when he demands attention by climbing, whining, or humping, then he will start learning that calm, self-controlled behavior is rewarding.

If I do lots of massage around his head and his nose and mouth, we'll release endorphins and start to help him relax and get more grounded.

If I put a calming elastic on his face, he may start to feel less nervous around his mouth, and less prone to barking and mouthing (let's whip out those calming elastics for Sandy's mouthiness, Lamar's barking, and Florian's nonstop talking while we're at it!)

If I put an anxiety wrap on him, he may start to learn that he doesn't have to hold his muscles and skin so tightly.

After the first twenty minutes with Pam, during which Fozzie whined and moaned and paced around, finally he plotzed out on the floor next to her, wrapped in his Ace bandage and his elastic band, and was down for the count. Same when we got home. Now let's see if we can manifest that same calmness on a walk!

Environmental impediments to sleep

2012-01-24T07:55:00.002-05:00

When I tell people about my struggles with sleep, sometimes they ask me whether there's something in my environment that might be adding to the trouble.

I've heard that it's not good to have too many plants in the bedroom, because they have a lot of life energy and that can disturb the mind's ability to shut down.

Somehow, if life energy in the bedroom is to blame, I don't think I'm going to point the finger at my houseplants.

The bed is one of Sandy and Fozzie's favorite wrestle zones, and Lamar's absolute favorite place to growl at both of them.

Aside from all that, Florian sleeps like a combination between a tornado and a burrito. By an hour or two into the night, the covers are all either wrapped tightly around him or strewn on the floor.

While he lies diagonally across the middle of the bed.

And Fozzie is lodged in a circle between our heads, and Sandy is stretched out against my legs. Making my prospects of negotiating a more or less comfortable position with some blanket coverage just about hopeless.

I suppose if I really thought the heaps of dogs and diagonal tornado boyfriend were affecting my sleep, I'd do something about them.

I'd put them all on Petfinder (I hear Swiss ballet dancers get adopted really fast) and just go run off with my budgies.

Fortunately, my problem goes way deeper and the life energy in my bed doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other. As long as I have access to my full array of Non-Canine Sleep Aids, I think all of my little packets of excess life energy are going to stay.

Adventurous and Illegal

2012-01-23T07:27:00.002-05:00

This past week offered an opportunity to go on another Swiss Mystery Hike. Florian loves to take me and all the dogs somewhere for a hike without telling us where we're going.

Zuzi, where are you taking me? is my usual question.
Don't worry zuzu, I bring you to thees amazing place, is the only response.

This time, I figured out pretty quickly that we were headed to Great Falls along the Potomac in MD. The first part of the hike is along a wide trail above the river.

Then you follow the C & O Canal, which parallels the river.

Then, we took a detour off this main trail and I started to remember the particular place we were going.

That magical place where we took Tashi a few months before she passed, where a landscape of rocks and forest opens up between the canal and the river and where the rocks tower above the river, creating a canyon almost like where Tashi and I used to visit the hot springs on the Rio Grande in New Mexico.

Once again, Sandy channeled Tashi as she stood looking out over the river from those warm sunny rocks.

On our way out, we found the sign for the trail we'd been on and found it was the infamous Billy Goat Trail. A trail I'd wanted to check out forever but due to the treacherousness of the rocky terrain, no dogs are allowed.

Good thing we didn't know that before we did the trail! Leave it to that Swiss guy to push us to the limit every time.

Grooming avec Florian

2012-01-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

Ever since I met him, I've been thinking I should find some way to use my boyfriend's fabulous name to my financial advantage.

I think this grooming thing may be just the ticket. Just imagine the business cards:

Dog Care by Florian

Clients would be beating down the door.

Florian has been saying for years that he wants to get into "dog business" too, and as the body gets a little old for airborne leaps and lifting of all sorts of ballerinas, connecting with dogs for a living gets more and more appealing.

The other night I got a chance to try out my prospective business partner. It was time to groom Mars and Zoe again, the sweet golden doodles I've seen many times before. They came a bit late, and I always forget how long it takes me to groom doodles, so it was getting on into the evening and I was feeling ready to throw in the towel and I hadn't even started on Mars yet.

It was hard to believe the enthusiasm with which Florian took to washing and blow drying first Zoe and then Mars.

While I brushed out Mars, I could hear in the bathroom sounds of water gently flowing, sounds of cooing, of whispering. Sounds of...tongue kissing?

Zuzi, not with the client dogs!

That's so unprofessional.

Zoe and Mars did seem strangely relaxed and refreshed after their grooming, and their people seemed happy with the job. I guess no one needs to know about the...special treatment...dogs receive when they sign up for grooming chez Florian, zee amaazing Swiss groomer.

Wintry Wanderings

2012-01-19T07:27:00.002-05:00

The extra day off this week gave us the opportunity to explore the Patapsco Valley State Park, a vast land of many trails surrounding the Patapsco River near Ellicot City in Maryland.

I love these hilly forest hikes in the winter, where you can see for miles around through the leafless tree branches.

On a bracingly cold holiday Monday, there was barely anyone to worry about as all three dogs rans around like maniacs.

Fozzie did take off after something at one point, and the others followed him over a hill. They came right back, though, and even the wild impulsive man was back soon enough.

Maybe they--especially Sandy--don't want to miss an opportunity to play those wacky stick games.

Dogs are so amazing--give them miles of wilderness to roam around in and they still seek our companionship.

And I think there's even a good lesson here for those of us still working on teaching our friends better impulse control. It goes back to what I learned in the Control & Focus class I assisted in, which was based on Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed.

If we make it rewarding enough for our dogs to be close to us, then the moment when we release them to wander is almost a let-down. They choose to be with us even when they have the opportunity to do otherwise.

Easier said than done with some dogs--like Fozzie, who channels his inner Plott Hound and forgets he's supposed to be a biddable breed when presented with temptations like open space and the possibility of prey species. But its a good principle, and even with Fozzie I think there's hope!

Viral unbelievable photo Wednesday

2012-01-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

Non-Canine Sleep Aids (NCSAs)

2012-01-16T07:20:00.003-05:00

When I wrote my first post on sleep, I was initially surprised to find out how many of you also suffer from insomnia. It is such an isolating affliction, it always surprises me to hear from others who go through the same thing.

But of course, many people go through it. Insomnia is the most common sleep affliction and affects 35% of the adult population in any given year.

I've had it for as long as I can remember, so I've had some time to think about and try lots of different treatments.

In graduate school, I even did a cross-cultural comparison of sleep remedies in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in the herbal medicine practiced by the Dominican curanderos who practiced out of the botanicas near where I lived in New York City while I was at Columbia.

Maybe some of these ideas will be helpful to you.
1. Valerian. Made into a strong tea--you have to simmer the root for 5 minutes or so--it smells absolutely horrific but does induce drowsiness. A couple of times, its been enough to make me sleep. You can make it taste and smell more bearable by mixing with mint, catnip, chamomile, alfalfa, or other calming herbs.
2. St. John's Wort. You can buy the tincture or buy the bulk herb and make tea, or make your own tincture. Never has been enough to conquer my insomnia demons but does replace mild anxiety with a nice feeling of well-being.
3. Xiao Yao Wan (Free and Easy Wanderer). Chinese herbal patent formula that corrects liver imbalance. I tried this years ago, in powder form mixed with hot water. It did induce a pleasant drowsiness that led to sleep.
4. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl, Tylenol PM). I discovered this when I was in Guatemala and taking Dramamine for the crazy bus rides; the related compound in Dramamine made me very sleepy. Sometimes, one of these is enough by itself.

There are many other remedies that others have apparently used to good effect, that haven't done much for me. These include Melatonin and many herbs such as chamomile, spearmint, catnip, passionflower, hops, and kava kava.

Then there are the allopathic remedies that most doctors don't like to prescribe because they are reputed to make things worse if you ever go off them and to require higher and higher doses to be effective. I have not found this to be the case. I've been taking one prescription pharmaceutical or the other for sleep since about 2003, and have not--as many doctors have warned me I would--had to increase my dose or found that the medication no longer worked over time.

I have realized, especially after reading the excellent book Insomniac by Gayle Greene, that most doctors don't know a darn thing about insomnia. A common allopathic pattern seems to be to refuse the few medications that actually are specific to insomnia, and instead to try to get patients on an antidepressant. This is because most doctors do not consider insomnia to be a primary ailment, but secondary to some other psychological or medical complaint.

After doing battle with countless practitioners who tried to convince me that I was depressed or had an anxiety disorder, I am happy to finally have gone to a sleep specialist who understood that I'm fine in every respect except that I just can't sleep. Even this doctor didn't talk to me much about the underlying causes of insomnia, which Greene discusses in Insomniac--the possible overproduction of cortisol, the hormonal imbalances--but, with a seeming sense of resignation that echoed my own, he did prescribe some things that have been helpful.
1. Alprazolam (Xanax). An antianxiety drug that I got over the counter when I went to Mexico in 2003 and used for most of that year and the next. A low dose made my mind just shut down, in a good way.
2. Zolpidem tartrate (Ambien). I was first prescribed Ambien in 2002, have been taking it in small doses fairly regularly since 2005 when I started graduate school. I take a lower dose than I started with and have only increased it during stressful times. Just lets things shut down.
3. Ambien CR. This is for when Ambien gets you to sleep, but doesn't keep you asleep. Didn't make a huge difference for me.
4. Gabapentin. Tashi took this for her arthritis so I was surprised when the sleep specialist prescribed it for me. It's also used to control seizures in epileptics. Sometimes it gets me to sleep by itself, other times I have to take a bit of Ambien too. When it works, I wake up so rested and pain-free I think at first that I slept on a different mattress. When I slept without any prescription for a few weeks recently, it was after taking Gabapentin and no Ambien for a night. I felt so relaxed the next evening that I decided to try sleeping without a pill, and succeeded, and kept on succeeding until I got a cold and lost that sleep mojo.

It feels strange to divulge the full extent of my sleep problem, and especially to discuss at length the prescription meds I take to manage it. I sound like a wacko and a druggie.

But the stigma and the misconceptions about insomnia are the reason I'm writing this. The perception that it isn't a real ailment, is only secondary to some sort of other disorder and that if I would only stop drinking coffee (which I don't drink) or alcohol (which I drink only occasionally) or get more exercise (I ride my bicycle about 40 miles a week and walk the dogs easily 10 miles a week) or treated my anxiety and depression (I'm generally pretty happy and only a little anxious) or ate meat (don't even start), I'd sleep.

So I'm writing this for any of you bloggers who look at your blissfully snoring canines with envy, and feel like a bit of a freak that you can't just join them wherever they go when they snooze off. If you had diabetes or high cholesterol or any number of other chronic conditions, you'd take your meds in order to function and not beat yourself up about it. I do believe that insomnia is a primary physical ailment resulting from some sort of chemical thing going on in the brain and nervous system--too much of something that makes us alert or too little of something that makes us able to shut down--and that some of us need outside help in getting those things to balance.

I'd certainly prefer not to patronize the drug companies that profit from my imbalance, and to find a way to sleep that is more in keeping with my "natural" groovy crunchy way of life. But sleeping sure does make life easier, and for those nights when a tiny snoring foster piglet is not enough, I'm glad there are other options.

Harper's Ferry and Another Harrowing Hike

2012-01-13T07:53:00.005-05:00

Rounding out this past glorious weekend was a Sunday hike to the trails surrounding Harper's Ferry, WV.

This area has always been one of our favorites, but we hadn't been there in a while. I have many warm memories of walking with my parents, or with Florian and his son Quentin, in the picturesque town by the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

Or of walking across one of the rivers--I think it must have been the Shenandoah --in the summer with Tashi, Lamar, and one of our foster dogs, and washing them because one of them--probably Tashi--had rolled in something horrifying.

This time, we wanted to climb the trail that ascends the rocky cliff across the rivers from the town.

We had all three dogs so knew our hike would be a lot more pleasant if we found a trail that wasn't covered with other hikers and their dogs.

After walking along the river and the railroad tracks for a bit, we went back up to the road and found a steep trail that went directly up the side of the cliffs.

When we got to the top, there were some incredible flat rocks that offered a view of the town right below and the rivers stretching off to the horizon. Florian has a healthy fear of heights, so didn't stay there too long.

The dogs don't seem to have that much good sense. They prefer, when presented with a steep rocky precipice, to go to the edge of it and look over.

On our way back to the car, we took the main trail down the mountain and so I had to detour off into the woods several times to avoid having our lunging madman go head-to-head with another dog.

Another absolutely otherworldly hike accessed about an hour from our humble happy hippie home. And we even got some peace on the return trip home.

A Blast from Foster Dogs Past

2012-01-11T07:05:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I had news from two of my most beloved past foster dogs.

One of my favorite end-of-the-year rituals is sending a nice donation to my friends who run Animal AWARE, a no-kill sanctuary in Guatemala. I've always thought of it as a child support payment, as the sanctuary has provided a good home to my God-dog Zula, who I rescued when I was in Guatemala the summer of 2005, all these years.

Zula is the Antigua street dog who one morning came up to me and lay on my backpack; I kept her with me a few days, got her vaccinated and spayed, and convinced my friend Xenii and her indulgent husband Martin to take her.

All along I've agonized over whether I should send for her, but while my heart longed for her, my head said that there was no way to justify the expense and difficulty of taking in a dog who was happily situated in Guatemala, when so many dogs languish on death row right here in DC. And with my friend Xenii's donation thank-you note this year came an unexpected deliverance from my agony--the news that Zula's been adopted! By two people who love her and take her for walks around Antigua, so she gets to cruise around and see all her old haunts from the perspective of a loved, well-fed family dog and no longer that of a hungry, homeless stray.

Somehow I never expected to hear this news, and I didn't anticipate how liberated I would feel when I heard it. There's one less dog in the world whose happiness is my responsibility. I can devote my full attention to the dogs right in front of me. Think globally, act locally.

And in another wonderful instance of connecting with a past foster dog, this weekend I also got the chance to groom PJ! PJ was only the second foster dog I had after I moved to this area. A fellow volunteer with the rescue group I was with sent out an email with his picture asking if anyone would take him, as he was running out of time at a high-kill shelter.

He'd gotten into trouble for sending emails like that because the group had its own list of high-priority dogs who needed to be pulled first (this sort of politics is precisely why I am reluctant to get deeply involved with a rescue group again), but when PJ came off the transport I think everyone knew that the right thing had been done.

PJ gave me a big happy wag and sniff and pulled to greet me and come in the house. Even though its been 3 years, he sure seemed to remember me and to have good associations with living here.

PJ and Zula remind me that parting from a foster dog is not a final farewell, but an opportunity to keep alive a connection with a dog while making room in my own life to save more. An important lesson that will help me as I try to separate my sometimes overpowering emotions and love for these things, from my determination to set Fozzie and Sandy up for the best possible success in this lifetime.

Another Side of the Potomac

2012-01-09T07:43:00.004-05:00

Last summer, Florian and I took a drive along a road that we remembered for its views of swampy, sparsely populated, thickly wooded forest and its proximity to the Potomac. We vowed to come back sometime and explore, and this weekend we finally got a chance to.

The road was 224 and the place we got off to hike was Purse State Park. It was a gorgeous day and a great place for the dogs, with a few open fields and some spooky ruins of the kind we love.

But the best part was when we found, with the help of Florian's excellent sense of direction, a trail that led directly to the Potomac.

This part of the river is extremely wide, and as we descended the trail to the sandy beach at its bank we heard the cries of birds that sounded just like seagulls.

The beach was narrow, as the water was high.

The river drains into the Chesapeake Bay not far from where we were, so in this spot it has many of the characteristics of the ocean.

We certainly felt like we were a lot farther than a 45 minute drive from our familiar existence in the suburbs of our nation's capital.

Vast open water, silence but for the slight lapping of waves and the mysterious call of aquatic birds, bright sunlight in the stillness of late afternoon.

No one on the beach but for a friendly older couple out for a walk, just like we were. The beach is narrow because the tide's in, the man said.

And I thought, Goddess willing, that's us in 20 years. A friendly older couple still doing our walks in the places we love, but with a knowledge of those places born of walking there for years.

Seeking Fortune Tellers, Soothsayers, Psychics, Animal Communicators....

2012-01-06T07:17:00.000-05:00

The past few months, I've had a very promising potential adopter for Fozzie. Someone who had seen his picture when she was overseas, fell in love, followed up with me when she returned, and was still in love when she met him.

So these past months I've been thinking about it, and, though the idea of letting go of Fozzie is painful, I thought I could do it with this woman. She had an amazing connection with him, and I connected with her too and felt she appreciated him for his unique qualities.

So I was getting ready to let go, and thinking of how much easier things would be with just two dogs, and then once Sandy gets adopted with just good old Lamar. Thinking of all the other dogs I could save if I re-committed to fostering with the intention of doing it short-term. Thinking of how relaxed Fozzie could be in a household with no Lamar growling at him all the time, and no constant cycle of pain-in-the-butt additional foster dogs to torment him.

And the universe said, Good luck with that!

This potential adopter decided its not the right time for her to get a dog, and apparently the universe is saying that its not the right time for Fozzie to move on.

Isn't that what it's saying?

It would be so nice to really know what the Universe has in mind, what would be Best for Fozzie, what the Natural Order of things is. Is he supposed to stay with us? If I knew, I'd accept it, whatever the outcome.

But we can't know, can we? We can just do our best and muddle along.

I remember an old boyfriend many years ago, after listening to me going on about how I wished I knew The Right Answer to some other big question I can't even remember now, saying something really useful. You can't know the Right Answer, the thing that will turn out to be the best thing possible in the future. You can only make a decision, and then make it the right one.

So that's what we'll do. Over two years of being alternately driven nuts by Fozzie and besotted with him, we've had plenty of practice making the best of whatever outcome might befall us.

So until we get a very clear signal that Fozzie is supposed to be elsewhere, in the form of a fantastic adopter who's ready to go, we will make the best of having him--in his gorgeous brindle, leash-crazy, velvety-mouthed, fence barking, loving and cuddly, maniacally prey-driven, sensitive and soulful glory--right here with us.

New Year and More Sleep

2012-01-05T07:11:00.002-05:00

This year is off to a good start!

For reasons that I don't fully comprehend, I am back to sleeping with no prescription pharmas after a few weeks of having lost my sleep mojo.

After that blast of really good sleep that lasted a while, I had a bit of a cold and was not surprised that this constituted a setback to my new sleep paradigm. Though it would be perfectly rational to sleep deeply when sick, my sleep system is anything but rational and being sick always brings with it a tinge of anxiety and hyper-awareness that make it even more difficult to doze off.

Not even my velvety compact little/big red sleeping pill could conquer this hyperawareness, no matter how I rolled her up right near my head or stretched her out along my legs.

So, it was back to the wonders of modern medicine and the little white pills for a while.

The good news is that I seem to have gotten that elusive sleep capacity back again.

Like an ephemeral spirit who sometimes materializes to sprinkle me with her magical dust, and sometimes flits out the back door into the forest, not to be heard from for weeks again, the sleep fairy has decided to take up residence in my bedroom ever since right around the New Year.

Maybe thanks to having such a fun, joyful holiday and New Year with my wacky human and canine family, I seem to have returned to a level of well-being that allows me to drop off with all the other snoozers in my bed.

With a little help from my nonprescription, furry, velvety, snoring, firmly muscled sleep aids, maybe this really is a longer-term sleep breakthrough! It remains to be seen.

Wonder if my HMO will cover dog treats?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T07:17:00.001-05:00

The Foster Dog and the Swiss Guy

2012-01-03T07:24:00.002-05:00

The first day I brought Fozzie home, I had some initial misgivings about whether I had done the right thing.

Florian, on the other hand, was in love at first sight.

In fact, when we visited the PG County shelter and made the rounds, Florian was the one sticking his tongue through the bars of the cage and making it a forgone conclusion that I would take Fozzie home when I returned the next day, even though by then he was in the area of the shelter designated "disaster" because he had failed his evaluation and was no longer up for adoption to the general public.

With every foster dog I've brought home, Florian has declared "this is the best one" as he's stared into its eyes and gathered the traumatized creature close to him under the covers at night.

We've had Fozzie so long that I was beginning to believe that this time he really meant it, that their connection was so strong that there was no other love that could take Fozzie's place in Florian's heart.

That is, until we got Sandy.

I wonder if my boyfriend is what you might call...fickle?

These dogs' physicality and desire for intense contact make them ideal for this Swiss dude, who grew up too busy studying ballet and hiking the Swiss alps to have a dog though he always wanted one.

So I've got a boyfriend who is utterly devoted to me although he spends his days surrounded by lithe athletic 17-year-olds in tutus, but who will fall in love with any foster dog I bring home without so much as a backward glance at all the foster dogs who have gone before.

I think I can live with that.

Pre-Christmas vacation

2011-12-30T07:21:00.007-05:00

Last week, Florian and I seized the day to go on a little road trip before the wackiness of the holidays and the busyness of his next semester.

We had always wanted to check out the hot springs of western Virginia, as well as the amazing-looking New River Gorge National River in West Virginia.

We arrived at Warm Springs, VA Wednesday evening and decided to camp at Lake Moomaw. The great thing about Forest Service campsites this time of year is that no one's there. We had the foggy, chilly place all to ourselves and the dogs loved running around.

The next morning, we set off to explore Warm Springs and the next town South along VA-220--Hot Springs. Although we didn't find the undeveloped hot springs in the middle of a forest somewhere like we were hoping, we did enjoy seeing the steam coming up through the pavement everywhere in Hot Springs.

There's an old place called the Homestead where you can sit in a big hot pool for $17. We didn't do it because we didn't think they'd want three dogs sitting in their gorgeous hot pool, but it looked well worth it!

After exploring the Homestead--and leaving the van door open one second too long, then chasing Fozzie all over the manicured grounds as bemused construction guys looked on (he eventually walked right up to one of said construction guys after eluding us for 20 minutes)--we continued south and west to the New River Gorge National River.

Florian knows how I love stunning scenic vistas and dramatic landscapes, so he thought I would enjoy this National Park site in West Virginia.

This place has everything. First a hike along the Tunnel Trail, about which signs at the Visitor Center said DO NOT, by any means, ever even THINK of going through the tunnels as they are VERY DANGEROUS.

That should give you a good clue as to where we headed first.

Then, a hike on the trail down the side of the gorge, with a rocky craggy cliff face on one side and a steep drop-off all the way down to the river on the other.

There were a couple of moments where my heart stopped in my throat, like when Fozzie and Sandy stood on the very edge of the cliff...and Fozzie gave one of his intense ear-flapping shakes.

When we climbed back up the trail and got towards the top, we got into an area where the trail went through a canopy of rich green rhododendrons.

That foliage--in December--combined with the cool misty weather and the incredible vista, made me feel like I was back in Oregon or Washington.

The following day, after camping in a state park, we checked out the Sandstone Falls, also along the New River.

We finally got some sun for our drive up along the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most stunning drives around. Views for miles and miles, and trails everywhere. We got off to tire the dogs out on one that went up a steep hill next to a waterfall.

We arrived home tired, refreshed, ready for family holiday madness, and grateful for the forward-thinking decisionmakers of yesteryear who set aside large tracts of land for open space, wildlife, ecosystem services, and recreation. May 2012 bring that sort of foresight back to public policy!

Sandy's first REAL Christmas

2011-12-29T07:19:00.008-05:00

Some of my Mom's incredible crafty Christmas artistry

The past few years, since we've been having Christmas at my aunt and uncle's place, dogs have played a less central role in the festivities. So on Christmas Day, as my dad started up the family van at my sister's house to make the trip out to my aunt's, and I asked him to stop off at my place on the way so I could pick up a couple of things, I wasn't even thinking that one of those things would be a dog.

But when I saw Sandy in her crate, prepared to spend the afternoon there while we all ate and made merry, I just couldn't do it. It was a nice afternoon and the other dogs had their dog door and could enjoy it, and there seemed nothing more scrooge-ey than leaving a baby puppy in a cage all day. And when I climbed back in the van, my little bundle of joy in tow, my ever-indulgent parents didn't even protest. Right then I knew it was going to be a good Christmas.

My aunt and uncle are incredibly indulgent and their house is incredibly nice, and I didn't want to take advantage of their indulgence or trash their house with my little ball of fire. So Sandy stayed outside and enjoyed the unseasonably warm afternoon until my aunt insisted that I bring her in.

So while we ate and drank ungodly amounts of delicious provisions, Sandy got to bond with my sister,

pilfer snacks from my mom,

avoid kisses from me,

and demonstrate her frogdog for all.

I can't think of a better way to realize the spirit of Christmas than to give a scrappy little former stray a day filled with warmth, food, family, and affection.

Sure made things extra fun for us humans too.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T07:15:00.001-05:00

How to enjoy the holidays

2011-12-23T07:20:00.003-05:00

I've always loved the holidays, probably because my mom loves this time and infused me with her appreciation from an early age.

My mom is the most incredible artist, and every year she comes up with another incredible creative outlet for the holidays. When I was a kid, she made these Christmas candy trees--styrofoam cones covered with fragrant balsam tree sprigs and candy. She'd leave them in the lobby of our apartment building for all the kids.

She made ornaments and angels, trees and wreaths, decorated the apartment until it looked like a Christmas wonderland. Helping my mom with all that stuff and just being surrounded by it brought me such cheer.

Now, she is making the most artistic, beautiful mosaic flower pots. She's given me a few and I don't have plants that are really worthy of them, but I try to put them in prominent places anyway.

My mom always loved decorating the apartment so much, I think it must be hard for her now that we celebrate Christmas here in Maryland at my aunt's house and we're not at the apartment to enjoy the wonderland she used to create. But I hope she feels, as I do, that what she created is still unfurling in the world.

My parents have always been very materially generous with me and my siblings; we have never wanted for anything in the physical world. I know that for my parents, the material things they've given us have simply been manifestations of love. For a little kid, who doesn't understand abstract concepts like Love, food and toys and Christmas presents are obvious ways for a parent to express the almost unbearably intense love they have for their children. That habit died hard for my parents and they still send me delightful care packages and dog snacks all the time.

But each year, the Christmas gift-giving gets a little less frantic and the emphasis shifts a bit more to other things. This year, we've decided there will be very few gifts. My parents are coming down with Dizzy and Barry and Elyse and Uncle Johnny, and we'll celebrate Christmas Eve with my sister and Christmas with my aunt.

I'm certain that a few gifts will change hands--my sister has resolved to give the gift of abrasive soap to one and all--and my mom will make her devastatingly scrumptious nutty vegan meatballs. But the best thing of all is that we'll be together, and will get a chance to exchange the nonmaterial gifts we have learned about from an early age from our indulgent, dog-loving, generous, creative parents.

Frito Paws Wednesday

2011-12-21T07:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Paw sniffing everybody! We are off for a few-day camping trip with the dogs and the van in the Virginia mountains...and maybe even some hot springs, if we can find them!

So sad

2011-12-20T08:01:00.001-05:00

I've been away from Blogville for a few days and when I returned today I encountered the horrifying news of what happened to Sandra and her Kissa-Bulls. On Friday night an electrical fire consumed Sandra's house, all of her possessions and five of her babies.

I have no good words to offer that might alleviate the pain of that kind of loss; I didn't even know Sandra before I read of what happened on Emily's blog and several others of your excellent blogs, and saw the incredible effort organized by Amber at Mayzie's blog to organize help for Sandra. I do know, just from reading what I read on her blog today, that Sandra is an amazingly powerful and giving force of love in the world and has given so much to help animals no one else would help. For a person like that to experience such tragedy is just wrong, but sometimes life throws us things that are just wrong and all we can do is support each other more, love each other more, and help each other come out on the other side.

I know that awful feeling of wishing you could turn back the clock but in lieu of that, there's a Chip in page to offer financial contributions to help Sandra through this amazingly difficult time. Please help out with whatever you can.

The Nutcracker and Dogs

2011-12-16T07:25:00.005-05:00

Florian is through with his Nutcracker season, and I am through watching, supporting, and yes even participating for this year.

Since I met Florian I've seen scads of Nutcrackers but somehow it never gets old.

I find the traditional story--of a little girl who is transported to a beautiful land where people wear colorful costumes and dance the traditions of cultures all over the world, where all those different cultures appreciate each other and dance together harmoniously and with big smiles--to be so moving. All these people are not at war with each other, they're not enslaving each other or taxing each other or exploiting each other, they're just dancing.

All the more moving because the little girl finds, at the end, that it was all a dream.

Even in the non-traditional Nutcracker we both did this year--where Florian danced the part of a sailor and of a tin soldier doll, and I acted a part that consisted solely of being angry and stomping on my stage boyfriend's foot--I get a bit choked up.

OK, not during the sailor dance. That one is just silly.

But the tin soldier and the ballerina doll are just inanimate dolls until they touch each other, at which point they come to life and dance.

For some reason as I stood backstage watching my little tin soldier and our beautiful friend Ashley, the ballerina, what I kept thinking about was--dogs.

Little scrumpy baby puppy dogs like my Sandy, who want nothing more than to be touched and loved.

Touch them, and they come to life with wiggles and wags and endless snorty grunting kisses.

They don't ask for much and they bring so much beauty and joy into the world.

We have the power of life or death over them, and as much as we abuse that power they still give us nothing but love. Like the people who exist only in our dreams and our stories, they are always ready to smile, always full of joy and appreciation for us.

So when we got finished with our Nutcracker, we went straight home to our own little fairy tale.

There we were covered with wet snorting kisses from our diverse little crew of people from all different backgrounds, all getting along and all animated and full of life and love for no other reason than that they were close to the people who care for them, just like the tin soldier and his ballerina doll.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T07:51:00.000-05:00

Hidden treasure

2011-12-12T08:02:00.001-05:00

These Sunday hikes along a new part of the Potomac are becoming a pattern, and I'm not complaining one bit.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was a gorgeous, warm day and the first few trail parking lots we came to were full. Undaunted, Florian took us to a new one off a side road. This time, I had the sense to document where we were.

As always, Sandy was really good about staying with us and checking in, even when we saw other dogs up the trail.

When I was a kid in the Adirondacks, we would often get a beagle who showed up at our house, having lost its way after straying off track at the Beagle-Hare Club up the road.

Typical beagles! Those things will follow their noses forever.

I adore beagles, but am happy for now to have critters who stick around.

Are your critters creatures of the flock, or do they tend to wander?

What about you pittie parents and fosters--do your pitties follow their noses on the trail, or stay close?

Florence Nightingdogs

2011-12-09T06:52:00.001-05:00

Early last week, I was hit with my first cold of the season.

"Southwest style" ceramic tile is so flattering to pit bulls

An interesting aside, it seemed I was getting sick all the time my first three years in this house, before we replaced the "Marmoleum" floor in our kitchen with ceramic tile. Yes, it's really called Marmoleum and it's supposedly eco-friendly as its made of recycled and natural ingredients, but I also happen to think it was moldy and laid down with nasty glue that made us constantly allergic.

This little cold last week was shorter in duration and intensity than what I used to get, perhaps in part because I had the highest quality home health care you could ask for.

Nurse Fozzie's bedside manner cannot be beat.

Not content to just check in on his patient, he basically lay on top of me for the better part of the afternoon to ensure I stayed warm.
Dr. Sandy meanwhile made sure all the equipment was in order. She did get a little bit distracted by the humidifier.

In fact, this was the longest she's ever stayed in one place except when she's asleep.

I'm sure she was just making extra sure it was working.

Meanwhile, Hospital Administrator Lamar was the highly qualified bureaucrat, standing sentry in the living room to make sure I wasn't bothered by any unwanted visitors.

With this sort of medical team in place, it's no wonder I was all better in just a few short days.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T07:17:00.000-05:00

Photo:Narda Alarcon

Fozzie leash walk success

2011-12-06T07:28:00.001-05:00

The other day, Fozzie and I had a mini victory in our long-term learning experience of working with his leash reactivity.

We were walking along our block, and I saw up ahead my neighbor walking toward us with her very calm lab. She was walking slowly and talking on her cell phone, which was actually perfect for our purposes.

I saw Fozzie start to tense, whine, and begin to launch and I automatically started to gather up his leash so I could hold on tight while I just got past them as fast as possible, but then I decided no--we were going to try a different way.

So while we were still about 40 feet away, I said a neutral "Whoops! OK, here we go!" as I turned around and walked rapidly with Fozzie in the opposite direction.

He was still tense, but directed his attention away from the other dog and to his sniffing and the birds and the squirrels and everything else in his environment
pretty quickly. When I saw this, I turned back around and directed him to look at my neighbor's dog, who was still about the same distance away.

A little less ready to launch this time, but still very tense. So "Whoops!" again and we turned around and walked the other way. Got just a few steps away before I saw more calmness, then repeat. This time I stroked Fozzie gently telling him how good he was as he looked at the other dog. A bit of tension still, so around we went.

One last time we turned around and walked toward my neighbor, and this time Fozzie looked at the other dog, tensed and whined a little, but then went back to his sniffing and we were able to sail on by and continue on our walk.

Lots of praise and love to our man this time--I learned long ago that Fozzie is way too stimulated on walks to eat treats most of the time--and a thumbs up to my neighbor, who knows about my ongoing struggle and is blessedly sympathetic.

I'm not going to hang out my shingle and quit my day job just yet, but I do think this was a bit of a breakthrough. It was all stuff I already knew, but the particular juxtaposition of circumstances and techniques I think set us up for success to a degree we don't often get. What I think really worked:

Giving Fozzie space from the other dog immediately, and having him direct his energy in the opposite direction
Keeping him moving rather than making him stop when he's all charged up
Turning back towards the other dog as a reward for calmness. Since I'm pretty sure Fozzie's reactivity is excitement-based rather than fear-based, this makes good sense.

A strategy for long-term success, or a fluke? We'll have to keep practicing!

An honest spin

2011-12-01T07:24:00.003-05:00

Have you ever read an animal rescue publication full of feel-good stories about senior dogs whose spirits just won't quit, and kittens with lots of spunk and character, and plucky parrots who rule the roost with an imperious claw, and wished that just once these people would say something authentic and raw about the truly gut-wrenching nature of animal rescue work?

About the fact that not every spunky kitten will easily find a good home, that not every day surrounded by animals with backgrounds of trauma and neglect is a walk in the park, that sometimes a rescuer feels like curling up in a ball in the bottom of the closet and locking herself away from all those furry aliens with competing needs that she fears she will never be able to satisfy?

www.bestfriends.org

I've felt that exasperation when I read the Best Friends magazine or any number of excellent publications by groups and people who are saving countless animals and doing endless good.

But I also get it. Happiness sells, sadness repels and we're all trying to get as many animals as we can into homes. And much as we may be personally repelled by this aspect of the enterprise, that requires marketing.

And so as I've written about my own little marketing projects, I've tended to focus on the positives and gloss over the challenges, er, opportunities. I didn't tell you until very recently that Fozzie was in an area called "disaster" at the shelter because he'd been deemed so unadoptable, and I never told you about being in tears, wondering what I had done and calling around to try to find another rescue that would take him, the day after I got him home.

I also didn't tell you about the several nasty scraps Fozzie and Sandy have been in lately, as who wants to adopt a scrappy dog? And what conscientious pit bull blogger would write things that might contribute to the bad rap of this much-maligned breed?

www.bestfriends.org

I'll get into the sordid scrappy details tomorrow, but what I'll say for right now is that thanks in part to a couple of our dogblogging friends who have written refreshingly honest posts about the less-delightful aspects of canine companionship, I am feeling that there's got to be a happy middle ground somewhere between brutal honesty that repels and cutesy perkiness that gives no real information.

Finding that middle ground would I think be a worthwhile project. What do you think?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T07:17:00.000-05:00

Paws and pointe shoes

2011-11-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Used to be that I would get grumpy about rehearsals that would get in the way of Sundays with my Swiss ballet man.

Despite the fact that we live together, we don't get to see each other all that much since we both work all week, on alternate weekends he has his son and they are generally off blowing things up and doing things boys do, and he and I often teach or rehearse in the evenings.

This year, Florian is so busy working on his Master's thesis--in preparation for graduating in the Spring with his Master's of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland--that he's decided to only do one Nutcracker. The fun, eclectic one with his old friend who has a ballet school in Great Falls, VA, which includes a sailor dance and a dance on crutches.

Photo:Theresa D'Alessandro

His friend is such a good sport that she is even putting me in the performance this year (I don't know if Florian told her about the times I've come to his ballet classes and crashed into the piano after a series of turns).

Best of all, she welcomes dogs in her studio.

Sandy loved watching the action and being there with all her favorite people.

I don't know if she'll get a starring role in the Nutcracker this year, but she did make some good connections. Ballerinas love pit bulls!

I was impressed with how she waited so patiently while Florian rehearsed. Another success to add to her growing resume.

Gratitude

2011-11-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

The Thanksgiving holiday tradition is rooted in old European and Native North American harvest festivals.

I love the idea of celebrating the harvest, and doing so in a spirit of the utmost reverence to time-honored American culinary traditions.

Every Thanksgiving dinner begins with Veggie Booty, which as we all know was brought by the Wampanoag Indians to the Pilgrims and saved them from famine that cold winter of 1621.

Some zesty kale chips sprinkled with nutritional yeast, small amounts of which survived the trip over on the Mayflower, rounded out the appetizers.

One thing the Pilgrims may not have known about was Celebration Roast with coconut sauce. This is a Stade family tradition that began the year my dad was in the hospital over Thanksgiving. We knew the very thought of such a thing would send him to the hospital even if he hadn't otherwise needed a quadruple bypass, so my Mom, brothers, sister and I took the opportunity to enjoy some ourselves.

Then there's everyone's favorite, Brussels sprouts!

The main course was Swiss fondue. Also apparently unknown amongst the Wampanoag, but what is Thanksgiving without a little taste of Switzerland?

So wonderful to enjoy a traditional family holiday in a way that honored what's best about our country--blended multicultural families, delicious vegetarian foods, and one rule: dogs MUST be at the table.

What's YOUR favorite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T07:17:00.002-05:00

Enchanted hike

2011-11-22T08:25:00.002-05:00

As I have mentioned, the best part about Florian's Sunday Nutcracker rehearsals in Great Falls is that the studio is near the Potomac and its vast network of trails.

This past weekend's excursion was on a spooky, cloudy day when barely anyone else was out and about.

Though I miss the amazing fall foliage, I find the combination of the clouds,

the spooky rocks,

the few yellow leaves clinging to branches, and the dark water to be mysterious and beautiful.

There is so much to marvel at in nature, at any time of year. Early in our relationship, it seemed Florian and I saw herons everywhere we went. It seemed somehow auspicious to me that they appeared for us so often, and it still does.

Beavers are also symbolic for me, in a joyful way. A symbol of homemaking.

Though thought of as pests and still killed by the thousands by Wildlife Services, the euphemistically-named office in the U.S. Department of Agriculture that kills wildlife at the behest of commercial interests, beavers are keystone species that create habitat for other species and are a foundation for entire ecosystems.

For our own part, I was glad that we could come into their ecosystem without disturbing them too much, a feat made easier by the fact that we left our own landscape architect--Fozzie--at home.

Fozzie and Sandy have been getting into little--and a few not-so-little--scrappies lately, and given the possibility that the dogs would have to stay in the van for a bit while we were in the dance studio, I didn't want to chance leaving the scrappy pit bulls alone.

There's also the fact that much as I adore Fozzie, walks are a tad more peaceful, easier, more relaxing without a certain little avid hunter along.

Of course I felt guilty leaving him all alone while we went off on a fun hike, but after the last scrappy Fozzie was left limping and Sandy with crusty scabs on her neck so I didn't think the guy would mind one day of rest.

Sandy and Lamar are not the easiest dogs either, by any means, but Sandy, by virtue of her teeny tiny pocket pit bull size and her attentiveness when she hears her name, and Lamar, by virtue of his senior citizen status, both just strike me as almost impossibly easy to manage after two years of managing 65 pounds of lunging muscle in the form of a certain brindle beast.

So I won't feel too guilty about this one hike with the "easy" dogs and my little ballerino, along with our friends the beavers, the herons, and yet another undiscovered place along the Potomac.

Leash Walk Stress and Tug

2011-11-21T07:11:00.002-05:00

I have admitted on many occasions that I know it is best to walk your reactive dogs singly, so that each dog gets a chance to practice calmness around his triggers.

Reactive dogs carry around a high level of stress and anxiety in general, and there is evidence that dogs in multi-dog households carry a higher level of stress as well.

Combine two reactive dogs on a leash walk, and the potential for stress is high. Key to working with reactive dogs is working with them sub-threshold. With the higher stress levels generated by just being around other dogs, your reactive dog is going to be near-threshold before he even sets eye upon the bicyclists or other dogs or other things that trigger him. So you've got even less time to whip out your treats and countercondition, or just turn around and go the other way.

I say all this, but when it comes to walk time, I just don't always walk my talk.

The whole idea behind getting Sandy was so she and Fozzie could be each others personal trainers and I could walk solo with Lamar.
But sometimes Fozzie and Sandy just look at me too piteously when I leash up Lamar and I can't bear it. So I leash up all three of them, and we walk together on a specially chosen route that sometimes has no other dog walkers along it.

And lo and behold, sometimes--like when there are no other dog walkers--we do just fine! All three are pretty calm, not that much pulling, and most of the time OK when we pass people of different sizes, shapes, ages, and speeds, on bicycles and with strollers.

When we do see another dog? Utter disaster. Usually I am frantically trying to distract Fozzie's attention, with some success until one of the others looks at the other dog and barks. Fozzie then inevitably looks, then rears, lunges, barks like a crazy man, and grabs the nearest leash and tugs at it furiously. Sandy or Lamar is now being dragged by the leash, and responds by snarling and trying to get away (Lamar) or getting into the tug too (Sandy).

I've known other leash tuggers, but none quite so intense as Fozzie. The metal leash is a great solution, but not on the multi-walks when there are other nylon leashes available to grab.

Our friends at In Black & White have written eloquently of Alfred's similar favorite game of leash tug. I am wondering who else out there struggles with this one, will admit to being reduced to a flustered frazzled whimpering yelling or sputtering Bad Dog Owner at those moments--and better yet, who has a solution?

Tennis Court Impulse Control

2011-11-18T07:06:00.000-05:00

You have probably gathered that Fozzie's greatest remaining training challenge is his overexcitement on leash when he is exposed to things in the outside world, coupled with his frustration at being restrained from meeting those things. What usually results is a spirited game of leash tug of war to which his foster mom is not a willing party, and which only ends when I grab him by the harness and give him a brimstone-laced Sit!

Lately I've been making a concerted effort to work on this by taking him to environments that are likely to be stimulating and allowing him to practice being calm. The other night, I took all 3 dogs for a walk together along a trail near us. Not the most brilliant way to practice being calm, though I must say that even then, as long as I had my cheesy snacks, I was getting nice sits out of Sandy whenever I asked for them, and even Fozzie would tune in as long as there was nothing tooo exciting going on.

After our walk, I wanted to take Fozzie alone a bit so we could work on just calmly observing the environment and refraining from acting out. The perfect opportunity presented itself when I realized we were parked right next to a tennis court.

There were a bunch of men on the courts running around, jumping, grunting, hitting balls, and talking loudly. There were a few guys lounging on the benches outside, talking loudly to friends as they showed up. Watching all that, who wouldn't get excited?

So we put the other dogs in the van, and Fozzie and I just watched. He did perfect Sits and Watch Mes in exchange for cheesy snacks as the guys ran, grunted, and talked loudly. I explained to one of the guys outside the courts what we were doing, and when we got closer to him, Fozzie gave his leash that Look like he wanted to grab it so bad, but I was present enough to issue a quick Sit! and an equally quick cheesy snack when he did.

An aside: the man was intrigued when I brought out the clicker, and started talking about that show on Animal Planet! He said how incredible it was what the lady was able to do with a clicker and all sorts of dogs. For all the times I've heard people talk about that OTHER TV dog trainer in passing, this was the first to mention Victoria Stillwell. Yay!

In any case, I was so proud to be with my big bully man and to have him sitting so nicely in a challenging environment for him. Way more proud than the time recently I was walking all 3 dogs and a passerby said something to me, and Fozzie AND Sandy both started furiously tugging on their leashes, and there I was on a busy street grabbing at their collars and yanking them away from each other and cursing a mile a minute. I know, brilliant. Roll up that newspaper and gimme a good smash.

It's really not rocket science. Its a matter of getting out and practicing frequently, with just Fozzie. Maybe he really would make progress if I could just do this consistently.

A less interesting skin ailment than I was hoping for

2011-11-17T06:51:00.002-05:00

During the warmer months, Lamar tends to get these awful, itchy, crusty skin rashes that look kind of like mange in some spots, but even worse in others.

In the past, I've found a flea or two or a bunch and have learned that our Latrell is just very sensitive to these things. Just one bite and his rear half breaks out into an inflamed mess.

This summer we had the same problem but I saw nary a flea. So I thought it must be just a heat rash, and gave him some tea tree oil baths which seemed to alleviate the inflamed spots. It was only temporary relief though. I thought wading in salt water on the beach for a week might really bring relief, but no such luck. The crusties were still as crusty as ever.

So I decided it was time to bring the old guy to the vet. I'm never thrilled when its time to bring a pup to the vet, but there is one small part of me that's excited at the prospect that I might learn something new, encounter a new disease or condition or humane restraint technique or remedy that I can then use for all the other dogs I encounter in classes or as fosters or on my grooming table.

I even went to a different vet, as the one we usually see, a wonderful man who does house calls and sometimes charges me nothing, I knew would not be very concerned about the skin rash and would probably just tell me he didn't know what it was but that it would go away on its own.

I really wanted to learn something new here, so I went to a practitioner who was well- recommended, but surely more aggressive than my relaxed family vet.

She came through on my expectations, but in all the wrong ways. She was perplexed as she saw no fleas or evidence of fleas, but said the scabs look like a flea reaction and that was the most likely answer, given the number of flea infestations she's seen this year. She told me to put Lamar on Frontline or any of those products that poison the dog's entire bloodstream, bathe him using a shampoo with chlorhexidine gluconate, and put him on cephalexin.

Although I expected that this would be the outcome, I felt I owed it to Lamar to at least try to get to the bottom of his chronic condition and try to do something for his health and well-being.

The problem is that mainstream medicine is not oriented toward producing well-being, and even the best-intentioned doctors are not trained in treating the whole organism. I guess I hoped that this new vet would look at Lamar's skin and say "Lamar, you must be feeling anxious. Let me listen to your concerns," and prescribe a diet featuring wheat grass juice and blueberries and a daily regimen of organic lavender oil pedicures.

I did what she prescribed, though I didn't have the heart to do a full course of cephalexin --we quit after a few days because it just seemed so silly to throw an antibiotic at an unknown condition "just in case," like the mainstream medical profession loves to do so much of the time.

The skin ickies have gotten better, but they probably would have gotten better anyway with the cooler weather, and I probably could have saved a trip to the vet and just been a bit more diligent with the tea tree oil or hunted around for some other home remedies.

So it was a learning experience, though a different one than I was expecting. From now on, in the absence of any holistic vets in this area, we'll stick to our humble, less-aggressive vet in appreciation of his humility and his attitude: that not every condition demands an allopathic "cure," and human and animal bodies have a remarkable ability to heal themselves.

Balmy Weather and Barmy Dogs

2011-11-15T07:05:00.022-05:00

With Sandy in her crate on the days I work in the office, and the evenings busy with talking to dog training and grooming clients and teaching classes, I worry at times that a certain young woman is not getting adequate stimulation for her young mind and active body.

Though I do generally get a chance for a leash walk for at least most of the dogs, with Sandy I feel a lot less guilty if I can get her some stimulation of a more intense variety.

With the weather balmy like it was last night, the early darkness was no deterrent to some wild times in the comfort of our own yard and deck.

Fortunately, Sandy is an easily amused youngster and found endless delight in the pile of tennis balls I keep back there.

After we'd tossed the tennis ball up and down the deck stairs a dozen times--and having eaten a few too many samosas with Hoisin sauce, I even enjoyed joining in the chase--we got into some tennis ball bouncies right on the deck.

Don't laugh, but I just discovered recently that the way to get a really fun dog action shot is to snap randomly in the midst of the action rather than waiting for the dog to do something photographically exciting.

Whether she was learning to juggle

or just focused with feverish intensity on those spherical chartreuse prey species with the strange bouncing motion

Sandy certainly got nice and tired and made her mom feel like a better person.

And even a slightly better photographer.

More autumn splendor

2011-11-14T06:57:00.007-05:00

Fortunately Nutcracker rehearsals have not entirely gotten in the way of all opportunity to enjoy this amazing weather we've been having.

Sometimes, when Florian has a rehearsal out in Great Falls, VA, I'll meet him there with the dogs and we'll go for a lovely walk somewhere like River Bend State Park.

There's a gorgeous, popular trail near the Visitor's Center, but for obvious reasons we opted for the road less traveled (anyone know if Robert Frost was a reactive dog owner?) which went along the Potomac.

Gorgeous trail, lots of opportunity to flap and swim and splash in the water. Lamar and Sandy even got in a little stick time!

The autumn leaves for some reason fill me with joy more than usual this year. Or maybe its the joy of having such wonderful dogs, with gorgeous autumn-themed coats, to enjoy them with.

I have always loved rivers, gorges, lakes, and streams. In New Mexico, I was never far from the Rio Grande and I lived right next to the (usually dry) Santa Fe river. Portland, too, is built around a river.

When I returned east I was sure I would miss all that natural beauty, and I couldn't imagine I would find just as much of it here.

But I also didn't imagine that I'd find a spontaneous, adventurous Swiss dude who would motivate me and the dogs to check out every cool-looking natural area on the map in search of autumn colors and swimming holes and incredible skies and spooky rocks galore.

Of course it helps that right out my back door I have a view of all my favorite things: autumn leaves, wild nature, and a big open space for the dogs to run free.

And Me! Cheep! And Me!

2011-11-11T07:04:00.008-05:00

And on the last day of RESCUE ME HOME week, in honor of Mayziegal, Brudder Ranger, and Grampa J who we're certain love all animals and want to see them all in good homes, we are doing a post about our feathered friends in need of rescue.

You may know that we are fortunate enough to share our home with two very lovable budgies, Ingamar and Flower.

Flower was a Valentine's Day gift two and a half years ago from Florian. And the moment I saw her alone in her cage, I knew she needed a sweetie too so we went right back out and got her Ingamar.

Ingamar and Flower bring us so much joy. They don't get into fights, don't chew the furniture, don't require walks, they just sing. They eat cauliflower and strawberries and nice twigs I find for them, and they sing. Pretty songs all day, especially if we play music or watch a movie or a dance video or run the blender or a hair dryer. Ingamar, the green one, will sit on my finger and hang out for a while, while Flower's more shy. That's often true of budgies, that the boys are more social.

Ingamar and Flower didn't come from a rescue, but today's fun fact is that you CAN adopt a bird from rescue, or even from your local shelter! Shelters often have doves, parakeets, cockatiels, even chickens!

Just one excellent example is Ricky. Ricky is one handsome rooster, and he can be adopted from Montgomery County Humane Society.

There's not much info on Ricky. His description page says:

RICKY - ID#A354099
I am an unaltered male, red and black Chicken.

The shelter staff think I am about 1 year and 1 month old.

I have been at the shelter since Oct 07, 2011.

His description implies that roosters can, in fact, be altered--but I'm betting that's not true.

Roosters make all-natural alarm clocks and their poo helps fertilize your yard. Chickens, too, make fabulous pets--they are surprisingly cuddly and personable!

In the market for another sort of feathered friend? Why not check out a rescue group like Phoenix Landing?

Many people buy a parrot without fully understanding the needs of this intelligent animal for social interaction, enrichment, and attention. Multiply these needs by the extremely long lifespan of many parrots, and this pet can quickly become more than most former parrot fans bargained for.

Groups like Phoenix Landing have arisen to provide sanctuary for parrots who outlive their owners or whose owners realize they took on more than they could handle. Some have facilities where birds find temporary refuge, and others rely exclusively on foster homes.

It is reasonable to wonder whether a flighted creature that still exists and thrives in its natural habitat should be confined to a cage to suit human fancy.

While many domesticated birds, like Ingamar and Flower, were born and raised in captivity, the exotic pet trade flourishes in part thanks to the illegal capture of animals in the wild, and of course we do exotic animals no favors by supporting the industry that exploits them.

For those who are already domesticated though, we owe it to them to give them the best lives possible. Fostering or adopting from a rescue group is an excellent way to give back to the beautiful creatures that decorate our world with color and fill it with song.

Rescue Me Too!

2011-11-10T07:48:00.006-05:00

Today's post is also dedicated to Mayzie's RESCUE ME HOME WEEK in memory of Grampa J! Mayzie and Brudder Ranger are such dedicated beautiful activist pups, we want to make sure they know their activism on behalf of all animals awaiting rescue is appreciated and magnified, like a beautiful flower blooming for all the cool fresh noses to sniff.

We're playing for the Washington Humane Society, because they work so hard to help so many abandoned and neglected animals in the Washington, DC area.

Today let's take a look at Gino and Toto, a gorgeous pair of rabbits who live at the Washington Humane Society.

Here's what their description says about Gino and Toto:

Meet Gino and Toto! We're just a couple of beautiful boys who've had enough of the bachelor life and are searching for our forever home. Since we're pals from way back, we want to stick together- friends are forever! So if you're looking for a sweet, snuggly pair, just ask for us- we'll hop right into your heart!

Did you know what great pets rabbits make? They can live in a nice-sized crate or pen, but they can also roam around the house and be litter-trained! They love affection and they eat all kinds of yummy things besides carrots--like dandelion greens. In the summer, you can even put them in a movable pen in your yard and they'll mow the lawn for you, square by square.

And another thing you may not have known? You can find them at your local shelter! No need to go to one of those big box pet stores and give money to the people who profit from selling animals. Go to your shelter and check out all the love that awaits in so many shapes, sizes, and species.

And while you're there, wouldn't you just love to adopt a large, older, black dog? These are the dogs that stick around longest in shelters. Dogs like Doc, this precious skinny pit bull mix who is also at the Washington Humane Society. Here's what they say about Doc:

Doc is a goofball! He's fearless on the agility equipment and loves playing with toys in the yard. Doc came to WHS because he didn't get along with his former owner's cat, but is winning over hearts at the shelter with his playful antics. Come meet this great dog today!

Doc has the kind of face that gets foster moms like me in trouble. I sure hope someone else out there thinks he's as adorable as I do.

Thanks Mayzie and Brudder Ranger! Thanks Grampa J! I hope lots of animals find their way to loving homes because of your good works.

Rescue Me!

2011-11-09T07:09:00.006-05:00

We are posting today as part of Mayzie's RESCUE ME HOME WEEK in memory of Grampa J! Mayzie and Brudder Ranger are inviting all us bloggers to participate by blogging about an animal in need of rescuing at least once this week, and all those who do will be entered in a drawing to win $100 for a rescue of their choice! Grampa J must have been a pretty amazing guy, and he would be so happy to know about all the good things going on in his honor.

Even though every day is Rescue Me Home day on this blog, I think its just so cool that bloggers do things like this as a community. So I'm taking this opportunity to post about some of the OTHER dogs out there in need of rescue.

Besides those other two that you've heard so much about, here's a little bit about Simon, whom we had the pleasure of meeting at Saturday's Home for the Holidays adoption event.

Photo: Narda Alarcon

Simon is a pit bull who has a gorgeous, velvety coat that I believe you would call blue.

His description says

I'm Simon. They gave me a serious name hoping it would balance out my zany side but I love being silly and making the humans laugh. There is something about laughter that just makes everything better!

I'm an adorable American Pit (AAAP). I'm very charming, well behaved and somehow got away from my family.

You can tell I was loved very much because I like to give and get doggie kisses. I'm a very sweet guy!

Simmon is one lucky guy as he is safe in the hands of Jasmine's House, staying in boarding until he finds his forever home. Will it be yours? Email info@jasmineshouse.org if you think so!

Photo: Narda Alarcon

Event Madness

2011-11-08T07:07:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was the Home for the Holidays adoption event in nearby Reston, VA.

Getting a few of my foster dogs home for the holidays would certainly mean a more peaceful holiday for me--as I write, the kids are delightedly humping one another on the couch next to me--so I resolved to go.

Narda, a delightful pit bull owner and lover who volunteers with Jasmine's House, volunteered to bring Sandy to the event and be there with her the whole time.

Which meant that I wouldn't be completely off my rocker for thinking I could also bring Fozzie. So off we went to the adoption event.

Fortunately, both dogs love car rides as long as they can stick their heads out the window.

The weather was gorgeous, the event was well-attended, and once I found Narda and could unload one of my charging charges, it was a wonderful day.

Photo:Narda Alarcon

Sandy met scads of dogs and people, each one of which she had to lick, paw, touch, kiss, and play with.

Such a good little girl. I had no worries about leaving her in the care of strangers for the day, or about how she'd behave with kids, adults, other dogs, loud noises, or whatever she might encounter.

Fozzie...well, Fozzie I wanted to stick with myself. A large event with dogs of all sizes coming at him from all directions is not exactly a recipe for a calm Fozzie, and a really good dog trainer would not have exposed him to a situation that would push all his buttons at once.

Some dog trainers, including some who have TV shows of their own, would say that this is the way to acclimatize a dog to things and get calmer behaviors. Most, however, would call it an example of flooding, and agree that working sub-threshold is the ticket to success with an aroused pup.

So there's no excuse, evolved positive dog-training-wise, for why we went. I just knew I wanted to see if Fozzie's perfect adopter might be lurking somewhere out there and thought that if she is, this event might be where she'd come.

And to my surprise, the result was something other than complete disaster. Sure, there was a certain amount of barking and lunging. Mostly at really big dogs, dogs who looked directly at him, dogs with tall pointy ears, and of course dogs who came out of nowhere.

Which left plenty of dogs, including some medium-sized, floppy-eared dogs, dogs in fascinating headgear,

and dogs on ice skates,

who elicited little reaction.

But with Fozzie, of course the real triumph was the human interactions.

As with so many of his breed, though he may not be able to kick back and have a martini with every canine he comes across, every human was pretty much a guaranteed recipient of love.

None of these humans was quite ready to run off into the sunset with him, but it made me feel very good to get so many affirmations of what a people-loving beast he is. And to see the joy on people's faces as they got to pet such a big, velvety, loving mighty creature.

I can't say that bringing Fozzie to an adoption event was relaxing or something I'd want to do every day. But it did make for a tired couple of dogs,

Photo: Narda Alarcon

a chance to show off how sweet and cuddly pit bulls can be, and a chance to meet some really nice people.

Photo:Todd Alarcon

And maybe the good impressions made will result in adoptions for certain pit bulls--like Simon, who also came from Jasmine's House and elicited a lot of interest--

Photo:Narda Alarcon

which is good news for pit bulls everywhere.

Home and Garden

2011-11-07T07:15:00.002-05:00

When the weather's nice, there's nothing better than sitting on the porch or working around the yard with the dogs.

With a human outdoors, my dogs are much more energized and excited to play with each other, or even to explore things on their own and be active by themselves. Just like kids, they seem to enjoy having a human watching.

It's also just nice to enjoy the sun, watch the birds, and relax together.

Miraculously, I have also found that Fozzie and Sandy can have some utility around the yard.

A dog who likes to dig is generally not a gardener's friend, but what about a dog who digs only when and where the human is digging too?

Fozzie, believe it or not, generally adheres to this guideline. Of course he loves to dig--most dogs do--but doing it as part of a game that I'm getting into makes it even better.

Good thing he has no idea he's being useful.

A less helpful habit involves sticking a certain little head deep into a bucket containing bare-root plants for transplanting, and strewing those plants about the yard.

I guess I couldn't complain, since they'd just helped me dig all those nice holes.

What are your dogs' favorite yard activities?

For information on adopting Sandy, email peacefuldog [at] yahoo [dot] com

Don't forget the back paws

2011-11-04T07:15:00.000-04:00

As we all know, many dogs are very expressive with their front paws and are easy to teach all sorts of front-paw-centric tricks. Even many shy, reactive, and anxious dogs love to use their front paws to interact with the world.

Back paws? Not so much. Many reactive dogs actually have little consciousness of their back paws, and are nervous about using them. This is why training that involves the back paws can be used in building confidence and ultimately helping the dog feel more secure in his body and even overcome some of his reactivity.

When I coach Reactive Dog class at Your Dogs Friend, each dog practices using a PVC ladder that makes them more conscious of paw placement. This helps them feel more grounded in their bodies, which diminishes anxiety and reactivity.

We have worked with training a "Scoot"--getting the dog to back up, ultimately onto a different surface.

Have dog standing in front of you
Lean forward slightly
If dog steps back, however tentatively, click and treat!
Withhold clicks and treats until dog is taking a step back
Add hand signal like you're shooing away something. Then add verbal cue like "Scoot!"
Place board, book, carpet scrap, or any different surface behind back paws. Click and treat when back paws touch the alternate surface

Whoa--what's that new sensation under my paw pads? This exercise gets dogs really thinking about their back paws. Once dogs are thinking about those tricky back paws, there's no telling what new frontiers of confidence and self-knowledge they may experience.

Be very patient! Sometimes those back paws would like to go anywhere besides on a novel surface. Stay positive and don't get frustrated.

The next step? Maybe we'll be as brave as Tena at Success Just Clicks, who has trained her dog to back up onto a tree trunk--yes, a vertical tree trunk! That's some serious back paw confidence-building. What's your favorite back paw confidence building trick? Or are your back paws just fine the way they are?

Autumn snow in the Shenandoahs

2011-11-03T06:51:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was the last weekend before Nutcracker season has Florian in rehearsals all the time, so we decided to go on a little camping trip to see the amazing fall foliage in the Shenandoahs.

As luck would have it, Saturday afternoon brought 39-degree sleeting slushing rain and snow--which as you may remember was all the more reason to go off on an adventure.

Saturday stayed chilly and damp, but we didn't mind. We stopped for some world famous peanut soup at the diner in New Market, VA and found our way by dark to a campground deep in the George Washington National Forest, off our favorite road--675. We stayed toasty all night cuddled up in our van in our minus-20 sleeping bags and our heavy-duty dog-shaped van warmers.

Sunday morning dawned without a cloud in the sky.

The campground we stayed in was the Wolf Gap, which is in a gap along Old North Mountain near the West Virginia state line.

On either side are trails up the ridge. We took the Tibet Knob trail, which seemed auspicious.

The afternoon before, I had just been feeling, as I rested my head against Fozzie who rode in my lap as we drove through the sleeting snow, this incredible feeling of oneness with everything.

The dogs, the sleet, Florian, even my old van with the questionable transmission.

That the consciousness we have is one consciousness, and people and animals are vehicles for experiencing one part of it.

Those dogs certainly made the most of their incarnate vehicles.

All three of them were off-leash, tearing about in the snow, loving every delicious smell. Sandy stayed right with us and kept checking in to make sure we were OK and approved of what she was doing.

By early afternoon, the weather had warmed and we came down off the mountain to explore the amazing Shenandoahs. Despite some very unsafe driving practices,

we made it to the Shenandoah river to chase some sticks and enjoy a last blast of summer-like recreation.

Do we really have to wait til after Nutcracker season to do this again?