Back at the Shelter

After a year of herculean effort, the friends that I used to volunteer with at the animal shelter were successful in their bid to turn the shelter into a non-profit organization. As of yesterday, they are now officially in charge! They have huge dreams for making the shelter a beautiful, streamlined organization, and I know they can do it. There's a lot of work to do, and I hope to be able to help in my small ways. My time is super limited these days, made evident by my lack of posting--but I love going there to work with the dogs. I have no say in the matter--the dogs just suck me in.

I walked into the volunteer room at the shelter this morning and was surprised by this...dog. I hesitate to call him a dog because he can fit in the palms of your hands. Is he a hairless chihuahua? I don't know--but I'm naming him Google because just look at those googly eyes. He's like a craft project gone awry!

I walked this terrier mix and fell in love with her. She looks like a granny with a mohawk, but she's the sweetest thing ever.

This beautiful German shepherd girl won't be at the shelter for long. She is gorgeous, loves getting wet in the baby pool (what?), and is calm for being in a shelter environment.

There were a number of pitbulls at the shelter, as is always the case. Cookie has been there much too long already, which is surprising because she's such a lovebug.

I may not have any self-control when it comes to volunteering at the shelter, but I've been very disciplined about not taking any of them home on a permanent basis. But in all honesty, that's because I have a husband with a strong voice of reason. And I am still much too much of a neatnick (sp?) to have more animals. Shallow though I may be, I'm just not ready to give up on having a clean(ish) house!

Read more...

Male Bonding

Today, my wonderful and supportive husband went with me to volunteer at the shelter. Saturday isn't one of my normal volunteer days, but I was worried that with Easter tomorrow, a lot of the regular volunteers might not be able to make it. The training director and other volunteers were enthralled that I had brought my husband. There are woefully few male volunteers there for some reason. Perhaps it's the same reason why there are disproportionately few male puppy raisers? I figure it has to do with the nurturing instinct.

This is Salem. I've been told that when he first came to the shelter, no one could get near him. But after tons of rehabilitative efforts, he is a gentle giant. Sweet as can be and look at that happy grin!

Here he is in the Chuck-It run. See what I mean about how narrow it is? A few more tennis balls bit the dust over the fence today.

My husband had a German shepherd when he was growing up, so when I saw this shepherd mix come into the shelter, I hoped my husband would have a chance to meet him. I suspect this shepherd had a little to do with his decision to volunteer today...in addition to wanting to spend time with me, of course.

This dog and another male German shepherd were picked up together as strays two weeks ago. I was shocked that the owners hadn't come to claim them. A few days ago, the other shepherd got a new home.

And this one is probably going to get adopted lickity split. Here he gets a cuddle on my husband's lap. The shepherd looks like he's about 2-years old, was super mellow once we got him out of the kennel, and walked calmly on leash for my husband. Yes, we'd kind of like to keep him for ourselves, but we know he doesn't need us. He'll be adopted so quickly that the shelter isn't even bothering to give him a name.

Read more...

Doggie Taj Mahal

This impressive compound is a dog training and boarding kennel about 2 miles from my house. This place offers just about everything--obedience and agility classes, canine good citizen testing, live-in training (like boarding school for dogs), a private dog park, doggie daycare, and even sheep herding!

Here are their three fenced play areas, so you can pick what dogs you want yours to play with. Their winter hours, unfortunately, aren't convenient for me, so I won't be signing up yet--but maybe in the spring.

Pictured below are the boarding kennels that open out onto a sandbed play area. I think it might come in as a close second to Guide Dogs for the Blind's play areas.

On our morning walks, Cabana and I often cross paths with Lesley, who is a dog trainer at this facility. Lesley has offered me a lot of good advice over the past year on our chance meetings. So, I was thrilled to sign up for a one-on-one consultation with her, which took place today.

I had thought about taking an obedience course here, but the 7-week course is $200--and I didn't want to sit there, watching other people teach their dogs to sit and stay and other things Cabana already does well. Actually, there are just a few itsy-bitsy things that Cabana needs help with (or rather, that I need help with so that I can teach Cabana).

One of those things is, of course, RECALL (so I won't have so many more stupidhead moves). The others are walking more politely on leash and not jumping on people. (Cabana doesn't jump on our family, only on other people, making it really hard to practice.)

The training session was FABULOUS, and I can't wait to start putting what I've learned into practice. Consider us "dog whisperered"!

Yesterday, Cabana had an appointment with our non-GDB veterinarian, so she could get her rabies booster and bordetella. She weighed in at a slender 53 pounds, and the vet said her weight is perfect. Cabana is now ready to rock and roll! (Though I think Cabana would say she's been ready to rock and roll for the past year.)

Credit for the post title goes to Nicole/OSU 98, for coining the term "doggie taj mahal".

Read more...

These Paws Were Made for Walking...Fast

Cabana is a high energy dog. I think she really WANTS to walk nicely without pulling--but she just can't contain herself in the beginning of our walks. Midway through, after some energy has been expended, she's much better about walking in the right position, next to my left leg.

Because Cabana is over a year old, she's allowed to run a bit (Guide Dogs doesn't want dogs under 12 months running alongside you on leash because it can be hard on their joints). I usually jog the first few blocks with her, so she can release some energy. Well, I might be jogging, but for her, it's barely a trot (I'm a shorty at 5'1").

The new snap collar worked great at first, but a big drawback with the snap collar is that it stretches out. Proper fit is crucial with the snap collar; if it's even a half inch too loose, it just slides down, instead of staying high on the neck where it's most effective.

If you have the same problem with your snap collar, try soaking it, then putting it in the dryer for about 5-10 minutes. If you put the collar in a sock before putting it in the dryer, it will minimize banging and protect it as well. But MAKE SURE you only put it in the dryer for a short time. If you forget and dry it too long, the collar may not even fit on a chihuahua--so proceed at your own risk. Our collar shrank about 1/2" in 10 minutes, perfecto!

I have found that alternating between the snap collar and the head collar helps Cabana walk with less pulling. Maybe it keeps her from getting too used to the same kind of pressure.

Even after a brisk 45-minute walk (between 2-3 miles), sometimes, Cabana will still do her labby loops through our living room right afterwards! Like I said, she's high energy!

We usually walk Cabana fairly early, starting out between 7:00-7:30, to minimize the number of dogs we pass (since she's on food protocol, we go through a lot of kibble on our walks, and I need to save SOME for her meals!). This morning, though, there was a frost on the ground--chilly! I waited until closer to 8:00 to go on our walk, hoping it would warm up a bit--but even at that "late" hour, we didn't pass a single other dog. I guess Northern California dog owners are pretty thin-skinned! (I know the Utah folks are sniggering at us, too cold to walk with a mere light frost!)

Read more...