Cocopuff's Corner

Don’t Let Your Vet Murder Your New Puppy!

2011-12-23T08:04:00.001-08:00

In my last post, I promised to further alienate certain members of the veterinary community. It is unfortunate that I should need to do so but there is absolutely nothing more heartbreaking than to see a puppy that has been literally snatched from the jaws of death, treated and rehabilitated leave out of here, perfectly healthy, on its way to its new home and family only to be needlessly euthanized, generally within hours of its arrival, by an ignorant and/or incompetent and/or prejudiced medical practitioner. What follows is the text of part of an informational pack that my dad tries to send with all young pups:
Don’t let your vet murder this puppy!

Your new puppy has recently has one of a three-part series of standard vaccinations called DHLPP. These are commonly called “puppy shots” and are necessary for all dogs. One of the afflictions addressed in this series is canine Parvovirus and, like many vaccines, the DHLPP will shed virus particles. The intended purpose of the vaccine is to expose the subject to a weakened form of the live virus in order to encourage the formation of antibodies, as those antibodies (whose presence will, in the future, diminish but not vanish entirely) will help to protect your pet in the future. This shed virus will cause a false positive reading if this pup is tested for Parvo because the test determines the presence (or absence) of shed Parvo virus..
Occasionally, a puppy will exhibit gastric distress following a 1000+-mile trip such as the one yours just endured. Additionally, here in the south, worms (round worms, hook worms, tape worms, whip worms and more) are ever-present and multiply at a phenomenal rate. Both conditions will cause diarrhea and often, diarrhea with blood and/or mucus. Your puppy has been aggressively treated for worms but it is not unusual for infestation to occur. Prior to coming to you, he/she did not exactly have a wonderful life; the conditions from which some of these pets have been rescued would shock and disgust you. We have done our best to ensure his health but he is still recovering from a state of mistreatment and neglect (including a chronic lack of medical care).
That being said, if your pup becomes ill and you bring it to your vet (highly recommended), the doctor must be aware of the potential for a false positive on the Parvo test. If your vet is not aware of this, you need to find a competent one that is. Too often, vets are aware of the false positive potential but will not mention it to you because they harbor a good bit of prejudice, fear and sometimes-outright paranoia when it comes to dealing with rescue dogs, particularly southern rescue dogs dogs. Once again, I would go looking for a new vet, one who does not let his opinion or prejudice overrule the science in which he/she was trained. Parvo is almost always pronounced as a death sentence, it is not. In parts of the country where it is prevalent, it is a fact of life but one that can be reckoned with. Aggressive treatment will often produce survival rates of 90% or better. The great majority of dogs that die from Parvo die from dehydration secondary to diarrhea. Often, survival is achieved by merely treating for diarrhea, hydrating with either subcutaneous or iv fluids and usually the administration of antibiotics to fend off opportunistic infections such as pneumonia. Parasites, on the other hand, are much more easily treated and have a much better prognosis.
This puppy has been literally snatched from the jaws of death to come to you in what is to be the final and most important stage of its rehabilitation. Please do not let ignorance, prejudice, paranoia or apathy be the cause of its demise. If there is a problem, ask questions and get answers. Euthanasia need not be the first course of treatment. If you ask three vets and get three different answers (and that happens a lot), maybe you need to ask a lot more questions. One question you might want to ask yourself is “What if it were me?” Would you be willing to accept one man’s pronouncement as gospel or would you question it?
We have worked hard to make sure your puppy has a good chance of having a life worth living. He/she has endured much both mentally and physically. Please don’t let this life be ended callously and needlessly. Please give him a chance. We did.
To explain a little better how this all works, when you take a pet to the vet to screen for Parvo (and an unbelievable number of vets have already jumped to the conclusion that because the dog came from a rescue and/ or the south, then it has Parvo) they generally employ what is referred to as an ELISA test (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay) to test for the presence of Parvo virus. This is usually a good screening test but it has it’s limitations, first and foremost of which is that it cannot differentiate from virus shed by the vaccine (most modern vaccines use live, attenuated virus) and virus shed by the actually malady. Given the fact that you’re dealing with a puppy that has ,more than likely, recently had one of the 3 part DHLPP series (and the fact that the puppy has a medical record stating that it has), there is a 100% chance that it will test positive on the Elisa (generally for about 2 weeks following the last administration of the DHLPP). The test is picking up on the presence of virus shed from the vaccine itself. It is usually at this point that the tearful owner is informed that the puppy must be put down based on this incomplete diagnosis. For the sake of accuracy here, the Elisa has a few other quirks such as false positives and false negatives, that is why it is used as a screening test.. Usually all that is necessary to confirm a positive Elisa is to do a white blood cell count, a simple and inexpensive procedure. Parvo attacks the bone marrow and destroys the white blood cell count so if you have a pup that screens positive and whose white blood cell count has tanked, there’s about a 97% certainty that the pup actually has Parvo. Further testing, such as biopsies are usually contraindicated due to the invasiveness of the procedure and the minimal chances of the pup surviving the procedure. If your vet tells you he/she must kill your dog for you because of a positive Elisa test, he/she is in the wrong business! Mostly, it doesn’t seem to be ignorance that causes them to do this but prejudice that causes them to blithely ignore the science they were (hopefully) taught when they obtained their degree. In my mind, that’s even worse than ignorance.
Okay, let’s say that your pup has tested positive on the Elisa and also has a severely diminished white blood cell count. We can safely make the assumption here that it does actually have Parvo (dogs can actually contract Parvo from the vaccine itself, not to mention that the vaccines are not always effective depending on the mother’s titre level which varies from dog to dog and even litter to litter). Like I said in my last post, euthanasia will certainly knock out that nasty old Parvo but most dogs can be saved short of killing them and we have a flock of them here to prove it. I’d also said earlier that Parvo is much trickier to deal with given its propensity for spreading to the environment and thus other dogs. Unless you’re trained in the use of universal precautions, have appropriate facilities for treatment and are knowledgeable as to limiting fomite transmission, we wouldn’t recommend home treatment. A competent vet, however, has all of this. There’s a real good chance that your puppy can be saved and go on to lead a normal, healthy life. If your vet is unwilling to even discuss treatment options, walk away! Go find yourself a vet that actually cares about saving pets. As a worst case scenario, and not one we recommend, we know of several Parvo pups that have been saved at home with nothing more than Pepto Bismol and Gatorade administered orally.
My dad always puts it this way. If you went to the doc and he told you that you have cancer, go lay down and wait to die, Is that what you’d do? Wouldn’t you, before the day was even out, contact other doctors and even cancer specialists to see what, if any, other options existed? Go online and do a bit of research yourself that might, hopefully, help to save your life? Of course you would! Why do less for that furry little bundle of joy that’s just waiting for the chance to be your best friend in the world?
I’ve included a couple of good links for anyone interested in getting more detail on this subject. I wouldn’t want you to take my word for it on something so serious and I don’t want you thinking that this is just one dog’s opinion, this is Science, not conjecture.

http://bakerinstitute.vet.cornell.edu/animalhealth/page.php?id=1089

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_diagnosis_of_parvovirus.htmll

This second link doesn't seem to work when you click on it but if you go to marvistavet.com and go to their "Vaccine Mezzanine" and look under diseases, you'll find the articles on Parvo. While you're there, there's a lot of good info available on their site as a whole. Generally, we prefer the Baker Institute (part of Cornell University) as they seem to be the ultimate authority that everyone else references. There is also a lot of other good information besides this on the web. The point is, before you make a bad decision, or allow one to be made for you, delve into the facts of the matter and make an educated decision. Do you have any idea how hard it is for us to tell an already devastated caller that their puppy was killed needlessly? We worked hard to save that puppy and you found the love in your heart to take him in, don't let someone's ignorance and/or predjudice sabotage that.

Sodium Phenobarbital the One Shot Cure-All

2011-12-18T06:30:00.001-08:00

What would you do if your kid came home from day-care or school with lice? Among the various options available to you at that point, probably “mercy-killing” would not rate very high would it? How about a really bad, contagious stomach flu? Take them to the doctor and pull them from school for a week or so until it subsides or would you use mercy-killing as a first line of treatment here also?

I’m being flippant here for a reason. Too often, I mean WAY too often, when it comes to our animal companions, euthanasia is the treatment of choice. Well, there’s absolutely no doubt that an overdose of Phenobarbital will eradicate even the most stubborn case of mange (which is caused by mites) or eliminate Parvo (essentially a stomach flu) symptoms but, speaking strictly as a dog, that’s not what I’d choose for myself were I asked.

For the record, I have to say that, given that pets can’t rationalize intense pain or suffering to the extent humans do or see it as a sometimes transient thing with a light at the end of the tunnel and better days ahead, mercy killing can sometimes be the most humane option. The key word here is sometimes. Primarily, GARD pulls from several Georgia county Animal Controls’ “death row” and you always find a good number of dogs who wound up there due to having mange or some other skin condition. If a dog poops funny just once, it’s deemed to have Parvo and, of course, we all know that the landfill is the only known cure for that right? The basic problem here is that people (even many vets) equate mange with leprosy and Parvo with the plague, that is, incurable, contagious, deadly diseases. Sure, they’re no picnic but aren’t you glad y’all didn’t take that approach with Polio or Tuberculosis years ago?

There are several varieties of mange, all of them caused by various mites. These mites are everywhere. You probably have some on you right now. Seriously! Dad’s got a little half-growed girl that sleeps on his cheek. She came in here ‘cause she was going to be euthanized because of mange. She’s the sweetest little thing, thinks I’m her Mama. We’re treating her for mange and, in the meanwhile, dad still finds the need to shave regularly, if you get my meaning. I just hate to think that this adorable little puppy was going to die at the hands of a vet (and vets are usually the first ones to play the paranoia card) because she had mites. For the sake of accuracy here, there are some rare, very rare, instances where a dog’s immune system is so compromised that some of your nastier varieties of mange will hang on forever or keep recurring. This can cause such quality-of-life issues that euthanasia can sometimes be the kinder option but, like I say, this is very rare. On the other hand, most can be cured forever (without the Phenobarb cure-all) with readily-available and relatively inexpensive treatments and go on to lead healthy, happy lives. We see it all the time. You can get any of these treatments from your vet or order most of them online cheaper. If we can get this little girl from off my dad’s cheek for long enough, she’ll get a good home and make someone an adorable companion, enriching their life for years to come. This, to me, seems much preferable to the landfill.

Now Parvo’s a little trickier because it’s so virulent and great care must be taken to keep from spreading it but, in reality, it’s nothing more than a really bad stomach virus. The reason it kills so many puppies is because it attacks immature, rapidly growing cells but it is treatable. Most dogs that die from Parvo die from dehydration and many a puppy has been saved by nothing more than subcutaneous fluids (or even Gatorade by mouth), Pepto Bismol and antibiotics to fight off the secondary, opportunistic diseases like pneumonia. Our Lil was one of the worst Parvo cases ever, technically way beyond saving, but you’d look at her now and never know it, she’s healthy as a horse and my second-in-command. She’s such a little sweetheart, our family wouldn’t be the same without her and I’m so glad my folks cared enough about her to not just write her off and bury her.

When and if your pet develops a medical condition, before you condemn your friend to death, ask questions. Get a second opinion, or a third. Vets are not all the same and some are actually more prone to try to save the dog rather than kill it. I don’t mean to be excessively hard on vets here, we have a good working relationship with several (ones that are all for keeping the dog alive) but most vets tend to look at the world from the perspective of their sanitized stainless steel and ceramic examination room rather than the real world in which we all live. All too often we have a person or entire family devastated after having their beloved pet put down at the vet’s suggestion (or sometimes insistence) only to learn later that it could have been saved and had been killed needlessly. This experience usually comes with a ten-fold revisitation of the devastation. Be aware that there is a huge prejudice against rescue dogs within the veterinary community and, due to this, many are too quick to reach for the needle with the cure-all. We’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of dogs rehabilitated to go on to to be cherished as a valued member of the family and just don’t believe that all this killing can be in anyone’s best interest.

Be sure to watch for my next couple of posts where I will further alienate certain members of the Veterinary community. My next post is entitled “Don’t let the vet murder your new puppy!” and is a must-read for anyone who has, or is getting a very young puppy. It could well save your puppy’s life.

A Couple of Good Videos

2011-12-05T09:44:00.001-08:00

My dad and I are both real big on communication, that’s what really makes our relationship exceptional. To illustrate my point, imagine, if you will, your relationship with your spouse, kids, siblings or friends with little or no meaningful communication. What would be the point right? As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, what makes my life with humans special is that I can communicate with them and I don’t mean the basic “sit”, “stay”, “fetch” stuff either. I can communicate thoughts and feelings as well and get a response from my humans. Heck, after almost 6 years, we’ve got it goin’ on and I can get my point across to dad with just a look most times and he understands that I’m bored, jealous, nervous or angry. Okay, to be honest here, I guess most anyone within earshot knows when I’m angr but I guess the best place to start here is recognizing that we have thoughts and feelings.

At the drop of a hat, Dad will engage visitors to the shelter (or sometimes random strangers, for that matter) in conversations about communication with their animal companions. I always hear him say the same thing, that he feels like a lot of people miss out on the best part of the relationship with their pet because they don’t give us credit for how smart we really are, we just express ourselves a little differently, and they never really get beyond the command and obey routine. Boy, I’m sure glad my life isn’t like that, booooooring! Think about the reason why you humans all communicate with such great intricacy among yourselves, ‘cause y’all have thoughts and feelings to share right? You’re communicating with another intelligent being. Well your dog is a lot smarter than you think, it just takes a little more sensitivity to tune into our method of communicating.

Okay, so I probably wouldn’t outscore you on an IQ test but then they are a bit biased to be relevant specifically to the human experience. I remember some years before my time when researchers were doing extensive intelligence testing on Chimpanzees and the chimp scored wrong on the question; What would you use when it’s raining? A: A loaf of bread. B. An umbrella. C. A potato. D. A tree. The chimp chose tree and got it wrong because a human would obviously use an umbrella. Of course, tree was exactly the right response for a chimp. My point is that often folks fail to pick up on how smart we really are because our thoughts are not those of humans but when you take the effort to look into it, there’s actually quite a lot going on inside our little doggy heads. And lately, researchers have been doing quite a lot of looking into it and even those that set our to disprove the notion of dogs possessing anything beyond the mentality of a dumb beast are shaking their heads in wonderment. The following video link: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/secret-life-dog/ highlights some of this research and some of it will amaze you. Some of it like the “left shift gaze” surprised even me and I’m a dog. This is really just the tip of the iceberg, serious research is still pretty much in its early stages. Anyway, the video is free, commercial-free and devoid of canned laughter, enjoy!

Before I launch into the second video, I feel obligated to provide a warning. Kids, please get your mom and/or dad to help you to decide whether or not to continue with the last part of this post. The language in this next video is fairly graphic but, in reality, probably no worse than what you hear in school every day. The subject matter and content, however, is the stuff nightmares are made of. What’s really disturbing is that it’s not made up. Most of it was filmed under cover and was really happening when it was filmed and, I’m sure, is still happening now. If you do intend to watch it, I would highly recommend watching with your parents, they can help you to process the emotion that it, undoubtedly, will generate. It would also be beneficial to watch it with your dog as well. She won’t make it any easier to digest but she hates being left out. I’m a dog, I know these things.

By way of a preface, this film is all about how humans, as a species, treat animals, both pet and beast, the world over. Every day. Now dad gets really aggravated when people call him a “bunny hugger” or animal rights (as opposed to welfare) activist. I thought he set out his thoughts and those of the other founders quite explicitly in the “Philosophy and Vision” statement on our website, differentiating between wild animals, domestic beasts and pets. He’s been a hunter and fisherman all of his life and although he’s never been one to treat animals cruelly or take a life callously, he’s not willing to extend voting rights to sheep and crocodiles either. Anyway, he said he initially thought this video was going to turn out to be one of those PETA type affairs because it seemed to start out in that manner but said to give it a few minutes and see it through to the end. It is painful to watch, all the more so because it’s real and uncut and this stuff happens everyday everywhere. Watching it won’t relegate you immediately to the bunny hugger camp but I guarantee it will provoke some serious thought and introspection on your part, enough to make it worth the pain of watching, I promise. Here’s the link: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/earthlings/ Kids, remember to do what I asked you to do first please.

Yours Drooly

COMMITMENT

2011-09-27T09:59:00.001-07:00

Up until now, we’ve been pretty fortunate in that dad has had minimal input into these posts. Well, our luck just ran out. Usually when he has to get involved, it’s ‘cause something is bothering him so we might as well let the old boy get on with it and get it off his chest.
Hi. Sorry to intrude on Miss Cocopuff’s space but I was hoping that someone might help me to gain a better understanding of human nature as it relates to our relationships with companion animals.
GARD takes in a number of owner-relinquished dogs. Lately, a lot of these are due to the economy being what it is, they just don’t have the resources to take care of the dog in a proper fashion. I don’t have a problem with this, they’re far better off here than at animal control or on the roadside somewhere. Occasionally, we get dogs in that are causing unresolvable problems at home, either with other pets, the family or the environment. Again, I generally am supportive of this decision. What I totally don’t get is the throwaway dogs. This has always bothered me and a couple of recent intakes have brought this issue, once again, to the fore in my thinking. With this in mind, for better or for worse, I’d like to express my thoughts and philosophy on this subject. I would apologize in advance for any offence taken from my opinions but, frankly, a lot of what I see in this respect disgusts me and so I will refrain from doing that.
Quite recently, we had a little Shitzu come through here. She came from the Macon area and was at animal control with a euth. tag on her cage. Her story was that the owners had had her since she was a puppy, 12 years, and they now wanted another puppy so they dumped her off at this high-kill shelter, still wearing her “Princess” collar. We took her before her scheduled execution the next day. She was a wonderful dog and we got her a great home where she can spend the remainder of her days enriching an older couples’ lives.
We’ve got a little Schnauser here now (she’s sleeping in a bed by my desk) who was driving the owner absolutely crazy! Seems Trudy (my name for her) was reluctant to walk on the left while on a lead and to make matters worse, she insisted on pooping in the dirt rather that on the grass! Imagine! Don’t know how they got through it!
Another recent addition is a beautiful German Shepherd. The owners had him for 10 years, since he was a puppy, deployed and dumped him in a high-kill shelter. Chances are that this 10 year old dog would not have been adopted before his 3 day amnesty had expired. He’s a great boy, gets along with everyone and loves to ride. Cocopuff and I took him yesterday to do our banking, stopping on the way to get them a couple of double cheeseburgers from the dollar menu.
These dogs and countless others were essentially thrown away. Sure, it’s a bit more humane than just dumping them on the highway which is so often the case but the fact remains that they were discarded. And this is where I’m having problems. Okay, I’ll be the first to say that I’m probably not your average Joe. I’ve made choices in life that are probably not mainstream. Hell, I live with 100+ dogs but the fact remains that I have essentially the same human attributes as everyone else on the planet and I just could not ever bring myself to throw a dog away (euthanizing a dying dog is a different, but no-less-painful matter).
I’ve always gotten the impression that I get much more out of my relationships with my dogs than a lot of other folks do. Some of that is just me and my own personal values but I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t also because I value them more and am more committed to them. I could not possible be more committed than if they were my own kin. Years ago I had a White Shepherd named Lorien who I rescued from an abusive home. She was my constant companion, hiking, swimming, cutting firewood to try to put some food on the table. The only time she was overtly protective of me was when I was in the water, guess she figured any other time I didn’t need much help in that respect. Many years later as she was in declining health, we were swimming at a local pond and, coming out of the water, heard a guy say to his 20 or so drunken friends “I’ll bet ya 10 dollars I can drown that dog.”. I’d had a loaded revolver in my truck at the time but knew I wouldn’t be able to get to it in time so I placed myself between him and Lorien and informed him that the only way to that dog was through me. Not wanting to lose face in front of his idiot friends, he persisted, at which point I offered to disassemble him in front of his friends (I was working construction at the time and it was obvious that this was not an idle threat). Took about 20 minutes to talk him down while I was acutely aware that his friends may very well opt to support him in his drunken quest. Had things gone differently, someone assuredly would have died that day and fortunately, all my years of training working with the mentally challenged stood me in good stead. I’ve kept dogs that I didn’t really care for all that much in the same manner. Even more years ago, the kids brought home a little hound-mix puppy. I met him while my arms were turning to rubber trying to spline in a 4 speed transmission. He came up to me, rolled over and peed in my ear. Good dog! I never really cared that much for Chipper, just like humans, there’s some you like and others, not so much. I’m sure Chipper never knew this and once the kids were done with their 1 week obligatory feeding and walking him, I took good care of him for the rest of his life. Why? “Cause he was my dog! That's why we use the term "forever home" here at GARD.
Something I've always wondered about my Cocopuff; Do I love her so much because she's an outstanding dog or is she an outstanding dog because I love her so much? It's the nature v. nurture thing all over again but, in reality, I think it's a little of both. I could identify the traits in her, when she came to us at 8 weeks of age, that one would expect to see in a really great dog but I think a lot of who and what Cocopuff is today is a product of the love, affection and devotion I've showered on her since she was a pup. I have the same quandry (with the same conclusions) about our Lil' Puff. Lilly's such a sweet girl and I love her much like Coco except that I'm more protective of her given her crappy start in a life that was almost over before it really began (for Lil's story, see Cocopuff's earlier posts). I often wonder if Lil's littermates would have been such wonderful companions had they survived or is Lil such a sweetheart (a quality that she reserves solely for family) because we fell in love with that little dying puppy and saw her through a truly epic struggle for survival. Again, I think her kin probably all had a disposition to be nice dogs but I honestly think Lilly is who and what she is today primarily because we showered her with love and support. Our reward for setting ourselves up for some major heartbreak with her (as well as dealing with IBS for the first year of her life)? When you're treating a pet that is dying, you just don't want to give up on them; there's 1 chance in a million that they'll make it and Lilly is our 1 in a million. She has, in her own way, healed the hurts of a thousand other heartbreaks. As if that wasn't enough, I'm rewarded every day by a little sweetheart who comes to you at bedtime for a goodnight hug and, in the morning has to have a "cuddle attack". It's like she ran out of cuddles during the night and has to resupply for the day. I could go on and on, we've got a houseful of throwaways ranging from quirky to formerly vicious (speaking of quirky, our reclusive, almost-feral Cinder is lying at my feet as I type this). Now, if you just filled up your house with dogs that all had issues, you'd have a bloodbath on your hands but we've got a homogenous little family of misfits here that no one else wanted. They all get along and we love 'em all. They get along because we are devoted to them and help them to overcome their issues. My old boy that came in here as a vicious dog who was on his was to be put down when we met him ( the shelter is not allowed to take in an aggressive dog but I, as an individual, can)? Old Bailey is a steadfast friend and a trustworthy member of the family.
Okay, so this is how Philip sees the world. Now will somebody please explain to me how it is possible to dump your sweet little lapdog at a shelter knowing she will probably be dead within days (probably while you're out shopping for that new puppy you wanted) or consign your riding buddy to a death camp because he's no longer convenient? I really hate to be condemnatory but I get so damned frustrated seeing what should be someone's friend and companion being tossed out like the trash or, at best, recycled. Not only is your dog, who undoubtedly loved and trusted you without reservation, the loser, I feel a great deal of pity for you as well because you're the biggest loser is what should and could have been an exquisitely rewarding relationship.

Tempore Occupare

2011-09-12T17:55:00.001-07:00

Hey, how about that, Latin from a dog! My dad says he took 5 years of Latin, didn’t learn a thing except for the fact that he hated Latin but this seemed appropriate for what I want to talk about. Tempore Occupare is translated “Seize the Moment”, kind of like Carpe Diem but quicker and, in this instance, relates to Dougie.
Dougie is the youngest of us three Reddawgs. My dad sometimes refers to us as the Three Stooges. I have absolutely no idea what he’s referring to but I assume that it must be some kind of very high praise. Now Dougie has always had a mind of his own and has always been more intent on doing his own thing (which usually involves some way of getting in trouble) than following instructions or honoring requests. When he was younger, dad started taking him along on our walks with a certain amount of trepidation, knowing that Dougie more than likely would not come just because he was called. Knowing that Dougie would stay with us, dad left the training to me and Lil and he’s never run off on us in spite of the fact that he still prefers to range a little further than the rest of us. Dougie is also too smart for his own good, it’s almost impossible to keep him in a kennel or yard, he can jump or climb almost anything and latched gates are no impediment to his adventurous spirit, watched him one day go over to the shelter (after hopping two closed gates) and open it up, not because he wanted in but to let his friends out to play in the sandpile with him. Okay, Dougie is a troublemaker but we love him and he always makes dad laugh. Unfortunately, his free-spirited nature often gets in the way of his hanging out with dad and us when he’s working outside. Dougie’s always felt bad that he can’t always join us and I know dad has too. But what to do? Extensive training has not been an option, there is always way more stuff to do around here than there is day without all that and so we have always made a point to include Dougie whenever we can but no more.
It was just a couple of weeks ago when we were working on the land we’re clearing for the new sanctuary that Dougie obviously, all of a sudden, “got it”. You could tell that he’d figured it all out, that if he stayed around a little better and dad didn’t have to stop what he was doing every 5 minutes to hunt him down, he’d get to go with us more. Surprisingly, but to his credit, Dad noticed too and went out of his way to include Dougie more. Now, Dougie asks dad to accompany him to “help” him on outside jobs even when it’s too hot for me and Lil and the land-clearing project has become “their thing” that they do together. Dougie, for his part, has responded so well to this reinforcement of his good behavior that he now accompanies us on our trips up to get the mail, something dad will only allow his most trusted few to do (that highway kills and there is no room for mistakes of any kind). Again, Lil and I have helped out with his training and have shown him where we’re expected to stop (about 25 feet short of the end of our road) while dad gets the mail.
The reason I mention all this is because you humans all lead very busy lives and I’m sure there are some areas where you and your dog(s) would like to enrich your interactions with each other but just don’t have the time to put into it. I understand that but sometimes good things happen, just because. In this case, Dougie made the overture, a peace offering if you will, and because someone “seized the moment” and capitalized on it, everyone’s life is fuller and happier. In a real world, sometimes that’s all we can do but try to keep a lookout for those opportunities when they do pop up. Even though your pet may not be fluent in Latin, he/she is a lot smarter than you’d think and a missed opportunity will never be anything more than a missed opportunity.

Don't Never Say Never

2011-07-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of the keys to getting the most out of your relationship with your pet is understanding his/her, personality, temperment, and their general perception of their world. Like people, dogs have differing perceptions of their world and their adaptive behavior, again like humans', varies widely. Pursuing this human/dog analogy, understanding them can be just as inexact as figuring out just what's going on in the head of the guy next door. The following story is a case in point.
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, GARD operates almost as much like a sanctuary as it does a typical rescue shelter. We have here a substantial number of dogs who, for one reason or another, are unadoptable. Some are just too old or infirm. Others have quirks that most people would find problematical in the average home. There are also those with behavioral issues which are adequately controlled in this particular environment but have not generalized their good behavior toward the world at large (stimulus discrimination). And then there are those who appear to be antisocial. Normally, these dogs are not innately averse to companionship, human or otherwise, but have been traumatized at some point in their lives and have not recovered (much like PTSD). They are just too scared to commit to a relationship and choose to be apart, choosing for themselves a life that limits exposure to that which they find frightening. Most times, with a lot of love and kindness, they can be brought around. Others seem to operate in their own timeframe and will eventually turn things around by themselves. Over the years, we have witnessed numerous turnarounds by dogs who have basically effected their own therapy, some of these bordering on the miraculous. While it's always rewarding and sometimes even awe-inspiring, these days it takes quite a lot to blow our minds, pretty much thought we'd seen it all.

Just the other day, Cinder totally blew our minds!

Cinder is a middle-aged Black Lab who was dumped here shortly after we moved in, she's been here since I was a puppy and has always chosen to live beyond the pale. She has (had) a house out beyond the outermost yards and could rarely be enticed into any of the more "civilized" areas of the property. Dad always kept her food and treats in his car and Cinder would regularly greet him when he came home from the mill but would always maintain about a three foot safety zone. In five years, he'd managed to touch her just once while she was sleeping. Now Dad's got a way with dogs (people not so much), he can make friends with almost any of us, step into a brawl and take charge etc. but Cinder has always remained aloof and spurned his overtures. Although my Dad says Cinder is the "spookiest" dog he's ever known, she has, for years, gone for walks with me and our gang. To look at her, you'd think she was just another one of us but look at her directly or speak to her, she's gone. For some reason, over the years, she's taken a special liking to me. Judging from her behavior, it appears to be more of a perverted vestigial response to being in the presence of an Alpha, much like the behavior that a female wolf with pups displays when the male returns from the hunt. She has been known to follow me and Lil into the outermost yard, provided the gate is left open and no one is near it. If someone even looks at the gate, she's off like a shot.

As I write this, Cinder now lives in the house!!

About a year ago, after she lost her almost equally skittish companion, Cinder began slowly (very slowly) gravitating toward the house. At first she would merely linger a little longer in the outer yard with me and Lil. Around this time, she also struck up a sort of friendship with Millie, our old Pit. At some point, she began hopping additional fences when no human was present so that she could be in inner yard (Cinder can jump anything ). She eventually began spending more and more time hanging out under the porch but always would display the same aloofness toward humans, refusing (or bolting away from) hundreds of gestures of love and kindness. The catalyst in her transformation proved to be a particularly big, nasty old thunderstorm. Mom heard someone crying at the front door, opened it and Cinder came flying in. She even let Mom cuddle and sooth her during the worst of the storm. The rest, like they say, is history. She now lives here and has integrated well into family life, preferring to spend most of her time in the kitchen or tv room where she has access to the fenced back yard via a doggy door. She goes in and out like she's been here all her life ( if she had any desire to leave, she'd merely hop the fence) and lately has been gravitating toward Dad's office 'cause that's where Lil and I hang out. She even slept in there with us the other night.

We've seen it all here, or thought we had; from Bailey's miraculous self-transformation from a vicious brute to a loving, trustworthy companion, Henry leaving off his ways as the eternal wanderer who always shunned the notion of a real home only to become the ultimate couch potato and Zeke who, likewise, effected his own therapy going from a cringing, snapping bundle of fear to a well-adjusted member of the family but we never in a million years expected to see our Cinder lying on the floor sleeping contentedly with a half dozen or so other dogs or playing and learning to interact with all doggy appropriateness.

Don't never say never!

GARD’s no-kill philosophy

2011-03-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

GARD Inc. represents itself as a no-kill shelter. In the interest of clarity and transparency, we thought it would be helpful to elucidate this designation as to what it entails and what it does not entail.

There are numerous no-kill philosophies in existence and we have always subscribed to the one that is most in concert with the realities which daily confront us. There are some who equate no-kill with never-kill and, although never-kill shelters do exist, they are very rare and are always blessed with unlimited resources, both monetary and human. Far more common is the philosophy that no-kill refers to adoptable dogs and this is GARD’s standard operating practice. The licensing requirements imposed by the state of Georgia dictate that we cannot keep an aggressive dog. This alone excludes us from the never-kill mentality as it is not uncommon to find aggressive dogs dropped off here in the wee hours of the morning (we have installed infared security cameras to discourage this practice). Much more common is the stark reality that dogs have to be adopted to make room for new arrivals who otherwise would be placed in the county landfills instead. If we were to fill the shelter to capacity with unadoptable dogs, it would doom hundreds of adoptable dogs to euthanasia at the hands of county animal control units and we would be nothing more than glorified hoarders. Being animal lovers, it is a heartbreaking and often tearful experience to make the hard decisions that must be made to promote the greater good but the reality is that no-kill shelters do, from time to time, have to euthanize animals. Our goal is to use what limited resources that are available to us to accomplish the greatest beneficial effect.

That being said, in practice we go far beyond our self-imposed restrictions and also operate, within our capability, as a sanctuary for scores of unadoptable dogs. As long as this practice does not impair our ability to operate our shelter at 100% capacity it is justifiable and certainly much easier than the alternative. Visitors here will meet many dogs that live here but are not, for one reason or another, adoptable. Many are older dogs who have lived a life of deprivation and misery and live out their few remaining weeks or months finally experiencing what it is like to have a family and be valued. Others have behavioral quirks that render them unfit to offer to the general public. We have a houseful of them and they’re good as gold for us but not anywhere else. They too will live out their days here as valued family members.

Given our own personal sensibilities, we would much prefer to be a never-kill shelter but GARD is totally reliant on public support and can only operate within the constraints of the resources available to us. Your contributions to our efforts will help to ensure that more companion animals are given an opportunity to have a “life worth living”. We have here, at the facility, approximately 16 more acres of undeveloped land which could be utilized but lies, at the moment, unused for lack of resources. You, the reader, have the opportunity to help bring GARD closer to the never-kill ideology through your contributions to our mission. Our website delineates numerous ways to help and you are always welcome to call or email to offer your assistance.

Mandy

2011-03-11T18:01:00.001-08:00

Mandy died today. Mandy was an old Jack Russell mix who, until today, lived out the last days of a mostly miserable life here at GARD. She arrived here with her last litter of puppies, one litter too many as far as her body as well as her welcome in her former abode was concerned. After the puppies were gone, she took up refuge in my dad’s office which is generally a little quieter and calmer that the rest of the house. Lil and I have shared, albeit grudgingly sometimes, this space with numerous other dogs who, for whatever reason, need a bit more security or solitude and we’ve shared many a bowl of popcorn with Miss Mandy. It’s sad to see her go and sadder still to know that this last year was probably the only happy year in her life but at least we could give her that much.
I wanted to tell you about Mandy because, first of all, it is a way of remembering her but mostly because her sad story is one we see far too often, a used-up dog abandoned after a life of neglect and/or exploitation. There are two major groups that fit this profile, a breeder dog who is no longer of any value to her keeper and is thus discarded and an old dawg that just keeps having litter upon litter until her people have had enough and decide to get rid of her in whichever manner they find convenient. They come here to spend their last days, weeks or months and at least get to sample life with a family that cares about them. Too little too late but better late than never.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why her people did not just get her spayed if they didn’t want her to have any more puppies. Could it possibly be that they begrudged her this small expense in return for the joy and laughter that she was capable of infusing into their family? What about the breeder? I don’t begrudge anyone breeding a dog for the puppies as long as they do it in a responsible manner in spite of the fact that we have way more dogs than we have homes for them. This is, after all, a free country but the key word here is responsible and to just discard this dog when she is of no further use is anything but responsible. At the risk of offending some readers, I’ll be very frank here. How, in a part of the country where people are very open and proud of their Christian beliefs and values, can people be so callous and cold-hearted to another living creature? I’m no bible scholar (heck, I can’t even read) but I’m positive that when God gave man dominion over all the animals both domestic and wild, he also charged man with the responsibility of exercising good stewardship over them as well. Even though I cannot understand how people can harbour attitudes that lead to such callous treatment, I’m not condemning them for it. I believe that mostly people do things the way they do because that’s the way mom and dad did it and that’s the way granny and grandpa did it and it fits in well with the existing social norm.
There is, however, a better way. Times have changed and so have attitudes toward this stewardship. To a large degree, this starts with spaying/neutering your pet. This fosters an attitude of caring and responsibility. If everyone did it, it would be the social norm and your neighbor wouldn’t look at you like some sort of “bunny hugger” for taking care of your pet in a responsible manner. This doesn’t happen overnight though or without a great deal of effort. Prior to founding GARD, my mom, dad and grandma had a lot of experience with Green Mountain Animal Defenders (http://www.greenmountainanimaldefenders.org/ ) in Vermont and were acutely aware of the changes that they were able to facilitate in that part of the country. Dad says it took literally decades for peoples attitudes to change but they did change. Nowadays, it’s a completely different and better world there as far as animals are concerned and nobody thinks you’re an oddball for taking your dog or cat to the vet for shots or to be spayed or neutered. The great part of this is that it’s also cost-effective. “Round here, we support our county animal control agencies with taxpayer-supplied budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to round up, shoot, trap and kill animals that are the product of irresponsible management. It would make far better fiscal and, more importantly, moral sense to spend the money doing the right thing.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably an animal lover so I would challenge you to look into what could be a reality here in Georgia. The link I included is a good place to start but GMAD is not unique and a simple search will lead you to many many others who have learned that practicing good stewardship is not only the right thing to do but it is a better use of their tax dollars. Contact your legislators and give them a little push. Georgia just finally did away with gassing but not without being pushed. Twenty years from now our kids will look back and wonder how we could possibly have maintained that brutal practice for a long as we did. Doing the right thing will have become the social norm. Mandy’s gone and we’ll miss her and her antics but we sure would love never to have another dog have to come here at the end of his or her life to finally experience for a few brief weeks or months what it was to have a life worth living.

Y’alls’s Dawgs

2011-02-14T14:45:00.001-08:00

A fellow stopped into the shelter the other day and asked my dad, “How much are y’alls’s dawgs?” My dad, who sometimes confuses hilarity with boorishness replied, “Same as any other breed of dog, but we don’t have any here right now.”

I don’t often write about the GARD shelter itself so I thought I’d slyly use that little anecdote to launch into a little piece on what we’re all about. GARD is not your average shelter. My dad wrote a piece (which can be found in the links section of the GARD homepage) to kind of warn people ahead of time what to expect (and what not to expect) when they come here. We try to make it as nice as we can but the reality is that any resources we put into luxuries are detracted from what is available to keep puppies out of the landfill so, although it’s clean and orderly, it remains utilitarian. Utilitarian does not equate with substandard but you won’t find paved walkways with graceful palms shading you and flowers at your feet (although the dogs all have shade and fans). This is no pooch parlor. GARD is always on the front lines saving dogs (and dawgs) from euthanasia, abuse and neglect and has the general atmosphere of an army field hospital. Dogs go through our intake process, are quarantined for 2-3 weeks, vetted, socialized and otherwise made ready for adoption. My dad hasn’t put together the figures for 2010 yet but in 2009, we placed 687 dogs in homes where they are now valued and loved so, as you can imagine, it gets pretty hectic around here. Although the GARD staff do not receive pay, there are paid kennel staff on hand during business hours to clean, feed and treat animals as well as process adoptions. After hours I, along with the support of my minions and several security cameras, keep track of things and try to assure that everything is right.

We generally have 100 or so dogs in the shelter and a couple of score more around the premises. In theory, we subscribe to the no-kill philosophy that we will not have an adoptable dog put down but in reality, we are almost as much a sanctuary as we are a shelter. I share my home with a number of dogs who, for one reason or another, are unadoptable. Dad calls them the blind, crippled, crazy’s but we love ‘em all. Some have little quirks that render them unsuitable for the general public, like the Chihuahua who would happily kill and maim all that he encounters. He’s good as gold here but nowhere else and so here he remains. There are others that are old, have lead a horrible life and all that can be done for them is make their remaining weeks or months enjoyable. It’s sad to see them die knowing that their life was so lousy but we take comfort in knowing that they at least got to experience some good in life. Beyond the pale, we have our greeters, Cinder and Henry. Cinder was dropped off here years ago and is probably the spookiest dog I have ever known. She lives, by choice, in a house outside to fencework. She loves me but is very wary of humans. Although my dad feeds her and keeps her treats in his car, she goes for regular walks with me and Lil, dad has only touched her once in 5 years. Henry is a great little Beagle mix who doesn’t wander 50 yards unaccompanied by a human but REFUSES to be adopted. When he’s done playing greeter, you’ll find him upside down on a leather chair in the livingroom. One of our next projects (after we get the road repaired) is going to be to clear about an acre and fence it to be used as a turnout area. This will be good for all the dogs but particularly for the long term residents. Being no-kill, we have several dogs who are great dogs but are hard to place. Most everyone wants a puppy or a designer breed so the big old Black Lab or Carolina Dog may wind up staying here for years before the right home can be found for them They do get a turnout now but this project will make it better and more frequent.

GARD endures, from time to time, some criticism for our approach to companion animal rescue. We’ve been repeatedly told, “you can’t save ‘em all." but that won’t stop us from trying. It literally makes us sick to see how some others conduct their affairs. Although it makes much better business sense to go into a county shelter and take the 2 white puppies from a litter and leave the 5 black ones with the knowledge that they will be dead before we get to the house, we cannot and will not ever go that route. Our motto is that “Every Pet Deserves a Life Worth Living” and that philosophy (as well as our heart) dictates that we will try to save every critter we can get our hands on. It may be harder and more costly to find homes for some but that doesn’t make them less deserving of a good life.

The point of all this, other than to give you a better idea of what we’re all about, is to encourage you to come on out here and visit us. Come see our dogs and talk to our staff and we wouldn’t be offended if you brought a bag of food or some blankets or dog bowls with you. And yes, we now have Y’alls’s Dawgs!

Wonderful News

2011-01-16T09:43:00.001-08:00

Shortly before the first of the year we received notification from the Ga. Dept. of Agriculture that, effective 1 Jan 2011, gassing, as a means of euthanasia, would no longer, under any circumstances, be used in the state of Georgia! The reality is (was) that gassing has been outlawed for years now but so many have been “grandfathered in” that it was still commonplace in many county shelters. The new law avoids all that and bans the practice completely. This is a HUGE leap forward for the state of Georgia and hopefully the beginning of a trend toward a more compassionate and humane approach to our stewardship over domestic animals. We just hope that our new Ag. Commissioner will prove more diligent in enforcing policies that what has existed in the past.

While we are ecstatic over the fact that progress is being made, this is nowhere even close to what should exist. There are much more humane ways of controlling companion animal populations than euthanasia. GARD has, from the beginning, advocated for the adoption of effective, low-cost spay/neuter policies as the only responsible means of achieving this end. While there will always be a certain number of animals that, for one reason or another, will need to be euthanized (severely injured, dying, vicious etc.), it is appalling that , in this day and age, taxpayers pay to have tens of thousands of animals killed and dumped into our landfills for the lack of a home. It is an unfortunate reality that Georgia’s recent shift in policy occurred only because the state was under fire for existing practices and future changes toward more humane practices are entirely dependent on public opinion and pressure exerted by taxpayers on legislators to step proudly into the 21st century with regard to animal care. Better ways do exist in other parts of the country and have been proven to be cost-effective as well much much kinder. Please take the time to see what’s out there (the state of Vermont provides a good model) and see what works. Petition your legislators. You, the taxpayer, are their moral compass and they need you to keep their jobs.

2010-08-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

                                                The Devaluation of a Species
                     Companion animal homelessness perpetuates companion animal homelessness

    There is a force at work in young, developing minds that is called, among other things, "Value Programming". It is generally accepted that up until what is referred to as "the age of reason" (approximately 7 years) a child forms and solidifies its core values. Once formed, these core values are highly resistant to modification. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
    What determines what these values look like in the now-reasoning child, teen, young adult, parent or senior citizen is what they were exposed to and surrounded by as a very young child, Parents, don't despair. All of your hard work "bringin' 'em up right" is not in vain and will have a hugely beneficial effect on your child, maybe not right now while he or she is busy rebelling but those values, principles and beliefs will be there, 'most likely, for a lifetime to positively impact your child's decisions and choices years down the road. Like most everything else though, this can have a downside. In the case of a child brought up in an abusive environment, this behavior and lifestyle becomes, over the formative years, the norm once those values have solidified. This explains why "battered women's syndrome" is so difficult to combat.
    Okay, so you're probably thinking right now; "Hmmm, interesting but what does all of this have to do with dogs and other companion animals?" Well, think of it. Here in the southeast, as well as other parts of the country and world, a dog or cat can generally live in the wild year-'round and raise to adulthood (and sexual maturity) litter after litter of young'uns. We have here a self-sustaining population of homeless and feral animals that can and do become a problem, carrying disease, destroying property and posing a serious hazard on the highways. This condition has existed for countless human generations and so each new generation grows through their formative years surrounded by, as the societal norm, dirty, hungry, sick and diseased companion animals who are often viewed as ground up carcasses in the highway or a buzzard feast along side of it. Values are being programmed in your child to say, "This is normal, always been that way"! Having grown up with this scenario as "normal", it is much more difficult for your now-adult offspring to look upon a companion animal as a source of love and companionship and much easier to remain apathetic toward the plight of these homeless pets. Remember, you've been programmed to believe that this is normal. So what are your thoughts on spaying/neutering as a humane means of population control? Don't really care? Not worth the time, money and effort? Given our value-programming, this should be no great surprise.
    Nobody is really to blame here, it's merely a situation that exists but that doesn't mean it's right and needs to be perpetuated. What has happened here is that, for generations, companion animals' worth has been consistently devalued in the eyes of humans. No wonder then that seeking a humane solution to their overpopulation and suffering is not a priority and thus, companion animal homelessness perpetuates companion animal homelessness.
    What can be done? Well, fortunately, we can change our core values. Think about the convicted murderer in prison who finds religion and turns his/her life around. Changing our core beliefs does take this sort of epiphany though but it can be done with a conscious effort and genuine commitment. Spending a day at GARD rescue sites pulling dogs from horrendous conditions might motivate you, it's the stuff nightmares are made of. Whatever you do. the first step in solving a problem is to admit that there is a problem.
    Whether or not you can impact your own belief-system, you have a real opportunity with your youngsters! There is a whole field of education geared toward teaching humane values called, not surprisingly, Humane Education". Since its inception, GARD has recognized and identified this aspect of animal rescue as one of its three primary mission goals but the reality is that our #1 goal, the actual physical rescue and re homing of at-risk animals has always consumed the entirety of our resources (including, sometimes, the grocery money) and probably will for some time to come. There are, however, a number of up building things (most of them fun) that you and your children can do to help break this disastrous cycle of devaluation.
    I would first direct you to the "Kids Links" section of the GARD website ( www.gardonline.org ) as a good starting point. You'll find there an interesting mix of fun, safe websites geared to teach and promote humane ethics. Take some time with your kids to explore the concepts presented there in the form of games, puzzles and videos. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain and, at the very least, you will have spent some quality time with your children. You may even find yourself modifying some of your own programmed-in preconceptions. There's more yet! As the parent of a school-age child/children, talk with your educators about humane education in the schools. The Humane Society ( www.hsus.org ) has some very good programs tailor-made for various school-age groups and is hugely supportive. Ask questions and make suggestions at your parent-teacher groups. Talk to other like-minded parents. Form a club. Try to involve your church, library or civic group. Your group will always be welcome to come to our shelter to visit our rescued dogs and discuss issues that homeless/abandoned/abused/neglected/feral companion animals face. It will be a great learning experience for all and, again, some quality time spent with your children.
    Lastly, if you're highly motivated and have the qualifications, join us here at GARD Inc. volunteering as our Humane Education Coordinator. Talk with my mom or dad (Joy or Philip). They treat me like the princess that I am and would dearly love for everyone to get as much out of their relationship with their pet(s) as they do.

Frustration of our own making

2010-07-01T16:31:00.001-07:00

Given the intensity and intimacy of the relationship between dogs and humans, it’s a wonder that there isn’t considerably more frustration experienced by both species. Frustrations do, however, occur. There’s a whole lot about your world and even you that I do not and will not ever understand and I strongly suspect that the converse is equally true. While most of these frustrations are minor and even inconsequential, sometimes serious difficulties arise that can lead to the termination of the relationship. A great number of the dogs that come in to the GARD shelter are refugees from failed relationships. They’re almost every one of them good dogs but somewhere along in the relationship with their humans, there was an insurmountable glitch and they ended up homeless. Fortunately, there’s hope. Okay, sometimes a relationship just won’t work. We know that. But a lot of times we’ve missed something and our frustrations can be overcome with a little objective thought, a fresh perspective or maybe a new set of eyes on the problem.

To illustrate how this can work, I’d like to relate a short story about Lilpuff who you met in my last post. While the nature of this frustration was very minor and much more prone to creating pity rather than antipathy, the principles are valid and can be extrapolated to fit numerous other situations.

Now Lil is not only my best friend but is dearly loved by my mom and dad as well. She’s a constant companion. When dad’s here, it’s him, me and Lil. There’s a problem here though, ‘cause Lil’s always been terribly afraid to ride whereas I love to go in the car and dad takes me whenever he can. Lil, by necessity, is left out, she used to run whenever the car door is opened. At the same time, you can tell she feels left out, she does everything else with us.

Now my dad’s a pretty smart guy (for a human) but he used an approach to this that, if he’d thought it out better, he should have known was almost doomed to failure. One of my favorite places to go with my dad is the beach, so dad took Lil along too on one trip. Okay, hold it right there. I love the beach now, but my first time ‘round, it scared me half to death (Oh, neat, water. Oh crap, it moves.) so dad might have suspected that Lil’s reaction may be similar. What he was trying to do was gain acceptance of an activity that was scary (riding) by pairing it with another activity that was even scarier (beach). Of all people, my dad knows better than this, he’s worked for decades, teaching humans (along with other aspects of behavior modification) how to accept new, sometimes frightening things into their lives. If he’s thought it through in advance rather than in retrospect, he’d have realized that the operative principle in pairing is the combination of a non-preferred activity with a preferred (better yet, highly preferred) activity. The hope and goal of this is that the preferred activity temporarily provides sufficient distraction from the non-preferred activity until the intrinsic rewards of the new activity can make themselves manifest and it, in itself, becomes a rewarding activity. The new activity actually has to have some intrinsic rewards for this to work, there’s no way you’re normally going to pass off a bath or shot as a good time (trust me on this).

Alright, dad stumbled upon the right approach and then thought about it later to figure out why it worked. Mom and dad were taking care of a friends dogs while they were away and there was an offer of the use of their in-ground pool involved. Mom and dad planned a rare afternoon off with a pizza party at the pool. The pizza never happened, something my dad’s still grumbling about, but here’s what took place.

Lil LOVES water! If nothing else is available, a wet washcloth will do. Dad had to hang the water dish up in the air to keep her out of it. We joke that the reason she likes water so much is because she practically grew up in a bathtub (see last post). Lil LOVES water. She can jump off a five foot embankment, six feet out and never leave a ripple. I’m a duck dog and no slouch when it comes to aquatics and it makes me envious. After a nervous ride to the friend’s pool, Lil had the time of her life discovering the joys of the human’s “cement pond”. Since that joyous occasion, she’s been eager to ride and has totally dispelled her fears of riding. She actually asks to go now and rides everywhere with me and my dad. We’re (me and my dad) both so happy that our Lilly is able to be a part of an activity that we enjoy so much. We don’t have to feel bad for her being left out anymore. A couple of weeks ago, dad took us to Hilton Head and we spent hours strolling the length of South Forest Beach and guess what, we’re both learning to be less afraid of the water that moves.

This whole point of this post is to identify that there may well be very simple solutions to more serious, relationship-threatening problems that are just as simple and simply overlooked. Rather than suffer a breakdown of the relationship between you and your best friend; A. Think about the problem and its antecedents and what behaviors are actually being reinforced. B. Talk about it with a friend, preferably one who loves companion animals and understands them. You can even talk to me. I’m a dog. I’ll understand. C. Consult a professional. Short of hiring a trainer or consultant, there is plenty of good professional advice available for free on the web. You can find links to some good starting points on GARD’s website. D. If all else fails, break out the checkbook. I know that when you’re frustrated and at wit’s end, you’re probably not experiencing your greatest inclination to do this but it will be worth it in the long run. Your dog will be a better friend and you’ll be a better person for taking your responsibility to heart.

Lilpuff

2010-06-08T20:33:00.001-07:00

This would be a good time to tell you about Lilpuff because she’s so much a part of what I do and who I am. Also because the very next thing I want to talk about involves her.
I know, Lilpuff is a strange name (we often just call her Lil) but there is a reason for that, as you’ll see. Lil was very sick when she came here, all of her littermates had already died and she was down for the count. My dad always says she was sick enough to kill three puppies. Mom and dad knew that no matter what they did for her, she would die anyway but they tried. At one point, it seemed like a kinder option to put her out of her misery but she wasn’t really suffering (she wasn’t very happy but didn’t appear to be in any pain) and you could see that she hadn’t given up yet. She was so sick, she couldn’t move (this went on for over a month) but she would bite her blanket to let mom and dad know she was hungry and then she would eat canned food from their fingers. She would lap up a little milk from a saucer when her head was held up to it. In spite of this, we all expected her to die at any time but she refused to give up. During this time, my dad would try to encourage her, telling her about all the fun things she could do with him and me if she pulled through. He told her she didn’t have to worry about a home, she already had one. Here. Lil hung on and hung on and we were amazed but still we knew she would shortly end up dead.
One day my dad came in with the saucer of milk and she raised her own head to drink when she saw it. This was fantastic but there was no way this pup could survive all she’d been through. Well, long story short, Lil had no interest in dying. Slowly, very slowly, she got better and stronger. She had to relearn how to walk because she’d been down so long. She is 3 years old now, as healthy as a horse, my best friend and my second in command. Together we are daddy’s girls and he loves us both. When dad adopted her, so did I, that’s why we cal her Lilpuff. Lil is not only my best friend,she is my equal (remember that I told you I have underlings, not friends). If she’s that special to my dad then she’s that special to me also and we’re all so glad that she survived to become such an important part of our lives. When a puppy is that sick and you can see death in their eyes, you still always think (and hope) that there’s a one-in-a-million chance for them Lil’s that one-in-a-million.

Howling Mad

2010-05-15T07:30:00.001-07:00

This is a piece I wrote a couple of years back that is as valid today as it was then:

Hi, Cocopuff here again. As you may have gathered, I'm howling mad about what they're doing to our dog food! By "they" I mean specifically, but not exclusively, Chinese manufacturers. Lately we've been hearing about recall after recall and, while it's good that they are recalling defective, dangerous products, this is usually after incidents of sickness or death have been reported. This is scary and entirely unnecessary. I have nothing against the Chinese people, but I think that as the Chinese nation struggles to advance its stature in the world community it is bypassing some key elements that would normally prevent greed and avarice from becoming major influences in their commercial enterprises. The latest debacle of poisoned infant formula (for their own consumption) really underscores the extent of the problem. If the formula manufacturers and milk producers are not above adding the toxic compound Melamine to artificially enhance the apparent protein content of their product, I would tend to suspect that they have a problem with integrity as well as the necessary oversight and regulation to ensure that integrity prevails. I really don't trust them to make my dog food while they're poisoning their own babies in order to increase their cash flow! ( note: since this was first written, the Chinese government has recalled all of the melamine-containing products. Unfortunately, they did not themselves perform this recall or even bother to oversee it. A year later, these products are right back on the shelves.)

What can you do? Well, the first thing is to know what you're buying. I know Dad's first reaction was to stop buying me any food, chewies or treats that were made in China but, unfortunately, it gets more complicated than that. A number of manufacturers that produce food for distribution under a whole range of brands and prices use ingredients imported from China, so just going out and finding the priciest dog food and checking the label provides little or no protection. With a little work and a little Googling, its easy enough to research a particular brand and get a sense how it is manufactured and from what. There's way too much information to include here and we will refrain from endorsing any specific product or manufacturer here but you owe it to yourself and your beloved pet to come up to speed in how safe your pet's food is.

Secondly, the only way things are ever going to change is to stop buying these substandard, potentially lethal products and put manufacturers and retailers on notice that this is what you are doing and encouraging others to do. As long as we keep buying it, they'll keep making it and poisoning our pets while they line their pockets at the expense of our tears. Dad helped me compose an open letter (it's supposed to be written from a human's perspective) that you can sign and distribute to anyone in the pet food supply chain to express your concern and intentions. Please feel free to print some out for yourself and/or your friends and co-workers.

Another step you can take to help protect your pet is to stay abreast of food safety issues as they are identified. Rather than waiting to hear it on the news, we would recommend going to www.fda.gov and signing up for e-mail notification of pending and current recalls. This will, at least, give you as much advance warning as is currently possible.

Lastly, if we will ever be able to buy a bag of dog (or cat) food without wondering if it's the last one we'll need, we need to be true to our ideals. Times are tough and money is tight but ask yourself if you are willing to jeopardize your pet's health and safety to maybe save a couple of dollars. If these inferior products start collecting dust on store shelves, the industry will have to change and once again get to the business of supplying us with safe, trustworthy pet supplies. Good luck!

Unfortunately, the original letter was reformatted to fit into this space but you get the drift:

AN OPEN LETTER TO PET FOOD MANUFACTURERS, WHOLESALERS AND
RETAILERS

DATE:
TO: ________________________________
FROM: ________________________________

The intent of this letter is to advise you that I intend to avoid your pet food products (including
chew toys, rawhide strips etc.) that come from China as well as those that rely on China to supply
ingredients for their manufacture. Additionally, I will strongly advise my friends, family and
colleagues to do likewise in an effort to spare them the grief of losing a beloved companion as the
result of greed and lack of integrity. We are shopping smarter these days, reading labels more closely
and researching the manufacturing processes of those who would supply us with food for our
companion animals. It is my hope that this trend will continue and grow as more and more people
become educated to the fact that they are paying good money to these purveyors of toxic
contaminants and extenders to diminish the quality and length of their pet’s life. Be advised that I
(we) will be buying only products that have a reasonable assurance of purity and safety even if they
cost a bit more or cause us to change how and where we shop for them.

Unfortunately, we have, over the years, gotten used to cheap, shoddy merchandise from China as
well as other countries. We can probably tolerate this (at least for now) when it affects only noncritical
items like kiddie pools, lawn furniture and the like but we want you to understand that we are
not willing to cut corners with regard to our pets health and well-being by supplying them with
substandard food. Other cultures may view things a bit differently but, to us, our pets are as dear to
us as our children and we are devastated by their loss, particularly when it is unexpected and
unnecessary. We are not willing to allow a nation of manufacturers who are not above using toxic
melamine to artificially enhance the apparent protein content of their infant formula to play any role
in the process of supplying our pet’s nutritional needs. We are not willing to allow a nation of
manufacturers who offer and accept bribes and kick-backs to overlook shoddy manufacturing
methods and negligent quality control practices to supply raw materials or finished products for our
pet’s food. We are not willing to allow a nation of manufacturers who place their profit margin
above the integrity of their product and thus above the value of our companion’s life to be enriched
while we tearfully bury our beloved pets.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter

Hot Weather Tips for You and Your Dog

2010-05-10T22:36:00.001-07:00

Like most dogs, I love to ride. I don’t really care if it’s only to the store for a half gallon of milk or to gas up, okay, I’d rather be going to Dairy Queen or to the beach or my Grandma’s but the going is what’s important and my dad, like so many other humans recognizes this as a way of us doing things together. When he takes me with him, I know he loves me.
Please, please don’t let your expression of love turn into a medical emergency or the loss of your beloved companion. Often, when you're out, you have to run into the store, Post Office, whatever and, if you’re like most people, you worry about your canine companion jumping out of the window after some cat that just shouldn’t ought to have been there. While this is a valid concern, even though you’re only planning to be gone a minute or two (if things go exactly as you had planned), the temperature in that vehicle can get hot enough to kill in mere minutes. I’ve seen dogs locked in cars with all of the windows rolled completely shut on blistering hot days and I know my mom and dad aren’t too worried about hurting some feelings or causing some embarrassment in order save the occupant before it is fried. I’ve seen people pull right up to the shelter here wanting to adopt one of our dogs with their dog in the car on a sunny day with the windows rolled up or maybe one just cracked a inch or two (does no good). Now it’s important for our dogs to get a home, most of them were scheduled to be euthanized by Animal Control precisely because they did not have a home but they don’t need a home quite that badly, they’ll stay here a bit longer If you don’t believe me, try parking your car in the sun with one window rolled down an inch or two. See how quickly it becomes unbearably hot in there. Now keep in mind that your dog is much smaller and has substantially less body mass and will heat up and dehydrate much faster. Humans, unlike dogs, also have the ability to sweat to help keep their body temperature constant. So what happens if your credit card doesn’t go through when you’re at the store or the Post Office tries to set a new record for slow service? That two minutes just turned to ten and I may be suffering from heat stroke or even dead when you do come out. Your taking me was an act of love. You didn’t mean to kill me. Did you?
With a little preplanning, disasters can be avoided. I know there are times that dad doesn’t take me, it’s just too hot or he has to go in somewhere that would result in me being left too long in the car. Now the hard and fast rule is supposed to be never leave your dog in the car alone (see HSUS tips for travelling with your dog) but this is the real world and you know it’s going to happen. Tell you what my dad does; he drives a Ford Escape with a sunroof and I get to go a lot more since he got that. If he has to run into the store, he leaves all four windows down enough to get a good exchange of air and opens the sunroof. He also installed a grill inside the back window so he can open it up without exposing any cats to a game of “stretch the kitty”. This allows him on all but the hottest days to run into someplace for just a minute. He also carries my Bubba Keg full of water once the weather gets warm. Sometimes though, much as I hate to say it, the safest thing is to leave me at the house. I don’t like that but it’s sure better than being dead.
A couple of other points for keeping tragedy at bay. Airbags kill. the fender-bender that ruined your day would end my life. Some vehicles have an option to turn off the passenger side air bag. This is a good feature. Having your dog ride in the back seat is always a good idea, airbags or no. I’ve got my own doggy bed in the back of my dad’s car. Even less thought about, electric windows can kill. I love to look out of the window but, by doing so, my feet are placed right near the buttons to operate the windows. Most cars have a feature for the driver to lock out all of the window controls but the driver’s and this is a great thing so long as you don’t leave me in the vehicle with the engine running and the air conditioner on to keep me cool. While I’m looking out of your window to see when you’re coming back, I could easily mash the button and roll my head up in the window.
The key to all of this is to think ahead. Plan your trips for when it’s cooler if you can. When making decisions about travelling, think of me as an infant because, when it comes to surviving in a parked car, I’m just about that capable of taking care of myself.

The Ten Commandments

2010-04-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another piece I wrote a while back:

Recently my Dad was telling Mom about the 10 commandments of dog ownership that he had read in some sort of doglopedia. He said it really bothered him because if people actually followed this advice, they and their dog would miss out on some of the more rewarding aspects of human/canine relationships. Well, seeing as how I'm already shedding, I thought I could shed some light on this subject before he sits down to write and gives you his long-winded version. I am, after all, a dog and know whereof I speak.

I won't quote, word-for-word, the 10 commandments. You can look them up for yourself if you wish (they appear in Planet Dog as well as other publications). The basic premise is that you, as a human, must establish yourself as the one in charge, the Alpha, in a manner consistent with the social order that exists among canids in the wild in order for the relationship to enjoy any success. The 10 commandments consist of do's and don'ts (mostly don'ts) such as: Don't share your food with the dog (the Alpha's food is his and his alone). Don't share your bed with the dog (the Alpha's den is his and his alone). Don't allow your dog to initiate play lest he think he is in charge. Better to take the proffered toy or ball without comment and then later, of your own volition, initiate some sort of game as if it were your idea (Oh please! Do you really think I'm that dumb?). Don't step over or walk around your dog. Make him move. You're the Alpha after all. Okay, I can see why Dad's a bit peeved about this stuff. First of all, it makes the assumption that I am incapable of differentiating between canid relationships and human relationships. Essentially, the message is that, in order for our relationship to work, you have to be the lead wolf or I won't respect you and will walk all over you. I may possibly even attack you.

Before I launch into my rebuttal, I must say that this information is in no way erroneous if all you're looking for is a successful working relationship with a dog (guarding, herding, tracking etc.) or a relationship that is successful due to lack of conflict and strife but is also equally devoid of the exquisite bonding that is there for the asking. Follow these 10 commandments and it is a good bet that your dog would not try to take advantage of you or challenge your authority. Follow these 10 commandments and it's guaranteed that you'll miss out on the most wonderful bond that is achievable between you and your pet. Think about it. If all I needed was a big, in-charge dog, couldn't I just get that from another dog? What makes my life special is living in and being part of a human's world and a human being a part of mine.

I pretty much love everybody, but I love my Dad more than anything in the world. I also respect his authority. He's large and in charge but he's also a human. He's not another dog and he's not a human trying to act like another dog. He is the senior partner in our dog/human relationship in much the same way you are the authority figure in the relationship with your child. My Dad doesn't do a lot of behavior modification to maintain this role in my life. I do remember a time when I was in my doggy teens that Dad took some time to do some formal limit setting with me (I can be rather strong-willed and pushy with my underlings sometimes) but mostly it just comes from the heart. I obey him primarily out of love and respect rather than training and correction. Our relationship is one of give and take, not command and obey. If your son or daughter came running up to you with a toy or game, would you just take it from them without comment only to offer it later as if it were your idea? Would you make them move every time they were where you wanted to be? Would you deny them a handful of your popcorn or a sip of your sweet tea? Do they disrespect you when you honor their requests for playtime or to share your snack? Do they stop loving you when you don't bully them out of your way?

One of my favorite things in this world is, at the end of the day, falling out with my Dad (and a dozen or so doggy friends) on the bed to watch some TV and maybe have some popcorn or crackers (Cheeze-its, I love Cheeze-its). Does this mean that I'm challenging his authority? I know that I'm there cause Dad loves me and wants to spend time with me not because I'm taking over his den. I also love to go for rides and, every time we get near the car, I'll ask him if we can go. Now, a lot of times he tells me no or that I'll have to wait some but what he doesn't do is just ignore me. We have kind of the same understanding about walks. Even though I'm pretty much always with him when he's not working at the mill, I'd rather be with him walking in the woods and will ask to do so any time we get within sight of the trail. I'm pretty sure he'll usually tell me I have to wait some but I'm also sure that he knows I'm wanting to go and will take me when he gets a chance but the point is that he recognizes that I'm asking and gives me an answer even if it's not the one I'm looking for. We have different standards for different situations. I know that when we're working I have to kind of stay close by if I want to be a part of what he's doing. I can't just go stirring up all of the dogs in the shelter. I'd really like to do that but I'd rather be with him. I always hear people who come to the shelter tell him what a good girl I am and how they wish their dog would just hang out with them like that. Dad never trained me to be this way. I hang out with him because I want to be with him and respect his rules because I want him to want me to be with him. Now when we're out in the woods or at the beach, the situation is different and I have a lot more say in things. In any given situation, I've got a pretty good idea how far Dad's willing to let me range ahead. If I'm in doubt, I'll ask him (all it takes is a look). When we come to a trail juncture, again, I'll ask which way we're going. Sometimes he'll just point or sometimes he'll let me choose. There's a lot of give and take in all of this and yes, sometimes I'll try to take advantage of the situation ( much like the give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile rule that human children subscribe to) but our communication also provides me with an idea as to what is negotiable and what is not. I know that when I hear that drawn out Cocopuff, nooooooooo , it means that I need to pay attention and not question what I'm being told. I really don't mind this as much as you'd think. The human world is much more complicated than that of a dog and I trust him to keep me safe in it. I know he loves me and wouldn't let me come to harm. Absolutely none of this is based on his being another dog in my eyes. I'm much brighter than that. Absolutely all of this is based on common sense, love, mutual respect and an awareness of the differences in communication that necessarily exist in dog/human relationships. It doesn't hurt to understand how dogs and other canids think and live in their own worlds but you don't have to be one to be a part of mine.

Before I'm accused of being as long-winded as my Dad, I'll wrap this up by saying that not all advice, even that coming from an authoritative source, is necessarily good advice and good advice is not necessarily great advice. If all you want from your dog is just someone to lie under the porch and not abuse or embarrass you, I guess there's no harm in that but you are both missing out on something quite special and rewarding. My Dad occupies a place in my life that no other dog could possible fill and I could not possibly be replaced by any human in his. I'd love to see every dog have this special relationship. I think it is a lot more in keeping with the original symbiosis that man and dog have developed over the last several thousand years and is still achievable even in today's urbanized, mechanized technology-driven society. If you feel that you could be getting more out of your relationship with your dog or just wonder what the heck I'm talking about here, I'd love to hear from you.

Things That Make My Life Worth Living

2010-04-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

This post was taken from my old webpage. I think there's some good information there and some food for thought.
So what makes a dog's life worth living? I can only speak for myself here. I could survive with just food and water. True, without a vet I wouldn't live quite as long or happy a life but my ancestors did just that for thousands of years. Many years ago, my wild ancestors found that they had some sort of special bond with humans. By keeping each other's company, we could enrich each other's lives by helping one another out, defending them and sharing each other's experiences in life. Over time, that bond has grown to the point that it is no longer an oddity of nature but part of our very makeup. I believe this original bonding occurred due to the fact that we have some of the same attributes. Commonalities I think my dad calls them and greatest among them, I think, is the need for love. Without this, my wild ancestors might just as well have stayed in the woods. Let me tell you what makes my life worth living. I've got everything a dog needs. I live with my folks at their shelter so I've got lots of friends, old and new (I'm the boss of them all). I get plenty to eat and I get excellent medical care but being loved, I mean really LOVED is what makes my life so rewarding. I love pretty much everyone here, dogs, puppies and people alike and I watch over things to make sure nothing bad happens to any of them but I have a very special relationship with my dad. Sure, he picked me out of literally hundreds of rescued puppies to be his own but that, in of itself, is no big deal. What's important is htat he always takes time to let me know that I am special to him, to communicate with me and do fun things with me or just let me hang out with him while he works around the yard and kennels. Whether its taking me to the beach for the very first time, letting me lick his ice cream cone or spending some serious cuddle time, I always know that he loves me and I need that. All dogs do. I've always got his back and he's got mine. The other day we were helping my grandma take her dog Jake for a walk when three big dogs came out growling and wanting to tear him up. My dad and I got in between to make sure nobody got hurt and I was ready to fight. There was no doubt in my mind that, if it came to a fight, my dad and I would be in it together, side by side.

I just wanted to touch a little on communicating. Dogs are very smart and most will try to communicate (in doggy fashion) with their humans. (For a great book on communicating with your pet, check out PETSPEAK) The other day I was playing with my friends while my dad was working on a kennel in the back yard when the sky got very dark and the wind started to blow. This made me a little nervous but I don't really know why. I went out back to find him, looked up at him and then looked up at the sky and back to him. He let me know that he was aware and was watching for any signs of danger himself (it came out a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). Or just yesterday when we took a walk in the woods and wound up on a road that we'd never been on before. Once I realized that we weren't turning off into the old cotton field, I came running back and jumped up at his hand to ask him if he'd made a mistake or something (he is getting a little old you know). Once again, he reassured me that everything was under control (and once again, it sounded a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). It's this part of our relationship that I find to be so special, that someone recognizes that I actually know stuff and am trying to communicate with them. I guess that if no one listened, I'd just stop trying.

Let me tell you about our trip to the beach. First we went shopping at this great doggy store and then stopped for ice cream. When we got onto the beach, there were still a lot of people there and although I'm pretty well behaved, I'm a country dog. I'm much more used to running in the woods than threading through a bunch of sunbathers. At first I was on a leash which I HATE but, even though I could see that my dad had his doubts about letting me run free, he let me try and I rewarded him by being on my best behavior. I'm pretty sure I put one over on him though. My dad has his own language with me that doesn't sound much like what he uses when he talks with other humans but, at some point, he started using these hand signals that I've never seen before. I think he was pretty impressed in thinking that I learned them so quickly but, truth is, I already knew what it was that he wanted me to do (or not do). All the hand signals did was to let me know that he wanted something. It's amazing that so much of our communication is intuitive and unspoken but having this bond is what makes my life worth living.

Welcome

2010-04-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm Cocopuff, the official spokesdog for Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence Inc ( www.gardonline.org ). Chances are you've already seen me around either at adoption events, on fliers, at the shelter, or out and about with my mom and dad. I feel that I am particularly qualified to speak out on quality of life issues because I have a relationship with my humans that every pet would envy (also because my dad's helping me with this blog as I have somewhat of a tendency to mash several keys at once and I like to chew on the mouse). Not everyone will agree with the opinions expressed here. Please keep in mind that this is just one facet of GARD's efforts to help improve the quality of life for pets and their humans and the views expressed here are merely the opinions of one old man and a dog who loves him.
I have lots to say here. Some of it is pretty basic but OMG, I still see people pull in here and park their car in the sun with their dog inside and the windows rolled up ( they will not be adopting one of OUR dogs ) but most of what I want to share is what we can all do to get the most out of what can and should be a phenomenal relationship between a dog and its human. Beyond sharing my personal opinions, I would love to make this an interactive forum and get your feedback in the form of questions, criticisms, concerns, problems that you’re having etc. I’m a very good listener and with my own four years’ experience at being a dog and my dad’s 60 years of loving dogs, we might all come to a better understanding of this symbiotic relationship that we all have with eachother.
I'm going to let my dad say a few words next and he may, from time to time, have a thing or two to add but we're going to try to minimize that. Lord but he does run on at times!
Please feel free to post your comment (comments are moderated) or email me at cocopuffsblog@hotmail.com with anything you’d like to share.

Hi. I'm Philip, Cocopuff's "dad". I thought it might be fun and a little more interesting to present some ideas on quality of life issues in a collaborative effort with my beloved friend, companion and "helper". Any promise expressed on our website about refraining from anthropomorphizing is null and void here. It is all but impossible to delve into our relationships with our pets without a certain amount of extending our thoughts and values into their personalities. In the best of circumstances, we share a great number of commonalities. Indeed, this is one of the things that makes these relationships so rich and rewarding. If anyone takes offence at the thoughts and opinions expressed here, I am sorry about that. My intent is not to offend but to question and understand in the hope that some good can come from it.
A great part of my motivation as regards to the content of this blog stems from the fact that, in our endeavors, we come into contact with a disturbing number of people with callous, seemingly uncaring attitudes with regard to their pets' welfare, both physically and emotionally. If GARD is ever going to move forward to a point where we are actually helping to provide a long-term solution to our homeless/neglected pet situation here in coastal Georgia, certain issues need to be addressed and hopefully changed for the better. I'm a recent transplant from up north (a recovering Yankee, if you will) and I've often wondered how people here who are so much warmer and so much more human than the New Englanders with whom I've spent most of my 56 years can have among them so many individuals who almost totally lack these qualities when it comes to interacting with their domestic "pets". The best theory that I am able to come up with comes back to the homeless pet population itself. I found myself questioning why so many people that I run into display such a lack of compassion for their pets and treat them in such an irresponsible manner. Now I don't expect the world at large to mirror my own attitudes and sensibilities. I'm to a large degree a product of my environment and upbringing. I grew up in a household where pets (and even domestic farm animals) were valued and well cared for. Almost every dog and cat I've grown up with or had as an adult has either been a stray or been rescued from a bad situation and has been loved, pampered and spoiled rotten. My dad had a reverence and respect for all creatures great and small that, I'm happy to say, I inherited. I take great delight in my relationships with my pets (a number that seems to grow daily) and cherish those that soar to the level of mutual love, respect and understanding that I currently share with my Cocopuff.
So why are my attitudes so different than the individual who gets a dog, chains it to a tree in the backyard, feeds and waters it when and if the thought presents itself, neglects vetting and preventive medicine and when this empty husk of an animal dies, goes out and gets another? I've already recognized the fact that my friends, neighbors and co-workers, as a group, display more of the human characteristics that you would think would make them more capable of love, compassion and empathy. So why do those values not apply to our pets here? I have to go back to environment and upbringing. There is a process (called Value Programming by some) in the early stages of human development whereby core values that, for the most part last a lifetime, are formed and instilled by our surroundings. What we consider normal and acceptable is, to a great degree, defined and determined by what our environment presents to us as a young child. This process has usually solidified by the time a child reaches the age of 7 or so and these core values, once set, are highly resistant to alteration. It usually takes something pretty significant like death, a religious experience or some other type of epiphany to modify any or all of them. Now here I am, 4 year old Philip, growing up in rural Georgia where feral and cast-off pets do not die off in the 45 below zero winters of northern New England. Instead, they have litter after litter of pups, kittens, whatever. Every day I go to town with my folks or on the bus to school to see animals that have been literally ground into the pavement by traffic. On a daily basis, I see homeless animals that are infested with fleas, ticks, and lice. Half starving and awaiting a yet crueler fate. What sort of core values do you think I'm forming as to the relative value of these animals? This is normal. Who can fault me when, as an adult, I fail to take my pooch to the vet for his shots? Sometimes forget that his water dish has not been recently filled? Always forget that this creature is totally dependent on me for not only the physical necessities but the equally important displays of worth and love as well?
Even if I did not like animals, this would present me with a moral dilemma. How on earth can we treat living, breathing, loving creatures in this manner? How can we allow them to exist in such misery? Here at GARD, we do our best to place hundreds of such creatures in homes where they will be valued, loved and cared for and yet, we're doing nothing. Yes, the problem is slightly lessened in our immediate locale but the problem exists everywhere (not just in Georgia) and will continue long after we and our shelter have gone. I'm probably not going to make many converts here. If you're reading this, then you've already set down your core values and, although epiphanies do happen, you are not likely to alter your outlook because of anything presented here. How about our kids though? They are still in their "formative years" and, if we bothered, we could help them to integrate into their developing value-system a deeper sense of value, respect and commensurate responsibility when it comes to other living creatures. GARD itself is still in its formative years but as we grow and organize we hope to put some serious effort into helping youngsters to develop healthier attitudes toward animals through special events and in schools and civic organizations as well.
Why bother? Well, if you're like me and can delineate your life by the number of outstanding dogs (pets) you've had over the years, you already know. If you're not, then Cocopuff and I would encourage you to follow this blog and explore what can be gained through our interactions with our pets.