Archives for November 2019

Six years ago I adopted my German Shepherd, PonyBoy, from Char-Wills.  Since then I have followed them on social media and remained friendly with their president, Diane Buhl.  Yesterday, she reached out about a nearly 8-month-old female GSD in need of a stable, experienced foster home. 

She was coming from a dumpster fire of a situation.  The product of a backyard breeder, she was sold to a family and kept isolated outside the home.  She had become fearful and untrusting of humans.  She was becoming dangerous and snapping at the children.  They tried to return her to the “breeder” who had disappeared and would not return calls.  Nothing in her environment or education changed and she continued to worsen.  Finally, she made it into the Char-Wills family.

She spent a week in another foster home, with a trainer, but was unable to remain and was sent to the rescue.  That’s when I stepped in.  I drove up to Schuykill County last evening to pick her up.  In her not-quite eight months of life she had gone from a sketchy breeding operation to an ill-equipped family to a foster home to a rescue and now to me.  I promise, this is her final transitional home!  When she leaves here it will be to her forever home.

I picked her up understanding that she has generalized anxiety, is fear aggressive, lunges and snaps when cornered, has no leash manners, was riddled with worms, is malnourished and frightfully underweight.  Oh, and currently battling a nasty case of diarrhea.  I was so eager to put her in my car for an hour and a half ride home…

Here’s what I’ve learned so far.  She is terrified.  That’s an absolute.  She has little trust of humans and zero confidence.  She was not very interested in affection but did consent to being collared and leashed; she even let me lift her into the car.  The ride home was completely uneventful.  I had set up a crate for her before I left and did a soft, safe greeting with my two dogs before allowing her to decompress in her crate.  I’m not sure exactly what the conversation was that happened between the three dogs but she immediately seemed to understand that she was safe here.  She ate her dinner with gusto and took her meds with no drama.  Not long afterward she surrendered to sweet, deep slumber.

Safe at last, ready to rise from the ashes of her rough start.  Welcome to the pack, Phoenix.

Please follow along on this blog as she completes the Good Dog Board and Train program.  Your kind financial support of Char-Wills in honor of this sweet girl is most appreciated. 

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the understanding of the challenges of living with autism.  It is such a good thing.  This understanding has led to a deeper sensitivity and willingness to adapt to make family gatherings and social situations accessible to all. 

I found this graphic on Facebook, shared by Autism in Classrooms.  When you have a moment, please check out their website and help support their mission “to make a difference by celebrating the brilliance of children with ASD by providing literature in classrooms throughout the United States.”

With respect, I viewed that graphic through the eyes of a dog trainer.  The similarities are overwhelming.  As we have deepened our embrace of people on the spectrum I am hopeful that it will follow that we can apply the same to dogs.  Let’s break it down.

Dogs ears are incredibly sensitive, too.  Unfortunately, headphones are not really an option.  A crate-trained pup will happily relax in an isolated bedroom with some soothing music playing rather than being forced into the mix.  Having trained your dog to embrace the crate will go a lot farther than just potty training or avoiding destructive messes.  Put in the time and effort now to reap the rewards forever.

It’s well known that a dog’s sniffer is powerful.  Think about how your mouth waters and your belly growls when you smell bacon cooking.  Can you imagine how much more intensive it is for a dog?  Once again, an isolated room or a crate filled with blankets or bedding that have familiar scents will be a Godsend.  Quite simply, why torture your dog with all of those heavenly aromas of food that are not good for him?  This is a great time for a rare treat that is appropriate for dogs away from the madness.

Dogs don’t often wear clothes but they can be very sensitive to textures.  Be aware of surfaces and fabrics that are favorites and try to make them available in stressful situations. 

Maybe your dog can tolerate the sounds and smells well enough to remain in the room but still doesn’t want to be petted and loved on by every visitor.  Please help him by respecting this and asking your guests to leave him alone.  If he can lie quietly in a corner give him the dignity to be ignored.

Yes, it’s a holiday but keeping mealtimes and exercise routines standard will help mitigate bad behaviors before they begin.  My pack and I will be participating in a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.  The proceeds benefit a wonderful, local non-profit; the dogs and the people will get a good cardio workout so that we can earn our carb-laden Thanksgiving and they can get a good nap.  A tired dog is a good dog!

As we, as a society, trend toward a better understanding and treatment of humans with challenges I am hopeful we also apply that critical eye to our canine companions.  We’ve made them part of our families, we should love them for the incredible, unique individuals that they are.