A Doggy Christmas Story

Once upon a time, there was a clever little puppy named Tohopekaliga. He was a beautiful puppy. He was a spoiled puppy. He was an inventive puppy.

One day, Tohopekaliga's Mommy brought a big, green, thing into the house.
She called it a Christmas tree. Tohopekaliga saw an opportunity for adventure! However, his Mommy did not appreciate Tohopekaliga's adventurous spirit. She liked her Christmas tree intact. And so, the annual Christmas contest began! Tohopakaliga was a very good player.

Every year, Tohopekaliga would choose one ornament on the tree which he particularly liked. He liked it so much, that he had to have it for his own. And so he would remove it from the tree. Mommy did not like this and was determined to prevent Tohopekaliga from removing decorations off the tree.Mommy started by putting mousetraps all around the tree. At first they frightened little Tohopekaliga. But soon he discovered that if he walked to the edge of the traps and leaned ever so carefully over them, he could still reach the tree. So his Mommy brought in more mousetraps and made a bigger circle further out from the tree. She thought that if she moved her line of defense out far enough, Tohopekaliga would not be able to reach the tree. But Tohopekaliga, being a clever little guy, began to cogitate (think). He cogitated and he cogitated and he cogitated, until the light bulb in his little head went 'blink'. Tohopekaliga discovered, that if he pushed ever so gently with his nose, he could move the mousetraps away from the tree and gain access. Tohopekaliga's Mommy finally resorted to surrounding the tree with chairs. Tohopekaliga could not get around the chairs so Mommy won that round. But, Christmas comes again next year.

On his next Christmas, Tohopekaliga's Mommy put up the green "opportunity" again. And once again she hung pretty things on it and put the chairs around it. Tohopakaliga, the clever little puppy smiled. You see, the clever little puppy was not so little anymore. He just stood right up on those chairs and removed the "toy" of his choice. Mommy put all the chairs away and took all the "toys" off the bottom half of the tree. Mommy won the round again but the game was far from over. Every year after that Mommy put up the green "opportunity" and hung "toys" on the top half only. Of course Mommy was always explaining to her friends that the thing looked so empty because she had ' 'dogs'. "What's a dog?" Tohopekaliga wondered.

And then came the year of the "Great Upheaval". Suddenly, nothing was the same. They were living in a big, different house. Mommy put gates across the doors so Tohopekaliga could not get into all the rooms. He was very sad and missed his old home VERY much. But then one day he saw it; that big green thing, just over the gate and across the room. Somehow it made him feel a little bit better. Not a lot! Just a little bit. Once again the gauntlet had been thrown. And even though he did not feel like playing the 'game', Tohopekaliga just had to make an effort. As soon as Mommy left, he jumped the gate and went to visit his old friend, 'the Christmas Tree'. But even that could not lift his spirits enough to play the 'game'. He left the "toys" on the tree. However, though he did not feel like playing the 'game' Tohopekaliga could not give up completely. So he left his calling card on the rug, just so Mommy would know he had been there. And another Christmas passed.

Well they moved again. But this time Mommy said "This is IT! Get used to it!" So he did. And after a long time, that green "opportunity" came into the house again. But this time, Mommy thought the 'game' was over. You see, since Tohopekaliga had not removed anything the year before, Mommy thought he had matured. And being a clever little puppy, Tohopekaliga left the tree alone to lull Mommy into a false sense of security. He waited a few days and then "Let the games begin!" Every night when Mommy came home she found a single ornament on the floor. It was never damaged and the tree was not disturbed. Mommy would put the ornament back on the tree in a little higher place, and every night she would find the same ornament on the floor. It was a very challenging and enjoyable time for Tohopekaliga. He enjoyed the game so much that he played it a long time before destroying his Christmas "toy". "Next year I will WIN!" Mommy said. And another Christmas passed.

The next year Mommy rose to the challenge. Instead of the usual "toys", she put fake poinsettias all over the tree. She smiled at Tohopekaliga and said "This will be our 'learning tree'. I will hang bells on the tree. When you go into it I will hear the bells and come and teach you." And that is just what she did. But remember, Thopekaliga was a very clever guy. And the only thing the 'learning tree' taught was just how clever he was. Mommy spied one day to see how Tohopekaliga got the ornament off the tree. He had discovered the trick. If he stood on his back paws and ever so gently slid his nose in between the branches, he could avoid the bells. He had to be very careful not to touch the tree with his front paws. You know, even a very forgiving Mommy will be come angry if you knock the Christmas tree down. And another Christmas passed.

The next year Mommy was very determined. She was tired of games and wanted a decorated tree again. So Mommy ordered a special tree all the way from North Carolina. She bought all new white and gold "toys" to put on the tree. She wrapped the tree in golden lights. It was a beautiful tree.., And NO Bells! Mommy stood back and admired her work. She smiled at Tohopekaliga and said "Not this year my boy". And then IT happened. Mommy put a four foot fence around the Christmas tree!Tohopekaliga cogitated and cogitated. He cogitated for four days, and then he smiled. That night when Mommy came home, she found the remnants of a single ornament on the floor. The fence had not been moved and the tree had not been disturbed. Mommy just looked at Tohopekaliga and smiled. "What a clever little boy you are. Next year I suspend the tree from the ceiling!"
This is a true story. None of the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Thopekaliga, Toppie for short, was a real dog and I was his Mommy. He was born on the banks of Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fl. The lake was referred to as a sleeping tiger. When the lake slept it was placid and calm, but when the lake awoke it roared like a tiger. Toppie was a lot like that lake. Normally he was a sweet little boy, but when he roared he ROARED! Now why you might ask did I continuously refer to Toppie as Tohopekaliga. Well it was his name and besides I just like to say the word Tohoekaliga. (To·ho·pe·kal·i·ga)

Feral Cats

Everybody's seen them. Some think they're cute and cuddly while others think they are a major nuisance and disease carriers. Just about everyone agrees that something should be done to stop them; But not everyone agrees on how to do it. What are they? Feral Cats!

When I worked in Norcross, Ga. I would take little walks through a small patch of woods next to our parking lot. One day I spotted a wooden, camouflaged box up in the woods. I wondered what it could be. Could it be the hideout of a notorious criminal? The home of a war veteran? A secret stash of drugs? It was painted camouflage so maybe it was a cache of weapons. Or possibly just a box covering up some one's plumbing. As I explored closer I found a bunch of cat food bowls scattered around and bags of cat food in the box. It was a feeding station for a feral cat colony, something I'd never heard of before. A 'caretaker' would drop by periodically and make sure there was plenty of water and food out for the cats.

There is a beach in Lantana, Fl that we used to go to when I was a kid. I used to wonder who owned all these cats that kept hanging around. I mean, who would own hundreds of cats? No one of course, they were feral cats. Hundreds of cats, living on the beach, foraging for food and shelter ...and having babies. There are over 50 million feral cats in the united states. These cats roam free, which sounds kind of neat at first. Then you think about the obstacles to a happy life these cats face; disease, infections, starvation, predatory animals (including other cats), foul weather, kids with BB guns, fleas, worms... we could go on and on. And besides the harm to the cats themselves, they cause damage to local wildlife. In short, feral cats are a nuisance.

So what to do about feral cats. No we don't exterminate them. In fact we take care of them! We can do this without taking away their freedoms or domesticating them. We trap them, neuter them and then release them. "The ASPCA endorses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the only proven humane and effective method to manage feral cat colonies." Eventually the colony simply decreases in size. TNR also reduces some of the nuisance feral cat behaviors, such as spraying your front porch or the yowling of a Tom under your window in the middle of the night. Is TNR costly? Well it can be, but there are organizations and individuals out there who can help. The Humane Society of the United States has a list of feral cat organizations.

So what, you may ask, got me thinking about feral cats? I have a client who, in addition to her own cat, takes care of a small colony of feral cats. A while back they had kittens which I advised she spay/neuter before her little band turned into a major crowd. (The kittens are called Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and TGIF.) Recently my client requested information on building a shelter of some sort for these cats. Well, I never thought about a shelter for feral cats. I just figured that they managed on their own. So I did a bit of research. There is a lot of information out there of feral cats, feral cat shelters and feral cat feeding stations. You can build your own or buy them. They range from simple to fancy. The important thing is that they be weather proof and insulated with straw. The site I found specified straw and not hay (I don't know why.) The entry hole should be large enough for a cat to slip through but not racoons or other varmints. And it's important that you be able to open the top so the shelter can be cleaned out periodically. The one I liked the best was made from simple materials, a couple of storage boxes, some duct tape and insulating material. Actually, the whole project looked like fun. I almost wish I had a colony of feral cats nearby so I could build my own box.

(Click on boxes for instructions or enter feral cat shelters in your search engine.)

The REST Of The Story

Wiggles, a.k.a. Lucksey, a.k.a. Lucksy-Wiggles has found her real name, and her forever home. And so here is The Rest Of The Story. (For those youngsters out there who may not get the connotation behind that phrase; Google Paul Harvey.)
Now where did we leave off? Ah yes...
Lucksy-Wiggles' new name is 'Lucky'. And a lucky little girl she is. She was spotted on the Gwinnett Animal Hospital Facebook page. A lovely lady read her story and there was an instant bond. Yes, it is possible to form a bond electronically over the internet. So now Lucky has gone to live with her new family (actually she moved in about a month ago). She now has two brothers and a human family which consists of Lucky's new mom and papa and auntie. Two of her new people are also handicapped and confined to wheelchairs. I am very, VERY sure that this sweet little handicapped dog will bring joy and love to her new home.

Bon Voyage my little 'Wiggles'

Home Wanted

My current name is Lucksey-Wiggles and I'm looking for someone to love me and let me love them. I used to live in a place with a lot of other dogs. The people didn't take very good care of us. (I overheard they went to jail.) It was dirty and there were lots of flies that would bite us all the time. We ate off the ground and had to fight for whatever we could get. I was one of the little guys, so I didn't get very much food and was real skinny. Then the nice people from animal control came and took us away. They found homes for all the other dogs except me. I guess nobody wanted me because I walk funny and have something wrong with my heart. But I can be a very good dog. I can sit and lay down and touch my nose to your hand. I am little and would not take up much space. Finally, a very nice lady from Gwinnett Animal Hospital took me away and I stayed at the clinic for a little while. They took real good care of me. They looked me all over, inside and out and gave me a nice bed and a bubble bath. There was lots of good stuff to eat. But THAT can't be my forever home. So now I am staying at another lady's house. She takes good care of me too, but says that she is NOT my forever home either. It is nice here and there are other dogs to play with. But I need a REAL home with people who are ALL MINE. If you take me home I will love you SOOO MUCH!

Lucksey - Wiggles is a Beagle Pug mix who weighs about 16 punds. She is approximately 2-3 years old. She has some medical problems with her heart and legs which are easily managed. Sadly, I can't give her the home she needs and deserves. Can You? For more information contact Andrea at Gwinnett Animal Hospital, 770 972 0447, gwinnettah@aol.com.

Wiggles

Permit me to introduce you to my girl Wiggles. Actually, her name is not really Wiggles and she is not really my girl. Wiggles does not have a real name...YET! You see, she lives at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter until she finds her forever home. Wiggles is just the nickname I have given her while I work with her at the shelter. After all, I can't keep calling her Miss Pen #168 or Little Black dog. So I call her Wiggles, because of course, she wiggles in excitement when I come to take her out of her pen.

Wiggles is what is known as a 'neglect case'. She and 12 other dogs were removed from a home where they were living in deplorable conditions. You can imagine what that means; but if you're unsure, let me just say that criminal charges are pending. When Wiggles first arrived at the shelter, she was literally skin and bone. She has put on at least 6 pounds and is looking pretty good now. Especially since I gave her a bath this morning. (She didn't like it very much.) In addition to being very skinny she has other issues. She has a grade 5 heart murmur (that's pretty bad), an enlarged heart and does not put weight on one of her front legs. The vets think that she has some sort of a shoulder problem but are unable to see anything on the x-rays. At first we were not sure if she had been spayed or not,but further examination shows that she was indeed spayed. This is very happy news for Wiggles. You see, before an animal can be adopted out from the shelter it must be spayed/neutered. Due to the severity of her heart murmur it was determined that Wiggles would probably not survive the surgery, nor would she survive giving birth to puppies. This would mean that Wiggles would have been declared un-adoptable. But happily, that is no longer the concern. However, she needs a very special home as she will probably have medical issues the rest of her life.

You might wonder how Wiggles and I met. I am part of a group of volunteer trainers who are working to give shelter dogs some C.L.A.S.S. (Canine Life And Social Skills) C.L.A.S.S. is an educational program developed by the APDT (Association Of Pet Dog Trainers) to promote training focused on the use of positive reinforcement and to strengthen relationships between humans and their canine companions. In short, CLASS is designed for real people and real dogs. It is not designed for basic obedience or show ring skills, but rather to teach skills for real life situations. For example, in C.L.A.S.S. the dog learns things like; wait politely when a bowl is put down as opposed to knocking the person over to get at the food; wait at the door until given permission to enter or exit a room as opposed to charging out and possibly getting into trouble; to come when called and quietly wait for a leash to be put on; to walk politely at your side as opposed to dragging you on a marathon run; to greet politely when someone enters a room as opposed to knocking 98 year old Grandma flat on the floor; and more. (For more information on C.L.A.S.S. go to http://www.mydoghasclass.com/about/what-is-class/default.aspx )

We attend the official C.L.A.S.S. classes once a week at the shelter. Most of us also stop in on additional days to work with our dogs individually. Wiggles is my 3rd dog since we started this program on August 15th. My first guy was a black lab mix who was highly excitable and barked at the other dogs pretty much through the entire first session. I spent the class circling around and into the kitchen, calming him down, bringing him back out, circling around and into the kitchen, calming him down, bringing him back out, circling... you get the picture. I went every day to work with him and I'd like to say I made a difference. He learned how good treats are (he wouldn't take them when first we met) and he stopped trying to drag me everywhere. He learned loose leash walking and we were working on "wait at the door". However, my big guy never made it to another class. No, it's not what you think. We started working on a Monday and on Saturday my boy was adopted by a nice family. I happened to stop by while they were doing the paper work and so I was able to meet and talk to them about our boy. I believe they are a good match and will all live happily ever after. I love happy endings.

My second girl was a beautiful little husky. She was quite the puller, as in you could loose your shoulder with this little girl. I mean, she is a husky and pulling is in the genes. Anyway, I had to take a couple of days off and so was only able to work with her a couple of times outside of class. And then, lo and behold she was reclaimed by her owners. I love happy endings.


And now I have little Wiggles. She is sweet and smart, lovable and just a great little dog. And I am sure that we will soon find the very special people who are just the right match. I Love happy endings.

The Perfect Keepsake.

Please bear with me when reading the below blog. I do tend to run on, but there is a point to it all. Granted the point will be fairly close to the end. So if you must, feel free to skim the beginning if it doesn't hold your interest.
In my house there are many treasured keepsakes from my parents and others which I have collected along the way. Being a sentimental soul, I would like to pass many of these things down to the next generation. Never having had children, that would be my niece and nephews. However, there's the hitch, my niece and nephews and I do not share the same taste in collectables. In fact, for the most part they are not into collectables at all. OK, I have one nephew who is married with children who appreciates the finer things in life and a niece who is possibly more sentimental and into family history than I. My married nephew has already been the recipient of several things and will be getting more as time goes on (whether he wants them or not.) My niece is an archaeologist working on her doctorate and still fairly transient. She would take it all but has no real place to store things. After all, her parents can't keep everything; they have keepsakes of their own to pass down. My other nephews are just not into things. Truth be told, when it comes time to clean house I wish I was not quite so into 'things' either. In later years, the thought of 'dust catchers' has slowed down my urge to collect and brought about many trips to the St Vincent dePaul Society.
Still, I want to leave something of myself behind for these adult children. Perhaps it is the very human desire for immortality. Or, perhaps I want them to experience the same angst in later years that I now have; What to do with all this STUFF! So what do I leave for them which they would truly appreciate and would have meaning to all of us?
I thought about crafts but most hand crafted items these days just aren't that
original anymore. And there is that dust catcher thing to worry about. I could knit or crochet wearable items, but they already have tons of yarn items from their grandmother. So what can I do that would be exclusively mine? And then it hit me! I am an animal person, specifically a dog person. Their Aunt Julie has been associated with dogs for the entire lifetime of these nephews and niece. What better thing to leave for them than something to do with my dogs.
And what can I do to combine usefulness, my meager skill and my dogs together? Why make scarves and afghans out of dog fur, my dog fur!
And so I googled 'pet hair' to yarn. I love the internet. You can find out how to do just about anything on the internet, including how to spin animal fur/hair into yarn. Of course, doing it myself would require a certain amount of tools which then leads to more 'STUFF" in the house. BUT, there are people out there who will do that part for you. In fact you don't even have to wash the dog first. All you need do is collect the sheddings and mail it in. (No dust bunnies please) Any item which can be made from string or yarn is possible. And if you aren't crafty, the people on the World Wide Web will do even that part for you. Between my own dogs and as I pet sitter, I have an endless supply of shedding.

Oh kids, look out! I see an endless supply of key rings in your future.

K9 Nose Work - I Like It - My Dogs Love It

Once upon a time, three friends, Ron, Amy & Jill Marie, who were owned by search and rescue, narcotics detection, and K9 unit police dogs, were working in a field with their dogs. Both dogs and humans were having a great time while honing and practicing their scent work skills. These three people got to talking and wondering why it seemed that only highly trained, professional dogs could enjoy this work. They put their heads together and came up with "K9 Nose Work: The next urban sport for dogs..." http://www.funnosework.com/home.html.

What kind of dogs use their nose? Young dogs, old dogs, shy dogs, reactive dogs, fat dogs, skinny dogs, even dogs with chicken pox love nose work. It's a natural, God given talent that all dogs have, from blood hounds to site hounds, show dogs to rescue dogs, big dogs and little dogs, house dogs and ferrell dogs. They do it when they are awake and they do it while they sleep. They scent the air, they scent the ground, dogs scent everywhere. "As we see the world, the dog smells it. The dog's universe is a stratum of complex odors" ( 'Inside of A Dog' by Alexandra Horowitz ). Professional dogs are not trained to smell, they already know how to do that. Rather they are trained to identify and indicate certain specific odors; lost people, diseases, narcotics, explosives, insects, fear (Police Dogs) ... The list goes on and on and gets longer everyday.

So what about non-professional dogs? Isn't Fido in the park as capable of locating and identifying scents as any professionally trained dog? They (dogs) do it all the time; they gather information through their noses; they explore the world with their noses. And then, here comes the HUMAN! Don't smell that pile; Don't smell the ground; Lift your head up and look at me; And for goodness sake get your nose out of that kid's posterior!
We are constantly telling dogs not to do what comes naturally. We are the boss and they need to 'see' things our way. So I ask you; What fun is that for an animal with over two or three HUNDRED MILLION sensory receptors? (Compared to we humans with a meager six million receptors.) Is it any wonder that they like the sport of K9 Nose Work?

So why do my dogs LOVE K9 Nose work? Well, we've really already answered the main reason why in the above paragraph. They can't really help it, they are DOGS after all.

Here's what my boy Eric has to say about it:

"We get to be in charge for a change. ( Mom's note: The K9 Nose Work arena is a 'No Obedience' arena.) We decide which boxes to look in, Mom just tags along. I get to smell anything I want and put my nose anywhere I want. Then there are the TREATS. OH THOSE TREATS! Mom puts the best goodies she can find in the goodie box. Sometimes it's liver, or hot dogs, or cheese. My sister Me O likes the cheese best; my sister Sally Marie doesn't really care, she likes everything. My favorites are the peanut butter crackers and those salty, cheesy, crunchy things (Cheetos). OK, so Mom hides the treats and sometimes it's hard. But then that's half the fun . And boy howdy, when I pick out the right box Mom gets all excited and happy and gives me even more goodies. I like to make my Mom smile almost as much as I like peanut butter!"

And why do I like K9Nose work? It exercises the dogs mind and it teaches confidence. It's fun, easy and the dog does all the work. OK, I do have to buy the treats, put them in the box and hide the box but after that the dog does all the work. And I like to see my Eric smile almost as much as I like a good filet mignon.

For more information on K9 Nose Work go to:

K9 NOSE WORK http://www.k9nosework.com/

National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) http://www.nacsw.net/