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/

Mudder's Tale

This is Mudder's Tale. In horse racing parlance, a 'mudder' is a horse who runs well on muddy tracks. Mudder did not race well on muddy tracks; In fact, we're not sure if Mudder raced at all. You see, Mudder was not a race horse, he was a dog - a greyhound - a greyhound with personality.

When Mudder first came to the adoption kennel, he was a very shy youngster, afraid of everything that moved and most of everything that stood still. When prospective adopters came to the kennel Mudder cowered at the back of his kennel. No one could get near him. And so Mudder was declared 'un-adoptable' and it was unknown what Mudder's fate would be. And Then.... along came Helen. Helen was a dog trainer who specialized in rescue greyhounds. Helen DID NOT believe in an 'un-adoptable' dog; and so Mudder went home with Helen. Thus began a new chapter in the lives of Helen and Mudder.

For the first two years of their relationship, Mudder literally lived in the closet. Helen could not get him to come out willingly. However, once out the door and in the yard, she couldn't get him back in. His whole personality changed and he became a happy go lucky fun loving dog. He played with the other dogs, he played with toys and he ran, and ran, and ran. Anytime Mudder was approached he ran with a twinkle in his eye. When he was outside Mudder was free of all inhibitions. Mudder knew nothing could hurt him because nothing could catch him. He was a greyhound. Helen spent many late, rainy, cold nights trying to catch Mudder and bring him back in.

During this period Helen was continuing to learn and grow as a trainer and behaviorist. Mudder was both her student and teacher. Together they went to seminars and workshops with some of the greats. They learned calming signals from Turrid Rugass, they learned confidence building from Suzanne Clothier, they learned TTouch and Bach Flowers from Copper Love. Mudder went to all Helen's training classes and to every workshop and seminar she could find. Helen applied everything she learned and everything she read to Mudder's training. Mudder taught Helen to think outside the box and to develop her own training philosophies. For three years they had a siy
symbiotic relationship of teacher and student, student and teacher. Then it was time for Mudder to move on and there I was.

I met Helen and Mudder when I adopted my first greyhound, Bingo. (Thus began my love affair with greyhounds. But that is a different story) I knew that rescued greyhounds were a little different than the average dog and I wanted Bingo in an obedience class taught by someone who understood greyhounds. The rescue agency recommended Helen and we signed up. At every class I would see this beautiful,red greyhound lurking on the fringes. As time went by, Helen and I became friends. While Bingo and I learned, Helen also assisted me with my crazy boy, Toppie. Soon Helen and I had formed a friendship; she was my mentor and I became her apprentice. It was about this time that Mudder was ready for a new home and I was ready for another greyhound. And so Mudder came to live with Bingo, Toppie and me. And a new chapter began.

(to be continued)

Feisty Britches

A long time ago, in a past life I was a girl scout leader. I remember one of my kids telling me about her little terrier dog, 'Feisty Britches'. I never met 'Feisty Britches' and have no idea what actual breed she was, just that she was a terrier full of spit and vinegar. So why am I writing about a dog I never met. Well it's all because of my doctor.

The other day he was telling me about his 88 year old mother's dog who is a
'Feist'. At first I thought he was referring to the dog's personality, as in
'Feisty Britches'. Not at all, Doc was telling me about a dog breed, a 'Feist'. I had never heard of a Feist and thought maybe it was a made up word; But No! A Feist (aka Mountain Feist, Treeing Feist), is a small hunting dog, developed in the rural southern United States (Doc. says North Carolina). So I went home and researched 'Feist'. TheFeist' is small dog, at least compared to what lives in my house. They are generally under 18" tall, and 20 Lbs or less. Even though they are a hunting dog by nature, they make excellent house dogs, watch dogs, and can be good with kids. They need some exercise, but not really more that any other breed, about 30 minutes a day. Doc says he grew up with feists on a farm in N.C. and they were great dogs. However, they do have that little dog bark.

So I ask myself, since I have never heard of this breed, it must be a new breed, maybe one of those designer breeds? But NO! This dog goes back centuries. Reference to them is included in George Washington's diary in 1770. OK, so they must hunt small vermin like the 'Rat Terrier' who was, incidentally, developed from the 'Feist'. But NO! These little guys were used in bear hunts. And they can be found in literature, in William Faulkner's "Go Down Moses" and his short story "The Bear", and in Marjorie Kinan Rawling's "The Yearling". Abraham Lincoln wrote a poem fraturing Feist dogs called "The Bear Hunt".

It is thought that the Feist descended from Native American dogs crossed with small terriers from Britain and were kept as far back as the 1600s. So wouldn't that make them one of Americas oldest breeds, if not the oldest breed. So then why isn't this breed recognized by the A.K.C.? It is recognized by the U.K.C. (United Kennel Club), the N.K.C. (National Kennel Club).

HMMMM!