On Being A Therapy Dog Team

We had another lovely visit at the rehab and living center as a therapy dog team today. We are actually in our fifth year of doing this. With no special talents, Astrid loves to get petted and fancies herself a trick dog at times, and I have a talent for talk with people I don't know. If you are reading this and are considering becoming a therapy team, I have a little advice you may not get anywhere else. We all sometimes think that will walk into these facilities bringing rays of sunshine and happiness. Sometimes we really do! Other times, the people we saw last time have gotten sicker and aren't in condition to visit. But there are times....times when you really really know you made a difference. One that comes to mind is the lady that was sent to rehab after a colostomy. She wanted to visit with Astrid so much but was embarrassed over the smell. She said we may not want to come in because of it. We told her that when someone loves dogs, and they want to see Astrid, nothing stands in our way. I haven't see this lady for the last two months. I choose to think she learned to cope with her new inconvenience in living and went home.

And then there is Miss Jean. What she wants most is to first, touch Astrid and second, she would like to make sure she is keeping her mind sharp by telling you how she worked at BellSouth Telephone Company for 35 years. Also how her mom was the teacher in a one room school house in South Carolina, During this, Astrid stretches out on the cool wood floor for a nap while I listen and ask questions about what life was like all those years ago when telephone operators all sat in and row and offered assistance. This is where one realizes the definition of the word team in 'Therapy Team'. It's obviously my turn occasionally.


Mostly, therapy work is fun and pretty routine....room to room to room making people smile. But there will be those that you will remember for other reasons.

Lighten Up...I'm A Dog

To treat or not to treat? To click or not to click (clicker training)? To stick out your tongue at your dog or not to stick out your tongue? Look...don't look. How do we know which is the best training method for our dog? Like me, maybe you have been all over the training map and still feel like a beginner. I want my dog to love me, but not just for treats. I want to know that if I forget my clicker one day, my dog won't run away. I want to know that if I stick out my tongue at Astrid, that I'm not violating some 'canine rule' and she will be ruined for ever. And I want to know that if my dog looks at another dog and the other dog reacts badly, that I'm not the one who is all wrong. Alas, I have learned the answers to all of these questions. Yes, no, sometimes, maybe and most important...what works with my dog? I'm not saying to leave things up to our dog. It all works to some degree. Try it all out, then keep what works and leave the rest. What have we found works best? Treats are good, ask your dog but don't leave it up to them...make them work really hard for it sometimes. No, Astrid doesn't run away if I forget my clicker. Our emotional bond is stronger than that. Sticking out our tongue at our dog might violate a canine rule, but it sure is funny teaching this one and your dog will forgive you when they see how much it makes you laugh. And the other dog reacting badly when your dog looks at them? You just might want to quit looking at them....some dogs are like that. Our only cardinal rule in training is that whatever class we are taking, we go by the instructors rules while in class. We fit in better and our dogs will appreciate it. If our dogs could talk, we think they would say "lighten up, it's all good".

Play Date Style

One may think that play dates with other dogs is a little far fetched, but it makes perfect sense when socializing our dogs. We often expect our dogs to be well behaved around other dogs. The only way to accomplish this is to actually be around other dogs! Be the trend setter in your neighborhood and invite that canine cutie over for a short play date with your dog. 

Pictured here is Astrid modeling perfect play date attire from the 'Cute As A Button' collection at her  AstridNicoleEtcetera Etsy shop.

Marina

Marina is awarded a ribbon at AKC obedience trial! Maybe not yet, she is still in the Santa Cruz Humane Society. A few years ago winning a ribbon for anything at all would have been impossible but not today. Years ago, Marina would have been disqualified not for her lack of ability but for her lack of documentable ancestry. 

Marina loves to try new things and already knows that walking on a leash is a good thing. Sit, stay, come when called, leash walking...we imagine she could learn them all easily. Someone who always wanted to be involved in dog sports like obedience might have a head start with Marina. Just getting in the obedience trial ring is no longer first contingent on a dog's heritage. Mixed breed dogs can go paw to paw in all events now. 

Getting Ready For Halloween!

Our 'to do' list for Halloween:

Attend Halloween bash at vet's. Check

Go to pumpkin patch. Check

Make a pumpkin puppy. Check

Wish everyone a Happy Halloween. Check!

WTF

Nope...not what you think. In this blog, WTF stands for 'why the face'. Usually about dogs, today's blog has everything to do with dogs and their people. Why does my dog look the way they do? Why does my dog love the things they do? Why can't I make my own thigh muscles elongate through exercise and look like some movie stars? Sorry about the last one...I digressed. The answer to these questions is a simple one...DNA. DNA is the answer to WTF. DNA is a molecule that makes us all unique. It contains the instructions that are passed to offspring so they will know what to look like. We hear the expression to love the skin we're in. We should also love the DNA that's in. Us. W.T.F. 

Life Changing

Often, I read something and think 'wow, if I took this advice it would be life changing'. Then, I move on to the next thing, changing absolutely nothing. I'm determined that this: 16 Things You Should Stop Doing To Be Happy With Your Dog by Roger Abrantes is one of the things that will change my ways. Lots.

In Roger Abrantes' blog, #3 is "stop your desire to control everything...take it as it comes." We live in a nice little neighborhood, very walkable streets, everything is pretty predictable. I've taught Astrid that the dog and person on the other side of the street has as much right to be there as we do. She buys into that...as long as dog and person stay on their side of the street. This is a rule that I have set up. Astrid is actually a dog that can go anywhere (and does) and socially acts better than most children, some adults and is very dog friendly.

Enter Fling and Fling's dad. Fling is an adopted greyhound that lives directly opposite the little park that Astrid, her dad and I walk to every night. We've passed Fling out on our walks many times. He stays over on his side of the street, we stay on our side. Fling looks at Astrid, Astrid sits like a perfect little angel dog and looks at Fling. We talk back and forth across the street. Fling's dad is very, very personable. He has recently set up his schedule to leave his house while I am standing on the sidewalk directly opposite where Astrid and her dad are taking a walk in the little park. But now Fling's dad has thrown in a new twist. When he is coming out for his nightly walk with Fling, he is crossing the street to chat with me, Astrid's mom. Uh oh...that wasn't in our plan. Astrid makes a fuss. She barks. How dare they not do exactly what her mom has always dictated they do...stay on their own side of the street! Ah...but Astrid's mom has strategies. Astrid's mom will walk and meet Fling and Fling's dad outside of their own house, give Fling a few pets and then say "see ya later, Fling". Hopefully that will put an end to to this gross disruption! This strategy was all set up before I read this blog. Probably a better answer would be for me to learn to relax, let Fling come over with his dad for a little chat on a hot summer's eve and Astrid can learn that her mom isn't the controller of all things pertaining to being out for a walk.

Facing one's flaws can be brutal. I'm always looking for topics to blog about. I think I just found 16.

Sunrise At The Shelter

This fictitious story is told through the eyes and mind of a shelter dog. The picture is an actual unaltered photo taken by me at a shelter in 2009. 

The sun is coming up and it's another day at the shelter! I like it when it gets to be daylight because it is more fun around here. Humans come and go more. My name is Dog 1836. My dad used to call me Ace, but when he left me off here, I guess they thought I needed a new name. Up until yesterday, I had a friend in this kennel with me and his name was Dog 1832. That's when a man with a really nice voice came to the shelter, walking all around looking at every one of us. He came back to the kennel Dog 1832 and I were in and told the young woman that always carries the keys around here "that's the one (pointing at my friend). He's perfect. I'd like to take Sunny home with me today." I guess he didn't see the sign that had my friends name on it. The man with the nice voice handed a dog collar and a leash to the young woman that always carries the keys and said "I'll meet you inside and fill out the paper work". Then he walked away and the young woman that always carries keys opened the kennel and put the new collar on my friend named Dog 1832. My friend and the woman then walked out of the kennel and she turned and lock the door. Shortly after that, Dog 1832 and the man with the nice voice came walking out, got in the car and drove away. So, it's just me in this kennel today but the sun just came up and people will start to come and go and everything will be more interesting. Maybe even some man with a nice voice will come and point at me saying "he's perfect". It is even okay if he wants to change my name.  

Do Dogs Day Dream?

We hear so many opinions about dogs. Some say they are color blind, some say they see all colors, some two colors... Do you think dogs day dream? What might they day dream about? Brody looks like he may be day dreaming about piloting his own plane like the pictures on his bandana. I bet he never day dreamed that he would grow into such a big handsome boy so quickly quickly! He is seen here at 4 months and 4 days in his 'Dogs In Planes' bandana from the Astrid Nicole Etcetera Etsy shop and there he is all grown up wearing exactly the same bandana. It comes as no surprise that his mom had to add some extensions to help it fit. 

Misfit or Movie Star

A widely held misconception is that dogs in shelters are misfits. The unfortunate truth is that many....maybe even most...are the casualty of humans who didn't have the time, patience or know how to help them to become well behaved members of the family. That's Astrid on the left in 2006, still in the shelter. And that is Astrid on the right. Neither a misfit nor a movie star (except for staring in her own movies) there are thousands just like her in shelter's across the nation. Looking for a specific breed? There are shelters that are specific to breeds or try a mixed up dog like Astrid. German Shepherd, Mastiff, Border Collie? Yes, you can have it all...it's in there.