notes from a dog walker

Mar 24

Photo Caption Contest Winners!

Thanks to everyone who played the caption game over on Facebook this week!

For those of you that missed it, we asked Team DINOS to submit their best captions for a chance to win Dog Flags.

Here’s the photo:

And the winners are…

Lisa Anderson

Lisa won with the most “likes” for her caption:

“Mom always told me if I kept making this face, it would freeze like this!!”

and

Amy Houselog Turner

Amy won because Boogie (aka Judge’s choice) loved her caption:

“DINOS: Dogs In Need Of Silliness!”

Lisa and Amy please email Kristin, the founder of Dog Flags, to claim your prize at: kristin@dog-flags.com (You’ll be able to pick the Dog Flag of your choice and they’ll ship it directly to you!)

Thanks for a fun contest everyone and a huge high five to

Dog Flags and Melody Pet Photography for making it all possible!

Mar 21

61 Comments

Dog Walking Social Groups

Those of us with DINOS™ definitely want our space, but that doesn’t mean we never want our dogs to enjoy the company of other dogs. We simply want or need more structured socialization opportunities where we can count on other dog owners to respect our space.

This is especially true for reactive dogs who are learning to stay calm around other dogs.

If you’ve ever been in a reactive dog training class, you know that one of the best ways to increase your dog’s skills around other dogs is to practice, practice, practice. But that can be really hard to do once class is over and you no longer have a set time and place to meet up with other responsible families who are working on their dog’s leash skills.

That’s where dog walking social groups can really come in handy.

If you have a reactive dog and you’ve laid down the foundation for your leash work in a group class, a great way to continue working on your skills and exposing your dogs to other canine pals, is to join a dog walking group.

These groups are a terrific opportunity for any dog, reactive or not, to socialize with canine pals. Contrary to popular beliefs, off leash play isn’t the only game in town when it comes to socialization. Side by side walks on leash and training classes are social activities for your dog too!

So whether you have a dog that is a social butterfly, but prefers calmer, on-leash socializing (like a senior dog) or a dog who needs exercise in a more controlled environment than a dog park (like a dog recovering from an injury), groups walks might be the perfect fit for you.

Before joining a group, you need to do two things:

Know your dog and their limitations. These groups aren’t every dog’s cup of kibble.

Know the rules of the club. Every group is different.

Many of dog walking groups listed here follow the rule that dogs do NOT interact during the hikes or walks and openly encourage DINOS to attend their events. But please check first. Some groups allow more interactions between dogs and might not be the right fit for your pup. You’ll also need to know if your dog is up for the challenge of being around a potentially large group of dogs. You may need to start small and work up to joining this type of social outing.

If you’re looking for a dog walking group to join, take a peek at the listed below.

Note that many of the groups listed are pit bull groups, but don’t let that stop you from signing up! The overwhelming majority of them welcome all dog breeds to join in the fun and benefit from the structured group walk dynamic. Founded as way to socialize and exercise their pooches, these groups serve the dual purpose of educating the public about these misunderstood dogs. Pit bull peeps rock my world. Just sayin.

Chicago Sociabulls Chicago, IL

Contented Canine Palm City, FL (boarding facility that also organizes group walks – check for upcoming events)

Country Haven Kennels Mount Holly, NJ (boarding facility that also organizes group walks 2x per week)

Dog Walk Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX

Edmonton Dog Enthusiasts Edmonton, AB Canada

Hikeabull South Bay area, CA

Lead the Ways Canine Community Bensalem PA

Lucas County Pit Crew Toledo, OH (rescue with monthly walks – see calendar)

Pack Walk with Willow and Friends Central Gulf Coast area, FL

Pit Crew Dog Walkers San Diego, CA

Philadelphia, Walk That Dog Philly PA

Portland Pit Bull Parade Portland, OR

Postitive Pittie Pack Hoboken, NJ

San Antonio Nature Hounds San Antonio,TX

SCRRAP Sonoma County, CA (check Facebook for upcoming Bully Walks)

SociaBull Monterey, CA area

StubbyDog Trekkers Saratoga, CA

Sussex County Dog Walking Group Branchville NJ

and

Pack Walk Zurich in Switzerland (dogs are off leash – not recommended for DINOS)

Social Walks der Hundephilosophin in Germany

And if you know of a group not mentioned here, please let me know in the comments below, so I can add them in!

StubbyDog Trekkers in California

Want to start a new group?

Take a look at some of the blog posts, listed below, for helpful tips and photos. It’s also worth visiting each one of the groups listed above, because almost all of them detail their rules right on their homepage. Each group is a little different, but you’ll see a lot of overlapping ideas and guidelines to incorporate in your new group.

To sum it up, here are the highlights:

Dogs don’t interact with each other.
Flat, standard issue leashes required. No flexis.
One dog per person.
Dogs with reactivity, aggression, or in some cases, new dogs, wear red bandanas, so that the group members know to give those dogs extra space.
There are two people present without dogs. One at the front of the group and the other at the back. They are able to support the dog walking pairs with training, watch out for loose dogs, and provide an extra set of hands (personally, I’ve held a lot of dog leashes while people tie their shoes!).
The two group leaders use walkie talkies to communicate, if the group is large and spread out (like on a hike).
The group leaders carry tools such as Direct Stop, for safety.
In densely populated areas, the number of dogs is limited and must sign up in advance.
Groups use Meetup.com or Facebook pages as a way for member to communicate with each other about upcoming events.
And may I suggest handing these pocket sized educational cards out to people you pass?

More on starting a group – a guest post from Hikeabull

Tips for city groups from Two Pitties in the City

Tools to use: Hikeabull’s walkie talkies and Two Pitties on leashes and collars and StubbyPuddin tips on equipment

If you’re looking for people to join your new group, I highly recommend contacting a trainer to see if they have clients that might benefit from this kind of outing. Even better, join or contact a dog reactivity class and then, after the course is over, have the group continue meeting. They’ll have similar skills, an understanding of each other’s needs, and a motivation to keep on coming, so they can practice. Feel free to post about your new group on the DINOS Facebook page too.

How many of you belong to a group or are planning on starting one? Let me know in the comments and on Facebook!

Happy trails everyone!

SIDE NOTE: I’ve heard from a few of you who would like permission to use “DINOS” in your new dog walking group’s name. I think that’s super cool! You’re welcome to use “DINOS” and/or “Dogs in Need of Space” in your tag line or description section of your group’s website, so the public knows that DINOS are welcome. DINOS is trademarked (which means it cannot be used for commercial purposes), so using it this way, instead of in your group’s name, would allow you to create a group logo or merchandise without any issues. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at: info@notesfromadogwalker.com for more information. Thanks!

Mar 19

Photo Caption Contest + Dog Flags Giveaway

Wouldn’t it be nice if, just by looking at a dog, you could know a little more about their social needs? Our friends over at Dog Flags think so! In case you haven’t seen them yet, their handy flags are a great way for dog owners to communicate with each other via a color coded system.

Many of us with DINOS might choose this flag (which slips over a leash) or bandana:

Or this one:

There are other flags too: for special needs, friendly, and shy dogs. You can see the whole bunch here.

And guess what? You could win one for your dog!

Dog Flags has generously offered to give away Flags to two lucky Team DINOS members, so I’m excited to announce…

The very first DINOS Photo Caption contest!

You have not one, but two chances at winning. Here’s how:

Join us over on Facebook and comment on the photo below with your best caption.

You have between now and Friday the 23rd at 5pm EST to enter a caption.

On the 24th TWO winners will be announced:

– the caption with the most “likes” on Facebook

and

– one entry chosen by me and Boogie

Both winners will receive a Dog Flag of their choice!

Here’s the photo:

Head on over to Facebook and let the caption writing begin!

And a huge THANK YOU to Melody Pet Photography for lending us this awesome, caption-worthy photograph!

Mar 13

20 Comments

Pocket Sized DINOS™ Handouts

UPDATE 10/1/12: Cafe Press is stocking business cards again, so you can now purchase mini-handouts (if the whole DIY Flickr option isn’t your jammy jam). Find the cards here.

Remember that time when you were walking your DINOS and you noticed a woman and her dog walking straight at you? Remember how you looked around, wondering if there was someone behind you, but there wasn’t, so you realized she was coming for YOU? Remember how she had a big smile on her face as her goofy dog dragged her towards you at an alarmingly fast pace?

And how you had to scramble to get out of the way, but she kept calling “Wait, my dog is friendly!” and “My dog just wants to say hi!” as she chased you across the park? And then, sick of hiding behind trees, you turned around and said, “My dog needs space. Here’s a card that explains everything. See ya!” and then you skipped home smiling because, for once, you didn’t waste any time trying to explain your DINOS to a stranger? Remember that time?

Now those cards exist!

I whipped up a teeny tiny, business card size version of the DINOS Manifesto. It’s available to all of you to download for free and print at home. Yippee!

All you have to do is go to the new Team DINOS Flickr page and you’ll see two images: DINOS Cards Front and DINOS Cards Back.

Download both images (choose “original” size), then print them out (double-sided style) on a regular sheet of paper or, better yet, business card paper. Viola! You have a pocket-size handout to give out to MDIFs you meet on your walks.

(p.s. If you’re like me and, while you’re with your DINOS, you can’t get close enough to a strange dog to hand these to the other person, feel free to stick them in mail boxes or leave a bunch at the local park.)

Here’s the text on the back:

(note: The text might look blurry here, but when you print it out, the words are clear)

If you live in an area without leash laws or if you use the term “lead” instead of “leash”, here’s a version for you.

And here’s the logo on the front:

Nifty, eh?

I know there’s much more we’d all like to say, but that’s all I could cram onto a business card in a regular size font! If you’d like to share the full length version, check out the DINOS handouts.

I hope you find these helpful as you spread the word that DINOS are GOOD dogs, they just need space!

(And special thanks to Team DINOS member Nadia B. for giving me the loving push I needed to finally get these suckers out into the world!)

Mar 7

4 Comments

High Value Treats for DINOS

Finding a treat that your DINOS™ is willing to work for, especially around distractions, can be tough. The “sure thing” treat that one dog finds rewarding, might get the cold shoulder from the next dog.

Back when I helped out at reactive dog training classes, we’d do taste tests to see which treats the dogs were willing to pass up vs. gobble down. We found that freeze-dried raw treats were consistently a bigger hit than soft training treats and often more popular than fresh chicken or cheese.

I like to use Stella and Chewy’s Freeze Dried Raw patties (broken into little pieces) when I know I need to bust out the big guns to help Boogie get through a potentially stressful moment. I never give him those treats at any other time, so they retain their novelty. That works for Boogie, but I know that every dog is different, so I called on Team DINOS for a list of their favorite high value treats.

If you’re still searching for that magic treat that your dog will love or you want to try something new, here are some great ideas from the team:

Brandi C. Squeeze cheese!

Krissii F. Tennis balls!

Stephanie F. Lickety Sticks!

Barbara L. Chicken breast – she prefers the prepackaged kind – or string cheese.

Laurelin S. Cheese (string or cream), buffalo liver or sweet potato!

Jo J. Bread and butter; dismembered natural gummy bears; bonito flakes.

Paula K. My dogs’ favorites have turned out to be thinly sliced hotdogs microwaved until they are curly and crispy! And for dogs not motivated by food: I had a dog in one of my classes who was not food motivated, so I asked the dog’s owner what was the dog gaga for at home and he answered “the feather duster”. I said, bring it in, and the dog worked for the chance to maul that duster ( it was pink, and the owner was a former Marine)!

True Dog Tricky Trainers Salmon Flavor Cloud Star Treats, Buddy Biscuits Lamb flavor Treats, Bil-Jac Liver flavor, wet dog or cat food in a small dish, couple licks as a reward.

Marie N. Freeze dried chicken. It’s like crack to her.

Alexis B. Red Barn! And the number-one-trumps-everything-on-this-earth thing is carnivore diet from the zoo – my husband works at the zoo and sometimes brings this home, it is mostly raw horse meat which is apparently more delicious than anything else on earth.

natural blance logs

Pia R. Freeze Dried Chicken!

Julia K. Lane Liver Brownies from the Liver Lady in Woodstock, IL!Karen C. Any food. Especially roast chicken, string cheese, bacon.

Judy M. Diced Natural Balance food logs!

Star F. Natural Balance food rolls are always a big hit.

Deb M. Try a fox tail tied to a 2- 2 1/2 ft length of clothesline. Stick it in your back pocket and haul out for a quick rewarding game of tug. Training your dog to be both food and toy motivated is the best!

Noelle B. For Brewster, if anything is going to get his attention, hot dogs will. But not even that works with a really intense distraction. Other things that work most, but not all the time, are chicken, cheese, and Zuke’s Mini Naturals.

Stacy S. ‎Riddick’s Treats (bison liver treats are like crack to them)

Marge R. I hate to say it (and I blame my friend Eileen) – sausage, egg and cheese biscuit. What can I say? He gets to choose what is most reinforcing.

orbee ball

Bev R. Anything that squeaks for my girl. Anything they can tug on for both, especially anything that resembles a flirt pole type thing, tug toys, Orbee ball, but food…nothing..they just are not food motivated.

Sheri-Lyn P. Chicken every time!

Sadie B. Some dogs are reluctant to eat when there are distractions or they are stressed. In these situations I would work with very high value food (cheese, etc), toys or even environmental rewards (although that is more difficult to employ practically). My girl finds it aversive to have to stop and eat a treat when belting round an agility course, so a retrieve or game of tug is our reward of choice then the fun doesn’t have to stop!

Laurie W. Canine Carry Outs! Easy to find and inexpensive.

Kristel S. Frozen meatballs, pieces of roasted chicken or salmon-flavored Zukes are Murphy’s favorites:-)

Johnny H. The Disc (frisbee) is my dogs highest value distraction. I don’t have them lying around the house, so he never gets them to play with. At 5pm every day, he knows it’s time for him to go to work. I don’t even need the disc now to use it as a distraction trigger. There is nothing that can redirect his brain over the disc – not a dog or dog altercation, motorbike, squeek toy – nothing brings him out of disc mode until I say “mine now” and put it away.

Elisabet N. Freeze dried beef liver, and cat food.

Juli T. Walking – Casey is so uninterested in food that when we are anywhere more interesting than our living room, not even nice smelly pepperoni or peanut butter will get her attention. Moving – preferably at a fast pace – is her reward.

Kristen B. Toby is all about cut up Natural Balance rolls. He chooses them over one of his typical favorite treats of peanut butter.

Rebecca C. Squeaky tennis ball for one dog. Target\Archer Farms chicken, spinach sausage does wonders for my other dog.

Angelina W. Vienna sausages!

Dawn F. Cut up hot dogs and string cheese!

Jackie D. Home-dried liver, smoked cheese, barbecue chicken, liver sausage…

Jennifer N. Only in extreme situations and VERY TINY bits: Lay’s Stax potato chips! It’s the most insane reaction I’ve ever seen. Even for just a tiny speck of chip, Jacks will focus so hard on it he sees or hears nothing else. Even if he can just smell it, he’s completely focused. Mia isn’t food motivated at all, but anything that squeaks is her addiction…

Jennifer B. Shady Brook cooked turkey meatballs..doggy crack!

Jenifer R. My dog who used to be HIGHLY leash reactive would turn himself inside out for Gorgonzola if he could!

Linda E. My three porties will eat anything put in front of them! They like Natural Balance in the tubes and it’s relatively easy to use. Their favorite is the one I make from scratch and is super simple: Put the six ingredients (2 cups spelt flour, 1-2 cups Quick Oats or Regular Oatmeal, 1/2 tsp salt (optional), 1tsp baking POWDER, 1 can sardines & 1-3 Tbsp Asian Fish Sauce (optional)+ a little olive oil) into the food processor, grind/ pulse, spread 1/4 to 1/2″ on a cookie sheet, heavily oiled with olive oil & bake. Slow bake @ 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I use a pizza cutter to score the treats to size, flip them over & bake for another 30-40 minutes until crisp. Much healthier and less costly! I do the sardines first, with some olive oil to make a paste, then add the dry ingredients. I’m a huge user of go tubes filled with premium duck or rabbit canned dog food. Very easy to use, carry and doggies just lick it up! These have worked the best for me in the dog to dog aggression area!

Susan C. Any food.

Brooke P. Definitely cheese. Cookies also keep my Pom occupied with chewing, rather than reacting while we’re passing tough triggers. He’s a very slow chewer, so it works out. By the time he finishes his cookie, the trigger is long gone.

Ann W. Peanut Butter. I fill one of the little Tupperware midgies, put the lid on, and when I need to get past some other dogs on the trail, I pull the lid off and let my dog lick at it until we’re past.

Ashley C. Deli rare roast beef and/or a squeeze tube of liver paste.

Rebecca A. I’m lucky my reactive guy is both toy and food motivated. He goes absolutely nuts for any toy with a squeaker, so I have a small Wubba Kong that we can tug on past any distraction. But if I need a calmer response (so as not to trigger another dog with his energy while tugging) — it is banana chips, believe it or not!

kong wubba

Ann W. Livercake with garlic.

Marion B. I make my own liver and bacon brownies. Yuck!! But I can get back flips for them.

Laurie M. Baby food meat, dehydrated mini hamburger pieces, roasted and frozen beef roast or chicken breast.

Virginia J. I know it’s not right, but cat treats are the only thing she is wild for.

K9Capers dog day center Blueberries and celery!

Suzanne K. Diced cooked chicken breast for reactive class, Merrick lamb filet treats for our daily walks at the park.

Cheryl C. Steak – when we are going to a new event/new place I grill up steak the night before.

Jen R. Boiled and diced beef heart does it every time for mine.

Lisa V. I know sometimes we have to go to extremes to find what our DINOS will work for. In one of our reactive dog classes the only thing their dog would work for was butter! Yikes! My girl LOVES Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs and her tiny squeaky soccer ball. She will do ANYTHING for that soccer ball!

Jennie M. My pup has had a hard time concentrating in class lately, but today she worked for biscuits. People biscuits with butter that is…put on when they are hot, so it is all melted in! I baked them this morning. As long as it works, I will bake! Hot dogs and cheese work well also.

Laura P. If she’s really distracted (or scared) it has to be something she needs to lick. Liverwurst or canned food in a squeeze tube, Cheese or Kong liver squeeze cans, meat-based baby food licked right out of the jar.

Elana B. Diced chicken gizzards. I nuke the package for about 10 minutes and then dice them into training treat size. Way cheaper than anything from PetSmart or PetCo and not made in China!

Nic F. Any type of food!

Shoshannah F. Cheese!Jenifer R. Cheese! Any kind but the stinkier the better.

Katie G. Dehydrated beef lung!

Helen W. Bozi Dinos will ignore every scary thing if he is busy playing tug or squeaky hedgehog games with me (on lead) just to be sure. He also loves roast chicken, steak and bacon.

Nancy B. Boiled chicken cut up into small pieces is the highest value treat. Hot dogs second.

I hope that gives all of you some new ideas to try on your walks or in your training classes.

If you have favorites that weren’t mentioned here, let me know in the comments section or on Facebook!

Mar 5

7 Comments

Walking Dogs in Thailand

Ten years ago this month, I was in Thailand with Brian. As in, right this minute, exactly ten years ago, I was there. I find this hard to wrap my brain around as I sit here, in Maine, looking at a foot of snow and thinking of the thousands of days that have passed in between that trip and this month.

Back then we didn’t have any pets, not because I didn’t want them (I looked at dogs the way other women looked at babies), but because we were in a state of flux. Before heading to Thailand we had spent almost four months on the road, driving cross-country, and had purposely not adopted any pets prior to our travels, so we’d be free to go.

Lucky for me, when I travel I always find a dog to walk with, and this was true even in the hills of Thailand. When I got home from that adventure, it was clear to me that my day with a handsome dog in Southeast Asia was one of my favorite times in a trip filled with special days.

I wrote about my Thai dog friend for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Then I started my dog walking business.

Here’s what I wrote a decade ago:

Bordering on obsessive, I keep detailed journals of my travels, jotting down what I ate, the type of transportation I took around town, and how much it cost to get into the museum. Remembering where I’ve been in gory detail helps me to recapture the more elusive emotions of being in a foreign place. There is, however, one trip that wasn’t recorded in my journals. Now, a year later, I can’t recall the name of the river I cruised down or find the names of the guides who took me there. But I remember what matters most – how I felt.

When our group of sun-poisoned, sweaty backpackers arrived at a Lisu village, as part of a guided trek through northern Thailand, the villagers weren’t particularly thrilled about our arrival. Still, trying to show our gratitude for their hospitality, we spent hours teaching the Lisu children the most effective way to throw a Frisbee. But the only one who was interested in us was a mutt we dubbed Rusty. Continuing our hike the following day, I took my usual place at the back of the group, where I was surprised to find none other than Rusty the dog. Always a pushover for a handsome guy on four legs, I was excited that he had joined the trek.

Rusty and I were a perfect match; he waited for me when I crossed rivers, and ran next me through poppy fields. He occasionally mistook the group for cattle and tried to herd us into a pile, but otherwise he stayed by my side. Rusty was my own personal tour guide for the remainder of the trip.

On our final morning, the group scrambled onto bamboo rafts for the ride back to civilization. As the group drifted away, calling for Rusty to follow, he hesitantly dog-paddled towards me. Leaning over, I hauled a shivering Rusty onto the raft, relieved that I didn’t have to let him go so soon.

Floating down this river, which I can’t name or find on a map, Rusty and I splashed and played and soaked up the sun. I was totally immersed during those hours, absorbing everything and, for a rare moment, living simply in the present. As we sat together at the front of the raft, the rest of the world faded away until it was just me and my dog.

I’ll probably never know the name of the river we were on that morning. But, one of my best memories is of that raft ride – hanging on to a great dog, my face being licked clean with appreciation.

I’m beginning to realize that knowing someone will remember you, like the girl who might grow up to be a champion Frisbee player, or finding a perfect afternoon in the sun with an unlikely friend, is far better than knowing all the facts.

– Jessica Dolce lives in Philadelphia, where her landlord won’t permit a dog in her apartment. (2012 note: that was my byline back then. Oh how the times have changed!)

P.S. After re-reading this, I had a panic attack that I left a dog in the wilds of Thailand, lost and confused, post raft trip. Brian assures me that the guides knew Rusty and helped him get home via truck. Phew.

Mar 2

7 Comments

Happy Birdie Day!

Today is Birdie’s Gotcha Day aka the day we adopted her.

Because we don’t know her exact date of birth, we celebrate her birthday on March 2nd (many excellent dogs were born on March 2nd, in particular, the fabulous Ms. Lola of the Lola Bean in Philadelphia. Happy Birthday Lola!).

And that means today is Birdie’s 10th birthday! Since we think Birdie Dog is the bees knees and love her to pieces, we always get her a special treat on Birdie Day.

To celebrate she’s doing this right now:

Birdie and Boogie are big fans of the Everlasting Treat line of toys. Some of you have told me your dogs are able to get through these in minutes, but they keep my two buzzards busy for a while.

Boogie, not to be left out of the Gotcha Day fun, is also doing this right now (it’s real loud and slurpy at my house at the moment):

Birdie is already exhausted. It’s not easy being a senior citizen taking on a fireman’s challenge:

Happy Birdie Day Everyone!!

Feb 29

2 Comments

Guest Post: A Love Letter to Murphy

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I asked readers to write a love letter to their DINOS and picked a winning essay. Throughout February, I’ll be sharing all of the entries.

Here’s what Ingrid wrote:

A love letter to Murphy, My DINOS

I probably shouldn’t have adopted Murphy when I did, but I needed him – I just didn’t realize then how much I needed him.

I had just let go of my baby, Mickey, a 12 year old Border collie mix who had cancer. He was such a great dog. My mom had helped me raise Mickey. And then he and my mom both had cancer at the same time. After I lost him, I wanted her to see me happy with another dog, before she was gone too. At the time, I worked at the largest no-kill animal shelter in the world, so seeing adoptable dogs was a daily occurrence for me. My coworker, Tina, told me about a cute pup in the medical ward.

I went over with her and knew instantly what pup she was talking about. I saw Murphy and I was in love. He was about 4 months old and seemed submissive. Boy was that wrong. I brought Murphy into my life when my mom was in end-stage cancer, my sister had an elderly dog and cat, and my boyfriend of 15 years was also in and out of the hospital. I need to take care of someone who wasn’t going to die.

I found out quickly that Murphy was very fearful, especially of men. My boyfriend Tommy couldn’t even pet him. At first he was frustrated, like many people were, and would take it personally, like many people did. But soon Tommy let go of all of that, and he and Murphy had a nice relationship. It was short lived…Tommy passed away unexpectedly less than a year after I adopted Murphy and seven months after my mom passed away. My whole life change in what seemed to be an instant. I was alone…but I still had Murphy.

I had to adjust to being alone, living alone, and grieving the loss of my best friends. And during this time I don’t think I realized the extent of Murphy’s fearful-dominant behavior. I socialized him a lot as I took him to work every Friday. He was much better with dogs than people. He loved my co-worker’s dog, Autumn, and they still have an incredible relationship. I know one day I will find the right dog that will help Murphy the way Autumn did.

Six months after Tommy passed away, I lost my job as a web manager for the shelter. I was devastated. So here I was, me and Murph, trying to figure our way in the world. With Murphy not liking people and acting jerky with dogs he doesn’t know, it has been incredibly difficult. But I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world.

When I had to sleep alone for the first time in 15 years, there was Murphy, laying his head on the other pillow, looking lovingly at me and comforting me when I needed it. When I needed structure after losing my job, there was Murphy needed walks, playtime, meals. When there were days that I spoke to no other person, there was Murphy, listening intently with his head cocked and giving lots of kisses.

I celebrated any victory with him. When, after at least a year of playing with my neighbor’s two dogs, Murphy finally kissed my neighbor after she gave him some corned beef, we were both ecstatic! When he would let other people pet him, usually when they were sitting, or if he was nice to a strange dog while on out on a walk, I was beyond thrilled.

One day Tina and Murphy’s favorite girl Autumn came to visit with another friend Michelle. Murphy was always afraid of Michelle at work and barked at her all the time. But now in my house, with Tina and Autumn, both of who he adored, he was really friendly with Michelle, sitting next to her on the couch, standing on his head for a butt rub, I couldn’t believe my eyes and hold onto that picture when I get frustrated with Murphy. Because it makes me realize that it’s possible.

I had a trainer friend who I would ask about Murphy a lot. She would comfort me by telling me, “thank God you got him.” I knew what she meant. With me, Murphy was well-trained, loved and given boundaries. Had someone else adopted him, he would most likely been returned to the shelter for being too aggressive. I understood him, had the time and patience to train him, with agility too, and didn’t have kids, so living with me was the best place for him. This trainer friend also passed away, but things did get better, lest you think my life is a complete Greek tragedy.

Having Murphy is kind of like that cartoon where the construction worker finds the singing frog. And the frog never sings in front of anyone else. Murphy is my singing frog, with me he is affectionate, funny, smart, sweet, silly and adventurous. But few people ever see that.

When I was ready to date again, Murphy also played a huge role. Since he wasn’t too fond of men, it wasn’t easy. He was also quite the c**kblocker, as he was used to it being just me and him! His behavior turned out to be a blessing. When I met Sean, he wasn’t afraid of Murphy and he was really calm, (which is his usual aura) and Murphy really responded to him. He respected my feelings about Murphy and Murphy’s own fears about him and people in general. It was one of many traits that made me realize Sean is a keeper.

We live together now, and while Murphy still is fearful, he is excited when Sean comes home and lets him pet him on his chest, (over the head is still too scary). And he lays his head on Sean’s lap when he wants something. Like I said, I celebrate the little victories.

Murphy has taught me to be calm and live in the moment. I have to learn not to let how he was before, taint how he can be now and in the future. He also keeps me laughing all the time because he is so silly. When he wants something really bad, he pokes me. He steals my socks and slippers, but never ruins them, he just likes things that are soft and smelly. I no longer care what other people think about him or that he isn’t friendly with strange dogs on walks, because Murphy has taught me not to take things personally.

I just love my singing frog!!

Feb 28

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Guest Post: A Love Letter to Elmo

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I asked readers to write a love letter to their DINOS and picked a winning essay. Throughout February, I’ll be sharing all of the entries.

Here’s what Judy wrote:

My dog is a DINOS.

That fact is something that I have come to not so much love, but respect. I mean, he respects my limitations, fears and quirks, why should I not do the same?

I don’t want to focus on what Elmo can’t do or can’t handle. For a long time, my life revolved around shielding him from the big bad world. What I do want to tell you about is not the DINOS part of Elmo, but the REAL Elmo.

Almost immediately we noticed that Elmo is an “empath”. He taught us to listen to his intuit before our own gut feelings. He will get a look. The Look. It says “you.need.to.listen.to.me.now”. AND WE DO.

Mickey is Elmo’s younger fur-brother and he joined us 8 months after Elmo did. Always a little more rambunctious, Mickey found himself getting into pickles more often than not.

Elmo sitting guard over his younger brother, Mickey.

I’m getting ready for work in the morning. Elmo comes flying down the stairs. Nudges me, pokes me with his snout. Makes me look into his face. Something is wrong. “Show me”, I say, and Elmo flies back up the stairs, with me right behind him. There, laying on our bedroom floor, is Mickey, choking on a piece of a nylabone. “THANK YOU” I tell him, hugging him close.

My dog is a DINOS.

I enrolled Elmo into therapy dog classes and we passed with flying colors! We were assigned to the dementia ward at a long term care facility. Now I have to admit that I was scared. I have no experience with those suffering from forms of dementia and my own lack of knowledge and my apprehension made me wonder if this was going to be a good fit.

Our very first visit. Residents were gathered in a sitting room. Elmo showed off his tricks and politely went from person to person for pets and loving. Parked off to the side and not part of the group was an elderly woman who was very obviously in the later stages of her disease. Tied with terry cloth restraints to her wheelchair; in her hands were soft “gripper” pads to help prevent further atrophy of her fingers. She stared off to the ceiling, her mouth hanging open. Elmo and I approached. “Hello”, I said softly. “I’m Judy, and this is my dog, Elmo”. No reaction, not so much as a blink. I turned around and asked the other residents and aides present if anybody knew her name. I wanted to address her with her name.

“Don’t bother with her, she won’t respond to anything” was the answer I was given. That hurt me.

I turned back to the woman in the wheelchair. Elmo was laying on the floor at her feet, resting his head gently on the tops of her shoes. I looked at the woman’s face and SHE WAS SMILING. I knew we were where we belonged. Every week we went in search of Rose.

My dog is a DINOS.

One of our most favorite activities is to walk the wooded trails at the local dog park when its not too muddy. One afternoon, we met an older couple walking their PWD. Three big black dogs all gleefully bounding side to side into the woods back and forth as we walked the trails and chatted. Three black blurs going by over and over. All of a sudden the woman wasn’t next to me. We were chatting and then she wasn’t next to me. She had fallen. Her husband and I go to her and she says she cannot get up. In the meantime there are three black furry blurs still gleefully going back and forth.

And then Elmo stopped. Panting, he came back to us, stood for a moment taking in the scene. And then, to all of our amazements, he got down on his tummy and crawled up to the woman laying on the ground. Crawled. He crawled up to her and laid in front of her spoon fashion. And didn’t move.

I called for a rescue squad. When the EMTs arrived, Elmo was still laying there, letting her pet him for comfort while she waited. It was only after I called Elmo to my side that he got up. Once the EMTs were tending to the woman, he went back to the task at hand – gleefully running the trails.

My dog is a DINOS.

We have a boat. Not a fancy boat, but is had a motor and it works just fine. My husband is proud of his boat, and takes good care of it. So it’s not uncommon for him to be with his boat in the driveway, puttering at something.

And that’s where he was one summer evening, puttering in his boat in the driveway. I was in the house, doing “housely” type chores. All of a sudden Elmo starts to scream. Elmo’s “for real” bark is a scream. He doesn’t usually bark unless its necessary. And Elmo is screaming.

Looking out the window into the driveway. The boat is between and behind my husband’s big SUV. I see nothing. “Elmo, nothing’s there, honey”. And I walk away. Elmo continues to scream.

I looked three or four times thinking there was a stray dog in the yard or driveway. Nothing. Finally I’m getting frustrated. “Elmo STOP”. Well, okay, I said shut up. I didn’t listen.

About 10 minutes later my husband comes lumbering into the house, looking like he’s been in a war. “Didn’t you hear Elmo trying to tell you???? Didn’t you hear him barking???” He had tried to lower his heavy tool box out of the boat, lost his footing, and did a head first tumble onto the driveway. Because of the position of the car, I didn’t see him out there.

“Well, yes”, I said… “I heard him just fine, and I told him to shut up”. I felt terrible. Listen, Judy. Listen to this dog!!!

So my dog is a DINOS. But he’s so very, very much more!

I love you Elmo.

Feb 27

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Guest Post: A Love Letter to Brewster

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I asked readers to write a love letter to their DINOS and picked a winning essay. Throughout February, I’ll be sharing all of the entries.

Here’s what Noelle wrote:

A Love Letter to the PuppyButt

Dear Brewster,

Don’t be offended, but when I saw your picture on the PALS Animal Rescue website, I didn’t think you were the dog for me. I wanted a girl dog! A bigger dog! I certainly didn’t want a weird looking little black dog with a startling white mohawk in the middle of his head. Even though I knew you were not the dog for me, I read the description anyway. It said you were a little bit timid and needed a calm, quiet home. “Well,” I thought, “it doesn’t get any quieter than this house.”

Even so, when I went to that PALS meet-and-greet back in December 2009, it was to meet a sweet little girl dog I can’t even remember now. I don’t remember her breed or her name or even her face. I do remember that she was very cute and outgoing and everyone loved her, including me. But as I was leaving, in walked your Foster Momma with you under her arm. All I did was say “Hi,” and your Foster Momma practically shoved you into my arms. (I think she knew a sucker when she saw one.)

I have to tell you, PuppyButt, you did not make a great first impression. Now that I know you well, I know that when you’re in an unfamiliar situation you like to hold perfectly still and pretend you’re invisible, but at the time I thought you might be, well, not all there. You never moved a single muscle. I don’t think you even blinked. You were so still I asked in all seriousness whether you could take walks!

As I held you, a motionless, warm little lump, your Foster Momma told me what she knew about you: that she found you hiding on her front porch during an August thunderstorm; that it took days and days for you to let her touch you, but when you finally decided to trust her, you never looked back. She said the fur on the top half of your body was long and matted and that you had no fur at all on the lower half because you had chewed it all off! Darned fleas! She said you had bugs inside your tummy, too, and it took a good long while to get you healthy again.

I talked to your Foster Momma for a few minutes, and then I politely handed you back and went home to fill out an adoption application for that girl dog. But when I went to the website to download the application, there was your picture. I started thinking that mohawk of yours was pretty unique. I read your description again and thought about what your Foster Momma had said and about how you needed a quiet home with a calm person. I knew it might be hard to find a home for you, that you needed me in a way that the sweet, outgoing little girl dog who would attract lots of adopters didn’t. On the part of the application that asks for a list of “Dogs interested in,” I listed that girl dog’s name. But I listed your name first.

Two years later, you’re taking a snooze and I’m sitting here writing you a love letter while I listen to that whistle-grunt-snore thing you do. I love you because you’ve taught me or led me to learn a whole lot about dog behavior and training that I never would’ve bothered to find out if I’d adopted a dog who wasn’t a DINOS.

But mainly I love you because of the whistle-grunt-snore. And the Snuzzle Game. And how much you hate baths, but love, love, love to rub yourself in the towel to get dry afterward. And the way you learned to keep your treat ball out from under the furniture the very first time you used it, and how it takes you exactly three tries to learn any new skill like “Sit” or “Down” or “Touch.” I love you despite that weird crunchy crud you get in your eyes. I love you because you trot around the backyard like you are on your way to somewhere very important. And I love you because every time you see me, you wag your tail so hard you almost knock yourself over. Most of all, I love you because you are not the dog I expected.

Love Always,

The Lady Who Keeps Smelling Your Head Because She Likes It

You can read more about Brewster’s adventures on Noelle’s blog!