The Doglando Blog : Orlando Dog Grooming | Orlando Dog Training | Dog Day Care Orlando

Frenchies and Home Design

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

I was surfing the web, looking for ideas on what to blog out. One search led to another, which led to another... you know how that goes... and I some home found myself on interior design and home design websites. As I am going through these sites, one thing strikes to be common... have you noticed that people in a particular industry or interest have breeds of dogs that reflect that industry trend or interest.I visited several different home design / artists galleries, and they all have French Bull Dogs as pets. Why? Do they photograph better than other breeds? What part of their charm is so endearing to these types of people? Check them out:Martha Stewart:

Elsie de Wolfe:

Bob Williams:

Joye Hirsh:

Tim and Oksana:

Elizabeth Ridenhower:

What is up with the Frenchies getting in on home design?

Animal Abuse Registry: Suffolk County, NY Creating Nation's First Public Database Tracking Animal Cruelty Offenders

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

FARMINGVILLE, N.Y. — You've heard of Megan's Laws, designed to keep sex offenders from striking again. Now there's a law created in the hope of preventing animal abusers from inflicting more cruelty – or moving on to human victims.Suffolk County, on the eastern half of Long Island, moved to create the nation's first animal abuse registry this week, requiring people convicted of cruelty to animals to register or face jail time and fines."We know there is a very strong correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence," said Suffolk County legislator Jon Cooper, the bill's sponsor. "Almost every serial killer starts out by torturing animals, so in a strange sense we could end up protecting the lives of people."The online list will be open to the public, so that pet owners or the merely curious can find out whether someone living near them is on it. Some animal abusers have been known to steal their neighbors' pets.Cooper is also pushing legislation that would bar anyone on the registry from buying or adopting a pet from a shelter, pet shop or breeder.The law was prompted by a number of animal abuse cases in recent months, including that of a Selden woman accused of forcing her children to watch her torture and kill kittens and dozens of dogs, then burying the pets in her backyard.Animal welfare activists hope the law, passed unanimously Tuesday in the suburban New York City county of 1.5 million people, will inspire governments nationwide in the same way Megan's Law registries for child molesters have proliferated in the past decade.A spokesman for county Executive Steve Levy said he intends to sign the legislation. It then requires a six-month review by state officials before it goes on the books, said the spokesman, Dan Aug.As Fred Surbito took his Yorkshire terrier, Sasha, in for grooming at a Farmingville pet store this week, he applauded the legislation."It's very, very important," he said. "If you don't love an animal, you should not have an animal. An animal is part of your family. Like your children, they should never be neglected or harmed. Anybody that does should never own a pet again."More than a dozen states have introduced legislation to establish similar registries, but Suffolk County is the first government entity to pass such a law, said Stephan Otto, director of legislative affairs for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will administer the database, to be funded by a $50 fee paid by convicted abusers. All abusers 18 or older must supply authorities with their address, a head-and-shoulders photograph and any aliases. Convicted abusers will remain on the registry for five years. Those failing to register face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.After the 2009 arrest of Sharon McDonough, accused of burying kittens and as many as 42 dogs in her yard, neighbors whose pets had disappeared feared the worst. But authorities later concluded that McDonough – who is expected in court this month and could get up to two years in prison if convicted – bought the animals or adopted them through shelters or other traditional outlets.While some abuse is motivated purely by cruelty, Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said, some recent cases are linked to the poor economy.For instance, an emaciated Doberman mix was recently found near death inside a foreclosed-on home, he said. And sometimes, pet rescuer Cathy Mulnard said, elderly people on fixed incomes must decide between eating, or feeding their pets."They don't mean to be bad to the animal, but they get overwhelmed and don't know how to ask for help. They may be innocent abusers," said Mulnard, a founder and co-director of Second Chance Rescue, a Suffolk animal shelter that works closely with the SPCA.Mulnard called the legislation "a godsend for the animals.""We take care of our animals and love our animals the way you do your children," she said. "We need to protect every animal that's out there because they don't make the decisions in their life; human beings do."___Associated Press researcher Monika Mathur in New York contributed to this report.(This version CORRECTS that the waiting period for the law to go into effect is 180 days, not 30 days.)

Baboons Kidnap and Raise Feral Dogs

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Watch the video? Jot down your immediate feelings... now take a moment to reflect up on them as you ask yourself, how different is what Humans have done to what Baboons are doing?When I first saw this video, immediately I felt sadness, not because the little puppy was getting dragged around by its tail... not because the Baboons were separating the puppies from their litter mates and their parents... I was sad, because I saw the human race in the Baboon. It hurt... it hurt because we have done no different. And then I took a moment to clear up my mind and free it of emotion, so that I could think this through more objectively and scientifically. I found it really hard to part with the emotion... and then it dawned on me, you know there is only one way for us to learn our lessons in life and what we have done for the animal kingdom... If we were forced to survive amongst Baboons, and primates, if they took over and we had to learn to live with them, it would be the only way to teach mankind how to coexist with other inhabitants in this world, because power, force and dominance would not work.

No More Bullies

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

No More Bullies teaches, with dogs' help, responsibility, compassion, self-control and integrity. Since its small launch five years ago, teachers and counselors have become so convinced of the positive impact on kids' behavior that it's booked into the 80-classroom max it can handle, and there's a long waiting list of requests for next year.The curriculum, developed by ex-teacher Jo Dean Hearn, humane education director at animal rescue group Wayside Waifs, is presented an hour a day for five days by trained volunteers — accompanied by irresistible canines.Your pet can teach, tooFamily pets can help teach respect, empathy and compassion — just don't expect to replicate the results of a formal curriculum presented by trained trainers. Tips from trainer Thompson: Emphasize the animal’s comfort, making sure there's always water, that it's fed on a schedule and is included in the family. Never use physical punishment or harsh language when Fido does something unacceptable. For example, talk about why he chewed something — left alone too long, no appropriate things to chew on — “so the child begins to think about if he were in the dog’s shoes … that’s empathy.” Involve kids in vet visits and pet food shopping so they develop an awareness of helping others, "especially those who are smaller, more vulnerable or without a voice."PHOTOS: A No More Bullies dog visits the classroom"The animals are the glue that helps the children stay focused and understand the message," says Hearn. "Children can easily identify with an animal. And it's easy for them to transition when we ask them to consider how an animal feels (if ill treated) to how the kid sitting near them feels (if poorly treated)."Adds teacher Peggy Everist: "There's a lot of specific language, like being fair, and using compassion or integrity, that plays out with the students throughout the year."A growing number of programs use animals to get kids' attention while teaching respect and conflict resolution. Most are free; some charge nominal amounts to cover expenses; some help schools apply for grants to cover costs.Mutt-i-grees, a program from the Yale University School of the 21st Century and the Pet Savers Foundation of North Shore Animal League America, is just barely out of the gate and is already in 900 schools in 28 states. The curriculum consists of at least 25 age-appropriate 30-minute lessons, each aimed at building social and emotional skills.Real animals aren't necessarily in the classroom (though some teachers invite therapy dogs, and many visit shelters). Teachers use dog-shaped hand puppets as instructional aides for younger grades; animals are the pivot point of lessons.

"It's a highly scripted, user-friendly … blueprint teachers can adapt to their own styles and needs," says Matia Finn-Stevenson, an expert on child development, schools and learning, and director of Yale's School of the 21st Century. She and her team have spent two years developing the Mutt-i-grees curricula now used in two grade ranges (pre-K through third grade, and grades 4 to 6). Grades 7 and 8 are in testing.Why it works is simple, says Finn-Stevenson: "Children have an affinity for animals. When animals are the topic of their writing or reading exercises, they are engaged."The long-term effect on civility is indisputable, says Cheri Brown Thompson, founder of the Orangeburg, S.C.-based Healing Species, a decade-old program that uses rescued dogs in a 13-week classroom course. Independent research found suspensions decreased 55%, acts of aggression decreased 62% and acts of empathy increased 42% in classrooms where the 13-week, 1-hour-a-week curriculum had been presented, she says. Moreover, school officials report less bullying and violence "Even academic scores go up," she says, citing the group's studies comparing standardized test scores a year before and after the class. "The teacher is spending less time refereeing, and kids settle down better."Thompson aims to interrupt the violence cycle she learned about in law school: Most violent offenders "were abused as children and began abusing animals when they were still children. The missing component is compassion …not receiving it and not understanding what it is. We can teach compassion. What better way than through a rescued dog that returns love even in the face of hate?"She developed the curriculum — aimed chiefly at middle-schoolers — that she and trained staffers and their rescued dogs present to 3,000 students and incarcerated juveniles annually. "Satellite" programs operate in Wisconsin, Texas and New Zealand because people sought and received Thompson's training, and the program's sanctuary, opened in 2009, has rescued and placed hundreds of dogs.

Now I must rest

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I lethim out.. The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks. Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 He's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Eat More Veggies

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Static Dog

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

The mum is right, the dog needs to be groomed!!!!!!!!

Interesting Debate over Mandatory Micro Chipping vs. Mandatory Licensing

2012-01-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I met with a fellow Canine Welfare Activist and responsible dog ownership enthusiast on how effective mandatory licensing would be. A proponent of mandatory pet licensing, he felt by if our county ordinances were revised to require every pet owner to have a license for ownership of their pets, we would be able to hold those that are irresponsible by means of abuse, neglect, backyard breeders, hoarders etc... more accountable for their actions.Pet Licensing is a local county ordinance where by every pet is licensed with the County. The pet parent files this license annually for a nominal fee such as $7/year or $15 per year. Just like your dog's rabies tags, your pet would be required to wear the license tag on its collar as proof of current licensure.In some Counties, this ordinance allows Animal Control Officers to go into the homes of pet parents in some cases announced and in other cases unannounced, to ensure the dogs are living in proper conditions, and the owners maintain proper vaccinations on their pets as well as supply proper nutrition and water.As an opponent of the pet licensing law, I feel that this violates the majority of those who do practice responsible pet ownership, by spaying and neutering their pets, vaccinating, providing proper medical care, shelter, and overall care. This ordinance does not really target those that contribute to the over population of dogs whether they are breeders, hoarders, dog fighters, or people who feel pets are disposable (they are moving, dog is too old now, change of heart, no time etc).In addition, I feel, a tag can be easily removed and dog left to roam streets and we will still not be able to track down who the pet belonged to. I proposed a Mandatory Micro Chipping Law. This law would requite all pets to be microchipped and all microchips to be registered. Pet shops, back yard breeds and online pet sellers would be required to micro chip and register their pet at time of sale. This is no big deal for those that do practice responsibly such as shelters, rescues and responsible pet parents, because we will do anything for the safety of our dog and to ensure if found, we will get them back.Mandatory Micro chipping will hold those irresponsible accountable, because they can not hide and nor can they abandon their dogs to the streets as an easy way to get rid of them. We know who these people are, and we can more appropriately deal with them. Side note: While doing my MBA, my business law professor told us, for every man made law there is a man made loop hole... and I am sure the worst of them will find a way to get through this also... I have worked in rescue and shelters for too long to not have the worst thought come to mind (which I will not share). But, never-the-less they can be held accountable.In either case, the laws following these, such as the following should be revised first:1. Dogs are property. This needs to be revised.2. Animal Cruelty crimes need to be defined with great strength and stronger penalties, to cover abandonment of a pet for any reason, from a minimal fee to maximum penalty. People will think twice about getting a dog, and if they don't then, they will when tracked through the dog's microchip.3. Tail docking and ear clipping should be made illegal, even for those in the Dog Show World, unless for medical purposes in which case the more appropriate term should be amputation, with a very clear definition.I found this to be a very interesting conversation, and wanted to share it with our readers to learn from them and their thoughts regarding these two issues.In an ideal world, we would be able to ban a lot more, but where would you start?

I want a dog but my family is indifferent

2012-01-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

This is an especially difficult situation, and not one we realize of being so difficult to handle. The obvious choices to one may be: oh well, just don't get a dog, or get one anyway. Neither one of these two responses are satisfactory, but they are choices people quite frequently make.My best friend Kelly, Thea's mum, is stuck in this exact conflicting situation. A dog lover from childhood, who has grown up with not just one, but a house full of dogs ever since she can remember to walk... a dog trainer in her college career, and now married, a mum and an Attorney... her personal and professional life seems to have settled pretty well... one would say!She has two Dachshunds, both senior... and pretty much live on the couch... and two cats, also pretty old in age... she is strongly craving a younger dog. Not necessarily a puppy, but a dog Thea can grow up with, and a dog that she can do things with. She misses this more than anything in life... about three years ago Trey Dog, her canine companion and life partner left to a better place, and she has felt a tremendous void not having him around. Trey was a spunky, quite the character, goof dog... full of life, personality, enthusiasm and intelligence, but quite the independent boy who pushed his limits all the time. He always had to carry a ball around in his mouth, even if he was let out for his last pee call at night... and it was not a tennis ball he had to have, it was a big blue jolly ball! He would carry it along with him on walks... but you know a dog's nose does not work as well with an open mouth... so when he smelled something that required more of his attention, he would drop the ball, and ask Kelly to pick it up while he went on. He did always come back for the ball, she was very well trained. I remember when we worked as Dog Trainers together, Trey Dog picked up graduation presents and bones from the treat isles of the store for all his graduating friends. They all had different things.... Kelly would walk him down and ask him to politely steal some goodies for his graduating friends. Of course we called it stealing, but it was with permission!Today, at the end of the day when its her time and all she wants to do is go on a peaceful walk around the neighborhood, or early mornings when she wakes up just in time to have 30 minutes to an hour alone.... she does not have a running buddy... She can not imagine a life with out an active dog... and looks back at Thea and thinks to herself, how can my little girl grow up without ever loving a dog!So, after much talk and many discussions, she started looking for dogs through local rescue groups, shelters and pet finder. She said "I am going to wait till the right dog finds me... thats how I ended up with Trey Dog remember...." Then she says out loud "doesn't this sound so stupid.... here they all are, every one of the them needing a home, I have a home... the perfect home... what is wrong with me?" I encouraged her to look at the dogs and if there was one she was fond of in anyway to schedule a meet and greet.This past weekend, met a lovely 10 month old Border Collie / Aussie mix. Kelly's concerns were that she needed a dog that would not cause harm or danger to her cats, and one that was respectful of the senior dog and her three year old daughter. Foster mum got there, they met the dog outside, and then introduced him to the Dachshunds one by one. Of course, the Doxies had a lot to say about him, but this poor guy just stood there and said, I understand, I won't come say hello then... and he went about his own way. He was so interested in the people quite frankly it did not matter if we he was going to make doggy friends or not... he was the type of dog who just wanted to be loved by a human.Kelly brought him in, and introduced him to one of her cats. The cat's way of saying hi was this, Hugo walked up to him, the dog bent down to lower his head to sniff, and Hugo went pa pa pa with his feet across this pups face.... the put did not flinch, scream, go after the cat nothing... he just stood there to say, not a big deal, I can pretend you never exist as well... but where are my people. He spots Kelly's Husband sitting on the couch, and goes running over to him and jumps up on him with so much enthusiasm to be loved.Mean while Thea is standing on one side of their living room watching all this... she is three, just taking it all in. Her face, expressionless... not typical for her, so that meant she is thinking... very very deeply. Kelly invited Thea to come in and see if the puppy would play with toys, but disinterested in toys, he went straight for the people once again, and jumped up on her again, with such enthusiasm only wanting for someone to grab him and say, We Love you too!Kelly is completely in a daze at this point... both her husband and daughter set a presence that filled the room, that was a feeling of complete disapproval, but neither voiced their opinions. All she was hoping for is someone to whisper something positive, maybe even something as little as "he seems sweet...." or maybe not even something positive but more so a comment... "hope you are ready for this." At least it would have indicated their feelings to say, he is all yours, but we approve for him to be around.Neither one engaged or interested, Kelly was really sad. She did not show her sadness or disappointment, she gave the puppy a big hug, rubbed him and let him go back to his foster mum. After the foster mum left, Kelly asked her husband how he felt... he was indifferent. Not really wanting another dog, he was concerned about the bills, they have four senior pets that are beginning to require more medical attention... his judgement was all based on practicality. Although a total mush at heart, and he would certainly love the dog if he was to become there's he was not going to let that be seen. Typical of many husbands you may say! I certainly have heard this over and over.So, Kelly walked up to Thea, who was standing right in front of the Dachshunds.... Kelly bent over to her and said, so Thea what do you think? Thea said "I don't like him, I don't think he is a good fit for our family." If anyone has met Thea, you would know I am not making this up. Kelly said "well what do you not like about him..." She said "Nick and Delila did not like him, this is a house for old dogs, he would be a better dog for Grandma Dora." Grandma Dora, Kelly's mum has (I have lost count) many dogs... all of which are active, younger dogs... clearly in Thea's mind, this dog was a better fit for her grandmother. Kelly let her rest on that for the rest of the day, and the next morning after getting Thea up and ready for school... Kelly asked Thea one more time... "Hey Thea, remember the dog we met last night, well I have to call his foster mum today to tell her how we feel...." Thea immediately said "I think we should get an old German Shepherd mum!" __________There were clearly very valid reasons and concerns for adding another dog. The practicality rhymes of good reason, were not good enough... not for dog people, they never are! We figure it out and make it work! However, when in doubt, I always say this, refer to the purest source of rhyme and reason, an individual who can think so simply and so clearly, the answers lay within them, ALWAYS... children.In this case, there are several thoughts that came to my mind:- Thea is not growing up with out dogs, as a matter of fact, for her age, she has the right dogs... senior dogs who can walk half a block and then have to be pushed back in a pram the rest of the way.... a three year old girl loves that! - The fact that she was so protective of the Dachshunds, she clearly is indicating we are not ready to share... not with someone who will consume so much of you mum! We don't like that.- This discussion in my mind, is no different that if Kelly said she wanted another baby. Father feels their house if full, three year old feels everything is hers and all about her... mum is the only one who still has her maternal instincts kicking on like wild fire! __________I think in a couple more years all this would change and would make it the perfect time for Kelly to get a dog she can do more with... in the mean time, she will result to possibly fostering!What a great idea and thanks for allowing me to share this story Kelly Foi!

Seminole County Animal Services, Dog Wash

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Beginning February 4th, 2012, we will start our monthly Dog Beautification Day at Seminole County Animal Services in Sanford. We will be leaving Doglando at 9:00AM on the dot to reach by 9:30am.Seminole County Dog Beautification Day will take place on the first Saturday of every month. Please check our FACEBOOK page for status updates, photos and more info on this. If you are interested in helping us with this cause, please send your volunteer request to Teena Patel at info@doglando.com. Subject: Dog Beautification Day.You may not realize how much this means for the shelter and more importantly for the pets. The dogs feel so relieved and clean after being freshened up... it is the most incredible feeling to see them lean up against you as you rub and scrub them. Even our own dogs don't appreciate bath time like these dogs do!Come join us on the first Saturday of every month.

Dog USB

2012-01-06T08:49:00.001-08:00

I know Christmas has past... but I am still in the mode of looking at gifts! Check this out, I want one of these!

What we don't know... does not make it Sudden!

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me an article on Elephants in parts of Africa and Asia that scientists and researchers are beginning to learn about the danger these Elephants are causing towards humans... they suspect "their actions to be sudden acts of randomness."What we don't know, does not make it sudden! What we ignore and pay no attention to, does not make it SUDDEN, when we do.As a dog trainer specializing in canine behavior management and modification of behavioral problems in dogs, I commonly hear "he has all of a sudden started to become aggressive." Then I ask "oh is the dog injured or suffering from a medical condition causing pain inflected aggression/irritation?" Because that can be sudden, but more often than not, that's not the case. When we spend more time going over the details, these parents realize their dog's have shown signs of what has lead to aggression... long before the dog's acting out... and these are all things we know because the dog has a history of behaving in this fashion for quite some time... but what about when we don't know... or when we are unable to accurately pin point the When's, Where's, How's and Why's, does that make the outcome "sudden?"It is devastating to hear researchers describe such actions as sudden acts of randomness, because it immediately means that animal is of threat without any threat, danger or provocation... and thus the animal is dangerous... they need to be destroyed!Growing up in Kenya, I remember a childhood where we grew up coexisting with animals. This was not many hears ago, actually only 25-28 years ago... but in this short of a time frame, how the world has changed for all animals except for mankind. I remember very vividly going on safari's and having to be absolutely silent! The only sounds to everyone's ears was the sound of our breathing, and the rustling of dry bushes and a light wind... behind which a lioness stood low to the ground stalking her prey. I remember the rangers having no tolerance for excited tourists... they had the right, and they did, throw you out of the parks if you were unable to use your "safari voice." We learned a lot from these rangers... you could not pay them to move you closer to an animal, if they felt the animal would change its behavior in any way. Today though, 25-30 years later... a friend of mine was sharing her stories about their recent trip to Botswana. As we were flicking through the photos, I paused to see the photo of their Jeep, deeply dented on the fender bender... and I laughed out loud saying "did you experience getting stuck in the mud?" This was very common while driving through the jungles... and the only way out was to be rescued by another car... and sometimes it took two, one pulling the car out from the front, while the other pushed the car from the back.Waiting for her reply, she said "no" as she laughed out loud... "actually, our ranger thought it would be funny to rev the engine at an Elephant." Immediately, I thought, "What.... he actually did that...." Well the culture has certainly changed, but the animals have not... The Elephant turned around and charged the Jeep, putting a huge gent into the back end, and almost ejecting the passengers in the back seat. Now, if the Elephant really wanted to, she would have tossed that jeep onto its roof in one swift act... but she did not. Does she remember that some human fool did this and found it amusing? I think so... I think she will forever! One day will she threaten another human she sees starring at her, this time in awe! Possibly! Will it be a sudden act of randomness? Not really.We have forgotten how to live in a world of coexistence, we only know ownership! This is the danger humans present living with animals.

What is the best method of Dog Training?

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well, depends how you ask.At Doglando, there are two philosophies we believe to be the best and most successful ways to enrich your relationship with your canine companion through longevity.1. Play.2. Hunting for food.3. Letting the dog be a dog.Play:Although play is fun, it is actually very serious business. When animals play, they are constantly seek to understand each other, their limitations, rules, ways to communicate, each other's motives and intentions, and most of all its their way to develop a relationship with the other animal."There are four basic aspects of fair play in animals, these are: ask first, be honest, follow the rules, and admit you're wrong. When the rules of play are violated, and when fairness breaks down, so does play." (Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat., Hal Herzog).How many of us play abiding by to the above rules? Hardly any of us.... So how are we a dog's best instructor? We're not. Unfortunately, for many dogs, they are not given the opportunity to form friends and are not exposed to this level of social interaction and play consistently. Many pet parents are great at allowing their dogs to socialize and play when their pups are young... however, I feel the information we have provided pet parents has led them to believe that it is only absolutely necessary for their dog to engage with other dogs from 8 weeks to 16 weeks of age... or un to 6 months of age. It may be also that by the time dogs are 6-7 months of age, they have become physically difficult to handle in strength and size... so for many they gradually start limiting social interaction and exercise for their pets.It is not normal for dogs to be unsocial, this creation is by us. All dogs love to play... some prefer to play in small groups, some on-on-one and for others the more the merrier. Substituting human-to-dog play for dog-to-dog play prevents many valuable learning lessons for dogs such as trust. Researchers show that animals who violate trust (rules of play) are maladaptive and loners.Hunting:Every dog has a nose, and wants to use it! Every dog loves to hunt, and instinctively knows to hunt for its food. Feeding from a bowl is certainly not an innate and instinctive behavior, it is a learned behavior that diminishes their natural desire and skill for hunting.Dogs that are routinely fed allowing to hunt, are much keener and dependent on their human companions. These dogs are also much more content, savvy and display excellent life skills such as: confidence, awareness, patience and intelligence. Hunting for food allows the dog to develop great trust in the human counterpart and in addition this exercise really strengthens the bond between human and dog. It's a partnership thing, and that's the way the dog sees it.Letting the dog be a dog:Dogs are not mean to live in confinements, whether it be in fenced in back yards, homes or leashes.... they are meant to roam and be free. Dogs are bred for different purposes, and all of them in some way act as companions to their human families. We define companionship has a relationship where things are done together... this means in the company of each other. Unfortunately, for many of our dogs, we raise them like many raise their kids, without togetherness... this has its own ramifications that can not be salvaged later on in life.____________So, when you are looking for a training school or dog trainer to hire, consider Play, Hunting for food and Letting a dog be a dog as a philosophy and dog training style.

Walk Your Dog Month

2012-01-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!This year, Doglando is going to take it in their own hands to create a dog friendly CFL! Each month we will celebrate dogs in a different way, through acts of kindness, training, walking, love, volunteer, play and much much more!January, is National Walk Your Dog Month, and this is where we are beginning. Starting 01/01/12 through 01/31/12 we will meet daily at 7pm outside Groom Grub and Belly Rub in Avalon Park. Today we had a total of 16 dogs walk in our group, and we did 3 miles in 45 minutes! In the beautiful company of dog people and dogs, and lovely Florida weather, this is how we started off 2012!Join us tomorrow, and every day through January 31st. No dog too young, too old, too small or too big... no excuses, no reasons, no nothing... lets do it together!

The Doglando Difference

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

A Gift for a Dog Lover

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

As the holidays near, I thought it would be a great idea to surf the web for cool doggy products for the human. Here are some really cool products.

Under $10

Rescue Mum Sticker

Dog Clips

Take the cat

Bulldog Luggage Tag

Dog USB

Can your dog shut a cabinet door within 15 tries?

2011-11-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

There are many ways in teaching a dog to shut a door.... try this one and see if you can have your dog pushing it within 15 tries!

1. Dab a little peanut butter or something your dog really really likes on the outside of a kitchen cabinet door.
2. Keep the cabinet door open, and draw your dog's attention to the smell of the peanut butter, but cover the dab with your palm.
3. As soon as your dog touches the back of your hand, uncover the peanut butter to let your dog lick it. If the door is still open, it will shut as the dog is licking at it.
4. Back your dog off the door, and repeat step two. As you do this, only move your hand off the dab when your dog has pushed hard enough to get the door moving, then repeat step three.
5. Do this again, but this time only move your hand off the dab, once the door shuts completely. Then let the dog lick the dab as a reward.
6. Do this until all the peanut butter is off the door. Then transition to the point where you can point to the door, and your dog nudges it shut. Then reward the dog with a treat once the cabinet door smacks shut.

Video tape this and share it with us. If your dog does this in less than 15 tries, you win a free day of daycare at Doglando!

Doglympics

2011-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Central Florida Dog Lovers, join us at the third annual Doglympics. With everything from lure course racing, hunting dog demonstrations, Orange County K9 Unit Bite Work Demo, Schutzhund Demo, Service Dogs Demo, to on site Canine Good Citizen Testing, the National Flying Disc and Dog Competition, National Dock Diving by Ultimate Air Dogs Competition, and much much more for companion dogs.

The SPCA of Central Florida will be holding a micro chip clinic, and it is our goal to have EVERY dog resident of Avalon Park, Stoneybrook, Eastwood, and Waterford Lakes to be chipped by the end of Sunday.

We will being ceremonies with the National Anthem, and then an opening dance by Avalon Park Dance... and just like an official Olympics, we will also have a closing ceremony... but that will be a surprise.

If your dog has never seen snow before, here is your chance to let him/her romp, dig, and play in snow and we will also have a Snow Ball Catching Competition!

Mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday November 5-6, 2011. Event will be an all day event from 9am - 4:30pm.

Vendors welcome, rescue groups and other non-profits register for FREE.

For more information, please visit www.doglympics.com.

Eat More Veggies

2011-10-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my tribute to pigs. Thanks to my friend Melissa, she took me to her neighbors pig and cow rearing farm this morning.

Something fun

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Country Raised Dogs

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

It is such a privilege to be able to spend a week out here, in the Country of Virginia, with my two friends Melissa and her husband Tom. We have spoken about doing this trip for 7 years now, and a couple of weeks ago, I thought... heck, I am going this fall! Too bad, Nim could not join me on this, he is taking care of the businesses!

Yesterday evening, Melissa and I, with her three dogs went on a 2 mile walk around her "neighborhood." Now, its no true neighbourhood in the way you might visualize it, all around is is farm land and hills, and the river, and only a one lane concrete fines road.

As we walked around the "loop" we encountered almost every neighbors dogs. None tethered or confined to a dog house or enclosed in by a fence. The dogs would run to the property line as we approached them, and just as we got close enough they came to visit. The dogs greeted and played, and as we walked on by, our dogs followed, leaving the other dog watching us leave in the distance. There are no such things as electric fences, or even training, its just a lifestyle the dogs adjust to.... live and learn concept.

Here is Quick, down in the river, fetching a stick:

We encountered this pup.... about 10-12 weeks of age. He is already learning his limitations, and has no reason to leave his house... that's where he gets fed. But, what is different about this picture, is that the dogs are raised off leash, they wonder, roam, play and live life out doors, and come inside in the evening as it starts cooling down. They know the hand that feeds them.

As we left the puppy, I turned to check if he was following, and sure enough he was... my friend Melissa, shuffled her feet towards him, shewing him off, saying "go home...." and off he trotted back to his house!

This is the canine companionship lifestyle that is lost in translation, from Country to Urban. Our leash laws and fencing have created issues that will never be able to catch up to, and we may be in for a future without dogs as companions.

Sad!

On a happier note, one my first day of my fall trip:

We saw to sets of double rainbows

We saw the Auora Borealis

I had home made wine that a neighbor friend made.... a process that takes one year, and it is the most delicious wine I have ever had!

The Philanthropic Kids Club, first official meeting

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we hosted the first official meeting for the Philanthropic Kids Club. With a total of 7 kids, we have now officially voted on a board for the club.

Zack will serve as the President
Connor will serve as the VP
Sophia will serve as the Secretary and also as our Service Leader Chair
KC will serve as an aid to the Secretary
Thomas will serve as our Treasurer

I am so excited about this club, and look forward to sharing the stories with you. I have an unbelievable group of youths under my wings, although on Sunday it felt as though I flew under theirs.

Here are some highlights of our first meeting:

We were discussing finalizing on a name for our club, and it was unanimous that Philanthropic Kids Club was not going to be it:) So, I asked them if they had other suggestions... one youth said, yes, I think we should call it the K.A.R.M.A. Club. KARMA standing for Kids Achieving Results for Mankind and Animals. I thought, wow, that was very clever.... but one of the kids, a quick thinker, and very analytical at that, voiced his opinion... he said, "When I think of Karma I think of a bad word, and what goes around comes around, so I don't personally like it... I feel it is not representative of who we are and what we are going to do..." The manner in which he voiced his opinion was flooring, let alone his reasoning.

So, I said, yeah, I agree... I think that is a very valid point, however do you all feel as though maybe we can change the connotation to a more positive attitude, we will do everything rightfully, peacefully and whole heatedly, and this will come to us... They thought for a moment, and felt it would take a tremendous effort, but most of all the name did not have a good first impression.
So, one of the girls said, "well at my school, we have a club called the DEAR club, it stands for Drop Everything and Read, so we can call it the DEAH (pronounced DUH) club... Drop Everything And Help..." We all started laughing... and it was so great. The kids started role playing out loud, and saying "yea, we belong to the DUH club...lol" it was great!

Although we have not finalized on the name we will be at our next meeting on Sunday October 31st.

_____

We were talking about how often we should meet.... I asked them what their thoughts were on that... unanimously they all said once a week, they said, it was imperative that we met weekly to stay on task and in good communication, and so that we could set proper goals... another one of those moments I was floored!

_____

Like every club, members have to pay dues. We discussed what would be a reasonable amount of money for each member to pay as a due... and we agreed on $5 per month. I asked them where they were going to get the money from, you should have heard this conversation! Kids are so funny, and know just how they are going to weasel their way around their parents... it's not going to be a problem, said one! I could not help but just laugh out loud!

In addition, we have decided on Happy Cents... at each meeting we will being the meeting by going around to each member asking them for happy cents. For every 25cents the member gives us, they can share one thing they are happy about. They were so excited about this... I am very lucky to be part of such great spirit!

_____

In talking about a treasurer's role, and coming up with our policies and procedures, meeting dates and times, we were talking about meeting at a public place each Sunday morning. Before I could even bring up our next point of discussion... do you think our club should pay for our breakfast each week.... one of the girls jumped up and said, "I think we should meet for breakfast, but I think we should not use our club's money for our own breakfast... I think each person should bring extra money for their own breakfast..."

I could not believe this. While serving as a member for a Professional Service Club, this was my argument with the board for the three years I served as a member. I felt that our dues should not go towards the cost of breakfast for us... we needed to either eat before our meeting or pay additional for breakfast, but that this was not an expense that our club should incur. I never got my point across with them... however, here are a group of kids, who thought that was an obvious responsibility.

_____

Here is to our club... a group of committed, dedicated, spirited, and the most kindest youths, who's intentions are to serve our community and world at large, and to educate others in caring for our environment, mankind and animals. I am proud to be a part of such great kids, who I have so much to learn from... we will continue next week.

Dog Friendly Events

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we were at a local dog event, a fundraising walk. As people walked on by our booth, it was fascinating to see just how care free, and reckless dog parents are with their dogs.

Not paying any attention to their own dogs, people walked by with their dogs lunging and barking at other dogs, tangling leashes with others, and amongst all the chaos a couple dog fights. So many dog parents had their dogs on pinch collars, otherwise also known as prong collars, in an attempt to better control their dogs. However, when the dog ignored the pinch, as he/she pulled at the end of the leash, the parents acted as the sled behind them.

I had our newly rescued GSD there... who might I add, received hundreds of compliments on how great he was and how well mannered he was. People allowed their dogs to come and visit him as he layed peacefully on his blanket, minding his own business. It was a perfectly acceptable thing to do... I guess!

I corrected our dog, by using a verbal word marker "no" and then lured him back onto this bed for him to lay back down. A lady standing at our booth noticed me do that, and she came over and gently whispered to me "I saw you correct your dog... he was not doing anything." Then she turned to the dog and patted him saying, "oh honey, aren't you so sweet, I'm sorry..."

What a fascinating world of dogs and dog owners this is. Where by a barking, lunging, pulling, out of control dog is more acceptable and people will just walk on by minding their own business, however try correcting your dog in public, and you will draw an audience you did not even know was watching. I guess no different than a child huh...

Just moments later, someone walked by the booth two booths next to us, and their dog squatted to poop (I did not see this in action, but only witnessed the aftermath of it all)... as the person walked, so did the dog, leaving behind him a trail of 6-7 spots.
Not one person stopped him/her, or made him/her clean up... as a matter of fact, the only reason I noticed that is by noticing people's facial expressions as they walked by turning their heads as though something had happened.

Then, again, just a few moments after that... a lady, with a pink kids stroller walks passed our booth, and surrounded by her were at least 10-15 people... taking photos of what appeared to be so cool or cute.... of course, my interest was sparked too. We stood up to look, and it was her beagle, sitting on it's but, literally... front paws up and out like arms, and rear legs sticking out like a kids legs... dressed in a yellow had, mittens, clothes and then wrapped in a blanket. Every person she met, she asked them to share their photos on Facebook and make her dog the most popular dog on Facebook.... meanwhile, the dog sat their on his bum, riding in the stroller.

It was fascinating, that people found that to be adorable, and very cute. Despite the dog's evident attempt to reposition himself/herself out of being uncomfortable, everyone looked beyond that and did not question his comfort once.

As a society that practices responsible dog ownership, these are the times we really ought to bring out the best in our dogs, and assure our non-dog loving community, our dogs are well mannered, well socialized, socially apt, reliable, and trustworthy dogs... It is this that will enable us to do more with our dogs and have them be part of our society and family.

Dog Responsibly! It's only the dogs that suffer as a result of our negligence... not us!

Holiday Gift Wrapping

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Please think of the Doglando Foundation's Philanthropic Kids Club, for your holiday gift wrapping.... Starting the first week of December, the Philanthropic Kids Club will be conducting their first fundraiser for their club. They will set up two gift wrapping stations, one at Groom Grub and Belly Rub in Avalon Park, and the other at University of Doglando.

To learn more about the Philanthropic Kids Club, please visit www.doglandofoundation.org.

Wyatt, my Therapy Dog

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wyatt, one of my GSD's is an incredible dog. He has always been a very sharp, intuitive, non-invasive, personable, respectful dog... one that is admired by anyone who comes in contact with him whether it be a child or adult.

In the past, I have used Wyatt as a therapy dog for children with Autism. We used to host a monthly event at Doglando, that allowed families of children with Autism to come and play on our dog filled campus... Wyatt was the one we used as an ice-breaker for all the kids, especially those very afraid of dogs.

He has been invited as a special guest to many schools, as well as events for Children with Autism.

I thought I would try him with adults... so we went through our testing to become a Therapy Dog Team at MD Anderson, downtown Orlando. Yesterday, was Wyatt's first visit at the hospital.

We encountered many many patients, some waiting for treatment, others while in treatment. We even visited with the families of the patients.... and he brought smiles to each person he met.

What was most remarkable about this experience, was that people recognized Wyatt's energy... its not something that can be described in words I don't think, but their sighs... it was incredible.

After our visit, we met with the head of the Therapy Dog department, and she asked me how I felt about Wyatt visiting with the inpatients... patients just coming out of surgery. She said out of the 15 dog teams they have, they haven't had one they would feel would do well in that element, even the greatest one of them all... but there was something about Wyatt she said, that is so relaxing, they want him to visit there.

In a few weeks, we will give it a shot. If Wyatt enjoys it we will continue... and I will have lots of stories to share.

We wish well and pray for every patient and family member in any hospital around the world!

All dogs go to heaven

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Why is this acceptable?

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

You may shun away from this image, but the harsh reality is that unfortunately when you are involved in animal rescue, this is the world you are surrounded by and live in. The worst part is, that despite the great efforts of so many wonderful rescue groups and also amazing people who have dedicated their every living moment to the care of abused, neg elected, abandoned and uncared for animals, that's not enough.... they are just a minority compared to those that commit these crimes.

Thank you to all those that have rescued (and getting a dog from a pet shop, does not count as a rescue)... thank you rescue groups, rescuers, shelters, animal control officers, volunteers, adopters, donors and foster care providers.

October is adopt a dog month, please help Doglando promote this.

Spay / Neuter Your Pets

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I could write a book on the number of reasons I have heard from people on whey they did not want to spay / neuter their dogs. Mainly these reasons coming from parents to male dogs.

BUT, I have never heard one as crazy as I did last week, which I can not even share! All I have to say to it, is that we (the responsible ones) belong to a very sick, cruel and ignorant society of dog parents.

Someone said it louder than me....

Nasty People Dog Parkers Watch Out

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have received this email more than three times now, so I will post!

Apparently this has been going on around Chicago dog parks (and possibly other places as well) ... people throwing pieces of cheese with nails in them for the dogs to eat.

Please practice caution when you are dog parking, keeping a close eye on your dog at all times. Dog parks are a very easy target for such kinds of malicious acts, as many people get so easily distracted in socializing and chatting.

Please be careful of suspcious behavior especially as we approach the holiday seasons... seems to be the worst time for such things.

A dog for every homeless person

2011-10-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

I would love to start a program one day, that allowed every homeless person to have a dog, and I would pay for their food and medical care should they need it.

We would have no more shelters, better behaved dogs, and dogs back on the streets, free to roam and live life as it was intended for them... as scavengers.

Don't shoot me for thinking this way!

My favorite kind of dog

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of dog is one that belongs to a homeless person.

The With Me Dog Bone

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

So here is something new... The With Me Dog Bone. Take your worn sock, open end of bone, shove sock in bone, close bone cap, and leave with dog when you go to work!

Its so funny how people try to create these things that are supposed to replace a dog's discomfort that is so normal and natural of it being a social animal, when left in isolation, to pretend its not alone. Certainly some dogs may find things like this calming, but the lack of understanding of these creatures creates such substitutes that are never satisfying to the dog's needs.

I am sure many will disagree with my statement above...

Dogs are social creatures, they are interactive and intelligent job oriented animals, and the quality of their lives should reflect this.

A great idea for puppies, but certainly not a substitute for the care a dog parent should be obligated to provide.

Coddling and Cuddling

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

We are very often asked for our help with shy, fearful dogs, and when I ask the families of these such dogs, what they have done in the past to help their dogs cope better in situations that poise their dogs to act fearful, frequently I hear, well I just ignore him.

I also, very frequently hear, well I wait for him to calm down, and then I remove him from that situation by walking away or the opposite direction.

It is quite unfortunate that the advice these dog parents receive is frequently ignoring the dog, purely on the basis of relationship development and trust.

There are two components of the dog's brain we must deal with. One, its ability to regain itself, once its emotional response to whatever the stimulus is that triggered that startle or fear, then you can tackle the coping and learning part, when your dog has had its moment and is now willing to learn.

Here is an example. In our PRE K9 classes (only open to puppies between 8-16 weeks of age), our puppies are put through many different mild stress induced activities such as balancing on a Pilate's ball, walking on a wobbly bridge, walking up and down an inclined ramp, meeting other dogs (of all sizes), going into the pool etc. For many puppies, their initial reaction to these stimuli's is the emotion of fear, we call the behavior fight because the don't get to escape (let's not get argumentative or technical on this for now).

So for example a dog's first experience in the pool. We will accompany the dog into the pool, holding the puppy very close to our chest, embracing it, coddling it and comforting it, as we walk to the opposite end of the pool. We then release our embrace, holding the puppy above the water using our arms under the dog (if needed) while the puppy's only mission is to get back to the front of the pool where the puppy entered in. Whenever the dog panics or reaches a mental state in which the puppy is not willing to learn and engage its mind, we hold and embrace, giving the puppy some time to recover from the stress of panic to the point of being open to try again.

Within minutes the puppy has build the courage to try on its own, and follows us around the pool. Now, we are ready to teach the puppy how to exit the pool.

Contrary is: puppy is put into the pool, puppy freaks out and you direct it to the steps and let it escape. There is no learning in this process at all, and in fact, you are building fear in a dog.

Coddling and Cuddling work very well, as long as you follow through by allowing your dog to learn to cope and engage its mind to its actions.

(By the way, the example I used above is not the manner in which we approach every situation) I was merely attempting to emphasize the importance of support that can take place through comfort.

Managing your frustration while working with your dogs

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Robots vs animals.

Today I was speaking to client, who has taken her dog through several classes with several different trainers, and she was consulting us for help with her dog. I asked her if I may write a post on this, as I feel it would relate to the experience many dog parents have.

She told me, she feels her dog just does not listen, "I have gone through so many classes with her, and I practice with her at home, but yet when we go on a walk or to the vets or even PetsMart, she just does not obey."

It is interesting that many dog parents have a robotic expectation for their dogs. Their dogs are not to be influenced by stress, environment, changes or disruption to routine, excitement, fear of the know (vets)... and so on.

But the bigger issue her is, how fair of a chance was this dog really given? Each trainer she spoke off, taught with a different philosophy and style, not only limiting her from practice of one method and way of communication, but the dog as well.

Second, through all of this dog's training experiences and practice, none of them actually look place outside of in the dog's home or at class. We went straight from this to application, there was no habit of generalization at all.

And last, something to consider in this equation is the frustration we poise on our dogs as a result of our false expectations as well as our own embarrassment. I have seen this happen so many times.... once at a fun dog event, where dogs were get timed for running back to their parents. A lady who participated with her dog was very disappointed and embarrassed that her dog veered off and chose to mark his leg on a tree, the shoulder dive into something that obviously smelled so appealing to the dog... and never made it to the mum. She was so embarrassed and as a result frustrated at the dog...

Bottom line is, that training is life long not just a couple courses. To be able to have a dog who is highly reliable requires many years of training, giving the dog the opportunity to do that job so well, that it becomes second nature to the dog.

It takes time, committment, consistencey and all of that on the handlers part, not the dog's!

Custom I-phone covers

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Now here is a darn good reason why I would want an i-phone... check them out.

My husband will certainly not allow this to happen, especially because it seems to him that I need to get a new phone every 3 months! They dont make phones that last anymore, mine keep falling, breaking or get sand and water all over it... don't tell!

Kid Friendly Dog Training

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was working with a family and their daughter, who is around 9 years of age.... we were having a general discussion on "do dogs like being petted or do we like petting the dog?" Then we discussed "do dogs like being carried around or do we like carrying the dog?"

The girls said "Gosh, I guess originally dogs were not breed to be carried around, and over time we have made them so cute that we just can't resist, but I guess my dog might not really like it."

Did I mention this came out of 9 year old girls mouth!

This is why Doglando is the only Dog Training School in Central Florida to allow kids of any age in class! They are our best students and its how we learn to communicate with the adults; in the most simplest manner possible!

Instructional Curriculums for Dog Trainers

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

The University of Doglando is now offering instructional advice on dog training curriculum's for dog trainers anywhere!

You may choose from one of our classes we teach, or email us with a class you would like to teach, and we will develop a 4, 6 or 8 week curriculum for you.

Our work includes:

- Very clear and specific details on the instruction of each week's lesson plans.
- Clearly outlined goals and milestones to meet per lesson.
- Homework assignments, games and skills to practice for dog parents.
- Trouble shooting advice and ideas.
- Success chart to measure each dog's progress through the class.
- A list of supplies (specific to each class).
- Free one hour consultation.

We are so excited about this revolutionary, one of a kind service that is unique to the University of Doglando!

Contact us at info@doglando.com for more information on our Instructional Design and Curriculum Assistance for Dog Trainers.

Culture Clash

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

What are you? No.... What are you?

I was on a phone consult with two trainers a few days ago.... they had called to learn more about the Doglando Philosophy and how it is so different from any other dog training method out there.

My answer was quite simple, its actually not. Its not at all different from many cultures and the way they communicate with dogs, and how dogs communicate with other dogs, the only unique difference is in our attitudes towards dogs here vs anywhere else.

They both said, "well what do you mean..." I replied back "here, our attitude towards togs is that we need to control them, elsewhere, especially in countries where dogs still roam free and act as scavengers, the attitude is we must co-exist with them."

To be able to co-exist does not require change or authority, but more so understanding & respect and it must be mutually beneficial for both. That was the start of one great conversation, and it dawned on me that I should probably share this thought with others that may not ever get to experience or learn of the Doglando Difference!

The Philanthropic Kids Club, by the Doglando Foundation

2011-09-27T06:00:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday, we had our first orientation of the Philanthropic Kids Club at the University of Doglando.

Over the next few weeks, we are hoping to reach to parents of kids within the Seminole County and Orange County school systems.

We would love the opportunity to come and speak to your PTA's or faculty about the Philanthropic Kids Clubs, how you can help, and how to engage your kids.

The presentation will only take up to 1 hour with questions and answers towards the end. To invite the Philanthropic Kids Club to your school, please contact Teena Patel, at info@doglando.com, subject: Philanthropic Kids.

We are hard pressed for time, and would like to secure our board members no later than October 15th, so that our kids can get rolling in planning for our first "Act of Kindness and Not Greed", by feeding the homeless in November.

___

We are looking for someone to donate their time, knowledge and skills in helping us develop a website for the Philanthropic Kids Club. If you are interested, or your have a child that is savvy at web design and development that would LOVE to help us, please email us or call Teena at 407*832*3763.

Thank you,

Yours for a better world to grow up in.

Teena

Camp Doglando

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Calling all Dog Loving Teachers.... Here is your chance to working with kids and dogs.

We are in the process of writing out a curriculum for Camp Doglando, one that can be adopted by any rescue, shelter and or dog trainer around the world.

We are calling for all teachers for youths between the ages of 8years - 16 years of age. We need creative, out of the box, dog loving instructional design teachers to help us write our curriculums for Camp Doglando.

To apply, please send us your resume at info@doglando.com.

Philanthropic Kids Club

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

The University of Doglando wants to create an opportunity for your child to continue to grow, to be enriched and most of all share their compassion for making a difference with other youths in our community.

We will be starting a Philanthropic Kid Club (official name to be determined by participating youths), in which the club's focus will be to teach our children how to make a positive impact on the community they live in and the world we are surrounded by. We will show them how to help others, and give back, not just during the course of a summer camp program, but to lead a lifestyle in which they care in a small way, every day... and feel great about their contributions!

As parents we have the greatest effect over our children on whether our kids will grow up helping other people, caring about other people, if they will give to others more in need, or even animals in danger, abused, neglected or mistreated. Success in life, is not just about a steady career, but equally importantly a steady role within the community in which one lives in, through service.

The most important thing about charity, is not because its something that we should do, but something we want to do, something we want to do from our heart, something that we want to do always and forever, but not as a result of how much we have in comparison. Kids that are taught to be kind, through random acts of kindness, will be happier kids. Their outlook on life and obstacles will unlikely be looked upon as negative and setbacks, but more like stepping stones, and life's valuable learning lessons. They will embrace these moments as opposed to reject them, they will speak out loud and voice their concerns as opposed to suppress them because no one else cares or is listening. They will wake up each day, feeling like they have a purpose in life rather than hope one day they hear a whisper in their ear telling them of what their future awaits.

This is what Doglando's Philanthropic Kids Club is all about. Through these random acts of kindness, we want to help you raise your children into being compassionate, considerate, caring, connected, and most of all altruistic citizen's of our society. These experiences will be shared amongst a community of kids that are like minded and together they will conquer life!

Only Camp Doglando graduates can be elected to sit on the board for the Philanthropic Kids Club. Any youth between the ages of 9-15 will be allowed to serve as a member. The club will hold bi-monthly meetings, and will follow the same requirements of any legitimate organization.

Each month, the club members will vote on different projects, not limited to the welfare of dogs. Such projects can be: Feeding the homeless for Thanks Giving, planning and coordinating a Gift Wrapping Fundraiser for the upcoming holidays, going to the shelter to bathe all the shelter dogs so that they are feeling better and more presentable for adoptions, partnering up with Knitting clubs to hold fundraisers for wool to make caps, hand mittens and socks for newborns in third world countries... to being involved in helping international NGO's in various charities and programs.

The club will fall under our newly regsiterd 501 3C, namely the Doglando Foundation, and will be overseen by the adult Club also called the Doglando Foundation (for now).

We would like to get started right away, and would like for you to join us at the University of Doglando on Sunday September 25th at 2pm for a more formal introduction to Club Philanthropic Kids (FREE). Please invite all your kids friends and their families to join us... together we can make a difference.

Following our short introduction of the club, the Doglando Foundation will be hosting an Authentic Indian Dinner Fundraiser. Tickets are $25 per adult, kids eat free!

We would love for you to join us, and hope this is something your child embraces... as soon as we have the board elected, name voted on, and at least 15 club members, we will start planning our first event: Feeding the homeless for Thanksgiving, and our first fundraiser: a Gift Wrapping Table and at Groom Grub and Belly Rub for the holidays.

Thank you for your time, and we hope you will support your kids in joining Doglando's Philanthropic Kids Club.

In home dog training

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was doing an in home session for a family with a dog who growls at the kids each time the kids pet him, or play with him or hold him...

I was talking to the family (kids approx 6 and 8 included) and I was talking about reading a dog. The obvious things we see and hear are things that may come just before a final warning or in some cases a bite.... etc etc (without going into too much detail on this part).

I was talking about the physiological change with the the dog, prior to any physical warning we may see... blah blah blah.... kids says, "oh its kind of like two people a Spanish person and an English person, neither of them speak the same language, you have to communicate using expressions and body language..."

Now what is it that an adult does not get in all this? That's all it took and two hours later the child was communicating with the dog understanding what the dogs was comfortable with and what the dog had enough with!

Bark 4 Beer

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Check this out! A beer bottle opener that attaches to a dog's collar.

Fat Dogs Are Colder Than Lean Dogs

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fat dogs tend to be colder than lean canines, according to a new study that identifies a possible relationship between weight gain and body temperature.

The findings, recently published in the International Journal of Obesity, could apply to humans and other mammals as well, according to the authors. Individuals who have a tendency to be cold may therefore be more susceptible to weight gain.

The entire process appears to happen internally, so you can't just enjoy that extra dessert with the "I'm cold" excuse.

Roberto Refinetti, a professor of psychology and associate dean at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, led the study.

"We don't fully know the causes of the obesity epidemic that the U.S. is experiencing," he said in a press release. "One possible cause that hasn't been studied is the relationship between a lower body temperature and obesity."

He and his team compared the rectal temperatures of 287 lean and obese dogs over several years. They found that larger dogs have lower temperatures than smaller dogs. Since size can be tied to the particular breed of dog and other factors, the scientists next focused on weight. They determined that, among canines of the same height and length, obese dogs have lower temperatures than lean dogs.

Most humans and other animals gain weight because they accumulate fat. That occurs when they take in more energy than they expend. The unused energy is stored as fat.

"The way to reduce energy intake is to eat less, but that means you feel hungry, and a common way to increase energy expenditure is to exercise, but many people lack the motivation," Refinetti said.

He believes it's possible that obesity may result from a less obvious reduction in energy expenditure: a reduction in body temperature. Warm-blooded animals, like humans and dogs, spend much of their energy generating heat to keep the body warm. However, some animals have body temperatures that are naturally lower and therefore do not need to use as much energy to stay warm.

The reduced body temperature would be sufficient to account for body weight gain over several months.

Refinetti concluded, "Although not yet replicated in humans, these results suggest that human obesity may be caused by a small reduction in the temperature at which the body maintains itself."

Dogs Sniffing Cancer

2011-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dogs Can Smell Cancer on Your Breath

Lung cancer is really hard to detect early. So some scientists in Germany put their best sniffer dogs on the task. And you won't believe this but it totally worked.

Researchers at Schillerhoehe Hospital gathered up 220 volunteers who had lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, along with ones who were healthy. They gathered samples by having them exhale into glass tubes filled with cotton. Then they taught the dogs (two German shepherds, one Labrador retriever and one Australian shepherd) to lie down in front of and touch samples that contained "volatile organic compounds" associated with the disease.

The dogs detected 71 out of 100 cancer patients, and identified 372 patients out of 400 who didn't have the disease. Not only that, but they could tell the difference between lung cancer and COPD. And it didn't matter what medications they were on, whether they had recently been smoking, or what they had recently eaten.

Only 15 percent of lung cancers are currently diagnosed before the disease spreads to other organs. When it's spotted before it spreads, the five-year survival rate is 50 percent. After it spreads, it's only 2 percent. But, there's no early detection tool available now. In 2011 so far, 221,130 new cases of lung cancer have been diagnosed, and 156,940 people have died from the disease. I say sniffer dogs in every hospital STAT!

But of course one of the scientists who performed the study, Enole Bodeker, had to rain on my parade (via email) a little:

For using the dogs as a screening tool to detect lung cancer in risk groups further research is necessary. We don't know yet if they detect lung cancer or a malignant disease in general – can they tell e.g. the difference between lung cancer and breast cancer? ... We don't really know, yet, if it will be dogs in the end, that could do the diagnostics. But they can definitely help us for further research and maybe one day identify the volatile organic compound or pattern of different compounds that is associated with lung cancer.

Inner Peace

2011-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Inner Peace: This is so true

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy

to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without alcohol,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

. . ..Then You Are Probably. . .

The Family Dog!

Dog rescues 6 year old girl from drowning

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

*UPDATE: The Morton Report has retracted the article that was the basis for this post after being hacked by an internet prankster. It sounds as though they are considering legal action. Sigh. In the good news department, we can all stop worrying about Maggie. ;)

The deadly currents of a flooded Washington river proved no match for the love of a devoted family pet when a dog came to the rescue of a drowning child.

A Ridgefield, Washington family very nearly lost their daughter on August 17th. Marie and Tom Morgan and their 6-year-old daughter Taylor were walking their dog, Maggie, near the Lewis River when Taylor picked up a rock and ran toward the river to throw it. The river was raging from recent flooding, and as Taylor neared the water’s edge the bank she was standing on let go, collapsing into the river and taking her with it.

photo: R.B. Stewart

Tom Morgan said he watched in horror as the waters swept his daughter away. In an interview with the The Morton Report he said, “I couldn’t keep up with her, the water was too quick. I was running as fast as I could along the edge when Maggie bolted past me for about 30 yards and then leaped into the river. I lost sight of both of them for a second and then I saw Maggie with Taylor’s jacket collar in her mouth trying to swim towards the bank. The river took them down about another hundred yards before Maggie was able to reach the bank. Even though they went under a few times she didn’t let go once. If it hadn’t been for Maggie, we would have lost our daughter.”

As unbelievable as that may seem, the Morgans were not the only witnesses to the incredible rescue. An eyewitness was jogging and by was incredulous at the sight of Maggie dragging Taylor out of the water.

“The dog sprinted and jumped about 12 feet out into the river just in front of the child. They both went under and when they came up the dog had her jacket in its mouth and was dragging her to the bank. The dad ran into the water’s edge and grabbed the other side of the child’s jacket and they both dragged her up onto the grass. I have never seen anything like it.”

The Morton Report also interviewed local police Sergeant Michael Brodie, who said, “I have never heard of a dog jumping into a river to save a child before. The family is very lucky to own a dog with this degree of devotion. When I took the report at the family’s home, the dog sat there looking back and forth between me and Taylor and I could sense something extremely unusual between them.”

Amazingly, Maggie has come to Taylor’s rescue previously. Morton said, “Maggie never lets her out of her sight. About two years ago she rushed into the house, breaking the screen, barking as if she had gone crazy. She is usually very gentle and quiet. When my wife and I rushed to see what was happening she ran out into the yard where we found Taylor lying on the grass having trouble breathing. She had been stung on the neck and is highly allergic to bees.”

Making this wonderful tale of devotion even sweeter is the fact that Maggie is adopted. “We visited an animal shelter and were walking down a row of cages and all the other dogs were either barking or running around but one was just sitting quietly in the middle of its cage as if waiting and Taylor stopped and said, “Hello Maggie, we’re taking you home.”

The police department has nominated Maggie for a Commendation of Bravery award, but this is where her story takes a sad turn. Maggie may not be alive to receive it.

“We found out last month that Maggie has been diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma cancer and will not be with us in a few months; we haven’t told Taylor yet as she will be devastated. It will be the hardest thing we have ever had to do. The two have an inseparable bond that is based on real love. We owe our daughter’s life to her.”

Why more people should rescue older dogs...

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

What we deal with as groomers?

2011-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Theft of Canines On The Rise

2011-08-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hot Dogs: Theft of Canines Is on the Rise, Report Says
By: KATY STEINMETZ
Topics: AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB, ANIMALS, CANINES, DOGS, ROBBERY, STATISTICS, THEFT

The American Kennel Club is reporting a sharp rise in dog-napping so far this year, and recommends keeping your pup on a short leash.

In the first seven months of 2011, the AKC estimates that there were 224 cases of dog theft, as opposed to 150 during the first seven months of 2010. That represents an almost 50% increase—though the total is still miniscule compared to the tens of millions of dogs living as pets in the U.S.

The non-profit dog breeding association bases their numbers on media reports and information from customers who use their animal recovery service. They distinguish between lost and likely-stolen pets by only counting those missing after break-ins and the like. “We are getting reports almost daily of pets stolen during home invasions, out of parked cars while people are running errands and even snatched from dog lovers out for a walk in the park,” says spokesperson Lisa Peterson. But deciding that a pet was stolen instead of lost is often a fuzzy business, meaning the threat could be overblown (or under-blown).

Why would someone steal a dog? As with most dastardly acts, the motivation is expected to be money, whether the napper is reselling a pure-bred, using the dog for breeding, or even using the animal in a dog fight. Peterson says some people steal them for themselves or to give them to friends as pets. The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported a case in North Carolina that sounds more like traditional ransoming:

A suspicious dognapping happened to Debbie Hawes' son Zach in Knightdale, N.C. After posting a missing pit bull report, she said, Zach discovered second-hand through a rescue group that the dog had been found. But the person who recovered it didn't want to return it directly to the owner, and he wanted a $125 fee.

In order to keep your dog safe, the AKC cautions owners to keep their dogs on leashes, to avoid leaving them unattended in a yard and to be cautious with divulging information about a dog out to curious strangers. They likewise recommend never leaving your dog alone in a car, even if it's locked, or tying a dog up outside a store.

Dog Designs

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love seeing the ideas of industrial designers..... some of them come up with the craziest ideas.... some great, some unique, some that words can't describe, and others plain and simply cool!

Here is one I recently found... interesting huh!

Poop Detective

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Pooprints

We all love our pets. We also care about our environment and would do anything possible to keep our communities green and clean! With dog ownership rapidly increasing in the U.S., waste is really starting to “pile up” in communities like yours across the nation. We have the solution to your pet pollution, and we want you to get started today!

Each property will have their own reference database to include all community dogs

To build your database, a DNA profile is created for each dog using a cheek swab collection kit

Samples are mailed to BioPet’s lab. DNA from cheek swabs are analyzed to create a unique genetic profile for each dog

Each genetic profile is uploaded to your property’s private and secure database provided through the DNA World Pet Registry

Once all genetic profiles are complete, PooPrints is fully enforceable by means of simple comparison

When dogs in your community relieve themselves, some of their epithelial cells (like skin cells) will naturally come along for the ride! We use the DNA code locked inside those cells to match the mess. Getting those cells from the ground to the lab is a quick, clean, and easy process:

Using the PooPrints Sample Collection Kit, collect a marble-sized amount of the dog dropping

Transfer the collected sample to the PooPrints Collection Solution Container and shake well

Return the mixture in its leak-proof container to BioPet Vet Lab for analysis

A unique genetic profile is obtained from the DNA found in the poo sample

BioPet Vet Lab will send you an email with the Pet ID number of the dog that matches the PooPrints poo sample

Postal Dog

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Owney, posed here with a letter carrier, was a scruffy mutt who became a regular fixture at the Albany, New York, post office in 1888. His owner was likely a postal clerk who let the dog walk him to work. Owney was attracted to the texture or scent of the mailbags and when his master moved away, Owney stayed with his new mail clerk friends. He soon began to follow mailbags. At first, he followed them onto mail wagons and then onto mail trains. Owney began to ride with the bags on Railway Post Office (RPO) train cars across the state . . . and then the country! In 1895 Owney made an around-the-world trip, traveling with mailbags on trains and steamships to Asia and across Europe, before returning to Albany.

Railway mail clerks considered the dog a good luck charm. At a time when train wrecks were all too common, no train Owney rode was ever in a wreck. The Railway mail clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and tags on his collar. Each time Owney returned home to Albany, the clerks there saved the tags.

Owney's stamp now available at the local post office!

Camp Doglando Session II Trailer

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Camp Doglando Session 1 Trailer

2011-07-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Those Darn Rescues!

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you have tried to adopt a dog, you know what I'm talking about. Dog Rescues - so many in-depth, personal questions; just to adopt a dog! For goodness sake - do they really need all of that information?

After all - aren't these homeless dogs? Wouldn't any owner be better than being a dog, lamenting in rescue? Than being homeless??

Nope - as a matter of fact, those questions and in-depth applications have a purpose. The individuals who run these rescues have seen quite a bit of dog stuff in their day. They have seen the circumstances that brought these dogs into rescue in the first place.

There are a few "real" cases where a dog needs the help of a rescue because the owner has died or fallen gravely ill (please see the article "cancer leaves 2 dogs without an owner"), but the majority of dogs in rescues are there because they had owners who did things all wrong.

So, why does the application ask the names and ages of those in the household? Because they need to know if there are kids in the house that might be at risk if an inappropriate dog is placed in the home.

Why does the application ask you where the dog will be at night, or while you are away? Because many of the dogs in rescue are there because a prior owner had to get rid of them after neighbors complained about constant barking.

Why does the dog rescue care about training? Really, if it is your dog, shouldn't training (or not training) be your decision? Nope. Many of the dogs in rescues are there because nobody took the time to train them.

The dogs become unruly, hard to own and guess what? Dumped at a shelter or in a rescue. The dogs become somebody else's problem. Unfortunately, at that point, they are often out of control and require considerable work to even become adoptable.

Why should the rescue know about your prior dog-ownership? Is it really their business? Yep. If you had a couple of dogs that you got rid of after they peed in the house, or because you were having a baby, or god forbid - moving, the rescue needs to know.

You see, rescues would not function if dogs were not re-homed. There would be no need for organizations to exist if all owners kept their dogs, no matter what. If all owners altered their dogs and prevented unwanted litters of puppies. If all owners kept their dogs safely indoors, instead of out in a kennel or yard where they might bark, or even get out of a yard and possibly injure someone or something.

The questions on the application (and if you're lucky enough to get that far, those asked of you in a phone interview) have been designed to weed out the bad owners. Is the system perfect? No. Nothing is perfect. However, the situations that the rescue organizations have encountered through the years has given them a pretty good idea of what to ask in order to find exceptional homes for the dogs.

Why are exceptional homes needed? So these dogs do not end up without an owner again. So the dogs don't end up at a shelter where they might be euthanized. The rescues aren't able to take in every dog that needs a place to go. Too many dogs are in danger at the shelters.

So the next time you are looking to adopt, be prepared to complete a lengthy adoption application and to spend some time chatting on the phone with a volunteer. Don't be offended or annoyed - be thankful that those rescue-minded individuals care enough about the dogs in their care to ask the questions that need to be asked.

Rescue organizations find some phenomenal homes - amazing people are out there. That being said, so many of the dogs in rescue are amazing too. They are worth the time and effort and they deserve the exceptional home. They deserve a home that will keep them until the end of their days.

And a final note - a bad owner is not better than getting a dog "out" of rescue. Getting out of rescue, only to be left in a kennel for 10 hours a day or chained in a yard is not better than sitting in rescue. Those "sitting" dogs will eventually get adopted and the new owner will not be keeping them in a bad situation.

Please adopt. Please alter your pets. Please own responsibly.

Natural, Organic Flea and Tick Treatment

2011-07-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I came across a site called: Cedarcide.

This company sells all natural, organic treatments for all purposes, that is totally safe for pets.

We have ordered several of their products to try out at Doglando, but I thought in the mean time I would share the link with all of you for your own use at home.

The Truth About Fostering

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

6.26.2011 by Ashley Owen

Every day, people make the decision to have children… knowing that their kids will one day grow up and leave them for families of their own. That’s a painful, heartbreaking time for any parent… the day their child leaves them forever. But does the inevitability of that day dissuade people from having children? No.

However, when it comes to fostering a pet, I constantly hear the excuse, “It would be too hard for me. I’d get too attached. I could never give them up.” And thus, people opt not to foster, and dogs die.

But those very people… who say they can’t take the pain of letting go… have children, children who will soon leave them for college, marriage, and lives of their own. Those very parents often dread that day in the distant future… the day that their kids no longer need them. But when the time comes, they’ll deal with it as best they can. Sure, they’ll likely cry. Their hearts will hurt as they let their baby go… and send them off to start their own life with their own family. But does that pain outweigh the years of joy, laughter, and love with their child? Never.

It takes a lot of strength and courage to be a parent. Parenting requires patience, love, and selflessness. For a while, you’re everything to your child. They depend on you to be all that they need, to provide them with love and care, and to guide them through this life. The entire purpose of parenting is to prepare your children for that day in the future… when they’ll go off to their own life and family. People don’t expect their kids to stay at home forever, just to avoid that dreadful pain. Because if they did, those children wouldn’t be fulfilling their own needs, dreams, and purpose in this world.

Fostering a pet is no different. Well... it's slightly different in one aspect… when people don’t step-up to foster… animals die. That’s the cold, hard reality… a reality that YOU have the power to change.

Otherwise, the foster experience is very much like parenting a child, and every bit as rewarding… if not more so. Fostering is about taking a deserving creature into your home during their time of need, nursing them back to health, removing the pain of their past... loving, teaching, and guiding them… and then sending them off to live the lives they deserve. Fostering is about giving a dog (or cat) the one thing they’ve never had… hope. And with the simple act of opening up your home to them, YOU are able to grant their one wish. YOU are able to make their dreams come true. YOU are able to save their life.

How many times have you actually been able to save a life? I don’t mean watching on the sidelines as a life is saved… I mean literally pulling a dog or cat from death and bringing them back to life. It’s an incredible experience… there’s nothing like it. But far too many people let the inevitable pain at the end of the experience blind them from the joy of the journey.

Consider this: Everyone who is currently on this earth will one day die. Death is painful—often devastating—for those left behind. But death is an inevitable aspect of life. So, if we know in our minds that the people we love will one day leave us, should we never love at all? Of course not… because then we’d miss the entire purpose of life.

I also think back to my parents the day I left for college. I’m lucky to have incredible parents, who have loved, encouraged, and supported me all my life. From the day I was born, they knew I would one day leave them to go to college… which was their ultimate goal for me. And so, they treasured each day with me along the way, and prepared me for my own journey.

When that day came, my mother’s tears conveyed the indescribable pain in her heart… a sadness that was ever-so real for her, because her baby girl was all grown up and leaving her. But on that day, did my mother regret ever having me? No. Did the pain of that day outweigh the years of overwhelming happiness she experienced as my mom? Of course not. That day was bittersweet for my parents, because everything they’d done for the last 18 years… had prepared me for that day. Along with the tears in their eyes, I saw something else… pride. Pride for what they had accomplished, joy that their dreams for me were becoming reality, and the resolution in their hearts that everything in my world was exactly as it should be.

Would my parents have ever stopped me from leaving for college, just so they could keep me with them? Never. That’s exactly why they gave me life… so that I may one day leave to have a life of my own. The act of loving enough to let go is the greatest gift one can give in this world. It’s always about the journey… and when the end-result is bittersweet, it makes the journey that much sweeter.

Often, I write about the pain I feel at the end of each foster journey. I write about that heartbreak, because it’s a very real emotion for me, and a very relevant aspect of fostering. However, these stories from my heart are never meant to discourage others from joining in the incredible experience that is fostering. It’s never meant to say that I regret the weeks, months, or years of unbridled joy, uncontrollable laughter, and unconditional love. That journey is what I live for.

For a short time, I am everything to these dogs. I am their world. I represent comfort, love, and hope… when they’ve only known pain, hatred, and despair. In providing these gifts, I receive so much more in return… more than I could ever describe in words. During that time, I make them whole, and in turn, they make me whole. They remove any sadness, anger, or hopelessness I may feel, and replace all of the bad in the world with the purest good that exists. In truth, they repair my soul.

At the end, I will feel immense pain as I let them go. I feel this hurt, because I love them. But when I let go, I’m releasing them to amazing families, who will pick-up where I left off and cherish them forever. Incredible homes… that they never would’ve had… without me.

I take them into my home… knowing they will one day leave me. But that’s exactly why I save them… to catch, restore, and release. And each time I let go… I’m fulfilling my purpose in life, and I'm able to save another.

Just as with any parent… you let your children go, because you love them more than you love yourself. It would be selfish for me to say that my pain is worth more than their life… that my sadness at the end is somehow greater than the hurt they’ve known since birth. Without me, they would’ve died… but now, they live.

Never forget, that without YOU, others will die too. Please don’t let your fears, anxieties, and anticipation of the pain be the reason for their deaths. I’d say that the sadness of their unnecessary deaths is far more devastating than any heartbreak we could ever feel. And trust me… the love you’ll receive during your time with them, is far greater than the pain of letting go.

To put it simply, this is why I foster:

Fostering is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. It’s given me more joy, laughter, and love than I deserve. At the end, there's always heartbreak. But never for a second does the sadness outweigh the joy. Never do the tears outweigh the laughter. And never does the pain outweigh the love. Heartbreak heals... but love is forever.

Camp Doglando Day 5

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

They've got it.... no reminders needed! They came in and got right to work....

In an attempt to beat the heat, we started our first training routing with a repeat of the walk down to Colonial. The kids and dogs did so much better today. We talked about the importance of teaching a dog not to pull on leash, and the number one reason for dogs to be surrendered being behavioral problems. If we don't teach these pups how to walk properly, without lunging at other passing by, bikes, dogs etc... our companion dogs will be limited on their exercise.... and what is the result of this??? We did not need a discussion :)

On our way back, we had a race, kids with their dogs against me, who was the fastest to get back to Doglando. I won!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Now we were all beat!

We came in for a short but very important lesson on Pet First Aid. The kids went through a pet first aid kit discussing the different items in their and their uses. We also discussed what happens in case of a fire, and no one is home??? Three years ago, Doglando and Doglando Clients and Fans donated one set of 3 pet oxygen masks to every fire station in Orange County. We also kept one set in case of our own emergencies.

Typically in cases of a fire, it is rare that a person is the one in danger. More often it is the pets that need to be pulled out to safety.... as people are not at home and pets are in crates or unable to escape.

When fire fighters get to the scene they often find to have to give CPR to pets. However, there are many that don't do it, because it would require the same procedure as resuscitating a human mouth to mouth. Now, with the use of the masks, rescuers can resuscitate pets of all sizes (there are three sizes to each set). We also discussed the importance of placing "In case of Fire" stickers on your front door or window stating the number of pets in your home.

2nd Training Session:

Today we introduced the "down" cue. Every dog and child team accomplished this with great success. Some getting much further than they did when first teaching the "sit."

We had all the teams gather in the middle of field, with their dogs in a sit and the handlers facing the dog. The dogs walked in into the middle of the circle, and then released their dogs. Then we took the dogs off leash letting them play and interact with one another. The kids walked around to field, creeping up on the dogs and grabbing the skin on the back of their necks saying "gotch ya!" and then gave the dogs a handful of food. They did this to each others dogs.

Then, all the kids grabbed their dogs put their dogs in a sit and then on "Ready, set, go" they ran around the field, getting their dogs to follow them. When I yelled "stop" they had to ask their dogs to go into a sit.

This was "mad fun" as the kids would say!

To cool off, we came in discussed the importance of the exercises above. One of the campers, took me by surprise... she is so aware of even the discussions and comments between staff and other campers, she nailed the reasons why. It was great that they all understood the purpose of the exercises.

The kids made ice cream snacks for their dogs before breaking for lunch, and then after lunch we went swimming. Two dogs joined us for their first time, as they were at the vets yesterday afternoon while the rest were at the pool.

We had the kids compete in a race, they had to carry their dogs to the end of the pool, and then on "Go" let them go and swim by them. The girl who came in last with her dog, said "its okay, you are still a winner to me!"

Time flew by, cleaned, went out for ice cream and then ended our day with our last training exercise in the shop.

Camp Doglando Day 4

2011-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I am driving up our road, through the chain linked fence, I see a camper already at work with her dog. She still had her back pack on her shoulders... and her focus so strong, she was clearly on a mission.

I lug my things in, and there were all of them, already cleaning the crates, putting down new bedding, refilling water and more of them, with bags still on their shoulders! Wow!

We tested each dog and handler team on the open door exercise. They were tested for keeping their dogs in a sit, while they open the door, go through the door and wait for 20 seconds. Then use of name, verbal release followed through by body cue for release and finally reward of kibble and lavish praise. There are two ratings, one for the dog and one for the handler, and these kids nailed it!

Then we go ready for a crash course on nutrition:

We had Ellen, a rep for FROMM DOG FOOD come in. Her first question to the kids was: what do you think good food or bad food will do for a dog? Their answers were: Diarrhea, hair loss, weak immune system, more energy... Wow! How do the kids know that nutrition plays a huge role in the welfare of dogs, yet many of us who buy the food continue to feed foods like Beneful, Pedigree, Alpo, Science Diet, Pro Plan, and all those other commercial grade foods. I have an idea, if you are ever in doubt just ask a kid, more than likely they will have the answer.

One of the campers asked two questions at separate times: "Is Fromm in Florida?" and "where do the apples come from?" Clearly she was trying to find out if the ingredients were imported from other countries... why would this be relevant?

Another great question was how the company advertises? Why was this relevant?

Wrapping up the nutrition talk, I told the campers that Fromm donated the food that we are using for Camp Doglando and that when the dogs get adopted the new families will be sent home with a FREE 5lb bag of Fromm as well. One of the campers spoke out loud and said "that's good advertising." Lol.

Last night, as we were wrapping up our day trying to get through the chores, one of the campers came up to me saying she had to leave, her mum was here and her mum had an appointment. We did not let her leave until her dog was cared for, water provided, clean bedding and all her stuff was cleaned up, she was quite upset.... but we did not talk about it. Today, we discussed the importance of planning ahead as part of our responsibility in caring for the animals we choose to help/keep/care for.
We used real life examples such as:

1. Training: People often call for help with their dogs when the problem has become the worst and expect a quick fix. We shared a phone consult example that we had yesterday, from a lady who has a 4 year old beagle that she deemed aggressive. Her two year old child, who she admitted "has been very curious about the dog," bit the dog's ear... the dog turned around and bit the child on the left side of his face. She was calling us for help with the expectation that it would only take a couple of visits. While I am on this subject, I will tell you more...

She said "well how much is that going to cost?" I said, "well I can tell you something at no cost to you, and that is if you supervise your child more closely, this would be unlikely to occur, but we certainly can help with some of the other issues you are having with your dog." The kids felt the same way of course, but the point was that people often look for help after allowing the problem to persist, rather than taking a proactive approach and preventing issues from arising. This would be planning ahead.

2. Boarding: Here we used the example of pet parents calling for boarding especially during holidays, one or two days before the holiday itself. We get this a lot. This past holiday.... for the 4th, we had calls leading all the way up to the day of, from pet parents looking for boarding. People plan their vacations way in advance, however seem to forget they have to plan care for their pets as well. Many then result to their neighbours, or teenage kids to care for their dogs, and you will be surprise how many times we have received calls from pet parents while away on vacation panicking because their dogs were not getting cared for.

3. Grooming: Another seasonal thing... we get tons of calls right before the holidays, from people who do not regularly get their dogs groomed, but because they have family in town, they need their dogs groomed right away. These dogs typically are severely matted, and very poorly behaved.

The kids were itching to go play with the daycare dogs, so we did that before lunch and then after lunch went on a walk down to Colonial. The heat was unbearable, so we turned around and surprised the kids to their first time at swimming with the dogs. They had a blast, as expected!

Each camper except for the one with the Lab, had to teach their puppies to like the water and enjoy swimming. For some, we have a lot more work, others picked it up right away. By next Friday, they will all be great swimmers.

The drying part was also a learning experience for both kids and dogs. We had one dog in particular that threw a lovely temper tantrum because he did not want to get dried off. His camper handler felt "sad" initially until he understood why we needed to work with the dog to help him overcome his dislike. I used the example of a child in a shopping cart at a checkout line in Publix, who started screaming and hollering because his mum said he could not have the candy. In the end, him mum gave in because she was embarrassed... and before I even finished, the kids started laughing.... so I said "what happens next?"
"He does it every time now!" said the campers! Yay!!!!!!!!!!

We ended our day with our first training session in the shop. Waiting for the daycare dogs to get picked up while the campers' dogs remained in a sit and wait. For so many dogs and people in our small shop, they ended their day with great success.

Camp Doglando Day 3

2011-07-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as taking half a day waking up with kids around you..... the day starts at a 100 miles per hour!

And for those that were not, well they had to... based on the smell as soon as we cracked open the door. You know what smell that is! Each one came through the door and instantly said “was that my dog?” secretly crossing their fingers hoping the smell was not coming from their crate. In true puppy nature 3 of the pups had decided to leave presents for their new parents, giving them a lesson on the not so fun part of dogging. With a little disappointment and no hesitation, all of the crates were cleaned, pups taken out and we were ready to start the day.

An adult may be furious to have started their day off with cleaning up a mess, and the chances of this effecting the rest of their morning.... I would say for many, are pretty high. However, for the campers it was concerning that their pups may not be feeling so well... I think empathy is a natural and innate feeling as a child and as we get older we loose it... is it there are so many things to do and we feel not enough time, maybe?

Our morning discussion was a review of yesterday's training accomplishments, and then we broke off in to two groups to teach the puppies how to walk properly on a leash as well as stopping every time we stop. A 15 minute lesson, that normally takes me 1 hour in my normal classes. We combined the two groups, using the extra distraction of dogs and campers and practiced for a short while longer. Now we were ready to go to our first outing to Waterford Lakes.

Loaded the kids and dogs up into three cars, and off we went. They campers were so excited about this... as for the dogs, one chewed threw her leash that was used to tether her while in transport, but all others were good... phew!

We walked around Waterford, practicing our walking and auto sits.... the kids seemed not to understand what it meant to walk in a single file! That was the most difficult challenge.... so we asked them jokingly of course "do they not teach you to walk in a single file in school?" one of them replies "yes, but they also give us a card for line leader..." and then he went on about other positions, sarcastically lol.
We did have a few accidents while on our walk, two dogs squatting to do their business... but every child was thoroughly prepared. Plenty of poop bags and everyone except for one gave up their water bottle for us to clean the mess.

The attention the campers were getting was a sight to see. Shoppers watched and waited patiently as a single file line of 10 kids with 10 shelter pups walked by with perfect manners. Camp Doglando was absolutely turning heads. There were even some jealous on lookers telling their parents “I wanna do that!”. Each camper had an “I think she is really getting it” moment, and with every stop and stomp of a foot more and more puppies were sitting politely waiting for their release. Soon enough the stomping ceased and there were nothing but tails flopping back and forth waiting for their “let’s go!”. With pride on their faces and a sense of accomplishment, our campers finished their smoothie rewards and loaded up their pups. We were headed back to Doglando. One camper even admitted to feeling “amazed” at her pup’s progress.

Here is a photo of the dog's tethered up while the campers left to get Planet Smoothie.

A very successful first outing, then we headed back to Doglando. The car rides are great, we get to learn so much about these kids, the group dynamics and also from the kids. Here are a few stories from each of the staff:

Jenn Grady:

On the way back from Waterford today, it started to rain. I mentioned that it was raining and one of the campers said 'I hope my mom is home because my dog is very afraid of storms'. The rest of the car chimed in saying 'It's not storming, it is only a sun shower. The sun is still shining and there are no dark clouds.' She replied back saying that she was sure that it was going to storm because of La Nina... another camper added that we were experiencing El Nino, not La Nina. So the both engaged in a lively debate on whether we were experiencing La Nina or El Nino, explaining the differences between the two. Is is really amazing to me the topics these kids discuss and how knowledgeable they are about them. I learn something every day.

While in another car:

I asked "were you all in another camp before this one?" And most of them said yes, one said "but this one is much more fun," the other said, "no I stayed home and watched TV." An interesting one was a camper that went to a Buddhist camp, and after Camp Doglando will be attending a Jewish camp. The well roundness certainly shows in this camper, she is so insightful, imaginative, creative and analytical.

Camp has been a great experience for us, the staff. It seems as though the purpose of camps is to keep kids busy and cared for during the summer breaks while the parents are in school. Camps do not necessarily involve learning and responsibilities but more so games, entertainment and more of a social engagement for kids and their friends.

We have noticed that in this session, three of them know each other and their seems to be more complicated social dynamics between the three. Kids are sharp, they are sly and quite passive in their manipulation.... sometimes we have to just look at each other and shake our heads and laugh...

Working with dogs, and especially the way we run our daycare at Doglando, we have a zero tolerance policy for bullying behavior. This goes the same for our campers. We are very good at catching things very early on and nipping things in the bud, and we catch ourselves doing this with the kids too. It seems as though "figure things out amongst yourselves" is a common theme while in school.... well that is certainly not what they do. Instead, just like dogs, they are opportunistic. Getting called out and told off is not something the "key players" are used to. Needless to say, none of that flies here! After all the camp is about compassion, team work, responsibilities, focus, fun, play, competition (an no, not everyone is a winner, but everyone is worked with to reach their maximum potential each training session).

Back at Doglando, we had an awesome afternoon training session. The kids love the restrained recall game... a true test to how quickly dogs develop trust and know who their handler is.... every dog went "flying" to their perspective campers, even when they hid out of sight.

Since the pool was off limits for one more day, the kids spend an hour or so playing with the daycare dogs instead. Very interesting... half played games as though it was a park for children, totally ignoring the dogs, and the other half interacted with the dogs in their own ways.

The day started off at 100 miles per hour and 8 hours after, we were running at 98miles per hour! We laughed amongst one another saying we were going to switch out with the daycare staff for tomorrow... of course the Campus Coaches were not in agreement with this idea. lol.

Great Day!

Camp Doglando Day 2

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Session 2:

Pups ready to go, where are the kids???????? "They could not get here fast enough" said one of the mothers.

No standing around, not talking, no nonsense, off they went to start their morning routine. By the time I lugged all my things in, they had their dogs outside going potty, and some had their crates already cleaned out with new bedding. Way to go!

We had an arrival of a new team.... one more camper and one more dog. The kids introduced themselves to the new camper and each one of them shared valuable advice from the lessons they had yesterday. They took turns explaining to her everything from the clean up routine, training whys and why nots, breed specific behavior, and things I had forgotten about! Wow....

They demonstrated some of the lessons from yesterday and then as a team played the Hot Cold game. Have you every played it? Everyone except the dog left the room to discuss what they were going to shape the dog to do. The task was, the dog had to go over the shelf and pick up the spray bottle. Using the words hot and cold, the trainer had to shape the dog to do that. Now remember our dog is one of the campers in this game!

So, we had one camper the dog, one trainer, and the rest as audience. It was so funny, the dog/camper, demonstrated the same levels of frustration as a dog would when learning to sit or down or stay for the first time.... and the audience and trainer were equally frustrated because the could not effectively communicate the task to the dog, and the dog was unable to effectively understand their directions.

Then, I played the came and showed them with a clear idea and quickness, how much faster and easier it is to communicate and the dog immediately caught on and walked towards the spray bottle than grabbed it. This was a great lesson for them to realize how clear, consistent and concise they need to be, and the patience they needed to demonstrated when working with the dogs.

We broke off for our first training session: a repeat from yesterday and application of sit and release to door exercises. Being in Florida, our summers are not the most friendly in terms of temperature so now we battled a difference circumstance. The kids started off great, but then it got too hot, their dogs stopped responding, and they were left challenged. One of the campers said, "oh man this is a lot more work than yesterday."

So, on that note, we need a "pick me up" and we called for a huddle. Everyone came back inside and we discussed the challenges we faced today compared to yesterday. Of course, the biggest one being heat. Other challenges were: distractions and handlers allowing their dogs the freedom to roam into other dog's spaces. Upon addressing each one, we came up with solutions to combat the problems. We were all in agreement that avoiding the heat was certainly not conducive to what we are trying to accomplish... thus we set small accomplishable goals for each team, and they only practiced in sets of 5 repetitions before putting their dog up for a break, then repeat. Working in short sessions with clear goals that are achievable and measurable, those were our goals!

That led to a great afternoon training sessions. Dogs and kids, mission accomplished! Over the course of the two weeks the kids will continue building on this strong foundation.

After lunch the kids played Price is Right, calling out prices for various dog products. They were split into two, and one of the teams was five points up, so on the last item we gave the other team to tie the game, which initially the kids were not so happy about.... until they learned the prizes were for their puppies.... then of course they wanted all the puppies to get the prizes not just one team's puppies.

Our afternoon was filled with more training, more play time with daycare dogs and beautification. The kids learned to clip nails, clean ears and bathe. This was great fun for the kids, they really enjoyed seeing their dogs all cleaned and feeling good, especially the two dogs that have mange.

Chores completed and before we realized it, it was 4pm.

Camp Doglando Day 1

2011-07-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Camp Session II:

The excitement begins with a total of 10 kids and 10 dogs. Our main monument sign that sits on East Colonial appropriately says, "Welcome Campers" on one side and "Live, Learn, Dog" on the other.

I'll begin by introducing the dogs: 2 Shelties from Mid Florida Sheltie Rescue, 1 mutt from Poodle and Pooches, and 7 mutts from Pet Rescue by Judy all on their way to a college education at the University of Doglando. And their professors: 10 Youth Campers!

By the time the kids arrived, all their puppies were shuffled in with the daycare dogs so they had no idea who the "camp dogs were." They put away their lunch bags and were thrown right into the morning "chaos" (I use that in a positive way) of leading Doglando's doggy daycare dogs to the beach area called Retriever Bay.

Here was our first lesson for the day. A few of the kids were give slip leads, another few our healing guides, while the remaining couple were on keen territory watch, watching for sneaky dogs that might try to barge through the gates while the others are made to patiently wait before entering. We had all our bases covered, a plan of action, all kids prepared and then game on!

I saw one of the campers reaching down to put a slip lead around a dog I thought would certainly react out of anxiety and fear... so I started walking towards him to help. Every other dog he grabbed, he did it as though as a routine and without much thought, but this particular dog, he immediately sensed was different. He knelt down and extended his hand and in a low whisper he said "its okay, it's okay...) I stood back and watched him allowing him to figure it out on his own, and he successfully was able to put the dog on leash. I commented on his actions, as he did not realize I was standing there watching him, and as he walked calmly by me, at the dog's pace, he said "well some dogs just need time." There is a lot to be said about this you know.... it's not just his empathy and understanding towards this animal but its knowing he has to give more in this relationship for it to pay off, and he must remain patient.... these life lessons I bet mean more and have a greater impact on these kids than teaching it to them in any other way. I happen to know this camper and his mum (and family) and he has learned this from all his experiences fostering puppies... his mum is an avid foster mum to shelter dogs.

On the contrary, but still fun and its all about living, learning and dogging this week..... another camper chased a little dog around Retriever Bay in an attempt to get her dog on the leash. That's pretty normal, and very typical of adults. Certainly the differences are learned.... I wonder if the child has seen her parents run after their dog's every time they got out.
As she ran on by me, still chasing the dog I asked her "who do you think is going to tire out faster your or the dog?" And she huffed and puffed then bent over her knees, clearly her! But still no dog! So we laughed about it, and then I showed her how to call the dog in.

They all switched positions at the gate entering "Boxer's Ring" our 2 acre freedom space as we call it. At this point, things moved so fast, that we did not even have a chance in introducing our selves, so we did not even know each other's names.... it would sound more like (a point to the person I was talking to), "please come here" for that I needed eye contact, and ask you can imagine, all eyes certainly weren't on me, when they stood amongst doggy land as one camper called it.

This led to a great discussion, the importance of name recognition in a dog. A dog that does not respond to a name, is a dog that is certainly not attentive, and even if he/she wanted to be, there was no way for us to capture his/her attention while the dog is off leash and in a big open space. This can also become very frustrating for a dog, because the only way we can communicate to him/her is by going into their personal space each time and grabbing them for them to know we are talking to them. Same applied to the kids and us. They did not know my name in the beginning (which sometimes is a good thing lol by the end of the day all I heard was echo's of Ms. Teena, Ms. Teena, Ms. Teena lol)... so they would tap me, or I would point at them. After this discussion we introduced our selves!

As expected based on our last camp experiences, the kids absolutely loved being amongst the day care dogs. Some of the dogs were a bit puzzled at their presence, and you know they say dogs have the mentality of a 2 (ish year old child), when everything is there's..... you could certainly see some of the dogs disappointed momentarily that they had to share their playground.

We gathered for another quick discussion on excitement. We talked about how they feel when they are excited, and it was apparent, that it was not easy to control or stay focused when you are excited. We used themselves as an example talking about what could happen if we don't take a short moment to discuss the dangers involved, and if I just let them all go.... they all shot out loud with answers.

We let them interact with the dogs while we watched and learned more about them just by watching them. Do you remember the post I wrote on "Does your dog like being patted, or do you like patting your dog?" If not, search for it in the archives. The point being, we all feel we know how to appropriately pet a dog, and we feel the dog's we pet love being patted and that every other dog we encounter surely loves our patting as well. We all feel we know how to play with a dog, and the style in which we play with our own dogs is certainly the way to play with other dogs. NOPE! Another lesson and point of discussion.

We huddled again this time to point out all the camp dogs, and same as last camp I asked them if they would like to choose their own dogs or if I needed to pick them for each, and in synchrony they said "we want to pick." So my next question, "what happens if all of you want the same dog?" Duh! "...Rock paper scissors" must be a common way to resolve battles in school lol.

This was very interesting. Each child choose a dog that I felt either looked like themselves or was a resemblance to their personality. And folks, if you have not experienced kids ever, it does not take longer than a few minutes to get to know them. They are no nonsense people! It is what it is, say it how it is, move on.... the thinking part comes later if at all some may say out loud while reading this lol! Same with dogs and thats the beauty of their understanding with each other.

They all choose dogs that were a great match for themselves, one in particular that I love is a camper that appears to be a bit more shy and reserved, his dog is certainly going to put him all out there lol!

They carried their dogs inside, and then we went over the not so fun part of dog parenting, but a part you better lear to grow a love for! We nailed down the rules and made it very simple, either you can learn to love it, as my mum always said... "you can learn to love to put away the dishes or you can continue to hate it, not only will have you to do this the rest of your life, but you will spend a lot of time being miserable and in the process breaking dishes...." I learned to love the sound of dishes, and love they way the cabinets look when I open them and they are neatly stacked up!

I told them they had two choices, the were going to love it, get it done and move on, or take their time, moan, groan and pout, then get it done, groan and pout some more, and then join the rest of the team. Are we ready?

At the end of spceil, I asked them how they were feeling, all of them nodded and said good, one said "I don't like cleaning, but I am not going to complain." I praised him for his honesty and attitude, and that's all I was looking for, and we went on about our routine! These kids are awesome!

Some great conversations: We discussed breeds, breed groups/and normal breed specific behaviors. One of the campers brought with her a Dog Encyclopedia, and the kids had a great time guessing what certain breeds were bred to do and the group they belonged to, and then we referred to the book to see if we were right. This was great fun!

We broke off for our first training session with the, teaching the dogs a sit, release and shaping eye contact. The kids did wonderful, the dogs... well each had their own unique challenge... but at the end of the day, every camper had their dog sitting, while they dropped the leash, walked two steps back... waited for eye contact and then release.

After lunch we departed for our first field trip: Petland, Orange County Animal Control and SPCA of Central Florida. This was an awesome experience..... we had such great conversations, and the kids were so curious about the dogs care at Petland. They were really disappointed at seeing a Chihuhua puppy that appeared to be much less than 8 weeks of age, and its neck and both front legs were shaved. Of course, they noticed that and asked why that was the case.

We then went to Orange County and the SPCA.... before walking in, we huddled and talked about the immediate differences they see between Petland and Orange County Animal Control. They looked around, and in 2 seconds, every child observed that OCAS had an outdoor field, and they assumed that's where they let the dogs out.... sure enough they did and they got to see that. We talked about the things they may see, and reasons some of the reasons why people surrender their dogs and other reasons that dogs end up in the shelter.

The kids were sad, but they were amazed at the great dogs that were up for adoption. They all noticed that the kennels were so clean and that every dog had a bed.... see kids are so darn observant. I think finding nemo games makes them this way.... always comparing and seeing what is different!

We returned to Doglando to wrap up our day. Evening chores, last training session and then good night hugs and kisses!

Camp Doglando Week 2 Day 9

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

What the kids can teach you about Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer).

Today was a much relaxed day in terms of structured events, the kids had a lot of freedom to do more of what they enjoyed most in this camp.... and that was to be amongst the daycare dogs and help in our day care routine.

They got to witness a new dog's first day of Doglando and saw what it was like dealing with dogs that not only are untrained, with very poor name recognition, boundary control and mouthy.... and also totally unfamiliar with our environment and how much work it is to transition these dogs into our group.

Pickles, a boxer/pit mix was being taught to wait at the gates until called, when she choose to thrash herself against the staff and bulldoze her way through. The staff member grabbed her by her collar, in an attempt to stop her, and asked her to sit until she was deescalated and her arousal level was at a manageable and more coherent level. She fought this with full strength, attempting to lunge, back of her collar, wrap her feet around the staffs arms and then eventually even made teeth contact on the staff.

I came in to assist the staff, while another called all the dogs into a different yard (as we always do) and asked the kids to watch from the other side of the gate. Just as Pickles tried to fight her way out again, we heard one of the campers say "ohhh poor thing," I had a feeling she was not talking about myself or Charolette (our campus coach).

Finally, when we were at a point to allow the other dogs and campers in, we discussed what had happened. The kids got to see first hand how quickly dogs escalate and how important it is we work as a team. There was a point that Pickles was panting really hard from her attempt to win the fight, that you could see her esophagus totally open and gasping for air. The kids had never seen this before, and it were shocked at how enlarged it really was.

Many people don't know this either, but this particular breed's structure is very different than many dogs.They are meant to hold on to large animals and not let go. This is enabled by a wider mouth, and a larger esophagus because it allows the dog to hold on yet breathe at the same time.

Anyway, so after about spending 20 minutes with Pickles, helping her realize we followed rules at Doglando, and that freedom was earned slowly over time, not on her first visit, the kids realized why our dogs are so manageable and obedient compared to those they had seen at dog parks. This led to a great discussion.

Later on, we had a temperament assessment for two long haired dachshunds about 7 and 8 years of age. Silvia (Assistant Dean) was conducting this assessment, while we were in the class baking our puppies their graduation cake. In two weeks, the kids have learned to appreciate our "non barking" environment that even they have started responding to the slightest bark.

One of the dachshunds was waiting in our hallway, while the other was being assessed, when he started barking very loudly. The kids were quite irritated by his persistent bark, but the tone of the bark was concerning to me, so I went over to check him out. He was on full alert, guard, and displayed total threat to bite if approached. One of the campers looked over the half door that lead to the laundry room, and he came lunging forward towards the door. I grabbed our healing stick, and walked in extending the stick while pointing it to the ground. I did not want to approach him, but rather see what he would do if I were to stand on his side now, and not back off at his threats. The dog meant business. He came lunging forward, grabbed a hold of the bottom of the stick and then held it.... it was quite powerful and with a lot of strength coming from this little guy.

We asked the kids to leave so that we could continue our assessment without provocation and added stress, but just being there was more than what he could bare with.... we had to call it quits. We called his dad.

When he arrived, we explained to the father what he did, and how we could try and help. I asked him what his goals were for his dogs, and what the purpose of bringing him here was. He did not reveal much. I told him "in my opinion, unless you can truly stay committed through this process, and its going to be a long term one, starting by bringing him everyday and allowing for this to become part of his routine, then getting to the point where we can reduce his visits to 5 times a week, to 4 times a week to 3 times a week, as low as once a week.... and considering the stress this will put on these dogs at this age, we should really evaluate the purpose of this....." and our conversation carried on.

I did not realize one of the campers was in the hallway listening and watching our conversation, but she over heard him say "well Cesar Milan can work with these kinds of dogs, and he is not a dog that he would put in the red zone......" implying clearly we had not idea what we were talking about. I assured him that the dog could be helped, but again not without a commitment from him, its is certainly not something we can start working on only for him to say, well I don't see progress fast enough its not working or to quit.... this certainly would not be fair to the dog. He made another statement about Cesar Milan's ability to "cure" dogs like this, and ended with "what do I owe you."

Silvia wrapped up the conversation with him, and I left to go back to the campers, this is when I saw her in the hallway. During lunch, she brought up this conversation. She said "Miss Teena, you know the man you were talking to with in the shop, the one with the dachshunds, why was he acting like the dog had never done that before?" I was baffled. I always tell parents, kids are so darn sharp, they are always listening, and watching. They know! You can't hide the truth from them! And here it was, she over heard me ask him "have you seen this in your dog before, has he ever acted this way before?" And his answer was "he is a rescue." okay, what does that mean I thought to myself and asked, "how long have you had him? " He said "since he was 1."

I shared the story with the other campers who were not around at this time, and told them what he said regarding Cesar Milan. I asked the kids, "what do you think about that?" Their hands shot up like rockets, not waiting on his turn to answer one camper said out loud "Duh, its a TV Show!" and then thumped his fist on the table and shook his head. Another said "well then why don't you call him, why did you come here." And then sarcasm took over.

I told them this was a very common part of our job and something we have to deal with on a frequent basis...we talked about all the different types of situations we run into, they were so taken back by all this, I think they were really shocked! Maybe today they learned their first lesson on "common sense is not common!"

The rest of the afternoon was great fun! One of the campers loves to bake so she finished icing and decorating the cake, while the rest went swimming. You have to watch the video to see what I mean by great fun:

Camp Doglando Wee 2 Day 3

2011-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to give you the run down of our day today, but I'll share some very precious moments that took place today.

One of our campers who absolutely has loved every moment of his days with us, asked me earlier this week if he could volunteer at Doglando. Well, typically, no, but there was no way I was going to deny him of this. Instead I told him why we have not had volunteers in the past, and watched his facial expressions from the corner of my eye while we drove to one of our outings. I told him, "however, I would allow you to volunteer, because you have been a great help to us." He said, "thank you, I like being helpful."

Today, on our way to Panera he rode with me, while the rest of them were in the other car. I allow the campers to take turns riding in the Doglando van, with the dogs, and today was his turn. On our way there, he mentioned having spoken to his mum about the volunteer opportunity. I asked him what she said.... she said "I think you might have found your calling, your brother has football, our sister has piano, and I think we may have found your thing." I had to turn to him completely, and his face was priceless! He was so proud, so happy, so excited, so honest, so pure.... It was such a sentimental moment, because I remember when I felt this way for the first time when I volunteered at a dog rescue in England. I remember my family's support, and my mum and dad's unconditional support in allowing me to pursue Doglando. distance

Another precious moment:

Nearing the end of Camp Doglando Session 1, our training goals have become more complex in the sense, we are not expecting our dogs to offer some behaviors automatically, and others with increased distraction, duration and distance. Most of our training practices are based on real life applications. The one they had to accomplish today was leaving their dog in a down stay for a solid two minutes, while they went into the house (pretending its a shop at Waterford Lakes). The dogs had other dog distractions around them, and the distraction of Doglando staff..... but they had to maintain the down position until the handler released them. The campers and their pups are just incredible! Every dog and handler team completed this and they did it like pros. It is unbelievable how well the puppies work for the kids, it is envious, truly!

Another precious moment:

On our way back from Panera, I learned more about another camper that I did not know. This has been interesting in so many ways, and it takes me back to days when I worked with children full time. Here is a camper who displays herself so tough and confident, and maybe even a teaser sometimes.... but inside is a very compassionate, sensitive and soft person with a huge heart. Last week I thought two weeks per group maybe too long, today I realized it maybe too short. We are just beginning to learn about these kids and develop our friendship, then in a few days it will all be over.

On the same level, I had not considered the bond the puppies would have developed with the campers in such a short time, this actually makes me very sad because the only unfair part of this entire experience was that the dogs don't know this was just part of camp.

I hope they all get adopted so they don't have to return to their shelters.

Another precious moment;

At the end of the day, another camper asked about being able to continue coming and volunteering at Doglando. I have been curious to know how the campers have felt about our camp, and the stories they tell their parents when they get home. In talking to his mum, she said they had family in town that the camper had not seen in over 6 months, one of which is his cousin who is the same age and normally they are inseparable. Despite their presence, the camper has woken up on time ready to go all week and told his cousin he was not could not stay back... even though his parents may have let him.

I know were not the reason for him wanting to come each day, but his puppy sure is! Every camper has been so much more responsible than I originally thought they might have, these are proud moments for us.

While in the car ride back from Panera, he was in the car with one of our Campus Coaches, and I guess all the kids were talking about being able to take their puppies home with them. This past Monday, we allowed the campers to take the puppies home if they wanted, as long as of course we had permission from the parents.

In this conversation, he said "I thought about taking my puppy home, but I did not think it would be a responsible thing to do." He has two dogs, 5 snakes, three cats and a few other pets, and he felt that the puppy would be too stressed with all that and a new place, it would be more comfortable for him to rest in peace and quiet at Doglando. Wether this was the discussion his parents had with him, or truly something he came up with on his own, he was genuine in his decision. This was the most responsible thing to do, "we agree" the coach said, "good job."

Camp Doglando Week 2 Day 2

2011-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kids beat, dogs beat! We had to start off our morning with nap time for both kids and dogs. The one camper that was not, he went out and helped with daycare, while the others chose to stay in for 15 minutes and snooze!

We skipped our morning training session to give the pups a longer rest and instead played with the daycare dogs, which is always great fun for the kids.

Today, Dr. Roden at East Orange Animal Hospital was kind enough to allow our kids and their pups to come in for a free check up. Dr. Roden examined each puppy and talked to the kids about the basic health care regarding dogs. The kids shared some of their personal stories with Doc, and then he showed them X-Rays of a dog who recently had surgery after swallowing a rope toy. Coincidentally, the kids were familiar with the dog, and had seen the dog's surgery laceration, as the dog's parents are Doglando's FB friends and clients.

One of the campers said out loud "oh I know the dog, I saw the photo, you did the surgery?" Doc replied "yes, I did." The camper replied back saying "you did a really good job!" I think that made Doc's day! This camper is also the one who gave the stranger a high five for adopting all her dogs!

Dr. Roden explained to the kids how complicated the surgery was and how nervous he was. This is what we at Doglando have always loved and admired about Dr. Roden. He is honest, carries no ego, and its not about superiority, its about the animal. If he does not know, or can not do it, he will inform you right away!

He told the kids about the conversation he had with the dog's parents. One of the kids asked him "do you ever feel sick when in surgery?" Dr. Roden replied by saying no he did not, but he does get sick when seeing humans go through surgery. So, like kids do, from this conversation they started another..... talking about what you don't want to hear from a doctor; and those statements are:

1. Oh no!
2. When you wake up in the middle of surgery and the doctor says "oops"
3. Oops, that's not supposed to go there.
4. You weren't supposed to cut that one!
5. Was that supposed to happen?
6. Wrong patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was great, Dr. Roden was awesome and so good with the campers!

We returned to Doglando for lunch, and then all the campers but one left to Congo River for miniature golf, and the one who stayed back went swimming with the daycare dogs.... he would much rather spend every moment he can with the dogs and makes the most of it when he is amongst them.

It is day 7 now, and the puppies can sit, down, settle, stay, walk properly on a leash, go into auto sits when the handler stops, sit at doors and wait for up to one minute before getting released, out of sight stays, out of sight recalls and crate exercises. Also, they are completely potty trained! I can not rave enough about their success all thanks to the campers!

Our last training session was in the shop during pick up time. Today, our training goal was to be able to have the puppies on a sit, maintaining eye contact with the handlers, while daycare parents pick up their dogs. All this, off leash, yes, that's right totally off leash!

They did it! Four paws up Camp Doglando!

Camp Doglando Week 2 Day 1

2011-06-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

The kids are pros at the routine now.... does not take them long to adjust at all.

They completed their morning routine while waiting on two of the puppies to get dropped off from the weekend.

After their arrival, the kids met with Barb and asked her about her weekend with them and if she practiced their training. They also asked her about Mid Florida Sheltie Rescue's adoption standards and policies in preparation for a meet and greet we had later on in the morning. Then, we broke away for an extended training session which consisted off a review from last weeks lesson, and then a few tests in dog handling skills. We added distractions, and the true test came about when they had to take their puppies in amongst the daycare dogs and work them in certain exercises in the back.

The kids did very well at this despite the hard level distractions of the daycare dogs. All the pups are just incredible, and progressing so well in their training, maybe we should offer this ongoing through the year!

We gave the puppies a break, and then went back out with the daycare dogs. Each child received their own disposable camera to take photos of each other, daycare dogs and their own puppies. They had a blast doing this, we will get them developed later on this week and will share them with you then.

Before lunch we took a short field trip to Back To Nature Wildlife Sanctuary. Although they are typically closed to the public on Mondays, they allowed our campers to visit as Doglando has made small donations to their Sanctuary many times before. The kids were fascinated by the animals they saw, and even quite appalled to hear the stories of each animal and why they will live out their lives here.

My favorite was Jasper a 4 week old goat..... I have always wanted goats and soon we will! By the way, if you know anyone who needs to find a new home for their goats, we would love to rescue two! Help us spread the word!

After lunch, the kids didn't waste any time to get to the pool. We had one short training session in which they learned "settle." Every dog and handler team got it within their first try! This never happens even in our regular classes. See how far structure, repetition, and a well balanced routine of play, training, nap time and bonding goes?

They spent an hour in the pool with their puppies, and then every puppy got a bath, their nails clipped and ears cleaned. The kids did most of this on their own, with very little help from us. No more fighting, snarling or throwing themselves against us during drying time, the pups all stood calmly while getting dried before returning to their crates for a nap. Camp has been exhausting, even for the pups!

Food Truck to the Rescue

2011-06-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Doglando Foundation had their first fundraiser on Saturday, in Avalon Park. Also for their first time, the Food Trucks were in East Orlando, Avalon Park.

Word had reached thousands, people everywhere had heard about the event, so we were really excited that the buzz was great! The only thing we were not sure about was the weather, but the weather forecast showed 30% of overcast rain, so we thought we were in the good... if it rained we would wait it out and it would be soon over us.

The event started off a great success. All our rescues and vendors showed up, DJ the BIG DAWG and PAUL show had some in the crowd dancing with their dogs, and the food truck lines started growing! Then, out of no where in a matter of minutes, one side of Avalon turned dark grey with a huge white cloud in the middle of it. The sky looked scary, dark and strong but our weather forecast didn't show us anything concerning. What were they looking at and where were they looking at??????????????

In seconds, the rain came pouring, everyone ran for coverage. Those that could get out left, those of us that had our booths up, were stuck holding onto the legs of the tents while everything else got soaked.

I was helping another vendor with their booth, who had the fabric walls up around three sides of their tent, and then all of a sudden, their goes my end, the tent leg and I were literally lifted off the ground. The fabric walls created a parachute, and were about to take off!

We take of the walls, and I look out to tent to all the rest of my team and we all start laughing. It was so terrible, and so totally out of our control, and everything was so destroyed, that there was really nothing else we could do other than laugh. Here we all are, in our brand new white, Doglando Foundation Polos, now in some sort of a wet - shirt contest it seemed!

Aside from letting the tents go, and along with it, everything else under it, we weren't really left with any other choices. It was a good thing that everyone held on to it for as long as possible, I think the outcome would have been dangerous. We truly were caught up in such strong winds, the tents would have flown across the park and possibly seriously hurt someone.

There was no dying down on Saturday night! The rain went on through the night.

So, we woke up this morning to the aftermath of it all, and the only things standing were the Doglando Foundation road signs. Everything else destroyed, spread all over the park but the road signs stayed in position and the Doglando Foundation Banner stayed flying under the ban shell.

Even though, the bad weather was totally out of our control, the Foundation felt it only fair to preserve our relationship with the Food Trucks and to offer them their donation of $75 back if they wanted it. Unfortunately for us, every food truck asked for their money back, and our first fundraiser left a hole very deep in our pockets. But, we our Signs and Banner stood high and strong, and we will take that as our sign..... to keep going!

One of Doglando Foundation's purpose is to help promote local rescues by providing them with better business practices, management and tools. Animal Rescues are so engrossed into their day to day operations of taking in unwanted animals the business end of it and providing training for these animals before their adoption is non-existant. We feel these two components are very necessary for every rescue's success, financial health and longevity. The Doglando Foundation will seek to provide all rescues with tools to help them build a stronger rescue through continuing education for their volunteers and staff, and training for their dogs awaiting adoption.

Please visit our website at www.doglandofoundation.org. The website is still under construction.

Camp Doglando Day 5

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

FOR LAST WEEK FRIDAY

Exhausted!

Thank god its Friday! My morning certainly did not start off as planned.... the daycare dogs came in with pep in their step and so my morning was taken over by working with them. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and to make the best of the weakest moments..... so I left the kids to themselves (of course we had our helpers there for supervision). Our directions were simple, get the morning chores done, following the same routine of the last few days. Complete your training session (no clear goals were set by us) and then join me with the daycare dogs.

They were on top of their game. Crates cleaned, water bowls washed out and refilled, puppies medicated, and training session completed. This was an awesome end to the week! The kids practiced all they learned, and thoroughly understand successive approximation in training as they came up with their own ways of building on the exercises they learned up until then. We had not even asked them to do some of the things they were trying to do with their puppies, and the greatest part was that they broke it all into small achievable pieces so that their puppies could achieve it. This was awesome!

Then, they pup their pups away and joined me out back, where they just LOVE to play with the dogs. Today, they met the Friday dogs. Some of them are dogs they have met on other days, some that just come on Fridays. The dogs that have already "experienced" the kids, started choosing the kids over us! It makes you sit back and think from the dog's point of view and the kid's point of view, and that is that life is just too short, "play and play hard." As adults we anticipate things to get out of control, or someone to get hurt, or a fight, or someone to get hurt, so we are always practicing safety and caution. The kids and dogs alike, would much rather the opportunity to be free and play, and if all or any of those things were to happen, they they would deal with it then, get over it and start all over again! This is where learning happens, not by avoidance and practicing safety ALWAYS!

Look at this photo, normally our Campus Coaches would not ever play with the dogs in this manner. One person, with one ball and a following of 8-10 dogs... all of whom were eager and aroused in play. What was incredible to watch was how much control this kid had. He was so good with the ball, but also so aware of the dogs, he would stop the game intermittently by picking up the ball and making all the dogs "back off." He'd then set the ball down, and any dog that approached the ball without his permission, he would "back off" again. The dog's knew better than to challenge him.
There was a moment where he kicked the ball so high up and away, and the GSD in the photo ran off to get it. She did, she grabbed it and then tried to run off with it in an attempt to play keepers. I walked him through the entire next part and wanted him to learn that was not going to be acceptable. So, we both walked towards her and he calmly and firmly asked her to drop it. She did not, but did freeze, and tilt her head to the side with the ball, He grabbed hold of the ball, and without tugging it or snatching it out of her mouth, he again firmly repeated in a deeper voice "drop it!" He waited patiently hold the ball firmly waiting for her to let it go. They both stood still, he starring at her, and she waiting to see how long this would continue before he lost interest.

By the end of this exercise, Demi, the GSD, had such great respect for this kid, that's all it took and she followed him everywhere the rest of the day. She even went swimming with him in the afternoon, allowing him to hold on to her back end while he glide behind her as she swam the length of the pool! This was magical! A true GSD & boy love story!

We went to Marble Slabs after lunch, where the dogs first practiced walking properly on leash with auto sits and greeting politely. Then, we went into Old Navy (no they are not dog friendly but they are DOGLANDO friendly!) and the Old Navy customers lavishly praised our campers and their pups. One of our pups totally took this opportunity to throw himself on the floor with belly down and all fours spread out like superman. Clearly he was too hot to go anywhere, he had found the greatest spot and was not about to budge. The kids giggled about this, and then as a team encouraged the pup to get up and keep going.

Our next stop was Marble Slabs. We tied up each pup to an arm on a chair and spread the chairs apart. The dogs were tethered quite short, so that they could only sit, comfortably lay down, but not walk over the the next pup. The rules were, the dogs had to be sitting or lying down while the kids went in, got their ice-cream and came back. The campers had to keep an eye on them from the inside of the shop and if the pup got up, they were to come out and redirect the dog. All did AWESOME!

Same rules applied while the campers sat down to eat their ice cream. The campers all sat on an umbrella table opposite their dogs. There was a path in between the campers and the pups, where the public walked through. We had all sorts of distractions, strollers, people walking by with their dogs, and people without dogs. Kids enforced same rules, pups could sit or lay down through all these distractions.

Then, a wonderful thing happened, we could not have timed this better. A family of three walked by with their dog. Just as they approached Marble Slabs, they dropped their dogs leash. The dog immediately took his place out side the shop door and waited in a down for them to come out. The dog was not tethered to anything, he just waited.

Immediately, I thought this has to be a European family, and my guess is a dog from Germany. Far fetched huh, but that would have been my guess. The family came out and sat by the bench next to us, while the dog still stayed at the door. Then they called their dog, took the dogs leash off, and the father took his spoon full of ice cream, held it high over the dogs head while using his finger to slide it off the spoon.... and the dog caught it.

i asked them where they were from, and the wife said " GERMANY." I knew it! The kids were fascinated that the dog did so well. On Monday, we are going to talk about what makes this dog so different!

Our afternoon routine was the same as every other day, stinking hot, so the kids went swimming with their pups. They spent an hour and a half in the pool, then another half hour in the front yard sitting on the grass, drying by the sun. We wrapped up the day with chores, medicating pups and a short training session.... and that was the end of week 1.

Camp Doglando Day 4

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have got to start off today's post on how well our daycare dogs have done with all the kids around for the last four days. We have so many dogs in daycare that used to display extreme fear and shyness to the point where they were reactive if approached by strangers and some that still do maintain a greater distance towards staff. I can never emphasize enough on the importance of having your dog attend Doglando's enrichment / daycare program, but this week says it all.

All our dogs, even those we thought we would need to watch rather closely, have been amazing with the campers. They have loved this change in routine, and extra human friends... maybe because they campers can actually keep up with them as opposed to us, who by the end of the daycare at BEAT!

Once camp is over, I think we may have to create some form of a membership where by kids can come and play with our dogs (this is just a joke, so don't you all start sending us inquires on it lol).

I am so proud of all our dogs, and most of all our staff for their hard work in helping these dogs get to this point. Our staff work so hard rain or shine, and the amount of time they spend working and training the dogs is sometimes overlooked. Great work team DOGLANDO.

Day 4, the kids new exactly what to do, and got straight to work as soon as they arrived. They checked in, and without any hesitance, walked through the main daycare area to the Camp Dorm.

It has been great having them around, they have even learned to help us with the morning daycare drop off rush, assisting our clients with their dogs by taking their dogs our to the field. It did not take them long at all to remember so many of the dog's names, and yes, they even have their favorites!

All the crates were cleaned out, wiped down, bedding replaced, water bowls emptied and washed, dogs medicated, and food bag filled... all while having their puppies tethered to them. On day one our rules were, their puppies had to always be tethered to them, or tied up to their crates, or in their crates, but never were they to be left alone unattended. One of our campers followed this rule consistently from day one, and today he had his pup to the point where by he could leave him in a sit position anywhere in the room (untied) and leave the room to go to the bathroom, then get a drink and come back.... the puppy stayed waiting for him and only released upon his verbal "okay." This was so amazing to watch, and definitely one of my proudest moments of the camp so far!

We completed our morning chores and had our first training session with the pups. Today, the puppies learned to recognize their names followed by a recall. We started of with restrained recall exercises, where I held the pups one at a time, and the handler went off about 20 feet or so. All other handlers maintained a sit on their puppies shaping continuous eye contact until their turn.

We build this exercise to the point where Rachel (one of the Doglando Campus' Coaches) held the puppies behind one shed, and the handler hit about 30 feet behind another shed, and the pups were released to go find their handlers. It took a little encouragement the first time, but these pups are so darn smart, doing it the second time was a piece of cake!

After completing our first training session, we put the pups in their homes/crates and the campers got to go outside to play with the daycare dogs. This is by far one of their most favorite activities, especially the boys. Of course, they defy all our rules, such as not allowing the dogs to jump on them, not to run and have the dogs run after them, but they love it and the dogs do too! No game is inappropriate if there are rules, and if rules are obeyed, and dogs and kids alike, they have followed them so we have allowed the game to go on.

Around 9:30am we had a special guest speaker, a pet food consultant from the dog food company FROMM. The kids learned all about nutrition, ingredients and the difference between low, middle, and high premium commercial grades foods, and how these food differ from Holistic/human grade foods.

They could not believe what commercial grade dog food was made up of, and asked "then why do people feed that?" One of the campers asked the speaker "what are three good foods you would recommend?" She replied "Fromm, Evangers, Orijen, Natural Balance, and they are all sold here (Doglando)." He said "from now on, I will always tell people these are the ones they need to feed their dogs, especially the family that adopts my puppy."

The speaker asked them questions about their training, and what kinds of treats they used. The kids replied saying "oh well we don't use treats...." and went on to explain how we train using their food. She was so surprised they worked so hard for their food when she saw them train, but if anyone has attended our classes before you know our philosophy and know how and why it works for every kinds of dog!

I took this opportunity to talk to them about the different philosohies in training and we talked about being receptive, getting as much information as you can about all styles and choosing what works best for the handler and their dog. This was a great conversation, that led up to a discussion on the use of E-Collars and Invisible Fences and when they may be a better option for the dog. This conversation was not an output of my own opinion, but a mere critical thinking and discussion conversation, it was great! They each shared their own experiences, and realized that if one spends the time to work with their dogs when they are puppies, there was not a need for them. We also talked about how for working dogs such as hunting dogs, tools like the E-Collar, when properly used are necessary in distance control for the dog's safety. They said, "well we don't need to use them because our dogs are companion dogs, and we are spending the time we need to get them trained when they are still young."

Before breaking for lunch, we made ice-treats for dogs using chicken broth and beef freeze dried treats, and stuffed kongs for each of the puppies with Doglando's Famous Kong Stuffing Recipe. I turned by back for one second to get my camera, and there they were with spoon fulls of the stuffing for themselves. They loved it so much that tomorrow we have to make a batch just for them!
We also made home made dog biscuits that they had to mead, roll and cut the dough into bone shapes.

After lunch, Belinda (another Campus Coach) gave them a brief pet first aid talk, while going over how to use the supplies in the pet first aid boxes they each were given for their puppies. She asked them if they felt there were other items they could think of that would come to use in an emergency, that were not included in the first aid kit, and one of the campers said out loud "a small plastic bag/zip lock bag." She asked the class, what might they use that for, and they said to throw away the garbage from the neospirin and alcohol pad and whatever else they may have to use.

Our mid day training session consisted of teaching the puppies to "lay down." Within two tires, every puppy was lying down with a lure, and by the end of the session on hand signal! Seriously, we have some genius pups, and master youth trainers!

This time of the day sounds like an echo of "when are we going swimming?" So, the kids went swimming with their pups. They spent more than an hour in the pool making up their own games with each other and their puppies, while we baked. It is so much fun watching such innocence in both the dogs and children that makes this entire experience so special.

They've got the hang of it now, after swimming comes the drying part, and this was no fun feat initially. Now, they've got the pups sitting and coping while they blow them off with the powerful no-heat grooming dryers.

The kids may not have been, the pups were certainly ready to go to bed after this. This prompted a lecture on making sure we have enough time to rest, play and work and that applies to the dogs as well.... so we gave the puppies half an hour of quiet time. Just before awaking them, the campers completed their evening chores then we wrapped up the day with our last training session.

End of day 4.

Camp Doglando Day 3

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Its hump day today! Woohoo! Wow, did not realize how exhausting this would be.

The kids arrived anxiously wanting to show off their pups to their parents. They completed their morning routine as outlined on our white board, and go ready for the day ahead of them.

As of today, the puppies were not going to be allowed in daycare. We talked about the reasons for this, mainly being that the dogs were going to get worked so much during the day, plus the outings and that allowing them in daycare would really exhaust them. We also discussed establishing a routine that would be more similar to the one in their future home, and that we needed to get them used to it.

We let the puppies out for a short morning training and play session, then put them back in their crates so that we could spend some time with today's daycare dogs. Shortly into this, the kids said "we like yesterday's dogs better." I could not believe this. I asked them why, and they all replied saying "the dogs that came in yesterday were more active."

I thought back to yesterday's dogs, and in fact, yes they were.... there are a lot more puppies that come on Tuesdays.... then an idea struck my mind. Isn't that the number one reason dogs get given up, because they are too active, and people don't have the time for them or energy for them. How cool would it be to have a shelter for all these hyper dogs, where their only volunteers were children! And as long as training is fun like they are finding it to be, the kids don't want to stop!

Anyway, back to camp. We got ready and left for our first outing with our puppies. We set our training goals, which were:

1. To apply all they have learned so far, out in a new place and in the public.
2. To teach them to walk properly on a leash, without pulling, using their body or teeth against us.
3. To stop and go into a sit, every time we stop.
4. To have the dog sit politely for when a stranger stops us to greet the dog or ask us about the dog.

This did not go according to plan immediately. All the kids and dogs have done remarkable in the last two days. I think, they felt it would go the same way out in a new place. They very quickly realized, their dogs were not accepting the food anymore, and were so distracted, it was hard to keep their attention. A couple of them even got a little frustrated and showed disappointment, so we sat down for a chat.

We talked about setting realistic expectations, patience, practice and opportunity.... if none of these are provided in training, then we will fail as trainers. We had some water, ate some snacks and tried again.

One of the puppies started lifting up on to his back legs in an attempt to fight the camper. I took over the leash and held the leash taut, waiting for the puppy to settle down and get back on track. At that moment, the camper said "please don't make him, I don't want him to make him, I will cry..." A very common reaction even from adults. Also at the same time, one of the other puppies responded to the walk in the same manner, only that that camper said "I will wait patiently until you are done and then we will move on."

What a difference in opinion! I took the opportunity to discuss both outlooks and again we set off.

We walked around Panera and Barnes & Nobles, asking the puppies to "sit" each time we stopped, and on our second round... all the puppies were doing this almost automatically! The kids were so proud and I could not even describe their motivation level after this exercise.

We went to Planet Smoothie to get ourselves some cold drinks and got the puppies some water then practiced the "sitting politely for petting exercise" before returning to Doglando. We were stopped by a gentleman outside Panera, who just loved one of the Shleties. I stopped with the camper as the rest of the group carried on.

I stood behind the camper, allowing the camper to tell him all about this dog. I can not recall the entire conversation, I should have taped it, you all would drop your jaws listening to it. The camper said "well, have you had a dog before? He is up for adoption, but do you know anything about a sheltie? " He went on to tell him about the dog's grooming requirements, and if they are not well taken care of, how matting can be formed. He said "and sometimes they get cast mats.... they feel just as hard as a real cast." This was from yesterday's grooming lessons.

The man was so impressed by the camper's knowledge and enthusiasm to share it with him, I really think this would be a great strategy for rescuers to apply. I also feel, as an adopter, you will carry a more deeper level of guilt if the dog is not properly cared for when you know you will disappoint a child who cared so dearly for that dog.

After lunch, the kids were asked to make adoption flyers for their puppies. The task was to make the flyer informative, descriptive, and catchy! The scenario was, imagine a bulletin board filled with flyers, and what is going to make your flyer so catchy that people stop to look?

I asked them to work in two and toss out some ideas. I over heard one of them saying "I think we should get a photo of two planes crashing and use that, because if people saw that they would immediately stop to see it." One another team, I heard the camper say "I think we should show a photo of us with the puppy because that would show the dogs are kid friendly."

This is certainly hard work for us, but moments like this keep us going.

Then the highlight of the day... each of the kids got to go swimming with their puppies, teaching them how to swim and cope as well as an opportunity to build more trust.

The kids loved this part, and had such a great time, and best of all each one of them successfully taught their puppies how to swim to the point where they even had a swimming competition.

We wrapped up our afternoon with catching up on our journal, and then the last training session for the day. Here the kids were tested for three things:

1. Have their dogs sit, walk away about 30 feet and then release the puppies.
2. Have the puppies sit, then walk away and hide behind the shed for 30 seconds, then return, the puppy should still remain in position.
3. Have the puppies sit and wait while during pick up time for daycare dogs (no jumping, no lunging, no getting up to greet other dogs or people without release).

Every puppy and camper passed this exercise with flying colours!

Camp Doglando Day 2

2011-06-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an incredible experience this is even for us. Today, we started off our day with the kids greeting their puppies after their first night at Doglando. They each had their own style, but all showed a great concern for the puppies by asking them if they had a great night's sleep and they all eagerly took their puppies out of their crates and embraced each one of them with great compassion.

They tethered the puppies to themselves and then took the pups out for potty, came back in and we started our morning schedule. This involved feeding, medicating, cleaning the crates; them we all went out side and joined the Doglando daycare dogs. The kids LOVE this part of it just as much as camp. Actually, I think some love it a bit more than camp, because there are parts of the camp that they would rather miss out on, such forcing the puppies to overcome their dislikes of getting bathed said one camper. She does not like when she has to "make" the puppy get its bath.

We had a great day 2, I can not believe how receptive these kids are to dog training. In my regular classes (with adults) I have to repeat myself several times, and then ALWAYS demonstrate on some one's dog before letting them break away for practice sessions. Here, I have an imaginary dog that I use to talk the kids through each lesson and they've got it!

Then, something happened. I had to make a tough call, and call on one of the puppies to be picked up and replaced. Bella, appeared to have Kennel Cough and of course we could not risk any of the other puppies or Doglando Dogs getting sick. We have never in our three years of being open, had a kennel cough pass on through our facility, and this was certainly not going to be our first. I contemplated the effects this would have on that particular child who would have to face starting over with a new puppy, but thought it would be best to do it now, rather than a few more days into the program.

We called the rescue and they immediately came and replaced the puppy with another one, and took Bella to the vet. We took this opportunity to talk about how they might feel giving up the dogs at the end of their camp to their forever homes. Of course, today was not easy, nor will Graduation day be any easier, but by then we will have them prepared for feeling GREAT about making a difference, they will want to start all over again with another.

The new dog, Isabella (what a coincidence) started off very shy and flighty. The youth paired with this dog was initially very upset and disappointed feeling the dog did not care about her, and would not even eat from her. It was another great opportunity for us to talk about relationships and the time they take to build, trust, stress, realistic expectations, and a fair opportunity. As a team we came up with ideas for her to do with her dog that would open their communication. The kids were great and so supportive of the new dog and youth, I suggested they all take Isabella outside and let the Doglando daycare dogs show her it is okay for her to open up with us.... and it only took about an hour before Isabella was jumping on the youth for more!

In the afternoon, they played a couple of games to win prizes for their puppies, and then they had their grooming lesson. Rhyna, Doglando's Professional Pet Stylist (also at Groom Grub and Belly Rub), taught the kids how to bathe their dogs, clean their ears and dremmel their nails. The kids were really excited about this, as all of them were anxious to get their puppies smelling clean!

They later watched Rhyna groom a Schnauzer, and learned about dogs with ear hair and the importance of getting it plucked. They witnessed first hand the importance of developing a trusting relationship with a dog, or otherwise how difficult it would be to groom.

They wrapped up their day with a couple more training sessions and journal, while waiting on the ice-cream truck. Also at this time, we had the kids work on a mind teaser.... as they tired to figure it out, one youth said out loud "This is impossible!" Another, said after the first child "nothing is impossible," while yet a third whispered "If you Believe."

All of us (the adults.... 4 of us), looked up and just froze. We had this moment of silence and blank stare at one another as though we all heard the same thing and same voice speak, but could not believe what was said. Then we all started laughing in disbelief.

We had to end our day here! It was perfect!

DAY 1 Camp Doglando

2011-06-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

Every day, for the duration of Camp Doglando I will share a few tid bits of our day.

Today, first day of camp session 1, our kids started off the day learning about Doglando. The learned the differences between stock stick and healing sticks, and learned how we used them to slow dogs down while in mid flight especially in our 2 acres field. They were fascinated the the number of dogs and how well they all got along. They learned how to greet a dog properly and how to approach dogs that are reluctant of strangers.

We then left for our first field trip of the camp. We went to Petland where they played with all kinds of puppies, new hybrid mutts even I had never heard of before, and got to handle "pocket" sized dogs. We left Petland to go visit the SPCA of Central Florida and Orange County Animal Control where they fed shelter dogs treats and learned about how some of the dogs ended up in shelters.

On our ride back to Doglando, the youths and staff discussed the different aspects of puppy stores, and objectively evaluated the differences in all three places. I am always fascinated by the amount of knowledge children have. There ways of thinking, untainted compassion, trust, knowledge and judgement and most of all their pureness.

During one of our discussions one of the youths said "isn't that abusive" regarding the care of dogs before puppies are brought into pet stores, and while they remain the shops. I explained to him, "well yes it can be.... it certainly is unhealthy and unfit from a dogs point of view....." Then, another youth said, "well In America, we care more about how many burgers McDonald's sells every day." I glanced over to him, a bit puzzled, and asked him to clarify, I did not understand what he meant.

He said, "well, its just like Mc Donald's, its not good for you, but we certainly care how many burgers they sell and how well they are doing.... and the pet shop was the same!"

I was in awe! I just could not believe this analogy. I learned something new today!

Then, a little later on, they were talking about wanting to teach at Camp Doglando one day. They were talking about taking roles such as President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary and what each ones position and role would be. So, I asked them, if you were the President of United States, what is one law you would make and enforce? Here were there answers:

1. If I could only make one law it would be that I have the right to make three others.
2. If anyone buys a cat or a dog, they would be obligated to keep it forever until the animal passes away and care for it properly until then.
3. It would be to require non-scheduled in home visits by a secret service agent unannounced to the pet owner to ensure the care and safety of all animals.
4. For anyone who abuses animals the first time would be the last, they would spend the rest of their lives in jail.

Once we arrived at Doglando, the youths selected their rescue pups. Before we did this, I asked them what was the best way to select what dog goes to what youth. They all agreed the best was for them to choose. So, I said, well that is great, but what if two of you want the same puppy. Two of the youths said, well if that is the case we can talk it out amongst us and see who wants that one more and why and we can go from there. I thought to myself, darn! These kids are amazing!
But just to be sure, I said, well what if you need a little help finalizing that decision, because you both have great reasons for wanting the pup, they all agreed they would play rock, paper, scissors and be done!

I could not believe it! Guess what, we did not even need to do that.... they all ended up having different favorites.

The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming with the pups, training patiences while opening the crate door and waiting to be released, and leadership.

Although totally exhausting, we had a great day today and I am really looking forward to working with these kids.

More tomorrow.

Wild Dogs _ Washington

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Washington Dog Pack Kills 100 Animals, Terrorizes Town

SPOKANE, Wash. — A "bloodthirsty" pack of dogs has killed about 100 animals in the past few months while eluding law enforcement and volunteers in northeastern Washington state, residents and authorities said.

The killings started in late March and have occurred in a wide area of mountains and valleys west of Deer Park, a small town about 40 miles north of Spokane.

"Trying to figure out where they are going to hit is next to impossible," Stevens County Under sheriff Lavonne Webb said Thursday. "Nobody is claiming ownership of any animals involved in the pack."

Most recently, the dogs killed a 350-pound llama Tuesday night. They've also killed goats and other farm animals.

So far, no humans have been attacked. But authorities are warning residents to take whatever steps are necessary to protect their families and animals because the dogs appear to be killing for fun rather than food.

"We have this pack that is out there killing for the sake of killing," Webb said in a telephone interview from Colville. "What is going to happen if they come across a small child?"

Officers and volunteers have searched for the pack but had little success because the dogs seem to hunker down during the day and move only at night, she said. "We've only had one or two sightings during daytime hours."

One resident managed to take some photographs of the pack, and it seemed to include four or five large dogs. It's not clear if the dogs are wild or if some or all go home to owners during the day, Webb said. Their breeds also are unknown.

Webb added she has worked for the sheriff's office since the 1970s and never encountered a similar problem. The number of kills alone makes the attacks a "major issue," she said.

Park resident Temma Davis agreed, telling KXLY-TV that neighbors are worried about kids getting off school buses or riding their bikes.

"They're bloodthirsty," she said of the dogs.

Davis compared the experience to the 1980s Stephen King book and movie about a vicious killer dog. "It's like `Cujo,'" she said.

____________________

When I came across this article I was baffled by this authors' word choice selection in describing the intent and behaviors of these dogs.

It is fascinating that a news reporter can be so careless in his/her writing, and non-factual.

1. I have not found a photo of what these dogs look like, but my immediate reaction to this would be that they are wolves, or hybrids.

2. I don't believe the behaviors were an act of "fun" or "malicious behaviors." Predatory animals hunt for survival, and pack animals hunting in packs. Pups role play when they are younger and much of their play is practice for working as a team and survival later on in life.

3. The article implies that the animals must have congregated at some point to plan out this "bloodthirsty" act.

4. Wolves and dogs are not one of the animals that "kill for fun." Hunting requires a lot of energy, and these animals don't expend energy unnecessarily. Killing is related for fending for themselves, and I wonder if uninterrupted by humans, would these dogs have eaten their kills. I would be inclined to say so.

5. The manner in which this article is written and people's lack of understanding of these creatures is a clear indicator of how many of us should not own dogs.

This is apualing!

Steaks or Doglando

2011-06-10T06:20:00.001-07:00

This is by far one of the best testimonials a dog could ever give. Here is Yoda Zaldivar (WED Doglando Dog) waking up for Doglando, but not Steaks!

I'm Back

2011-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Europe, and geeze there is so much for me to share with you, I will do it over the course of the next few days.

In a nutshell our vacation was marvelous, much needed, refreshing and re-engergizing. There were many great moments to our vacation, but most of all, the most amazing thing about Europe is how dog friendly the SOCIETY is over there.

The dog owning community has the right to take their dog every where the owners go, and to all public and private places.

As I get my photos together I will show you all the places we saw dogs at.

I will be back on track blogging full swing starting tomorrow!

Petting your dog, how does that make him/her feel?

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

What is the difference in the two photos?

Have you ever watched people pet their dogs? Have you paid closer attention to the way you pet your own dog?

Do you think your dog enjoys being petted? Are you sure?

This is something I pay very close attention to, when I watch a dog parent or person interact with a dog. Often, I find this to be yet another testament of just how amazing and tolerant these wonderful creatures are of the ignorance humans display.

We assume the act of being petted is a great feeling... it's kind of like a hug right. Hugs make one feel warm and fuzzy don't they?

Well the reality of it is that no, not everyone likes being hugged. Being hugged by someone you know and trust, whereby the relationship is mutual is far more comforting than a hug from a stranger. Imagine getting a hug from someone that reminds of you of your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, or someone you do not like... or even more, a hug from someone that brings back a really bad memory. It's not the same is it? A hug is not just an act of comfort, its a feeling is it not?

Well how is being petted any different? I often wonder if dogs like being petted. One of our first actions towards a dog is to want to say hello, which happens in form of a pat over the top of the head. If you sit back and watch, it is amazing to see how many dogs don't actually enjoy being patted but tolerate being patted.

To test this, I want you to record yourself, patting your dog. You may be alarmed to learn the act of patting makes you feel much happier than it does your dog.

I think it is important to make mention that a dog that does not "really" enjoy being patted does not mean the dog does not love you.

Capture, Kill = Repeat

2011-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended part of the HSUS conference. One of the seminars I sat through was the Street Dogs in India, and the speaker gave us information on some fascinating research.

Street dogs in India are part of the lifestyle. In my opinion, these dogs should not be removed off the streets as they play a vital role in our and the environment's life. They act as scavangers and eat off human scraps. They help recycle waste, in turn keep true pests like rodents and roaches away.

As they struggle to find out the best method in which to care for these dogs, one of the "ancient" plans was to capture and remove by killing these dogs.

For one, dogs are territorial animals. They will find areas not occupied by other dogs, and will move into those areas. Here is what they found:

In 1860, they captured and killed 100 dogs a year. The in:

1964 - 160000 dogs were killed
1964 – 16000 killed
1985 – 30000 killed
1996 – 135 a day killed

As Albet Einstein defined Insanity: Insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. The results were no different.... the number of dogs increased, and so did the number of dogs carrying Rabies. The difference would have show a decreased number of dogs on the streets.

Today, many parts of India have capture - Spay/Neuter - Release projects. These projects have allowed for dogs to continue coexisting with their counterpart humans, as well as controlling the rate at which dogs populate.

Vote for Doglando and GGBR

2011-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

We need your votes please......

The University of Doglando is in the running for Orlando Weekly's Best Doggy Daycare and Groom Grub & Belly Rub is in the running for the Best Pet Supply Store.

Vote today at: http://orlandoweekly.com/boo/poll

Thanks all!

Prosthetics for Dogs

2011-05-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Two legged dog gets her wheels! brought to you by Funny Videos

Rescue Tuesdays

2011-05-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you foster parents Fran and Mike(Doglando Mom and Dad) and foster dog Franklin, for your generosity, compassion and kindness in sharing your home with London and helping her to a healthy recovery.

Doggy Cogna Line

2011-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wheel Chair for Dogs

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Watch the video below:

Are Female Dogs Smarter than Male Dogs?

2011-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you ask me, I think this holds true for all animals, including humans!

Female dogs might have a leg up on males when it comes to detecting the unexpected. In an experiment designed to mess with their furry heads, Fidettes took note of a surprising outcome while Fidos apparently remained oblivious.

The results, which will appear in an upcoming Biology Letters, highlight that like humans, animals also have sex differences in how the brain works.

In the study, researchers led by Corsin Müller of the University of Vienna tested 50 pet dogs, including poodles, Australian shepherds, golden retrievers and mutts. The team designed an experiment to test whether the dogs would notice a ball that inexplicably grew or shrank. In some trials, for instance, a tennis ball-sized ball would roll behind a screen, and after a short wait, a larger ball would appear on the other side. (Young babies don’t seem to notice this violation of how the world normally works, but start to react to the weirdness during the first year of life.)

When the ball was a different size after emerging from the screen, female dogs stared at it longer than they did a ball of the expected size, an indication to Müller and his colleagues that the females had noticed something amiss. In contrast, male dogs looked at the surprising ball and the ball of the expected size for similar amounts of time.

Though the researchers weren’t expecting to find a sex difference, the results aren’t too surprising, says Müller. “For humans, there is plenty of evidence for all kinds of differences between men and women in cognitive processes,” he says. “So if you think of it from that angle, you’d actually expect to find sex differences in quite a few places, and it’s not all that surprising anymore.”

So far, the researchers can’t tell if males really don’t perceive the difference, or do detect it but don’t care, Müller says.

Whether a dog had been neutered didn’t seem to make a difference in the experiment, suggesting that the brain differences behind the effect were established early in the dogs’ development and were not a result of sex hormones circulating in adult dogs at the time of the test.

Researchers don’t know how or why this sex difference exists. Müller and his colleagues don’t think strong evolutionary pressure on a dog ancestor has a role. Male and female canines didn’t have very different lifestyles that would have led to this cognitive performance difference, he says.

But neuroscientist Timothy Koscik of the University of Iowa points out that females need to effectively nurture offspring, and that might have provided very strong pressure to set up this behavioral difference. “If you’re going to draw any line between males and females,” he says, “that’s probably the most obvious and most meaningful one to draw.”

Webbed Feet

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Beth Foti (Rocket's mum) took this photo of Rocket swimming in Doglando's Luxury Lap Pool for the dogs.

Check out his foot! No wonder he is an awesome swimmer! He swims like a seal!

Basset Hounds Running

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you have not already seen this website, you must.... a few weeks ago I received an emailing sharing 50 photos of dogs riding in cars with their heads hanging out of the window (some looked dangerous, I must admit). Then a couple of days ago, someone else sent me an email showing 50 photos of basset hounds running.

Here are some of them:

Here are the others.

What is dog training?

2011-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week I am set out to find out more about how our society views dog training classes, and what their expectations for their dogs are once completing classes.

I would love for all of you to help me with this short study, whether you have dogs, have ever had dogs, I would love to hear your response.

Are you a dog owner?

Have you ever owned a dog?

Have you put any of your dog(s)s through classes?

What do you expect from a dog training class?

What do you expect from your dog after completion of a dog training class?

What do you expect from the human family members after completion of a dog training class?

What kinds of things do you expect to learn by enrolling your dog in class?

I want to conduct a brief study on a pet owner's perception of dog training, and dog training classes. Even if you are not a pet owner, I would love to hear your side of it.

I hope this sparks a great discussion. I will collect all the responses for an analysis of how our society views "dog training." We will elaborate more on this next week.

Rescue Tuesdays

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dog Marked "NEXT" to Die Gets Surprise Visitors

The Great Animal Rescue Chase is delighted to bring you this extraordinary story of how the simplest acts of love can yield the most tremendous rewards. What happens when someone stops to take a look at the nameless dog in a shelter whose only marker is the one that indicates that he is "next" for euthanasia? This is one story you won't soon forget.

By Karen Gleason of New Hampshire

My dog Abby had recently passed away and my other rescued dog, Copper, was visibly as sad as I was. He didn't want to eat or even play in the yard without his companion. I had been taking Copper along with me to visit shelters and dog pounds for a couple of weeks. I looked into many sad eyes, but no one had spoken to me, yet.

One Saturday morning, we had only an hour or so before we had to go to a friend's wedding, but my husband and I stopped by a humane society in the next town. As my husband looked at the dogs in the first few cages, I immediately went to the end of the row, not knowing why. I looked into the last cage, and I got my first glance of Ben. I couldn't really tell what kind of dog he was, but he was very big (about 90 pounds), cowering in the back corner, and shaking. His black fur was so knotted that it formed dreadlocks all over his body. His elbows were covered in thick, raw sores. I looked on his name tag to see if any more information was listed, but besides his name, there was only one word: NEXT.

Was He "Unadoptable"?

I got a leash and coaxed him gently out of the cage and guided him past my husband to the man on duty. My husband looked at me, wondering what I was doing, but he knew me well enough to be able to tell what was on my mind. The man explained that Ben had been there for three days, but that was long enough for them to determine Ben was unadoptable. He would be put down that afternoon, as he certainly wasn't going to find a home, no matter how long he was there.

I was told that he was surrendered by his former owner because "he was a pain" and was about one and a half years old. They guessed he was a mix between an Irish Setter and a Black Lab.

I then went to talk things over with Copper. He hadn't been overly receptive to any of the other new prospective brothers or sisters I had introduced him to. I looked into his eyes and pleaded with him to give this dog a chance, and that he really needed to come home with us. Copper gave Ben the once-over and wagged his tail in approval.

The Love We Shared....Priceless. More Photos

I told the man at the counter I would take him. He asked me if I was sure I wanted him. I told my husband to give him the $35 adoption fee, and we were on our way home.

Well, Ben was a very heavy breather. He smiled and panted loudly all the way home. After his bath, I couldn't get the knots out of his coat, and most of his fur had to be shaved.

Well, he spent the next 12 years keeping me company, taking care of me when I was sick, bringing me on great adventures and showing me how grateful he was that I brought him home that day. Copper and he were the best of friends. In twelve years Ben never asked anything more of me than to be by my side. I am convinced that dogs are the most noble and loyal of all God's creatures. There is no doubt in my mind that I did not save Ben or any of the others. It was me who was saved.

The image above is one of Karen's favorites and depicts her daughter Bailey with Ben

Dogs Compete with Pee

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2011 12:10:00 PM
Jennifer Viegas

It's a dog-urinate-on-dog-urine world, concludes an extensive new study on canine scent marking. Both female and male dogs compete for status using the height, leg-lift angle, location and quality of their pee.

Published in the latest issue of the journal Animal Behaviour, the study is the first to find that countermarking (when a dog whizzes on or near where another dog previously went) is done more by high-status dogs.

"Previous studies on dogs really only found support for overmarking (peeing over pee) being something that males did, and that they mostly did it in response to female urine. So the previous interpretation was that male dogs overmarked to hide female urine," co-author Anneke Lisberg told Discovery News.

"Our patterns really broaden this understanding. Both sexes do it; both sexes countermark in response to same and opposite sex urine, and status is an important factor," added Lisberg, a researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

She and colleague Charles Snowdon conducted two experiments. The first involved presenting urine from unfamiliar "donor" dogs of various breeds to 48 privately owned Labrador retrievers. Each retriever was guided on a leash through a "urine course" where the dog could sniff, whiz or otherwise react to pee-marked wooden stakes.

For the second experiment, the researchers observed canine urine interactions at the off-leash dog park Muttland Meadows in Grafton, Wis. The scientists documented 153 urinations and 199 urine investigations from 87 male and female dogs of different breeds.

The dogs included individuals that were either fixed (spayed or neutered) or not.

For both experiments, the researchers also measured each dog's tail base position, which prior studies found signals status. It's believed that the higher a dog's tail is raised, the more status the canine generally enjoys.

Lisberg and Snowdon determined that males and females were equally likely to whiz next to an unknown dog's previous urine mark. High-tailed/high-status dogs, however, were far more active than other dogs at countermarking and investigating urine.

"Although both sexes countermark, they do it a little differently: Males are more likely to overmark than females, and high-status males exposed to a place like a dog park are the energizer bunnies of marking," Lisberg said. "Males and females investigate urine, and the higher tailed dogs of both sexes urinate and countermark. But the males don't stop after the first mark or second or third."

Some more submissive, low-status dogs will not countermark at all when visiting dog parks. Studies on other animals that also mark with urine suggest that it's risky for a submissive individual to even fake an overmark by standing on tiptoe while peeing or just lifting a leg with nothing coming out. Lisberg suggests that if a dog chooses to "throw its chemical hat into the ring," the canine better be able to deliver on the status it conveys via its pee and leg lifting power move.

"Because these are signals that can be investigated from a safe distance, it may be that dogs are able to sort out a lot of their relationships through marks before they ever meet face to face," she explained. "If they can sort out things chemically, it could help them make smarter decisions about whom to approach and how to approach them.

Michael Ferkin, a professor of biology at the University of Memphis, told Discovery News that the new study is "timely and interesting."

"The data the authors collected support and augment similar findings that were used as the basis for hypotheses to explain the functional significance of countermarking in other animals, such as mice and voles," he said.

Lisberg and her team are now studying other aspects of dog urine, such as how spaying and neutering may affect countermarking as a form of communication. Such communication is important, because she thinks it's possible dogs "might be able to assess many personal aspects of health, stress, virility, diet" and more just by sniffing another dog's urine.

She concludes that countermarking is "a sort of Facebook of their personal life, easily accessible from a safe distance."

And then here in the USA

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Busch Gardens’ cheetah cub and his new puppy companion have been receiving plenty of attention recently, and now guests will have a name to put with the face.

At noon today, the park closed a Facebook poll that went live Thursday, offering the public an opportunity to vote for their favorite of four names for each of the animals. This afternoon, the 8 ½-week-old male cheetah cub will officially be named Kasi, which is Swahili for “one with speed.” The 16 ½-week-old female yellow Labrador puppy will be named Mtani, Swahili for “close friend.”

The name Kasi received 44% of the 1,103 votes entered in the cheetah’s poll; Mtani received 51% of the 1,360 votes entered in the puppy’s poll. More than 100 Facebook fans also offered their own suggestions for names, from “Sugar and Spice” to “Will and Kate” in honor of the upcoming Royal wedding.

Guests were able to see the pair for the first time over the weekend during supervised visits in their new playroom at Jambo Junction. Kasi and Mtani will continue to live in Jambo Junction for the next several months. Eventually, they will live together in a large outdoor area near the Cheetah Run habitat and make regular “sidewalk” appearances in the park, helping the park’s education team to teach guests about the plight of cheetahs in the wild and the importance of Busch Gardens’ conservation efforts.

Busch Gardens supports the conservation of and education about cheetahs through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, which has donated nearly $100,000 to cheetah efforts in Africa since 2005 and also helps fund conservation programs for white rhinos, marine animals and many other species around the world.

Iran: Dog Ownership To Be Banned

2011-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

For much of the past decade, the Iranian government has tolerated what it considers a particularly depraved and un-Islamic vice: the keeping of pet dogs.
During periodic crackdowns, police have confiscated dogs from their owners right off the street; and state media has lectured Iranians on the diseases spread by canines. The cleric Gholamreza Hassani, from the city of Urmia, has been satirized for his sermons railing against "short-legged" and "holdable" dogs. But as with the policing of many other practices (like imbibing alcoholic drinks) that are deemed impure by the mullahs but perfectly fine to many Iranians, the state has eventually relaxed and let dog lovers be.

Those days of tacit acceptance may soon be over, however. Lawmakers in Tehran have recently proposed a bill in parliament that would criminalize dog ownership, formally enshrining its punishment within the country's Islamic penal code. The bill warns that that in addition to posing public health hazards, the popularity of dog ownership "also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West." The proposed legislation for the first time outlines specific punishments for "the walking and keeping" of "impure and dangerous animals," a definition that could feasibly include cats but for the time being seems targeted at dogs. The law would see the offending animal confiscated, the leveling of a $100-to-$500 fine on the owner, but leaves the fate of confiscated dogs uncertain. "Considering the several thousand dogs [that are kept] in Tehran alone, the problem arises as to what is going to happen to these animals," Hooman Malekpour, a veterinarian in Tehran, said to the BBC's Persian service. If passed, the law would ultimately energize police and volunteer militias to enforce the ban systematically.
In past years, animal-rights activists in Iran have persuasively argued that sporadic campaigns against dog ownership are politically motivated and unlawful, since the prohibition surfaces in neither the country's civil laws nor its Islamic criminal codes. But if Iran's laws were silent for decades on the question of dogs, that is because the animals — in the capacity of pet — were as irrelevant to daily life as dinosaurs. Islam, by custom, considers dogs najes, or unclean, and for the past century cultural mores kept dog ownership down to minuscule numbers. In rural areas, dogs have traditionally aided shepherds and farmers, but as Iranians got urbanized in the past century, their dogs did not come along. In cities, aristocrats kept dogs for hunting and French-speaking dowagers kept lap dogs for company, but the vast majority of traditional Iranians, following the advice of the clergy, were leery of dogs and considered them best avoided.

That has changed in the past 15 years with the rise of an urban middle class plugged into and eager to mimic Western culture. Satellite television and Western movies opened up a world where happy children frolicked with dogs in parks and affluent families treated them like adorable children. These days, lap dogs rival designer sunglasses as the upper-middle-class Iranian's accessory of choice. "Global norms and values capture the heart of people all around the world, and Iran is no exception," says Omid Memarian, a prominent Iranian journalist specializing in human rights. "This is very frightening for Iranian officials, who find themselves in a cultural war with the West and see what they're offering as an 'Islamic lifestyle' failing measurably."

The widening acceptability of dog ownership, and its popularity among a specific slice of Iran's population — young, urban, educated and frustrated with the Islamic government — partly explains why dogs are now generating more official hostility. In 2007, two years into the tenure of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, security forces targeted dog owners alongside a crackdown on women's attire and men's "Westernized" hairstyles. In the regime's eyes, owning a dog had become on par with wearing capri pants or sporting a mullet — a rebellious act.

The government's tolerance for this low-level lifestyle dissidence fizzled after Ahmadinejad's contested electoral victory in 2009, which sparked massive demonstrations and the most serious challenge to Islamic rule since the 1979 revolution. In the aftermath of that upheaval, the state has moved to tighten its control over a wide range of Iranians' private activities, from establishing NGOs to accessing the Internet, to individual lifestyle decisions, according to Hadi Ghaemi, the director for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. "No doubt such attempts are motivated by a desire to squash acts of criticism and protests, even if through symbolic individual decisions that simply don't conform to officially sanctioned lifestyles," Ghaemi says.

The criminalizing of dogs, in this context, helps the government address the legal gray areas concerning lifestyle behavior. When authorities found it difficult to police what it termed Westernized hairstyles worn by young men, it solved the problem last year by releasing a poster of specifically banned styles.
For many young people, these measures are a firm reminder that the government will brook no disobedience, whether it be chanting antigovernment slogans in the streets or sporting excessively long sideburns. Dog owners in Iran, like much of the population, are mostly preoccupied these days with inflation, joblessness and the parlous state of the country's economy. But they will soon need to consider whether keeping their shih tzu or poodle is worth the added worry. Their dogs may face the same fate as the hundreds of street dogs that the government regularly sweeps from the streets of Tehran. "Many in Tehran and other big cities find the killing of street dogs offensive and cruel," says Memarian. "It's like the Iranian people and officials live in two different worlds."

Spay / Neuter Common Myths

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

There are several local animal rescue groups attempting to open low-cost spay / neuter clinics in the Central Florida area. It is a daunting task due to the cost to build and operate these clinics. I’m not sure which of these rescue groups will be successful in their efforts, but it is needed in our area. We hear these ‘myths’ all the time in animal rescue.

The Myths of Spaying and Neutering

Myth: It's better to allow your female to have one litter before she is spayed:

Fact: Not true! There is no information to substantiate this claim. In fact, the best time to spay your female dog or cat is before her first heat. Here are the facts:

* Spaying your female at a young age prevents uterine infections, such as pyometra, which can be fatal. Infections of the uterus are a major cause of illness in unspayed pets.
* Spaying reduces the incidence of mammary (breast) cancer. This is a very common cancer in unspayed females, and the most common cancer to spread to the lungs.
* Spaying can be done while your pet is pregnant. While this means aborting the offspring, it is more humane than taking them to the pound later. Also, for every litter you bring into the world, a litter at the pound dies.
* Spaying eliminates unwanted males from harassing your pet.

Myth: Preventing pets from having litters is unnatural:

Fact: We have already interfered with nature by domesticating dogs and cats. We domesticated the dog 15,000 years ago and the cat 8,000 years ago. In doing so, we helped create this problem. Now it's our responsibility to solve it. It's also unnatural to be killing so many of them in our pounds and shelters each year.

Myth: I want my children to see the miracle of birth:

Fact: Frequently animals go off by themselves to give birth, usually in the middle of the night. Teach your children instead about humaneness and kindness to all living creatures by educating them about the importance of spaying and neutering.

Myth: Pets become fat and lazy after being spayed or neutered:

Fact: Fat animals are usually over fed and under exercised. It's true there can be a tendency for a pet to put on some weight after the operation. But what is not true is that the operation causes the condition. If your pet shows signs of putting on a little weight, reduce the calories and increase the walks or play sessions. That will keep the waistline trim.

Myth: A pet's behavior changes dramatically after surgery:

Fact: The only changes in behavior you'll see are positive ones! Here are the facts:

* Male cats tend to reduce their territorial spraying depending upon the age at which they are neutered. If neutered young enough, before they develop the habit of spraying, they may never develop the behavior.
* Neutered male cats and dogs fight less resulting in fewer battle scars, contagious diseases, and abscesses. They also wander less since they aren't interested in pursuing the female in heat. Therefore, their chances of being hit by a car or getting lost are greatly reduced.
* In fact, spayed and neutered animals live longer, happier, healthier lives.

Myth: We don't need to neuter males, because they aren't the ones having the litters:

Fact: This is most prevalent myth yet the most ridiculous. Immaculate conception doesn't explain canine and feline pregnancies. It takes two to tango.

Myth: Neutering male cats causes urethral obstructions:

Fact: Exhaustive studies have indicated that obstructions are not affected by whether or not a cat is neutered. In fact, neutering diminishes the likelihood of prostate and testicular cancers and perineal hernias later in life. To prevent urethral obstructions, make sure your pet is eating the best diet possible.

Myth: I can find "good" homes for all the puppies or kittens that my female gives birth to:

Fact: Finding truly good, lasting homes for kittens and puppies is very difficult. Many pets are taken to the pound or otherwise discarded once they start to grow. And, who is to ensure that your pet's offspring won't mature, breed, and contribute to the existing problem? There is no way you can guarantee these animals will be spayed or neutered. Also, for every animal you bring into the world, one at the pound will die. Do yourself a favor and avoid the agonizing job of trying to find homes for your pet's litter. If you know of some good homes, send your friends to the pound. There are many animals waiting there. And their time is running out.

Myth: My dog won't be a good watchdog if I neuter him:

Fact: If he was a good watchdog before the surgery, he will be a good watchdog after the surgery.

Myth: The operation costs too much money:

Fact: There is A LOT of financial help available. Call your local humane agency about the cost- effective ways you can get your pets spayed and neutered. You'll be surprised how inexpensive it can be!

Off Topic but still a Reunion

2011-04-19T06:00:00.002-07:00

written by Stephen Messenger, a Treehugger blogger

Although it has been well over three decades since Georgie Seccombe first met Sally, a baby chimpanzee that had been rejected by her mother at a nearby zoo -- the passing of time has done little to weaken the bond they formed back then. Their story begins in the 1970s, when Georgie's husband, the head-zookeeper, brought home orphaned Sally as a way to offer the animal a chance at life. Over the next two years, Georgie served as foster mother to the young chimp, hand-raising and doting on her with the affection she required. Eventually, Sally was relocated to be among her kind and the pair lost touch. Just recently, however, now 95-year-old Georgie and 38-year-old Sally had occasion to reunite -- and it seems in all that time they haven't missed a beat.

Georgie, now well into her Golden Years, recently made it to Sally's home for a visit with her former ward after decades apart. Despite the fact that Sally has been residing at New Zealand's Hamilton Zoo, among other chimps for most of her life, the memories of her earliest years with her foster mother have yet to escape her mind.

"She's just really lovely. She knew my voice straight away. She was up on a hill and I called out 'hey Sal' and she came bounding down," Georgie told The Waikato Times. "They are really intelligent," she added, as proud mothers are prone to do.

Sally's keeper at the facility, primate specialist John Ray, says that he was "blown away" by the chimpanzee's ability to recognize her foster mother after so many years. "[To] be part of this reunion has been an incredible experience."

Some might question to what extent the emotional experience of primates mirrors our own, but for those who work with chimps on a daily basis, their feelings are often as transparent as ours.

"She got very excited. When she gets excited she'll do a bit of a dance, put her hands in the air, reach out to people that she wants to get closer to ... It's her happy dance, which she did when she saw Georgie," Ray told The New Zealand Herald.

It could be said that the less-than-human status of primates like chimpanzees is what makes them subject to the less-than-humane treatment they experience in their ever-dwindling natural habitats -- or worse, in test labs throughout the world -- but both formal research and informal observations seem to challenge these notions of a profound difference between our species.

Such realizations aren't uncommon in folks like Georgie, who opened her heart and home to an orphaned chimpanzee decades ago, or Sally for that matter as the beneficiary of this uncommon-human bond.

Reflecting on the experience after being reunited with the chimp she raised for a time in the 1970s, for Georgie it seems the words and labels that divide human and animal emotions lose their footing in light of their bond -- a lesson so simply expressed by the oldest and wisest among us.

"It was pretty hard to give her back," says Georgie. "She's just like a human being."

Off Topic: Shooting Elephants, GO DADDY

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Now, there are so many things wrong with this video that it's hard to know where to start. First: Is it really appropriate to score a scene of hungry villagers tearing apart a dead elephant to the tune of AC/DC's "Hells Bells"? And I can't be the only one who found it creepy that Parsons outfitted nearly everyone in the area with bright orange GoDaddy baseball caps. Not to mention the fact that this all took place in Zimbabwe, a broken country oppressed by the tyrannical Robert Mugabe, where 64% of the population lives under the poverty line and nearly 100% live in fear. This is one step up from taking a spring break in North Korea.

(More on TIME.com: See pictures of 10 species near extinction.)

But of course the biggest criticism comes from animal-rights advocates who view Parsons' video — which shows him shooting and killing an elephant, then standing proudly over its corpse — as, well, showing poor taste. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) singled out Parsons for particular abuse:

I am writing to present you with PETA's first-ever scummiest CEO of the year award (your certificate is on the way). You deserve the award for your egregious disregard for the life of the elephant you shot and killed for your personal enjoyment. Such behavior only shows a poverty of understanding and a deep insecurity, perhaps in your own masculinity. Nonlethal methods are available to protect crops from elephants left hungry because of their disappearing habitat.

Parsons defended himself on his blog, arguing that his target was a "problem elephant" that had been destroying the crops of a nearby village:

I stand by my decision to help African villagers. I believe elephant management is beneficial. I have the support of the people who really matter in this situation, the families of Zimbabwe — people who need help to survive. I have the support of tribal leaders and the government.

Parsons isn't totally wrong — there is such a thing as "problem elephants," and human-elephant conflict is a real issue that needs to be dealt with in parts of Africa. From the World Wildlife Fund (WWF):

Not only are elephants being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas, but farmers plant crops that elephants like to eat. As a result, elephants frequently raid and destroy crops. They can be very dangerous too.

While many people in the West regard elephants with affection and admiration, the animals often inspire fear and anger in those who share their land.

Elephants eat up to 450kg of food per day. They are messy eaters, uprooting and scattering as much as is eaten. A single elephant makes light work of a hectare of crops in a very short time.

But that doesn't mean the best way to deal with this conflict is for rich foreigners like Parsons to make like Hemingway. There are sensible, nonlethal solutions, including using chili- or tobacco-based deterrents to keep elephants out of farmers' fields, or the simple method of growing crops that elephants don't like. WWF has more in this issue brief.

(More on TIME.com: See how to save the world's endangered species.)

It's worth remembering that people bear at least as much responsibility as elephants do for any conflict, as the continuing growth of the human population puts more and more pressure on elephants. The African elephant is hardly thriving — the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists it as vulnerable. It's been a long time since shooting an elephant could be considered fashionable.

Read more: http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/03/30/shooting-an-elephant%e2%80%94why-godaddys-ceo-was-wrong/#ixzz1JEIyauEm

Army Dogs Use Cell Phones

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Click here to watch the video.

Yet another example of the trust they put in their human counterparts, and the lack of respect for their own safety, is what we offer in return.

Dingos Like Wolves Are Smarter Than Dogs

2011-04-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

(PhysOrg.com) -- Studies in the past have shown that wolves are smarter than domesticated dogs when it comes to solving spatial problems, and now new research has shown that dingoes also solve the problems well.
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The dingo is considered a “pure” prehistoric dog, which was brought to Australia tens of thousands of years ago by the Aborigines. While they have in the past been associated with humans, they have adapted to surviving “wild” in the Australian outback. The dingo lies somewhere between the wolf, its ancient ancestor, and the domestic or pet dog, and has cognitive differences between the two. There has been little research done on dingoes, even though studies would aid in the understanding of the evolution of dogs, and it was unknown whether the dingo was more “wolf-like” or “dog-like”.
Researchers in South Australia have now subjected the Australian dingo (Canis dingo) to the classic “detour task,” which has been used by previous researchers to assess the abilities of wolves (Canis lupus) and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) to solve non-social, spatial problems.
The detour task involves placing a treat behind a transparent or wire mesh fence. The dog can see the food but cannot get to it directly and has to find its way along the fence and through a door and then double back to get the food.
Previous research has shown wolves are adept at solving the problem quickly, while domesticated dogs generally perform poorly and fail to improve significantly even after repeated trials. The wolves were also able to adapt easily when conditions were reversed, but pet dogs also generally fared poorly at this task.
Until now dingoes had not been tested, so lead researcher, PhD student Mr. Bradley Smith of the School of Psychology at the University of South Australia, decided to subject 20 sanctuary-raised dingoes (Canis dingo) to the V-shaped detour task, in which a V-shaped fence is the barrier to the treat (a bowl of food) placed at the intersection point of the V, and the detour doors swung either inward or outward.
The dingoes were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions previously used to test dogs and wolves. These were the inward or outward detour (with doors closed), inward detour (with doors open), and inward detour (with a human demonstrator). Each dingo was tested four times and then given a fifth trial with the conditions reversed.
The results showed the dingoes completed the detour tasks successfully, and they achieved fewer errors and solved the problems more quickly (in around 20 seconds) than domestic dogs tested in previous research. Unlike domesticated dogs in previous studies, the dingoes did not look to humans for help, and only one dingo even looked at the human when solving the problem. This behavior was much more similar to findings with wolves than for pet dogs.
The findings were published in the journal Animal Behaviour. All tests were carried out at the Dingo Discovery Centre in Victoria.

3 GSD in a Pub

2011-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

An Iraq Rescue Story

2011-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Profile: Honor
Gender: Male
Rescue Date: 3/4/11
Mission Number: 85

Story:

"Just recently Operation Baghdad Pups saved my boy Honor. He is home as of today, and is already being spoiled.

In October 2010, I was having a very bad day. As I was going out of the gate of one of the areas my security team was in charge of, a beautiful yellow lab was just standing there. Nobody had ever seen him before in the area. He walked right up to me and pressed his head up against my leg. I let him smell my hand and proceeded to rub his ears, he wagged his tail and walked away into the wood-line.

From that day on, he would only come around when he saw my vehicle coming in to report for duty. It got to a point where I would sit on the ground with my back against a wall and he would put his head in my lap and let me rub his ears and chest as he got to listen how my day was going. We gave him the name “Blessing”, “Bless” for short, because the day he showed up the first time was a Blessing for me; it made my bad day just go away.

I decided to try and get him home since I knew soon the Iraqi Police were going to come through and kill the dogs in the area. After several calls, I was reminded about Operation Baghdad Pups, which I had previously donated to, to get “Ratchet” home. I was able to get in touch with Terri Crisp, an amazing lady who was ready to help me get Blessing home. Sadly, only days away from getting Blessing to safety in Erbil, he was murdered.

About a month later I was approached by an iraqi guard from Reed, who asked me if I had seen Blessing’s puppies. I took a step back and my heart felt like it had jumped up in my throat. I tried to stay calm, because as you know grown men don't cry in front of each other.

I was taken inside introduced to Danie, who walked me back to a bunker that had lights and warm blankets on the ground. There were several puppies who were fathered by Blessing all laying on top of each other. I knew then that I could not take them all but I could save one to go home. I did the one of hardest things I have ever had to do, and picked just one puppy to go home stateside. Out of respect for Blessing and his female companion “Grace” I named the puppy “Honor”. I got back in touch with Terri and Honor was taken within the week to Erbil. Terri personally cared for Honor while I raised funds for his expensive journey home. Now, the rest of you who make contact with Honor are all a part of his life’s journey to safety and a loving family. Thank you for being a part of this very emotional and special time."

Signed,

Donald Shultz
Operations Officer
March 9th, 2011

GO PRO Duck Hunt

2011-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

The University of Doglando will be purchasing a couple of these cameras to put on to our daycare dogs to see Doglando from their point of view!