My Friendly Pets

Crufts is touted as the worlds largest dog show. For the Crufts-2008 show, 23,000 dogs entered to be showed. Having just finished Crufts 2008 in Birmingham, England. we can revel in their choice for the winner of Cruft’s Friends for Life award. The Cruft’s Friends for Life award is awarded to those where friendship in adversity is demonstrated by dogs who have truly earned the title of man’s best friend. In the case of the Friendship for Life award in 2008, a winner was chosen from over 12,000 nominees and the award went to an 11 year old girl named Harriet and her dog Yeppa, a Hungarian wire-haired Vizsla.

The girl in the picture above ws 11 months old when she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This left Harriet Ringsell unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair. When Harriet was 8, Yeppa was chosen as their family pet and almost immediately cuddled onto Harriet’s lap. Harriet, as any young person, wanted to walk and run like her friends. A few short days after the Yeppa was with her, Harriet got up on her walking frame to take a few steps. It was then that Yeppa took one of her hands in her mouth ever so gently and helped her take some very important steps. Harriet became excited and motivated by this, which encouraged her to walk more with Yeppa’s assistance. This greatly helps curtail the seizing up of her legs that this disability inflicts upon her. Soon Harriet’s parents attached a leash to her walking frame and they began their walks together, however short. Yeppa assists Harriet with getting dressed and if she is in too much pain to leave her bed, the dog lies with her for company and comfort. This dog was not formally trained to be a therapy dog, but the love the dog has for Harriet has guided her to be Harriet’s protector, teacher and best friend.

Yeppa has helped Harriet’s walking so much, that she is now ready for an operation that would allow her to walk on her own all of the time. It is a complex operation with a long recovery and rehabilitation period, requiring Harriet to learn how to walk all over again. I think with Yeppa’s help and encouragement, she will be just fine.

For those of you who will be near the nation’s capital this weekend, click here to see what’s going on…remember cherry blossoms!!! This is a great entry by Kjersti Wasiak!!!

As the story unfolds in Japan during the 1920’s, a dog named Hachiko (the faithful dog) used to meet his owner every day at the train when the man would return from work. Even after the man died, the dog continued to go to the train each day and wait for his master. He continued to do so for 10 years, until Hachiko himself passed away. This devotion between this man and his dog has been immortalized in a bronze statue that stands in the center of a busy Tokyo streetnear the spot where this dog would wait for his owner.

Now this heart warming story has been made into a movie starring and produced by Richard Gere and of course a dog named Hachiko. The story has been Americanized a bit and takes place in a New England town. It is filmed in Rhode Island and the plot revolves around a college professor who finds this be-raggled dog and the film delves into how the lives of both Gere’s character and the dog changes forever.

There is an indepth interview on CNN with Richard Gere about the film. You can watch it by clicking here.

Richard Gere found this film to be moving and emotional and fully acknowledges that the true star of this movie is not himself, but of Cody, the dog who plays Hachiko.

An interesting aspect of this film and all films that use animals is that on the set, are members of the American Humane organization. They insure that the animals are kept safe and that “no animal was harmed in the filming process”. They monitor what the dog eats, local traffic around the set, and that all conditions are condusive to the safety of the dog. Working with dogs on a set to make the dogs generate the emotions that are required of the film is often difficult, but with a good trainer, all is possible. This film was written by Vicki Shigekuni Wong and her motivation for the story began about 20 years ago when visiting Japan and hearing the story of Hachiko. She named her next dog Hachkio in honor of the beloved dog from Japan.

This film promises to be a real tear jerker and should be released some time this spring and remember, only really good films can say that “no animal was harmed.” I think this will be a great film to share with family and friends, even the four-legged ones!!!

For some great info on dog movies that became classics, check out a prior entry!!!

Everyone loves a Cocker Spaniel, but the Spaniel above is a special kind of dog known as the Boykin Spaniel. These dogs were bred to be hunting dogs and those who own Boykin Spaniels say that these animals are extremely unique in terms of personality and ability. The Boykin Spaniel has a very acute sense of smell which has endeared this dog to true hunters. These dogs are extremely active and should be walked at least once a day if not more. If bored, this dog can get destructive, so consistent exercise is needed to keep the dog happy and energized.

The Boykin spaniel grows larger than a regular Cocker Spaniel and the eyes are located higher on the Boykin than on a regular Cocker. The dog was bred to have a brown coat so that when hunting, the dog will be camouflaged while waiting on the ground.

There are some facts unique to the Boykin Spaniels. First of all, the dog is primarily bred in South Carolina and it is also the state dog of South Carolina. In 1911, a man by the name of Alexander White found a dog outside a church. The dog was pretty ragged looking. White showed the dog to his hunting partner, Whit Boykin. Boykin was impressed with the dog now known as “Dumpy”, especially when he learned that the dog showed some very strong hunting qualities. Boykin bred Dumpy with another dog and that was the beginning of the line of Boykin Spaniels.

These are not large dogs, growing to only about 30 pounds. They have a life expectancy of 12-14 years and usually have litters of about 5-7 puppies at a time. The Boykin Society was established in 1977 and the mission of the organization is to promote this breed as one specific and unique and to have it judged accordingly. It is also hoped as a result of this society that all Boykin Spaniels will become registered, thereby developing what is known as the Boykin Registry. For more about the Boykin Spaniel Society, click here.

For those who want to de-stress and use lavender to do so, check out this blog entry by Brick Oneil.

What are feral dogs? Because dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, dogs become feral when they revert to a wild state from domestication. Why does this happen? There are a lot of reasons. The efforts to get a handle of out-of- control animal reproduction have failed. Dogs have been bred to be more and more aggressive due to the increase in dog fighting activities. Some of these feral animals are abandoned pets while others were born on the streets. They don’t only exist in the cities, but in rural environments as well. Remember, dogs are pack animals and feral dogs will form packs to survive by either attacking livestock or going through garbage, but they will do it together. The danger lies in the fact that there is strength in numbers and these dogs in their packs can be very dangerous. It is estimated that $37,000,000 worth of cattle, sheep and goats were killed by feral dogs during the 1990’s. We can only imagine that the number has increased from there, as we in the U.S. are in the midst of a feral dog crisis.

Unfortunately, some of the poorest areas of the country are the worst affected, as there is relatively little veterinarian care and ineffective animal control. In North Dakota, on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, there are about 23,000 people. There are an estimated 4000 feral dogs that roam this area, some so hungry, they canabalize other dogs. One of the main pediatric complaints is from dog bites. Because the situation had gotten so drastic on the reservation, people from the International Fund of Animal Welfare along with other animal welfare groups held a 5 day clinic on the reservation where 980 cats and dogs were spayed or neutered. The policy that had existed prior to this humane effort was a shoot-and-kill policy.

Dogs from these environments can be trained and domesticated and turned into loving family pets. Some even go on to become therapy dogs. It would be wonderful if all of the feral dogs eventually had that opportunity to live a healthy and loving life, but for most, the story is quite different.

Ray Grim, founder of Stray Rescue in St. Louis goes out each day and feeds about 50 or so mutts. He says that if these animals don’t starve to death, diseases or violence from other dogs will kill them. He limits their life span to only 1-2 years. This is a national crisis. Make sure you spay or neuter your dog and encourage others to do the same. Even though you might not abandon dogs to live on their own, many others will and the better animal control that is taken, hopefully, fewer feral dogs will exist.

Check out who will be on Rachael Ray this week. (She is a very staunch dog lover and has had hers on the show!!!)

In this blog, I have always tried to stress the need to adopt your dog from a shelter or rescue organization or to purchase your dog from a legitimate breeder. We, in this country know that puppy mills exist, but most of us don’t seem to have a loud enough voice to get something done about them. For those of you who don’t know, puppy mills are places run by people who just reproduce dogs under deplorable conditions for the most profit they can make. It is said that most of the puppies found in pet shops come from puppy mills.

Well, we may now have a voice to which many will listen, because when Oprah speaks people listen. Oprah Winfrey recently dedicated one of her shows to the memory of her cocker spaniel who died on March 10, 2008. Oprah says of Sophie, “Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life.” Because of this precious memory, the show to which Sophie is dedicated is an indepth look and puppy mills and the pain and suffering that these establishments bring on to so many dogs.

Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, got Oprah’s attention along with many others, when he put up a billboard that said,”Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you.”
When speaking to Oprah, Bill said, ,” Bill tells Oprah. “I know that you’re a huge animal lover. I just thought that you would be able to spread the word and educate a lot of people.” As a result, an Oprah show with Lisa Ling and the investigator travels with Bill Smith to get a true view of puppy mills in Pennsylvania. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are over 10,000 of these horrible places across the country.

The hidden camera investigation was almost too much for viewers to handle as they watched the horrible conditions under which these dogs live and are bred. As a result of this visit, Bill Smith rescued 39 dogs, but there are so many more that will be simply put to death or die under the unsanitary and unsafe conditions where these dogs live.

The point of the show was to bring awareness to this atrocity. Mr. Smith feels that with Oprah’s voice behind the cause more people will take it seriously and perhaps get involved. In fact, Oprah’s plea to her views stated, “It is my belief that when you actually see this, America, with your own eyes,” Oprah says, “that you are not going stand for it.”

Let’s hope that Oprah doesn’t forget this memorable cause and doesn’t let America forget about it either. To view the text of the entire show, click here.

It’s the weekend and if you are up to a movie or two, catch the latest movie info in a blog by Eliza Ferree.

Tender Loving Canines is a non profit organization out of California that provides service dogs for persons with disabilities in San Diego, California. It is an all volunteer organization that supports and sustains itself through membership, grants, sponsorships and donations. They provide dogs to persons with various disabilities including mobility issues and persons with seizures. However, one of their projects that began late last year is called “Leash on Life”, which addresses the needs of those who have autism.

Children with autism have very special needs as changes in their behavior and their lack of responsiveness to human contact and communication is often a result of this condition. The first dog trained through TLCAD for this specific purpose is named Little Miss Muffet and her trainer is Karen Schultz. Dogs for this special service require training that helps to provide safety to a little girl with autism named Jolena Gonzalez. Jolena is five years old and because of her autism, she will often spontaneously run away from the family and her emotional outbursts and meltdowns make it difficult for Jolena to enjoy outside family time. Jolena will be connected to Muffet by a special vest. If Jolena begins to run away, Muffet has been trained to lay down until Jolena’s parents can intervene. However, there is much more going on between Jolena and Muffet. Muffet will also help Jolena with many things that are often difficult for children with autism. Skills that will be developed and enhanced for Jolena include cognitive development, social interaction and fine motor skills. Using Miss Muffet with Jolena has proved to be very successful.
Click here to see the video

Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs is certified by Assistance Dogs International. They truly focus on the quality of the dog provided to the people that need them rather than the quantity of dogs they can train. Their method includes one trainer working with one dog that eventually works with one family that needs the dog. All dogs are provided free of charge to those apply and are approved.

Check out a cute entry about a man with cats.

In my entry yesterday about Cinnamon, the dog saved and adopted by serviceman Mark Feffer, I spoke about Mark’s sister, Christine Sullivan. Check it out by clicking here. She wrote a book about Cinnamon’s journey to America and how the dog was almost lost forever. After contacting Christine, I ordered her book, “44 Days out of Kandahar: The Amazing Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desprate Search to find Her” and I look forward to reading the details of this inspiring story and hopefully conducting an interview with the author that I will write about later.

In a return e-mail from Ms. Sullivan, she asked if I could bring attention to the cause of Operation Baghdad Pups. This is an initiative of the SPCA International to help bring pets (both dogs and cats) to the USA and out of wartorn Afghanistan and Iraq. The conditions for these animals are deplorable. Many are found starving and near death. Many servicemen “adopt” these dogs and share their lives with them. However, once the troops have to move on, they have to leave their new companions behind as military regulations do not allow for dog transport and ownership. The efforts of SPCA International through Baghdad Pups is to bring as many of these dogs home as possible. Check out the video here to see.

Bringing these dogs home to the United States is no easy endeavor. The dogs must have been vaccinated for a period of at least 30 days prior to their departure from Iraq. If the dogs have to be transported to another country prior to departure for the United States they are required to be quarantined for at least 30 additional days. During that time, the dogs have to be fed and boarded before they will be able to get on a plane for the next leg of their journey. Airfare for the dogs directly from Iraq can be as much as $1200.00. If the dogs have an indirect journey, they costs can be much higher.

These dogs have kept many of our troops safe and provided comfort to these men and women so far from home. Please help in any way you can. Go to the website and check it out. You won’t be sorry you did and you may be able to help both our servicemen/women and their dogs along the way.

With all of the entries I have written about the dogs subject to war conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, probably one of the most interesting, touching and inspiring stories I have come across is “44 Days out of Kandahar”. The story is about a dog named Cinnamon and her life. The story is told by author Christine Sullivan and you can get an idea of the magnitude of emotions that exist within this book simply from the title, “44 Days out of Kandahar: The Amazing Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desprate Search to find Her”

Cinnamon was an army base mascot for a U.S military base in the war ridden Afghanistan territories. The puppy, Cinnamon was precious to the many men and women who served on this military base. However, Mark Feffer (brother of Christine Sullivan), a soldier on this military base was concerned for the safety and welfare of Cinnamon once the troop rotation took place. Would there be someone to care for Cinnamon? Would the dog be safe, fed and healthy?

Mark and his wife Alice decided to adopt Cinnamon and bring her home. They were diligent in their preparations, insuring that the dogs medical exams, shots and certificates were all complete. They arranged for an experienced dog handler to travel with Cinnamon and deliver her to the U.S. The plane was due to arrive on a Friday afternoon in Chicago, but when the plane arrived, Cinnamon was missing. The experienced dog handler had abandoned Cinnamon in a foreign country and had never told a soul. The utter panic that resulted from that information must have been horrible for Feffer and his wife.

The story that Christine Sullivan tells is Cinnamon’s true story. You will read about the incredible international search for a dog that had already touched the hearts of so many. Christine’s book and her efforts to help her brother find Cinnamon has evolved in an even greater effort. New Hope for Animals will be funded through the purchase of this book about Cinnamon. The monies raised from the sale of the book will go to help animals in need. Currently Christine and Mark are partnering with SPCA International in a project called Operation Baghdad Pups. This project recognizes the dangers these dogs face everyday in the hostile war torn Middle East environments. Operation Baghdad Pups raises money to help bring those dogs to safety and into the arms of the many servicemen and women who have cared and loved these animals.

Check out Cinnamon’s story via youtube video, by clicking here.

Go on Christine’s website; learn more about Cinnamon, buy the book and help!!!

In lieu of the war, if you want to read some great political commentary, check out fellow blogger, Bob Betzen.