Maybe clip that leash instead of hitting your dog with it?

Hanging out by our mailbox

Me and Copley were out for a short walk around our neighborhood and had a terrifying experience.  I live in a suburban community, but it is still pretty tight quarters.  There are no sidewalks in my homeowners association and the houses are packed together.  The thing you need to take away from this information is that it is an on leash area for sure.  I am all for letting dogs run around in rural areas where it is appropriate, but my neighborhood is not one of those places.

Well I had Copley on a leash and we were headed to the mailbox down the street.  Between my house and the mail boxes there was a man standing with two large dogs, one tan and one black.  I'm not sure what they were, but they were tall.  Perhaps giant shepherds of some kind or something crossed with a big sight hound maybe?  The breed is not important to this story, the size is though.  As we approach the man starts yelling at the dogs angrily and pulls his leash out of his pocket.  I stopped to give him a chance to leash up the dog closest to him, it was sitting right next to him in easy reach.  Instead of clipping the leash to the easily accessible dog collar he starts angrily yelling at the dog and hitting him with the leash.  Not a gentle attention getting tap or anything, but hitting him.

I think this is the time I should say that based on what this guy and these dogs were wearing, I would bet this man fancies himself a "dog trainer."  These two were in vests with handles, and wearing around their necks the pinch collar/large black flat buckle collar combo that you might see on a police dog.  If you need all these thing to control your dog, why isn't a leash attached to at least one of them?  The man had cargo pants and a pouch that I imagine were not at all full of treats- as he clearly was using other (obviously ineffective) methods here, but still screamed "tough man trains tough dogs!"

Well the tan dog that is being hit with a leash finally runs away from his person and over to us.  He stopped facing me and Copley about 5 feet away, staring Copley down.  It was the frozen, terrifying stare that you read about in books.  Meanwhile the guy just continues his angry screaming.  I tried to assess my options here.  Picking Copley up was not going to work, as bending forward was only going to provoke an attack I figured.  The dog was huge, it's giant muzzle was level with my chest so if this fight happened I was probably screwed too.  I didn't have the mace I carry on walks because I was just headed to the mailbox.  This really could have been a disaster really quick here.  The fur was starting to go up on Copley's back and this tan dog ever so gently and silently began to curl his lip.  In what had to have looked comically opposite to the other mans method here I just calmly and cheerfully said "Copley!  Come on."  I have to give Copley some credit here, that dog always comes through for me in a pinch.  I want him to get his feet off a chair and you would think he was deaf, but in case of imminent dog attack or pigeon in the house he listens like a champ.  As I said Copley he looked at me and as I cheerfully asked him to move along we stepped sideways out of this dogs glare and walked away briskly at an angle.  By this time the man came over to grab the tan dog and was angrily yelling at it and glaring at me as I was saying "good dog!" to Copley.

Then here comes the black dog jogging down the street at us.  Luckily this one was much friendlier and assumed the "I sniff your but you sniff mine" position with Copley.  I was not thrilled about this as Copley's hackles were still up and he was clearly a little uncomfortable from our last encounter.  This dog was so tall that Copley fit all the way under him and as I was trying to figure a way to pull him out without us getting tangled up (I only had a 4 foot leash to work with and I didn't want to drop it if I didn't have to) I look down and see Copley comically wincing as this dogs giant balls hit him in the face.  It was the only hilarious part of this whole experience.

We took a quick turn around the corner and loitered at the mailbox for a long time to give the dogs a chance to move along.  I have not seen them since and it has been a few days.  Hopefully they were just visitors to the neighborhood. 

P.S.- A few resources if you are either the guy hitting his dogs for no reason in the name of "training" (indicating you might want to learn a little about the real science behind dog behavior) or if you think you might run into someone like that on the street (at least one of you will have some read on what the dog is thinking).  My favorite behaviorist Particia McConnell has some great books The Other End of the Leash and For The Love of a Dog  Those two taught me a lot of what I know about dog body language and have helped me so much in my interactions with our dogs and dogs out in the world over the years.  

Or find a local positive reinforcement based trainer and take a class.

Happy Adoption Day Nova Bear!

I can't believe it has been two years since Nova came into our lives.  Two years since she was handed to me at a vets office as they warned me not to take her.  Two years since her bony little body shivered in the back of my car crate and I put on gloves to get her out.  Two years since we realized she was not adoptable, she was not a foster dog- she had landed in her forever home.  Two years ago we wondered if she would ever stand up straight, if she would ever eat in front of us, if she would ever pick up a toy.  Looking back on that time I'm not sure exactly what we were thinking was going to happen.  Personally I did not have a lot of faith in what kind of dog she was going to turn into.  I just knew that there was something about her that I knew deserved a chance, I knew Copley loved her immediately and more unconditionally than any dog he had ever met before and I knew she was family.  Not even metaphorical family- she was found within a mile of where Kerri was dumped and other than her height they look identical so who knows?

I was worried about her, and worried she would never adjust to living inside with humans.  I talked to our trainers and they helped, our vet came the house and had so much faith in her- maybe the most of anyone.  Still, the first week we had her this was what we saw-

Then she started standing up and walking around so we expanded her world to this pen-

Where she made a best friend

 

Then relaxed just a little bit and celebrated her first Christmas inside with a family.  She had a stocking and her Grandparents sent her gifts.  More importantly to her she was warm, and safe and full

 

Then tail tucked, backed into a corner she started eating in front of us

Four months later she played with me for the first time- with that green bone.

Slowly but surely she made progress.   Every day we worked on clicker tricks and she got more and more confident.  Then one day she let me pet her.  Just a little scratch under the chin.  Then a little later she sat next to me on the couch.  Then I pet her some more and before I knew it she was coming over to be pet every day.  Finally one day about a month later she realized she was not just a feral dog, she was a chihuahua!  And my lap has looked like this ever since-

With her nickname being changed from "Cheney" to "Snuggle Muffin" she celebrated her second Christmas with us.

 She even had a Secret Santa-

 

Then she started taking fun trips to the park

She took her first vacation- where we broke down and everyone got a little bit hot

Next she graduated obedience class

And finally she is all snuggled up ready for her third Christmas as a member of our little family

Some things are still a struggle for Nova but every day she gets better, even now two years later.  These days more often than not she is frolicking with her sister, cuddling on my lap or dropping all the toys in the house behind the couch.  She knows many tricks and loves learning so much I have to hide the clicker when we are not using it.  There is barely a trace of the scared little dog I brought home that first day.  I am so grateful to be Nova's person, she has taught me so much as we worked together to turn this scared dog-

 Into this silly, happy, smart and beautiful one!  (Who is perhaps a little pushy when she wants to play with her sister)

So happy adoption day Nova!  Also thank you to everyone with A Home For Spot (who still know her as Tire Store Chihuahua) who helped trap her and get her to me, particularly Diana, who trusted me with the more difficult dogs like Nova.  I am also forever grateful to my husband who slept on the ground in her pen for a month when she was too scared to go upstairs but unhappy when she was alone and loves her just as much as all our other dog even though she still wont let him pet her.

P.S.- For more adorable Nova pictures follow us on Facebook or Instagram @doginthedesert  In addition to being cute in real life Nova is very photogenic and gets a lot of posts dedicated to her adorable face on there!

We Are Making Progress!

I meant to include it in the last post, but I wanted to give you an update on my recent post We Cracked the Nova Code!  Ben is now wearing a strongly scented antiperspirant and Polo "Sexy" cologne and it seems to be working.  Nova is for the first time in a year approaching him and cuddling between us on the couch.  I am actually trying to slow her down a little bit here because she is getting in over her head.  She will see Kerri go over and get pet, then run over to Ben as if to say "pet me."  The problem is that when he looks at her she will often growl and run away.  She is conflicted and does not know what to do, so I am trying to giver her options before she starts to get upset.  Like with all things Nova this is a learning moment for both of us and I am trying to balance her new found bravery with enough caution that she does not get in over her head.  Hopefully this will all lead to a better relationship between Ben and Nova.  He wants so bad to be a part of her life (down on their luck chihuahuas were his thing in the first place, not mine) but I was beginning to doubt they would ever move past peacefully ignoring each other.  Who would have thought the answer was behind a perfume counter at a department store?

We Cracked The Nova Code

My apologies to all the friends I have secretly sniffed in trying to solve this puzzle.  For the record before this started I did not associate you with any particular scent (except maybe my Mom) and none of you smelled unpleasant, overwhelming, or like you wore too much (or too little) perfume or deodorant.  So sorry I had to investigate your smells to solve my dogs behavior issues. 

Nova likes some people a lot, she is neutral to most, and a very few people she just hates.  Since we got her it has been a bit of our mission to figure out what it is about those certain people that bothers her.  Our curiosity actually has a direct practical use because one of her hated people is my husband who not only loves her very much and would like to be her buddy, but also has to live with her.

Most people, an an attempt to be helpful, have suggested that she either does not like men, or the people who she doesn't like remind her of a person who abused her.  Thing is I really don't think she was ever abused.  I think that because she did not grow up around any people we are as scarey to her as any apex predator would be to any 6 pound wild animal.  People approaching her and then in the end trapping her probably didn't help her love of humans in general, but really in the end she was caught not by a specific person but in a cat trap with no one around and that is clearly the bigger trauma (or at least she shows a lot of psychological damage from that one).  It is a little annoying because instead of being helpful people just INSIST that she was abused, but really she shows no signs of it.

Also it is not men because her favorite person on the planet is a man, and one of her least favorite people is a woman.  In fact her least favorite people are different races, different sexes and are vastly different weights (one is a tiny twig of a woman and one is a huskier dude).  WHAT COULD THESE PEOPLE POSSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON???????

Well I got to thinking.  I don't think they remind her of a specific person from her past due to what I explained above.  So what if it is something the liked people have in common?  Or what if it is something more general?  What if some people are just more "people-ey" to her?  Maybe to her I am a strange alien species that abducted her and Ben is a human just like the humans she encountered on the street.  So I thought about that, and thought about that, and thought some more.  Time passed and I was back to thinking that maybe she hated people she met at 2 in the afternoon, or on a full moon or anything else.  Then months later my in laws were visiting (for the record Nova loved my mother in law, let my father in law pet her on the chin and was neutral to Ben's brother).  I'm not putting too much stock in the love of Ben's Mom because she is really pretty good with animals (having been a vet) and she literally dripped food out of her pockets/plates/bags into Nova's mouth.  It was a strategy that won over Nova and I think that at this point in her rehab she would be ok with anyone providing food in the house who I approved of.  It was not her winning over actions, but a comment she made that got me thinking.  She said "it could be something totally random like she doesn't like their deodorant."

BINGO!

I called her other hated people- and like a crazy person I asked them what deodorant they wore and what shampoo they used.  I was so excited until it all came crashing down.  Toms of Maine Apricot, Lush Powder, Suave 2 in 1, a generic shampoo for sensitive scalps...  Nothing matched up and I was off to square one.  Looking back it was so obvious.  So obvious it is painful.

A few days later we picked up one of Nova's favorite people and he got in the car.  Then I smelled it.  Old Spice.  I remembered how much she loved my Mom, and how I think of my mom every time I walk past a perfume counter at Macy's.  Then I thought of the perfume I sprayed on that morning.  Then I thought of all the products of the people who she hated.  THEY WERE ALL UNSCENTED!  Or at least "naturally" and mildly scented.  They were not antiperspirants, they were free and clear.  THEY SMELLED LIKE PEOPLE!  I smell like Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, my Mom smells like Elizabeth Arden Sunflower, her favorite person smells like Old Spice (he claims he does not actually wear the scent but apparently the deodorant smells enough that I got a whiff of it in my car so that's enough for Nova I am sure), another favorite person smells like Secret Powder Fresh.  They are not strong smells, but to a dog they must be very obvious.  I think the biggest factor is actually the deodorant, an antiperspirant with any stronger scent that we people might never smell would read loud an clear to a dog while still masking the regular people odor.

This makes me laugh because a while back we were throwing ideas around and thought maybe Nova hated hardcore environmentalists.  It was the only thing that was sort of in common among the people she disliked, but it didn't ever go anywhere at the time.  Turns out we were kinda right.  Wear ethically made in the USA organic deodorant and that dog is going to try to drive out out of her house.

Now the big question is will this make any difference in our daily life?  Has the damage been done or is Ben going to walk into the shower one day and emerge a different species according to Nova?  No way of telling until we give it a go, but I am waiting until we are prepared to do it all out before trying.

Now I am off to get some deodorant and matching cologne for my husband.  Any suggestions?  I am thinking Cartier.  Go big or go home right?

Nova Update!

Since I am stuck on the cell phone for blogging right now (ya know- sitting backstage at the theatre waiting for one of Kerri's cues) I thought it might be time for a little Nova update.

It has been almost 8 months since Nova was trapped behind the tire store, 9 months since her puppies died, and about 7 since she came here.  When I put it like that it is actually pretty amazing how far she has come.  Lets start with her health status right now.  For starters she finally has a full set of straight whiskers.  When she came here her whiskers were very curly and brittle.  If you pulled on them too hard they fell right out.  My personal theory on this is that she robbed her body of all fatty acids in order to develop the brains of her puppies.  She was eating mostly cockroaches and trash as far as I can tell.  In the last few months, for her pregnancy and maybe a bit before she was being thrown occasional food from the workers at the tire store.  I assume this meant dog food, but actually I am not entirely sure.  Even if it was dog food I am confident it was just the cheap stuff you can buy at the gas station.  No matter I bet it was not really enough to sustain healthy puppy growth.  A few months on a good diet of mostly local, mostly grass fed cattle and other critters, with a good dose of green lipped muscle oil for Omega 3s and she is like a different dog.  Smooth, soft coat just like Kerri, straight long whiskers and a healthy weight.  She is also now on a supplement for tendon support to help with her luxating patellas and poor structure.  The theory is that her joints did not form the best because of a combination of genetics and poor nutrition.  The good news is that now with this diet and supplements she is much more stable.  When before she was skipping once every 20 or so steps, now she goes whole days without me seeing a limp at all.  I am confident that there is no need for any surgical fixes in the near future.

As far as her behavior goes things keep going in a generally positive direction, or at least not going backwards.  She continues to excel at clicker training.  We have mastered sit, down, high five, touch and crawl.  She LOVES the clicker because it is something that is predictable, consistent and she has control over it.

Her relationships with people seems to be improving- but she still has trouble with Ben.  We are working on it, and it has been slow going.  I don't worry that she will bite him anymore, but every time he talks or moves around the house she starts barking/growling and goes on the defense.  I control this by crating her a good bit when we know it is going to happen and we can't deal with it.  When Ben is able to deal with it we have had to resort to the spray bottle.  First I tried spraying her for barking/attacking him but that made her very nervous.  We have settled on Ben spraying her.  I am not entirely sure how much good it is doing for her love of him- but she was getting to the point of actually attacking him and we needed to stop that at pretty much all costs.  It is impossible to live in a house with a dog trying to rip your legs up.  The more confident she gets about the house the more defensive she started getting with him, luckily the spray bottle has put that to an end here.

If anyone has any suggestions about dealing with selective human agression like this please let me know.  The answer however IS NOT "she hates men."  For some reason everyone I talk to is just *convinced* that I need to socialize her to more men.  If that is true explain our neighbors who she takes treats from, or her favorite person on the planet (a man).  The problem is not men, the problem is Ben.

Ben is really the last big hurdle we need to solve.  Other than trying to attack my husband at every turn Nova is a really fun dog to have around.  She is smart, cunning, funny, playful, smart, fun to teach and did I mention smart?  Her and Kerri are practically twins, sleeping together, playing together, acting the same- those two just crack me up.  I am hoping that once a year comes around we will be in a decent place.  The next big decision is when to start obedience class... would be good for her to get out but I don't want her to totally freak.

That bring us to our last issue.  Nova is getting bored and we all know what happens when smart dogs get bored.  It is extremely hot out and Copley and Kerri have been getting walks at higher elevations and on the treadmill.  Neither of those things are options for Nova because she is intensely scared of the treadmill and walks... well...  Before it got super hot out we worked on going on short walks  but I really can't get her much farther than the little park down the street right now.  I am happy with that- she is going a little farther every week and her level of comfort outside has gone up a lot, but it isn't exactly satisfying her need for stimulation.  In better weather we would be making a lot more progress but in 110+ degree weather we can only do so much.

If anyone has made it this far thanks for listening to my trials and tribulations as the owner of a feral dog.  Perhaps once this whole thing is done I should write a book about it. 

(Did I just say done?  That's funny.)

Nova Played With Me!!!!

Stop the presses, be still my heart, party like there is no tomorrow and every other celebratory cliche out there!  For a few days Nova has been bringing me toys and play bowing.  I know that was a small step in a big direction for her.  I would reach down to grab the toy just like I do with Kerri and as soon as I moved she would bolt.  Well today I gave the dogs this bone.  It has a squeaker but it is really quiet so Nova likes it.  She brought it over to me wagging her body and play bowing.  I went down to grab it and she just playfully hopped back.  As I grabbed it she pounced on my hand and made on of those adorable chihuahua playing noises.  I reached up and tussled the side of her muzzle then pulled my hand back and she pounced on me again.  Then I grabbed the toy and threw it.  Nova ran after it then the neighbor opened his garage door and she ran into the other room.

That people is why I rescue dogs.  They give back to you just when you need it the most.  You may have noticed my absence from this blog lately.  It is because our human family has experienced some hard times.  Since the middle of the month I have been in Florida for the passing of my amazing Grandmother.  I have not been the same since I came back a few days ago and I know the dogs can tell.  Maybe Nova could see that just like her my world also was flipped upside down and I needed a little something to warm my heart.  More likely it was just something that had been coming and today was just the day.  No matter what the reason I am so happy about it.  This means there IS a real dog in that little body.  Every day she keeps making these little improvements and they just give me so much hope.

Nova's New Outfit

Nova's sporting a new outfit around the house these days.  She is wearing her beautiful and stylish XS Thundershirt and while we are home she will be dragging behind her a matching shoelace!

That is Nova giving me the evil eye for making her wear this ensemble.

Why am I torturing her so?  Well our trainer came by the other day and we decided it was time that Nova was forced to be a little more involved with the family.  Right now it is hard to force her to interact with us because as soon as she sees we want her to do something she runs and hides.  In order to be able to work with her more we are going to attach a long line to her collar when we are home (only when we are home, because it obviously is a huge strangulation hazard).  That way when we want to do something with her I don't have to go chasing after her and grab her.  I think it will actually help her be more independent in the long run because she will be forced to do a lot more on her own this way.  For instance when we go up to bed she will be able to walk with me up the stairs instead of me carrying her.  That brings me to the thundershirt!  With this new way of reeling Nova in I am now able to put the thundershirt on her without a long stressful chase.  If everything goes well I am going to have her wear it for most of the day because it really does help. 

We are using two boot shoelaces tied together for the long line.  It is about 6 feet long and seems to be relatively unobtrusive.  I have had to untangle it a time or two but overall the shoelace seems to be good at not getting caught.

This is a good step in the right direction for Nova.  It is good news that she finally is comfortable enough for us to force her to do more on her own but it is also a lot more work for us.  Not to worry though- I am happy to put in the work for this little one.

The Yellow Dog Project

You may have seen this graphic making the rounds on social networking sites lately.  I think it is a pretty clever idea.  Wouldn't it be great if we had a signal that said "woah there- don't come running up to me and my dog."  Even those of us with even tempered calm dogs have days when we are training and don't want other dogs running up to us.  Once Nova is brave enough to walk out the front door I am going to be implementing this.  With my neighborhood though I might invest in a giant blinking sign that says STAY AWAY SCARED DOG.  But that is another story.  Spread the word- if enough people find out about this it just might work.

Like the Yellow Dog Project on Facebook
Visit The Yellow Dog Project on the web

Nova Update

Hey everybody!  This is going to be a bit of a dry post.  I really want to keep track of Nova's progress, and what we are doing.  I guess I could keep it in a journal but perhaps it will be helpful to others rehabbing a scared/under-socialized dog.  Keep in mind I have NO IDEA what I am doing here.  I am not a professional and when I have trouble I either call one or read a book on it.  Unfortunately there are not many books on this.  In fact most seem to say this in one way or another; "before you decide to adopt a scared or under socialized dog think very hard about it.  It is a bad idea.  They will probably bite you.  Don't do it.  You doing it?  Yeah, your an idiot.  But hey- if it works out they will love you forever."  So that's that.

Lets get to Nova day by day.

1. Friday December 7th:  This was Nova's first day.  Her rear legs were still wrapped up and she was very scared.  She wouldn't leave the crate but I gave her a pee pad and water in there.  I knew she wouldn't eat with me around, so when I left for an hour I put in 4oz of cooked chicken coated in a pro-biotic digestive enhancer and some calcium supplement made for home-made diets.  When we came home she had peed all over herself so we took her out and cleaned the crate up a little bit.  While I was doing that I put her on the couch next to me and she did cuddle up to me and the other dogs a little bit.  I think she was just scared and cold because that was the most actual contact she has tolerated since being here.  Our potty training plan had not developed at this point but she did make a run for it out of the crate and huddled next to it.  She peed there- and while that seems like a bad thing I think it was a good sign.  Even with the pad in her giant crate she really, really does not want to use the bathroom in her living area meaning she will be easy to housetrain!  Win one for us.
2. Saturday December 8th: A lot of the same as Friday, she stayed in the crate the whole day and today I gave her 5oz of cooked chicken with supplements (weighed before I cooked it).  She ate it while I hid in the garage.  Today I also picked up some Wellness 95% meat cans and have been giving her a Kong stuffed with the 95% Chicken every time I leave.  She did get up and sniff Kerrigan and was showing a little life.  Unfortunately I had to grab Nova and take her to the vet for a bandage change on her back feet.  I was able to corner her in the crate and grab her but it was a traumatic event for her.
3. Sunday December 9th.  Sunday was a good day.  Nova was still hesitant with me around but I guess while I was out for a few hours she ran around and played with Kerrigan!  She also started taking treats from Ben and particularly likes these crunchy Zukes treats I got.  While I was out I got a thundershirt- that is a whole post of its own.  But the good news is that it worked.  I put it on her and she came out and was hanging on the couch near me.  Today I only seared her 5oz of chicken a little bit, it was her first mostly raw meal and she ate it with me in the other room.\
4. Monday December 10th: Today I had to catch Nova again to get her to the vets for a bandage change and to get her stitches out.  She was pretty shy but was ok when I grabbed her.  Unfortunately she ignored me for the rest of the day.  She did grab a moose antler and drag it out of the toy box to chew on.  That was exciting because she was brave enough to do it and also because Copley let her chew on it without getting grumpy.  He really seems to feel for Nova and is more tolerant of her than he usually is, almost treating her like a puppy.  Today was also when we decided we were keeping her for sure.  She also ate 5oz of raw, bone-in Cornish game hen, her first official raw meal!  She chomped it like a champ.  I think Nova is used to eating whatever she can get her paws on without a whole lot of opportunity to be picky.
5. Tuesday December 11th:  This was a lot of the same but we did have one breakthrough!  Some friends from out of town came over and Nova was very curious about them.  She has taken to sitting on the couch next to us as long as we don't touch her but she was accepting being pet on the butt very well.  Ben took the opportunity to gently scoop her up and she snuggled into his arms for a bit.  Eventually something spooked her and she ran away but I think it was the first time she actually enjoyed the warm and petting that came with being held.  I even have photographic evidence!  It is only cell phone pictures because I turn off the sound and flash so she isnt startled.

 There is the Nova update, I am only behind by 11 days now...

Nova

We volunteer for a local dog rescue.  As you might remember that is how Ben fell in love with Chihuahuas and we got Kerrigan.  Well down on their luck chis are sort of our soft spot over here.  I saw a picture of this girl and I immediately offered to foster her (can you guess why?).  Funny thing is the picture said she was a he, but that is neither here nor there.  It turns out that this girl and her two dead puppies were found in the back of a tire store where they had been living for at least a few weeks.  She was caught and brought to a vets office but they were filling up for holiday boarding and she needed somewhere to go.  The rescue warned me that she might be a runner and to watch my front door so I knew she might be a bit scared, but when I showed up I saw the most frightened chihuahua I have ever seen in my life.  This little girl is just a shaking pile of defeated dog.  From the way she acts at home it is apparent she has never lived in a house before and everything scares her.  

The far dog is Nova
 

I knew immediately she was not a foster dog, she was a forever dog.  She needs a home with stable dogs her size, no children now or ever, a person who is home a lot, and owners with lots of dog experience.  She needs a secure yard and no access to the front door, and while money is not everything she could certainly use someone who can afford a behaviorist and later group classes.  She needs a home where everyone in it is 100% on board and all of the family members love dogs, and people who realize it may be years or never before she is confident enough to be in a busy place.  How many homes are like that?  Mine is so she is staying.  Nova has been let down for the last time.  The people who she learns to love next will be the ones she grows old with.

I realize you can not rescue every dog.  I have let many fosters I love dearly, some even with special needs, go to their forever homes so I can do it.  I can recognize that dogs need our help not our pity and that being a foster failure means I can help less dogs in the future but Nova is special.  She is ours.

Incred-a-bulls!

Copley hanging with a bully friend

Copley doesn't see breeds- he just sees the butt of another friend

I am pretty sure most of my readers out there are small dog owners- and I am too.  One of the things that strikes me about a lot of small dog owners is that they always have a story like "I never would had gotten a dog this small but..."  I have a story like that too.  The path that led me to chihuahuas was a long one that also led me to love the other most neglected and misjudged breed in this city.  I have written about that before.  In honor of those "pit bulls" who taught me all dogs are just dogs- no matter what they looked like I teamed up with my friend Jesica to talk a little about pit bull type dogs and how she is working to help them in our community.  

In 2011, after spending some time working as a volunteer in the Las Vegas animal welfare community, Jesica Clemens was compelled to start the nonprofit organization that came to be known as Incred-A-Bull. The inspiration for the group were her two recently adopted “pit bull” dogs and the dozens of medium sized, muscular, short-haired, big headed dog she had the pleasure of working with while volunteering and fostering. 

Jesica talks a little about why she started the organization and where it is headed today- “In my time working and living with these dogs, it seems as if there are two groups of people when it comes to 'pit bulls'. There are the lovers, people who have, had or know other bullies and are drawn to them like magnets, as they have seen first-hand what these dogs are really about. LOVE! And then there are those who lack first-hand experience or take the stories in the press at face value. And avoid us like the plague! That is something I felt was unjust and wanted to change. I thought education was a great place to start.” explained Clemens. The idea behind the organization was simple, and the mission soon became, “To restore the positive image of 'pit bull' dogs through education, advocacy and low cost services such as spay and neuter.”

During the relatively short time the organization has been in existence, Incred-A-Bull has already begun to make an impact in their community, by encouraging responsible ownership practices and asking the public to put aside their preconceived notions and see each dog, no matter its appearance as an individual. Some of their programs and activities include a low cost spay and neuter program, a 5 week obedience class for dogs of any kind called Fun with Obedience, pairing basic skills with an introduction to agility, a meetup group aimed at building a community of responsible dog owners working to end breed discrimination, educational outreach offerings and a petition initiative in support of a revision to NRS 202.500. The revision to the statute that addresses dogs considered to be dangerous or vicious would add language making it unlawful to enforce or enact any measure based solely on the appearance or perceived breed of a dog. In a nutshell, it would prohibit Breed Specific Legislation, also known as BSL in the state of Nevada. While many people believe BSL is a “pit bull” issue, that is far from the case. Across the country dogs affected by BSL include German Shepherds, Dalmatians, Saint Bernards and Chihuahuas. The point being, if we allow the discriminatory practices to become accepted public policy, no dog is safe.

The biggest challenge the organization faces in accomplishing their mission is dispelling the myths about these dogs that have made their way into the psyche of the general public. So, we thought we would take a look at some of the most common misconceptions.  In typical Dog In the Desert fashion we will do that with pictures too.

  

Myth #1: Pit bulls have poor temperaments, making them dangerous. 

The American Temperament Test Society has put tens of thousands of dogs, varying in breed, through multi part temperament tests since their inception in 1977. The ATTS has set the standard for uniform temperament evaluations across the United States. The average score among all tested breeds is 81.6%, the American Pit Bull Terrier tests at 86.8%. Here are just some of their findings, 100% being a perfect score: Border Collie 81.3%, Chihuahua 68.3%, Labrador Retriever 92.3% and the Lhasa Apso 70.4%.

 

Myth #2: Pit bulls have locking jaws.

In a University of Georgia study, Dr. I Lehr Brisbin reported,” We have found that the American Pit Bull Terrier did not have any unique mechanism that would allow these dogs to lock their jaws. The few studies which have been conducted on the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of the pit bull show that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology is no different than that of any breed of dog.”

Myth #3: Pit bulls are aggressive towards other animals, especially dogs.

Each dog is an individual and has its own level of tolerance for other dogs and animals. Dog aggression is not a black and white issue. Each dog, regardless of breed or type, exhibits different tolerance levels based on genetic predisposition and past experience. Pit bulls are in the terrier group, making them less tolerant of poor social behavior and some have a high prey drive. Conversely, there are many pit bulls who peacefully exist with animals of all shapes, sizes and species. 

Want to learn more on the issues surrounding these misunderstood dogs and the organization? Visit their website at www.Incred-A-Bull.org  The group is run solely by dedicated volunteers, they pay no salaries, and all donations are used to keep their programs up and running. All donations are tax deductible, and they accept both money and merchandise that they can resell. Incred-A-Bull is always looking for talented people dedicated to restoring the image of such wonderful dogs. If you are interested in volunteering please contact them today! 

Most importantly I hope all my readers can take some time to get to know a pit bull-type dog, you wont regret it!  And thank you Jesica and Incred-a-bull for helping me put together this post.

The Zoo

Remember this post where I had a great idea about taking pictures at the zoo and talking about our dogs wild cousins.  Well I also promised that I would be going to another zoo to take pictures because all of the dogs/wolves/foxes were hiding at the first zoo.  Well it turns out that the problem was not the heat, dog-like creatures just make for bad viewing at zoos.  I had my break through about this while photographing a monkey. 

I asked myself "why are all the monkeys so interesting and the dogs are not?"  Then I hit myself in the side of the face.  For being so stupid.  Primates love eye contact, they, like us, take the world on face first.  Dogs hate eye contact with unfamiliar people and animals, approach others from the side and usually greet nose to but.  So guess what?  They put their butts to you at the zoo because making eye contact with a million new people walking by every day would just be no fun.  At least that is my read on the situation.

So here is a picture of a monkey.  He was very, very interested in staring directly into the lens of my camera.  Try getting your dog to stare that deeply into something that looks like a dilated pupil.