These four kittens were rescued and reunited with their mother. (Photo: Celia Hammond/Facebook)
The owner of a dry-cleaning shop got a surprise recently when he heard crying and mewing from the back of one of his machines. Fortunately, this on-the-ball dry-cleaner called an animal rescue squad who rescued the four small kittens and reunited them with their mother.
According to the BBC , the dry cleaning shop where the kittens were found is located in Forest Gate, a residential suburb of London. The shop owner called animal rescuers from the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, a local animal rescue center, to help identify the source of the sounds.
Rescuers dismantled the tumble dryer where the noises were coming from and found four small ginger kittens inside. They also located the kittens’ mother when they noticed a distressed cat pacing outside the shop.
The shop owner told rescuers that a nearby resident had moved and left the pregnant cat behind. That poor distressed mama clearly needed a warm, dry place to give birth and she found it inside the dry-cleaning tumble machine.
One of the animal rescuers noted on their Facebook page that the kittens were in bad shape when they were found, “[w]hen we picked them up they were filthy, covered in grease and dirt and had been breathing carbon tetrachloride fumes since they were born in the back of the machine.”
Thankfully, the kittens and their mother are now being well cared for in a foster home.
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One might ponder about the kittens having a clean start to their young lives! (Sorry!)
Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
Those words above are attributed to Mother Teresa and I have no reason to doubt that.
George Monbiot
I selected them because they seemed to capture the mood that flowed out at me from a recent essay by George Monbiot.
Many will know George for he is a British writer very well-known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books.
Way back in the early days of this blog I was moved to republish some of GM’s essays and sought his permission to do just that. He responded promptly giving me blanket permission to republish any of his essays.
Now it’s a long time since I have availed myself of that permission for the simple reason that so very often George writes about matters that are tough to read and I choose not to share with you because there’s no shortage of tough commentaries about today’s world. That’s no criticism, actual or implied, into George Monbiot’s integrity as a reporter and writer.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 3rd October 2016
Two years ago, I wrote a column for the Guardian in which I argued that what distinguishes our age from those preceding it is an epidemic of loneliness. Throughout human history, we have been hyper-social animals, dependent on each other for both physical and psychic survival. Thomas Hobbes’s claim – that our natural state is a war of “every man against every man” – is a myth proposed by someone whose understanding of human evolution was confined to the book of Genesis. But the myth is now being realised through the religion of our time: a celebration of extreme individualism and universal competition. The resulting loneliness, I argued, is a deadly condition, which kills as many people as smoking or obesity.
To my astonishment, the article exploded, and the ripples can still be felt today. A documentary it inspired, called the Age of Loneliness, aired recently on BBC1. Several publishers asked me to write books on the topic, but I could think of nothing more depressing than spending three years sitting on my backside, documenting social isolation. There was plenty I wanted to say on the topic. But how?
A few weeks later, I dashed out to buy some screws from a hardware shop. Ahead of me in the queue was an elderly woman. She lent on the counter, dithering about what she wanted and trying to engage the sales assistants in a riveting conversation about her state of health. Stuck behind her, I quietly fumed: it seemed as if she would never leave.
But as I cycled home, and my frustration ebbed away, I saw what should have been obvious: here was a person who seemed desperately lonely. “Where’s your empathy?”, I asked myself. “Isn’t that what you were writing about?”. What if that conversation was the only one she would have all day? I felt guilty about my feelings in the shop.
When I returned to my desk, I began dashing out a rough poem about a woman living with little to keep her company but memories, who goes to the shops in the hope that she might talk to someone, but discovers that the tills have been replaced with automatic checkouts. As I wrote, it seemed to me that it was trying to become something else: a ballad. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with the topic: I wanted to write an album.
There were just a couple of minor hitches. I can’t read music, I don’t play an instrument and my singing is banned under international law. But I knew who to ask.
I first heard Ewan McLennan while listening to Late Junction on Radio 3, in 2011. I was transfixed by his voice, his playing and what seemed to be an almost supernatural ability to find the heart of a song. He was just 25. I bought his first album, Rags and Robes, and listened to it over and again. Three years later, I heard him interviewed by Mary Ann Kennedy, whose programmes I’ve followed since she began broadcasting on Radio Scotland. He spoke with the same ease of expression I had heard in his music. He was relaxed and funny, politically engaged and plainly fascinated by the roots and text of songs and poems. He came across as a cracking bloke.
I did something I have seldom done: I sent him a fan letter. I invited him to a talk I was giving in his home city, Bristol. He came, and over dinner afterwards we clicked. So, a few months later, with some trepidation, it was to him that I sent my idea of collaborating on a themed album.
To my delight, he agreed. I would start by thinking up a story and writing a rough sketch, which might incorporate some potential hooks, rhymes and choruses. I would send it to him on the understanding that he could do whatever he liked with it. I did not try to write to his style, as I knew he would take from each sketch what he wanted and make the song his own.
I wasn’t wrong. A couple of weeks after I emailed the first sketch to him, I found an audio file in my inbox, and opened it with the excitement of a child at Christmas. It was wonderful – he had turned my base metal into gold. The songs he sent back to me were riveting and heart-wrenching, capturing sensations I have long struggled to express.
The album is a mixture of dark shades and light: sad ballads and stirring anthems. We want to use it as a means of not only talking about loneliness, but, in a small way, addressing it. With advice from charities working on the issue, we are designing our gigs to try to bring people together. I will talk about the themes and Ewan will perform the songs. We will encourage people in the audience to talk to each other; then it will end up with a party in the nearest willing pub. Music naturally makes connections; we want to take it a step further.
In one respect, the album is already succeeding, as the collaboration has relieved the usual solitude in which we both work, making our lives less lonely. I hope it has the same effect on other people.
Breaking the Spell of Loneliness, by Ewan McLennan and George Monbiot, is released on October 14 by Fellside Records.
Here’s a short video about the project, featuring some of the music:
This remarkable collaboration between author George Monbiot and musician Ewan McLennan seeks to address the curse of our age: a crowded planet stricken by loneliness. Using music and the written word, it seeks to make connections in a splintered world.
Now, dear reader, you would be disappointed if I didn’t close today’s post without reference to the value of a dog or two in one’s life, and I have no intention of delivering such disappointment!
From the dozens of pictures that have been presented here over the years I chose this one.
Because I have this notion that one can never be truly alone if there is a dog in one’s life.
Here Are Some Heavy Duty Dog Toys You Can Make Yourself
#1: “Indestructible Dog Toy (Made with Dried Sweet Potato)
I love this toy because it’s both healthy for my dog and has no unnecessary additives. It’s a great chew toy and treat all in one.
Shesparticular on instructibles.com came up with this idea for a DIY chew toy for her mom’s dog. Her mom’s dog, Molly, loves to play. She says when Molly plays it “usually involves rounding up all her toys and ripping them to shreds.”
In Shesparticular’s pictures of Molly, you can tell she’s a little dog. It may seem surprising, but little dogs can do just as much damage as big ones. So this recipe she’s come up with is pure genius if you want to make strong dog toys that are healthy for your dog.
Here’s what you’ll need and instructions on how to make this toy at home:
Hemp or jute rope. Nine 2 1/2 foot ropes braided together to make a larger rope works for medium sized dogs. You’ll need to adjust the length of the rope based on your dog’s size.
Sweet potatoes or yams. One potato for a smaller toy, two for a medium toy and three to four for a larger toy
Sheet pan and parchment or foil
A sharp knife
Round cookie cutter a bit larger than the diameter of your rope
Vegetable peeler (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
Wash your sweet potatoes well. Peeling them isn’t necessary unless you prefer it.
Slice the sweet potato into rounds approximately 1/2″ thick
Using the cookie cutter, remove the center of each round
Place rounds on cookie sheet and bake for 2 1/2 hours then flip them over and bake for another 2 1/2 hours.
They’re done when they’re dried out and hard. If there are any soft parts, bake them longer and check them every 30 minutes.
Once they’re done, allow them to cool.
These sweet potato rings look like hollowed out dog bones, without the risk of splintering
Once your sweet potato rings have cooled, you can start making your toy.
Start by tying a knot at the end of your hemp rope. If you’re using many thinner pieces, braid them together. This will make it easier to string the sweet potato pieces on.
String two potato rings onto your rope then tie a knot in the rope. Continue adding two rings at a time and tying a knot after each pair until you reach the end of the rope.
When you’ve finished, hand this toy over to your dog and watch them chew for hours.
# 2: Knotted Hand Towel Toy
I have so many old hand towels that I didn’t know what to do with until I saw this clever idea.
This toy’s so easy to make, even a dog could do it. Taylor Martin from cnet.com came up with this simple way to repurpose old linens and make a great dog toy.
All you have to do is take an old, tattered hand towel and tie a knot in the middle. You can even use a full sized towel and make several knots.
My dog is a Pitbull mix, so though this is a tough toy, he would likely still rip it to shreds. The good news is, it doesn’t cost a cent. So even if it only lasts a few days, you didn’t lose any money on it.
#3: Ring Dog Toy
Just looking at this toy, you can tell it’s tough. No way my Pitt mix will be able to destroy this.
A user called J3443RY at instructables.com designed this indestructible dog toy. This is just a basic rope knot toy.
If you know how to tie a crown knot, all you need to do is create two lengths of rope by tying 4 lengths of rope in crown knots. All you need to make this toy is some nylon repelling rope.
Here are some step by step instructions for creating this toy
Cut 4 equal lengths of rope. You can adjust the size of the toy based on the size of your dog. 4 Inches of rope is equal to 1 inch of the finished toy. For example; for a 6 inch finished knot you would need 24 inches of rope to start.
Use 2 of the 4 ropes to create a 7″ long finished crown knot.
For step three, the user has included an instructional video. This will help you to combine the two finished knots into one ring.
When you’re finished with this toy, you will have a nearly chew proof dog toy that your dog can enjoy for hours.
For more advice on caring for your dog and other great recipes, visit metroeastrba.com.
Now Check Out Some Cool Doggy Dental Treats
#4: Darla Cook’s Homemade Greenies
I can’t get over how adorable these little tooth brush shapes are.
Darla Cook is a blogger and a lover of culinary arts. She is a student at The Culinary Institute of America, so you know her recipes must be the best.
Darla’s blog focuses on general cooking and there aren’t many dog recipes on her blog. But I found a pretty great recipe there for homemade Greenies for dogs. She calls these adorable toothbrush shaped treats Franks Breath Brushes.
If you’re a pet owner, you know that Greenies are a great dental treat for your dog, but they’re expensive to buy.
If you want to save money and have more control over what goes into your dog’s treats, make them yourself at home.
Here is Darla’s recipe.
Franks Breath Brushes
Ingredients:
3 1/2 brown rice flour plus 2 cups more (rice flour for crunch)
1 tablespoon of activated charcoal (I opened 12 capsules for 1 tablespoon.)
Preheat over to 400F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the charcoal with 3 1/2 cups brown rice flour and set it aside.
Put parsley, mint oil and 1/4 cup of broth or water into food processor. Process until chopped, like pesto. Add 3-4 droppers full of chlorophyll. Pulse a few times to mix. Add this green paste to flour mixture and mix well. Beat egg and mix in. Knead adding the rest of water/broth. By this time you should have a sticky dough ball. Flour the work surface and knead dough until an even green color. Divide dough into workable portions and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Add flour to the work surface and dough surface as needed to take away stickiness as you work. Cut out with your favorite shapes, and dock with a fork to keep puffiness down. Bake for 25 or 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I will be trying these treats on my dog, for sure. I feel much more confident in the treats I feed my dog when I can make them myself and I know what’s in them.
#5 DIY Doggy Breath Mints
These treats look good enough for even humans to eat.
I’ve found yet another great dog breath freshening recipe. This recipe, by Clifford Genece at skinnyms.com, has something in common with Darla’s recipe. It doesn’t contain any wheat flour.
It is so important to avoid giving your dog anything that contains wheat flour. Many dogs are allergic to wheat products. It can cause some pretty intense itching and skin irritation.
Rather than using flower at all, this recipe calls for oatmeal. This recipe also calls for eggs. So Clifford even provides advice for people whose dogs are allergic to poultry products.
Here’s Clifford’s simple recipe for these yummy treats.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup of water, plus 1 teaspoon
3 tablespoons coconut oil (unrefined extra-virgin is best)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325° F
Add oats to a blender and pulse to a flour like consistency. In a large bowl whisk together diced parsley and mint, egg, water, and oil. Add oat flour and stir to combine. Knead dough a few times then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough to about 1/8″ thick. Using a cookie cutter or knife cut out approximately 40 (1-inch mints) mints. Place mints about 1/4-inch apart on a parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Allow mints to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Tip: For dogs with allergies to chicken products, substitute one large egg with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce.
These are some of my favorite DIY dental treats and dog toys for powerful chewers. These treats and toys are a great way to keep your dog’s jaws strong and breath fresh. Don’t forget to take a look in your dog’s mouth every now and then and make sure their teeth are in good condition.
Description: Dental treats and dog toys for powerful chewers can be expensive, so why not make your own at home? Give these helpful recipes and DIY dog toys a try.
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Don’t know about you but we think this has been a very valuable and useful article from Sarah!
I was contacted by Sarah a few weeks ago with regard to her writing a guest post for you good people. For reasons that have escaped me I kept overlooking to publish it. That is now being corrected; indeed it has so much great information that I am splitting it over today and tomorrow.
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Top 5 Homemade Treats and Dog Toys for Powerful Chewers
I’ve never met a dog that didn’t love to chew, but it’s not just a fun canine pastime. It’s necessary for their dental health and for training Fido to stay away from your shoes. Are you too busy to brush your dog’s teeth every day? There’s no need to feel guilty, I am too.
Not everyone has time to do a full dental routine for their dog every day. However, there are other ways to ensure your dog’s dental health. I’ve done some research and found that there are many ways to do this without lifting a finger. Including some dog toys for powerful chewers and even some yummy dental treats.
Why Your Dog’s Dental Health is Important
Dogs aren’t in the habit of brushing and flossing. Most dog owners don’t even realize how important a dog’s dental health is. In fact, I didn’t even know that it was necessary to brush my dog’s teeth until I did some research on the subject.
There are other things you can do to keep your dog’s teeth sparkling if you don’t have time to brush them every day. You need to give them fun things to chew on and snack on in place of regular brushing. Such as some sturdy dog toys or rawhide chews.
According to PetMD “Actively encouraging the dog to utilize chew treats that require some “exercising” of the teeth, such as is provided by compressed rawhide chewies, hard rubber or nylon chew toys, can assist in keeping the mouth structures vital.”
If you do have time to brush your dog’s teeth, it’s important that you do it correctly. Here is how you should do it, according to Banfield.com.
Use a toothbrush that is just for dogs.
Never use your toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth. There is toothpaste that you can buy just for your dog that is not toxic if swallowed.
Give Fido a small sample of the toothpaste so that they become familiar with the flavor.
Lift your dog’s lips to expose the gums and teeth. Brush the teeth like you would your own, but be gentle.
Most dogs won’t allow you to brush the inside surface of the teeth. Focus on the outside surfaces.
The molars and canines tend to build up tartar, so make sure you give them a good brushing. And of course, reward your dog for letting you put them through that. They are likely confused to why you were all in their mouth, so pats, play, and healthy treats are in order.
Now that you know how to brush your dog’s teeth, let’s learn other ways to improve their dental health.
Rawhide Treat Benefits
Dog tired of waiting to eat a treats
Rawhide treats and chews are a tasty way for your dog to keep their teeth clean and jaws strong. It’s good for cleaning their teeth and keeping their breath fresh but it also gives their jaws a good workout.
All dogs need to chew. Providing treats like rawhide keeps them from chewing on your nice leather shoes.
There’s not a whole lot of risk to letting your dog chew on rawhide. But there are some risks you should know about. For example, rawhide can sometimes contain small amounts of chemicals, according to Pets. WebMD. Your dog can even come in contact with E. Coli or Salmonella when chewing on rawhide.
Some dogs can be allergic to rawhide anything that’s used to make rawhide treats. This can cause unpleasant discomfort associated with diarrhea.
Sometimes rawhide can be a choking hazard. If a piece breaks off it can become lodged in the esophagus. If this happens, in some cases, a vet can remove any lodged pieces through the throat.
You should always talk to your vet before you decide to introduce any new treats into your dog’s diet. Here Are Some Heavy Duty Dog Toys You Can Make Yourself
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Come back tomorrow to learn how to make these great toys.
Founded in 1998, Animals Asia promotes compassion and respect for all animals and works to bring about long-term change. We work to end the barbaric bear bile trade, which sees over 10,000 bears kept on bile farms in China, and, according to official figures, about 1,200 suffering the same fate in Vietnam.
Animals Asia has rescued over 500 bears, caring for them at its award-winning bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam.
Animals Asia also works to end the trade in dogs and cats for food in China and Vietnam, and lobbies to improve the welfare of companion animals, promote humane population management and prevent the cross border export of “meat dogs” in Asia.
In addition, Animals Asia campaigns for an end to abusive animal practices in zoos and safari parks in Asia, and works closely with governing authorities to improve animal management and increase awareness of the welfare needs of captive animals.
Freed from a bile farm – is this the happiest bear ever?
Watch Tuffy jump for joy in his first days outside – after being rescued from a bear bile farm where he’d spent years of torture in a tiny cage.
Rescued in September last year on the same day as six other bears, Tuffy’s paws have hardly hit the ground since arriving at Animals Asia’s Vietnam sanctuary.
The vet team has been working hard to rehabilitate him after years of having his bile extracted. In fact his gall bladder was so damaged it had to be removed. Examinations had found numerous gallstones, meaning he’d lived in pain for years.
That wasn’t the only surgery Tuffy faced. In addition he had three fractured teeth removed. He also had painful, dry, cracked paws.
Animals Asia Bear Manager Louise Ellis said:
“The cracked paws are common to bile farm bears as they only walk on bars, not grass. Dehydration is likely to have contributed to this too. So for his carers to see him take to the pool so quickly after he first became ready to face the outdoors was an amazing moment.
“Coming from years of little or no water, for Tuffy this must feel like a true oasis after being parched and in pain for so long. It must have felt like such a relief to have the freedom to splash around in the water after only being able to stand on the hard metal bars of the bile farm cage.”
In fact Tuffy loved being outdoors so much he decided not to return to his den in the evening – choosing instead to sleep under the stars.
There are still around 1,200 bears in bile farms in Vietnam and over 10,000 more in China. Animals Asia has rescued nearly 600 bears from the bile industry and continues to care for almost 400.
Bear bile is used in traditional medicine.
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Dearest Tuffy! One of the lucky ones.
But that doesn’t diminish the anger and the disgust I feel at the way too many so called human beings can have such disregard for our beautiful animals!
The September equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from north to south and vice versa in March.
That moment is at precisely 14:21 UTC today, September 22nd. Welcome to Autumn, or Fall in American speak!
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I was contacted by Susan Leighton recently offering me a guest post. Susan is a regular follower of this place and frequently drops in with responses and comments. Susan is also the founder of the blog: Woman on the Ledge (I can recommend her blog, by the way!)
Here is Susan’s guest post.
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Life Lessons from Maggie
I have walked this earth for fifty years and I have been a proud dog parent several times over. My latest child is an incredibly exuberant eight-year-old Boston Terrier named Maggie. Maggie Mae’s Up, Up, and Away is her full name. My husband and I got her in New Mexico which is the site of a world famous hot air balloon festival so hence the nod to the 5th Dimensions song.
Maggie was actually a surprise. I was going through an exceptionally rough time (unfortunately it was the beginning of several trying years) and my husband thought that she would cheer me up. The moment she was placed in my arms, a love affair and deep bond began. I looked into her expressive brown eyes and knew that I had just met my canine BFF.
When she was a puppy, we had a bit of a health scare with her. She was diagnosed with a severe case of giardia. The medication we were given to combat the illness wasn’t working. Our vet decided to treat her with a round of shots. It was touch and go for a few days but she came through with flying colors.
From an early age, she was our little toughie. Small in stature, she refused to let her bigger sisters get the best of her. Their long legs might have surpassed hers but she never gave up and would constantly compete to be number one in back yard games.
Dogs are amazing creatures. They are incredibly intuitive and sometimes I think they just might be smarter than us. In the years that I have been privileged to know Maggie she has taught me many life lessons. I would like to share some of that knowledge with you.
Every day is an adventure – don’t be a slave to routine. Maggie definitely isn’t one. Yesterday, she had an impromptu game of keep away with her stuffed animal. Today she was feeling like playing tug of war with her rope. Try something new. Even if you work 8 hours a day, you can still incorporate little surprises into your schedule. Maybe you always eat the same lunch every day. Change it up. Instead of that boring sandwich, opt for a salad or even a taco! Have a break between meetings or conference calls? Go outside and take a brisk walk for 10 minutes. Every day is new, treat it that way!
Make time to play – you know what I dislike the most about being an adult next to paying bills? I miss not having recess. That was my favorite time of the day when I was a kid. School stopped for an hour and I could run around with my friends and have fun. Why is it that we lose our sense of play when we grow older? Maggie has helped me to realize that it is possible to metaphorically return to the school yard. Every day we go outside and play catch in the back yard. Not only is it good bonding time for us but it is also a chance for me to relax and let go of the stress of the day.
Love unconditionally – this seems simple right? It really isn’t. So many people make it their mission to change the ones they love. Their significant other has a personality quirk that is less than endearing, why not try to lessen it or eliminate it altogether? I understand that life is about compromise but at the expense of not being able to be comfortable in your own skin? Maggie has been with me through many changes and throughout those changes, she has done nothing but support me. She loves me if I am having a bad hair day or if I have gained a few pounds. She loves the real me blemishes and all!
Be curious – whenever we take Maggie on a jaunt to the local pet store, she is more than willing to approach other dogs and other people. She wants to know more about everything in life. I jokingly tell her that she suffers from FOMO (fear of missing out) because she wants to be involved in every activity. I guess this is why I challenge myself to learn about new technologies, new books, new music, etc. The more engaged I feel, the more alive I am. I have never stopped learning.
Give thanks – whenever Maggie is presented with food, a treat, her ball, a toy, she is thankful. She is just glad that she is able to enjoy these things but mostly she is thrilled that she gets to have time with her family. As the years pass by, I am acutely aware of how tenuous life is and how in the blink of an eye, the people that we cherish may not be around for us to tell them how much we value their presence in our life. I make it a point to let the people closest to me know that I am thankful for them each and every day.
Hug your dog and let him or her know how grateful you are for the life lessons that they have shared with you. That is what I will be doing with Maggie. I could not have asked for a better teacher.
Back on the 13th September, I published a post under the title of Listening to our pets in more difficult times. I mentioned that Pharaoh was suffering pain in his rear hip joints and struggling at times to get up on all four feet and that we had started giving him Rimadyl.
Don’t wait around for a vet to tell you that your dog is in pain. You live in a state with legal MJ plus hemp oil is legal in all 50 states. I give CBD oil to my BC X Aussie 12 year old dog. He could not get up and yelped in pain before I began giving him 0.7ml daily that I drizzle over his food., After second dose he could stand up without help. Now he walks and runs with fluid movements of all limbs. It is totally safe and doesn’t require expensive tests, The danger of Rimadyl and other meds in that class used to treat arthritis, is that these types of meds cause kidney damage and your pet will have a shortened life span. Hemp oil works like a charm with no side effects.
We did some research and came across the following brand of Hemp (CBD) Oil specifically for dogs. We ordered it and it arrived last Saturday. Jean did not delay in adding* it twice a day to the food for both Pharaoh and Paloma.
Here we are at the end of Tuesday, at the time of writing this post, and already we can see observable improvements in both dogs.
Yes, it’s early days but I wanted to share this with you now.
There will be a more extensive report from me once these dogs have been using the oil for a few weeks.
One dropperful twice a day for Pharaoh, approx. 105 lbs, and half a dropperful twice a day for Paloma, approx. 45 lbs.
Over the week-end Jean and I were down in Medford at this event promoting my book Learning from Dogs.
Inevitably, we saw many dogs and their owners come in to the store for we were positioned just inside the main door. Likewise, inevitably we saw a whole range of ‘relationships’ between those dogs and their human companions.
It reminded me of a recent TED Talk that was given by Ian Dunbar about dog training. For those who have not previously come across Mr. Dunbar, his bio reads as follows:
http://www.ted.com Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, trainer Ian Dunbar asks us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets’ perspective, we can build their love and trust. It’s a message that resonates well beyond the animal world.
Veterinarian, dog trainer and animal behaviorist Ian Dunbar understands our pets’ point of view. By training dog owners in proper conduct (as much as he trains the dogs themselves), he hopes to encourage better relationships with dogs — not to mention their friends and children, too.
Why you should listen
We may call dogs man’s best friend, but according to Dr. Ian Dunbar, humans often fail to reciprocate. Dunbar’s decades of research on hierarchical social behavior and aggression in domestic animals truly give him a dog’s-eye view of human beings’ incomprehensible and spontaneous — if involuntary — cruelties.
Dunbar says we might break our unseemly, unflattering habits and usher in an “era of dog-friendly dog training” by coming to understand why dogs do what they do — Is Fido misbehaving, or just being a dog? — and the repercussions of our actions toward them. (We might foster better relationships with our fellow humans, too.) His Sirius Dog Training company focuses on training puppies to be playful, yet well-behaved. His second organization, Animalin, promotes games for dogs and puppies at an international level.
What others say
“There is no single person on the face of the planet to whom dog trainers and owners (not to mention dogs) owe more.” — Jean Donaldson, author, The Culture Clash
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I will close with another photograph from the PetSmart event.
(Sorry about the cardboard boxes under the table!)
Oh, and before I republish the following, thanks for so many ‘Likes’ to yesterday’s post.
The following was first published back in March, 2014.
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Almost two months ago, January 30th to be exact, the first of this ‘Meet the dogs‘ series was published. It came out of an idea from Jean and that January 30th post introduced Paloma to you, dear reader. Since then we have told you about Lilly, Dhalia, Ruby, Casey, Hazel, Sweeny, and Cleo.
So today’s post is the last of the Meet the dogs stories; it is about Pharaoh. I’m going to indulge myself in telling you the story of this most wonderful of dogs.
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Pharaoh
Photograph taken on the 12th August, 2003, the first day I saw Pharaoh.
That is Sandra Tucker, owner of Jutone Kennels in Devon, England, where Pharaoh was born on June 3rd, 2003.
Here’s something I wrote a long time ago that conveys my feelings of that first day when I met this puppy.
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In no time at all I was turning into the farm driveway, noticing the painted sign for Jutone & Felsental German Shepherds alongside the open, wooden gate.
I turned off the engine and was about to swing my legs out of the open driver’s door when I saw a woman coming towards me.
“Hi, you must be Paul, I’m Sandra. Did you have any trouble finding us?”
I shook hands with her.
“Not at all. I did as you recommended when we spoke on the phone and went in to the local store and got final directions.”
Sandra smiled, her glasses almost slipping off the end of her nose: “Dear Beth. She’s been running that local store since God was a boy.”
She continued with a chortle in her voice, “Some say that Beth was at the store before our local pub, The Palk Arms, opened for business. And the pub’s been in the village for well over four-hundred years.”
Sandra’s laugh was infectious and I caught myself already taking a liking to her. The sense of a strong, confident person struck me immediately. Indeed, a working woman evidenced by her brown slacks, revealing plenty of dog hairs, topped off with a blue T-shirt under an unbuttoned cotton blouse.
“Anyway, enough of me, Paul, you’ve come to get yourself a German Shepherd.”
She turned towards a collection of grey, galvanised-sheeted barns and continued chatting as I fell into step alongside her.
“After we discussed your circumstances over the phone; where you live down there in Harberton, why you specifically wanted a German Shepherd dog, I thought about the last set of puppies that were born, just a few weeks ago.”
Sandra paused and turned towards me.
“While, of course, you can select whatever puppy you feel drawn to, my advice is to go for a male. Listening to your experiences of befriending a male German Shepherd when you were a young boy, I have no doubt that a male dog would result in you and the dog building a very strong bond. Indeed, I have a young male puppy that I want to bring out to you. Is that OK?”
Before I could utter a reply, Sandra turned and walked out of sight around the corner of the first barn leaving me standing there, my positive response presumably being taken for granted.
Something in her words struck me in a manner that I hadn’t anticipated; not in the slightest. That was her use of the word bond. I was suddenly aware of the tiniest emotional wobble inside me from hearing Sandra use that word. Somewhere deep inside me was the hint that my decision to have a dog in my life was being driven by deeper and more private feelings.
My introspection came to an immediate halt as Sandra re-appeared. She came up to me, a beige-black puppy cradled under her left arm, her left hand holding the pup across its mid-riff behind his front legs, her right arm across her waist supporting the rear of the tiny animal.
I stood very still, just aware of feelings that I couldn’t voice, could hardly even sense, as I looked down at this tiny black, furry face, out-sized beige ears flopping down either side of his small head.
It was unusually warm this August day and I had previously unbuttoned my cuffs and folded the shirt sleeves of my blue-white, checked cotton shirt back above both elbows leaving my forearms bare.
Sandra offered me the young, fragile creature. As tenderly as I could, I took the pup into my arms and cradled the gorgeous animal against my chest. The pup’s warm body seemed to glow through its soft fur and as my bare arms embraced the flanks of this quiet, little dog I realised the magic, the pure magic, of the moment. Something was registering inside me in ways utterly beyond words but, nonetheless, as real as a rainbow might be across green, Devon hills.
“How old is he, Sandra?”
“This little lad was born on June 3rd. So what are we today? August 12th. So he is ten weeks old as of today.”
June 3rd, 2003. I knew that this date had now entered my life in just the same way as had the birth-dates of my son and daughter; Alex and Maija.
The power of this first meeting was beyond anything I had expected, or even imagined. I thought that it was going to be a fairly pleasant but, nonetheless, unsurprising process of choosing a puppy. How wrong could I have been!
What was captivating me was the pure, simple bodily contact between this young dog and me. No more than that. I was sensing in some unspoken manner that this was equally as captivating for this precious puppy-dog. For even at the tender age of ten weeks, the tiny dog appeared to understand that me holding him so longingly was bridging a divide of many, many years.
Sandra motioned with her arm, pointing out a bench-seat a few yards away alongside a green, well-manicured, lawn.
I very carefully sat down on the wooden-slatted bench and rested the beautiful animal in my lap. The puppy was adorable. Those large, over-sized ears flopping across the top of his golden black-brown furry head. His golden-brown fur morphing into black fur across his shoulders and then on down to the predominantly beige-cream colour of his soft, gangling, front legs. That creamy fur continuing along the little creature’s underbelly.
The puppy seemed almost to purr with contentment, its deep brown eyes gazing so very intently into mine. I was entranced. I was spellbound.
Never before had I felt so close to an animal. In a life-time of nearly sixty years including having cats at home when I was a young boy growing up in North-West London, and much later the family owning a pet cat when Alex and Maija were youngsters, I had never, ever sensed the stirrings of such a loving bond as I was sensing now. As this young puppy was clearly sensing as well. This was to be my dog. Of that I was in no doubt.
oooo
Early days at home in South Devon.
Let me leave you with a couple of other photographs taken from his early days.
Pharaoh, nine months old, taken in my Devon home in 2004.
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First birthday: June 3rd 2004. Again, picture taken in Devon.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that in the year 2014 I would be writing about Pharaoh from a home-office desk in Southern Oregon sharing a happy life with a wonderful London lady, Jean, and more gorgeous animals than one could throw a stick at.
ooOOoo
And here we are with Pharaoh, as with yours truly, well into his senior years.
I couldn’t resist showing my appreciation for the interest and best wishes from so many of you regarding the removal of my polyp.
Jean and I arrived at Three Rivers Hospital locally in Grants Pass a little before 10am and were quickly admitted to the pre-op room. Once I had been connected to all the various devices it was but a short wait before Dr. Nelson came in to check that all was ready for the procedure.
Amazingly, I was then back in the pre-op room after the 45-minute procedure had been carried out by 11:40am. Dr. Nelson then briefed me that everything had gone well and passed me the photos below.
I couldn’t resist sharing the photographs showing the polyp before removal on the left-hand side and the ‘crater on the moon’, as Dr. Nelson described, on the right-hand side it where the polyp once was!
The photograph on the right was taken before it was sewn over to prevent any subsequent infection.
Once again, thanks for all your best wishes. As Marina and Sue and others implied it was a very straightforward operation.
Learning from Dogs 