The other day, members of the neighborhood watch in Richards Bay, South Africa, received a shocking phone call. A woman said she’d been walking through an undeveloped area of wilderness nearby and stumbled on something heartbreaking.
Two watch captains rushed to the scene. When they arrived, they found a discarded pile of rubble and plastic — not necessarily a surprise, given that trash is occasionally dumped in the area. What was upsetting, though, were the pair of long brown legs and pleading black eyes barely visible under the debris.
A little dog was trapped, and he needed help.
With caution, the team began to cut the dog loose from the plastic bag where he’d been tied up. After freeing the pup, they carried him out of the trash and gently placed him in the grass nearby.
The dog, later named Rocky, was so happy to be able to move around, though he was very weak from his ordeal. Neighborhood watch personnel gave the pup some ice cubes to suck on while they waited for SPCA Richards Bay staff to arrive.
Safe at the SPCA, a veterinary team examined Rocky and treated him for a small wound on his head. The malnourished pup was given plenty of food and water, and, in no time, Rocky’s slim figure began to improve and his personality began to shine.
“Rocky is now the sweetest, most outgoing puppy,” a representative from SPCA Richards Bay told The Dodo.
SPCA staff were inspired by Rocky — who spread so much love and who didn’t seem jaded by his harrowing ordeal.
“We were amazed at how a puppy who had been discarded like trash could love and trust again,” the representative said.
Rocky has since been adopted into a loving family and taken to live with them on their farm. The grateful pup, who once spent hours trapped under garbage, unable to move, will spend the rest of his days running through the ample fields of his new home, loving every minute.
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All of the above photographs are taken by FACEBOOK/SPCA RICHARDS BAY
No matter where in the world one is there is a love for dogs and this account shows it to be so!
This story from the Dodo caught my eye. Don’t know why because the articles about dogs being rescued are not rare! But anyway, whatever the reason it seemed a good article to share with you all today.
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Dog Trembling In A Pile Of Rubble Is So Grateful Someone Finally Noticed Her
“Her legs were shaking so hard” 💔
By Ashley Ortiz, Published on the 23rd December, 2022
The first time Donna Lochmann searched a crumbling, abandoned apartment building in St. Louis, Missouri, she couldn’t find who she was looking for. A Good Samaritan called Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) to report a dog sighting, but Lochmann, the shelter’s chief life saving officer, came out empty-handed.
“We searched every floor and never saw anything,” Lochmann told The Dodo. “There was not one dog, nothing.”
With temperatures dropping and more calls coming in about a dog barking from inside the building, Lochmann decided to go back again and keep searching. This time, she found someone.
“When I got to the backside of the building, I saw a dog lying in the grass,” Lochmann said. “I saw her run towards the back of the building and she went in, so I followed her.”
Unfortunately, by the time Lochmann made it inside the building, the dog had already disappeared into one of the many empty apartments. She couldn’t find the pup on her own, so Lochmann went back to the shelter and recruited the help of other staff members.
Lochmann and her team went back to the building the next day, and as they went from room to room searching for the scared pup, they suddenly heard barking coming from inside.
“I got over there and there was a poor dog just lying in the rubble of this building,” Lochmann said. “She was absolutely trembling, her legs were shaking so hard.”
The weather was cold that day, but Lochmann knew that the dog’s shaking was caused by fear more so than lack of warmth.
“I felt so bad for her,” Lochmann said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen one shaking that hard, and it’s just gut-wrenching to see them so scared of you.”
To get the dog out of the building, Lochmann decided to use a plastic crate instead of attempting to walk her out on a leash. Not only would it be physically difficult to lead the pup out of the crumbling building on a leash, but Lochmann feared it would stress her out even more.
So Lochmann used the leash she had to guide the dog into the plastic crate, then quickly closed the door behind her.
“Once she was in the crate, she was calm,” Lochmann said.
Lochmann and her team carried the crate out of the building, then gently loaded it into her Jeep. They brought her back to the shelter, where she underwent a medical evaluation. Luckily for the pup, she passed with flying colors.
The dog, whom Lochmann named Habenero, was OK physically, but she was still a little nervous when she first got to the shelter.
“She was still pretty scared at first,” Lochmann said. “But she came around fairly quickly. Within a few days, she wasn’t growling anymore and she stopped shaking when we would talk to her.”
Habanero has since been spending time with Lochmann and her crew at the shelter, slowly getting used to her surroundings. Together, they go on walks around the neighborhoods surrounding the shelter and enjoy plenty of snuggles throughout the day.
Now that Habanero is feeling more comfortable, Lochmann believes that she’s finally ready to go into a foster home. It’ll be yet another change for the 7-year-old pup, but Lochmann is confident that she’ll thrive.
“Once she gets into a home, she’s gonna have a bit of adjustment to do,” Lochmann said. “But she’ll do great. I’m just glad she’s not trembling anymore.”
All images by STRAY RESCUE OF ST. LOUIS with whom copyright rests.
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The thing about dogs is the way that we, as in humans, bond so well with the majority of dogs, and that the majority of dogs bond so well with us.
I was just saying this to Jeannie yesterday morning when Oliver jumped up on to the three-seat settee, admittedly onto his special cushion, next to me and proceeded to snooze with his head on my thigh. Dogs are the perfect companions and they are incredibly conscious of the states of mind of their loving humans.
People who have never had dogs in their lives don’t understand the closeness and intensity of the relationship between dogs and humans. Just recently I posted an article that mentioned how dogs can understand our speech in many ways.
Now comes an article in The Dodo that reinforces the amazing bond between dog and human. Here it is:
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Dog Can’t Believe Her Eyes When She Sees Who’s Standing Outside The Door
Since the time when this sweet German shepherd named Sofie was just a puppy, her and her dad, Austin, have been inseparable.
“She loves him so much,” Ally Ross, Sofie’s mom, told The Dodo.
This year, however, due to life circumstances, Sofie and Austin were forced to spend more than a little time apart.
Ally Ross took all the photographs.
Austin is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and, earlier in the year, was called up for a six-month deployment. Sadly, that meant his daily routine of love and fun with Sofie had to be put on hold.
It was something Sofie couldn’t quite comprehend.
“After he left, she would still go into our bedroom and look for him,” Ross said.
Fortunately, Austin wouldn’t be gone forever.
Last month, having completed his deployment, Austin could finally return home. Ross decided to record the moment he arrived at the door to surprise Sofie.
The dog’s heart was about to be whole once again.
When the door opened, Sofie could hardly believe her eyes.
(Unfortunately, this link does not play automatically in WordPress but I will leave it there in case anyone else can play it.)
Sofie’s disbelief quickly turned into an explosion of love and excitement. It was an outward expression of what Sofie’s spirit longed to feel each and every day Austin was away.
“Oh, I definitely cried!” Ross said.
Her dad is back. Their family is complete anew.
With Austin’s return, it’s been business as usual again for him and Sofie — and how sweet it is.
“Now that he’s home, they go on runs and adventures together,” Ross said. “Best buds for sure.”
Recently, after this sweet dog named Rosie somehow ended up getting lost near her home in England, she picked the perfect place to go for help.
She simply strolled into a local police station to report (in her own way) her own disappearance.
“[You] can see her approaching the doors before walking in and taking a seat in the corner,” the Leicestershire Police wrote. “Good dog!”
Here’s footage of Rosie in action:
It’s unclear how long Rosie had been lost, but after making her presence known to authorities, it was only a matter of time before things were set right.
“Our staff fetched some water for Rosie, and made fast friends with plenty of fuss,” police wrote. “Thankfully she was wearing a collar, so a lead was available to contact Rosie’s owner, who was delighted she had been found safe and well.”
Rosie’s own cleverness had made their job easy — though she was pretty tuckered out after the little drama finished unfolding.
Rosie’s problem-solving skills have earned her plenty of praise from people online — all well deserved, of course. But the police themselves perhaps put it best.
“What a lovely, clever dog,” they wrote.
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It is not just Rosie that is a “lovely, clever dog” but all dogs. But, of course, we are biased!
Now here’s a truism. One cannot feel bad about the world, at whatever scale, when one pets a dog. I have observed my wife, Jean, kissing and cuddling anyone of our three dogs and she is in a beautiful mental place. Same for me
I love all our three dogs but Oliver, below, is so in tune with me that I swear he practically understands what I say!
So when recently I read a post about the positive effects on mental health that owning a dog provides I just had to share it with you. It was first published in The Dodo.
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Petting A Dog Is Good For Your Brain
As if we needed another reason to love them more ❤️
Dog parents already know that petting a dog is one of the best things ever.
And as it turns out, science agrees. While some studies have shown that petting a dog can both lower your stress and release the “feel good” hormone, oxytocin, new research suggests that petting a dog is good for your brain in other ways, too.
Scientists in Switzerland claim in a new study that when you pet a dog, you can get a boost of brain activity in the frontal cortex — a crucial part of the brain that controls attention, working memory, problem-solving, thinking and emotional reactions.
During the study, participants hung around a pup while fitted with a scanner. They started out just watching the dog from across the room, gradually getting closer until they could pet him. Then they did the same thing with a stuffed animal.
And when comparing both scenarios, researchers discovered there was a stronger boost of brain activity when the real dog was nearby and available for a few pets.
This study just goes to show how great therapy animals truly are, since they can boost the cognitive and emotional activity in the brain of their human in ways a stuffed animal can’t.
“If patients with deficits in motivation, attention and socioemotional functioning show higher emotional involvement in activities connected to a dog, then such activities could increase the chance of learning and of achieving therapeutic aims,” study lead author, Rahel Marti, told CNN.
While pet parents already know just how awesome petting a dog is, it’s good to know the positives of bonding with a pup are endless — just like their love for us.
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I am at the age where I am very anxious to do all that is good for my brain. This “... frontal cortex — a crucial part of the brain that controls attention, working memory, problem-solving, thinking and emotional reactions.” hits the target.
This is a great article as I said at the head of this piece.
Dogs are the perfect companions for us humans; body and mind!
The other day, after a two-week-long stint working in the field, John Alexander Palomino Bendives was looking forward to finally relaxing in the apartment he shares with his mother and four dogs in Peru.
But, before he could even get inside the building, Bendives was called into action once more — to save the life of his beloved dog Mina.
When Bendives, along with his girlfriend, got to the front of his apartment building, their arrival didn’t go unnoticed. High above, in his family’s fourth-story rooftop apartment, Mina and the other pups were peering down over the railing, excited to see him home.
Bendives would be up to greet them in a few seconds. But that was apparently just a bit too long to wait for Mina.
Having either lost her balance and slipped or misjudged the distance and leapt, Mina began falling to the street below. Thankfully, quick-thinking Bendives took notice — and was able to catch her in his arms.
Bendives was able to save Mina from what may have been certain death — to his great relief. And to hers.
“She was OK, unharmed,” Bendives told The Dodo. “Mina was happy and grateful. She didn’t stop wagging her tail out of happiness.”
All his pups were thrilled that Bendives was finally home. Mina, clearly, just a bit too much so.
Bendives said this scary incident has the family planning to make some changes: “We are looking at putting up a mesh [barrier] on the roof so that they can continue to sit up there, but without the risk of falling again.”
Now that the unthinkable happened — and disaster narrowly avoided — it’s the least they could do.
“I love my pets very much,” Bendives said. “They always receive me with a lot of love and emotion. The time I spend at home, I try to spend as much time as possible with them.”
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(Both photographs by John Bendives.)
Another wonderful story of a life-saving act on behalf of Bendives and his saving of his dog, Mina. Four stories high is no laughing matter and Snr. Bendives certainly saved Mina from serious injury and probably death.
Literally hundreds of times every day, with the vast majority of the stories unreported, we humans save the lives of dogs!
Dogs are not always happy as we know with the loss of our Sheena. Because the other dogs felt the loss inexplicably. But in the main they are happy, happy animals. Unlike us humans who have lots of things to contend with. I say this because in the last twenty-four hours we have had the sudden explosion of fire down in Northern California, the McKinney blaze, which has grown very rapidly.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the fire, which began on Friday afternoon before rapidly exploding in size due to a combination of dry fuel after a drought, strong winds and lightning strikes.
Around 650 firefighters are battling to contain the fire, officials say, but with little success. Sheriffs said on Sunday evening that it was “0% contained”.
As a result, more than 2,000 inhabitants of the area around the Klamath National Forest are being forced to evacuate their homes. Rescue teams have been aiding hikers who had been on the national park’s trails.
The China 2 fire, that is part of the group of California fires, is about 55 miles due south of home. Far enough not to panic but not far enough not to get us to check our evacuation preparations.
We hope that we are not evacuated in the next few weeks because of fire!
Here is a delightful dog article courtesy of The Dodo.
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Dog Dances In The Rain After 175 Days Stuck In Shelter
“The absolute joy in his eyes and the feeling of freedom was wonderful to watch.”
When staff members from Forgotten Dogs Rescue pulled Rambo from a shelter and placed him with a foster family, they had no idea how much the pittie mix would love the feeling of freedom.
It was raining outside, but that wasn’t going to stop him. After 175 days, Rambo was finally out of the shelter, and he was so happy that he started running and dancing in the rain.
“I cried happy tears when his foster mom sent me the video,” Julie Saraceno, a shelter volunteer, told The Dodo. “That was his second day in his foster home, and the absolute joy in his eyes and the feeling of freedom was wonderful to watch.”
When Rambo went from a small concrete kennel to a large grass-covered yard, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
The young dog with beautiful, big eyes has an exuberance that shows. He loves other dogs and cats, and while he’s certainly high energy, he’s also always willing to snuggle on the couch.
“He is the sweetest guy to the people he considers his crew,” Saraceno said.
Rambo, who was originally found roaming the streets of Kennewick, Washington, as a stray, is working every day to become more confident and less fearful. Through his work with a trainer, he has learned obedience, how to meet strangers and lots of other skills that have made him a good boy.
Once Rambo finishes his training, he’ll be ready to meet potential fits for his forever home, ideally one where there’s space for him to exercise all his energy.
Pretty soon, Rambo won’t have to jump at every opportunity to get outside. He’ll have a yard — and a family — all his own.
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(The first photograph was taken by Julie Saraceno and the last two were taken by Billie Wensveen.)
Six months in a shelter! That must have been a real joy for Rambo when he was let out. Correction: It was a real joy because that was how Rambo expressed himself.
When Maile Trist checked her email last week, she opened up a message she assumed was a prank. Her beloved dog, a senior Chihuahua named Jazzy, was at the Cowley County Humane Society after being found wandering around a nearby rock quarry.
The email didn’t make sense to Trist because Jazzy had passed away two years ago.
When Trist first met Jazzy at San Diego Humane Society four years ago, she ignored the “Do not pet” sign on her cage. Somehow she knew they’d have a connection.
“I came across my gorgeous girl, I stuck my hand in the cage, and she automatically walked right up to me, tail wagging, and put her head in my hand,” Trist told The Dodo. “I started crying because I had found my dog!”
Two years passed, and Trist moved from California to Kansas. Overwhelmed with the move and a new full-time job, she felt she didn’t have enough time to give to Jazzy. So she asked a dog-loving couple she was friendly with to watch her pup until she got settled.
However, when Trist tried to get back in touch with the couple, they ignored her calls and deleted their social media accounts. She couldn’t find them anywhere. Then, six months later, Trist’s fiancé managed to track them down and asked for Jazzy back.
“The lady told him she had died three months prior,” Trist said. “About a year and half went by, and lots and lots of grieving. I felt horrible for ever giving her to them because I thought I wasn’t there for her last moments.”
Trist thought she’d never see her beloved dog again, but luckily, Jazzy had a microchip. And when she got the news that Jazzy had been located, she dropped everything to be with her dog again.
“I automatically headed home from my job and got in the car and headed to her,” Trist said. “I was crying on and off the whole way there, which was almost a three-hour drive. I couldn’t believe she was still alive and I had no idea how she ended up that far away, but in those moments, I did not care.”
When Trist arrived at the shelter, and watched Jazzy walk towards her again, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Jazzy recognized her mom immediately, and her little tail started wagging uncontrollably.
“She kind of went to sniff around, but came right back to me and gave me even more kisses,” Trist said. “She would not leave my lap or my arms the whole car ride home, either.”
Now, Jazzy is home and the little dog is not letting her mom out of her sight ever again.
“She’s been so, so happy ever since and she will not leave my side or let me go anywhere without her,” Trist said. “And I feel the same way!”
What exactly happened to the senior dog remains a mystery, but what’s important is that she’s safe and ready to spend her golden years in comfort, surrounded by her loving family.
“She’s a little more white than she was from the last time I saw her, and her hips are a little more sore,” Trist said, “but she’s still the same old lady she was before, and I’m so glad she stayed loving through these last two years.”
(All photographs by Maile Trist.)
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Yet another example of the love between people and their dogs. I would like to say that it doesn’t get any better than that but I would be wrong. It is a perfect case of unconditional love and there are hundreds and hundreds of other stories out there.
Hopefully a few of them will be featured on Learning from Dogs!
Over at The Dodo is an item that I want to share with you. And my apologies for keeping my own comments really short; it is a hectic couple of hours here.
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Random Dog Crashes Pool Party And Everyone Is Overjoyed
“He floated around the pool, got pets and kisses, went swimming and had a great time!”
A bunch of friends were having a pool party when they noticed two dogs hanging around outside the fence on the edge of the yard. The dogs seemed like they wanted to come in, so a bunch of partygoers went over to investigate. One of the dogs had a tag, so they decided to let the dogs into the yard to hang out until they could track down their owners.
The dogs ran into the yard, and while one of them was a little shy, the other immediately decided he was joining the party.
“At that point, some of us were on the deck, some in the pool, and some out in the yard,” Jennifer Motes, one of the partygoers, told The Dodo. “The golden was down to party right away and immediately started running around, wagging its tail, going up to everyone and getting pets. The shepherd was much more timid, kinda stayed in the yard for a bit, but then when she saw her friend up on the deck with us, she eventually came up there too.”
The golden retriever, who they later found out is named Stoker, clearly knew how to have a good time. He didn’t hesitate to join the fun and ran around playing fetch, begging for food, stealing shoes and eventually even hopping into the pool with everyone.
“Some of the people in the pool had slid the innertube raft over to the edge and Stoker climbed right on,” Motes said. “He floated around the pool, got pets and kisses, went swimming and had a great time! The shepherd never was brave enough to go in the pool, she just walked around and watched us, let some of us pet her and she chased after Stoker.”
As the dogs partied, someone was able to get in touch with Stoker’s dad, who said the other dog belonged to his neighbor and that she and Stoker were best friends who played together all the time. Apparently, the pair had run off together in search of a party, and they’d certainly succeeded in that endeavor.
The dogs were there for a few hours before they got picked up — and the party hosts made sure to emphasize that they’re absolutely welcome to come back anytime they want.
The only thing that can make a pool party even better is dogs, and Stoker and his best friend were more than happy to make that dream come true.
One cannot imagine a dog without a tail. One can’t imagine a dog’s tail that doesn’t wag for much of the time. So why do our dogs wag their tails? Sam Schwab answers the question.
When coming home after being away all day, it can be super sweet to be greeted at the door by your dog wagging her tail.
Dogs use their tails to communicate a range of emotions to humans and other dogs, including both positive emotions, like happiness or excitement, and negative ones, like frustration or anger.
“In general terms, dogs wag their tails because their level of excitement or agitation has gone up,” Irith Bloom, a professional certified dog trainer and owner of The Sophisticated Dog in Los Angeles, told The Dodo. “So a wagging tail could mean the dog is excited, frustrated, angry or happy, for example — and that’s just a partial list!”
The Dodo spoke with Bloom to understand the meaning of your dog’s tail wagging and to get some tips for interpreting your dog’s tail language.
She’s happy
Dogs will wag their tails when they’re happy to see someone — which is usually what most people assume a dog is feeling when they wag their tail (though, this isn’t always the case).
To know if your dog is happy when she’s wagging her tail, pay close attention to the position of your dog’s tail and her body language.
If your dog’s whole body seems relaxed in general while wagging her tail, she’s most likely communicating happiness. “If the dog’s tail is wagging in a loose, relaxed arc, and the dog’s body is also loose or even wiggly, odds are the dog is happy to see you,” Bloom said.
A quick wag, or a tail wagging in circles really fast, can also mean your dog’s happy. “Sometimes dogs wag their tails really fast in these situations, too, and their tail may even move a little like a propeller,” Bloom said.
You should also consider context: If you’re returning home after being out, or your dog sees someone she likes, the tail wagging is most likely due to happiness.
In one study, researchers found that dogs who wagged their tails more to the right side of their bodies were more relaxed, while dogs who wagged their tails to the left side of their bodies were more stressed, alert and anxious. (So, next time your dog wags her tail, check to see if it skews to either side!)
She’s excited
You might also see dogs wagging their tails when they’re really excited.
“Among other things, dogs may wag their tails when they are looking forward to something,” Bloom said.
You’ll commonly see your dog wagging her tail out of excitement when she’s waiting for a treat, meeting new dogs or playing fetch.
When your dog’s excited, her whole body will pretty much zero in on the object of her excitement, but her body language won’t be too tense.
“If a dog’s tail is moving fast, the rest of the body is ready for action but not ‘tight,’ and the dog is focused on something like a ball, they are probably looking forward to playing,” Bloom said.
She’s agitated
A wagging tail doesn’t always mean a dog is happy — sometimes it means she’s feeling agitated.
“A lot of people are surprised to learn that dogs sometimes also wag their tails when they are upset or angry,” Bloom said.
If a dog’s tail starts wagging out of anger, she could easily become aggressive, so it’s important to back away from the pup or leave the situation if that happens.
“I cannot tell you how many people have told me they were bitten by a dog whose tail was wagging!” Bloom said. “It’s important to remember that a wagging tail does not mean a friendly dog.”
You’ll be able to tell if a dog is wagging her tail out of anger if her tail and overall body language are very tense.
“If the dog’s tail is wagging slowly and stiffly, though, look to see if the dog’s muscles look tight or if their face seems tense,” Bloom said. “You might notice that their mouth is tightly closed or their brow is furrowed.”
An aggressive dog might also be more vocal. “They might also be growling or snarling,” Bloom said.
“Any of these behaviors, even when the tail is wagging, mean that the tail wag is more about being agitated or angry than happy and welcoming, so be sure to keep your distance!” Bloom added.
Be careful when meeting a new dog for the first time
Paying attention to a dog’s body language (as well as the context of the situation) can give you valuable insight into how a dog is feeling — and if the tail wagging means aggression.
“To figure out what a tail wag means, look at the whole dog’s body, but keep in mind that not every dog’s body language will be the same,” Bloom said.
You should have a good idea of what your own dog looks like when she’s happy, but since it can be difficult to tell the emotions of an unfamiliar dog, you should always be very careful when meeting a new dog for the first time.
According to Bloom, in these situations, you should let the dog approach you first and not vice versa.
“It bears repeating: A wagging tail does NOT mean a friendly dog,” Bloom said. “Sometimes it’s hard for even an expert to tell what a dog’s body language is saying, so it’s a good idea to let dogs decide whether or not they want to approach you instead of invading their space.”
Why do dogs have tails, anyway?
In addition to using their tails to communicate with people and dogs around them, dogs use their tails for movement and balance.
“Dogs use their tails for balance,” Bloom said. “They do this both in everyday activities and when moving fast, like during a game of fetch.”
Tails can also assist your dog in completing a turn while she runs: Her front legs turn in one direction, while her back legs continue moving forward, and her tail moves with the front legs to keep her body on course.
“Watch your dog’s tail movement when they make a fast turn to see an example of how the dog’s tail helps keep the dog’s body in balance!” Bloom said.
Dog tails are super important for your pup and play a huge role in how they communicate. So next time you see your dog’s tail wagging, you’ll know that there might be more going on than meets the eye, and you should always check your dog’s body language to get the full picture.
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I think that is a comprehensive review of the subject and, hopefully, some out there learnt some more about dogs’ tails.
For people who want to delve more deeply into the subject there’s an excellent study over on Current Biology, from which I take this small extract:
Left-right asymmetries in behavior associated with asymmetries in the brain are widespread in the animal kingdom and the hypothesis has been put forward that they may be linked to animals’ social behavior. Dogs show asymmetric tail-wagging responses to different emotive stimuli the outcome of different activation of left and right brain structures controlling tail movements to the right and left side of the body.
Learning from Dogs 