CJ'S CANINE CORNER: THE YEAR OF THE DOG

Penny Jane came in smiling.....

2010-12-31T18:54:00.006-07:00

It's truly the waning hours of 2010. The digital clock's halogen numerals herald 6:13 PM. It's barely thirteen degrees outside, and to the left of my computer's clicking keyboard lies Gabriel's slumbering body on the white tile floor. Penny Jane, a beautiful 10-month-old Yellow Lab lies on my bed, head turned sideways, pink tongue cresting her teeth and lips, snoring intermittingly.

Penny Jane is one of Assistance Dogs of the West dogs in training who came to join us in our home just two weeks ago. Sally has moved onto another home and is getting ever closer to being placed in her forever home. I was fortunate enough to visit her on X-mas day to deliver treats and toys and hugs. It was a meeting of old dear friends and family. Seeing Sally made Christmas morning that much more special.

Earlier Christmas morn, Gabriel and Penny Jane had found their appointed beds with special treats which drew their mouths, noses, and energies to a point of true focus and rare Christmas canine bliss. The fire roared between them. Gabriel, Penny Jane, and I had already taken our morning jaunt down the dirt road toward the pastures below our home, seeing the first rays of Christmas morning coming to meet the sky as it turned from orange marmalade to blue.

Penny Jane is relatively short in stature. What she lacks in height she more than makes up for in attitude, sense of purpose, and a healthy happy attitude. She is the color of fresh cream, her warm eyes engage lovingly. A small move on my part might spark the moves of a cutting horse.....she is poised and ready to move. She is a retriever par excellence. She has brought me any one of a dozen pairs of shoes. She is a worker, hell bent on performing any number of jobs including walking Gabriel on his Leash! She walks with Gabriel and me each morning soaking in the orange and raspberry hues of the sunrises over the Sangre de Christos most mornings. She seeks kisses and embraces, and petting, and she gives love every moment her round yellow eyes are open.

I relish the weeks and months ahead in which she and I will share. She's sure to start off 2011 in the best way possible, imbuing my life with joy, vigor, enthusiasm and love.

The Year of the Dog: Reflections by the Fire

2010-12-18T22:41:00.001-07:00

It is December 17 at dusk. The sun’s descent has stolen the once crisp outline of the clouds. My eyes reach into darkness and come up empty. The utility company’s failure to garner the sparks to light up Santa Fe has sent me in search of some form of low light endeavor, and Gabrielle, my fluffy white Great Pyrenees sees nothing wrong with this lowly lit evening, as he lies contentedly at the foot of my large fireplace. It’s a perfect moment to reflect upon my year of the Dog… to contemplate upon the countless dogs and dog lessons amassed, lessons I have learned from dogs and not the other way around.

Lessons like………….. Stay in the moment. Don’t hesitate to express joy and/or love. Move away from what you find distasteful. Be compassionate but don’t be afraid to distance yourself from angry people and animals. Eat with enthusiasm, sleep, and love with abandon, frolic with your friends, express your boundaries clearly, and jog along life’s paths with joy and passion and most of all jump, run, and play!

In 2010 I walked and exercised dogs, gathered two national dog training certifications, taught group lessons, taught private lessons, learned how to train and work with assistance dogs, visited the sick and elderly and dying with dogs, delved into dog scent training and reveled in canine olfactory abilities, learned of agility gained through team playing with my canine companions, refined the art of loose leash walking along busy byways and serene and conifer laden mountain trails, and met the likes of Temple Grandin and other human wizards that have brought the canine world increasingly into view.

…and through the kindness and loving reception that I have had the privilege to receive from these many canine friends, I have meant some very valuable humans along the way. I have met humans that share in their love, their knowledge and their appreciation of this magical world of the modern day wolf’s cousin we call the Dog. I have traveled from Atlanta to Austin in search of more knowledge, and in the New Year have plans for San Antonio to add to my dog training acumen.

I feel blessed to be working with dogs and their people. It’s a life long dream my sister reminded me of just this week. She said, “Candy you said when you grew up you wanted dogs and to live in Connecticut.” Well Santa Fe is hardly Connecticut, but the dogs are with me each and every day and that’s just fine with me. May 2011 bring us all a hefty amount of joy with our special canine companions and be yet another YEAR OF THE DOG.

Returning to Temple and finding Victoria!

2010-11-03T23:02:00.013-06:00

2010 has been a tale of Tails for this Dog Trainer. I have become nationally certified as a dog trainer with two nationally recognized organizations, been hired as a dog trainer for assistance dogs as well as the garden variety dog, and atended two professional dog training conferences. Whewwwwwwww. And yet there is so much more to learn and I suppose this is just a tip of the ice-berg. What compels me each day to bite off more of the training apple, as it were, is my personal quest to help communicate to the dog, to the client, and to better impress upon all the joys of communion and communication between the primate and the canine.

And lest I get caught up in the communion, let me take time to recognize the teachers of the trainers. Those special people that bring positive training to the fore. One such teacher is Ms. Temple Grandin who I had the privelege to meet not once but twice this year. Temple Grandin is a woman who has walked through baricades and doors to open up doors to understanding Canines as well as ourselves in the process. She has tackled the subjects of animals, communication, and Autism. She fights hard to let primates know that dogs do have emotions and she has the scientific evidence to prove it!

This years APDT conference held in the downtown Atlanta Hilton was home to Temple and to the Animal Planet's very own Victoria Stillwell, the host and dog trainer made famous in her series, "ITS ME OR THE DOG". I caught Victoria and Temple communing in the lobby between conference lecture halls. Their canine banter drew a crowd. Their words were pearls of understanding which strung togehter created a brilliant necklance of passion for dogs and communication between man and his favorite primates.

But these fine women were but a few of the impressive list of speakers that gave lectures at this year's 2010 APDT conference. Over 1200 attendees were present. I met trainers from all across the country and some even from Manilla in the Philipines.
Patricia McConnel and Suzanne Clothier, and the wise women at K-9 noseworks were among the highlights for me personally as well as the fabulous lectures given by Prof Horowitz, author of inside the Dog in addition to Victoria Stillwell and Temple Grandin.

The conference was a cauldron of all things dog. I heard testimony of new techniques to reduce anxiety in dogs, got samples of new tinctures to help ward off dog ailments, got free clicker to click at new dogs and old, gathered new training treats and plush toys, and stuffed more dog training literature into the strained threads of my bursting suitcase.

And it was all worth it. Especially Temple. Her special kind of pure enthusaism and passion for life and kindness and truth is contagious. A walk to her temple is as inspiring as any temple could be. I feel so blessed to have been lead to a life where I can afford an opportunity to better communication between species and see smiles and communion around me. What could be better?

Gabriel Turns Three!

2010-11-03T21:54:00.009-06:00

Gabriel turned three years old today! It seems incomprehensible on some level that Gabriel has reached such a milestone, but given his recent acquiescence to loose leash walking on a daily basis in the wee hours of the morning before I have even had a chance to sip some warm caffeinated tea, I suppose he has earned his age! I find it marvelous that this gorgeous 143 pound Great Pyrenees would grant me such fluidity of movement and respect for my space before I am even awake enough to clearly communicate my needs and I see it as further indication of his growing maturity!. Three year marks the end of the traditional "adolescent" period in dogs, where mood shifts and behavioral changes arrive seemingly out of the ethers. A steadiness of behavior slinks into view. Its when the adolescent fades into adulthood a shifting into more of a stalwalrt boat, not a tipsy canoe.

Gabriel came into my life as I grieved the loss of my lovely nine year old Great Pyrenees Brewster, a dog of great beauty, both internal and external. I felt no one could replace him. Quite magically, Gabriel came to me via an email not forty eight hours after I contacted a Great Pyrenees Rescue organization. I had just arrived in Hawaii on vacation with my husband when In mere hours I received an email in response stating that a loving family needing to relocate was in need of a home for their one year old Great Pyrenees, Gabriel. Ironically, Hawaii is now home to Gabriel's original family who was in Texas at the time we adopted him.

Today, we marked Gabriel's birthday with a birthday Cake which we acquired at Santa Fe's very own Pooch Pantry. Gabriel preference and penchant is peanut butter, and so that is the flavor we ordered for his Pooch Pantry birthday cake which he and Sally put a sizable dent in both this morning and this evening. Pooch Pantry custom designs cakes for their client's canines with natural flavors and colors, made of only the finest of ingredients. Judging from the promptness of Gabriel and Sally's response to my cues after a biteful of this delicious cake, I can conveniently state, that this cake is state of the art!

I find it remarkable that Gabriel came as quickly into my life as he did... that he came into our lives oon the heels of my lovely dog's demise was remarkable enough. More remarkable still is his name. Gabriel was named after archangel Gabriel, a big white angel known to be the harbinger of death and life....how very fitting as Gabriel brought new life into mine, after the loss of another.

(for those wishing to special order a cake with Pooch Pantry located on Johnson Street in downtown Santa Fe you only need to give them 24 hours notice and you have a choice of either Peanut Butter Cake or Honey Cake....they use all natural, human grade ingredients and use only natural colorings, so they are healthy for your dog! All of their cakes are made fresh, so they need 24 hours notice The cost is $15.00.)

And she's off

2010-11-03T20:59:00.008-06:00

Last week at the Assistance Dog of the West's Santa Fe offices, I had the pleasure to meet the four women responsible for taking some of our finely trained dogs out into the "real world" as it were. One of these finely trained dogs, was Emma, my very first assistance dog--the dog who had trained me to train assistance dogs! When I entered the conference room and saw Emma with her new handler sit by her side, sitting under her table and looking adoringly up into her eyes the reality of Emma's future came into view.

I had known for months that Emma was scheduled to leave in October to head for the town known for little green men and flying saucers, Roswell New Mexico. There, Emma would be working in the court system to assist young children facing the challenges of sharing their private pain and suffering in the public arena of the court system. These children are often separated from their parents and guardians in the legal process. Special assistance dogs chosen to act as court house dogs aid these children as they proceed through this sensitive time in their life. The court house dog provides comfort at this pivotal juncture.
Emma has been selected to fill this important role. Emma will be there to reassure and empathize. To lend a paw as it were...offering her innate sweetness and empathy to children in need. Knowing her future hometown was to be Roswell, and having seen her bolt out across the country side at warp 20, I had granted Emma a new nickname, "U.F.O." ......unidentified flying object!

Over the course of the four day training period, Emma and two other dogs were given time to bond with their new handlers. The handlers attended classes and reviewed the ninety commands that their dogs had been groomed to follow during their training period. Friday morning, all dogs and handlers headed out to the DeVargas Mall for a Public Access Test, a test designed to determine the "assistance dog fluency" of the dog and handler alike. All parties passed.

Seeing Emma in the hands of her new family, evoked pride in me, while at the same time I felt an ache in my throat. I would miss my Emma! This pang of sadness was assuaged only through the knowledge that Emma was headed out into the capable hands of her handler and family of five, four of whom I had the pleasure to meet. It was clear during the four day training period that Emma was happy, relaxed and bonded with her new family. I wish her, her family, and the countless children's whose lives she will impact, the very best of luck and good wishes.

Love sometimes means, having to let go. Emma, go girl go!

Desfile de Los Niños / Pet Parade Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010

2010-09-12T07:57:00.011-06:00

Saturday morning with Sally, Gabriel, and Dakota started with a saunter down our dirt and gravel covered road. We were in search of early morning light and a stretch of our collective legs along the gathering glow round the tall stands of sunflowers and asters perched however precariously along the lanes. Randy Travis's herd of cattle has multiplied in recent days and Gabriel loves to stand on full attnetion as they jog away from his approach. Upon arriving back at home, I apologized to Gabriel and Dakota as Sally and I set off solo to Santa Fe's very own dog Bakery and pet Boutique, the Pooch Pantry owned by Daphne Wright and Geno Baca. It's a fabulous store owned by some very generous and delightful people and has some of downtowns best dog treats to boot. That was our entry point for this year's Fiesta's Pet Parade. Daphne, Geno and their dog Roxxie (a recent graduate of my Canine Communication 101 class) and Sally set off with a crowd of friends and family and an arsenal of Pooch Pantry treats to join in this pet parade. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, this years crowd celebrated about 3,000 participants. I spotted a group of girls dressed as Barbies, a group of Wizard of Oz characters, dogs dressed up like cowboys, Basset Hounds sporting aviator styled goggles, and other hilariously themed participants.

Sally simply sported her Assistance Dogs of the West vest and serpentined along Palace Avenue in search of Pooch Pantry treats and pets from curious canine onlookers.

Sally and I left the scene and headed to Alto Park for some down time--down from the Fiesta band music and crowd noise. We soaked up the sun from a park bench. Sally snoozed while I soaked up some pages from Clicker Trainer Karen Pryor's well known book Don't Shoot the Dog! As the clock approached noon, Sally and I set out in our Subaru to a Sport's Fundamental Class with well heeled (pun intended) trainer Deborah Tolar. Deborah had us thinking, employing the very best in operant conditioning-- using novelty, clicker training, and treats to help us on our way of self discovery and learning.

By One O'clock Sally and I were ready for a break and so we headed over to Vinagrette's for a leisurely lunch with our very best friend Deborah Wakshull (mother to Oscita....pictured in the Doggie Dash and Dawdle photo with Dakota at the close of this blog). Sally struck up a happy nap while Deborah and I traded tales of our ever evolving New Mexico lives. It was a perfect day for an outdoor leisurely lunch after an active morning. Viva Fiesta!

There is no rest for the weary this Labor Day weekend!

2010-09-05T14:56:00.019-06:00

Labor Day weekend is upon us, a weekend known for lengthy driving trips, sometimes a feverish attempt at squeezing the last delicious drop of summer from the season, whether it be the beach, the boardwalk, or in my case the high desert......

Friday found me, Gabriel, and Sally dressed for service. We had received word from an area Hospice contact, that our services would be very much appreciated this weekend. I checked our collective calendars and there was an opening mid morning on Friday, and so we three set out in my big brown Subaru across Santa Fe in search of two of our friends and patients at Hospice.

When we arrived we went directly to our first friends room. Her bed was stripped and there was no sign of her. I feared for the worst, but upon reaching the nursing station I was informed that she was being bathed and showered with no appropriate completion time offered. Gabriel Sally and I set off to visit another friend. Our gentleman friend was particularly perky and jovial and got his pets and prods from his two friends. I steered Sally and Gabriel down the hallway to leave and in the vestibule ran into a tall attractive woman with a lilty southern drawl. She asked, "our theeeeeese your two dawgsssssss?" "yes, I replied" in my accent less voice. Why is it that I feel so utterly sterile when speaking to the british or the southerners? This lovely woman then kindly asked if we three might not visit her sister in law that she was visiting from Austin Texas. "She just loves daawwwwwwgs" came her plea. And so we three gathered our leashes and our collective paws and proceeded to her sister in laws room. With one look at the face of this dear woman, I knew why we had come. Her bright ruddy face burst forth into a trans formative smile. Her eyes widened and she uttered ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Then came the questions from her and her other family members. What kind of a dog is Gabriel (Great Pyrenees), and Sally? A 1 1/2 year rescue dog from the Los Alamos shelter lab mix who I affectionately refer to as night light because she glows in the dark (no, not really, its a silly reference to her former nuclear neighborhood). Smiles and treat giving and canine saliva and human hands and petting all the way around left me feeling oh so fine and oh so alive, grateful for this gift of life and for the love I share with these two terrific long tailed creatures of service that I call Gabriel and Sally.

This morning, through face book, I received a video of a sixteen year old dog who acts as a hospice therapy dog much as Sally and Gabriel do. The essential difference is that the dog is no longer mobile. His owner, a lovely and gray haired-women transports her dog on a bed on a cart of sorts. When she reaches the bedside of a bedridden hospice patient, she lifts her dog on his comfy pillow to comfort and visit the patient. All of the video footage is accompanied by the heart wrenching sounds of Sarah McLaughlin's.....rendition of "In the arms of an angel". It's a true tear jerker, but it reminded me that once again, My Gabriel can be an angel just as he name would suggest.

For those interested in Gabriel's behavior, I have to say that he has been very well behaved and not in the least cranky since his transgressions of last weekend. We, however, are avoiding the Dog Park like the plague and this morning enjoyed a cool morning walk with Sally and Dakota down the dirt roads of our area and alongside country singer Randy Travis' beautiful adobe walled estate. We never see Randy, but we do occasionally enjoy the belows of his handsome Angus Bull's and the view of his barns and fields below his home.

After the morning stroll, Sally and I climbed in the Subaru and drove out to a area Eventing Barn called Goose Down Farms where we and two other Assistant Dogs of the West Employees demonstrated the power of Assistance Dogs! I parked my car down by the barn which had once housed a Thoroughbred named Nairobi I had ridden. Sally became aroused when she caught glimpse of a gosling in a cage in the center of the barns courtyard. Horses humongous necks leaned and nuzzled me in search of treats. At one time I came with candy canes and sugary snacks for the horses here, now, my waist belt held freeze dried beef liver....something repugnant to the herbivores here.

Amid a steady stream of sixteen plus hand steeds and fashionably dressed dressage and jumping riders we stuck out into the center of the jumping ring. In years past I had ridden in clinics in this very ring with my former instructor Jerfray Ryding's well seasoned eyes providing me direction. But now I was not astride a steed, but rather accompanying my much smaller four legged friend Sally. Sally gathered ground and smells from the sand of the arena. She generously offered sits, and downs, and down stays.......and she even retrieved a larger rubber sandal to the ohhhhhhhs and ahhhhhhhhhhhs of the crowd. Her most fantastic feat was the gathering of her lovely black and white braided leash from the ground which she two times perfectly presented to me with her entire back end wagging in refrain!

As we left the gorgeous grounds of Goose Downs Farms, I felt the warm recognition, that life is a series of experiences upon which we develop a constantly evolving perspective. My perspective has shifted from astride a horse to aside a hound in the very same arena. The one constant in this labor day weekend was companionship, with people, with canines, and with horses. Spending time this labor day with animals is a labor of Love....

Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down (to the dentist, to the vet, and into trouble!)

2010-09-01T19:19:00.020-06:00

And just as August was ebbing and the summer had seemingly sleepily slid by, Monday made it remarkable mark on the month. Gabriel, my seemingly 143 pound "white canine angel" had a dramatic fall from grace as demonstrated during last three days of August at the Dog Park. Up until this week, Gabriel has been an exemplary member of the canine world. He has lead a uniformly peaceful existence during his daily jogs around the perimeter of the Dog Park having clocked not one altercation, bark and or growl. What had awakened this seemingly jovial giant?

It had seemingly started on this past Saturday morning when a high energy and playful black lab had darted into Gabriel's haunches from behind (most innocently but with sure fired delivery) startling Gabriel into a growl and a menacing teeth barring response.

The next morning, Gabriel, Sally, Dakota, and I made our way to the Dog Park later than our usual early Sunday morning session round the dog park perimeter. It was about 8:30 am. We stood in the entryway and a black pit bull mix ran to meet Gabriel through the wire fencing with an explosive growl and bark that was prolonged and aggressive. Gabriel remained motionless and quiet. I waited for the growling dog to leave the gateway so that we could enter uninterrupted. Once the dog had roamed some 35 feet away I felt it safe to let my charges out into the park. Gabriel darted out barking and racing at the black pit bull in a fashion I had never ever even remotely witnessed before. I called Gabriel away, put him into the car with window opened as a well timed "time out" and took my other two for a walk around the park perplexed by this sudden change in my once white angel.

Gabriel joined us and another friend and her dog for a peaceful couple of laps around the park. Gabriel seemed to be himself, relaxed, goofy even for the remainder of our 40 minute walk.

And so came Monday morning. I thought that our run of bad luck had more than run its course, but I wisely opted for a low key 6:15 am saunter round the park hoping to avoid large crowds and misdirected dogs in this cool, calm morning. A good friend and her beautiful Bernese joined us at the entrance to the park. We made it round the first lap painlessly. And then an old yellow lab jogged straight into Gabriel space and in a flash I saw was Gabriel standing poised over the older yellow dog. What was happening? Who was my dog? When did he become so reactive?

Dear Gabriel, three strikes you are out! Someone had taken the wings off my big white angel, and now I was escorting him into the back of my car. If he had been a human he would most probably be in a police cruiser en route to the local precinct or mental hospital. I was shaken and concerned and hell bent on getting some answers fast. This sudden and dramatic change in my dog was terrifying! I called my Vet's office and told them I was on my way to some answers!~ Off we drove to the Gruda's Veterinary Clinic. I left Gabriel in Dr. Sue McKelvey's capable hands with more questions than answers while Sally and I headed to Albuquerque for my dental appointment.

I had never been to the dentist with a dog before, but Jennifer Ridgeway, D.D.S. and her amazing dental hygienist
Stephanie Baca-RDHMS welcomed Sally ( my assistance dog in training) and I with open arms and open floor! Sally took a comfortable sprawl below and "stayed" for periods of time interrupted by high pitched equipment squeals, and open mouthed cackles I produced which prodded Sally into saunters by my side in search of answers, "hey mom, why are you laughing, hey mom, what are those weird high pitched sounds these machines are making". Sally set back down when I made it clear to her that all was well with the world despite all the stuff in my mouth. We even left Dr Ridgeways office hearing about a time when Jennifer, who one time Santa Fe office located across the way from a Veterinary clinic, had performed emergency dental surgery for a canine in need.

Back up i-25 Sally and I sailed to check on Gabriel who had spent hours with Dr. Sue McKelvey. We came with concerned looks and questions, cuz inquiring minds wanna know! Gabriel's abrupt change in temperament had me thinking all sorts of things....is there adolescent schizophrenia for dogs, borderline personality disorder, manic depression, oppostional disorder? I had adopted him when he was One year and three months old. Was there something in his past that was contributing to this sudden change in behavior? Did Gabriel have the canine equivalent of PTSD set off by the battlegrounds of the neighborhood dog Park? Was he ill? Was he in pain???

In our absence Dr. Sue and her crew gathered information, blood, palpated Gabriel 143 pound frame with Dr. Bob Gruda. Dr. Sue and Gruda found Gabriel's body to be extremely body sore which may account for his sudden change in behavior. And yet what is the cause of the pain? Could it be a serious condition? Could it be the result of sumo wrestling with Sally? Was it the inadvertent body slamming Gabriel received at the park? Was it the sudden and dramatic movement of dogs into Gabriel's space that put him into a defensive mode, perhaps igniting his Large Herding Dog lineage to boldly defend his space and his crews precious space. His blood work doesn't come back until next week. Dr. Sue has prescribed low key on leash walks for Gabriel until his body pain has abated and the lab results come in next week. Before we left Dr. Mckelvey gave Gabriel some acupuncture at the end of his diagnostic day at Santa Fe' equivalent to the Mayo Clinic for dog. Sally and I sat on the floor next to Gabriel as we watched his breathing slow, his eyes flutter and still and his heavy chest religuish sweet sighs of relief. Soon after we three headed home for a quiet night with classical music playing as Gabriel lay on his ergonomically supportive foam cushion bed with Sally, Dakota, and I looking on.

For the last two days Dakota, Sally, Gabriel and I have gathered in the wee hours of the now Autumn mornings on leash with leather and halters connecting us as we walk together across dry desert roads in search of peaceful exercise, minus the drama of the dog park where we witnessed drawn teeth, ghoulish growls, and agitated eyes. (Where the wild things are.....) So far so good. We look forward to more answers in the days ahead. One thing is for sure, I'm not an angel when I don't feel good, and despite his angelic name, Gabriel has exhibited his less than celestial side this summer. We are considering calling his alter ego............Lucifier, after all we all have our falls from Grace.....

sally, Sally, SALLY!!!

2010-08-17T20:45:00.011-06:00

Emma, the female Golden Retriever assistance dog who I have had the pleasure to house and to train for several months, went away for an interview in southern New Mexico for a possible position helping children. While Emma has been away, Sally has come to stay with me and what a joy she has been these past two weeks.

Sally came to the life of assistance dogs from a shelter in northern New Mexico. She is not pedigree and she is not apologizing. Heck, I'm not pedigree and I sure ain't apologizing either. Let's hear it for hybrids whether is be corn, cattle, or fuel efficient cars. Hybrids can be seen as an evolutionary step forward on many levels!

Unlike Emma, Sally is very humble, even obsequious at times. In addition to her gentle submission, Sally is exuberant in her love for toys (see the photo of her new stuffed blue snake or is it a fish?). Sally is also partial to her rubber chicken clad in a purple pocka-dot bikini I kid you not! Sally has a truly remarkable skill! Sally has been trained to identify insulin level fluctuations and to communicate relevant changes in insulin levels to whomever exhibits them!

For purposes of training the scent is held in a vile (see photo insert) and placed surreptitiously by the trainers so as to simulate true diabetic insulin levels both dropping and spiking. In one of the photos Sally is poking my hand, the alert she has captured and uses to communicate "your insulin is off!". In a real life situation Sally could literally serve to protect a diabetics health by alerting the diabetic to a dangerous change in insulin levels whether they be sleeping, driving, or simply walking about. How's that for assistance?

At home, Sally has warmed the cockles of Gabriel's heart as well. Gabriel was at first skeptical. When First introduced, Gabriel was unfriendly if not utterly rude. But Sally's beauty and kindness melted away Gabriel's apprehension and scorn. Now they gallivant across the now green desert after the monsoon rains subside. They sumo wrestle across my floor, and they follow my antics with treats and other treasures designed to capture their interest.

Sally's penchant for toys, praise, and treats is steady and considerable however she is careful to never push, just humbly appreciate. Yesterday I took Sally to the fabric store and after for a tour of a discount store. She hovered close to my side and cleverly out of the reach of the grocery cart. She waited at all doorways, and looked to my eyes for direction consistently. Sally is an amazing dance partner and has kept my missing Emma a far easier feat. When Emma finds a forever home, I wonder if Sally can't stay a while.....

Adventures in Animal Acupuncture

2010-08-01T15:23:00.018-06:00

It's not every day that your vet invites you to her home to share her knowledge and hospitality let alone acupuncture performances on a weekend, but that's just the kind of fabulous vet I have found in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr. Sue Mckelvey, a practicing veterinarian at Gruda Veterinary Clinic in Santa Fe New Mexico is where I have been toting my animals for just ten years now. But three years ago Sue arrived on the scene and I've never looked back. She is kind, accessible, knowledgeable, humble, has a great sense of humor, a good listener, a tried and true problem solver, and she's got something in her pocket that not many vets can boast. ....

Sue has acupuncture knowledge and needles. Aside from her Vet degree which she earned from the prestigious Colorado State University in 1997 (home to Professor Temple Grandin --and yes, she was one of Temple's students....to learn more about Temple go through April blog entries) just two years ago Sue set out on a journey of discovery of Eastern medicine as it applies to acupuncture for animals and attended IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) courtesy of Dr. and Treva Gruda.

Since that time Sue has utilized her skills on a number of animals for a number of conditions that acupuncture is well suited for such as arthritis. Sue says acupuncture helps animals struggling through movement become more comfortable and acupuncture improves animals' ability to move. Sue says that acupuncture is helpful in cases involving pain, allergies, itching, digestive issues, low energy, and anxiety among others.

The preponderance of Sue's treatment are for animals who suffer from chronic pain. She uses acupuncture in conjunction with glucosamines, fatty acids, and non steroidal anti inflammatory agents where pain is still present. Sue also believes that acupuncture is often useful before during and after elective or orthopedic surgery.

I asked Sue about any remarkable healing stories she could share involving the almighty needles. Dr. Sue says that she had a young poodle come into the clinic who was shaky and uncomfortable and for which she suggested acupuncture. The client agreed and the next day, the condition had lifted never to return. How's them apples! (or is it lichee nuts?)

Sue has also used acupuncture on her dog Sam, a six year old Pit Bull/German Shepherd cross that Sue says is "the dog of her life." If you've had the "dog of your life" you understand what Sue means. One weekend, Sue was home and Sam was exhibiting pain from an ear infection she diagnosed, but being a Sunday Sue didn't have her Western Medicine antibiotics handy and so she reached for the needles. The ear infection went away.

Sue and I bend down and take to the rug in the living room. Sam joins us. Surrounding Sue are her sterile acupuncture needles which she explains she will be using to treat Sam for his right elbow which has been operated on . She applies the first needle in the middle of Sam's forehead and Sam doesn't even flinch. Sue explains this is the Governing vessel twenty or "calming point". She then moves to add needles around the local points around his ailing elbow. Finally she inserts a needle in the "distill point" around his back leg--on the meridian point gallbladder 34, a powerful point for musculo-skeletal problems. I notice that Sam's relaxation is deepening, his breathing is slower, his eyes are blinking into oblivion.

I remark on Sam's relaxation and Sue Smiles. "He's used to this" she says like the proud "parent" she is.

I thank Sue for her time and hospitality and as I ready to leave, Sue's tall Strapping husband an oceanographer and computer professional comes in all smiles. They remark on their upcoming trip to Belize far from the mountains and high desert skies that meet me at Sue's front door. High Dark Clouds are forming on the verge of the Sangre de Christo Mountain Range and I'm suspecting with this weather (which often spawns arthritic pain) that there are more than a few cats and dogs and other critters that would benefit from Dr. Sue McKelvey's acupuncture needles. ( to schedule an appointment check out the Gruda Veterinary Hospital Website at http://www.grudavet.com/ or call them at (505) 471-4400.)

The Touch Tells All, a day with Linda Tellington Jones

2010-07-18T14:17:00.014-06:00

July 2010 has seen its share of venomous bites and high temperatures in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "My" assistance dog Emma was recently bitten by a slithering critter ( the vet suspects a dry snake bite, but it could have been a six inch centipede) which caused her fragile face to swell and her eyes to become light sensitive. After a few visits to the vet and opthamologist, Emma had greatly improved. As part of Emma's healing curve, the Founder of Assistance Dogs of the West, Jill Felice, had extended to me and Emma an invitation to attend a lecture with world renowned animal healer Linda Tellington Jones.

I was not new to Linda's work. In Kentucky, where I had worked with Event Horses, I had attended an Equitana Trade Show and had purchased books and DVD's by her and had handily applied that knowledge to my horse and some horses who balked at hands near faces, and vets approaching. The results were quick and dramatic. These lessons were available to me again with a different concentration ---- the knowldege was now to be applied on smaller four legged creatures of the canine variety.

And so Emma and I arrived to the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds on Saturday July tenth and entered the conference room replete with dogs on fancy cushions, dogs on well clad laps, dogs in well fashioned crates, and dogs sequestered in elaborate playpens with owners and caretakers nearby. I felt naked with Emma. We had entered the room with merely a halter and leash. But as Linda Tellington Jones warm words were delivered and hands took action, the self-consciousness abated and the healing began.

Our morning session began with the subject of anxious dogs. Specifically Dogs made anxious by fireworks, thunderstorms and the like. We've all known dogs that lay frantic and shaking under beds or in our arms when those thunderous sounds bellow after the flash of light. On the farm in Kentucky, I had known a typically bold and courageous Heinz 57 dog named Hanna who would cower in the corner with tail "barnacled" ( a new word for Websters) to her haunches with the onslaught of thunder. What to do? Linda had suggestions. Linda brought one thunder-fear-filled client's dog up to a table and applied a "thunder shirt"( a soft shirt made of formidable fabric) which wraps securely around the dog. Once securely wrapped, the dogs feels fortified in the presence of thunder and sudden such noises. I mentioned to Linda that it reminded me of Temple Grandin's (see earlier blog entry) squeeze shoot which she used to help her during bouts of anxiety spawned by her autism. Linda nodded appreciatively and said that it worked off a similar principle.

Linda moved on to illustrate some healing moves, all a part of her now famous "T-Touch"-- A series of hand movements used
to increase cellular communication so that a tense and or traumatized animal would become a healed and well integrated one. The corner stone to her touch technology involves using one pointer and middle finger, pressing gingerly and gently in just over a full circular movement clockwise, resting for a moment, and moving on to an adjacent area, covering the totality of the creature, avoiding senstive areas, until the creature is calm. The various hand movements and techniques read like a list of zoo animals, "coil python, raccoon, abalone, bear claw, lying leopard", and it is no wonder as Linda Tellington Jones has been called by many a world class zoo to help heal animals that zoos haven't been able to heal utilizing conventional methods. But how does it work, and where did this Tellington Jones T-touch come from? Inquiring minds wanna know!

Linda's work arose out of her life long commitment to animals sparked by her childhood home, where animals of all sorts lived and dwelled. Linda began riding horses at age four, traveled on horseback to class through Canadian snow bound lanes, soon began competing on horses, only to later join forces (both in matrimony and career) with fellow equestrian and mentor Wentworth Tellington. Together they opened the Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm in Los Osos, California which conducted clinical research for the "improvement of equine performance and care as well as the Pacific Coast School of Horsemanship. After over a decade of success there, Linda divorced, went off on her own, searching for a different destination where she could expand her world beyond equine education. She sold her stable full of horses traveled to Zurich, Germany, collaborated with fellow equestrians involved in Equitana Horse Trade Fairs, and returned to the states to study under Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais over the next four years. Feldenkrais, now famous for his revolutionary methods of mind body reintegration, taught Linda how to utilize non threatening movements to activate unused neural pathways to bypass areas of tension and trauma spawning healing and transformation with humans.

Linda took what she had learned from Feldenkrais, a lifetime of living amongst animals, and some massage techniques her Grandfather had learned from Russian Gypsies while training Tsar Nicholas II's prized Thoroughbred Race horses, added a hefty dash of her well developed intuition, and voila, T- Touch for Horses, Hounds, and now Humans...........

From the front of the room, Linda came to where Emma and I now stood. She bent down to greet Emma. Her well honed hands cupped Emma's eyes in the "Abalone" movement. She gently massaged the spot between Emma's eyes, the spot that Yogi's would call the "third eye". She gently gathered ground across Emma's bodies donning the healing circles with raccoon touches all across little Emma's golden coat. Emma emanated joy. And in the end, I had a special communication that my hands could deliver to Emma. We walked away from the Rodeo Grounds with a prescription for improvement and healing.

To learn more about Linda and her Touch visit her website www.touch.com

1984 reads like a novel

2010-07-03T12:22:00.018-06:00

1984: Stranger than Fiction.

Nat Dean's life took an abrupt turn as a vehicle struck hers in 1984. Her world as a successful San Francisco Artist, and Art marketing magnate replete with a six figure salary was tossed asunder just as her body and her brain bounced continuously against the cold metallic boundaries of her vehicle. Nat was struck, struck from behind, back ended, and set on a new course of living.

Since that time, Nat's life has read like a novel surely as surreal and complex as George Orwell’s 1984. Like 1984, Nat’s life is now all about Mind Control. -- Control of the faculties that she once took for granted. Nat must now muster the patience, courage, and faith to make it through each day. As she wanders through the hours, Nat’s mind makes mince meat of chronology, direction, and content.

Having sustained four major surgeries, a wired jaw and a five year spell of eating through a straw, Nat’s condition is now understood to be primarily Traumatic Brain Injury, a relatively new term that simply describes injury to the brain which can be both small and comprehensive as well as temporary or lingering. Nat has the lingering and far reaching variety, which in the medical circle is described as Contra Coux, an all over global brain injury which has left her with chronic pain, headaches, depression, chronic adjustment disorder, and PTSD.

But aside from the unrelenting pain, Nat has had two other constants in her life, Her husband of twenty three years, Paul Singdahlsen, and her beloved Assistance Dogs who have marched alongside her one step and one moment at a time.

Nat’s veritable pet parade began with Frederick in 1990. Frederick (a student at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Raphael, CA) who was redirected to become an assistance dog) was then a two-year-old German shepherd assistance dog who immediately helped Nat deal with issues of confidence, getting her out of bed and out into the world, as well as helping her with her repeated black out seizures often spawned by flash cameras. Frederick would stand over the struck down Nat, wearing his assistance dog vest, and would bark beckoning on help. Without Frederick, Nat could easily be construed as a drunk or a drug addict. Frederick’s presence and vested credentials gained Nat credibility and from that credibility a greater chance at assistance both from him and humans nearby. Frederick was a veritable Lassie, rescuing his loving owner time and time again. But there were the more subtle scenarios in which Frederick would redirect Nat’s broken compass by putting her on the correct path home, to the car, or round the corner. Frederick’s constant gait would serve to better Nat’s often inconsistent one, and her meager balance was bolstered by his leash and presence.

And then there was just the simple companionship. Nat often found herself alone in the world. Friends that once had stood by in her Artist –high- on -the -hog hey-day had dissipated as her humpty dumpty –ness became apparent. Friends fell off during the 18-24 months when Nat had simply fallen asleep during conversations. Frederick didn’t seem to mind the sudden slumber or the truncated conversation. Frederick stood by her, with attentiveness, kindness, and the almighty unconditional love. Frederick was the friend for the seemingly friendless. Frederick didn’t judge. Frederick didn’t care if his human partner took to napping or disorienting.

As time traveled forward, Fredericks’ hip dysplasia festered and left him unable to provide the assistance that Nat needed. His eight years by her side had come to an end. That’s when Binny, a two year old female German shepherd entered the picture. Nat describes Binny as more intuitive than Frederick (aren’t all females I quipped) When she sensed trouble, Binny lead Nat away, her proactive nature had her dodging cameras before the flashes were set off. In short Binny thought ahead. Binny had been schooled with Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Raphael California, and hadn’t made the cut as a guide dog. Her unplanned career change brought her to Nat’s side where she effectively reduced Nat’s anxiety and served as a bridge between people and Nat. For six sweet years Nat and Binny bounced about traveling as a team until Binny’s sudden death from sepsis at age eight.

Six months later, in May of 2005, T’ai arrived with the help of Assistance Dogs of the West in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After a comprehensive two-week orientation and training period, T’ai became Nat’s newfound friend. Over the course of the last five years T’ai has stood by Nat’s side while Nat’s health suddenly took a turn for the worse. Met with anaphylactic shock, allergic reactions to antibiotic, the appearance of a rare form of blood cancer, pancreatic and gallbladder removal, Tai kept Nat going.

Nat says that during the days that her depression and ill health kept her wanting to stay in bed, she felt compelled to get out of bed to take care of T’ai. Nat credits taking care of T’ai as the stimulus necessary to keep up her awareness of her environment so that she could effectively take care of T’ai while he was taking care of her. For example T’ai would remind her he was hungry, and so in turn she was reminded that she too should eat. Nat fed herself when she fed T’ai.

Nat says that T’ai acknowledged Nat where her once friends had made her invisible through their failure to call or come by. Further, Nat says that her once friends saw her fragility as something objectionable, something that served to remind them of their own mortality and they flew, flew away in droves. T’ai, however, stuck by Nat with complete dedication. Nat fed herself when she fed T’ai. T’ai would remind her he was hungry, and so in turn she was reminded that she too should eat.

In August of 2008, Nat became seriously ill with gallbladder disease and necrosis of the pancreas leaving her too ill even to get out of bed and tend to T’ai. Eight months went by where T’ai through no fault of his own was essentially retired. That period of “disuse” has left T’ai less able to assist Nat now that she is on the mend. So T’ai is set for retirement as unsuspecting puppy is soon to be selected to fill the shoes that T’ai now occupies.

When I stare into Nat’s sweet light colored eyes, I see an innocence and sweetness seen all too infrequently. I ask her to spell out what assistance dogs do for her and others like her. She says, “ Assistance Dogs are a bridge to be able to live in the world when you’re not quite all there…two brains are better than one. “

I look at Nat’s long flowing gray and brown curly locks surrounding her sweet fair face. I listen to her account of the four times in the last 15 or so years she nearly died. My eyes rise above her head camera like to focus on a framed poster on the kitchen wall above her head with the words that read “Never give up no matter what is going on……………..” Words spoken by the Dali Lama. A simple mantra repeated on the poster over and over. Simple words spawning a simple path of regimen and regularity which taken collectively celebrate the very path Nat has taken with the help of her canine friends.

Agility Abounds in Eldorado

2010-06-20T16:52:00.011-06:00

One of my closest canine friends is a terrier "mutt" named Jaunty. As his name would imply, he has a healthy penchant for jaunts along Eldorado's extensive trail system. Yet after months of tearing it up, as it were, it became clear that we needed something to spice up our relationship, something new something different that we could do together. The answer came as the ice melted and the desert terrain revealed some level of verdure. One early spring day we entered the Agora shopping center's Eldorado's Country Pet Dog Store ( a fabulous source for reasonable and healthy dog food, treats, and apparel) if they knew of any good agility instructors. Yes, came the reply, Judy Anderson is a great Agility Dog Trainer. Agility and Jaunty seemed like a natural. Jaunty had the brains, the stamina, the intelligence, I suspected to take our relationship one step deeper. We are talking Dog Intimacy!

I contacted Judy whose delightfully sweet and genuinely warm nature came clear across the wires. We were registered for a six week Wednesday night class entitled Agility 101. We gathered with five other canines on Tuesday May 5th. Clad in no pull halters, leashes, and comfortable easy to stride in shoes Jaunty and I were introduced to the world of Agility. Judy simply showed us how to use our bodies and our voices to garner our canine partners attentions. In what seemed like minutes Jaunty was clamoring down weave poles to my "weave weave weave vocalization" and hovering hand, flying through a brightly colored tunnel to my call of "tunnel" tunnel tunnel, and jumping miniature horse jumps to the call of an exuberant "JUMP"

Each week the syllabus took us deeper. Deeper in acumen, but deeper in our bond of trust, as i was asking Jaunty to try things that required faith in me as well as faith in himself. if jaunty had had plumage, his girth would have gained inches.

Just little over a week ago, Jaunty and i gladly graduated from Judy's Agility 101 class. In the final round we leapt across wide jumps, over poles, onto a table, through a tire, round and round the weave poles, struck out through the rainbow tunnel, and rolled back over vertical poles. Jaunty off leash comes to my left my right and my middle. Our relationship is in peak form, and Jaunty's self confidence is improved.

What's next, you ask? Well, Jaunty and I are signed up for Judy Anderson's "totally awesome dogs" Agility 200 class which starts on Tuesday. We are sure to find more Gold in Eldorado at the hands of Judy Anderson. ( to reach Judy email her at awesomedogs@msn.com)

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

2010-06-17T14:14:00.007-06:00

Summer in Santa Fe is on the verge, and this summer I have taken to the trails with some of my clients and their dogs for a weekly saunter along the highland trails for a lesson in loose leash walking. But the classrooms that I have selected are hardly sterile, noisy, or smelling of disinfectant or (banish the thought) lit by the ever insidious buzzing florescent light fixtures. No my classrooms are the New Mexico highlands and the trails that we have been blessed with--the pristine mountain trails of the Santa Fe National Forest where snow melt turns to babbling rivers and small pools for eyes to delight in and hounds to hunker down in. In the last two Sunday mornings I have escorted human/hound teams along the Santa Fe River and Tesuque River for instructional loose leash walking classes set in New Mexico's Natural world.

I tell my students that walking is actually a composite of behaviors. We connect, we push off, we locomote. How we travel with our dogs is the end result of how we have communicated with our canines and will ultimately dictate the state of our relationship. These Sunday outings are an attempt to address the most rudimentary activity that we share with our dogs..."To Go for a Walk" and to make it a positive one. I share positive training methods to encourage dogs to walk in harmony with their owners in environments that are uplifting.

I am a firm believer in good equipments and halters over collars in all instances. I shudder to think what years of yanking dogs necks wearing collars has cost chiropractially and so I recommend halters specifically desgined to deter pulling such as Premiere's Easy Walk Gentle Leader halter, but there are many on the market now. Halters that do not distinguish between a well behaved stride and a pull are of no value, remember that the most famous of Dog Races, the Iditarod, is lead by dogs sporting halters!

I am also a firm believer in clicker training. It is perhaps the most efficient way of marking any behavior and is consistent in the sound it emits whether I, a trainer, or various household members use it, it makes a uniform sound. The trainers at Zoo's and SeaWorld type installations are all practicing clicker technicians for one simple reason....Clicker Training Works just as consistent clear clean communication. It's truly one and the same.

Group loose leash walking classes provide socialization for all dogs as well as exercise which is the single most changeable element in any dogs life. Exercise is credited in reducing Behavioral problems in 95% of the challenging canine world. I ask all of my clients how much exercise they are getting as well as their dogs. I then ask them to amp up the exercise. The results are impressive.

Positive training methods propelled several of last weeks students across narrow wooden foot bridges, into and across cool streams. Teaching body language that communicates to dogs, learning the value of intonation and pitch is the most rewarding of all. When I see a frustrated dog owner embrace these simple elements so that their dog takes notice and follows cues, it's all worth it. The body language on each side of the leash is transformed. It's a veritable hound human harmony that looks quite attractive on its own, but the aesthetic value is increased significantly by the high pinion, cedar, and Aspen trees and clear alpine streams that travel alongside the practicing loose leash walkers I spy on Sunday mornings.

Gone to the Wolves............

2010-05-26T11:52:00.009-06:00

Sunday May 23rd, I went to the Ernest Thompson Seton's exhibit opening at the Santa Fe History Museum. Seton is reputably the father of the American Scouting Movement, author, conservationist, and artist. Beginning as a hunter and killer of Wolves, he came to New Mexico from his Canadian home to kill wolves just outside of Clayton New Mexico. Having killed five wolves and the mate of a Wolf latter dubbed Loba, Loba came to find his mate and became trapped in a bear trap that Seton had laid for him.. As the story goes, Seton was so moved by this creatures concern for his mate, he found he could not kill Loba, and so began the transformation of hunter into environmentalist. Seton's rendering of a portrait of Loba can be seen as part of the Museums fabulous exhibit.

To celebrate Seton's penchant for Wolves, the nearby Palace of the Governors Courtyard held a four year old Timber wolf named Forrest. I approached Forrest and a cluster of Wolf gazers in the center of the courtyard with a white tent erected to provide Forrest with a shaded area as well as for the staff of Wild Spirt Wolf Sanctuary located in Rama, New Mexico just outside of Grants. My reason for visiting on Sunday aside from the draw of Seton's fabulous personal transformation, I was compelled to go and see the live wolf.

There has been a great deal of misinformation spewing from the lips, video cameras, and keyboards of a lot of so called "dog experts" regarding dog behavior likened to wolf behavior. Some of the true animal scientists and behaviorists ( such as Temple Grandin and Aleandra Horowitz among others) have taken this information to task and I thought it prudent to go and learn from the experts in person just what do dogs and wolves have in common and where do they part company?

According to the Angel Bennett of the Wild Spirit Sanctuary, who presented Forrest to the crowd, Wolves are 90 percent hunters, and 10% scavengers whereas dogs are 90% scavengers and 10 % hunters. What's more Wolves have no human loyalty (where as dogs have major human loyalty), and paradoxically mate for life, whereas dogs are indiscriminate. The wolf's brain is thirty percent larger than dog's brains and they have advanced cognitive abilities Wolves also have a high fear threshold, they don't adapt well to changes once they are over one year of age and they simply don't generalize as well as dogs to. In layman's terms, if I were to train a dog to jump into my car (which he could learn and perform only out of the knowledge that a steak or some coveted treat was promised and not because it pleased me as the neighborhood Border Collie would) and then I asked the dog to perform the same behavior into another car that may lead to confusion. A car is not a car to a Wolf! Dogs took the evolutionary fork in the road roughly 175,000 years ago, dogs evolving to become the ultimate experts on people. What shoes we wear tells them whether we are staying at home, going out to run, or headed to work. They have become the most observant of all to our movements, our body language, our moods, our sugar levels, or even whether we have an oncoming seizure! Wolves do not and are not concerned with us in this way.

Forrest was the antithesis of most captivity raised Wolf's in that he is quite social. His litter mates, also timber wolfs raised like he in captivity are not nearly as tolerant of humans. When I crouched in the circle around Forrest, he actually came up to met and licked me on the face. Angel announced to the crowd that this behavior was indicative that he trusted me and that this is common pup behavior when seeking feeding from an elder.

The Wild Spirit Sanctuary was established to rescue wolves and wolf-dogs from well meaning and uninformed members of the public who adopted wolves and who can cope with them in their homes. Tales of padlocked refrigerators, turkeys being removed from ovens as well as the contents of cooking crock pots and sofas being torn apart and dry wall being ripped to shreds impressed upon us onlookers with the challenges of Wolf ownership. Best leave them to the wild, or if not able to survive in the wild, let them live in Sanctuary!

Wild Spirit Sanctuary conducts tours where you can see nearly the 52 wolves they support. Visit their website at http://www.wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/ or call them at (505 775 3304, open Tuesday Through Sunday Tours 11 am, 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30pm.

I was grateful for my wolf meeting and for my quick tour through Ernest Seton's exhibit at the Museum, an exhibit I plan to revisit before it closes down in 2011. (reach the museum at (505) 476-5200.) I think I'll take my dog out now, for a walk on the Wild Side!

May is all about Graduating!

2010-05-23T10:53:00.012-06:00

May proved a celebratory month with a series of dog related graduations. In chronological order is my own dog graduation of sorts. After a year of study and performance I was awarded dog Training Certification from the esteemed Animal Behavior College of Santa Rosa, California. Book study, 35 essays, and 80 non give away multiple choice questions were the components of my final exam. In my years at Smith College I do not recall any such vigor in exams. Graduating with an A average in the some 11 tests I completed along with an externship program in which I volunteered at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, observed, partook in, and taught six week "obedience" classes, I felt more than prepared for the rigours of real life training!

The second graduation in May came a day later, my first six week private obedience class client, Bodhi graduated! Bodhi is an enchanting black Black Chow and German Shepherd just shy of five months. Bodhi, can watch me, sit, come, down, wait, stay, jump in and out of a car, go to his bed, walk and heel and be gentle when directed to do so as he laps up his treats. Bodhi was recently adopted by and Ann Filemyr and Onde Chymes featured in the photo and she and Bodhi have attained an impressive bond. During his education, Onde was immersed in a tree house design and construction project, which given Bodhi's name (Buddha sat under a Bodhi Tree), I feel he will mature into a serene dog despite his exuberant puppy personality.

The last in my May series of Canine related graduations came by way of Santa Fe's very special Fifteenth Annual Assistance Dogs of the West Graduation. Held in the brand spanking New Convention Center, I found the ballroom by following the trail of women and men connected to sporty black and white spiraled leashes attached to vest wearing golden retrievers/labs/labradoodles and a few other breeds into the large ballroom where on the stage the ceremony began.

The ever effervescent Executive Director Carolyn Beedle took the stage as master of ceremonies introducing Founder Jill Felice and a series of videos outlining the Assistance Dog of the West programs narrated by the distinctive vocals of Ali McGraw. There were other videos as well outlining the lives of specific dogs graduating. We learned about the students who had helped to train the dogs as well as meeting the recipients of the graduating dogs. The story I found most compelling was that of a young autistic girl, who slept through the night for the first time in in her entire life the night her puppy was presented to her. Reportedly that night the two slumbered side by side in her bed.

The players in my spring semester with Assistance Dogs played out on stage and in the audience as I saw my instructors (Sue Barns and Jody Backensto), Assistant Kyle Lephart, Puppy Trainer Classmates Kimberley and Peggy McDowell who have all made my puppy raising experience a positive one. Seeing all of the volunteers, students, teachers seated in this enormous ballroom made it clear that it truly takes a village............to graduate a golden! (or a lab or whatever breed you wish).

As spring slips into summer, I hope my dog education continues to mature and deepen. This spring has been a gradual progression into all types of canine graduations!

Gabriel the Great Pyrenees Goes to Gonzales Grade School

2010-05-23T08:41:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday April 28th, Gabriel, my totally gregarious Great Pyrenees escorted me to Gonzales Community School in the heart of Santa Fe, for this grade's school annual Careers and Curiosity program. As the clock struck Nine AM Gabriel and I were in the throws of presenting ourselves. Every half hour a new grade would appear. We started with Kindergartners who swarmed like a school of fish around Gabriel grasping at his fur and asking countless questions and moved on to the 5th graders one time period at a time.

The calvalcade of questions came like this: Did I like being a dog trainer? what kind of Dog was Gabriel? How Old was Gabriel? How much does he weigh? After the initial introduction, I called to the group to form a circle around Gabriel and myself. I demonstrated Gabriel's training acumen. "Sit" I called Gabriel happily sat. "Gabriel, Come" Gabriel jogged several strides toward me with mouth affixed in a wide mouthed smile. I then asked Gabriel to perform the most challenging of all of his basic behaviors, "Gabriel Down," and Gabriel generously mobilized his enormous frame down into a perfect down with haunches and elbows fully resting on the floor. That earned him a few liver treats between his front paws and a few "ahhhhhhhhs" from the school children. Teachers and students alike faces registered sparks of genuine joy and discovery as they met Gabriel, felt his magnificent coat and experienced Gabe's friendly and fearless presence. I was there to present my career, that of Dog Trainer, and yet, through the experience, I was reintroduced to the very reason for my career choice......when I am with Dogs, whether it be simply spending time with them, or teaching them and humans how to communicate with one another, I feel joy. If it had not been for the challenges I faced when I first adopted Gabriel it is doubtful I would have embarked upon becoming a dog trainer. Our communication challenges had lead to my education as to how to best communicate with canines. That was Gabriel's gift to me, which I now gratefully share with other humans and dogs, the gift of communication and refined relationship.

FIT TO BE SEEN IN PUBLIC

2010-04-18T14:10:00.022-06:00

Through the steady and conscientious labors of our assistance dog instructor , Sue Barnes, Emma and I were ready for our Debut of sorts. Emma, my partner in Assistance Dog Training, a very attractive and petite female one and a half year old Golden Retriever and I were to take the "Public Access Test". The sucessfull passage of the test would enable Emma and I to travel to the neighborhood groceries, restaurants, and other public venues normally prohibiting dogs. The Real question was, were Emma and I fit to be seen in Public!?!

As a matter of background let me state that every assistance dog and handler is held to "minimum standards for Assistance Dogs in Public." What does that mean, exactly? According to the Assistance Dogs International, Inc. There are "minimum standards for all assistance dog programs...Such as Public appropriateness, that the dog is clean, well groomed......Behavior, that the dog does not solicit attention visit or annoy any member of the general public, does not disrupt the normal course of business, dog does not vocalize unnecessarily (bark, whine, and the like), and the biggie, Training which covers the gambit of the dog being able to perform three or more tasks designed to mitigate the "aspects of the client's disability, dog work calmly and quite on harness, leash ....dog must be able to lie quietly beside the handler without blocking doorways, etc., dog stays within the proscribed twenty four inch perimeter or its handler at all times.."

And so I awaited patiently at a bench at the north side of the Santa Fe Devargus mall awaiting our instructor, the dogs, and class mates. Penny arrived first with toys and capable training techniques in hand. Penny is an advanced Canine Trainer having spent somewhere in the neighborhood of two decades worth of K-9 training with the New Mexico State Police with bomb sniffing dogs. She is quiet and gentle and is an asset to the Assistance Dogs of the West Team. Peggy, an enthusiastic s board member, true team player, and fellow classmate arrived cheerily with camera in hand to hopefully capture and chronicle Emma and my passage into public access graduates! Sue Barnes arrived with her charges: assistance dogs Emma and Sally
(another golden trainee who was to work with Penny on a new mode of encouragement, toys....not treats, the squeakier the better!)

Emma and I began our exam walking slowly and evenly along the busy corridors of Devargus mall quietly avoiding the footfalls of enthusiastic youth, unfocused adults, and made a right into Ross's. No sniffing allowed, nor approaching of unsoliciting humans, Emma and I were expected to make our way without bothering the general public. We made it by shopping carts, racks of clothes, small children with gleefully outstretched and patting palms with a smile on our faces. The staff downstairs in the Television Series Upstairs Downstairs would have been most impressed with our cordial and obsequious presence. A thing of beauty is a joy forever Emma's sweet face suggested. I heard the age old adage, " children should be seen but not heard......" in my mind's ear. The victorian adage intended for children was appropriate for us in this instance. This was no place for Leo the Lion, Lady Gaga, or Madonna.

And on we prodded into the hallway once again. Willing members of the public obliged Sue's request that they walk over Emma as she remained in the "down" position without a trace of concern or movement. In the throngs of passer bye's Emma performed a perfect, sit, down and stay, recovered her leash and handed it to me when I dropped it, maintained focus on me in the midst of loud noises, came to my side from a six foot distance, waited when entering and exiting all threshold within and outside the mall.

the ultimate test came at the ice cream parlor. I was to determine the best locale for us to be stationed while I ingested a cone of my choice of ice cream. I went for a table in the corner.....what I deem the celebrity choice. Out of the way and no so apparent......Emma being the celebrity, I being her body guard. Sue concurred and we joined the counter staff to place our order. Emma waited patiently by my left side without soliciting strangers nor lapping up compelling crumbs and any errant ice cream drips. Any action in that direction was redirected prior to impact!

We returned to our seats. Emma responded to her "Under command" and she lay out of the way and under the table. All went well until I inadvertently let a bit of ice cream fall from my cone just under her nose. It was a moment of high drama and high stakes in my mind........ time stood still and my mind searched for a remedy. I heard my voice say "Leave it" just as my right foot covered the clod of cream. I redirected Emma to a post farther from the olfactory stimulation of ice cream , where she remained calm and stationary for the remainder of our parlor stay. Then it was off to the car to see Emma's performance in alighting her carriage. I asked her to "watch me" "sit". "wait" "car" ending in her graceful leap into my car where she lay down with front paws perfectly together with her own sweet smile".

"Good Job....You passed" Came Sue's proclamation. Finally, Emma and I are fit to be seen in public! Emma will don her red vest as we set out in public together unescorted by instructors and other officials! In my eyes Emma is the new and improved version of "Wonder -Under-Dog" (after all she performs her "Under" command spectacularly) in her new red cape! A canine action figure, Emma is indeed my hero. Perhaps tomorrow, I speculate, we will revisit the mall and I will ask Emma to jump up and "press" the handicapped button on the automatic doors with her nose. We will watch the slow movement of the doors as they electronically creep open -- Emma and I will exhange knowing and proud glances. Oh the places we'll go!

Going to Temple, a tale of inspiration.....

2010-03-24T20:56:00.006-06:00

Passover begins tonight as I write about my trip to Temple. But it is not the Temple of the Jews or the Ancient Greeks who sought solace and inspiration in their temples that I write of. No, this contemporary Temple is not a building, but like traditional temples this Temple radiates something spiritual, something uplifting, and something remarkable. Just like the Ancient Jews and Ancient Greeks, I made a pilgrimage to "My" Temple. Curious?

I went to see Temple, Temple Grandin deliver a lecture at a dog trainer's conference outside of Austin Texas. My trip to Temple was as inspiring and as spiritual a pilgrimage as I could ever hope to have. It was after all, a presentation that celebrated life, the life of animals, and the means by which we can each and every one of us improve our communication with our four legged friends. Move over Dr. Dolittle, Temple Grandin Does A Lot! Temple Grandin communicates with animals, and she is hell bent on sharing her secrets.

I sat transfixed as I gazed at an extraordinary women share her wisdom, her passion, and her reverence for animals. She stood tall sporting a red silk tie, a black shirt, innumerable canine and bovine styled bold brass colored pins across her western wear matching black blouse. She wore cowgirl styled black Levis and black leather low heeled shoes. Her mannerisms, her passion and her character has recently been personified in the HBO movie "Temple Gradin" in which Claire Danes provides an amazing portrait of this remarkable woman.

For those of you unfamiliar with Temple Grandin, let me summarize. Temple Grandin is now a highly functioning autistic woman whose life work has been dedicated to understanding, communicating, and bettering the life condition of animals. Like animals, Temple was greatly misunderstood by many of her peers due to her Autism. Temple did not speak a word until four years of age and only then in part due to the commitment of her mother, special teachers and extended family as well as her own personal struggle. Temple could have easily spent her life starring off into space, distant and attached to a world far beyond ours, dissociating, remote, and seemingly inert. But she didn't.

Temple has persevered with the help of some amazing teachers and mentors to pursue and attain excellent communication skills, a PHD is animal Science, and currently holds a post as professor at Colorado State University. Temple is the author of many articles both academic and commercial as well as a healthy list of non-ficton books speaking on the subjects she knows best, animals and autism. With her unique perspective, heavily influenced by her sensory condition, Temple has shed light on the senses and perception of animals, as only she can.

I first caught a glimpse of Temple in 2003, when I heard her being interviewed on NPR for her work with cattle and livestock at our nations feed lots. Temple's interest in the well being of cattle has resulted in some two thirds of the nations feed lots, and slaughter houses having been redesigned by her to be more humane. Her design work has reduced unnecessary and often fatal bovine accidents. She has converted the meat packing industrialists to see that her persepective also means an improvement in their bottom line. She has taken her case against cattle prods while increasing profits, an argument even the gruffest cattle man can't argue with. " If we are going to raise them so that we can consume them we owe them respect" is her argument..... and so she has, reducing violence and dangerous and painful accidents throughout our nations slaughter houses and feed lots.

I crossed path's with Temple's work more recently when a a client had shared her reading of Animals in Translation and "Animals Make Us Human." That same week, I watched "Temple Grandin" several times on HBO. It made an enormous impact, and so when I received an email (at the close of yes that very same syncronistic week) inviting me to attend an Austin based canine professional conference featuring Temple as a guest speaker, I plumb packed my bags!

In her address to the IACP annual conference, Temple tackled a number of subjects such as Canine Emotions.......for those who have argued dogs don't have feelings, think and feel again. Prozac works on Dogs! Emotions are located in the sub cortical brain, an area that is similar among all mammals as well as the presence of neurotransmitters. Temple went on to outline the core emotions of Fear, Rage, Panic, Seeking. Seeking plays a crucial roll in the well being of dogs. Long walks and new experiences in which the dogs sensitive olfactory sense (eighty percent of the dogs' brain is devoted to smell) and play arouse their seeking system as well as reducing stress through physical activity. Temple implored dog owners to not leave their dogs locked up in a crate all day log, and encouraged people to have two dog households to provide companionship....citing Dr. Patricia McConnell (PHD and dog behaviorist and trainer) claims that social needs are as important as their need for food and water, but also stating that dogs do best in two dog households as competition and aggression can escalate in dog households with more than two canines.

I spoke to Temple several times during the conference. I found her to be friendly, enthusiastic, and engaged! She fervently recommends exercise and Omega Threes to both humans and hounds. I listened to her outline how she turned her condition into an asset, borrowing from her autistic proclivity for single minded focus into a means to solve problems.

Temple stood in front of me.... a woman who has achieved more than most through the careful and systematic commitment to bettering herself and the world to whom she wishes to share her gifts. And she has.................I just hope I get a chance to go to Temple once again. (to learn more about Temple Grandin just click on the title of this article and you will be redirected to her official website http://www.templegrandin.com/templehome.html)

Emma Comes Home

2010-03-14T17:33:00.007-06:00

For the last couple of months I have attended "Puppy Raising Classes" at the Santa Fe, New Mexico based Assistance Dogs of the West. It's a volunteer program which assists this laudable non-profit in the training of their adolescent dogs in training. It's been a fascinating ride learning the dog vocabulary (these dogs know an impressive 90 separate commands) devoid of body signals that traditional dog training languages embrace. After all, the handicapped may not have use of limbs we take take for granted.

Last week Emma, a delightful and petite 1 1/2 year old golden Retriever came home for a four night stay. At home, Emma met Gabriel and Dakota, my Great Pyrenees as well as my husband, Larry. The dogs frolicked together, determined pecking order, gathered ground outside for our outings.

On our first dog outing Emma, although the youngest, demonstrated that she is by far the fastest across the field, leaving her Clydesdale built Pyre's in the dust. Both Gabriel and Dakota and I marvel at the instantaneous response a long distance "come" generates. If she were not a dog, she could have been a barrel racer based upon the quick turns and sudden stops she pulls off. Then there is the softer quieter side of Emma, the personality adopted in the indoors while she is "working". Slight and seemingly smiling Emma sits at my feet poised for a pat, a treat, or simply a simple "yes" in return to a steady stream of impressive behaviors. Alongside her impressive behavioral resume is the lightness in her radiant presence.

When asked Emma retrieves fallen objects (keys, paper, you name it) and hands them to me, "gets dressed" by slipping her slender head into her collar attached to her leash. Should her leash fall to the ground she hands it to me. As I wander from room to room she politely shadows my every move, sittting oh so quietly under the table, by my left, or out front as I request. At thresholds she waits and looks to me for instruction, walks loose leash in perfect heeling symmetry, pauses prior to gracefully entering and exiting my vehicle, flips my lightswitches (our house was built according to Handicapped specifications with lower light switches), places her head in my lap to "visit", places both paws on any service upon request, and shows no indications of bruttish, stubborn, or bored reluctance. At night she holds a position as senteniel on the tile floor to my left. She is quiet, unobtrusive, and consistently upbeat and shows no agressiveness nor diviseness with my much larger dogs.

She is the perfect guest, and an inspiration to all in this household. The only problem I see is how to train a Great Pyrenees to be that attentive and unobtrusive, oh what was I thinking. Vive la difference!

Our second weekend is drawing to a close. El Nino is delivering yet another Sunday night Snow Shower as Gabriel and Emma lie side by side in deep slumber, the crackling cedar and pinon serenading these proud pups. They have shared a day hiking outdoors, music and repose, and the wonders of raw bones.

There is rumor that Emma may soon find a permanent post utilizing her skills and training. In the meantime, Gabriel, Dakota, my husband and I find it a great thrill to share in her care.

Gabriel, my big white Angel

2010-03-07T10:49:00.011-07:00

A year and a half ago, I lost my nine year old Great Pyrenees, Brewster, to cancer. I had had him since he was a wee pup of six weeks and driven him from a breeder in the small town of Corydon Indiana to my then farm in Kentucky. It was a rainy day, and Brewster had been surrounded by a village of Great Pyrenees, his mother, and a series of aunts and Uncles in a large kennel. He was Jolly and loving and our life's paths crescendo ed for nine sweet years. He was a soulful dog who epitomized unconditional love through his incessant cheerful and loving ways.

In the summer of 2008, Brewster was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. In June, he was given a sentence of two months to live. As June, July and August passed Brewster never complained but continued to drop weight and was moving much more gingerly. By early October, it became clear he was in great pain from an inoperable abdominal tumor which had made walking an impossibility. My husband had lifted Brewster's dwindling frame from the macadam the night before and we knew that it was time to say goodbye. The following day, with the help of our veterinarian, I held Brewster's paw as life passed from his fluffy white body. I sobbed as I looked the stationary body. It was his shell now, and nothing more. I left diminished, inconsolable, and left the vet's office having been told that Brewster's ashes would be provided to me in the weeks to follow.

The indelible hole that Brewster' passing created did not diminish but rather grew in the months that followed.
By the end of December it was clear that the only way to reduce my grief and celebrate Brewster's life was to find a Great Pyrenees in need of a home.

On December 30, 2008, I contacted a Great Pyrenees Rescue volunteer, Reena whom I had adopted then five year old Dakota from in the Spring of 2001. (a wonderful photo of Dakota and Oscita can be found on the blog) She told me that there were no Pyrs in need of a home as of yet, but that she would be in touch should one come up.

My husband and I flew to Hawaii the following day for some work and some fun. Not twenty four hours later an email came from Reena stating that she had received word from a woman named Lisa who was needing to find a home for her one year old Great Pyrenees Gabriel. Her husband was in the military and because of the economy had elected to stay in the military and had been assigned another tour. They no longer had the large farm house nor roots stateside to provide Gabriel the home and space he needed. They were heartbroken but committed to finding him a forever home.

Within the next forty two hours we exchanged emails and photos and and January 11th was established as the day she and her husband would drive up from El Paso to deliver Gabriel to us. He licked me on the face immediately. He was warm and friendly and beautiful. Bashful was not a word in his canine vocabulary. With tears and hugs Lisa and her husband left, leaving me and Gabriel, Dakota and my husband Larry to form a new family.

In the months that followed Gabriel and I attended obedience classes, took many long walks, and shared a great deal of quality time together. Gabriel was always by my side, always looking out for me and over me, just as the angel Gabriel was said to have done. I was followed from room to room, from outside to inside and back. His large soulful eyes looked deep and still into mine. I felt as if I had know this beautiful creature for years already.

In the course of the last year and two months Gabriel and I have developed a special bond. I feel fortunate to have been given a very special gift in Gabriel. His very presence affected all in his midst. A month ago, an area Shelter Volunteer Coordinator had met Gabriel on a daily walk and suggested that he would be perfect for community service. She explained that once he had passed the AKC Good Citizen Test, he would be eligible to participate in a community outreach program.

Gabriel and I were game. We made plans to immediately take the test, feeling confident that our training exercises would have him sail through the test and Voila, Gabriel passed the test in one fell swoop.

Yesterday was our first visit to an area nursing home. We walked into the nursing home behind a parade of two large Swiss Mountain Dogs avoiding elders in walkers and those not accustomed to dogs weighing over 150 pounds!

We waited for the elders to arrive and visit in an internal room devoid of windows. Gabriel noticed a man sitting on a sofa just off the room we were waiting it. He indicated a visit would be welcome. Gabriel walked loose leashed around a bank of sofas and came around to the elderly gentleman. His smile, genuine and broad looked down upon the joyful face of Gabriel, open mouthed and eager to please. The man spoke to Gabriel as if to a long lost friend he was eager to reconnect with. He thrust his elderly head clad in eyeglasses into a tuft of white fur in Gabriel's side and he held him. I felt my throat tighten and breathed in order to avoid a personal indiscretion. No tears for first visits!

The gentleman thanked us both for the visit. I knew why I had come. More importantly, I knew why Gabriel had come to visit and I was glad.

Waltzing with Elsa

2010-02-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have met many extraordinary dogs and people through my canine connections, but Elsa and Monica stand out in the field.

Elsa is a roughly four year old golden mixed breed female of extraordinary intelligence. Her now human "mother" Elsa (for the past 3 1/2 years), is an accomplished artist and extraordinary woman whose commitment to her dog is at once inspiring, and remarkable.

I was brought into their collective lives little over a month ago. Monica is committed to working with Elsa to broaden her socialization skills. Elsa came to Monica a stray with little human exposure. Elsa was literally crippled by her fear and territorial behavior. Elsa has made tremendous progress under Monica's steady gaze, yet she still remains fearful of many people, places, and things. Elsa finds dogs to be far less of a concern than humans. As creatures of all kinds span the spectrum of shyness, Elsa is an extraordinarily wary dog. Monica has taken her to obedience classes, doggie day care, and seen her dog take baby steps to achieve a high degree of obedience and dog socialization. Yet, socialization with human's other than Monica is still her biggest hurdle.

Up until our initial meeting, Elsa had only permitted Monica to walk her. Our goal was to simply expose Elsa to me, to see if she would walk with me, and perhaps join me in my car. There was to be no pressure, but rather ample opportunity for Elsa to explore new worlds new relationships.

And so we began quite slowly, The three of us walked together down a long paved trail along El Dorado's extensive trail system. Elsa, was wary but did not bark, as she usually had done with strangers prior. I intentionally avoided eye contact, did not enter her space until she had indicated I was welcome through her movement, and waited for her to approach me, sniff me, etc.

By the close of the walk, Monica had cleverly handed me Elsa's leash, an we clicked and treated to a series of basic commands, walk, sit, back, down. Elsa had clearly warmed to me. We made plans to reconnect the following week walking together again.

Elsa was enthusiastic to see me the second time. After a few minutes we thought we would see how Elsa would respond to my handling her without Monica present. It was understood that if she shut down, she would not be forced to do anything except to be. Positive training methods only, Absolutely no forcing!

Monica left in her vehicle. Elsa's body registered fear and resistance. When I attempted to walk her she simply parked herself down on the ground. I refer to this as our "Helen Keller" moment. The moment where Helen Keller and her new teacher left to their own devices explored water through sensation..........Helen triumphantly repeating "WAWA" when the connection was made.

I was hoping for a similar "miracle". Elsa and I stayed in the parking lot's pathway for several minutes, I gazed at her tense loins. I let her be, soothing her vocally and letting her rest. I awaited the release of visible tension. As the clock ticked on, Elsa walked over to me and rested on the ground by my side. I asked her to touch my hand. With each touch of her nose to my palm, I clicked and treated, clicked and treated. Before long Elsa's body and countenance registered a higher level of ease. I considered inviting her to try walking with me again.

I realized Elsa had seen Monica's vehicle go in one direction, and I had indicated that we walk in another. Perhaps, I should invite her to walk in the direction the vehicle had gone? It was a good thought and more importantly it worked. Elsa joined me in the new direction. Her body indicated she wanted to walk, but that she was shaken by her mother's disappearance. As we gained ground her body loosened somewhat, her tail was tucked between her legs, but it shifted over the 20 minutes we walked. The exercise process proved powerful in its healing properties, however I was still walking alongside a cautious canine who although responded to my clicker training and commands and cues, was less than exuberant. I called Monica on her phone, feeling her progress was significant and that we should not overdo it for one day.

Our third meeting was extraordinary. We met in a new location near the center of town. Monica arrived with fresh homemade treats of the highest calibre, organic chicken and beef in plastic bags. Monica had reiterated that I should not feel pressured, to take my time and to call her on her cell should I need to.

Off Monica drove. I saw Elsa's body reflect her departure in by the tensing of her muscles. I used my high pitched voice to provide an enthusiastic distraction from Monica's departure. I invited Elsa to walk on and click and treat and click and treat. Elsa accepted my invitation to walk in the direction of the Monica's departure. Her tale was tucked, her head was down. She rejected my treats but she continued to walk. Within minutes she was lapping up treats and responding to my cues with greater success. Withing 20 minutes she was walking with enthusiasm. Fifty five minutes later, Elsa was trotting joyfully by my side, heeling, sitting, lying down, and staying perfectly each time she was asked. As we rounded the final corner I noticed her nose rise high and move from left to right. She was smelling Monica from afar. Her tail moved like a metronome set for a fast waltz----- and we waltzed forward straight to Monica's smiling visage.

I was glad for an opportunity to break in on the dance between Monica and Elsa one more time.

Family for a Day

2010-02-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

It must have been our destiny. "Scottie"* and I met just two hours after I heard about him from a neighbor. The word on Scottie was that he was not adjusting well to the " stray -dog- facility" life. He had lost weight and was loosing hair. The staff had determined that placing Scottie in a foster care situation would be in his best interest as soon as possible. Another volunteer approached me just as I was readying to leave the facility and asked me If I had met Scottie. I said I had not.

We walked to his den. Scottie's kind eyes expressed worry. His fur was actively shedding. He jumped up to greet us as if to say, take me home, just take me home.

"Only for one night" I exclaimed mentally. " I have two dogs at home and a busy schedule with a husband who had not yet been consulted." I conveyed to Scottie's eyes. Before I knew it, I was loading Scottie into my car with the help of another volunteer. A strong young man, who lifted Scottie, all 70 some odd pounds of him, into the back of my Subaru.

We drove home. I wondered how my 15 year old Dakota, and 2 year old Gabriel (both Great Pyrenees) would welcome a new dog into "their home".

Scottie followed me up the steps from the garage eagerly yet gingerly. It appeared that stairs were new to him, here in the land of one-story adobe houses.

We walked through the laundry room and out into the kitchen and den where Dakota and Gabriel were resting on their ergonomically correct bed cushions. Dakota raised her head from a resting position on the cushion to a sphinx pose, still and steady, her gaze set on the hound colored pup. I wondered if she saw the look of eagerness on his young sweet face. Her nose shifted subtly to adjust her nasal radar read. Gabriel was already in motion toward Scottie, leaning forward on a mission of scent and scrutiny.

Gabriel leaned his large white snout under Scottie's belly while Scottie stood erect with tail raised, a position of submission and patience. It was a canine equivalent of a homeland security station. Gabriel looked up at me as if to suggest that Scottie has passed the muster-- and shuffled towards me, as only Great Pyrenees can, for an appreciative pat and cuddle.

"Yes, I still love you, and yes you are still a top dog in my life" my hands tried to communicate. Gabriel took in all in and settled by my feet as if to guard me from this "interloper" We settled by the fire, and rested and communicated through glances and movement.

Time passed. The sun was surrendering to the peaks of the not so distant Sangre De Christo mountain range exploding out my kitchen window. The Change of cloud colors was imminent, the day was drawing to a close. I felt a group walk would do us all good. Scottie needed to reduce his pent up tension from his unfamiliar surroundings. I am a fervent believer that human and hound alike benefit from exercise to reduce stress and improve overall behavior.

We headed to the largest of Santa Fe's dog parks. There were no other dogs in site. My two descended from their rear perch of my Subaru. I lead Scottie from his back seat position and we all marched to the entrance. I undid all leashes and watched the swirl of air and fur and frozen sand. The three marched forward, noses seriously to the ground to pick up the latest canine news..................Gabriel took the lead, Scottie trotted close behind, with Dakota in third place. As we circled the twenty five minute perimeter I saw Scottie's body language transform. The tension was melting, the stride was loosening, the tail was raising. His body was settling in to stride, to smell, to the joy of movement and of life.

We climbed into the car, more of a crew than before. Gabriel had given up on scolding Scottie from the back seat. Scottie had climbed into the back seat without any coaxing, and Dakota the sage of the scene took note of all the antics of us younger folk. A short drive home, water was lapped up, cushions under torsos, I prepared dinner for us all. I placed some doggie "relaxation music" that helps to reduce stress and heart rates among dogs.

Scottie followed my every move with his eyes, occasionally arising from his cushion on the floor to follow me at the kitchen counter cooking, cleaning, putting the dishes to sleep for the night.

Then the hush of night took us all to our nightly sleeping session. There were no dog growls or barks to interrupt the night and so in the morning, I found all dogs happy and recharged and ready for another trip around the park.

We were well seasoned trippers by now. Scottie, traveled more closely with Gabriel. Dakota took up her position as Caboose on the dog train. Scottie ran to my side for a nibble and a pat and off he ran more at ease than the day previous.

As I headed out to a day of training and exercising dogs, I drove Scottie back to the adoption facility. A rosy cheeked staff member thanked me for my assistance in keeping Scout overnight. She happily shared the news that Scottie had found a foster home. I rubbed Scottie and we looked deep into one another's eyes, both transformed for the better in the time we had shared. (*changed name to maintain privacy)

Eudora

2010-02-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

I volunteer weekly at a local animal shelter. This typically means that I arrive at the facility, don a protective apron, fill the pockets with a broad spectrum of dog treats, pick out a leash and head to the information board indicating who has been walked and who has not. I invariably pick those that are older, larger, potentially unruly, and less attractive as these are the ones I suspect will be the last on handlers' lists.

For two weeks I walked Eudora.* She has a dull golden coat with a hint of red. Her eyes were intent and soulful, but less bright and older. There was a hint of fear. She was not a beauty by standard measure, but her spirit, her soul, that indefinable essence.... shown through creating more beauty than one could measure.

I took a cursory look at her information sheet posted on her pen and connected Eudora to a leash and we headed outside to to the facilities dog park. Eudora galloped out into the vast expanse and returned to my side with such joi de vivre. I gave her two warm strokes, under her chin and a much coveted treat. Her body smiled through movement and she was off for another exuberant ark across the weeds and the frozen desert. Our twenty minutes through measured time and space was a bonding of woman and canine, of twin souls on a lark of high desert air and sunshine and sounds.

As we reached the end of the path, Eudora rejoined me running up to my left side. She was already well schooled as to my expectations of her. I applied her leash and we headed back "room" at the shelter. Once back, I reviewed her file more closely. Eudora was eight years old and had been turned in by her owner. I was surprised by her age, more shocked than surprised that she had been dumped at the shelter by her owner. This was an exceptionally well mannered dog, affectionate, and intelligent. I felt my heart ache and my eyes brim with saline tears. It was a release of surprise and deep sadness. How or why could anyone have cast this dog aside?

The following week I returned. Eudora was there again and she had not yet been walked. We were seasoned travelers now. Our knowing glances communicated our desire to move and be together. The snow had laid a covering over our old path. Adora bounded like a puppy along the white powdered path, sat and stayed with my treats as a suggestion, and then once released --bounded across the horizon, her body full of life and appreciation for this bit of freedom. i gazed out across the vista of purple hills with white dressing-- the crispness of the New Mexico sky fashionably spectacular.

Eudora and I finished our promenade in her little "room" with some treats and some body rubs. My eyes had brimmed again.

The third week when I returned to the shelter , she was gone. I assumed she had been taken home by some insightful dog lover, with whom she would presumably bound and romp and love beyond the shelters signposts.....and I smiled. (*name changed for reasons of privacy)

Can I be of Assistance?

2010-01-23T20:08:00.001-07:00

I climbed up the concrete stairs above the Hidden Chicken restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico en route to the second story home of the Assistance Dogs of the West, a non-profit devoted to the rearing and education of assistance dogs. It is my second week in training to learn how to best support dogs in training on long weekend stays at my home.

I am met by my instructor Sue Barnes and the founder and Program Director of this commendable organization one Jill Felice. Jill founded the organization some fifteen years ago and plays an active roll in the training of the 30 dogs who live in either Santa Fe or Albuquerque.

Jill bends over and speaks to Trevor, a four month old Chocolate lab, who even at this young age is engaged and attentive to Jill and who sits in a most composed fashion.

Sue Barnes greets us with a broad smile and brings the class to order. And then........she provides us with a piece of paper which doubles as a pop quiz. My classmate Peggy and I sail through the questions... what is the dog's strongest sense? (answer smell). What foods are toxic to dogs? (raisins, grapes, chocolate, macadamia nuts, etc)

We both pass the test admirably and are asked to choose a dog we would like to train with. I have been eyeing Jackson, a handsome yellow lab, with intelligent and mature eyes. I secure my bait bag around my waist in preparation for "encouragement" as I learn to deliver oral commands to Jackson.

I can not rely on the visual cues I typically use when training "regular dogs". Assistance dogs are not trained to abide by such luxuries. Disabled people can not be expected to move their bodies and arms as most of us are able. And so, with Sue's clear direction we work through the commands: Leave it, get dressed, give, stay, closer, down, careful, and get your leash. And Jackson does.

I feel like a human pez, delivering three calories treats quickly and effectively. Jackson puts his head through his collar to "get dressed", drops whatever he is doing when I ask him to leave it, give me his leash when I say "give", shimmies up next to me when I say closer, moves his teeth more carefully when extracting a treat from my hand when I whisper "careful", and he gets his leash when I ask him to. What's more, Jackson looks up into my eyes and elicits more positive behavior than any dog I have ever met.

I know that what has brought Jackson to become such a polished pup of perfection has taken true devotion, education, time, and money. And it's all worth it because someone will be seated in their wheelchair and Jackson will pick up their keys, open their refrigerator, and help this person get through the day in a way, no one else could possibly do. The most exciting part of all of this for me, is that I am being given an opportunity to become a part of this all too fantastic process, I can be of assistance too.

Scooby Found a Home

2010-01-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a week of endings. My dear friend, Michael Hyde died of lung cancer this week. A special man, he introduced me to my husband and was an angel in my life. Today, I received word that Gwyn Savage, a New Mexico Casting agent who I had met working on three films in New Mexico was given up to two months to live. Gwyn had suddenly discovered over the Christmas holidays that she was facing a struggle with lung and brain cancer. Gwyn is a remarkable woman of great fortitude and compassion. She has a dog Scooby that is in desparate need of a home. He is big beautiful and lovable.
The following morning Thursday January 21st, I recieved the following email in response to the Scooby blog entry :
hello all. I wanted to give you an update on Scooby.
Gwyn adopted Scooby from us (Second Chance Animal rescue) about 2 years ago after he was rescued in Los Lunas with a choke chain collar embedded in his neck. His rescuer had the surgery performed to remove the chain and then contacted Second Chance for help in finding him a new home. We took him into our foster care while he recovered from the surgery and then Gwyn contacted us after seeing him on our website. If you look at the home page on www.filmsavage.com you will see Scooby's picture and the info about Second Chance and a link to our website. Gwyn was nice enough to post all that info to help us adopt out other dogs. Tonight one of our volunteers went to .... Gwyn's mother's house and picked up Scooby. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Gywn to manage Scooby while caring for Gwyn. We will be working closely to find the right home for Scooby....I think Gwyn is at peace knowing that he is back with us, as she knows we will make sure he finds a home as wonderful and as loving as Gywn gave to him. This is so heart breaking, and I'm so thankful so many people care about Gwyn and about Scooby. He had a horrible start in life, and Gwyn healed the wounds in his heart. I believe they brought each other much joy.

Susan Renick
Volunteer
Second Chance Animal Rescue, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Albuquerque / Rio Rancho, New Mexico
www.secondchancenm.petfinder.com

Later on Thursday January 21st, Gwyn passed away at 3:00 PM. I sent word to Second Chances, hoping to alert them to Gwyn's demise. I immediately received the following email in response to mine.

Hi Candy,
I was actually out in front of the house when Gwyn passed away... One of Gwyn's friends/coworkers, Georgina, was there.... she wanted Scooby; she loves Scooby and he knows her well from hanging out in the office. Georgina hadn't realized that I had picked him up last night. So Georgina has Scooby now and promises to take good care of him and give him a great home; she said she loves him and "wants to keep him in the family". Scooby was so happy to see Georgina when she walked out of the house; he got so excited. We had just put Scooby and his toys, etc. in Georgina's truck when Adam came out and told us Gwyn had passed. I really think she knew that Scooby was safe and she could rest. I didn't know Gwyn real well; just through Scooby's adoption but she was always so nice and helpful. She put our group's link on her site and helped us promote our dogs. We were so happy when she adopted Scooby. He had been through so much before we had taken him in and she loved him and made him very happy. I will keep in touch with Georgina to make sure all is well and that Scooby is settling in with her and her family.

Thank you.
Debbie
Second Chance Animal Rescue, Inc.

What a remarkable series of events! The dog community, Gwyn's freinds and family all worked in concert to find Scooby a home, a home he now has.

White on White

2010-01-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

I awoke to an insulated sky of gray and large white flakes descending steadily and quietly. It was if an enormous baker was sifting confectioner sugar through a wire mess strainer onto Mexican Wedding cookies below. There was not a breeze in sight, but the snowfall had reached 4 1/2 inches as light grew.

This is the weather that Great Pyrenees Covet and I currently have three in my life. This afternoon, my two Pyrenees Gabriel(2) and Dakota(15) took to the snow, galloping and careening across the fields of snow, giving merit to their dew claws, lying on their backsides and making "Dog Angels" in the snow. Their DNA seems to be activated in the presence of the white fluff. It's a sea and symphony of white on white.

Earlier in the day, I had picked up a friend of mine and her delightful one year old Great Pyrenees Monty for a field trip to a large enclosed field brimming with snow. His beautiful agile body gathered ground in gazelle like motions. His joy was expressed in his giant sized bounding steps. After minutes, he would gaze around at me and his "mother" Sabine.

Sabine Lucas has done a remarkable job with Monty. A dog clearly suffering from abuse, Sabine used her knowledge as a healer (she is a Jungian analyst by training having studied in Zurich many years ago see her website at www.pastlifedreams.com) and considerable patience to win Monty's trust. Less than a year ago Monty shook in the corner of the room at the very sight of a leash. Today, through desensitization techniques, exercise, sound and light therapy, exceptional home made diet, patience and a lot of love, Monty walks outside with the best of them, running to his owner at the very sight of a leash in anticipation of a hike outdoors. Today was his virgin voyage across fields of snow. I feel privileged to have witnessed it.

Houndin Round in Bosque Farms

2010-01-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I took a sojourn down I-25 from Santa Fe, exiting just south of Albuquerque some fifteen minutes. It is there, along the sleepy dusty banks of the Rio Grande, that tall stands of Cotton Wood Trees abound that form an oasis. In this high and dry Northern New Mexico region the Bosque is where life is celebrated in narrow strips of green on either side of the Rio Grande River.

It is now winter, but life still congregates along this waterway. I stop my car to take in the enormous flock of snow geese who have chosen Huck's winter fields to congregate. There are hundred of white birds, some swirling and diving to the congregation below, some simply resting and sunning themselves. I notice a couple of taller more muted gray birds, the sand hill cranes whose numbers have diminished while the snow geese have grown since my last visit a few weeks ago.

I am en route to my friend Karen's ranch, a special artists celebration of life along our "Nile", our Nile---The Rio Grande. Karen Kuehn is a photographer of note (see photographs on this blog) and has goats, chickens, geese, 1 donkey, 2 tortoises, two horses, and seven adopted shelter dogs. That's right, seven. All well fed, exercised, loved, groomed, and excessively happy critters.

Despite the animal load, the farm is fantastic, in its lyrical themes, gardens, a resting boat resting on the ground with large painted Tibetan Buddha eyes, and airstream trailer where visiting photography students stay in week long photography workshops with Karen, several out buildings, two raised pools, and Karen who greets me with her large bright smile and warm arms.

That is not all that greets me. There is Taco the tiny and genuflecting chihauha, there is Chewy a Chihuahua/beagle or is it
Jack Russel whose short white paws rest on my lower shin, Ike (as in Eisenhower) a bird dog with large brown spots and freckles looks lovingly up to me in his yellow eyed gaze, There is the leader of the pack, Miss Luanne a true hound dog who seems ill placed in a state devoid of fox hunting, Shadow, who as her name implies lies back from the group low to the ground in her sweet and retiring dachshund fashion, and my favorite Tank, a large gentle yellow and cream colored Pit Bull whose warmth and intelligence makes him seem so very present. Lastly, there is the least greetable and smallest member of the group, Lucy, an elderly and spunky black Chihuahua, whose socialization has improved remarkably from her first days here roughly a year and a half a go. I sit and stroke their coats, trading Chihuahuas in my lap, reaching over them to the larger dogs and extending greetings and kind words. I feel welcomed by this Mediterranean styled greeting. There is no sense of embartassment in expressing enthusiasm or love amongst these creatures. No one needs to tell them to tell others thatn they love them before its too late. They embrace the here in now in all its fullness.

Karen and I sit down to a cup of tea to catch up before we head out to ride the horses. The dogs settle down, a couple of cats on the periphery make there way above the dogs. We speak of friends and the economy, an upcoming night at the Lensic with Annie Liebowitz, plans for the summer, and review a picture of a dog on Craig's List named Tank who looks almost identical to her Tank, only his ears have been trimmed, something neither of us is terribly in favor of.

We head outside with the hounds in toe, Karen to her boy, I to the ever handsome and richly brown gelding, Twist. Both horses are frisky this sunny winter morning. Brushing, picking feet, lugging saddles, pads, and bridles, we settle on our feisty mounts with a dog audience outside the corals perimeters. They loyally await our return, politely moving out of our large human movements, awaiting our free arms and embraces.

What I garnered from this dance with Karen's dogs was the true joy of cohabitation with canines. The essential ingredient here was that Karen's dogs communicated well amongst themselves and with me and Karen. It was clear that they felt safe and complete and loved by Karen. If only we humans could draw from this knowledge of understanding the importance of respecting others boundaries while appreciating our specialness, the world could get a glimpse of the harmony I found with Karen's hounds along the Bosque's banks.

It was a Dog day after all

2010-01-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

There was a calm in the clear blue sunny skies in Santa Fe today. With temperatures hovering at the fifty degree mark, humans and canines were out in greater numbers, muscles relaxing, noses revelling in their canine colleagues passing by.

I started off walking one young large Herding dog through his neighborhood, clicker training to impress upon him, the importance of heeling to my left and to discourage the lunge and smell method that a hundred pound dog can so easily demonstrate by destabilizing you! My charge met more neighborhood dogs than he had in recent days as more owners had elected to allow their dogs out into their now warmer front yards. Greetings were fairly cordial with the exception of a boisterous and older chihuahua whose implied vocation was that of serious territorialist! Fort Knox must truly lie within his owners compound based upon the voraciousness of his growls and barks! We wandered round a neighborhood school yard, observed basketballs bantering along the black pavement neighborhood court, walked off to the side as a bicyclist glided by and came within twenty feet to the cutest baby beagle. My canine companion bounded forward to smell more of the pure bred puppy now lying under his enormous muzzle! Not even Snoopie could ever have been this cute!

Beagles it has been empirically noted are sight dogs, in that they respond almost exclusively to visual cues and movement. If you have ever met a beagle owner, they will tell you that beagles have a mind of their own. Certainly they have their agendas, one being a commitment to following the scent, which is why they have been used as hunting dogs for low these many years. Employing body language cues when communicating with a beagle and certainly when introducing a new cue or command is well worth the body motion. The baby beagles owner indicated that she was looking for an obedience class and I encouraged her to do so recommending positive training methods with a trainer commited to employing visual cues.

I left town and headed out to my second client for the day for a one hour hike with the most adorable terrier mix I have had the great privilege to team up with. This terrier prodigy in one months time has gone from nipping at fingers in search of a treat to patiently awaiting the release of a treat, from pulling to heeling, from strutting in his own private Idaho, to consistently looking up at me to gauge his speed and direction. He sits as directed with the passage of traffic and distractions and has now taken to lying completely down in a similar fashion. God love the quick and jolly and intelligent eyes of the terrier!

My last client of the day brought her cream colored canine to meet me in a public parking lot. The young dog has consistently demonstrated strong territorial behavior at home and it was felt a neutral spot would prove the kinder and more civilized approach. And so it was. I was met by an enormously attractive and intelligent female dog. I gave her a moment to smell me and walk round me. Her body registered I had passed the sniff test. So often people do not let dogs assess us. A few minutes of allowing our canine friends the space and time to politely take us in can mean the difference between confrontation and the formation of meaningful bonds between canine and human. I asked her to sit, she did and took my organic low call treat. We walked and dicussed our strategy in Improving upon her quality of life and communication with strangers, friends, and potential challenges. We set out on a hour hour hike, trading leashes and stories, good dog theories, and dog literature, the latest thinking on canine behavior and the very definite differences between dogs and wolfs, pack animals vs. scavenger, canine sense of vision, sound, and scent...which brought us back to the parking lot we had originated from. A calmer canine, tail wagging, treats digesting, and plans for greater walks with more distractions on the horizon.

Dog Park Delight

2010-01-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

As the child of a mother whose formative years were surrounded by the reality of Polio and the accompanying fears of public places, I had resisted Dog Parks for many years. My thinking was that it was a place of potentially festering disease and canine folly and fights. I chose to lug around my 250 pounds of two Great Pyrenees by a series of fancy halters, gentle leaders, bungee cord styled leash accoutrement a safe distance from the plebeian strolls of less astute dogs and their owners.

And then last week's Arctic chill descended upon Northern New Mexico. The thought of walking the dogs in the frigidity was daunting. Somehow the thought of the dogs exercising themselves with me near by bound in a floor length down parka with my hood drawn tightly around my visage like the hooded character on South Park (Kenny) with my fluffy white Pyrenees darting to and fro unattached seemed appealing. What's more, I reasoned, what bacteria could survive such temperatures? And so, we strayed to the Dog Park, a large tree adorned area, with beautiful views of the mountains, pleasant and not to many dogs and well maintained dirt paths. Within a week my dogs exuberance became palpable. My 15 year old jogged merrily behind me. Both dogs drew in the scents of those dogs who had merrily passed by before them. They drew in the scents much like we tarry over our emails. Yes, my dogs stopped and sniffed for their Dogie Emails, and in so doing their batteries seemed to charge. If soaring spirits wards off disease, then whatever viruses abound in public dog parks seem to have a built in vaccination, the vaccination of sheer unbridled and unleashed canine joy.