Been Here Before

Nikki isn’t our first foster dog, nor is she our first foster puppy. My husband and I have been fostering German Shepherds for our local German Shepherd Dog rescue for about five years. We’ve had the joy of fostering around 27 German Shepherds, and we have managed to adopt only two of those 27 or so, because when they’re absolutely meant to be part of your family, you know it.

The Dilemma 

We typically foster only one dog at a time, because three’s as many as we can handle at one time. Here’s what’s going on for me. I know my husband wants to adopt this dog, but that would mean the end of our fostering days, which–as much as I’ve loved it–is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, especially since we spent the entire summer renovating our home to rectify 15 years’ worth of doggie wear-and-tear. It looks so wonderful now, and I want it to stay that way as long as possible. A steady stream of dogs, some which chew wood and aren’t housebroken, isn’t going to help me be successful in that quest.

But Wait! There’s More!

The question I’m asking myself now is–do we really want another dog (a real cutie who’s already become one of the pack, because our alpha female Zoey plays with her instead of going for her jugular)? Another dog means bigger vet bills, more dog hair everywhere, bigger pet-supply costs, higher kennel costs if we want to go somewhere, stuff like that. That said, I’ve bonded big time with this puppy, and so has my husband. Today we have a very rare four inches of snow on the ground, and just watching Nikki romp in the snow was a heartwarmer. And I’m pretty sure she likes it here. (Considering the way we treat our furkids, a dog would have to be nuts not to love it here.) My husband is leaving the decision to me.

Reason or Surrender?

Once I make the call to keep her, there’s no going back. I would never give her up. My concern is that I’ll decide to keep her–and live to regret it, and that it may be to much for me (and the house) 24/7. On the other hand, I may regret letting this sweetie go. So, my furkid-loving friends, do I go with my head–or my heart? Any input that would help move the needle for me one way or another will be greatly appreciated.

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Seriously. Our home is dog-hair central, and we gave up being anal about it years ago or we’d surely be in the Chock Full o’ Nuts hotel by now. If we combined the shed hair on the floors, furniture and in the car with the hair we amass when we brush them, we could easily fill the Pentagon—annually.

Okay. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but that’s sometimes how it appears to us. I’d need a vacuum with a canister the size of a beer barrel to get up all the dog hair in one shot. But, just like you, the love we have for our fur kids far outweighs the dog-hair hardship we endure.

That said, there actually is something we can do with dog hair. It probably won’t make us rich quick (or at any other rate of speed, for that matter), but this idea does give new meaning to “puttin’ on the dog.” Here’s a book entitled Knitting with Dog Hair: Better a Sweater from a Dog You Know and Love Than a Sheep You’ll Never Meet by Kendall Crolius and Anne Montgomery. The authors tell you:

• How to make an afghan, beret and other knit items
• How to collect, clean and store your pooch’s fur
• How to modify your patterns to accommodate pet-spun yarn
• How to find experienced pet-hair spinners—a guide to resources and suppliers

How about some dog-hair designs and a video to inspire us? I should be able to open a department store by the end of the year…

“Walk & Wag”  takes place every year near Halloween to help raise money for the organization, as well as for other pet rescue groups. I was there staffing the table for German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Georgia, and I ran into my dear friend, phenomenal pet photographer Pat Thomas of PhotoPhetish. Pat was there, as she always is, to support the organization, take candid shots and hang out with a park full of dogs and their people. (Pat’s as dog-obsessed as I am!) Events include a pet parade, a talent contest and a Halloween costume contest.  I thought you’d like to see some photos of the fur kids we were surrounded by on that beautiful, sunny, autumn day!

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I’ve believed for a long time that I’m a dog in another existence. It’s the only theory I can think of that explains why I have such a strong connection to and love for dogs that I chose not to have children (and I’m married), because I have always liked dogs better than kids.

I grew up with dogs, and my husband and I have always had one or two dogs running our lives. As foster parents for our local German Shepherd Dog rescue group, from time to time we have three dogs to hug, cuddle with and love. When I pass someone walking a dog on the street, I greet the dog and stoop to see if I can pet the pooch’s head. Then I remember to say hello to the human. When I’m driving around and I see a dog on the street or sticking its head out of a car window, I say “Hi, Sweetie!” Out loud. When I’m in a pet-friendly pet store, I have a conversation with every dog I pass. Most of our charitable donations during the year go to pet organizations.

Anyone can make me smile simply by emailing me photos or videos of dogs. Bottom line—I wouldn’t want to live in a world without dogs. I read somewhere that dogs are the only animals that love and protect their owners. (I’m always amused by the idea that I’m considered my dogs’ owner. They own me, and they know it.)

Sometimes I think my love of dogs borders on insanity, and then I remember that my spiritual connection with dogs is a connection I wish everyone had. When you love something that much, you would never think of harming it, neglecting it or abandoning it—no matter what.

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Look into a dog’s eyes, and you’ll instantly recognize the depth of their love and the trust they have in us. My dogs are rescues, and for my life to come, all my dogs will be rescues. All they want is the chance to love and be loved. Want to do something that will make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before? Go to a pet shelter or contact some of your local pet rescue groups and rescue a dog. In a single moment, you’ll change two lives for the better. You know what dog spells backwards. It’s not a coincidence.

Who cares? It’s still a robot, so any response to my emotions would be totally artificial. No, thanks.

When it comes to dogs and cats, there’s nothing like the genuine affection you feel when your pet curls up on the sofa next to you and looks at you with complete trust and love. Do you really think you’re going to get that same heartwarming connection from a bucket of bolts with fur?

Researcher Wei-Po Lee says, “With current technologies in computing and electronics and knowledge in ethology. neuroscience and cognition, it is now possible to create embodied prototypes of artificial living toys acting in the physical world.” For me, the operative word is acting.

I don’t want a pet who “acts” like he or she loves me anymore than I want my husband “acting” like he loves me. I’m human, and I can tell the difference.

While I understand that animatronic pets may be answer for people who live in places that don’t allow real pets or are allergic to pet fur and dander, I can’t help but wonder what’s next–substitute humans for people who can’t get along with anybody? Facebook, Twitter and all the other social networking sites have already begun to replace actual human contact with virtual contact, so we all have hundreds of “friends” who wouldn’t know us if we sat next to them on a bus. We’re actually changing the very definition of friends. So someday down the road, when I can buy robotic friends who are programmed to my wants and needs, why would I need the real thing? True, meaningful friendships will become obsolete.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m dazzled by human progress and advances in technology, but–like superior weapons of mass destruction–not all advancements serve humanity in a positive way. When my pooches cuddle up next to me and lick my face, I’d rather feel the love than some cold piece of metal scraping my cheek.

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For decades, I’ve dreamed of doing this exact same thing for dogs. I have nothing against cats, of course. Some of my best friends have cats. I just have this thing for dogs. I truly believe I’m a dog in another existence, because I feel so connected to them. And frankly, I wouldn’t want to live in a world without dogs–the ONLY animals who love and protect their owners.

All I need is about $3M and a nice, big piece of land in the North Georgia mountains. If you can help me out, just let me know! When it’s up and running, you can visit my puppy paradise any ‘ol time you want…

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(CBS) A Michigan man says he has his dog to thank for saving his life by chewing off his infected big toe as he lay in a drunken stupor.

For months, Jerry Douthett had refused to see a doctor for the festering digit, in spite of his wife’s pleas and her suspicion that he had out of control diabetes.

About two weeks ago the couple went to a bar, where Douthett told the Grand Rapids Press that he drank four or five beers.

“Jerry had had all these Margaritas, so I just let him sleep,” his wife Rosee, a registered nurse, told the paper. “But then I heard these screams coming from the bedroom, and he was yelling, ‘My toe’s gone, my toe’s gone!’”

Kiko, the family dog, had suddenly become a surgeon.

“It wasn’t an aggressive attack. He pretty much just ate the infection, so he saved my life,” Jerry Douthett said.

He was treated at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids where physicians said he had type 2 diabetes and was suffering from a dangerous toe infection. Surgeons amputated what was left of the digit.

“Maybe he thought it was not part of Jerry’s body,” Rosie told the Grand Rapids television station WOOD-TV, “that it was a dead animal laying on the bed. But he chewed off the infected part so he knew when to stop, which was great.”

Jerry Douthett says Kiko, a white terrier with brown ears, is a hero. Now that he knows he is diabetic, he has given up drinking.

Most dogs are able to run and get help, drag an owner to safety or something heroic like that, but I’ve never heard of a dog being able to make a phone call!  But, that’s exactly what she did.

Seeing her owner Kevin Weaver of Indianapolis, IN lying unconscious on the kitchen floor from a diabetic seizure, she immediately fetched the cellphone and bit down on the number 9.  It had been pre-programmed to call emergency services. Belle repeatedly barked into the phone at the emergency dispatchers, who immediately sent help. When paramedics arrived, they found that Weaver had suffered severe hypoglycemic shock and had collapsed on the floor.  As they rushed him to the hospital, Belle rode along in the ambulance to make sure her “patient” would be okay.

How’d she get so smart?

It seems that Weaver has had type 1 diabetes most of his life, but when the seizures became more frequent a year ago, he enlisted the aid of his faithful friend, Belle, and trained her to become a diabetes alert dog.  It took about nine months, but as you can see, the specialized training paid off.

Impressive?  But that’s not all!

As if being one of the first dogs to actually dial a cell phone in an emergency wasn’t impressive enough, she can also help monitor Weaver’s blood-sugar levels.  With a keen sense of smell, she is able to detect when levels are abnormal.  The dog periodically licks Weaver’s nose to take her own reading of his blood-sugar level.  If something seems off to her, she will paw and whine at him.

“Every time she paws at me like that I grab my meter and test myself,” Weaver said. “She’s never been wrong.”

Every good dog has its day!

Her good deeds haven’t gone unnoticed. She is the first non-human to receive the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association awards the VITA award to individuals who “demonstrate the courage and instinct to think of their wireless phones as a life-saving device during demanding emergency situations.” The name VITA (which is Latin for “Life”) is so appropriate since that’s what she gave her owner a second chance at.

~Max

At the moment, we have three German Shepherds—two of our own and a foster. Those giant paws running rapidly from one end of the yard to the other several times a day are tearing it up slowly. But that’s not the big problem…

Hindsight Is 20-20

I’m still working on training all three to relieve themselves in the far-back part of the yard, which is mostly brush and trees.  Not happening as quickly as we’d like.  After a few days, the yellow spots began to appear, followed by  big patches of dead grass and dirt.

About that same time, I noticed an ad for a product that neutralized the high nitrogen content and high ph in dog urine to prevent this problem. I hit the dog-supplies trail and purchased two products—one for the dogs and another to spray on the yellow spots and neutralize everything at the point of contact (which, of course, means I have to watch them while they’re in the yard to see where they go and run outside with the spray bottle, hoping I’ll remember the exact spot where the stream landed. Easier said than done.)  So, right now, it’s hard to tell if it’s working. We wish we’d started them on the edible prevention well before the sod went down.

It’s Not Too Late For YOU!

If you have dogs and you’re planning to install new sod, the easiest protection may be to simply train your dogs to do their business in one spot specially designed for them, filled with either river pebble or Astroturf for easy clean-up. But just in case,  you should know about the different kinds of urine neutralizers. There are products on the market for both dogs and lawns. Ingestible urine neutralizers are available as chewables or liquids/sprays for their food or water.  And you can choose from a number of lawn treatments on the market.  I’m off to do some research on repairing my lawn before the problem gets any worse. Meanwhile, our beloved dogs are enjoying the heck out of their new backyard “digs.”