Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Growing and Growing


It's always a pleasure to watch a puppy mature into a dog (I prefer dogs and that's why I'm good at training puppies). Since I only walk Bruno once a week that observation becomes much more dramatic. In just the last seven days I'm sure he's undergone quite a growth spurt: Bella had better watch out!

He's also become much more confident and comfortable in his skin on walks, partly no doubt because his owners have been taking advantage of off-leash hours in Fort Greene Park. And he's shown improvement in working through his separation anxiety; he no longer seems to be chewing on his feet when alone.

Still, this is a dog who, even more than a typical puppy, needs his people around; as evidenced by his excitement at my arrival and his extreme reluctance to stay behind when I leave. Luckily his student owners have a schedule such that he need never be alone for too long, and he's maturing very, very nicely.

Bruno will be away for the summer and back in the fall. I can't wait to see what he looks and acts like then!

Season of Terror

No, I'm not talking about the color coded system of threats made by (ahem, assessed by) the Department of Homeland Security; but events some of our canine friends find much more immediate, such as this morning's intense thunderstorm and the sporadic bursts of fireworks left over from the 4th of July.

A particularly loud burst of thunder woke me up early this morning and I found Aberdeen cowering in a corner.

He shares this reaction with Joya, Igwe and Ralph -- all four of them rescued dogs -- and with Bella, who while not rescued did have a very jittery puppyhood.

I long ago learned that the worst thing you can do for a dog like this is what most people would do intuitively: providing physical comfort or speaking in soothing terms. The dog will almost always react by trembling even more and trying to get into an even smaller space. Instead it seems that a quick return to a normal routine does a lot more for his peace of mind. In a mild case this can mean playing with a toy or going for a walk (they usually won't eat food) but in a more frightened dog any form of attention seems to validate and increase the fear. It's best in those cases to completely ignore here and go about your routine, showing the dog that things are normal as far as you're concerned.

Sooner or later they'll return to this kind of behavior:


Monday, July 16, 2007

Riko -- 1990-2007 -- RIP

Riko passed away yesterday after a long illness, the details of which I've gone into elsewhere. Knowing her these past several years has been a gift and an honor, and while her death does not come as a surprise it brings with it quite a bit of sadness.

After the onset of SARD 2 years ago, she put up quite a fight and coped with her condition amazingly well. At some points she even seemed to be almost her old self again, but her last year became progressively more difficult. Her quality of life was impacted not only by her blindness, but by deteriorating arthritis and advancing senility. Her tumors, though benign, made it difficult for her to lie down comfortably even as she needed more and more sleep and rest. She dealt with all this with typical canine stoicism but one could not help but see how much she was suffering. Her owners handled the situation with a great deal of compassion and dedication right up until the end. I don't know how difficult it was for them but I can only hope that we would all be able to summon such reserves of strength and heart were we to be faced with a similar situation.

Riko thoroughly enjoyed her life, and leaves behind a loving human and canine family, including her son Ralph, now 14.

Friday, July 6, 2007

So that every mouth can be fed


That's two petsits done and one to go. I miss my home but love all my dogs (not to mention that fish -- gorgeous!).

We have what is potentially New York's first heat wave of the year, starting, oh, right about now. Make sure to keep your animals hydrated, and follow these other safety tips too!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Don't let the TV be your only petsitter!

I'm doing quite a lot of petsitting these days, spending more time in Park Slope then in my own home, most of it with dogs with serious psychological and physical health conditions. As you know I'm spending time with Riko and Ralph, and also in the schedule is Kenny and Joya; and Lucky, Ali and Mooschi, to whom I'll introduce you later.

When dog owners go on vacation we're usually presented with the choice of boarding our pets or having a trusted person stay with them in our homes. For some dogs it may not make a whole lot of difference, but for most of the ones I've been familiar with in my life it's a lot more comfortable to stay in a familiar environment and follow the routine they are used to. For rescued dogs it can even be an imperative, and besides Kenny all of the dogs I'll be staying with have had some sort of traumatizing experience.

It's been really hard with Riko especially, this time around. I've mentioned how she lost her sight and her health deteriorated subsequently, but I think that now advanced senility has come into the picture. Most of the day and night she just sleeps, but she'll struggle to her feet in search of food or the yard from time to time. She doesn't respond to her own name anymore, let alone any commands or other words she used to know, and she doesn't even respond to being pet. She was always very intelligent and affectionate, and for a time after losing her sight became even more so, but now she doesn't seem to even be in her body anymore. There were signs of this when I walked her and Ralph for a week a few months back, but I was in denial of it then. Now, I miss her and I feel like I lost my chance to say goodbye.

Kenny and Joya are up next, and after Joya's recent cancer scare (long story short, there was no cancer - maybe I'll tell the whole story another time), I feel confident that they are both still in the prime of their lives.

By the way, the dog in the first picture is Brixton, a 9 year old boxer who I walk from time to time.

And here is Riko, as she spends most of her time these days, sleeping.