Companion
Animal News
Vol. 26 No. 4
Winter Issue - Published Quarterly
Winter 2009
The Happy Ending Winter Issue
It’s a Lucky Dog’s Life
By Angela Scheres
On November 25th, we received a report about a loose
dog in an alley on the northeast side of town. The caller
thought the dog might be injured. Officer Curran responded,
and found the dog in the exact area as reported. Perhaps the
little guy was waiting for someone to help him, as three of his
legs were injured- one leg much worse than the others. If he
remained lost and alone, he would not have survived much
longer.
At the shelter, immediately surrounded by caring people,
love and warmth he realized everything was going to be okay
and started to wag his muddy, tangled tail. This boy had
been wandering as a stray for some time. He was filthy, and
despite his injuries he tried to show us he was thankful with
soft kisses and shy wags. Fondly nicknamed “Pigpen”, he
stole the hearts of everyone he came across.
Our veterinarian, Dr. Branford, cleaned up his wounds
and made him as comfortable as possible during his stray
period. For the three days he was waiting, no one came looking for the sad, hurt boy.
It looked as if he had been shot; the wounds on his right
rear leg were very severe, one being over ten inches in diameter. When his stray hold was over we knew he would be our
next `Lucky to be Alive’ recipient and he was immediately
taken for x-rays and treatment. No bullets were found, so we
will never know what happened to the poor pup.
We don’t know if his leg can be saved, but we are trying. This sweet, sad-eyed boy tugs at our hearts and fills our
thoughts with hope. He had been abandoned, alone and in
pain, yet still offered his trust to us with his sweet, shy kisses
and soulful eyes.
He is in a wonderful foster home, and his foster parents
have named him “Buck”. They will take him to have his bandages changed often, and they will care for him if his leg cannot be saved. He will have lots of love and attention, and will
have time to heal his body and mind. After his long, hard
road he will have a second chance at life. Buck will be able to
find a forever home- something that every homeless animal
wishes for, and something every one of them deserves.
Many of our stray animals are hurt, sometimes
severely. Please help us save them- donate to our Lucky
to be Alive Fund and help the injured animals get a second chance at life.
More happy endings continued on page 2
Please help provide our animals with shelter, love and hope this holiday season.
What’s Inside:
Page
Miracle on Our Street ........................................................... 2
Our Staff ................................................................................. 2
From the Executive Director ................................................ 3
Beautiful Photos of Our Staff............................................... 3
From the Desk of the Board President ............................... 4
2nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Dog Walk ........................ 4
Meet Shawna Sampson, Dir. of Development .................. 5
Coming Events ...................................................................... 5
How You Can Help & Volunteer Opportunities............... 6
Purrs, Licks and Tailwags .................................................... 7
California Donor Helps Cocoa Butter ................................ 7
What’s Inside:
Page
Poem by Homeless Poet ....................................................... 7
A Note of Thanks .................................................................. 7
Our Foster Heroes ................................................................. 8
Dogtime Salutes Spokane’s H.E.A.R.T............................ 8-9
Thank You Pet Sponsors ...................................................... 9
Happy Endings............................................................... 10-11
SpokAnimal’s Online Lost & Found Hotline ..................11
Silent Service Still Echoes After Death ............................. 12
A Hard Act to Follow.......................................................... 12
In Loving Memory .............................................................. 13
Stanley Speaks ................................................................ 14-15
Miracle On Our Street
Board of Directors
Pres: Christel Carlson
Vice Pres: John Dorwin, Professor
Treas: Barbara Grant
Teri Atkinson
Molly Lundberg
Carmen Murphy
Advisory Board
Lori Humphrey, Public Relations
Kim Kamel
Mary Ronnestad
Cynthia Schwartz Michelle Trytko
Regina Winkler
Location:
SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.
N. 714 Napa • Spokane, WA 99202
Phone:
(509) 534-8133 • Fax: (509) 535-9630
Website:
http://www.spokanimal.org
Shelter Hours:
Adoption Center:
10AM-6PM ~ Mon-Fri
Noon-4PM ~ Sat-Sun
Licensing / Front Desk
9:30AM-6:30PM
24-hour Lost Pet Hotline
232-2230
~ OUR MISSION ~
SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. is dedicated
to the placement, protection and
health of animals through legislation, education and programs.
SpokAnimal and
Partners’ Stats
If you are interested in viewing the
partner organizations Community
Stats for SpokAnimal, Spokane
Humane Society or SCRAPS, please
visit their websites.
SpokAnimal:
www.spokanimal.org
Spokane Humane Society:
www.spokanehumanesociety.org
SCRAPS:
www.spokanecounty.org/animal
Issues of SpokAnimal’s
Companion Animal News are now
available for download online at
“http://www.spokanimal.org!”
By Angela Scheres
Local cat owner Angela went to the
door this past June to let the beloved
family cat “Ti Ti’ inside. He wasn’t
there, and did not come running for his
cuddles and love as usual. She was immediately worried.
He didn’t come home the next day,
or the day after. His family searched
everywhere for him, but ‘Ti Ti’ was nowhere to be found. He had vanished,
and his family was heartbroken.
Months passed by with no trace,
and ‘Ti Ti’s’ family was running out of
hope. It had been so long, they began
to think they had lost their wonderful
kitty for good.
December 8th, a stray tabby cat
was brought into SpokAnimal- one of
many that finds their way through our
doors each and every day. After a much
appreciated ear scratch and cuddle session, we scanned him for a microchipand found one!
We called the phone number registered to the microchip, and on the other
end of the line was Angela- we had her
long lost ‘Ti Ti’!
Angela came in that day with her
daughter, Destiny. Both of them ecstatic
and teary eyed during their long awaited family reunion, ‘Ti Ti’ immediately
curled up happy and content in Destiny’s lap. His people had found him
and he was already home, not minding
at all that he was in the shelter.
Ti’ was picked up by a kind person
miles away from home. He was in good
shape, and looked like he had been
cared for during the many months he
was lost - many are not so lucky as he.
A microchip is a wonderful thing
wrapped in a tiny package, and can
get your beloved pet home to you.
Microchip miracles happen every day,
and pets get lost every day. Please
consider a microchip for your pet- it is
your pet’s best chance of finding their
way back to you.
Our Staff!
Executive Director - Gail Mackie, 534-8133 - ext 202
Director of Operations - Laura Thulean - 534-8133 - ext 208
Foster Care Coordinator - Hope Merkison & Lisa Marriott - 534-8133 x 207
Spay/Neuter Clinic - 534-8133 - ext 203 - email
Veterinarian - Dr. Lisa Branford DVM - 534-8133
Animal Control - to file a complaint - 534-8133 - ext 200
Licensing - purchase a license online - 534-8133 - ext 203
Community Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator Kandace Watkins - 534-8133 - ext 209
Public relations & fundraising - Lori Humphrey - 534-8133
Development Director - Shawna Sampson - 534-8133- ext 215
Grant writing - Judith Gilmore
Humane Education Outreach, Newsletter Editor - Website Carol Byrnes - 328-6959
Director of IT Services- Angela Scheres - 534-8133 - ext 210
Visit us Online - www.spokanimal.org
WE’RE ON FACEBOOK! Become a fan! (FB Logo)
2
Photo credit: Beautiful Photo
From the Executive Director…
Dear Friends,
It is human nature to reflect at year’s
end on the year we have just completed,
taking a look at the successes as well as
the things we wish had gone better. It is
also a time to reflect on our hopes and
dreams of the future. At SpokAnimal we
have had another year of extraordinary
opportunities to work with and to
help animals. Our activities once again
this year were guided by a spirit of
collaboration with other shelters and
animal groups.
In the spirit of collaboration and
problem solving, we are making a
significant investment in moving our
veterinary clinic to our newly purchased
building across the alley from the existing
building. This will effectively double
the space of our clinic and allow us to
increase the number of surgeries we are
currently providing to low income pet
owners. This year our clinic performed
around 5000 surgeries.
We continue to partner with
SCRAPS, Spokane Humane Society and
PetSavers to offer MASH clinic where
over 100 cat surgeries are performed in
one day. We have offered our building
space to accomodate these clinics. We
have also worked together to offer the
area’s first Super Adopt-a-thon in conjunction with Aslin Finch on Sprague.
Sponsorship by the ASPCA, Red Lion,
and Subaru made this happen. Area
rescue groups were invited to attend as
well. In September the same organizations joined together to man a booth at
the Interstate Fair. Sponsor Oldies 101.1
worked with us to adopt as many pets
as possible. HEART, our local disaster response team has joined us in our
endeavors and assisted greatly in the
Super Adopt-a-thon. SpokAnimal responded to the huge puppy mill bust by
the HSUS in the Tri-Cities of hundreds
of American Eskimo dogs. We provided
personnel, transportation, and accepted
some of the animals for adoption. At
this writing, we still have one in foster
care, learning to trust again.
We continue to work on our strategic orientation out of animal control,
to focus on our mission. You have followed our discussion and decision to
continue our animal control contracts
through December 31st of this year. We
have been contacted by both the County
and the City to continue for a bit longer
Beautiful Photos - of Our Staff!
Tia Wooley’s “Beautiful Photo”
photography studio holds an annual
fund raiser for SpokAnimal called
“Pose for Paws” where our supporters
can get portraits taken with their animals and raise money for the shelter at
the same time. This year they also offered to take photos of our staff which
you will see at our adoption center,
this newsletter and on our website!
Tia said, “We are a family owned,
family run portrait studio. We have always had pets in our lives and always
will. We appreciate the work that all
the shelters do for the many animals in
the area and the Pose for Paws event
is something we can do to help raise
awareness and raise money for the
shelter.”
Tentative date for the next Pose for
Paws, end of July - watch for dates in
the spring issue!
YourBeautifulPhoto.com
509-624-3517
Angela, our IT specialist and jack of
all trades poses with her curly friend.
3
to enable them to finalize their regional
program and upgrade or build a new
facility. As with individuals and other
businesses in the area, the economy had
not allowed things to progress as quickly as everyone would like. Our Board
of Directors and staff here will work diligently to transition out of animal control,
while continuing to offer a strong and effective animal control program until that
transition has been completed.
I sometimes contemplate how the
animals would evaluate our year’s performance. I believe they would say with
regard to the work of SpokAnimal that
our hearts are in the right place. I think
they would agree that we make responsible decisions about animal lives, even
difficult and sad decisions, but always
with a sense of compassion and humility for those we serve. I certainly think
that we learn from animals every day,
the meaning of true generosity of spirit.
As always, we depend upon your
support, your time, and your good input to carry out our work. Thank you
for everything you give and everything
you do that makes it possible for SpokAnimal to help over 8500 animals and
countless people every year.
Gail B. Mackie,
Executive Director
From the Desk of the Board President
Dear Friends,
This has been an amazing year for
SpokAnimal CARE. Our staff has crystalized into a dedicated group of individuals that functions truly as a well trained
and organized team. We have been able
to empty the kennels on a few occasions
with successful adoptions. We transfer
animals in or out to meet needs here or
elsewhere, we host off site adoptions, we
work through the internet and transfer
or accept special animals, partnering
with other agencies. Our volunteer base
is far greater than ever before (thanks
Kandace for revitalizing this year). We
are working on expanding our veterinary clinic hours and location to better
serve our pet owners. Most of all I must
thank our donors. During a challenging
economic time you came through time
and again-for individual animals in our
Lucky to be Alive fund, for needs in the
shelter (washing machine, refrigerator,
etc) and for general funds. SpokAnimal
functions well because of our donors,
volunteers, staff and leadership working
in concert to serve Spokane and its homeless or lost animals. We look forward to
working with you in 2010. I personally
want to wish you all the blessings of this
Christmas season and a happy, healthy
and maybe even prosperous New Year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Christel Carlson
Board President
2nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Dog Walk & Dog Park Update
SpokAnimal’s 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Dog Walk was a big success!
More than 100 dogs and their people
dashed around the Spokane River.
Participants were incredibly generous,
raising nearly $1,000 to help support
the Dog Park at High Bridge Park – and
for that we are incredibly thankful!
SpokAnimal is doing the fundraising for the creation of the High Bridge
Dog Park. The money raised at our
Dog Walk helps us inch our way to the
Phase I goal of $40,000. Phase I of this
project is to raise the $40,000 needed to
put up fencing and then use of the Dog
Park can begin.
Front of Dog Park
t-shirt (left) and back of
t-shirt (right).
Dog Park shirts are here!
These long-sleeve shirts are available in
light blue, espresso, and black, in sizes
S – XXL. They cost $20 and all proceeds
go to the High Bridge Dog Park. You
can purchase them at SpokAnimal and
Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile.
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Meet Shawna Sampson, Director of Development
I am thrilled to have recently joined
the SpokAnimal team as Director of Development. I am a Montana native and
have been in Spokane for just over eight
years. I received a Master’s in Social
Work from Eastern Washington University and have worked as a fundraiser at
several Spokane area non-profit organizations.
I have two four-legged friends – a
9 year old Terrier blend and a recently
adopted Blue Heeler / Aussie puppy. In
my spare time, I love to go hiking and
spend time outdoors, read, watch movies, and volunteer.
My duties at SpokAnimal include developing our new fundraising plan – in-
cluding e-communications, overseeing
our direct mail program, donor stewardship, fundraising events, and more.
I will be especially focusing my efforts
on increased donor communication and
will be setting up a series of “Lunch and
Learns” to bring supporters in to have
lunch with staff, tour our facilities, and
learn more about how the generosity of
our donors impacts our work.
I can be reached at 509-534-8133
ext. 215 or [email protected].
Please feel free to contact me at any
time if you are interested in learning
more about how you can support SpokAnimal or just to chat – I’d love to hear
from you!
who are experienced instructors at
Diamonds in the Ruff.
mailed or delivered to Mountain Gear
2002 N Division, Spokane, WA 99205.
For more information contact Mountain Gear 509.325.9000.
Coming Events
• Pawsitive Start New Adopters
Class helps you and your new friend
get started on the right paw.
The first few days and weeks after
adopting a new dog can be a challenge, even for the most experienced
pet owner. To help ease the transition, SpokAnimal will be providing
adopters a new resource beginning
January 2010.
Pawsitive Start, held on the second
and fourth Sunday of the month, is a
free class open to all families who have
recently adopted a dog from SpokAnimal, the Spokane Humane Society or
SCRAPS. The goal of Pawsitive Start
is to provide you, the new dog owner,
with the skills and knowledge to be
the leader your new friend needs.
Classes start January 10, 2010 and
will be held the second and fourth
Sunday of the month from 1:00-2:30 in
the SpokAnimal Event Center, located
across the alley from the main shelter.
Please bring your dog on a flat buckle
collar, fit so he or she cannot slip out of
it, and a 4 to 6 foot leather, cotton, or
nylon leash (please no chain or retractable leashes). Also, bring a baggie full
of soft treats such as chicken and hot
dogs, cut in to small pea-sized bits.
There is no fee for this class, however, donations are welcomed to help
cover cost of supplies and materials
for class. Please mark your donations
“Pawsitive Start” if you would like to
contribute. Classes will be instructed
by Kim Imel, LVT and Amy Barker,
• “Share the Love”
Bring your sweetheart to Ferrante’s
Marketplace Café on Valentine’s Day
to enjoy a special four-course dinner
and help support SpokAnimal.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
$95 for dinner for two
5:00, 6:30, or 8:00 pm
Tickets go on sale January 12, 2010
at Ferrante’s Marketplace Café and
Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile. Seatings/
tickets are limited
• 4th Annual “Bounder” Paws and
Poles Race
Saturday, March 6, 2010
49° North Ski Resort, Nordic Area
Race at 11:00 a.m.
Bring your dog, your skis or
snowshoes, and join us for a romp
in the snow! All proceeds benefit
SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.
This family fun race consists of
your choice of a 5K cross country ski
race with your dog or a 3K snowshoe
race with your dog. Both races will
begin at 11:00 a.m. from the Nordic
area at 49° North Ski Resort. Late
registration will start at 9:30 a.m. at
the Nordic area. Awards and prizes
after the race and small live auction
baskets for pets and people fun. Race
registration is $15.
Pick up registrations at Mountain
Gear, SpokAnimal or Audubon Veterinary Clinic. Registrations can be
5
Volunteer Opportunities
HOW YOU CAN HELP
SpokAnimal is a non-profit and tax-exempt organization.
All contributions, donations and gifts are tax-deductible.
• Become a member! • Volunteer! • Donate money, food, supplies!
Sit Up & Beg
WE NEED • Food/treats for temperament
evaluations
• Dawn dish soap
• Cheeze whiz or peanut butter for
stuffing kongs
• Paper towels
• Purina One kitten food
• Mardi gras decorations
• Ping pong balls for cat enrichment
• Become a pet sponsor Kennel Run or Kitty Kondo - $100
Outdoor Play enclosures - $250
Sponsor a Vehicle - $500
• Pigs ears
• Kitty litter (non clumping)
• Grooming equipment
• General office supplies
• Plastic trash bags 45 gallon
heavy duty
• Portable cd players
• For those with points or reward cards,
consider converting to gas cards and
donate for use in our pet transport
program
• AA, AAA, and D batteries
• Ziploc bags
• Animal themed books for the
library
• Become a Volunteer See opposite column
for orientation dates
and times
• Dog toys and all sorts of treats and
goodies
• Bleach
Help For Hungry Pets
SpokAnimal’s Pet Food Bank where
anything with whiskers and paws can
get a free meal continues to help many
of Spokane’s hungry pets. In November, the shelter received a grant from the
ASPCA, Fresh Step Litter and 9Lives to
help many cats be able to have a new
litter box, a coupon for food and cat litter. Also, in the box included a poop
scooper, a toy and a treat to needy cats
and their owners. With the holidays
coming up we have partnered with
Spokane Aids Network to provide all
pet owners with a holiday gift for each
cat and dog whose pet parent is served
through this community program. It is
expected that 154 pets will have a jollier holiday from this partnership of pet
food assistance. Our continued partnership with Spokane Meals on Wheels
and the Women and Children’s Free
Restaurant is helping over hundred
pets eat each month. This partnership
was developed after each organization
recognized the need for making sure
those pets ate pet food and pet parents
ate people food. Many individuals
were sharing the only nutritious meal
they were getting with their pet. Donations are always needed to help support this program and the needy pets
and their parents in our community, if
you have any questions about how you
can help support this program or the
types of donations needed please contact Kandace at 534-8133 X209.
6
Kandace Watkins
Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator
[email protected]
509/534-8133 X209
Volunteers and shelter staff are
invited to attend the “What is My Dog
Saying?” body language lecture at
Diamonds in the Ruff, free of charge.
Lectures are held monthly. See Kandace
for a free pass!
Volunteer Orientation Dates:
Dec 30 at 6PM
2010 Orientations:
February 2010
Regular volunteer orientations:
Saturday, 13th at 10:30AM
Wednesday, 24th at 6PM
FOSTER ONLY orientation:
Thursday, 18th at 5:30PM
Must register in advance by completing
and returning paperwork prior to orientation date
March 2010 Regular Volunteer
Orientations:
Wednesday, 10th at 6PM
Wednesday, 31st at 6PM
Orientations are held at:
SpokAnimal CARE
710 N. Napa
6PM on Wednesdays,
10:30AM on Saturdays.
Volunteers and Foster Homes
are always needed!
Purrs, Licks & Tailwags
Thank you!
see increased awareness and interest
from potential volunteers. Thanks to
our partnership in this promotion, we
raised volunteers for over 1400 shelters nationwide.
Thank you again!
★macys
the magic of
Dear One Hope Members,
Thank you very much for your
participation in our recent “Be My
Hero” promotion. Due to your efforts
and hard work, a total of 6,715 pledges
were made on www.BeMyHero.com!
You will be receiving a check in
the amount of $883.55. This is your
organization’s share of our “Be My
Hero” gift, which was equally divided among the 38 One Hope members
who participated in this promotion.
We are very pleased that so
many of you took those extra steps
to go “above and beyond” with your
efforts, helping not just the member
One Hope shelters, but all animal welfare organizations across the country
★
Macy’s “Shop for a Cause!”
We would like to thank everyone
who supported SpokAnimal at Macy’s
“Shop for a Cause” on Saturday, October 17th at the downtown store. For a
$5 donation shoppers were entitled to
extra discounts and at the same time
helped to support non-profits in our
community including SpokAnimal.
We adopted 3 foster graduate puppies
and one adult cat it was a great event.
Thank you again to all Macy employees and Gary Carter at the downtown
Macy’s for inviting SpokAnimal to be
part of this awesome program.
California Donor Helps Cocoa Butter
I have followed with great interest the story on Cocoa Butter, the precious little Shih-tzu that was brutally
wrenched from the car she was in and
slammed onto the sidewalk. Having
seen the video tape on our local news
station, I was horrified and enraged to
see a little animal abused so mercilessly. Pursuant to this, I contributed to her
medical care and continue to keep in
touch with SpokAnimal on subsequent
updates. I applaud your organization
for the outstanding work it is doing and
am so impressed that I am receiving
quarterly newsletters so that I can keep
informed. One word, if I may, regarding the owners of little Cocoa Butter.
would NEVER leave my 2 Bichon Frises
in my car for any length of time. It only
takes an instant for irreparable harm to
come to them. What were you owners
of Cocoa Butter thinking--leaving her in
the car while you two GO TO A MOVIE at 9:00 at night, arriving back at the
car at 11:00 p.m. Why in heavens name
didn’t you leave her AT HOME so she
could be comfortable and safe? VERY
IRRESPONSIBLE. Having said that, I
helped with the vet bills.
- Linda in Bakersfield, CA
DOG OWNERS--please DO NOT
leave your pets unattended in your
vehicle, as evidenced by this incident.
Anything can happen--there are a lot
of evil people out there ready and willing to do harm to an innocent animal. I
Gail’s note - “I got to chat with Cocoa
Butter and her owners and she is doing very well. They continue with acupuncture treatments and she improves
daily.”
P.S. I will be following the trial of the
perpetrator--the 20 year old misfit who
committed this heinous act.
7
Poem by
Michael L. Johnson,
Homeless Poet
Pets are helpless,
Still, they have might.
When life’s at stake
It’s fight or flight.
They need people
As we’ve ordained
Their looks, their traits
How they are trained.
They’re wolves no longer
Those cats aren’t wild
They crave a master
Crave a child.
God’s creatures smile
I think they cry.
Without a home
I think they’ll die.
Evolved together
Man’s best friends
Can’t live without us
Purpose ends.
Man changed the rules
We’ve changed our ways
Creators; Fools!
We’ve just made strays
They’re like our homeless –
it’s just the same
A life’s so short – no love’s a shame
Computer – Objects
No fur? No fee?
We need each other to be complete.
A Note of Thanks
Gail,
I’m writing to ask you to thank Ken
and Hope for me. I brought my poor,
sick Minnie in on Thursday knowing
that it was her last car ride. Ken spotted
me right away when I walked into the
very busy front office. When I told him
my dog was sick he excused himself
and came to my rescue. He answered
my questions and took me to Hope,
who helped me through the process of
putting my beloved friend down.
They both deserve a hearty high 5
and my gratitude for their caring service to Minnie, Ashley, and me.
Happy Holidays to you Gail, and
your very caring staff.
Kathy Wilkerson
Our Foster Heroes
Becky has a soft spot for all animals
and has since she was a child. She has
handled many special needs animals
for many years, so taking on Ashes was
not a problem. I have seen her file at the
vet office, she doesn’t have one, she has
her own three-ring binder.
Ashes had his own room, a complete 5 star hotel service in a cat’s mind.
He had a fluffy bed with blankets, and
was fed 3 times a day.
It was warm, loving, and he
received some of the best care that a
God-send could give. At last - after 18
years of a rough life he finally knew
what a home really was. However, after
only one week of his hotel stay, his body
gave out and had to be put to sleep
Thank you, Becky for opening your
home to a hard-knock cat.
“Ashes”
by Kathleen McKenna
To Animal Heroes everywhere - I
would like to share with you a story of
a short but very meaningful relationship.
His name was Ashes. He was a
stray/feral cat for 17 years and hung
around SpokAnimal. With our harsh
winter last year the staff brought him
inside to keep warm.
Staff over the past year had worked
with him and he started to trust humans.
His health concerned many of the staff
members; and they decided that maybe
the best thing for him would be a foster
home for the winter.
This is when Ashes met Becky.
SpokAnimal’s Temporary Pet Parents
- a.k.a. the Foster Program
Pets are part of the family. In an
effort to help ease our overpopulation
of abandoned and homeless pets that
require home care before they are ready
for adoption SpokAnimal is expanding
their existing foster program to realign
with the needs in our community. The
purpose of the program is to provide
the animals that come under our care
to a home environment with all the
love. These abandoned and homeless
pets receive help from the foster program for a variety of reasons, most for
under-age/ neonatal care. Although
the level of commitment is up to each
foster family or individual we need
more loving homes all year round. To
gear up for the upcoming puppy and
kitten season we have set a goal to increase the number of temporary homes
by 20.
We are starting to offer as of January 1st a foster only volunteer orientation for those folks who wish to only
foster SpokAnimal’s premier pets. We
will be asking all new fosters to complete both applications - regular volunteer and foster - and either attend the
foster only orientation by completing
both applications and registering in advance or still attending one of the two
regular volunteer orientations offered
each month and scheduling a foster
“meet and greet” with one of the foster
coordinators at SpokAnimal.
The program will also focus on
training foster families on offsite adoptions for their foster pets. It relieves the
shelter of an influx of animals at one
time, contributes to continued health
and well-being of the adoptable animal, but, also helps with the adoption
process and transition for these animals; it is termed `Foster to Adopt’. We
are planning some upcoming classes
for both regular volunteers and fosters
so watch for your invitation to attend
these informative and helpful training classes. If you have any questions
about the foster program or SpokAnimal’s volunteer program please call
Kandace at 534-8133 X209.
Dogtime Salutes Spokane’s H.E.A.R.T.
(Humane Evacuation Animal Rescue Team)
Dogtime’s featured animal rescue organization, October 2009
How did your organization get started?
HEART was created in 2003 as a
non-profit organization to work in conjunction with state and county animal
agencies to provide help during times of
disaster such as fire, wind storms, hurricanes, and/or extreme emergencies.
Our group of volunteers form both a
local and national emergency response
team.
What is your mission?
The purpose of HEART is to coordinate efforts to provide rapid response
to events affecting the health, safety, and
welfare of human beings and animals.
Activities include but are not limited
to small and large animal care, facility
usage, and providing mass care and
sheltering for companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and exotic animals following a major emergency or disaster.
How do most of your animals find their
way to you?
Through natural disasters, hoarding cases, and puppy mill seizures.
What happens to the animals once they
are in your care?
8
They are documented at intake,
assessed for medical needs, are given
fresh food and water, and a clean cage
or kennel to relax in. They are then lovingly cared for around the clock by our
trained responders until which time demobilization of the Sheltering Operation
is initiated by the Incident Commander.
Owner identified animals are returned
Continued on page 9
Dogtime Salutes Spokane’s H.E.A.R.T.
(Humane Evacuation Animal Rescue Team) (continued)
to their happy and grateful owners and
those without identification or known
history are transferred to foster homes,
rescue groups and shelters for further
care.
Tell us about a particularly compelling
animal or inspiring rescue.
A number of our team members
had been deployed to another state and
were assisting in the sheltering and care
of over 275 dogs and puppies who had
been rescued from a puppy mill. These
poor dogs had been seriously neglected
and had been living in filthy, stenchfilled cages and pens. They had come
to us scared and dirty, their fur matted
with feces and urine. Many of them had
severe untreated eye conditions and
a couple were blind from lack of care.
The majority were small breeds, and
these tiny angels had never been held
or cuddled by human arms. We worked
many long days to clean, comfort, and
give loving reassurance to them.
One of our tiny charges was a fluffy
Pekingese puppy with big sad eyes,
who had arrived at the shelter all alone,
with no known siblings or mother dog.
He was affectionately named Elvis by
our Operations Supervisor, and quickly
became the darling of the temporary
shelter crew. On the last day of the assignment, as we finished loading the
dogs onto transport vehicles, on their
way to a better, kinder life, a whistle
rang out and we all stopped what we
were doing and looked up momentarily. Our Supervisor had just watched
the last of the first group of dogs loaded
onto the ASPCA truck, and with great
glee announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, ELVIS has left the building!” We
all laughed and clapped, and our hearts
felt so good inside to know we had been
an important part of this precious puppy’s journey to a new beginning and
loving home!
• Donate money - all donations are
tax-deductible.
Mail a check to:
HEART
P.O. BOX 14205
Spokane Valley, WA 99214
How you can help HEART:
HEART depends on donations from
the public to pay for evacuation training
and supplies. There are several ways
you can help.
For more information to become
a member of HEART, and assist in the
care of animals in emergency situations,
check out the HEART website: http://
www.pnw-heart.org/12.html.
• Donate supplies - just some of the
items HEART needs:
- radios
- clipboards
- flashlights
- cable ties
- folding chairs
- garbage bags
- digital camera
- can opener
- cat litter
- safety vests
- scrub brushes
- orange safety cones
Thank You Pet Sponsors!
The following kind folks have shared their love of animals with those who wait in our adoption center - these donations
of $25 or more make a huge difference in our quest for forever homes.
Micaela & Robert Sutphin x4
Carol Cox
Jo Ann Gauerke
Paige Hamilton x4
Shirley Alexander x8
Patricia Smith
Ronald Duncan
Will Parks x12
John Rangeo
Ruby Mc Neill x6
Mary Penton
Mark &Pamela Pierce
Pam Whitcomb x2
Susan Amstadter
Carol Ellsworth - In memory
of “Hank”
Kathy Miothe
Anita Lamp x2
Bette Topp x2
Barry & Linda Shook x2
Alla Marysheva x2
Roy & Arlene Waters
Geraldina Kopjes- Niemann
Robert Wilson x4
Daniel Amesbury
aErnest Sly x2
Gene & Dolores Osburn
Ron Anderson
Lisa Linton
Truella Stone
Johnny & Jan Humphreys
Dana Ault x 2
Gary & Kris Shepherd
Vivian Caufield
Donna Mergen x2
Elizabeth Sweigart x2
Barabara Keene
Arthur Solomon
Susan Moyer
Marlys Bliesner
9
Chuck & Barb Grohs
Holly Renga x2
Michael Claggett
Jennine Darlow
Gary Cooper
John Saulie
Cheryl & William Papesh x4
Marilyn & Jerry Daniels
Jan Ray
Gary & Darlene Honeyman
Trudy Lynn Hoffman
Maria Riegert
Lea Smith x 8
Pat Kennedy x2
Joanna Prideaux x4
Carol Jones
Lindsay & Ryan Tucker
Bob & Kathi Mc Kinney x4
Kelly Rhoads
More Happy Endings
Lizzy’s Story
The first time I meet Lizzy was the
day my daughter and I were volunteering at SpokAnimal. She was standing at
the back of her kennel scared and covered in who knows what. I went in with
her hoping I could comfort her and also
see if I could clean her up a bit so maybe people who were looking to adopt
would notice her.
Her kennel card said she was a Terrier Mix, lactating and approximately
7 years old. Well the time I spent with
her that day I was hooked. She was so
sweet. We already have two dogs at the
time, and I had not planned on adopting a dog. That was on a Saturday. I
keep checking Petfinder to see if someone had adopted her yet. Lucky for me
she was still there on Tuesday. My husband surprised me and took me down
to SpokAnimal to adopt her.
I have never adopted a shelter dog
before and we have always purchased
puppies when they were 7- 8 weeks old.
We have always had large dogs, one
of which we brought into our family
when she was 8 weeks old, her name is
Emma. I started taking classes at Diamonds in the Ruff with Emma when she
was about 4 months old and have been
hooked on taking classes ever since. I
highly recommend anyone adopting a
dog to consider taking classes with your
dog. You will be amazed how much
taking the time and commitment to
training will help you bond with your
dog. Training ideas have changed a lot.
There is so much you can do with your
dogs and lots of cool stuff you can teach
your dog to do using positive training
methods!!!
It is fun to see what you are capable of showing your dog and how
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥
much fun you can have together. After
we signed up for a couple of sessions
of classes we progressed into clicker
classes. This is an amazing, inexpensive
tool that can really open up your communication with your dog. Since I have
had so much success and FUN with
Emma I felt the best way to train Lizzy
was using the skills I have learned from
all the classes I have taken. I have decided to “Clicker” train Lizzy so here is
our adventure………
1st week – I just wanted to let her
get settle into our home and used to
all of us. She had just been spayed and
overall looked like she could use some
good meals and TLC. Due to her surgery/spay she can not have a bath for a
couple of weeks so for now I have just
have been brushing her and using dry
shampoo. She already looks better and
she loves the attention.
I feed her twice a day at the same
times and then take her outside to go
“potty”. . I take her out in the morning
first thing, when I get home from work,
shortly after meals and before bedtime.
This has work great and she has not
had any accidents in the house. I do not
think she has had any training in regards to walking on a leash, sitting and
down. So I have been clicker training
her for that as well. I cut up a bunch of
very small soft treats (chicken, cheese,
hotdogs, etc) and get the clicker revved
up and boy does she picks up on things
fast.
Walking has been a bigger challenge. At this time she wants to take
off and starts pulling. When she sees a
squirrel, she is ready for the chase. I had
heard about Premier limited slip collars in one of my previous classes with
my other dog and loved the security of
knowing my dog can not back out of
this collar like they can with a regular
buckle collar so I purchased one for
Lizzy.
I fill my treat pouch with plenty of
soft treats and off we go. I have her wait
at our gate and then as soon as she sits
there and does not take off I click/treat
(C/T) her and we are off for our walk. If
she starts out pulling I immediately stop
walking and do not continue to walk
with her until there is slack in the leash.
As soon as the leash is loose I then click
give Lizzy a treat. I also C/T her when
10
she happens to be next to my leg. I have
been working on “Watch Me” I hope to
eventually be able to get her attention
so she will not take off whenever she
sees a squirrel or not doing unless I say
it is okay. – Guessing that will be quite
a while. When she does see a squirrel
I have been saying watch me and then
click and treat as soon as she looks my
way. She is getting better. I am getting
better at being more prepared to distract her before she sees the squirrel.
2nd week- Still working on sitting,
walking, leave it and watch me. She is
starting to feel better and found out she
loves to retrieve toys. Also I am finding
out she is going to be a challenge around
my cats. Fortunately I called Carol at
Diamonds in The Ruff and she gave me
some great tips and advice. She had her
bath this week and she sparkles. She
just loves the attention. It is hard to believe what a difference a couple weeks
of consistent training can make. I don’t
have hours to spend working with her
but I do have enough time to spend 10
-15 minutes training a playing with her
a couple of times a day and then we go
for walks at night. It really works and
she tries so hard!
3rd week- Each week just gets better. She is walking very nicely on the
leash. She does seem to be fearful of
noises so we take things real slow. I
take her in the bathroom with me when
I am getting ready and she has started
getting used to the clothes dryer and
hair dryer. With the hair dryer I would
turn if off and just let her look at it
and eventually she even came up and
smelled the dryer (while it was off) so
I clicked and treated that. She seems
fine with it now I don’t think she particular likes the noise but it does not
appear to bother her as much as it first
did.
We are still working with her
around our cats, at this time I have
her on a leash that is attached to my
waist when I am cooking dinner. I still
do not trust her to not chase my cats I
think this is going to take awhile but
again, she continues to make progress
so I will continue work with her! She
has let one of my cats come right up
to her and looked the other way – Yea
Lizzy!
Continued on page 11
More Happy Endings
An Angel Among Us
(continued)
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Lucky Sightless Pup Finds
Forever Home
She can’t hear or see, but she’s a happy pup!
in for her spay - the woman and her
family are totally in love with her!
Dear Gail,
I know you are busy, but I really
wanted to thank you again for your
encouragement with taking Esme
and meeting with Barb to see how
we’d do. It’s been amazing. She’s
very, very smart. Too smart. We’ve
already had to put a lock on our
dog food storage container as she
learned how to open it (blind and
deaf), crawl inside it!, and sit there
eating to her heart’s content. This
Friday she goes to Pullman Vet
school to have right eye looked at.
Some blue eye showing beneath pupillary membrane and she can see
light with it though nothing else.
Would also like to know if she even
has a left eye. Will keep you posted.
Again thank you ! She’s awesome!
Sherry
Angel was rescued from a Kennewick puppy mill in the Spring of 2009.
She was one of 371 dogs that were
raised for breeding. We adopted her
in May 2009. She is approximately 2-3
years old. At 13 pounds she was very
shy and unsocial. She did not know
what a toy or treat was.
After 6 months of training and love
she has become a wonderful part of our
family. She loves to do tricks for treats
and is very social around other dogs.
Not so much with people. She has been
a joy and a small challenge. Thank you
to Diamonds in the Ruff for helping us
with Angel.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a
Wonderful New Year.
Curtis & Betty Miller
The staff called her “Helen” as she
is blind and deaf, like her namesake,
Helen Keller. SpokAnimal had planned
to transport her to Rolling Dog Ranch
in Helena, MT. However, a woman
came in and was very interested in her.
She had owned handicapped dogs before, but not with both disabilities. We
encouraged her to take the dog to her
trainer friend to evaluate whether it
would be a good fit. After one hour of
working together the dog was working
well on a leash. She took the pup home
and performed the recommended “get
to know the house” routine. Within
hours of going into the home, she was
thundering around like she had been
there forever. Yesterday “Esme” came
Lizzy’s Story (continued)
SpokAnimal’s Online Lost & Found Hotline
4th week- Time goes by so fast.
I realize I keep saying she just keeps
getting better but that is the simple
truth ~ Practice makes perfect. )
She has been a joy and also a good
reminder to be calm (what can I say we
have two teenagers) because if things
get tense it scares her. By taking the
time to break down training in little
steps she learns quickly. The other day
I was out walking her and someone
commented on what a nice dog she
was. We still have lots to work and she
is not perfect of course, neither am I,
but I am having fun and enjoying the
experience of adopting Lizzy. By the
way we are signed up for a Headstart
class at Diamonds in the Ruff.
Hope to see you there.
Lost & Found in Sync!
Two older Labrador Retrievers were
lost in the Suncrest area on a Wednesday in October. The following Friday,
entry 1610 and 1611 came through on
our Lost & Found Online Hotline within seconds of each other. At 7:23:19PM
Shannon posted, “Found two older
dogs in Suncrest. Yellow lab male, the
other is a choc. lab female. They both
seem pretty old especially the choc. lab.
Also they have collars on but no tags.”
Simultaneously, the dogs’ owner
was also sitting at his computer at SpokAnimal’s website typing a Lost report.
“Two Family dogs lost Wednesday,
October 7th. Lily- seven year old female chocolate lab with purple collar &
Lane-9 year old male yellow lab with red
11
collar.” He hit “send” at 7:23:36PM.
Their postings came through as simultaneous emails to our website manager’s email. At first Carol thought it
was a glitch in the program - a duplicate posting, but then looked closer.
Lost and Found! She picked up the
phone and made a call. Neither had
seen the other’s posting. The dogs are
now home, safe and sound!
On one of the coldest evenings in
December a “Lost” 1796 and a “Found”
1798 postings for another wayward Lab
named Floyd came in within a couple of
hours of each other. Floyd was lucky to
be taken into the warmth of his finder’s
home where he was quickly reunited
with his owner.
Photo courtesy of Cindy Hval
Silent Service Still Echoes After Death
Skip Partridge lost his voice to strokes
but found a new outlet: taking his golden
retrievers to visit hospitals and schools. He
died Aug. 29 at age 66.
By Cindy Hval
The Spokesman-Review
October 29, 2009 in Washington Voices
Skip Partridge didn’t say much.
He couldn’t. A series of strokes had
left him with aphasia, and finding the
right words became an agonizing process, fraught with frustration. However, he didn’t let his disability silence
him. Instead, with the help of his two
Golden Retrievers, he found a new
way to communicate.
His canine friends, Dagwood and
Darby, were certified service animals,
and every month Partridge and his
dogs made their rounds. They visited
children at Shriners Hospital, patients
at Cancer Care Northwest and hospice
patients and their families.
Sadly, Partridge and his dogs will
no longer make those rounds. He died
on Aug. 29 at the age of 66. Partridge
had overcome setbacks that would
have caused many to give up hope.
While working as a drug and alcohol
counselor in 1987, he’d suffered the
first of four strokes. A second stroke
a year later left him permanently disabled. In addition to aphasia, he suffered paralysis on his right side and, at
44, learned to walk again.
I met Partridge three years ago,
when I wrote a feature about him for the
newspaper. Because questions requiring
more than a simple “yes” or “no” were
almost impossible for him to answer,
I ended up spending a lot of time with
him. Together we made his usual visits.
What he lacked in verbal acuity he made
up for with his warm smile and eyes that
twinkled with mischief and fun.
He used sign language to communicate with Dagwood and Darby, but
sometimes I swear those dogs could
read his mind. Partridge had taught
the dogs to kneel and say their prayers,
and to find his car keys or a ball he’d
hidden.
At Cancer Care Northwest I
watched in amazement as listless patients hooked up to IVs brightened
when Partridge and his dogs entered
the room. At Shriners Hospital, the children cheered Dagwood and Darby’s
tricks and eagerly stroked their silky
ears, while Partridge grinned nearby.
Everywhere they went, they left smiles
in their wake.
And now Partridge’s death leaves
tears. His longtime friend Shirley
Osborne wrote to the newspaper about
his death. She’d cooked meals for
Partridge and helped care for the dogs
when he was ill. She was by his side
until the end. “When people found out
how many strokes he’d had, he’d just
say, ‘No problem.’ Osborne wrote. She
continued, “I shall never forget you,
Skip. You will certainly be missed by all
the lives you touched.”
Another friend wrote, “I have to
laugh though, you know he’d say, ‘Dogs,
dogs!’ to us regarding any article, recollections or tribute.”
Indeed, Partridge dismissed any
praise for his volunteer work. He’d point
at the immaculately groomed retrievers
and say, “Awesome!”
But dog owners know animals are
only as awesome as those who care for
them. Trina Poppens, a hospice social
worker, had known Partridge for eight
years. “He was selfless and giving,”
she said. “He believed in people and
encouraged them.”
Dagwood and Darby now live
with Poppens, and though they miss
Partridge, she said they’ve adapted
to life without him. But, she added,
“Skip’s death left a gap in Spokane.
People still talk about him and miss
him very much.”
In spite of his own adversity,
Partridge reached out to others. And
though his voice was silenced many
years ago, his life spoke volumes.
Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.
com. Her previous columns are available
online at spokesman.com/columnists.
Skip’s dogs had been Dr. Branford’s
patients at SpokAnimal’s veterinary
clinic for many, many years. Skip and
“the boys” were frequent visitors at Spokanimal. He will be missed.
12
A Hard Act to Follow
When other puppies were learning
to sit and stay,
Fritz was learning the first of his
bell tricks…
At “puppy show and tell”
everyone said:
“That Fritz is a hard act to
follow.“
When things were slow in the
shop, Fritz did his routine and
everyone would clap.
He loved it….
So to hear the clapping, he’d do
his whole act again.
At any event where people
clapped for performers,
Fritz assumed it was for him,
barked and took a bow.
Fritz was hard act to follow.
He was fun-loving, independent,
sassy, assertive,
A charmer, and loved being the
center of attention.
We took lessons for dance routines
with your dog
So we could take an act “on the
road.”
Fritz was a regular Fred Astaire;
But, alas, I was no Ginger Rogers!
Fritz was a hard act to follow.
He slept on my bed every night of
his life.
His fur was the last thing I touched
before sleep,
And the first thing I touched in
the morning.
He licked my wounds when I
was hurt,
Dried my tears when I was sad,
And made me laugh every day…
Oh, how I loved him..
Fritz will be a hard act to
follow….
Fritz Krueger, 1998-2009
Gerry & Ron Krueger
,Q/RYLQJ0HPRU\
of “Cain”
- Nate & Sylvia Carpenter
of Dwayne Thomas
- Mrs. Colleen Webber
of “Stella”
- Janie Slater
of “Juma”
- LeRoy, Francee, Brenna &
Terrell Strain
of “Luke”
- Emmitt & Kerri Schoolcraft
of “Basil”
- Kate Coan
- Carolynne Myall
- Sydney Chambers
of Jim & Pete
- Susan Morris
of Marquerite Mc Crorey
- Mrs. Ardyce Pangerl
of “Barney”
- Patricia Doyle
of “Annie Patricia & Jingle Bob”
- John & Charlotte Anspauch
of Mary Gay Wandler
- Shirley Grumbly-Walker
- Mr & Mrs Harry Batty
of Rick Lopes
- The Silver Sneakers
of “Mona”
- Ann Keller
of Cathy Dillon
- Katherine Coley
of “Zoe”
- Danny Cossey
of “Echo & Dakota”
- Nancy Skrel
of “Hank” - Loving
and gallant
- Gretchen George
of “Katy”
- Wendy Ohme
of my wonderful
dog companion “ Hank”
- Carol Ellsworth
of “Chelsea”
- Esther Park
- Molly Lundberg
- Tracy Wallace
- Judy Kempston
- Maxine Treloor
- Carmen Murphy
of Kimbertly (Kees) Howell
- Ann Corrigan
of Lorraine Manning
- Michael & Kathryn Verran
of “Suki”
- Allan Bonney
of Sarah Elizabeth Munsch
- Patrick & Lisa Lordan
- Pat & Colleen Frerks
- Eldon & Kathy Garrett
- Windsor Elementary Staff
of Sundance Berg
Jan & Bill Hale
of Skip Partridge
- Johnny & Jan Humphreys
of “Smudge”
- Johnny & Jan Humphreys
of “Lucky”
- Johnny & Jan Humphreys
of Connie Bittick
- Cliford & Karyl Collinge
- Gary & Charlotte Saunders
of “Puppie”
- Gary & Kay Gainer
of “Bluey”
- Gary & Tanny Clarkson
In Honor and Tribute
of Jan Humphreys - Happy Birthday!
- Karen Kelly
of “Rocky”
- Connie Bascetta
of Sue Durant - Happy Holidays!
- Barbara Kuuskverl
of Arvid Iverson
- Earl & Betty Iverson
of Joanne Grytdal-Medhus Happy Birthday!
- Glenda, Jim, Arlan, Connie, Jimmy,
Connie & Kari
of “Snoopy”
- Richard Leslie
of “Piper”
- Mrs. Georgia Miller
of Casey Speckaid
- Marie Perdue
of Joy Dahlen
- Glen & Mary Green
of Uncle Charles High
- Roger & Ginny Schuyler
of “Rocky Carter”
- Robert & Micaela Sutphin
of “Sissy”
- Lorraine Casey
of “Perrier”
- Betty Newcomb
of “Jel-bel”
- Vicky Booth
of Jim Stanfield
- Mattie & Wanye Kivett
13
of Judith Killin - Happy Holidays!
- Linda Petersen
of Barb Baumann
- Alan R. Kabat
of Tember Forbush - Happy Birthday!
- Hunter Costa
- Eve Bratrud
- McKenna Cutlen
- Hannah
- Alexandra
Baffled By
Behavior?
d heeler,
Dear Stanley
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I have a
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Help!
e Pooch
Too Protectiv
Hello Pooch,
While it’s certainly possible to raise
her confidence and help her not be so
worried in life, in absence of her support
system (you) she is on her own to defend
her territory. Given the fact that she is
a fearful dog ‘left in charge’ and has no
back-up or direction, she will resort to
doing the best she can to drive intruders
away. She escalates when she feels most
at risk - when you aren’t there to protect
her.
There may be trainers who would
advise you to impose stiff corrections to
cause her to retreat rather than defend
- but, in the end, this will increase her
fears and make her worse, not better.
The dog who just made noise, now bites.
Or the dog who just nipped really nails
a passerby when the opportunity presents itself. She may retreat out of fear to
avoid correction that is associated with
the intruder, but it’s a slippery slope. If
intruders equal scolding or worse, in-
✁
truders are bad. Bad things are not safe
and need to be driven away.
If “strangers” are seen as nonthreatening, she’ll have no reason to
become defensive. If intruders equal
good things, she’ll hope they will return
and have no reason to drive them away.
Over many, many repetitions of positive
things happening when people walk by
(with you there) you might convince her
that she has nothing to fear, and that
people walking down the street are terrific and thus eliminate her need to become defensive. You could then attempt
to transfer that to people walking by
when you aren’t there. But for a dog
who has suspicious, fearful temperament and a genetic predisposition to
guard property, the likelihood is pretty
slim. Generalizing feelings of security would be difficult at best - she’s
three, not a puppy. Her belief system
is pretty well set and we can’t change
her genetics.
It would be beneficial to contact a
positive professional trainer who is experienced in working with sharp-shy
dogs to do some systematic desensitization so she could become a safer dog
when you are there - but management is
ultimately going to be the best answer in
your absence. You could do all this great
work and have one teasing kid or scary
situation undo it all. Fence her safely
away from traffic areas, keep her inside
when you can’t supervise her, and avoid
leaving her in situations where she becomes so overwhelmed that she feels it
necessary to act out.
Best of luck!
y
e
l
n
a
t
S
More Stanley Speaks on page 15
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14
Stanley Speaks!
spider (if you were terrified of spiders) and startled you - in
which case you might lash out. You might yell, warn, and if
they came right at you, you might hit or kick. Dogs can’t hit
or kick. They growl, “no, stay away” and use their mouths
the same way you use your hands.
He will feel most at risk when the kids are upset, excited,
running, jumping, playing with loud toys. He needs to have
a safe retreat where the kids are never allowed. He absolutely
must be kept safe from their activity to keep them safe. Cornered dogs, stepped on dogs, dogs bothered while eating/
sleeping/chewing on bones, surprised dogs are likely to bite.
Fearful dogs are far more likely to become defensive than confident, calm ones who are accustomed to kids. Kids are unpredictable and fast - and LOUD! If he doesn’t retreat to his
safe place on his own, gently direct him. Any time you can’t
supervise him 100%, even if the kids appear to be “calm” and
he’s “being good” - don’t leave them alone together. If you
need to leave the room, take either him or the kids with you.
I would highly recommend you attend the “What is My
Dog Saying” body language lecture at Diamonds in the Ruff
to learn more about what your dog is telling you. The next
one will be Friday, Jan 8th at 6:30PM. It’s $35 per family. Look
into an in-home behavior consult. In cases of aggression and
risk to children, always get professional help.
Great book recommendations: “Living With Kids &
Dogs ... Without Losing Your Mind - A Parent’s Guide to
Controlling the Chaos” by Colleen Pelar, CPDT and “Raising
Puppies & Kids Together” by Pia Silvani & Lynn Eckhardt.
(Continued)
,
ore” that’s
Hello, Stanley
my “staffrad
ut
o
ab
n
o
ti
s
has always
I have a que
!! anyways he
ix
m
it
p
b
la
y
hen he was
what I call m
dson, even w
an
gr
ur
o
f
o
pet him, and
been terrified
son wants to
d
an
gr
r
oo
p
l as to not
a baby. The
e really carefu
ar
e
w
,
ce
ng
ki
ha
t an issue sin
he runs off s
ch really isn’
hi
a
w
d
,
an
ne
o
ar
al
a ye
leave them
e baby, who is
th
f
io
m
o
ed
d
ifi
rr
to
ied
Harley is te
ve, and has tr
fi
is
m
og
d
hi
e
t
le
th
n’t
half. Harley,
, which we do
humping him
by
y husband
m
m
n
hi
he
te
w
na
w times
fe
a
is
th
d
e it’s an issue
do! He trie
dson. I’m sur
an
gr
ur
o
g
is new family
was holdin
ow where th
kn
t
n’
s
oe
d
y
, he doesn’t
that Harle
y babysit him
nl
o
e
W
.
in
to introduce
member fits
e have tried
W
e.
m
ti
ll
part of it, I am
live here fu
he wants no
d
an
ar.
t,
to
e
him out of fe
Harley to th
rt biting at
ta
s
ht
!!!
ig
er
m
afraid he
for your answ
done? Thanks
What can be
Signed,
Babies
Not Used to
Hi No Babies,
Mounting of children is almost always a reflexive response
to the earthy smell of kid scent/diapers, not dominance. Kind
of like rolling in something smelly. He gets all conflicted and
wound up with the kid energy and it happens - as if his rear
quarters have taken on a life of their own. There’s no “intent”
to it - it’s a somatic reflex. Just interrupt and redirect.
As for his fear, he will feel safest when the kids are doing
something quiet - like sleeping, watching TV, or listening while
you read them a story. Pairing his experiences with the kids
during these times will build his sense of security and allow
him to get to know them when they aren’t threatening. 100%
supervision and guidance is essential. Parental guidance of
the children is an absolute necessity.
Aggression is a response to stress. You might be a very
mild mannered person, until someone comes at you with a
Hope that helps!
St a n ley
Note:
“Stanley is best friend of SpokAnimal’s
Education Director and newsletter editor,
Carol A. Byrnes, CPDT, who also owns
Diamonds in the Ruff dog training. Have
a question for Stanley and Carol? Email
[email protected].”
Stan and his co-author, Carol
Byrnes, Certified Professional
Dog Trainer.
15
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