Paw Ditty

Starbuck Bueller’s Day Off

Have you ever inadvertently taught your dog a new trick or command? I apparently do it often. I usually don’t realize I’m doing it until I see a response from the dogs that seems out of place. Ahhh…Then I make the connection.

For example, after two unfollowed “sit” commands (as in ‘Sit! Sit!’), I apparently clear my throat to signal annoyance. It works every time. The funny times are when I have a cold or sore throat and the dogs start sitting for seemingly no reason!

I guess I also use the phrase “ExCUSE me!” as my third attempt to get the dogs to listen to me. This occurs when the dogs are running away, and I yell, “Come! Come!” to no avail. I realized this one when we were at the park and Starbuck went to chase a squirrel. He stopped and returned to me as soon as I said, “ExCUSE me!”

A trainer once told me that it’s okay to use “Thank You” as praise instead of “Good Dog.” He said that “thank you” comes more naturally to humans so use whatever works. I guess that’s how my commands continued to get turned around.

Instead of “stay,” I use “wait.” Instead of “let’s go,” I say, “Okay.” Instead of “No!” I often say, “I don’t THINK so!” These all work fine. Although it could be tough for a dog sitter! The cute begging trick where the dog sits up on its hind legs and moves its front paws, that’s is triggered by the term “Circus Bear!” in my house.

I inadvertently created a new command more recently that is very funny to watch. When the dogs are in the backyard and don’t “Come in” the first time I call them, I started saying, “Bueller? Bueller?” Last week I tried to get the dogs out of the rain and called “Bueller” first, simply to amuse myself. Funny enough, the dogs came right in! So now instead of saying, “come in,” I just need to quote from one of my favorite movies! I suspect that the dogs don’t actually get the reference!

My Kingdom for a Frappuccino

Bailey loved strawberries and cream frappuccinos from Starbucks coffee house. I made the mistake of giving him one just once…and that led to an “addiction.” It seemed like a cute, fun thing to do at the time. I had no idea that I would create a monster!

It got to the point that Bailey came to know the name Starbucks, the logo and the placement of the several locations near my house. If we walked anywhere near a Starbucks, he would bark and jump around, basically demanding his frappuccino. I can’t imagine what people thought when they would see me pleading and arguing with this 90 pound, immovable Golden Retriever who was in a complete “sit down strike.” I would say, “Bailey, we can’t go right now. I didn’t bring any money!” or “Come on, buddy, I’ll get you one later. I promise.” Bailey would plant himself on the ground and no amount of leash pulling would get him up. On a few occasions I would run into a neighbor and ask if I could borrow money to buy Bailey a frappuccino. You can just imagine the looks they would give me!

My roommate at the time, Susan, didn’t believe me when I told her that Bailey knew where all the Starbucks were—until I went out of town. Susan called me to ask how to get to Starbucks, as she wanted to go there with the dogs. I told her, “Just tell Bailey that you are going to Starbucks on the ‘gravely path’.” Although incredulous, she said she would try but expected to call me from the walking trail.

Susan did call me about an hour later but, as I expected, she was in awe, saying, “Oh my God! Bailey literally marched us to Starbucks! We got here directly with no problem.”

I could never come in my house with a Starbucks’ cup and not have a frappuccino for Bailey. He would bark and run at me and grunt! He would be obviously furious! Of course, when I did come home with a frappuccino, he would jump around in circles and wail a happy, squeaky wail.

Most people would say that Bailey was spoiled. There’s no way I could deny that. But I like to focus on how something so simple could really make him happy. He could be a brat about his strawberries and cream frappuccinos. But he was my brat. And I loved him.

When Bailey passed away it seemed only fitting to honor him with a sort of “namesake.” Hence, while I love the mischievous fighter pilot on Battlestar Galactica, I gave a nod to my favorite brat when I named his baby brother Starbuck.

The Case of the Little Brown Dog

Chai doesn’t like other dogs. I keep her away from them as much as possible and it’s not much of an issue. She barks at most dogs as they walk past our house but that seems reasonable. There are a few dogs that she ignores; some that she’s even somewhat “friendly” with when we see them on a walk. Then there’s “the little brown dog.”

The little brown dog moved into our neighborhood about a year ago. She’s some sort of a puggle (maybe?). Her mom has told me her name more than once but it’s unique and I never seem to remember it. So she’s just “the little brown dog” in our house. And Chai hates her.

Chai never met the little brown dog directly. As far as I know she’s never met a puggle. But when the little brown dog walks by (calmly on a leash with her human mom and sister) Chai goes absolutely nuts.

One day last summer I was coming through the front door with some packages. For the first time ever Chai pushed past me and ran outside. What I hadn’t seen was the little brown dog walking past the house. But Chai saw her. She went after the little brown dog, grabbing her by the neck. I was screaming at Chai. The little brown dog’s mom was screaming. Chai was just incensed. Finally I was able to grab Chai by the haunches and pull her away. Another neighbor who had run over grabbed Chai’s collar and we were able to get her in the house.

The little brown dog was fine. She was slobbered up and very upset but no  damage was done. All I can guess is that Chai was telling her who was boss but wasn’t really out to hurt her.

Since that day I always look around before I open or close the door. I know the little brown dog’s walking schedule and route. And I always avoid it. When I see the mom, she looks at us like we are the most evil creatures on earth. I want to tell her, swear to her, that Chai doesn’t act this with any other dog. She truly doesn’t. But I don’t think it would matter.

I didn’t know that yesterday was a “teacher planning day” and school was closed. So I didn’t expect to see the little brown dog when I took the dogs for a walk. They were off schedule.

When the little brown dog suddenly walked towards us from up the street, Chai went crazy. It took everything I had to hold her back. We were on a narrow street with nowhere to go so I pulled the dogs into a driveway and held on until the little brown dog had passed.

I talked to a trainer about it. Her advice? “Keep Chai away from the little brown dog.” When I asked why she thought Chai would act this way towards this dog for no reason at all, she replied, “Aren’t there people that you just don’t like?”

Summary/Status of Current Maryland Animal Legislation

This information was provided by the Maryland Senior State Director of The Humane Society of the United States.

• Spay/Neuter (SB 820/HB 767) – As you may have heard, this has PASSED both the House and the Senate!!  There are still some procedural hurdles to cross, but the substantive votes have happened. Check out the votes below to see how your legislators voted, and be sure to follow up to thank them if they voted YES and politely express your disappointment if they didn’t. And keep checking www.savemarylandpets.org for the latest news.
• Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee vote
• Senate floor vote
• House Environmental Matters Committee vote
• House floor vote

• Dog Bite Liability (SB 160/HB 78):  Lawmakers still need to work out their remaining differences in these bills. SB 160 (with those amendments) has been scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee TODAY at 1pm. Only the bill sponsor will be allowed to testify, since this committee already heard testimony on HB 78. After this hearing, the House committee will decide whether to accept or reject the Senate amendments. If they reject them, a special conference committee made up of both senators and delegates will be appointed to work out the differences. 
  

• Shark Fins (SB 592/HB 1148):  This bill passed the House yesterday!!  It is now awaiting a vote in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee – and this could come as soon as TOMORROW.  TAKE ACTION:  If your senator is on this committee, call them and ask for their support!  Then CLICK HERE to send a follow up email. 
• House Environmental Affairs Committee vote
• House floor vote – not available yet

• Bait Dogs (SB 360/HB 542):  This bill has PASSED both the House and the Senate UNANIMOUSLY!  Like the spay/neuter bill, it still has some procedural votes before it is final, but the substantive votes in the House and Senate are over. 
  
• Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee vote
• Senate floor vote
• House Judiciary Committee vote
• House floor vote 

• Costs of Cruelty (SB 37/HB 865):  SB 37 has passed the Senate and both bills are awaiting action by the House Judiciary Committee.  They will hold a brief hearing on SB 37 TOMORROW.  This may have an uphill battle.

• Dog Bite Liability – Insurance (HB 1203):  This bill as introduced prohibited insurance companies from denying coverage to someone based on the breed or size of dog they own. It was amended by the House Economic Matters Committee so that it simply requires insurance companies who exclude dogs based on breed or size to notify homeowners of this policy.  It has passed the House!  And it has a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee TOMORROW.
• House Economic Matters Committee vote
• House floor vote – not available yet

• DNR Funding (SB 619):  This bill is primarily a bill increasing the hunting license fees in the state – but it also includes a fee for people without hunting licenses who want to use Wildlife Management Areas and states that fines from hunting violations must go back into the wildlife protection fund instead of into the general fund.  This bill has passed the House!  It has a hearing in the House Environmental Matters Committee TOMORROW.
• Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee vote
• Senate floor vote

• Hunting Related Animal Cruelty (SB 1031/HB 1482):  This bill was introduced very late in the session, but, as introduced, it prohibited intentionally killing a domesticated, stray or feral animal while hunting. It was amended in the Senate to only include a prohibition on killing a domesticated animal, and stray or feral animals were excluded. Although this sounds potentially scary for feral cats, my understanding is that strays and feral animals were excluded because of concerns about a growing population of feral pigs – not because they want to legitimize shooting feral cats. This bill has passed the Senate. 
• Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee vote
• Senate floor vote – not available yet

Bills that failed to get a vote this session:

• Adoption Tax Credit (HB 371)

• Baltimore County Animal Control (HB 1478) 

• Montgomery County Bowhunting Safety Zone (HB 671)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

By now you’ve probably heard about the op-ed written by Ted Williams of the Audubon Society, subtly advocating for the poisoning of feral cats in order to limit the numbers of birds killed each year. The Audubon Society has since disavowed its relationship with Williams and insists it does not support his statements. (Read Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s response to this here: http://bit.ly/XWYnmM).

While I could go on and on about this particular issue ad infinitum, I think there is a much bigger issue here. To me, it epitomizes our current culture of confrontation and combativeness. I know that I am naïve with the idea of “why can’t we all just get along,” but why do we always have to make things “us against them,” even in the animal welfare movement?

Dog people vs. cat people. Cat people vs. bird people. TNR (trap-neuter-return) vs. euthanasia. Vegetarian vs. vegan. We find “enemies” where there are none. We work, and think, in silos. When we approach animal welfare this way, all we are is a bunch of individual tornadoes, going in different directions and tearing up everything beneath us.

I realize that specific doctrines and missions have nuances and that there are some concrete differences in how we approach things. But why do we harp on the differences instead of focusing on the similarities? Aren’t we all fighting the same fight? Isn’t our goal to save animals, to end pain and suffering, to give our animal friends a voice and a place in the world?

Imagine how much we could do if we combined our forces and actually worked together? It doesn’t have to be about win or lose. It can be about moving forward. Maybe if we stopped arguing with each other, we’d have the time and energy to fight the good fight. Maybe if we focused on progress instead of “ all or nothing,” we’d make real changes.

We already have the courage, the wisdom and the heart to overcome adversity and to take us where we want to go. We just need to take the journey together.

*Disclosure: The obvious, admittedly corny, references stem from a special affinity with “The Wizard of Oz” since my portrayal of Dorothy in my school’s 5^th grade production.

“Herd” Immunity

I’m a klutz. I pretty much always have been. I trip over things. I drop things. I wear a lot of my food. I have no coordination; hand-eye or otherwise. I’m not athletic by any means. To say I “throw like a girl” is insulting to girls everywhere.

Truthfully, I’m really no longer ashamed of it. I’ve come to accept it as a fact of life. I try to laugh about it, hoping people will laugh with me (instead of at me). Most of the time they do. And we’ve had some pretty good laughs. When it’s really sad is when the dog feels the need to intervene.

Even though she’s been the cause of some of my injuries (see previous posts), Chai apparently feels the need to prevent some of the inevitable. As a border collie mix, it’s not unusual for her to “herd” people or nip at their ankles to move them in the direction she wants them to go. But with me, she takes it a lot farther. Any time I try to run or dance in her presence, she “attacks” my feet and actually wraps her whole body around my legs. I can’t move. 

It seems like it could be just her nature. But she loves to go running with my friend. She’ll trot alongside of her, keeping pace and smiling the whole way. She’s “danced” with my nephew. She’ll play “chase” with Starbuck. It’s just me who isn’t allowed to move.

Once my friend and I took the dogs to a tennis court, where I could let them run and play without the fear of running off. My friend threw tennis balls and sticks for both dogs and they loved it. They ran and chased my friend, having a great time. But any time I tried to run and participate in the games, Chai would dive at my feet and “hold” me back.

Sometimes I wonder if she’s just embarrassed by my clumsiness. Is she making sure that the other dogs won’t make fun of her mom? Or does she feel that she’s got to protect me from myself? Either way, I’ve got to stay pretty still around her. I’m not sure if I should be mad or I should thank her.

Not a Dog Shaming Moment

There’s a community center in walking distance to my house that serves as a gathering place for much of my neighborhood. It used to be an elementary school but its been closed at least as long as I’ve lived here. The building is now used for daycare and after school care. The basketball courts, tennis courts and playground are pretty much open to the public. So is the baseball field – most of the time.

In early mornings and evenings, dog parents gather on the field for doggie playtime. Bailey especially loved to go “to the school” to see his friends and play chase. He was a particular favorite of the ladies in the group – both human and dog. He sometimes ran off and wreaked havoc…but those stories are for another day.

One spring afternoon, I walked with Bailey to the school and let him off-leash just as we reached the grounds. As usual, he ran down to the field ahead of me to meet his friends. Unfortunately the field was not full of dogs. It was full of young little leaguers playing a game.

I don’t have children so the beginning of little league season completely escapes me. I wasn’t used to the field being used for any “organized” purpose so it never occurred to me that my dog friends wouldn’t be there.

Bailey was a bit wary of children so he didn’t disturb the little leaguers. Besides, what he eyed was the “holy Mecca” of the dog world just on the edge of the field – a baby stroller. Dogs learn early on that strollers are full of all kinds of yummy, fun goodies; slimy pacifiers, bottles, diapers (which smell weird and are apparently fun to shred), and especially food. Usually Cheerios or those wonderful orange fish crackers.

Before I could stop it, Bailey had his head in the pockets of the stroller and pulled out a full package of graham crackers. By the look on his face, you could tell he knew this was quite a score. With the graham crackers in his mouth, he bolted off the field and up a hill. The stroller’s owner, a mom sitting with her baby on a nearby blanket, was livid.

I ran down to the screaming woman and apologized profusely. She screamed that I was irresponsible, could have caused harm to her child, I should have my dog on a leash, she should call the police, all kinds of things. Mostly she just screamed. I offered to buy her more graham crackers. I offered to take her and her baby out to eat. I promised to keep my dog on a leash. I didn’t know what else to do. She just kept screaming. In fact she was screaming so loud that the little league game came to a complete halt.

Bailey, meanwhile, was a few hundred yards up the hill, looking at me for guidance. He wasn’t repentant or frightened or protective. The graham crackers were well gone by now. He was smiling. He was just waiting to see if we were going home or would stay to wreak more havoc.

The woman screamed until her voice became like Peppermint Patty’s teacher to me, “Wah wah wah wah wah.” There was nothing I could do to calm her down. She was just mad.

I looked at Bailey, looked at the screaming woman, looked back at Bailey. Then I yelled, “RUN!” Bailey took off and so did I.

I caught up with him about a block or so later. He was waiting for me with a huge grin on his face. I’m sure he was thinking, “I have the coolest mom in the world!” I’m not sure that was true. But I’ll never forget the feeling of that mutual laugh. It was a shared moment that only the two of us would understand.

The Rescue

Friends recommended I get a dog. I had just gotten out of a very difficult marriage. By the time the marriage was over, I was broken. I didn’t think I would ever trust anyone ever again. They knew I needed help to move on.

With some hesitation, I applied for adoption through Golden Retriever Rescue. I met Bailey at an adoption event and immediately fell in love with his sweet face. He was nine months old. I was warned that he “craved attention – positive or negative.” I was sure we would be fine.

We weren’t “fine” for a long time. Bailey chewed everything in sight. He pulled curtains down and shredded them. He barked all of the time (literally). He could be sweet but he would even snap at me in the early days. It was as if Bailey had multiple personalities. There was “sweet Bailey” and “crazy, run around the house Bailey,” “frantic, separation-anxiety Bailey,” “growling, aggressive Bailey,” and “mischievous, get into trouble Bailey.” It was hard to know which one I might be dealing with at any particular time.

Luckily, I was referred to a terrific trainer who knew how to work with dogs with behavioral issues. We met two or three times a week for a long time. We met regularly for almost three years.

The “negative Baileys” left, for the most part, after consistent patience, love and training. But “mischievous” Bailey reared his prankster head pretty regularly. His greatest vice was stealing food. He stole a man’s sandwich right out of his mouth when we were walking through downtown. He pulled half a pizza from the box being shared by a group of teenagers. One morning he took off out the front door and came back with a huge piece of chocolate cake in his mouth. My most favorite story, though, was when my roommate’s jerk of a boyfriend cooked fried eggs, put the plates on the table and stepped away to tell my roommate that breakfast was ready. Bailey walked over to the table, looked at me from the corner of his eye, and slurped his tongue clear across the top of that man’s eggs. I never said a thing.

Bailey made me laugh. In spite of all his “issues,” he just wanted to be loved. And I re-learned patience because of Bailey. I re-learned to trust. I re-learned the value of friendship. Bailey came into my life at its lowest point and he changed me. I’m truly not sure I would be here today if it wasn’t for Bailey.

I tragically lost Bailey without warning shortly after his eighth birthday. It was the hardest day of my life. After six years it’s still hard not to cry when I talk about him – except when I think about one of his many antics. Then all I can do is laugh. I was so lucky to find him and share seven years with him.

Bailey was a rescue dog. But I was the one who was rescued.