In Which Nicki Rescues Moonlight

Having a rescued dog in your family opens a whole world of information you never thought you needed. You learn things that never even briefly occurred to you before. And then you find application for them all the time! How is it that you never needed this information before, but now it comes into play almost every day? And NOT in direct relation to your own dog? Astounding.

The other day Nicki and I were headed to the Post Office. We go when they close for lunch. The boxes are still available; only the window closes. That way, Nicki can go into the Post Office with me without upsetting anyone.

As we headed down the street, a young woman carrying a child was walking up the street towards us. She kept looking over her shoulder. When she got within speaking distance, she told me that her dog had gotten loose and was somewhere in the neighborhood. Since I was out walking my dog, she asked that I keep an eye out for her dog, named Moonshine. A little black Lab with a bright pink collar. Of course, I agreed. "And if I do find her, where will I find you?" She gave her address - just down the street a bit. Just then, I spotted Moonshine walking through a church parking lot right next to where we stood. The woman called out to her - and Moonshine, recognizing that the game was afoot!, immediately began running off.

That's so common. I once watched a guy chase his off-leash dog around mine and my neighbor's yards for about 10 minutes. It was all a big game to the dog. My Border Collie, who was off leash in our yard but had a terrific recall, immediately forgot everything she knew and began running with the other dog! Terrified, I screamed out her name and fruitlessly commanded her to sit. She didn't even hear me; there was a friend to romp with! Luckily, she dashed right by me at one point and I was able to reach out and grab her in mid run. Yes, I was faster than a Border Collie. Fear is a great motivator. Our BC was not a rescue pup; we'd raised her ourselves. The yard had always been our home, and it was where all her training took place. so she was accustomed to listening to me there - until that day. The owner of the loose dog inexplicably gave up, got back into his car, and drove away, leaving his dog loose in the yards! I put Daisy into the house, grabbed a leash, and came out to try to corral the loose dog, but it, too, was gone.

Nicki, of course, is another story. For her, recalls are a haphazard event, and totally pointless unless she smells treats. Also, since New Spirit 4 Aussies sends home LOTS of excellent information with their adopted pups, I knew that the first year(s) are a dangerous time for rescue dogs. Not having adapted to their new surroundings yet, they are apt to run off. They're not actually running away from their new homes - they just take off because they don't yet have that home "feel".

Anyway, that means that Nicki is never off leash outdoors. It's just not safe for her. Her tie-out is very unobtrusive, and on a long trolley, so she feels fairly unrestricted in the yard. Nonetheless, Nicki used to be a bit of a door darter. If we weren't vigilant, she'd push through a barely-opened door to get outside. It only happened twice when it was scary. In both instances, my panicked call of her name brought her to ground immediately. Then, a few months ago, it kind of happened again. We were getting ready to go outside to hang laundry. With the basket on my hip, I opened the door, and Nicki and I walked out into the yard. In about 5 steps I realized I'd forgotten to clip her tie-out on. I calmly set the basket down, turned around, and patted my leg, calling her to follow me back into the house. She complied as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wow - what a huge step. Nicki had remained by my side because it was just where she wanted to be, open door or no, tie-out or no.

Back to Moonlight. That's exactly how Moonlight had come to be exploring the nabe. She had door-darted. Nicki and I headed down the street as we had been, which was also in the direction Moonlight had been headed. I kept scanning homes and backyards. Pretty sure some folks thought I was up to something. Then, out of nowhere, Moonlight was at our side, sniffing noses with Nicki. I stopped walking, spoke quietly to her, reached down calmly, and slipped my hand into her collar. All the while, Nicki held her attention. I didn't really need all that training this time - I just needed Nicki. Moonlight didn't come to me; she came to Nicki. In short order, Moonlight's mom headed down the walk towards us, leash in hand. I held on until I was sure she had attached the leash. Then Nicki and I said goodbye to Moonlight and her mom and finished our walk.

Even though I didn't need any of the information I'd gotten about finding and "catching" loose dogs, it's still good to know.  Here's an excellent video to help you understand why your dog may run from you if they get loose. While Kat Albrecht explains this method from the point of view of catching a timid or scared dog, your dog may respond the same way to these behaviors, thinking that you mean to play. That's what Moonlight was doing. She didn't feel threatened; she was playing a game.These calming behaviors can also work to draw in a dog which has entered play mode in less-than-optimal surroundings, giving you the chance to help your dog back into a safer situation.

Nicki Goes Camping!!

Well! With the kitchen renovation STILL in progress, the Hubby decided it would be a good idea to take a break and visit friends. Yes! Awesome idea! Ummm...all of their extended family is also visiting. No Problem! Let's GO! Um.....and they said there might be floor space for us.

Wait - what? Floor space? We're OLD! And...CRABBY! Or at least achy. Hmmm. There's gotta be a solution to this.

ANNND - CAN WE BRING NICKI???

YES!

Ok - back to Plan A: LET'S GO!

So we pack up the tent (a ginormous circus-y thing left over from the days of the Girl Scout Troop), the air mattress (the REAL double. Air mattress manufacturers do not have the same specs as regular mattress manufacturers. In the camping world, "Double" = single, and "Queen" = just barely the Double you have at home.), the sleeping bags, various and sundry accoutrement, and Nicki's crate.

Yes, crate. You may think that's mean. I used to. I tried "crate training" our beloved Border Collie, Daisy. She HATED the crate. But, as it turned out, maybe not because it was a crate, but because we had an all-metal cage-style crate. Yup - that sounds awful. But for Daisy - the awful part was the metal. I didn't learn that until much later. Daisy was extremely sound sensitive, and anything metal was automatically a no-go. She wouldn't even retrieve a toy that landed on our metal heating grates in the floors. A quick paw swipe and victory would have been hers - but the metal was as much poison to her as a crucifix to a vampire.

But I digress.

When we brought Nicki home from her final foster home, we initially put her into a brand new, very open but not fully metal, crate. Of course, halfway home, I brought her into my lap in the front passenger seat, where she finally relaxed and fell soundly asleep - safe at last.

Our pups know when they're safe with us. Doubly so for our rescued pups.

Still - for the first few weeks, we put Nicki in her crate at night and closed the door. In that way, she had a safe place near us (the crate was in our bedroom) where she could rest and be safe, and we could know that she wasn't scouting the rugs for a midnight pee.... 

Eventually, we'd leave the bedroom door closed, but her crate open. That extended her "den" to our entire bedroom. No peeing in the den. And it also allowed for cuddling in the bed with us - when she finally became comfortable enough with us!! A major coup! Still, even with the crate door bungeed open, Nicki often heads into the crate to take her personal time. It is her space. We respect it.

But - back to camping. Whenever there's a situation in which Nicki might either come under stress or be unsure of appropriateness (like peeing inside the tent), putting her into her crate and closing the door solves all problems. She does not feel restricted. How do I know? Because a dog that has been mistreated lets you know when she's being mistreated - even if it's only in her mind.

We set up camp in our friends' yard, and set up the inside of the tent almost the same as our bedroom at home. Nicki's crate was positioned so she could see us all night, but the door was kept closed to keep the possibility of negatives down.

And with all that set and ready, Nicki had a great time camping! She got to cuddle with us on our "bed" in the mornings, took long walks down the roads, and showed not one inkling of getting into the bay. No swimming for her! There were kids visiting, and Nicki loves kids. Bonus! There were lots of extra people to charm, and charm she did. One friend even told her husband that she wanted to get a Mini Aussie. Of course, I suggested New Spirit 4 Aussies . When people meet Nicki, they're always surprised to learn that she's a rescued dog.

We all got to hang out by the bay, spend hours talking with friends, and just relax. And Nicki got to do something that all dogs want to do, but rarely achieve: she got to spend two entire days outside with us! Dogs often only get to be outside with their people for walks. Or, unfortunately, as Nicki had been with the guy from whom she was rescued, they're tied out all the time - alone. These few days, we all spent as much time outdoors as possible - together.

Well! This is ..... different .....

Staying on the land side, thanks.

So many new things to smell!!

A quiet moment by the bay.

Once you've got one, there's no place like home!

The Best Laid Plan

Just an ordinary summer morning. I prepared all the paperwork I needed for the day. Checks, payment stubs, envelopes, stamps. I got the empty returnables ready for a trip to the grocery store. I picked up Nicky’s now-empty water bottle to ready it for refill/refreeze. Even in upstate New York, August is hot. Pups need attentive helpers to get through it unscathed. A frozen water bottle on a gravity drip can be heaven on a hot day.

But today’s not a hot one. It’s within the 40/70 parameters for safety for dogs in cars. Nicki loves to go with me. I’m not so sure she loves car trips – but she does always love to go with me.

So. I load up my arms and hands with all the various objects that need to be moved/shifted/dealt with, and head downstairs. At the kitchen door, Nicki, full of anticipation of a forthcoming trip, decides it’s the perfect time to stop dead under my feet. In trying to not step on her, or to step over her, I can’t actually see her and can’t be sure of what I’m doing. I eventually HAVE to put a foot down somewhere, and – as luck would have it - I step on Nicki. Drat! I’m loud. Not at Nicki – but it doesn’t matter. Loud human voices mean bad things to her. Still, when faced with such a situation, I’m given to loud expressions of stress.

When I regain my footing, I see the cowering. I know what this means. I head for the paper towels, knowing that a urine clean-up lies ahead. Yup – right on cue. The trail follows her cowering movements. Dang.

I get out the Nature’s Miracle and start the process. I call Nicki to let her outside for the rest. She’s cowering at the junction of the bathroom door off the kitchen. I never said a word to her, nor did I direct any energy at all in her direction. Nonetheless, loud voices meant bad things for Nicki – in the past – and there’s not enough “new” past to change that yet.

I let her out, spray the enzymes around, and head down to the basement to put something else away. When I come back up the stairs, the change in light angles allows me to see clearly that she was not merely cowering in this spot: she peed. A lot. There is a righteous pool of urine sitting at the joint of two pieces of my brand new flooring. New kitchen flooring for which I have waited over 20 years. And dog urine is seeping into the seem…..

I mop it up, as I have done with all the rest of it. How can such a small dog have such a huge bladder?? And, again without scolding, I let Nicki back in.

Eventually, I realize that, in her fear, she peed – not only on my floor – but on herself. I have a no-rinse cleaner that I recently got from a hospital visit. I use the cleanser on Nicki and towel her off. She actually seems to appreciate it.

So – The enzymes are at work trying to save my floors. The no-rinse cleaners are at work trying to de-scent my pup. The urine is mopped up – and I hope my floors are ok. At no time did Nicki receive a harsh word or harsh treatment – but the shadows remain.

I almost tripped over my dog – and some @$$hole made it much worse than just a misstep. Poor Nicki expected something far worse than me being momentarily loud and unhappy. And in sheer terror, she urinated on everything, including herself.

Thanks, @$$hole. From both of us. Footnote: you’re not going to win. It’s only coming up on one year with us for Nicki. Eventually, this will stop. I’m going to prove to her that stuff like this doesn’t get her a beat down. Doesn’t get her tied out in a yard and ignored forever. Doesn’t get her abandoned. Doesn’t get her betrayed. I’m going to prove to her that events like this don’t have to happen at all. That humans can sound loud and unhappy without hurting her. That we all figure it out before the end of the day – and that we all get to cuddle in the bed together at nightfall. And all WILL be forgiven.

Because love wins, @$$hole. It just does.

It's a busy summer!

There's been a lot going on. In some ways there's not much to tell, and in other ways there's been too much!

After 22 years, we're finally remodeling our kitchen. The last time it was updated was apparently back in the 70s. While it was a much needed project, it has thrown the entire house into a tizzy. There are very few rooms that haven't been pressed into service for storing boxes of stuff. The dining room is now a kind of camp kitchen. The front hall has become a storage annex. The whole place looks like either an episode of Hoarders or Storage Wars.

I was worried that this much disruption would take a toll on Nicki. For a rescue pup, a secure routine that they can depend on is a tremendously reassuring necessity. To our surpise, though, Nicki is just breezing through all the changes! She doesn't really seem to notice any of it! That's been a real relief!

Even though it hasn't taken a toll on Nicki, it sure has taken one on me. This amount of disruption is not something I can handle easily. And - as I should have expected - it's dragging on far longer than I thought it would.

Because of all that, we thought it would be a good idea to take a little break. We decided to visit friends in Massachusetts for the 4th of July weekend. Because they live very close to a beach where the local folks do their own fireworks shows, we thought that taking Nicki with us might be a bad idea. Her reaction to the few pops and whooshes right here at home (from our neighboring amateur arsonists...) told me that a full-on fireworks extravaganza would be too much for her. So, Nicki went to stay with Boomtowne once again. She'd been there before, and she knows many of the staff. They greet her by name! And no, we don't board her that often! Still, she hadn't been boarded for more than a couple days. This time she stayed for four days. And that was a bit of a problem.

When Nicki got home, things seemed ok. She was obviously super happy to see us, but otherwise, all seemed back to the usual. The next day, though, as I tried to get on track with a new computer (my other one decided to enter a coma the day we planned to leave for our little vacation!) I had though Nicki was napping nearby, as she does while I'm working on the computer. I decided to check in on her - as I do - and didn't see her nearby. That's unusual for her, and for Aussies in general. They prefer to stay near their people. Going through a rescue situation intensifies that somewhat. So - where was Nicki? Maybe she'd gone to the door. Might be potty time. So I headed downstairs to let her out - and found that it was already a moot point. There was a little poop. Oh dear. But - as a parent and a pet parent - I noted the texture and moisture of it as I cleaned it up. (Did you just say "eww"? Hey - we moms know our job isn't all glamour!) Looked like our girl hadn't been too regular during her longer stay. Ah well....

That was the only hiccup in the boarding experience this time. Nicki is back to her happy routine again, and I'm back to trying to have a normal kitchen again - but there's still lots of work ahead. Instead of such a long time apart, maybe we'll stick to some prolonged trail walking.

To keep things fun, we still find new things to experience together! Just yesterday, Nicki learned to eat Edamame! And by "learned" I mean just that. She tried to eat  the first couple of beans shell and all. But by the third, she had learned to pop the beans out of the shell and leave it behind! Hmmm - maybe chopsticks next?

Memorial Day

Today many of us will be thinking about cookouts and gatherings with friends and family. That's fine, but off message. The point of Memorial Day is to remember those who served our country in the armed forces.

I just learned, through a friend, about a particular service dog who was a hero in WWI! We hear about dogs used in war, but we seldom learn their names or stories. It turns out that this particular pup was also, in a way, a rescue! He had been a stray!

Take a moment to remember our service men and women today. Enjoy your burgers. And read about the hero dog, Sergeant Stubby ! Read a lovely tribute to all MWDs at Dogster!

Walkin' the Dog

You probably have playlists that you like when you're dog walking. Me too. I put one together specifically for that purpose. It's 33 minutes and keeps up a pretty good pace. By the time we get back from a walk to this playlist, Nicki and I both have our tongues hanging out and we're pooped! If you'd like to try our walk on for size, here's the soundtrack!

Baby Blue                              3:37    Badfinger                    Straight Up   
Leopard Skin Pill-box Hat       2:12    Beck   
Catch My Disease                  4:14    Ben Lee                       Awake Is The New Sleep   
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy    3:13    The Black Keys            El Camino       
Bohemian Like You                3:32    The Dandy Warhols    Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia   
Walking in Memphis               4:19    Marc Cohn                   Marc Cohn   
Typical                                  4:12     MuteMath                    Mute Math [Bonus Tracks]   
20th Century Boy                   3:39    T Rex                           Electric Warrior               
Jump                                    4:01     Van Halen                    1984



You can also listen to it here  http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Walkin+The+Dog/98070281  Listening is so much more effective than just reading song titles. Which is why I tried to embed a player for you. Alas, Blogger apparently doesn't like embedded players. If you can actually see one on this post, and it works, I'm very happy! I can't see it!!

Keep in mind that we live in a town with LOTS of hills, so a good chunk of this is done on an incline.

If you want to take a less athletic approach to a late spring/early summer evening with your pooch, I recommend Real Estate. It makes everything seem so pleasant and happy, which of course, makes it perfect for spending time outdoors with your favourite fur people!

Dog of the Day!

Nicki has been chosen as the Dog of the Day for Sunday, May 18th!

How appropriate that our little ray of sunshine is a Sunday DotD!! Go over and take a peek!

http://dogoftheday.com/archive/2014/May/18.html