Monday, September 27, 2010

"We don't know what he was thinking."

I'm a dog trainer. When working with a new client, I stress the importance of keeping Fido safe from injury. There are more ways dogs can get themselves in trouble than you can possibly imagine. And I've heard way to many of them. This email was in my box this morning. The client has an 11-month-old male Labrador Retriever:
"We have to cancel our training for Wednesday. An unfortunate accident happened yesterday....Bailey jumped out of the window of our car in the neighborhood and broke his femur.  We don't know what he was thinking. He is going to have surgery today for his hip and neutering and will have a 6 week recovery."
Didn't know what he was THINKING? He's a dog. He was thinking, "something smells really interesting over there and I'm gonna check it out" or "there's a dog ... I wonder if he wants to play" or a gazillion other possibilities. He had no clue jumping from a car could hurt him. He has people who are supposed to protect him from himself.

Do NOT let your dog hang body parts out of your car. Nor should you allow your dog to ride in the front seat. If you don't get that a dog distracting you while you are driving is not a great idea, think about this: a deployed airbag can seriously injure or kill your dog. Get your dog a harness that attaches to your seat belt system in the back of the car.



Saturday, September 11, 2010

Roselle & The Firefighters

The keynote speaker at BlogPaws told a story about a man and a dog who made it out of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. The man was blind. His guide dog, Roselle, led him to safety from the 78th floor. That man was Michael Hingson.
"The most miraculous part of the story to me is the part that people don’t pay attention to," Hingson told a reporter. "That is, that we were less than a hundred yards away from Tower 2 when it collapsed. And we had to run for our lives, literally, to get away from the falling tower." Hingson said Roselle displayed the same qualities that fateful day that she always had. "She did exactly what she was supposed to do to keep us running and avoiding other people," he said. "Because everyone was running in sheer terror and panic."
Michael Arms, that keynote speaker, met Michael Hingson some years ago. Hingson shared with him that as he and Roselle made their way down all those steps they passed firefighters going up. The firefighters asked again and again if he needed assistance. Each time he indicated Roselle had the situation under control. And over and over, Hingson could feel a firefighter's hand brushing his dog's head ... hero to hero.

On this anniversary of 9/11, remember all the heroes of that day. And thank a firefighter.



Friday, September 10, 2010

Who IS that dog?


When I arrived at the Hyatt in Denver yesterday, there was a dog tied up in front of one of the entrances. Later a crate showed up for her. Who was this dog? Why was she not inside with her human attending the conference? Did the hotel have issues with cute little herding dogs? Being the curious sort, I decided to ask. It turns out that Sadie is the unofficial canine greeter for the BlogPaws conference. She hangs out with her dad, Doug, while he attends to arriving guests. Four paws way up to Sadie and Doug!

The $5 Miracle

Join me in the first $5 Miracle fundraising campaign. This one is for the Richmond Animal League in Richmond, Virginia. RAL is a no-kill shelter pulling from area kill shelters. Share this link with EVERYONE you know. Donate online. Let's change the world one rescue at a time. Your rescue may be the next $5 Miracle campaign.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Willie Nelson & Best Friends

Thanks, Willie, for teaming up with Best Friends Animal Society to raise awareness: there is no place in a "civilized" society for dog fighting. And that includes Georgia!