The Child on the Chain

WARNING: This post will be disturbing on many levels.  I wrestled with whether to write it at all, but I feel it is important to drive the point home.  Here is a link to read after the post for more information on chaining.
http://www.unchainyourdog.org/FactsPhotos.htm

Billy was once very loved.  When he was small, young, and "cute".  His parents were, in the beginning, loving and kind. Then Billy got a little older.  When he reached the age of three, he was not as "controllable" anymore.  He ran around the house, knocked over tables with precious antiques, and got into cabinets he wasn't supposed to.  His parents were not patient, nor did they attempt to educate him in basic skills of behavior and manners.  They became more and more frustrated, but instead of trying to teach Billy, they decided to replace him.

One day, Billy's parents came home with a lovely puppy with long floppy ears and a long waggly tail.  Billy was fascinated with the puppy, but his parents would not let him near it as they were afraid that "uncontrollable Billy" would hurt it.  They didn't bother to try to teach Billy how to interact with the new puppy.  The puppy soon received all the attention.  Billy was left alone most of the time, except for meals.  Billy did everything he could think of to get his parents attention- he cried, jumped up and down on the beds, hid their shoes, and ran around and around the house thinking, "surely they will notice me now!"  They DID notice, but it did not have the effect Billy wanted- instead he got hit with switches and rolled up newspapers as punishment for his behavior.

Then one fatal day, Billy was left alone with the puppy.  Having never been taught how to interact with the puppy, Billy pulled one of her big floppy ears.  HARD.  The dog screamed in pain.  Billy's parents came running into the room, saw Billy pulling the puppy's ear, and immediately grabbed Billy.  "How dare you hurt the baby!" his parents screamed. One parent kicked him in the ribs and he fell to the ground in pain. Then they threw Billy out into the backyard and locked him out of the house.  Billy wandered the yard, watching his parents play with and comfort the baby.  Tears rolled down his face as he remembered that once HE was the baby.  He beat on the door, screamed and cried, but there was no response to his pleas. 

Billy looked at the fence then noticed the gate.  He had never opened a gate before, but he was sure that this was the way out of captivity.  Since he could not dig under the fence, that gate held the key to his freedom.  After hours of working on the latch, it popped.  He was FREE!  Billy wandered through the neighborhood, looking for a home with people who would love him.  After several hours, he was seen by a well-meaning but uninformed neighbor who knew him and was returned to his parents.  Since Billy was young and could not communicate well, he could not make the neighbor understand what was happening to him.

His parents were furious that Billy had dared to escape.  They locked Billy in the laundry room, and he could only hear activity in the back yard that went on for several hours.  Billy sat in the corner, clinging to himself in fear with tears running down his cheeks.  "What did I do to make them stop loving me?"  He had no idea how he had been THAT bad.

Then he heard stomping through the house.  The parents burst into the room with fury in their eyes.  Billy cowered against the wall.  One of them held him down while the other wrapped a thick, heavy chain around his neck- tightly.  The 12 foot chain weighed almost as much as Billy did.  He wailed and cried, but all that earned him was another kick in the ribs.  Billy doubled over in pain as his parents drug him with the chain into the backyard and affixed it to a tree.  When Billy was able to breathe again, he sat up and noticed a shack beside the tree with three or four of his old baby blankets carelessly tossed into it.

That night, he was brought some table scraps and water in metal bowls. He crawled into his shack with the hated chain tightly around his neck.  He made himself as comfortable as possible in the pile of thin baby blankets that had been tossed into the shack.  He curled himself into a fetal position as insects bit him and the heavy chain hindered his ability to move.  The next day, he ventured out of the shack and curled up in the grass under the tree, crying miserably and wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate.  This became Billy's life day in and day out.  He howled, cried, and yelled but to no avail.  No savior came for him. His parents still ignored him except to tell him he was "bad" and to toss him scraps of food and change his water every few days. Billy became filthy, his clothing torn and smelly.  His thin blankets became infested with fleas and lice.  Billy was miserable and wondered when his punishment would end.  He soon learned it was only to worsen.

Neighborhood bullies noticed that Billy was chained to a tree.  They gathered outside the fence and threw stones and sticks at him.  He tried to dodge the best he could, but the ponderous chain held him back.  With many bruises and cuts, Billy slinked into his shack, curling up in fear.  Being eaten by parasites and full of worms was bad enough, but now he was battered and bruised from the attack.  He curled up into a fetal position and cried for hours.  Slowly he ventured back out.  The bullies were gone for the day, but they returned every so often to torment Billy. His parents did nothing to stop them.  One day after Billy had been dodging stones, his chain cut deep into his neck and blood ran down his body.  He had been growing, despite the mal-treatment, but no one had bothered to adjust the chain. Despite the blood, no one noticed or cared. The pain was excruciating, but still Billy survived.

Through the winter, Billy managed to survive as infection set in and freezing temperatures almost took his life.  He could not eat much any more, and his water often froze, but he drank as he could and tried to use the tattered baby blankets to keep warm.

Summer came. It was miserably hot that year.  Billy could still see through the windows his parents playing with the cute young dog while he languished on the chain.  He was unable to eat, barely able to drink, and becoming more and more ematiated by the day. The parasites, worms, dehydration, lack of food, and infection was taking it's toll on Billy. He realized he would never be loved again.  The heat was causing the infection from the embedded chain to spread through his poor body.  Billy began going into septic shock.  Using his last bit of energy, Billy retrieved his favorite baby blanket from the shack, laid down under the tree, and put the blanket under his head.  He closed his eyes for the last time, desperately trying to remember and to dream of a time when he once was loved.  Billy's spirit left his tortured body that day and crossed over the rainbow bridge.  He had not even reached his 5th birthday.  Billy was now free of the tortuous chain and could run, jump, and play with the spirits who had gone before.  He never got the answer to what he had done wrong, but now he was free.

Would someone actually do this to their child? Unlikely, but it is done to dogs all the time. So, because it is a dog and not a child, does this make it any more acceptable?  My answer is a resounding "HELL NO".

Dogs are social animals- they are smart, loving, loyal, and learn quickly.  However, they must be taught how to assimilate into their new pack- YOUR family. They are pack animals and cannot and should never be kept in isolation.  It breaks their spirits, bodies, and can make them aggressive since they never learn socialization. Dogs are perfect family pets, but they require humane training, patience, love and supervision to learn the ways of their new pack.

Remember these things:

• Dogs are sentient beings.  This means that they feel pain and emotion just the way we do.
• Dogs are social animals.  When you commit to a dog, you must commit to bringing them into your home and family and making them an active and loved member of the "pack"
• Dogs are loyal to a fault.  If they are shown kindness and love, they will stick with you through thick and thin and become the family protector- yes, even of the baby!
• Treating a dog poorly is abuse- pure and simple. Neglect is abuse, putting a dog at risk is abuse.  If you are doing these things.  YOU are an ABUSER.
• Dogs kept on chains or tied up in the backyard are not socialized properly.  Don't blame the dog if it digs, barks, jumps, bites, has no manners, or howls.  It isn't the dog's fault.  It is YOUR FAULT.
• Chained or tied dogs are vulnerable to the elements, parasites, and predators- both human and animal.
• If you think it is OK to chain or tie up a dog in your backyard, DON'T GET A DOG.  You don't deserve the privilege of owning one of these magnificent creatures.

You wouldn't do it to a child, don't to it to a dog!!!!

Rollie- the pit bull who died a hero

Stubbs Mac Crossposting:
Rollie is a pit bull who died a hero.  This is a real-life situation about how a dog saved a child's life.  The credit for the photo and the story go to Pitbull Ziegler who is a pit bull advocate on facebook and one of my friends.  We want everyone to know that pit bulls are not bad dogs.  They are not mean, aggressive, or dangerous unless they are FORCED to be that way by owners who abuse them.  They are protective, energetic, and enthusiastic and require a loving but firm hand to control all that enthusiasm, but they were the favorite breed in the early through the mid 20th century and were known as "Nanny dogs" for their protectiveness of children.  Then criminals and media alarmists ruined the reputation of the breed. 
Here is what Rollie did.  Now judge for yourself if this dog was a dangerous animal in need of banning or extermination or an angel sent to save this child:

Rollie passed away the other day after protecting a child from being bitten by a Blue Diamond Back Rattle Snake.

She was bit in the lip & given 7 viles of anti venom at $1500 a pop but wasn't enough to save her. She SAVED a child's life!

RIP Rollie- you were a true hero.

Now we need to save others (pit bulls) so they can be seen for the TRUE HEROS they were born to be!

~Pitbull Ziegler

THEY Choose YOU

To understand this article, you first need to understand my spiritual inclinations.  I do not subscribe to any one particular religion, but have a very spiritual nature and believe that every creature in this world is a miracle unto itself.  Even the not so lovable ones have a purpose.  Although I do have to keep reminding myself of that with human beings, I seldom have to remind myself of that with members of the animal kingdom.  I also believe that animals, as sentient, cognizant beings, have souls.  The other belief I have is that souls attract souls- for a purpose although we may not be able to identify the purpose at any given time. 

I am teaching my five year old daughter to honor and respect life, even down to the reptilian and insect world. I do not allow her to engage in typical 5 year old pursuits such as ant stomping and bug de-winging, nor does she get to singe bugs with a magnifying glass!  None of this was taught to me.  I was an ant stomper, I sadly must admit.  As I became wiser, I realized that if God created these creatures, and they had a right to be here as much as I did.  I was doing myself no favors by intentionally inflicting harm.  Although the one prejudice I CANNOT get past is cockroaches--- I will still do one of them in if it is in my house!

Stay with me on this, I AM going to eventually make a point after the waffling...

The other day, poolside in our back yard, there was a lovely, small, delicate blue dragonfly flitting around the side of the pool.  I love dragonflies and have always been fascinated by them.  So is my daughter- to their misfortune.  She relentlessly chased this dragonfly around trying to capture it in her hand.  I explained to her that it was better to use her eyes to admire it than her hands to catch it.  I pointed out that it was so small and delicate that it could easily be crushed if she tried to grab it.  The dragonfly and my daughter played a game of chase for about 15 minutes before I asked her again to stop because if it became fatigued and landed in the pool, it would drown because it's wings would get wet and too heavy to fly out.  I took her hand, placed it about a foot away from where the dragonfly had lit down again on the side of the pool and told her to be calm, gentle, and patient.  I said, "If it is his choice, the dragon fly will choose YOU- you cannot choose him". Within 5 seconds the dragonfly lit down on my childs hand and she laughed with delight.  I smiled at her and said, "See, he DID choose you once you stopped chasing.  You have been blessed."  The dragonfly landed on her hand a few more times within the next few minutes and then flew away.  My daughter smiled.

I think the same is true with companion animals.  My entire life, every animal I ever owned was a stray, and I can remember the name of each of them and difficult times they got me through in my life.  A few months ago, I was desperately working on saving a dog from a Georgia shelter and had contributed $400 so a rescue would take him.  The adoption coordinator said that he was her kind of dog too, but why would a person put so much money down on ONE dog when there were so many others in need. I could give her no answer except to say that something in that middle aged, scruffy dog touched my heart. He wasn't coming to me, but I knew that I was being called to save him.  For what, I had no idea, but I irritated my entire friend and group list for at least 6 weeks trying to save him as did a few others that jumped on the "save Truman" wagon. My husband would have throttled me if he had known about the money, so I had to sneak it away, but this dog HAD to be saved.  And he was.  Some wonderful Georgia folks coordinated his rescue and he went to foster for heartworm treatment.  When I inquired about him last week, I found out he was adopted, and was very loved.  He was just a plain brown doggy dog, and although his purpose was not to enhance my life, I believe it was to enhance someone else's.

With the two dogs I have now, both were adopted through rescue organizations and had been pulled from shelters.  As soon as I saw Alex and Stubbs, 6 years apart, both of them spoke to me and I knew immediately that they had chosen me.  My life is better because of them.  Alex has given me comfort for years through good times and some very bad ones.  He is a shoulder to cry on and is always by my side.  Stubbs, the big lug, follows me everywhere too.  He is my funny boy who makes me laugh and was the motivator for me to start this blog and my facebook page to save shelter animals and to promote responsible pet ownership and to help people love, keep, and enjoy their companion animals for life.

You don't choose them. Whether you know it or not, THEY choose you.  You have been blessed to have been chosen.  Now honor that blessing.

Owner offers $1,000 reward for missing dog - Lombard, IL - Lombard Spectator

This is more information about Suzie Q

Owner offers $1,000 reward for missing dog - Lombard, IL - Lombard Spectator

Children and Pets

I personally believe that no child should grow up without experiencing the joy of pets.  That said, there are a lot of issues that go along with children and pet ownership. 

The infancy stage is usually not a problem with pets and the infant.  Although supervision is always needed, the infant is of little threat or interest to the animal, because lets face it- infants don't do much except cry, pee, and poop. 

Once my dog got past the initial depression of not being the sole source of his momma's attention anymore, he switched to having a PURPOSE- guarding my baby.  He perceived my baby as an extension of me and would protect that baby from anyone or anything.

The problems came in when my baby became mobile and entered the toddler years.  Not really a "problem" per se, but a lot more careful watching and supervision was required.  Not the dog's or the cat's fault.  The bottom line is that toddlers have not learned empathy and compassion yet and only see the world through their own eyes.  So, let's face it, during the id phase, toddlers can be meanness personified on two fast little legs. This is the stage of experimentation to get a reaction- the tail pulling, ear pulling, eye poking, etc. I even caught my little angel trying to stomp on a puppy once and was mortified.  She didn't, and we had a LOOOOOOOONG talk about it regarding how to treat animals. But, it could have been disastrous IF I HAD NOT BEEN SUPERVISING!

The key to animals and young children is CLOSE SUPERVISION at all times.  If you don't have time to supervise, separate the child from the animals temporarily until an adult is available to keep an eye on things.  Even older children who have learned compassion need supervision with animals- they may try to pick them up and squeeze too tightly because they cannot judge pressure appropriately, they may try to rough-house with the animal who clearly does not want to participate, or may try to "ride the dog" if it is a large dog, dress the cat in doll clothes, etc. 

So, if all this sounds like a lot of work, it is.  But don't let it prevent you from getting a pet or let it cause you to get rid of your pet because a baby is on the way.  Just commit to making it work and use common sense.  Here are some tips:

1. Supervise.  If you can't for a period of time, separate the child from the animal.
2. Be alert for child behaviors that are harmful to an animal and correct these behaviors IMMEDIATELY.  Don't let your child try to take food from an animal or hurt an animal.  You can see this coming if you are supervising and prevent it.  This is usually when animals bite or scratch.
3. Don't allow your child to chase an animal. If an animal runs away from a child, that is a pretty good sign the animal has had enough.
4. Always allow the animal to have an "escape route". If your child corners an animal and the animal is afraid, the animal may strike out in fear or self-defense.
5. Use a stuffed animal for your child to "practice" on.  Teach the child how to hold and pet gently.
6. Talk to and teach your child that animals feel things just like they do. Animals feel pain, hunger, fear, lonliness, boredom, happiness, etc.

Once your child is older, they still need supervision, but the dog will likely end up being their best buddy.  The teaching and supervision are worth it because guess what, you have raised a compassionate child who appreciates the worth of animals and can see beyond his or her human eyes into the eyes and souls of man's best friends.

My inspiration for writing this piece came from a terrible facebook event that I read yesterday.  A chained dog bit an unsupervised toddler.  The toddler's father (a neighbor) jumped the fence and kicked and beat the dog to death with a baseball bat.  The dog died in the arms of the 12 year old son of the dog's owner.  Not the dog's fault- the toddler was not being supervised around a chained dog and the dog had no escape route.  The toddler was treated and released with non-life threatening injuries, but the dog was beaten to death.  Not a nice story is it?

It Takes a Community! The Missing Link.

FOSTERING- the missing link


There is a saying that it takes a community to raise a child, and I think that is true.  But I am taking this a step further and applying it to our animals in desperate need.  It takes a community to save them.  The shelters cannot do it alone, nor can crossposters and networkers, nor can adopters, nor can rescues.

I have thought about what the weak link is in the whole process from: animal goes into kill shelter to animal does or does not get out.  The weak link is presence (or lack thereof) of fosters. 

As I post hundereds of dogs, cats, (and sometimes horses and rabbits and even pot bellied pigs) in need, I know that about only 20%-40% are going to make it out.  And that percentage drops for the cats and the bully breeds.

There are all sorts of reasons that animals end up in kill shelters, but this article is not about that.  This is about what we, as a community, need to do to get them out.

Basically, the two options are adoption (which is low) or rescue.  The rescues I have contacted always say "we are full".  There is simply no more room at the inn.  I become distressed when people seem to think that when an animal is taken by a rescue from a kill shelter and "saved" that this is all that must be done and the job is done.  Well, folks, it ain't.  This is just the beginning.  The rescues need all kinds of support- supplies, financial support for medical care or boarding, and most of all FOSTERS.

I hear from EVERY RESCUE (in every state, city, municipality) that "we need FOSTERS!".  "We are being begged to take all of these dogs, but we have NO WHERE FOR THEM TO GO!"

So this is my plea to the community, if you have the ability to FOSTER, please contact your local rescues or shelters and VOLUNTEER TO FOSTER.  I have a foster sign up page on this blog where you can leave basic contact information for a shelter to contact you if you can foster.  I have only specified very basic information so as not to compromise anyone's security in the public domain.  It is safe to comment and sign up!  Charlie to the Rescue page has a foster sign up, but the list is currently pitifully short.

What is required to be a FOSTER to an animal in need?

• Time- if you work full time and travel a lot, it probably won't work.  If you are a stay at home parent, are retired, or work part time, fostering may be just for you!
• Patience- shelter dogs may not be house trained or socialized.  That is the purpose of fostering- to let the animal experience family life, learn basic socialization skills, and housebreaking if necessary.  To prepare them for a successful transition into a "furever" home.
• Transportation- reliable transportation in case the animal is ill or to take the animal to adoption events.  Some rescues may not require this.
• A SAFE place to keep the animal - inside is best, with a fenced yard or commitment to walk the animal (if a dog) for exercise and "relief". 
• And most important of all, a sense of selflessness and a love for animals and willingness to help an animal in need.

More fosters = more animals saved...

If you cannot foster, please consider supporting rescues in other ways.  Many of their dogs end up in boarding because there is no where else for them to go.  Boarding eats up a budget fast, and we all know that in this economy that is not a good thing.  For example,  Angels-n-Paws has about 19 dogs currently in boarding and no more funding to support them.  If they cannot raise funds or adopt out the dogs (and the adoption rate has been very low), it is possible that some will have to be returned to kill shelters.  They are desperately trying to avoid this, but the owners are not getting sufficient community support and funding to help.

Like I said, getting an animal out of a kill shelter is only the first step, let's not forget them once we don't see their faces labeled "urgent" anymore.  They may be out if immediate danger, but if they cannot be adopted or placed in a foster home, the rescues cannot take more animals and have significant difficulty keeping the ones they already have saved.

PLEASE CONSIDER FOSTERING.  You can save lives and you may just find that you are the one who gets "saved".


Thanks for listening,

Love,   Stubbs- a shelter dog who someone cared enough to FOSTER until I found my forever home!

Introducing a new pet to your resident pet

I am just writing about my own experience- this is all subjective and there are points that you may or may not find helpful.

My resident dog has been with us for over 6 years.  He was about 1 1/2 years old when we adopted him at a Petco adoption event.  I was pregnant at the time and knew I had to housetrain and break in the "new guy" before the baby came.  When I saw this lovely cinnamon brown adult dog in the last cage with the gooey dark brown eyes, I knew he was the one.  As soon as my husband and I took him on a short "introductory walk", we knew he was IT.  When we sat down with him, he leaned into me and gave me a big doggie kiss.  We were sold and picked him up after we had done all the paperwork and been thoroughly investigated!

He quickly became my best friend and buddy, but had many fears to overcome.  He would not initially leave his crate except to do his business, which generally ended up in the house before we could get him out the door.  We gradually lured him out of his crate by moving his food and water dish from inside his crate to just outside his crate and inched it a little further away day by day.  After about a week or so, we had success and he started exploring the house.  We had to teach him how to ascend and descend stairs and even had to teach him how to play- he had never learned, which I found to be quite sad.  We soon found out that our guy had a penchant for FOOD!  Despite the walks and going on lite dog food, he became quite plump, and still is.  I refuse to say he waddles, but he definitely sashays!  Well, I became his personal human and he became my velcro dog.  He looked like he was being taken to the executioner when the baby came home, but he quickly learned that he was not going anywhere- he was part of the family.  He saw the baby as an extension of me and never left our side.  He guarded my baby continuously. 

So what does all that have to do with the new dog, the intruder, the competition?  Just a background on the family bond.  Now all the sudden 5 years later, "Mom" decides she wants to save another life.  I saw a picture of an irresistible boy on Petfinders- a Shar Pei- Bully breed mix named Stubbs.  I fell in love all over again and knew he was the dog for us. Again, after the paperwork, investigation, and home inspection, we were finally able to bring in the invader. 

I introduced them in the fenced in back yard since Alex is a pure house dog and I thought he would be more accepting if it was on more neutral ground.  After lots of circling and sniffing, we brought them both into the house.  I made sure to praise both Alex and Stubbs, "the invader", so that no one felt left out. 

In interactions with them, Alex always came first as I wanted him to maintain his status in the pack as the "lead dog".  Stubbs is a wildman and likes to play, run, and romp.  Alex is a pygmy hippo who loves to eat and cuddle.  Hmmmmm....   What to do?  I tried playing with both at the same time- tug of war with the wildman and fetch with Alex.  Didn't work too well- resulted in a few dog fights over my attention.  I also tried to encourage bonding between Stubbs and my daughter and husband so that Alex felt less threatened.  That kind of worked, but Stubbs still wanted his new mama, just like Alex.  During the first month, we had a few doggie fight skirmishes which I had to break up- always over who was getting more of mama's attention.  After a month or so, that stopped.  Oh yes, and it also helped that Stubbs was shipped off to doggie boot camp for two weeks to learn some basic commands and leash manners.

Once he was back, we established a consistent routine at feeding time.  Stubbs was not food aggressive, but Alex became food aggressive (after all, that IS his favorite thing next to mama pets).  We fed them on separate sides of the breakfast nook and gave them both the commands to "sit" and "stay" while the dishes were being placed.  Alex gets to go to his bowl first, "OK, Alex!", closely followed by "OK, Stubbs!".   I have seldom had a problem with food since except that when Alex failed to follow the commands on a few occasions and I attempted to pull him away from his bowl to start over, he nipped me.  This was a shocker because he had never nipped anyone in his life, not even at our five year old daughter's birthday party when he was being mauled by 10 little girls!  This happened three times before I caught on that he felt he needed to protect and gobble down his precious food so the "invader" didn't have a chance to get it.  Now I just block him until I give the comand if I see him sneaking forward!

It has been almost 6 months now since we brought the invader home, and although I cannot say they are best buddies, they do tolerate each other.  They have each established their own turf and repect each other's space.  They get equal attention and mooch together.  They don't play together, but they do enjoy chasing squirrels together in the back yard. 

I guess the point I am trying to make is that introducing a new dog takes a lot of patience and time and you must NEVER ignore the resident dog and coddle the new one, otherwise there will be a lot of resentment.  The resident dog should feel that he is the head honcho, and the newbie is the one joining the pack.  Treat them equally. Mine probably would have bonded better had they been closer in age (they are about 5 years apart), but at this point I am settling for them tolerating each other, bonding while squirrel chasing, and maintaining a peaceable kingdom.