Call It Home?

YUP!!!

This is our new home in Tennessee!

God is good and the dogs all go with me!

Yes...I am about to drive 2,000 miles with a car packed to move and three dogs!

Crazy?

Maybe.

Then I got a call from my best friend. He says, "Radical idea...I will drive from TN to LA and drive back with you with my son!"

WHAT?

Only about 24 hours earlier did I decide to get this place. The last 48 hours has been INSANE.

Imagine knowing you have to mive in a week?

A WEEK!

Do I take all three dogs or not? Can I take all three dogs? How will I sell all my furniture? Do I ship my stuff?

I called U-Haul and cranched numbers...decided my buddy comingout was the best idea.

Well today I made the crazy decision to do a FREE craigslist ad. If you are ever lonelt, do a FREE craigslist ad.

I got about 20 calls in two hours.

At one time, four people came at once--
1. To pick up two couches
2. To pick up four fish tanks
3. To pick up a refriderator
4. To pick through my clothes...he left quickly

More to come...wish us luck. We leave Tuesday morning at 3AM.

CA 2 TN ? -- Da Bone

There is a good possibility I might be moving to Tennessee.

I've been working on this for some time and things seem to be progressing quickly.

So the question is...how do I transport three dogs cross country?

I might be staying at a four acre horse farm with a fence that needs mending. I don't know the actual height, but Albert needs a minimum of five feet. How do I construct this and how large should the fenced in area be?

Many more thoughts whirl within...

Any other things to think about?

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The Power of Observation...by accident!

I bought some spare ribs in the market last night real cheap...$3.53 for a rack! Little meat, a lot of bone.

Popped them in the oven and ate them all. What to do with the bones?

For less than $4.00, I just bought the BEST dog chewin' bones on the market!

All three dogs have gone crazy, chewing, chomping...and the best thing is they can't bite them in half. Not splitting or splintering...just hard bones.

Even King George who destroys everything he chews cannot conquer these bones.

Pure chewing delight!

They have been working the bones in the below pics for almost an hour now.








Big George Ate A Box!


I went to Costco to get some much needed food and thought I'd splurge an extra $10 for some duck jerky treats. Unbelievable price for the amount.

Well, the dogs loved them and I had an old box in the house and put a few treats in the box...I mean, I can't just give it to them all the time...they need to hunt and chase.

Here's some pics of George gettin' a little greedy and then a video at the end.











COLD...Snow of the Decade

They are saying there hasn't been this much snow in Big Bear since El Nino in '97!

It is COLD here in So Cal. Last year or so it was very cold as well...global warming?

I usually don't use my heater...in fact it has been so long I don't even know how to turn it on. It's the old school type. Usually I just wear a sweatshirt and jacket inside and put a heavy sleeping bag on the bed.

This year I got the doggies...so here's the plan,

First, one fish tank is all goldfish so they're OK...the other has a small heater...no prob.

Now to the dogs...

1. Turn stove on and put towels or sheets inside


2. Locate sleeping dogs


3. Put warm towels over them


4. Watch them snore

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Beware of the Late Night Walk

Beware of the late night walk...that is when there is a helicopter flying overhead with that super bright light, cop cars racing up and down the street and you look like this

Probably not the best time to try out my ski "let's rob a bank" mask. It is really cold here in So Cal and I have a chest cold or something so I overdue it with the jackets.

I have a ski jacket on, another on top (blue), two hood, two cotton caps, one of which is this old ski mask that producers look for to film the bank robbery scene.

Half way through the walk I realized I was wearing this mask. I can imagine what the car driving by me thought, "Hey...here's the guy!"

There is a drug rehab house on the next block and almost any problems center back to this house. One time police had guns and riffles pulled...it was a real scene...EVERYONE STAY INSIDE kinda thing.

Then there's George...clueless, just looking for the best place to pee.

Gotta love dogs.

CA Rain



Getting blasted with a CA rainstorm
It don't rain much, but when it does...

How do you make sure three dogs get outside
to do their business w/o destroying your carpet?

Lil' help...

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Perfect Christmas Gift


The Almost Indestructible Ball

I love the way they advertise it as the ALMOST...

I George's case this is wise. He has destroyed EVERY toy I have made for him. Any and all balls have been shredded in a matter of minutes.

The 10" ball is reasonably priced at $9.99

If it lasts a month I'd be very happy. This way G can run around the yard and be in motion and never sink his guns into the ball to pop it.

What's your doggie gift list look like?

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Becoming Albert Proof

Since Albert got out this past week, I had to Albert proof my yard. He's the first dog to attempt escape. I thought if the yard held Crazy Ivan I was OK. Albert challenged that notion.

I found some old fencing in my front yard buried under ivy and shrub. It probably hadn't been used in 20 years. It almost connected with the other fence, but fell about three feet short. I put up the chicken wire I had that Albert jumped over to connect the two fences, but thought it wouldn't hold.

I went next door to get a drill from my neighbor and he offered some plywood. I drilled a few holes and tied it to the two fences. At the local OSH Home Center I bought four looped screws, wire, and cement.

I dug a two feet hole where the blue oval is and cemented the metal post. Then I screwed the loops in by hand, put up the fence and chicken wired it up.

Overall, it worked out well.

I field tested it by tempting Al to jump over it and all he could do was lean against it. He tried to do what he did before and wasn't successful. His standing jump was impressive--he came near the top. I think in his dog mind there are no more options so he hasn't tried since.

At least I purchased dog tags for everyone!
contact info deleted
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Albert Lucky


When I got home, went outside and saw no Albert on Thursday my first thought was ...

I hope he wasn't hit by a car!

Crazy Ivan almost got hit by a car when he got out and that was scary. it was like a slow motion dream where you are out of reach when a disaster is just about to take place and in slow mo you scream, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

When I jumped on my bike to look for him, at every turn from one block to the next I cringed waiting to see him on the street, laying there injured. I thought about how I would have to race back, get my car, load him inside and go to the vet.

How would I pay the vet bill? Is he dead? How could life change so dramatically so quickly?

One thing I've realized with my foster dogs, it can be a NY Minute existence...thank you Don Henley

Ol' Al has been knocked out all day. Living the playboy lifestyle got to him. Carousing all night, cruising the local backyards looking for some tail...

Thanks again for all the kind emails...meant a lot to me!!!

Kindness always has a 100 fold return on your investment


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ALBERT FOUND


WHOO HOOO

ALBERT WAS FOUND!!!

I was outside picking up a fence and a neighbor
drove up and asked, "Did you lose a dog?"

Ah...YES!!!

He's down the street...

My neighbor Jean-Pierre jogged down the street to help.

There was Albert...cruising along like he owns the world.

Thanks for your prayers and support...
Meant a lot!

JP and Al doing same hang time!

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Albert Lost: Sad Day



I came home today and Albert was gone. It looks like he bent the wire fence and jumped over. One man saw me walking with an empty leash and said he saw him...but that was as close as I have been thus far.

I put two ads in craigslist and hope someone will call.

Wish us the best!

Pedigree Dogs Exposed: A Genetic Disaster



BBC One reveals shocking truth about pedigree dog breeding in UK

A pug gasps for breath, his face so flat he damages his eyes if he bumps into things; a cavalier King Charles spaniel writhes in agony and must be put to sleep to end its pain; a distraught owner holds his beloved boxer who is fitting uncontrollably...

Two years in the making, Pedigree Dogs Exposed lifts the lid on the true extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs in the UK.

Seventy-five per cent of the seven million dogs in the UK are pedigrees, and they cost their owners over £10m in vet fees every week.

This in-depth investigation suggests they are in serious trouble, plagued by genetic disease due to decades of inbreeding.

They are also suffering acute problems because of the showring's emphasis on looks over and above function and health.

Some physical traits required by the Kennel Club's breed standards have inherent health problems (short faces, wrinkling, screw-tails, dwarfism) while other problems occur because of exaggerations bred into dogs by breeders trying to=2 0win rosettes.

Deliberate mating of dogs that are close relatives is common practice and the Kennel Club continues to register dogs bred from mother-to-son and brother-to-sister matings.

Scientists at Imperial College, London, recently found that pugs in the UK are so inbred that, although there are 10,000 of them, it is the equivalent of just 50 distinct individuals – making them more genetically compromised than the giant panda.

Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, UCL, says: "People are carrying out breeding which would be, first of all, be entirely illegal in humans and secondly is absolutely insane from the point of view of the health of the animals."

He adds: "In some breeds they are paying a terrible, terrible price in genetic disease."

The film exposes the devastating consequences of such genetic disease for dogs and the distress it causes their owners.

Disturbing footage is shown of a cavalier King Charles spaniel writhing in agony due to syringomyelia, estimated to affect up to a third of the breed.

They have been bred with skulls too small for their brains, explains veterinary neurologist Clare Rusbridge: "The cavalier's brain is like a size 10 foot that has been shoved into a size six shoe – it doesn't fit."

Boxers suffer from several life-threatening health issues – including heart disease and a very high rate of cancer, especially brain tumours.

There are no official figures to say how many boxers suffer from epilepsy but in some breeds it is 20 times the rate found in humans. Two-year-old Zak is filmed while fitting and the distress the disease causes for him and his owners is obvious.

The film also demonstrates how some breeders produce dogs with pronounced physical attributes – "exaggerations" – in their efforts to attract a dog show judge's eye.

The breed standards are set by the Kennel Club but are open to interpretation and the film shows how, as fashion changes, so do the dogs, leading to serious health and welfare problems in some breeds.

Bulldogs, for example, have been bred to be such an unnatural shape that most can no longer mate or give birth unassisted.

The RSPCA's Chief Vet Mark Evans says: "The show world is about an obsession, about beauty, and there is a ridiculous concept that that is how we should judge dogs…

"It takes no account of your temperament, your fitness for purpose potentially as a pet animal – and that to me just makes absolutely no sense at all."

The film also exposes famous show champions that continue to father puppies despite having serious inherited disease, and demonstrates that some breeders cull perfectly healthy puppies on purely cosmetic grounds.

As the filmmaker Jemima becomes increasingly concerned with what she uncovers, she challenges the Kennel Club.

The Kennel Club, however, robustly defends its position as the guardian of dog health, pointing out the initiatives it has taken to improve pedigree dog health – including their accredited breeder scheme which sets a code of conduct for breeders and asks them to make use of health screening schemes.

It also insists that "the vast majority of dog breeds are healthy".

Ultimately, the film concludes that far from enough is being done.

As Professor Jones says: "If the dog breeders insist on going further down that road, I can say with confidence really that there is a universe of suffering waiting for many of these breeds and many if not most of these breeds will not survive.

"They will get so inbred that they will be unable to reproduce and their genes will come to a dead end."

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Pass Me the Bran!


Someone saw Albert yesterday and Sally. Al was the main focus. It went well.

They seemed to bond well after a walk. Sally was very timid and had a noticeable limp. For a second I found myself sounding like a used car salesman...then I woke up and realized this was Sally I was speaking of...I don't need to "sell" her and made no excuses for her limp. I don't know what happened and for whatever reason, the first person interested in her saw her with a limp.

That's life!

It is hard to read people interested in a dog. There are so many factors that are layered in feelings.

A woman came over to see Zoey, my little Dane pup and she walked down the driveway saying, "I am 99.9% sure this is the dog for me!"

Next day I get an email saying she passed. No reason.

I take none of this personally. Not in the slightest.

I will never compromise regarding adoption. Either it is a fit or it is not. I don't want wishy-washy people. This is CAN discern quickly.

...more to come

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What Dogs REALLY Say When They Bark!


Someone is coming by today to see Albert and Sally for adoption. Sounds like a good fit for these dogs. He wants a Lab and a German Shepherd...so I asked if he would be interested in both and there is interest. Time will tell if this is a fit. They both deserve great homes and to keep them together would be ideal.
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George Goes to Catholic Church

.Evidently, George was best buds with my dad while I was gone over the weekend.

This was the first time I left him alone with anyone...and I find out George went to Catholic Church this Sunday!

Let me explain...my dad has been putting together a pancake breakfast at his church for over 30 years now. Four or five times a year he organizes a breakfast for the church members after each Sunday service (Mass).

To my astonishment, my pops tells me George looked bored early Sunday morning so he brought him up to church to prepare for the breakfast. Everyone loved George...he just sat inside the rec hall and laid down. All the "old ladies" loved George my dad tells me.

Keep in mind my dad is 82...so if he wants to say "old" I guess he can get away with it!

Go Figure...King George...the big bad boy goes to church. Now I can legitimately call him St. George.

I was proud of my dad doing this. It meant a lot to me. I just thought it was cool. Simple as that.


This picture does not do justice to this house. Maybe the guy is bored, trying to win a contest...just digs Christmas???

Walking St. George tonight before bed and had to grab a quick pic.

Either way, this house is the premium package. There are four separate moving features the pic doesn't show...then there's the now popular circular air Santa thingy that looks like a pre-kindergarten jumping bouncy whatchamacallit parents rent for their kids' birthday party.

People like this fascinate me. If I had a better camera, I would show how much effort was needed to put up each of the spiral lights that run in a circle, all coordinated together. It's really unbelievable.

I helped my dad take the fake tree out of the attic tonight and got tired.

The home owner even has a big bushy beard...coincidence?

Oh yeah...I changed the title page look. Be honest if you don't like it. I am seeking the quintessential title page for this blog. When I design it, let me know!
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A Dog's Life: Cartoon VII

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The Dog Whisperer's grandfather Old Yeller

Off to the mountains this weekend. Big Ol' George is staying by his lonesome with my parents. He isn't used to sleeping in the dog house outside. Now he will realize how good he has it at home here. Sally and Albert are staying home alone with my neighbor peeking in to make sure Albert hasn't dragged all loose articles outside in the backyard.

Hope your weekend was...calm assertive


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The #1 Question I Am Asked

Before I answer the number 1 question, the most frequent comment I get as a foster doggie parent is, "Don't you get attached to the dogs?"

YES...oh my gosh...YES. It is hard, but that is life. I'd rather risk the loss than not make the effort to save these dogs' lives. My feelings aren't the issue here.

I will say this, I feel MUCH better when the dogs are placed with a solid owner. I can get a feel for someone in seconds, like a dog sniffing another dog's booty.


Now to the big question:
The number 1 question I get asked is, "Have you got bitten by any of the dogs?"

YES...yes I have.

I just got bit really bad two weeks ago. My left arm is still healing. I took the risk of taking in George, a pitbull mix that is very pitbull.

He most likely was a bait/fight dog based on all the scars his front legs and chest area have. Because of this he has triggers. How did I find out about these specific triggers? I found out when he jumped on Albert my big Lab as my neighbor walked in my house.

What was the trigger? My neighbor's energy (someone new introduced) in a small, tight space with both dogs in a state of excitement, rather than calm submission.

Lesson learned?

Nope. It had to happen again before I put the equation together. I'm a slow learner I guess. The second time is when I got bit bad by the other dog.

I've had to make a break stick to use on George, inserted between his back molars (pits have this big gap) and it is only for pits. I had to practice with George in my backyard when he goes crazy after a tennis ball. You can't learn this on the job...you have to practice opening his jaw in a controlled environment so you can react w/o thinking in a real life situation.

A little dog in the neighborhood crawls under the gate into the street and literally goes after anyone walking by. He will strike at your back legs repeatedly. This is an UNBALANCED dog! Yet, because it is small, it gets away with this behavior.

The owners have done NOTHING to control their dog. I wrote a very nice letter asking them to respectfully take care of the gap in the gate.

They disrespectfully ignored the letter...and all the others from neighbors.

Walking George one day the dog jetted out under the gate and bit his leg.

Count with me...1, 2, 3...BOOM, George was having a late afternoon snack.

This was NOT a pretty site. I hope nobody experiences this. I punched George in the head, face, neck over 20 times as hard as I could...no break! I'm 6' 230lbs...and not a dent made with him.

Finally the dog was free, but it bit me twice. I never get bit by the dog biting, it is the other dog that is in panic mode, wanting to bite anything to get some control. The dog was OK because I saw him running under the gate a few days later at someone.

These fights look 1000x worse than they really are, but nevertheless, are to be avoided at all costs.

What's the lessons?
1. Experience
I had little experience before I fostered dogs and was given almost no guidance, so I was on my own. The Dog Whisperer DVD's became my resource. A friend sent them to me and I devoured every episode taking notes and then typing them up. Having a big heart is not enough, you must learn, learn, learn...and not just book learnin'...you gotta get in there and get your hands dirty, working with the dogs individually day in and out.

2. Know the Triggers
Each dog has triggers. With powerful breeds, knowing the triggers are essential, especially with rescue dogs with unknown backgrounds. This takes sensitivity and awareness to make quick decisions. The key is avoidance...preventative maintenance before a situation escalates.

3. Be Wise When Mixing Dogs Together
This is tough for me. I hate seeing George in a dog run all day, fenced in like a prisoner. I love freedom, so I do take high risks. This is my personality. I have learned much since I started last year and would not make the same mistakes. I always walk a dog when I first get it for a time to bond together. I introduce slowly to the others dogs the next day, letting the new dog sleep alone in a quiet place. Sometimes this is difficult, like with my Lab Albert who whined all night. Even after three LONG walks, he still was wired. I've learned that it takes about 48 hours for a dog to settle into a new environment.

4. Be A Strong Pack Leader
I have never had a problem with the dogs at home with ME. It is always the introduction of someone new or a dog in the street coming at my dog that is loose. At home I do not tolerate aggression in any way. I work with each dog separately and in groups if I can. I have clear boundaries, not a lot of rules, but the ones I do have there is NO negotiation. I try to establish not just trust, but respect, and respect is measured in obedience. This is the crucial step. Dogs are quick to trust, but respect takes effort and consistency over time.

I have had to put down all my dogs at one time or another in a hold that puts me in a dominate position. The dog is not hurt in anyway, but it is a simulation that what would happen in the wild with a pack leader. Those who do not believe in this theory would not like this, but it works when done CORRECTLY in a calm/confident manner.

Like a good parent, you never discipline in anger. With dogs however, you have to act quickly. They do not have the muscle memory a human does and the gap of time is limited for the dog to connect your discipline with their behavior. Some feel this is a 10-15 second window after the incident takes place, like peeing on the couch or nipping at another dog.

I try not to humanize them, it is hard however. I must always remember the four-fold hierarchy; animal, dog, breed, pet. Dogs cannot NOT be an animal, then a dog, then their specific breed, then a pet. If we love them we will respect this order. Love is an action!

5. Never Give Up or Back Down
Life can be messy. Dogs are NOT politically correct. If they don't like something they let you know. They live in the moment. They pee when they want to mark whenever it feels right. They don't have human limitations.

Frustrations occur...so what? That's life. Learn from it. Seek first to understand before being understood. I have made mistakes, but my deeper desire to love them by saving their lives, training, walking, feeding...all the good stuff is much greater than the few mistakes I have made. It's all about a balanced perspective.

Lastly, I learn a lot about myself through the dogs. This is a choice I make. I want to be open to why I do what I do. Dogs can reveal inner motives and desires.

6. Enjoy Your Dogs
Yeah, I know...obvious...but it is the little nuances I love. It doesn't bother me when Albert takes my new slippers my mom gave me and tore them apart when I wasn't home. He is being a dog! This is what I meant at the end #4 above. He is a dog! That's what they do.

If I want him to not do this, I need to hide my slippers before I leave or make a lot of effort to train him. If I do not do this, Albert is NOT at fault...I AM! This is what I meant by learning a lot about myself above and to first seek to understand.

I laugh out loud all the time with my dogs. They crack me up. When I got nipped in the inner thigh by George playing with him, taking risks as he went to grab a tennis ball (oh, btw, George grabs with his teeth...haha) it hurt, but it happened. So what? I took the risk and had to deal with the consequences. This is my personality. It wasn't George's fault. He was being a dog! I rubbed the blood off me and continued playing with him.

Dogs are AMAZING animals. They are much deeper than we think. Like any relationship, we must continually grow or we get bored. Guess what? So do our dogs. We are the leaders and must always lead. They cannot open the sliding glass door, drive the car, open the bag of kibble in the locked plastic container...we have to and when we realize our power, we need to use it with kindness, gentleness, firmness, and enioyment for the little creatures we call dog.

That is what I have learned so far.

Your Dog's Super Sniffer

Dogs are renowned for their sense of smell. Estimates on how much better their olfactory system works than ours range from hundreds to as much as one million times as good. That’s because one third of the canine brain is devoted to olfaction and dogs have very sensitive detectors inside their noses for picking up scents.

Canine noses are so sensitive that no mechanical sniffing device exists that can even approach their precision. So it’s only natural that dogs are used for all types of jobs, from rescuing trapped people to drug surveillance to searching for cadavers.

The source of this incredible ability is a nasal cavity rich with blood vessels and nerve endings that connect to a highly developed olfactory center in the brain.

Dogs have many more sensory 'smelling' cells than a man's 5,000,000.

A Dachshund, for example has 125,000,000; a Fox Terrier has 147,000,000 and a German Shepherd (often used as a 'sniffer' dog) has 220,000,000.

Truffle hounds can find the fungus delicacy even when it's a foot underground!

However, a dog's nose is not just used for smelling, but also to keep him cool. That's why a dog pants. The longer the dog's nose, the better his cooling system works.

Dogs can detect even lightest environmental changes, a distant object, also even changes in hormonal levels around them. They can sense signals many other things around unnoticed by humans through their noses.

Dogs can distinguish two different types of scents when trailing, an air scent from some person or thing that has recently passed by, as well as a ground scent that remains detectable for a much longer period.

Dogs sometimes display a behavior that researchers call "scanning." They lower their noses to the ground near the scent and then move horizontally toward it, pausing when they are directly above it. Then they scan past the source, and finally return to it. Presumably this allows them to see what they are sniffing before they get there and to get a sense of how the scent is distributed.


Dogs experience the world nose-first. Even though dogs introduce themselves by sniffing each others faces, it's the back ends that get the most attention. A quick sniff reveals a lot: how old a dog is, which sex, neutered or intact, relative or stranger.

Scents also reveal a dog's confidence and social status, and what his mood happens to be at the moment. Dogs synthesize all of this information and figure out very quickly what their relationship with another dog is likely to be.

Your dog knows your scent and has it filed in his memory, along with the smells of all the other people he's been introduced to. Some people your dog will remember with affection, others with fear and loathing -- and his "scent memory" will be triggered every time he meets them.

And like it or not, your dog can tell a lot about your mood just by your smell. A person's body odor is believed to change depending on his or her mood, and dogs are thought to be able to pick up on this.


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