Pet Partner team -- here we come!

I know it's only been a few weeks since I got my Canine Good Citizen certificate .... and I know i'm really technically only in obedience I ... but i'm starting therapy dog class next Tuesday night as the teacher thinks I would do great in the class (she said I didn't need to do obedience II). She told my mom that I have the temperament for a great therapy dog.

One of the exercises in the Delta Society Pet Partner's team evaluation is called the "restraining hug" ... well, as you can see from the photo below that I won't have a problem with that. Loud noises, crowds and yelling also don't phase me.

My Human has inquired with one of the Delta evaluators about setting up a time for us to be evaluated as a Pet Partner team. I know i'll do my part .... the BIG question is whether or not my Human can hold her end of the bargain!! :)

I've been telling her not to sweat it. We'll both do fine. I think she needs more reassurance than I do that we'll be okay. If you talk to my Human, will you tell her to "chill."

She was nervous about me taking the CGC test after only 2 official dog training classes when they recommend completing Obedience I and Obedience II. Don't get me wrong, my brother Mister probably needs to go through both classes before he can pass the CGC test (just kidding brother!) .... some of us just know what our calling in life is. Mine is to be a therapy dog .... i just need my Human to work her end of the leash ;-)

Two's company ... three's a crowd!

So we have this one couch in our living room. We play lots of musical chairs between sleeping on the couch, the dog bed, and the leather chairs. The other day my one Human snapped a photo using her cell phone of the 3 of us..... i'm sound asleep and so is Mister (who's hogging the right side of the couch). Poor Missy doesn't have much room .... guess she's feeling a little scrunched when the photo was taken but I understand that she eventually settled down and went to sleep too :)

One year anniversary ...

This weekend is my one year anniversary from when my Human took her first trip up north to Red Lake Rosie's Reservation .... I decided I wanted to re-post my first blog entry from March of this year to celebrate my anniversary ...

I've decided it's time for me to start my own blog. My Human has written about me soooo much. She's told my story a million times over and I even have a video of my story. Since this is my first posting i'll go ahead and share the movie with you. I'll share a few links with you where she's written about me .... then after you've had a chance to go through all of it, and of course the movie, i'll share my story from my perspective!

Here are a few of my Human's entries from her own personal blog: She meets me for the first time in October, 2008 on her first trip up north to Red Lake reservation where I am from. All I can say is thank god for Karen Good, who helped me out and so many of my friends who have been abandoned, abused and neglected. My Human reflecting on her trip in October 2008 where she meets me for the first time. I was kind of a wreck. I had these squirmy, squealing puppies (yes, 8 of them!) that kept latching onto my nipple. I had to share an igloo with them and to be honest, i needed a little break from them as much as i love them.... and Karen was kind enough to give me short breaks. At night though i'd escape from my kennel and wander around the land. What can i say, i'm a free spirit. My Human returns to Red Lake in November. Yes!! She's come back for me. My puppies were taken in by another rescue .... here's her reflections from that trip (somehow she seems to think that she'll be able to just foster me ... i wiggled my way into her heart and home and you'll soon learn she eventually adopts me! :) She names me Ahnung (pronounced ah-NUNG) which means star in ojibway. I love my name... and yes, I love my Human. Check out her reflection and some photos of my first few weeks as I become a city dog! By the end of November i've successfully continued to wiggle deeper into her heart and her soul. Since I have heartworm I was hanging out at Bloomington Vet and my Human came every day to pick me up so we could go hang out a dog-friendly coffee shop. I really looked forward to our trips every day. She still kept saying she was only "fostering" me ... yeah, right!!! She was also starting to mention something about going back up to Red Lake to visit Karen and pick up some of my friends who needed to be rescued. By the end of November I can sense she's really torn between keeping me and adopting me ... personally, i'm hoping she'll just keep me. I also don't think she's cut out for fostering ... just my humble opinion, not that you asked! Well, we took a 6 hour road trip in December to my home town of Red Lake reservation... it was surreal to be back there. I loved seeing Hazel again (she's the shepherd mix at the very front ... i was part of the "big dog clan" hanging out with lots the shepherds .. all such cool dogs, but that Hazel ... she was extra special!). We were best buds and would hang out together all the time and saunter around the land. My Human wrote yet another reflection piece after our trip in December (we got caught in a blizzard while we were there). The best part of that trip is she decided to adopt me! And now that I am a part of my Human's family (there's one other Human, and I have 2 big black dog siblings ... Missy and Mister, and a black and white kitty brother named Henry). We all get along so well. I've also started to volunteer at this really cool program called The Lab. You can read more about it on the Pet Haven dog blog. Well .... I could go on and on and on ... but since this is my first blog posting, i'll try not to bore you too much. I'm really excited about all this outreach work i'm doing and getting to hang out with these cool kids. I'm going to check with the program coordinator of The Lab to see if I can chat with my friends at The Lab through email (can you believe it .. I finally have my own email account!). You can email me directly at ahnung.star@gmail.com. Not bad, eh, ..... from surviving heartworm and lymes disease, a gun shot wound and starvation (in case you don't know I have have no front teeth ... i was desperately searching for food when I was wandering around up north and would eat dirt ... how did I know my teeth would be ground down to my gum (no one told me, and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!) ... from all that to sleeping on LL Bean doggie beds and couches and spending my days either sleeping or hanging out with kids. Life sure doesn't get any better. Lastly, I just have to give a special thanks to Karen Good of Red Lake Rosie's Rescue for rescuing me and giving me a second chance. Karen ... you are the best! I want to come back and visit you and my pals up there ... i'm working on my Human to commit to a date, but don't worry ... i'll be back!! Well .. i'm pretty psyched about having my own blog. I have so much on my mind that I want to share and I don't want to have to fight my Human for time on the computer .... I hope you'll check back often ... Later, ahnung

I love to play now ...

When I first got here I had no idea what this "play" thing is ... well, when one has to worry about finding food and just surviving who's got time to play! Well, let me tell you friends, I LOVE to play now. It took me a few months of watching my siblings Missy and Mister play till I finally decide to jump in and try. Of course, I started with Mister --- he's the king of play! He should be the king of play for as much time as he spends at various doggie daycares!

I especially love to play with my brother Mister. I also love to play with my sister Missy, but only if Mister isn't around. I don't really know how to play with two dogs at one ... as they say, two's company -- three's a crowd!

here I am playing with Mister!

and here's what happens when Missy join in ... now when Mister is hanging out at Auntie Laura's (aka Rescue Buddy Boarding) which he does when my Human is traveling for work ... then it's just Missy and me, and boy, do we have fun playing. Who would've known that this play thing could be so much fun. My Humans tell me i've got some pretty quick moves :) One thing I like to do is to go after Mister's back legs when he thinks we're done, and in my opinion, we're not! Anyway, when there's 3 of us I don't know how to play, so this is what I do ...

Help us stay with our families!

In January of this year my Human witnessed an owner having to part with her beloved companion, Osso, a 6 year old shepherd. She was going through a divorce and she could not find a place that would allow her to keep her beloved dog. The sadness and grief felt by both that morning was more than my Human could bear. She fought tears back as she took photos of Osso that morning.

Did you know that many owners who lose their homes chose to remain homeless than give up their pets and take refuge in a homeless shelter? Did you know that over 5 million of my friends are killed each year because there aren't enough homes for us? I know there are so many people who are working so hard to help us ... my rescuer Karen from Red Lake Rosie's is one of them (I always have to thank her any time I have a chance!)

Did you know that the second reason that owners surrender their companions to shelters (after behavioral issues) is because of "housing issues" and because landlords won't allow pets. With so many people losing jobs and losing their homes they are having to move into apartments. Many of these apartments won't allow pets -- more allow cats, some dogs (but under a certain weight or size) -- if you have a big dog (like me, or Osso who was surrendered back in January) -- you're out of luck! There's this non-profit, FirePaw, that is dedicated to promoting animal welfare through research and education. They completed this really cool study in 2005, "Companion Animal Renters and Pet-Friendly Housing in the United States." If you're a numbers geek like my Human you can read the whole article, but if not, they are essentially trying to use facts, statistics and research to show landlords that it's a good thing for them to allow pets -- we actually do less damage than children and we stay longer at their rental properties. We also cost them in less in marketing their properties.

FirePaw has also developed the Companion Animal Renters Program which is a 7-step program to assist landlords in making the transition to offering pet-friendly housing. Now don't get me wrong ... i know that Osso has since been adopted by a very loving family. But wouldn't it have been better for Osso, and his previous owner, if they could've stayed together? That would've also opened up a foster slot for Pet Haven that could've gone to another dog. It's better for us, and it's better for the Humans if we can keep them together. I'm so glad FirePaw is doing studies and coming up with programs to help landlords see the benefits of pet-friendly housing. They also give good tips for owners on how to find, keep and enjoy pet-friendly rentals. One suggestion is a pet resume [Click here for the full article]. And on that resume they suggest listing things like age, weight, special personality traits, references from groomers, vet, doggie daycares, even a photo ... and any special training. I think i'm going to have my Human work on my resume now ... i have lots of great photos where I'm posing :) AND I can also put on my resume that I volunteer at The Lab AND that i'm a Canine Good Citizen!

There's also another really cool organization that's formed here in Minnesota called The Pet Project. Their mission is to help keep people and their pets together by providing pet food and basic supplies to those who are struggling. They're also working to make connections with vets to provide lower cost care and to be a resource for pet-friendly housing.

If you can help us stay with our families ... then that's fewer of us landing at the intake lobbies of open-admission shelters or taking up a foster slot!

Officially a Canine Good Citizen!

We did it!! Yes, my Human and I went through the Canine Good Citizen test last night and WE passed! I don't know why she was so nervous about it. She said something about i've only gone through two classes of the first obedience class at Canine Coach and that I really should complete the first two obedience classes (that is, the entire 6-week series)?? Whatever .... that's what I told her. When you're a natural, you're a natural :) She told me she needs to get all this paperwork to make me "official" so I can keep volunteering at The Lab with the kids. I start again in about a month and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm still hoping i'll get to hang out with "R" (the kid who is in the photo with me) --- we got to hang out every week last year and I really liked him, and I think he really liked me. If not, I guess I can work with other kids.

My Human has signed up for a workshop next weekend called "Kids and Dogs: Canine Facilitated Mental Health Protocols for At-Risk Youth." She's gotten really serious about all this stuff. I think that's cool because then I can bring her with me to schools and we can start developing programs for these kids and the general public. We're going to continue our obedience I class through Canine Coach --- I just love our trainer Danielle ... she's not only fun; she's got much better treats than my Human! If I can get my Human to remain calm then I think I'll have her sign us up for the Therapy Dog test. She, of course, wants us to "train" a little more ... I keep trying to tell her i'm a natural at all this and this is what my job is ...  well, that's okay, I'll let her keep "training" me. The truth is (but it's our secret, okay?) I'm "training" her and right now we're working on confidence-building ... she'll get there.

I have a job ... and right now it's to work at The Lab with youth. I'm just glad my Human understands how healing animals can be for people, as in this case, youth who have been cast aside .... I understand that (and so do many of my friends who are rescued too). Be sure to check out the great programs that The Lab offers  --- it's a program of St. Paul Public Schools and is one cool program!

Cartoonist looking for stories of Rescued Dogs

Want a chance to be famous ... well, my Human got a request from Bruce, the co-founder of Draw the Dog .. they are looking for stories of rescued dogs and their antics. I know there's a lot of you out there with lots of stories and antics to share. Don't be bashful -- give it a shot and submit your story. Here's his request ... [i'll be working on my story to submit soon, or maybe it'll be Mister who'll submit a story] ...

"We are in the early stages of launching a website called Draw the Dog, where we will post one new dog cartoon each day. These cartoons are a bit unique, because they draw themselves. We have a few samples here:

http://www.drawthedog.com

Most of the cartoons will be based on a dog submitted by its owners. So we are looking for stories about real dogs and their real antics. If the owner wishes, we will acknowledge their dog next to the cartoon.

We would especially like to include cartoons about rescue dogs in our early group (I own two.) Would you consider forwarding this email to your friends/volunteers and asking them to send me their favorite story about something amusing, remarkable or plain silly their dog has done?

Jim George draws each cartoon. He is an ex-Disney animator who has created many characters for movies and TV. He's remarkably talented. It's not often you get to have your dog made famous by an artist from the movie industry.

We're racing to get the site ready, and will really appreciate anything you can do to encourage your members to help inspire Jim.

Many thanks,
Bruce

bruce@nowpossible.com

Note: The photo of the cute dog (above) is Cody (formerly Fred), a former Pet Haven dog, who has been adopted. He's just slobbering thinking about all the ways he could be a star ... and then the photo below is of Mister who simply can't contain his excitement!! I think i'll have to step aside on this one as Mister probably has a lot more antics and crazy stories he can share."

So everyone! Give it a shot! See you if you can share your story and if it will be enough to inspire Jim George the cartoonist!!