A tiny hunter

Wolves at the California Wolf Center that we visited several years ago.


Yesterday, Elsa and I were at the harbor.  It is truly a beautiful place; but, it is filled with squirrels. Not tree squirrels like the type with big fluffy tails, these are ground squirrels.  They look more like prairie dogs than the squirrels that you see in the forest or treed areas.  Anyway, back to the harbor. When Elsa and I arrived we saw a tiny white toy poodle standing frozen at the edge of the rocks where the squirrels live.  I smiled looking at her fancy haircut and small stature.  The man on the other end of the leash was talking to her; trying to coax her away from the little rodents, but she was not budging.  "Can't take the hunter out of the poodle," I said, smiling.  She didn't look like a hunting dog but she most definitely thought that she was and in fact she was.

    This little guy may not look much like his ancestor, the wolf.  But the drive to hunt is still in there. 

The man told me that she had caught one, I was shocked.  The squirrels were not that much smaller than she was; and I imagined her with one in her mouth doing a victory dance.  The squirrels are bold; not scared of dogs because most are kept on a short leash.  But they obviously got too confident on the day that this little white toy poodle was hunting.  I love seeing dogs that still have an ancestral drive in them and humans that give them an outlet for it.  Especially when it is not a dog that you would think would have that sort of drive.

Dogs are dogs and when we give our dogs an outlet to be a dog, it can be truly wonderful.  Seeing the man with the little white toy poodle at the harbor; standing patiently as she got her fill of "the hunt," was amazing.  I know a lot of people who freak out if their dog caught a squirrel, killed a rabbit or chased a neighborhood cat.  In fact I've had many calls from very upset dog owners who's dog had chased down and nearly killed a cat.  Dogs are dogs and whether we like it or not; they descend from wolves.  Yes even the little white toy poodle, yorkie and other very non wolf looking dogs.  They can all have that inner desire to chase and hunt.  But not all hunters are alike.

All of my dogs except for Mandy (my first dog), have been hunters; but not all have been killers.  Jessie loved to hunt and killed without a second thought.  She would sit at the top of varmint holes and wait patiently for them to come out.  One day at the park she caught one off guard and swallowed it down whole, before I could do anything about it.  Ahhh, Jack Russells.  :)  Tilley on the other hand was all about the chase.  She would slink down low when in the presence of the harbor squirrels; and there she remained until we left.  Every step was methodical and nothing else existed around her.  The hunt was the exciting part for her; I know this because she once caught a rabbit and brought it to us.  She hadn't killed it, although it died of fright in her mouth.  Rabbits are extremely fearful which makes them very hard to rescue and rehabilitate.  They die very easily, but of course I guess being in a dogs mouth is a very scary place to be.   Tilley had loved every second of the chase and finally catch, but not the kill. 

So  many people think that their dogs are far, far removed from the hunters they once were.  Some are but most are not.  That drive to hunt or chase is still very much alive; sitting just beneath that genetically modified coat.  You can take the dog out of the forest but you cannot take the hunt out of the dog. 

Just chill.

Have you ever met a dog that seems to have a difficult time dealing with day to day activities?  A dog that is maybe driven to bouts of panic by the simple introduction of a new person, item or environment?  I have and it is most definitely a sad thing.  Sad because most phobias in dogs can be rectified by early and continued socialization.

Penny was at our house over the weekend.  My daughter has done a great job of socializing her so that she can reach her full potential.  But like any dog there will be things that she has not seen before and how you react to those things will play a huge role in how your dog deals with the stimuli before them.  Sunday Elsa and Penny were playing in the yard; as you all know it gets pretty crazy.  At one point I guess Penny knocked into one of the many flower pots in the yard.  I saw Penny startle out of the corner of my eye and turned to see what was up.

The  pot was rolling from one side to another.  Penny was stretched out as far as she could, investigating.  Although she was quite intrigued by the movement of the pot she was also very afraid of it.  Her elongated body was ready to bolt if the need should arise.  I watched her for a long time while she watched the motion of the pot.  It was a small plastic pot and was only rolling an inch or so, back and forth.  She was mesmerized by the action and stood fixed on it.  Funny how little things can seem so monumental if it has not been seen or witnessed before.

A few moments later Elsa ran up to see what Penny was doing.  She ran up and sniffed the pot, sniffed Penny and ran off.  This nonchalant reaction from Elsa helped to ease a bit of Penny's concerns.   Then my husband went over, picked up the pot and swept the area.  His non reactive response also helped to ease little Penny's concerns over the rolling pot.   Essentially creating a non issue out of the moment.  Good.

Later that same day my other daughter placed a fan in the living room.  It is not typically there, it was the fan from my bedroom.  Elsa came in to the room and didn't blink at it's presence but when Penny entered the room she jammed on her brakes and startled at the fan.  Once again she stretched out her body; part of her wanting to investigate while the other part wanted to run and hide.  She's seen fans before but not in the living room at Grandmas house.  So she reacted.  Elsa once again ran to Penny's side; showing her that this was not something that needed any concern from her.  But Penny was not convinced; she barked several times until running past and finally settling to chew a bone.  Even then each time she needed to walk past the fan, she gave it a dirty and very suspicious glare.

No matter how much you socialize your dog there will always be something new to experience.   I love when Elsa and I come across something that she has never encountered in the past.   If you are a regular reader of the Just dogs with Sherri blog then you will know how to react to a new and slightly startling stimuli.  Of course each dog is very individual and as such each reaction will be varied.  Knowing your dog and how they typically react will help in understanding how best to deal with the experience.  But the most important factor in all new things, chill.  Make it a non issue, that is as long as it is a non issue.  There are of course things that are big issues and a proper response must be taught.

As far as the day to day startling things that will appear on a regular basis; just chill.  

Tone it down

This is Ruby, my sister's Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.  She's an amazing dog, she could literally retrieve all day long.  Hmmm, reminds me of someone else.  :)  But Ruby needs to slow down; she is 10 and she gets very sore if she doesn't tone it down a bit.  She loves nothing more than diving off the dock, retrieving her ball and then doing it over and over and over.  But the dock diving has ceased.

Ruby is only allowed to go after her ball from the beach, no more dock diving.   This ramp is a great help for her to get over the rocks.  

It is tough for everyone as our dogs age.  The whole family takes great joy watching Ruby and it is hard to see her have to give up a few of her favorite things.  It is for Ruby's own good and the toning down is done out of love for this wonderful girl.  

How happy is this face?

Ruby has a water retrieving ritual like many dogs.  She retrieves her ball from the water; shakes when she gets out and then throws herself on the sand/grass and rolls around.  Then she's ready to go again. 

Taking time out to clean her paws and take a fleeting break.  

She's no slouch at 10.

A special moment caught in time, priceless. 

I love shooting Ruby in action.  As hard as she charges into the water she always manages to keep her head up.

I remember the day we retired Tilley from Frisbee.  It was very hard, emotional and traumatic for the humans.  Tilley adjusted to low thrown balls until that was banned as well.  As much as we love to offer our dogs what they love; sometimes we are required to use our heads and make unpopular decisions.   As our dogs age we need to monitor their health and comfort regularly.  They too can be injured more easily as they get into their senior years.  So toning it down is a must. 

This above photo was taken years ago of a much younger Ruby.  

Its got to stop

Today I wanted to discuss some serious business. I've been talking to alot of rescue groups lately and its really getting to me. Everyone has their own opinion to the solution of over population and dumped dogs. Certainly there are many different factors that have a part in it all but to me the biggest factor in so many dogs being dumped are the Pet stores and puppy mills. Spaying and neutering does indeed help but when you have talked to so many people and had a really long look at the big picture it is pretty clear.

I deal with many dog people everyday and the dogs that are simply dumped or brought to rescues or shelters are often linked to puppy mills. Pet stores that sell puppies should be outlawed plain and simple. These stores rely on the awwww factor and hope that their clients have not thought it through. Obviously they want you to buy one of their puppies and you cannot even return them if you change your mind, oh no pet stores have a one way door.

Pet stores are set up for the impulse buyer. I even know people who work for rescue groups who are appauled by puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies and they themselves buckled under the pressure. You go in just to look and maybe to sway some prospective owners and before you know it your sucked into a pair of the deepest, brownest eyes you've ever seen. But this is only helping the millers to keep pumping out those poor little helpless and innocent animals.

The fact is that good, reputible and ethical breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores and if you try to convince yourself that they do, you are only fooling yourself. I have had this conversation so many times, "how do you know they aren't from a good breeder?" Because no ethical, reputible breeder who spends hundreds of dollars ensuring that their breeding dogs are fit and healthy and have the puppies vet checked, temperament tested and give written guarantees with their babies are going to hand them over to Joe pet store owner not knowing where or who they would end up with, wouldn't happen.

The people who are supplying pet stores with puppies are doing it to fill their pockets. These people have quickly discovered that the less you put out in feed and medical costs the more for your pocket. The puppies from these horrendous places are often taken away from their mother way too soon leaving them with serious issues. I see serious behavior, temperament and health problems repeatedly in pet store dogs and feel heart sick for families who fall in love with their dog only to loose it to a fatal disease.

It just has to end but how are we going to end this all. Not all millers work from Pet stores, the internet is a huge tool for them now as well. You see the photos of the puppies set up around flowers and pretty blankets all in a row. Which one do you want? Just pick one and its yours.

What you don't see are the parents left in the tiny cages full of filth and sadness, the dogs who are underfed, sick and lonely. No, if you saw those dogs you probably wouldn't buy a puppy would you? The solution starts with us, the people who go into the stores and buy the puppies. If you know a store sells kittens or puppies don't go there, give your business to the stores who have taken a stand against selling puppies.

One small step from you can cause a chain reaction. I will never go in a store that sells puppies, for one I won't give them my business and two its heartbreaking to me. I'm just fed up, dogs deserve our fight for this to end.