From the Pound

Over the weekend I had a story in mind. It is written from the view of a dog in the local pound or animal rescue. In my mind the main character is a dog, but it could also perhaps be a cat too, it depends on the readers imagination.

The story is a flash story, these are deliberately short pieces of creative writing, some consist of as few as fifty five words. Some may be as long as one thousand words.

This stiry is less than about three hundred words.

The dog or cat is waiting for its owners to come and claim him back, but has heard that he only has one day left before he is taken away to be put to sleep. The dog only recognises that his life can be saved by his own people.

To read the story in full CLICK HERE.

A Close Shave!

Last night, my wife and I were returning home from the cinema after seeing the movie "The Help."  Great movie by the way.

Well as we turned into the driveway, my wife slammed on the brakes and shouted
 "NO!"

There on our driveway were two skunks merrily playing and stopping to eat the cat food that our neighbor puts out for his cats.

The pair of skunks were quite unconcerned by the cars headlights and continued in their chase and eat game for several minutes.

Only when my wife sounded the car horn for what must have been the fourth or fifth time did they wander off, non too quickly to hideunder our neighbors trucks.

Havong bee n sprayed only a few weeks ago by a skunk in the back yard, and having had Polly skunked twice in four and a half years this time I was not going to get out of the car quoetly. I made sure the skunks knew I was there, talked loudly and sang. They were not going to be surprised by me this time and I ,made it safely into the house without the aroma of skunk filling my nostrils.

Dog Days: My Memories of a German Shepherd

Not long ago, and in part as a memorial on the ninth anniversary of his death. I posted these three stories about Brett on my hubpage.

The stories recount the years from 1988 until early 1995 when Brett and my first German Shepher Suki shared my life.

These are reminders of the funny things both dogs did and the story is the first part of a trilogy.

In the second part I will introduce Hariska Intrigue (aka Polly) that will complete the life of Brett and the third part will bring us fully up to date with the life of Polly as an international traveller and Queen of the Pawcific Beaches of California.

Dog Days: My Memories of a German Shepherd

My German Shepherd Playing in His Pool

What is cuter than a dog playing in a pool on a hot day.

I thought this video was great.

The Dog: Haiku

One of my other hobbies is to write poetry. A particular form which I enjoy is the Haiku.

Haiku are a Japanese form of poem, originally a warm up for Japanese poetry competitions they have been adapted for Western writers who produce the three line verses with 5, then 7, then 5, syllables per line. The form reduces pictures to their most basic to conjour up powerful images.

I created this series of four Haiku to honor the dog. I go from the puppy through the ages of the dog to old age. This is a poem for the well cared for dog, the loved pet, companion that I think we all share a love for.

To read The Dog Haiku   Click Here

The Pill

Brett was King of the Pill

I was reminded a while back that giving a pill of any kind to a German Shepherd can be a long task, almost a game for your GSD. A fun game that they have every desire to win. The medicine will not go down even with a spoonful of sugar or peanut butter.

My reminder came when Polly had to have some anti-biotics. Being a clever human, I plotted to place the pill in her breakfast. And I watched as she ate.  Then next morning I was preparing the bowl I heard a click on the floor. Looking around it turned out to be the anti-biotic pill from the day before.

I don't know how she did it but it seems as she ate she seperated out the pill and dropped it to the side of her bowl without a moments hesitation. She won that game.

Brett was the king of the pill game though. In one near hour long battle I attempted to give him a pill for something.

First we tried rolled in bread, then peanut butter, cheese and then a bowl of food. Brett would look right into my eyes, look soleful and open his mouth and the pill would clatter to the floor. Then with a sniff he would look as if to say "What ya' gonna do now?"

Eventually it got physical, Brett was a big dog, over twenty-eight inches to the shoulder and over six feet long.  I held him in a head lockm pushed his lip against his teeth to stop him biting as I put the pill on the back of his tongue. Quickly letting my thumb off his lip as I withdrew my other hand I held his jaw shut as I stroked the side of his neck eventually I felt him swallow, looked into his mouth, there it was the pill on his tongue, soggy and disolving. He dropped it to the floor.

Walking away from me he flipped his tail and retired undefeated. Champion, King of the pill.

Watch for the "Bunny Hop"

One weak spot for the German Shepherd is their hips. Hip Dysplasia is a common problem for the breed. It is not the end of the dog however,
My dog Brett had Hip Dysplasia and lived happily for over sixteen years. I needed to watch his weight and exercise him carefully but he lived a long and quite active life.

Even in such a healthy dog as Brett was however hip dysplasia began to show as he grew to old age. A characteristic symptom is the "Bunny Hop" gait.

The dog when coming to an obstacle such as a step will climb with their front paws then bring their back legs up the step together, sometimes painfully.

This is the first sign of a weakening of the back, it is progressive and you may notice growing unsteadiness of your dog.

At this time you can discuss with your veterinary surgeon possible drug remedies for your dog. Canine painkillers work for a time and your dog may still enjoy an active life.

Restrict exercise for your dog to gentle walks and less active chasing and running.  Try to keep your dog on good gripping surfaces. A wooden floor may cause slippages for an old dog, causing them and you a great deal of pain and distress. Having to lift an older struggling dog in a confined space of a hallway on a slippery floor can damage your back as well as your pets.

German Shepherds and Food

The one thing I have come to realise over my years of German Shepherd ownership is their total devotion to food.

I can call for ages at the door and not raise any interest. Let me open the fridge door and I have a furry companionhappily putting her nose into every open package and telling me the best treats that I can provide.

My wife has gone away this weekend, leaving me and the dog to fend for ourselves with a large meatloaf and gravy to share. As I walk by the fridge there is a soleful look from those big brown eyes which tell me, "I'm hungry. Feed me before I starve."

It is such a plaintiff look. It is a lie that she is starving, she had a pre breakfast biscuit, three handfuls of dry food, gravy, a slice of meatloaf, potatoes, a mid morning biscuit, helped me eat my lunch, meatloaf. A mid afternoon biscuit, more meatloaf and part of my dinner.

But still that little furry muzzle helps me by guiding me to the fridge for yet more instruction as to where to find the meatloaf.

Creating My Cafepress shirts

Hello Hoomanz und your furkids, mine name ist Polly und I hab dezigned a grrreat tee-shirt fur you. It haz bien mine plezure to live among hoomans fur zixteen years, 135 off mine doggy years.

In dat time I haben dezided zat hoomans need rules as too how zey shud treat der furkinder.

Minen shirts fur hoomanz will teach zem what rulez to follow and haf ein 'Appy life mit der furkid whoz will own dem.

For Polly's shirt designs and rules for being owned by your dog go to:

Cafepress Shirts

Women's Wear Jr. Jersey T-Shirt Women's Wear Tweet Me Bretsuki

I am creating a line of fun wear for German Shepherd lovers everywhere. The designs feature Polly the German Shepherd and her thoughts on the rules of German Shepherd ownership.

From the German Shepherd point of view.

Women's Wear Jr. Jersey T-Shirt Women's Wear Tweet Me Bretsuki

Last days of a dog

We who love our dogs, know at the bottom of our hearts when the time to part is near.

For some the day will come when they wake in the morning, find no familiar muzzle sniffing at their hand. Coming into the room finding their loved companion strangely quiet at their approach. Their fur somehow dishevelled and wrong looking. The reached out hand feels a hard coldness on that once warm body.

The lifeless body lies still and quiet forever.

For others there is a long decision time. You watch as your dogs eyes grow cloudy, the once strong legs that drove them on for miles on your walks, now shiver and quake as he stands. His walk is broken with a sudden crash as those legs now fail him. The day comes oh so fast when they fail to work completely and you know it is time to go.

Your heart aches as you take him on that last car journey together. Maybe your memory returns to the little excited puppy you brought home years ago. Bright eyed then, full of the chase,. You might think of the bulbs you planted one fall, those bulbs that suddenly reappeared on the living room carpet, chewed and broken. How the now grey muzzle had been covered with mud and dirt, he had pushed you to the floor in excited need of praise for his finding you your lost buried treasure.

Now he quietly lies. waiting with you as young pups, squeel at the new excitement of a vet's office.

You carry him to the waitng table, cold and hard, his last bed. As the liquid drains the needle he drowsily sleeps. Quiet now amidst the songs of squeeling puppies.

PetSmart Adoption Fair

I came upon this story in my news feed today. A couple went to a local PetSmart to buy items for their two German Shepherds and found an adoption fair going on at the store.

It's a really nice story and shows the good that such fairs can do. I would recommend looking at such fairs for a new dog or puppy, it is sad that they are necessary.

Only a couple of weeks ago I was talking with an adoption fair organizer in my local PetSmart. They have seen a 75% increase in abandoned animals over the last year. Some of the reasons are the economy and loss of jobs making owning a dog a harder commitment. When the money gets low, out goes the dog. This is in addition to those who buy a cute puppy which in weeks becomes a not always cute teenager. Ah Well! Now I rant.

Read this story. It shows a nice side of humanity and love of dogs.

PetSmart Adoption Fair

Friday was an Exciting Day!

Friday June 10, was quite an exciting day.

My wife, a high school science teacher was given an abandoned Turkey Vulture chick. A student had found it on his way to school in one of our city parks. So of course who would know what to do, but teacher?

My wife contacted the California Wildlife Fish and Game Department and they passed her on to a wildlife rescue service, as we live quite away from the rescues office we had to drive to Fresno to meet part way. That is a four hour rouns trip.

Before we left the chick was given a meal of best steak, he was quite a hungry little fellow. My wife had named him Victor for the day, though he might have been Victoria. LOL,

It was my first ever view of a Turkey Vulture close up. I have seen them on the roads around here on occasion. Also soon after moving here, five years ago, I caught Valley Fever, a nasty lung fungal infection, it leaves you weak for weeks and I had staggered to the local Starbucks for a coffee, sitting outside I heard a screech above and circling about one hundred feet above me were three turkey vultures. Maybe expecting a fresh meal. Quite possibly these turkey vultures were related to the chick as he was found only about half a mile away.

My wife used a pair of kitchen tongs to feed him the pieces of steak, though he was only about a week old, according to the wildlife collector, his beak was very sharp and gave quite a nasty nip as he snatched and gobbled down his meal. After she had finished, we closed over his box and with a lot of hissing and complaining we put him back into the car for the drive to Fresno. I was surprised by how prehistoric his hissing sounded, the sound effects people on Jurrasic Park must have gone to birds like the turkey vulture for some of their sounds of the prehistoric raptors.

It was a little sad to hand the little fellow over to the wildlife rescue people. But it is for his best and hopefully later this year he'll be flying over the mountains of Western California.

Captions Required?

I have a picture of one of my dogs, Brett (1986-2002).

I wonder if any of my readers might want to come up with a caption for the photograph?

Tell me what you think Brett was thinking as I took this picture.

Who chooses whom?

Do you choose your dog or puppy or do they choose you?

A dog breeder friend once told me that he could tell which puppy a buyer would pick for themselves in seconds. He actually showed me. The buyer generally picks the first puppy that comes up to them. It was true in the case which I witnessed. The puppy walked out of the pack of his litter mates to the ankle of the buyer and licked them. No matter which puppy caught their spouses eye, the woman whom the puppy had gone too, maintained that that was the best puppy and he was the one who went home with them.

My second German Shepherd, Brett, chose me. He had lived a few doors away and slowly moved himself down the street. He would lie on my front lawn. Knock on my front door. Yes I did say knock, he could lift the door knocker with his nose and rap it on the door. German Shepherds do have an uncanny knack at being able to draw the required attention to themselves. He could also open close doors by turning a door knob and then walking backwards on his hind legs just far enough to open the door enough to get his nose in the gap then dropping down and walking through, this was a self taught action, no-one showed him what to do, he just knew he wanted to be on the other side of the closed door and did what was necessary.
Brett's original owner finally gave up trying to keep him. If he was left in their yard, Brett would jump their seven feet high fence, then trot down the street to wait outside my house. After he was given to me, he never made any attempt to leave. I only had a low fence in my yard, but he never jumped it. He would even just walk beside me with no leash on ocassion, most of the time he would be on a leash because of traffic but I knew it was never really necessary.

It therefore seems to me that it is the dog or puppy who makes the real choice as to ownership. But if this is the case, would you say they own you?

The Talking Shepherd

The German Shepherd is, I believe, the most vocal of dogs. By vocal I don't just mean barking and growling. It also grunts, mumbles and grumbles.

As a child I loved to watch "Champion the Wonder Horse" on TV. OK Champ, you got top billing and credit, but for me the star was Rebel, the German Shepherd. He was the one who always carried the message to Champ and would scare of the bad guys or bring the Sherrif while Champ did horsey stuff.

Then came the great film, K-9 again the adage for actors came true,"Never act with children or animals." Yes James Belushi was ok, he got some good lines,but Jerry-Lee got the really Grreat lines. His constant mumbles and groans where often the funniest part. I know they were mostly added post production, but the director, writer and sound editor showed they knew German Shepherds.

In my twenty years plus life with at least one German Shepherd, they have all talked to me. The I've had a hard day, now it's time for bed, deep rolling growl as they settle down, the plaintive whine as I walk to the door in the morning. The you know where my treats are mutter as I walk through the kitchen. I would bet a months wages that everyone of you out there know exactly what I mean, and what your German Shepherd means too.

All the best.

Always Faithful

As someone who has a passion for German Shepherds and a history major, I was drawn to the book
Always Faithful: A Memoir of the Marine Dogs of WW II.
The books author, was a veterinary surgeon and commander of a force of K9's within the Marine Corps.

I have to say it is not always an easy read. I still cry at the death of every dog. The book tells the stories of the dogs and their handlers through training, to the battlefield and in to the post war years.The book however was a rewarding read for me. There are lighter moments as both human and canine heroes and heroines interact. There times when war is almost forgotten and there are times when war is revealed in its terrifying and deadly intensity.

This book is, for me, one of the greatest tributes to the dog in war. It is also a fascinating read for those interested in the history of the US Marine Corps as well as historians of the Pacific theater or World War Two generalists.

I include a link to this book via my Amazon Affiliate Account. I did not receive and will not receive any payment for this review. A small commission is paid to me if you decide to purchase via this link.

What's that smell?

It is past midnight. The breeze is shaking the trees. The sound of the croaking frogs fills the air. A heavy odour hangs, an odour that the breezr will not take away.

The odour of half burned matches, a sulpherous odour, Mmm now like fresh roast coffee, Urrgh, now like the bubbling of a sulphur pit. Heavily it hangs, an odour I now have come to know. Skunk!

Polly my German Shepherd had wandered out about 9pm, that was when the odour came. Since 9pm she has been washed, I have had two changes of clothes and I am looking to the porch, it will be there we will both sleep tonight.

I have tried to bathe her, but the odour is all pervasive. It clings, my hands smell of skunk, my body smells of skunk, Polly smells of skunk, even the air smells of skunk.

Until I moved to the US five years ago, I had smelled faint traces of skunk on travels around the States. Not until September 2006 did I know the real power of a skunk. Tonight is the third time Polly has found one of those black and white critters an irresistable playmate. Tonight again, I wonder if the world will ever cease to smell of SKUNK!