'FREEWAY FRIDA'…HERO 'HAUS'…SNAKEBITE TIPS

Anyone who lives or has lived with a dog knows we canines have heart. If you had your doubts, consider the case if 'Freeway Frida', a 5-year-old German Shepherd who survived for five weeks on a freeway median near Galt, CA,  after tumbling from the back of a truck. Thanks to Galt Police officer Sylvia Coelho and her counterparts from the CHP, the emaciated Frida was finally rescued and brought to the vet where she was treated for two broken bones and severe weight loss. According to the May 24 LA Times report by Daniel Serna, Frida managed to stay alive by sipping scant rainwater and foraging for plants and road scraps. What a lucky, plucky, dog. 

Freeway Frida

While we often tout the myriad virtues of pit bulls, many other breeds are equally amazing. This week's honors go to German Shepherds, specifically Haus, a 2-year-old shepherd who stepped into harm's way when an Eastern diamondback rattler menaced his family's 7-year-old daughter. As reported by ABC News, Haus sustained several bites, resulting in thousands of dollars in vet bills. Thanks to generous donors, a GoFundMe account to cover the expenses has already topped $35,000.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

While most dogs will never encounter a venomous snake, knowing what to do could save your pup's life in the event it ever happens (from GIMME SHELTER, resource Howie Baker, DVM). "Most rattlesnake venom is “hemotoxic”, meaning that it compromises the integrity of blood vessels, causing swelling that impairs circulation and normal clotting, which can lead to uncontrolled bleeding, shock, and death. The venom of the Mojave rattler is “neurotoxic,” causing rapid paralysis of the respiratory system and suffocation. The seriousness of a bite depends on the type of snake, the size of the dog, and the amount of venom injected. Some bites are "dry" (no venom injected), and only a small percentage of bites are fatal, but all snakebites should be considered serious and treated as emergencies, even in vaccinated dogs. Facial bites are particularly serious, since swelling may block the throat or hinder the ability to breathe. Seek immediate veterinary attention and do not try to cut the bite wound open or suck out the poison. The treatment for a snake bite consists of the following:

• IV Fluids. Since the most common cause of death from snakebites is circulatory failure, IV support (administration of fluids via catheter), and blood pressure monitoring are very important.
• Antivenin. Antivenin can be very helpful in the inactivation of snake venom but there is a narrow window (approx. 4 hrs.) during which it must be used. It’s especially crucial with small dogs (and cats), since the amount of venom they receive per pound is much greater than with large dogs.
• Antihistamines. Injected antihistamines may help with the inflammation from the actual bite and in preventing possible anaphylactic reaction to antivenin

To avoid the anxiety and expense consider investing in avoidance training and having your dog vaccinated. Through the use of a shock collar, the trainer applies a mild stimulus to teach the dog to avoid the sound, smell, and sight of defanged or muzzled reptiles. Check to see if your local Parks & Recreation Department offers avoidance training. In Malibu, group classes start at around $70.00. Rattlesnake vaccine offers protection against the venom of the Western Diamondback and the other rattlers except the Mojave Rattlesnake. Most dogs require two-three doses at a cost of approximately $30/dose. Vaccination offers protection equal to two vials of antivenin, which runs several hundred dollars per vial. 

If I Roll On the Bed and No One's There, Am I Still Bad?

Finally, while some dogs are brave and resilient, we've all known a few that are crafty and disobedient, like this sly pit bull who thinks the coast is clear when his owner leaves the house. Why is it that forbidden fruit is always the sweetest? (watch the video)

HOW TO GRAB YOUR DOG'S ATTENTION…ASSESSING QUALITY OF LIFE

Much as it pains our humans, we dogs don’t live and die on your every whim. That’s why we’ll refuse to ‘come’ when asked to leave the dog park (our 30-minute respite from domestic incarceration), or refuse to ‘stay’ when neighborhood squirrels invade our turf. According to Cesar Millan, a key step in getting us to do your bidding is training us to look at you. “If you can get your dog to focus on you instead of everything else going on around him, it will be easier to communicate with him and teach him other commands — not to mention getting him to ignore that taunting squirrel, far-off bark, or daily visit from the mailman. In addition, that look is also helping to build your relationship with your dog.” To make that happen, he suggests the following approach: Choose a word or phrase to focus your dog. Sit or stand near your dog and hold a treat close to your eyes. Say your attention word and, when the dog looks at you, reward him with the treat. Later on, you should add in a hand signal to accompany the word. Once your dog get the hang of it, begin phasing out the treats but not the affection for completing the task. Like with many things, practice is the key to mastery but don’t tire your dog and never punish him for failing. 

You have my attention, now where's my treat?

A few weeks back, we wrote about knowing when it’s time to say ‘goodbye’. In his recent newsletter, Cesar offers a practical guide to assessing your dog's quality of life and how it might impact the decision to euthanize or not. Among the categories to consider are Hurt, Hunger, Hydration Hygiene, Happiness and Mobility. If your best friend scores very low in most or all of them, then it might be time to say goodbye. When in doubt, consult your veterinarian. 

Connie & 'Ava'

Our friend and rescue volunteer Connie Kruse recently contacted us about Ava, a 6-year old stray pit bull mix from the Santa Barbara County (CA) shelter who she's trying to place. Ava was a stray recently suffered a stoke, but managed to bounce back nearly all the way. She still needs medication to control her condition but she's otherwise in good health. This pretty 90-lb. girl is playful and loving with people and potty-trained. They are looking for a foster or an adopter  who can love and care for her. If you are interested or know anyone who is, please contact STACY SILVA (stacy.silva@sbcphd.org) or call Connie Kruse at 805-878-8017. And please share this with your contacts. You stepped up big-time for Rex last year (3 tries before he found his forever home). Now we need to save Ava. It takes a village to save a dog!

DOG RESURRECTED…WHO'S IN CHARGE?

What happens when man's best friend goes missing at sea? As reported in this week's L.A. Times, San Diego fisherman Nick Haworth was crushed when his beloved German Shepherd, Luna, disappeared on February 10, while he was working two miles from San Clemente Island, a Navy training site. At first, Nick was optimistic that Luna, a strong swimmer, would make it to shore. When weeks passed and searchers found no trace of the dog, Nick feared the worst. Imagine his joy when Luna turned up at the training facility this past Tuesday, a bit thinner but otherwise in good shape.

Nick reunited with Luna

While my human mom and dad, Eugenie and Lou, like to think they lead our pack, truth is, they sometimes forget the rules and let a certain strikingly handsome pit bull take the reins. In a recent newsletter, dog behavior guru Cesar Millan lists some of the key signs that your pack hierarchy might need fixing, among them: letting your pooch eat before you do, giving him free run of the house (like the bed and sofa), having a dog that pulls on the leash during the walk, and a dog that ignores your commands. i.e., refusing to 'come' when being asked to leave the dog park. For the full list of no-nos, and how to correct the imbalance of power, read the article. 

Tanner (far right) greeting his pals at the dog park

Speaking of the dog park, as many of you know, we've been regulars at the Trancas Dog Park since it opened in July of 2010. Except for super warm days and rare rainy ones, we make it a point to join the '4 o'clock gang' - Bobby, Cocoa, Rusty, Rocky, Lady, Magnus, Zoe, Alfie - as often as possible. While we dogs do the usual sniffing, running and wrestling, our humans trade gossip and local news. Yesterday brought a nice surprise when a newcomer told Lou that she had just purchased GIMME SHELTER from our soon-to-be-extinct Bank Of Books. While she didn't recognize the writer (time for a new author photo?), she did recognize the cover dog! Thanks to her and to all of the people who've made the book such a positive, fun experience .

I WAS A DOG. I DID MY BEST.

With Tanner’s permission, we start the New Year on a bittersweet note. For the sweet part, we’re relieved to report (yet again) that our canine nomad Rex has found a home. According to a friend who volunteers at the Best Friends Sanctuary in West L.A. Shortly after his failed Thanksgiving adoption, a gay married couple stepped up and took him home with them. We have a our fingers (and paws) crossed, hoping that this one sticks, and that this doggie soap opera (As The Bone Turns?) has drawn to a final, happy close. 

Rex - fingers crossed!

As Rex begins his new adventure, another of our doggie bffs is fast approaching the end of his. The little guy has lived a long, happy, pampered life but lately his organs have begun to fail. Like all of us, he’s facing a relentless, undefeated foe – Father Time. It’s probably a shortcoming of my character but, ever since I was a boy, animals, and family pets in particular, have always touched me in a way my human counterparts don’t. Thinking about our friend's aging pup, I happened to recall an article by writer Jim Krusoe that I read in the L.A. Times Book Section in December 1993 in which he detailed his lifelong infatuation with dogs. It moved me then and it moves me now, and so I thought I’d share a bit of it: 
“And yes, like Rilke, I love dogs because they do trust us to figure out their problems and their pain, whereas I am incapable of even scratching the surface of my own. My favorite memory of my current dog (a setter--English, not Irish, just to show that like my parents, I too am capable of surprise in my advancing years) is of one day when he was six-months old and disappeared while out on a walk in the hills around our house. I found him thirty minutes later, apparently having chased a rabbit into a cactus patch, covered from the top of his head to his tail with broad, flat spines. Embroidered as he was with inch-long spikes, he simply refused to move and waited for me to come and find him, which I finally had. To remove the spines with a bandanna wrapped around my hand took another half an hour, and when I was finished he just got up, wagged once, and went looking for another bunny. I have the same dog now. I had chosen an English setter for the breed's elegance and grace, but this one grew to a goofy giant of an animal with enough lip and jowl to sew into a beach blanket. Still, he has that look, and stares at me now, patiently waiting for me to open a door to let him out so he can run out into the back yard to bark at imaginary thugs and robbers and thus feel as if he's accomplished something for the day. Which after all, may be the final reason I am so fond of dogs. Unlike us, they can act and not know what it is to measure themselves against every other dog who has ever barked into the vacant air or to doubt the importance of the act itself. For them, at the end, they can simply say, "I was a dog. I did my best. Now it is finished." (entire article)

Tanner & Charlie @ Colony Beach, Malibu, 2009

Rebell @ Cape Cod circa 1987

with Dudley (aka - The Man-Killing Pug) circa, 1998

Eugenie withRoxanne (the Dalmation from Hell) and Blanche cica 1995

FEEL THE FEAR…BE FIRM AND CLEAR

Sales of GIMME SHELTER were slow but we still had a great day at the Malibu Art Fair, sitting and chatting with our friends Sophie Kidian, the sponsor of Pooch Party, and Dr. Lisa Newall, of Malibu Coast Animal Hospital. When she's not busy caring for handsome pit bulls, Lisa and her niece, Rosemary, create amazing designer cakes. They graciously treated us pups to homemade doggie cookies, and our humans to delicious cupcakes. As pit bull parents know, we 'tough guys' don't really like the heat (or cold, or rain) but the canopy kept us sheltered from the sun. Unfortunately, our booth was right across from the stage, and the all-day concert by local rock bands. Like dad, I'm more an R & B guy. I freak when I hear a solo bass drum, which reminds me of thunder and fireworks. I started shaking, and so mom whisked me back home to the shelter of my bed.

Sophie at her Pooch Party

The peace and quiet didn't last. Dad had just turned out the lights when some actual pyrotechnics commenced at nearby Paradise Cove. While he and mom 'oohed' and 'aahed',  I lay quivering in my bed. Afterwards, dad sat beside me and massaged me back to sanity which, according to dog guru Cesar Millan, "was exactly the wrong thing to do. This is because a dog relates your behavior to whatever it is doing in the moment, and it’s how positive reinforcement training works. If you want to teach a dog to “shake,” you have to associate that behavior with a reward until the dog instinctively knows, “If I do this with my paw, something good happens.” To our dogs, affection is a reward. By comforting a fearful dog, you are rewarding what it’s doing in that moment: being scared. You cannot explain to a dog why it shouldn’t be scared, or tell the dog that the frightening thing won’t hurt it or is going away soon — they do not have the cognitive abilities to understand those concepts. What they do understand is, “I’m terrified and it’s getting me a reward. My humans wants me to do this.” Over time, a timid, back-of-the-pack dog can be turned into a skittish, terrified animal because of humans unintentionally rewarding him when he’s in a negative energy state. Dogs don’t need love when they’re fearful; they need leadership." (read the entire article)  

Eugenie and Lou flogging our favorite book at the Malibu Art Fair
(ps - check out the limited Tanner The Pit Bull tees)

Like my 'parents', most canine caretakers mean well but their good intentions sometimes led them and their pups astray. Like yesterday morning, when dad let me meander all over Malibu Colony while we were walking with our friend, Carl. He thought that he was giving me some slack (literally) to explore a new place, but he was really sending me a confusing, mixed message about who's in charge.  Cesar stresses that people need to be consistent when establishing and enforcing doggie 'rules': "Like humans, dogs are curious and they will test the rules whenever they can. It’s how a dog in the pack learns what is and isn’t acceptable. They’ll gradually escalate their behavior until their mother or another dog corrects them. This process continues until they know the rules and follow them. When a misbehavior has no consequences, a dog is more likely to do it again. "(Read More).