Silence
June 30, 2009
There was a sharp-intake-of-breath-silence on the blog yesterday because … we received our proof copy of Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul from the beautiful people at Blurb Inc.
Gosh.
It is wonderful. We are impressed with ourselves. Good dogs! Em, good people!
After the fluttering hearts quietened a little we read a few stories to our canine tribe member, Bubba. He has already heard all of the stories, as chief canine story tester he has heard them a lot! However rather than be jaded he was all perky as usual when he heard the familiar beginning, “Hey Bubba! It’s story time! Do you want a story Bubba? Are you ready?
We must confess this is in no small part because Bubba knows that a story always ends with a treat or a massage or a walk or something similar.
Apart from the novelty factor, and our back patting, we wanted to see if the book felt OK to hold while reading it to your dog. If it was comfortable to have in one hand while cuddling your dog, having them on your lap, squashing you on the sofa, pawing at you and so on. Yes, it has passed the test!
Buddy Dog and Christmas Dog (rather unseasonally but we have a festive fairy lover of gifts in our midst) stories were requested. Hi-paws all round!
Now we have to woof proof it thoroughly and try not to slobber on it too much.
Bond
June 26, 2009
Why do we use the word “bond” when it comes to babies and animals? We don’t talk about couples as being ‘bonded’. But we discuss ‘bonding with your baby’ as well as ‘the bond between people and their pets’. It seems to imply an altogether different, (more pure?) kind of love and relationship than – well, other ones. Hmmmn.
Yum
June 25, 2009
Something tasty today. I thought I’d share one of my cat and/or dog treat recipes. Treats are really easy and fun to make for your dog or cat because even if they go horribly wrong the dog or cat is pretty much guaranteed to still eat them!
The only thing that’s a slight drawback for you but heaven for your dog or cat is the smell of these soft treats baking – ugh, the sweet aroma of fresh bread it ain’t. I think they enjoy the treats even more because they’ve been smelling them baking and they get all worked up about that smell. Our kitchen becomes quite frenetic what with 3 cats attempting to open the oven door and the dog telling them off. Let the impatient mews and whines begin!
Get some raw liver, cut it up and boil it with crushed garlic (optional). Once cooked (couple of minutes only) put it in a blender with some eggs and natural, plain yoghurt or cottage cheese or similar. Add enough flour, cooked brown rice, cornmeal or whatever is handy, oats are good too, to make a nice firmish dough.
Grease your baking tray, whatever size works for you, pour in mixture and bake on medium/high temperature until they look done. Cut into pieces straight away and leave to cool. They will be chewy except for bits around the edges. YUM!
Variations of this recipe are numerous!
Massage
June 24, 2009
How do you massage a dog or cat? Funnily enough, according to our vet nurse, it’s a little different from just your usual pats and rubs. Especially if they need actual canine or feline physiotherapy. Dog and cat owners can massage too and this is great when your dog has been playing with dog pals flat-out or has enjoyed a big hike. Oh, those aching muscles.
The basic idea of dog or cat massage, just the same as people massage, is to increase the blood and lymph flow through the tissues. Massage hastens the removal of waste products and maximises the amount of nutrients in the area you are working on.
It’s great for relaxing spasming muscles and preventing or breaking down any adhesions which sometimes happen after a surgical procedure.
Let’s begin with dogs
+ Start your dog’s massage with a movement known as “effleurage”. This involves stroking the palms of your hands over your dog’s skin in a rhythmic motion in an upward direction, towards the heart. Begin at the lower part of the limb to get your dog used to your touch. It also has a mild sedative effect.
+ If your dog doesn’t like you moving against the direction their fur grows in, try friction massage instead. This involves repeating a series of small circular movements gradually working towards the heart. Use your thumbs, one or more fingers or the heel of your hand depending on the size of the muscle.
You can do friction or effleurage for about 5-10 minutes using light pressure.
+ Switch to kneading. Pick up the skin and muscle and gently roll and compress. You can do it firmly but make sure you are gentle enough not to cause discomfort.
+ Do a few more minutes of friction and finish off with effleurage.
Move along now
Passive range of movement exercises (PROM) are used by physiotherapists for animals recovering after injury. The aim is to restore normal range of movement in the affected limb and prevent muscle wasting. It’s best performed with the dog lying on their side after a massage.
Gently move each joint, not forgetting the toes, through the full range of movement. You can do this five to ten times for two or three times a day.
Ah, that feels so much better! Prepare for a bit of nose nudging your hand after this…
Dogs usually really like this therapy – cats not so much but may become amenable.
Enjoy
June 23, 2009
Have you read any of the many wonderful books available about the multifarious relationship between people and animals? Once you read one of these books, that’s it, you’ll want to read more and more, especially since you have found your people ‘tribe’ and it feels good to know that others feel as you do about animals.
Naturally, ahem, I have to begin with our new book – Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul (we can’t help it, we’ve just had a proof of our cover and we’re very excited – what do you think?). Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul is a little different from the others in that it is for dogs, and they need a person to read it to them, ideally a dog person. The others are just for you. I have included links to amazon and dogwise so you can check them out if you like.
Here’s my own personal top ten of books I have enjoyed very much indeed:
1. Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul, a treasury of barkalicious stories to read to your dog
2. Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp
3. Kindred Spirits, how the remarkable bond between humans and animals can change the way we live by Allen M. Schoen DVM, MS (I am lucky to have the old copy that has glorious pictures of a dog on the front and a cat on the back cover.)
4. The Nature of Animal Healing, the path to your pet’s health, happiness and longevity by Martin Goldstein DVM
5. Dogs Never Lie About Love (is this not the best title ever?! and the cover is GORGEOUS IMO) AND The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats by Jeffrey Masson (in fact everything he’s ever written, including When Elephants Weep with Susan McCarthy. (And may I just say I have treasured signed copies of all these having met Mr Masson at a lecture and book signing he did in New Zealand in 2003!)
6. The Loss of a Pet, a guide to coping with the grieving process when a pet dies by Wallace Sife PhD – this is a hugely under-rated book, it is absolutely marvelous. I think the very best on grieving for your pet. I found it very healing.
7. Animals as Healers and Teachers, true stories and reflections by Susan Chernak McElvoy
8. How to be the Leader of the Pack … and have your dog love you for it by Patricia B McConnell, PhD (this is great if you have a dominant dog or are a novice dog person. It is not a book but a booklet. I like her practical guidance on subtle communication with dogs who have issues.)
9. Homeopathic Care for Dogs and Cats, small doses for small animals by Don Hamilton DVM – if you’re thinking of getting just one book on homoeopathic care, this is it. And I have a bit of credibility here having been a formal student of Classical Homoeopathy (Animal and Human diploma courses). (Sorry George MacLeod and Christopher Day – but I do like your natural cat remedies book and I do refer to that!)
10. I was going to put the Monks of New Skete book here but changed my mind when I realised it was only nostalgia on my part since it was the first book I ever read on dog training but there are many others I would recommend over it now.
Foster
June 22, 2009
I really loved being a foster mom. I recommend it, although it’s not for the faint-hearted. It has its risks – like falling in love with one of your charges and having to make room for another permanent member of your fur tribe. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing, it’s just that you’re kind of on the back-foot since it sort of happens without you seeming to have any say in it at all.
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Fostering is ideal and incredibly rewarding if:
+ your cat or dog has died and you miss them but are not quite ready for another cat or dog
+ you are not able to commit long-term to a pet but would love to have animals in your home
+ you have a space in your home and the time for an injured dog or cat who needs nursing (away from your existing tribe if necessary). If you are thinking of raising kittens or puppies (and this is only for a maximum of 6 weeks per litter usually) you will need a room you can give over to a kitten or puppy nursery.
+ you are aware that while you are only looking after them temporarily and ultimately you have to let them go, you are doing something truly invaluable for the animals you foster that will hold them in good stead for their whole lives.
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I have fostered both dogs and cats, but far more cats: queens and their kittens and orphaned kittens. If you have a spare room you can give over to temporary kitten nursery, go for it. The difference you are making to the queen cat is huge, even if she seems indifferent. Not least because she is able to have time out from her babies now and again which helps her be a better cat mom.
However, the difference you are making to those kittens is gigantic since they experience a home life rather than a shelter and are able to bond gently with people in a home environment, have a huge area to play in (as opposed to a cage). This means, as well as their overall enhanced mental and emotional health, it is easier for them to get a good forever home once they are put up for adoption because they are friendly, well-balanced and – fanfare – house trained.
Shelters, local cat and dog rescue groups and even vets are always grateful when people offer to be a foster mom or dad. They provide you with full veterinary support and food. (Although you may want to get the food yourself to help out more and save the shelter money.) And they will understand and empathize when you bring the kittens or puppies back to be put up for adoption and you can’t speak and tears are rolling down your face.
Yes, it is emotional. You will likely not ever see them again and yet they have been such a big part of your life over a short period of time. But I can’t tell you how proud of yourself you will feel and you’ll have a real sense of fulfilment having helped your foster animals be stronger, healthier and better directly because of your care.
When I took my (note the ‘my’! foster animals always ‘belong’ to the shelter or group who have allowed you to care for them) kittens back I would reassure myself by thinking that the 4-6 weeks each litter of kittens stayed with me would have a hugely positive impact on their possibly 20 years + life. So I would focus on being the person that helped them find their forever home. And that is a real gift to them – every bit as valuable if not more so than if you had given them a forever home.
So many people would say to me ‘fostering must be so hard – how do you manage to give them back?’ Well, that’s just dumb when you think about it. You manage to give them back because you are not arrogant enough to think you are the only person in the world that could give that cat or dog a home and that you are a foster carer.
I can say arrogant here because I have done this myself. I once had a beautiful silver tabby queen who I took back with her kittens to be put up for adoption. I forced myself not to adopt her myself. It was really hard! I told myself I would wait 3 days to see if someone might adopt her and if not, I would do so.
I called on the third day and wouldn’t ya know it? She had just the hour before been taken to her forever home! And yes, I was assured, the young lady who took her was lovely. So I learned about arrogance there – thank you “Queenie” as I had called her.
Foster carers by definition love and care for animals short term in order to help them long term. Please, if you are considering fostering, contact your local group today and have a chat with someone there. I will share some of my experiences of fostering in later posts.
Teach
June 19, 2009
Today because of a couple of coincidences I am thinking about my first Malamute, Boo (Paharey Ttorque) pictured above. The first was Michael’s comment yesterday and I see he is involved in pet bereavement care and the second an email received this morning from a lovely Malamute person I had lost touch with.
So I thought it might be nice to post something I wrote about ten years ago after the loss of Boo. To help with my grieving process I would focus on the joy of what it was to have him as opposed to the sadness of him passing. Here is what I wrote, it’s not a definitive list of course:
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Things my Boo taught me:
How to love unconditionally.
That it is important to welcome people with joy in your heart.
How to express excited happiness by running around crazy.
If you find something great you should treasure it – but let it go easily. (Like a great stick on a walk.)
Always be ready for, and open to, spontaneous play.
When you’re walking, stop and turn around so you don’t miss out on 180 degrees of life.
Be cautious where the waves are breaking.
Trust those who love you, even when you are scared or in enormous pain.
Sometimes you have to ask for things you want. Like a treat or a bone. You can swap something for it too.
How to be an opportunist.
How to be more spontaneous.
Smiling makes the world better.
To be strong and brave no matter what.
That even when you don’t understand something, (like a cat for instance) doesn’t mean you can’t love them and have fun with them – without trying to understand them.
How good it is to be yourself.
Food and water are very important.
Embrace new experiences and be intuitive at the same time.
It’s really easy to make people feel better and make them laugh.
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As my mother said to me throughout my childhood, “animals are our teachers”.
Thank you Boo.
technorati palaver: qr6ckpjn2m
Read
June 18, 2009
How annoying that just when I’m in the mood to write today about reading books to your dog I can’t find my dogeared copy of Kinship With All Life by J. Allen Boone, (subtitle: Simple, Challenging, Real-Life Experiences Showing How Animals Communicate with Each Other and with the People Who Understand Them.)
I will have to come back to the exact quote I wanted to share later. From memory, Boone talks about Strongheart, the famous German Shepherd from silent movies, a dog of extreme intelligence who LOVED being read to.
His owner/wrangler Lawrence Trimble discovered that Strongheart had a passion for reading books. So between scenes and at home Trimble would read stories to the magnificent dog. But the kicker here is he makes the point of saying they were not just any stories – they had to be highfallutin works and apparently Shakespeare was a particular favorite of Strongheart’s.
As I was reading this years ago I was thinking yes, I can see it would be the stories, the rhythm of the words, and this was clearly a dog who reveled in learning but did his enjoyment also come from the simple gesture of his person sitting down with him and *sharing* something quietly?
That the being-read-to was also about feeling connected? That for this exclusive, separate time, Strongheart was not expected to perform, do tricks, generally do as he was asked but simply “be” with his person knowing his person was concentrating on him and his enjoyment?
Until I’ve found my copy of Kinship With All Life let me share a quote from Helen Keller (also a German Shepherd owner):
The charming relations I have had with a long succession of dogs result from their happy spontaneity. Usually they are quick to discover that I cannot see or hear. Truly, as companions, friends, equals in opportunities of self-expression, they unfold to me the dignity of creation.
Hero
June 17, 2009
If you were a dog, who would you like as the person you lived with? (Apart from yourself as a human.) Gosh, well, there are fortunately a lot of excellent choices.
I’m not saying that I would definitely want Cesar Millan as my person – mainly because he goes away a lot. But whoa, any guy who can rollerblade behind a giant pack of dogs including rehabilitated pit bulls and not just hold on to all their leashes, down a street, but smile and be in control of the situation, have the love and respect of all those dogs, some of whom maybe he hasn’t known very long – well, hot ssssst! He’s a legend as far as I’m concerned!
I love that scene of him rollerblading in the opening credits of his show. I pretty much don’t hear anything he says after that I’m so in awe. (I used to rollerblade with my first Malamute and it was GREAT until my dog took off, I wasn’t ready so grabbed a lamp-post, got wrapped around it like I was in a cartoon and the dog kept going! He was a sled dog after all. I can’t believe I didn’t dislocate my shoulder.)
Anyway, I just popped over to Cesar’s really wonderful and helpful website and saw his ‘tag line’ – apart from the marketing team hype “Achieving balance between people and dogs” – is “Stay calm and assertive”. Well, listen, I’m there. I’m adding that to my daily affirmations. “I am calm and assertive” Yes, that works for me. What a guy!
The big question today is: can Peta manage to NOT Tweet – @CesarMillan “I love yoo-woo-woo!”
It won’t be easy people.
The other question is could we get a free copy of Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul through all his ‘gates’ for him to read, enjoy, approve and maybe even write a review? It’s entirely possible since a main thrust behind the barkalicous stories is supporting the relationship between dogs and people. They are written to be emotionally supportive of the person, educate the new owner, offer subtle training support.
I’d love to know what Cesar thinks. Would he approve? He’s in Australia at the moment doing a tour. Hope he’s having fun and not missing his dog tribe too much. Man, is he in for some major licking and yes, I’m sure major JUMPING UP action from them when he gets home!
Tweet
June 16, 2009
Day two and I have set us up on Twitter. WOW! What a brilliant pet community! I am totally blown away by the gorgeousness and quantity of dog and cat avatar pics! How fantastic! Some people have a gallery of only dog or cats faces in their followers grid which looks amazing. How fabulous.
Plus, I am already laughing about connecting with people who live with pets who have the same names as our Beef Casserole for the Dog’s Soul stories. Like just now, a beautiful Papillon girl called Belle. Our Belle is the heroine of Tricky Dog and is very good at dog tricks.
Follow me, Peta (and my tribe!) at: Twitter/Bibliopet.
