Great News! Brody is going to a new home today where he can stay as long has he needs to, provided that he can adjust to life with four cats and one female Maltese who prefers to be addressed as Your Royal Highness. But given Brody's mellow temperament and the professional expertise of his new humans, I am very optimistic that Brody will make a successful adjustment.
Therefore, Brody would only be available to someone who wants him for himself and has a track record of loving and caring for toy dogs with grooming requirements. He needs to live in an adult only home or a home with older, mature children.
In "normal" times, a dog like Brody would never have found himself in such a desperate situation. He is an adorable dog with a sweet disposition. He is the embodiment of an ancient breed with a history of privilege.
But as precarious as Brody's life has been, he is one of the lucky Pekingese searching for love and security. Pekingese Breed Rescue is overwhelmed with many surrenders and few adoption applications. They are in critical need of foster homes. If you are thinking about contributing to a dog charity, consider a donation to the Pekes. If you have the time and love and space--Pekes don't take up much space--consider fostering one or two of these charming dogs.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Brody Really, Really Needs A Home!
For a year I have been mentioning an adorable Pekingese name Brody. These are tough times for all dogs. And Brody has been particularly unlucky even for these tough times. Ordinarily, it would be incomprehensible that such a shining example of an ancient and honorable breed would find himself without a loving, secure home. But that is what has happened to this little guy.
I cannot remember a time when I did not want to have a Pekingese of my own. But other dogs entered my life and John and I have made serious commitments to two Sight Hounds. One is Magic, a Greyhound/Deerhound mix. The other is Bingley, an officially retired racing Greyhound. I say "officially" because, just as a Marine is always a Marine, Bingley will always be a racing Greyhound. He is VERY high prey and cannot be safe with any small animals, in spite of his very sweet temperament and loving ways.
So even though Brody is not my dog and never can be my dog, in a sense he is the Pekingese I always dreamed of. And he needs a home. He is in desperate need of a home.
In other posts, I have written about the special needs of dogs in the Toy Group, the group to which Pekingese belong. They are not the best dogs for a young and boisterous family. They thrive on a close relationship with their human. Pekingese, in particular, have centuries of breeding to be highly treasured companion dogs.
If you have room in your heart and home for Brody, please contact me:
portiasmom at live dot com.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Back to Basics
About a month ago, Magic turned up with an ulcer on her left eye. We treated it with anti-biotic ointment and it seemed to improve, but it did not heal completely. So, Saturday morning, we took her back to the vet's. The ulcer had tried to heal, but had migrated, imperiling her vision. The best option was surgery which uses the third eyelid to cover the eye and protect it while healing proceeds. A tech who is a special friend of Magic and Bingley suggested that a transparent e-collar would maximize Magic's remaining vision in her right eye. While Magic was in surgery, I went to the local Petco for the collar.
As I pulled up to the store, I noticed a sign: SNAP ADOPTIONS TODAY
Since dog rescue is my passion and I had never heard of SNAP, I stopped to talk with a volunteer who had brought three Chihuahuas/Chihuahua mixes for adoption.
SNAP stands for Spay Neuter Action Project
I urge you to click on the link and spend some time on their website. For twenty years, they have worked to tackle the homeless pet problem at its source: providing low-cost and sometimes free spaying and neutering for domestic pets that otherwise would reproduce offspring with no hope of finding a loving family. According to their website, the homeless pet problem is so severe in San Diego County, it would require pet owners to adopt Twenty-Four! pets apiece, to provide homes for all needy pets.
As I left the store, a fourth little dog had been added to the adoption group: a very small white Terrier, clearly with some West Highland White in its mix. The product of some "designer" dog breeding who somehow didn't quite meet expectations? I strongly suspect that. I wanted to weep.
Magic is home, sleeping on the sofa opposite me, wearing her transparent e-collar. We have three weeks of meds and collar before the stitches come out--and all paws crossed--she is restored to normal vision.
Meanwhile, the little dogs outside Petco haunt me. I pray that loving homes are in their future. That soft cushions, sofas, and good veterinary care will be theirs.
As I pulled up to the store, I noticed a sign: SNAP ADOPTIONS TODAY
Since dog rescue is my passion and I had never heard of SNAP, I stopped to talk with a volunteer who had brought three Chihuahuas/Chihuahua mixes for adoption.
SNAP stands for Spay Neuter Action Project
I urge you to click on the link and spend some time on their website. For twenty years, they have worked to tackle the homeless pet problem at its source: providing low-cost and sometimes free spaying and neutering for domestic pets that otherwise would reproduce offspring with no hope of finding a loving family. According to their website, the homeless pet problem is so severe in San Diego County, it would require pet owners to adopt Twenty-Four! pets apiece, to provide homes for all needy pets.
As I left the store, a fourth little dog had been added to the adoption group: a very small white Terrier, clearly with some West Highland White in its mix. The product of some "designer" dog breeding who somehow didn't quite meet expectations? I strongly suspect that. I wanted to weep.
Magic is home, sleeping on the sofa opposite me, wearing her transparent e-collar. We have three weeks of meds and collar before the stitches come out--and all paws crossed--she is restored to normal vision.
Meanwhile, the little dogs outside Petco haunt me. I pray that loving homes are in their future. That soft cushions, sofas, and good veterinary care will be theirs.
Friday, November 5, 2010
What Should Be Done?
It's hard to imagine a more stressful job for an animal lover than being an employee of a county animal control or a humane society charged with enforcement of human-animal laws. The heartbreak of receiving mistreated and discarded pets and witnessing the euthanizing of perfectly healthy animals must extract a heavy emotional toll.
Difficult financial times as we are now experiencing add to the stresses. Pets are given up because people lose homes and cannot find a rental that will accept pets. Budget cuts can mean a reduction in employees, adding to the overload for staff. Donations to non-profits suffer as peoples' disposable income is reduced.
Is it possible to make humane laws and their enforcement more effective under current conditions? I believe it is possible, but not without a complete re-thinking of the laws and a fresh approach to enforcement.
The basic structure of "animal control" has not changed much since I Love Lucy was the top show on black and white television.
However. Just about all the relevant variables have changed. For example, my county, San Diego County, California, has tripled in population. Breeds that no one outside the dog world had ever heard of have become popular. Two income families--both spouses working outside the home--have become the norm. Puppy mills continue to churn out poor, sickly dogs for profit and all sorts of mixed breeds are produced and sold to the naive as "designer breeds."
Like many other counties, San Diego is large both in terms of population and square miles. It includes cities, towns, suburbs, exurbs, ranch land, deserts, mountains, beaches, rich, middle class, poor, and a mind-boggling number of nationalities and languages which represent widely differing cultures and customs.
Even if public funds were available, and they certainly are not, throwing money at our sclerotic system of animal control would not significantly ameliorate the lives of homeless pets and improve the safety of dogs being walked on leash on the county's streets in the county's parks.
What should be done?
1. Jurisdiction for animal control needs to be closer to home than the county. Approaches that work for semi-rural communities cannot be expected to work for high density neighborhoods or suburbs. This means that cities and towns need to start taking responsibility for the welfare and safety of animals and humans within their jurisdiction. One spark of hope for this approach is in the talking stage with the cities of Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos considering the creation of a more localized jurisdiction for animal control. I am tentatively hopeful. But if these cities just replicate the old system, they will miss an important opportunity to really improve the lives of domestic pets in North County.
2. Criminal charges for violations of leash laws need to be eliminated. A law enforcement officer whose main concerns are robbery, theft or assault with a deadly weapon can be understandably reluctant to charge a person violating a leash law with a misdemeanor. Unless animals--usually dogs--are clearly being used in a threatening manner, leash law violations should be infractions.
3. Leash law violations should be treated similarly to traffic violations. While charges should be lowered, fines should be raised and graduated for each offense. In this way, dog on dog attacks can be addressed. Under the current system, the only consequence for a dog on dog attack is what the victim's human is able to extract from the perpetrator's human. Usually this goes through Small Claims Court and rarely results in full restitution of veterinary fees, much less sufficient cost to act as deterrent for future violations. I have no doubt that if the owners of the dog who savaged Zephyr had felt sufficiently punished financially for that attack, Portia, Bingley and John would not have been attacked less than three years later by the same dog and Portia would be alive today.
4. Leash law violators should be required to attend--and pay for--classes in responsible dog care. San Diego County Animal Control has a small pilot program with this approach which is showing encouraging results. Repeat violators should be assigned community service hours in shelters.
5. Just as some people eventually lose the right to drive a car, some people should not be permitted to have the responsibility of caring for a domestic pet.
It is pretty well established that the presence of a domestic pet in a human's life brings physical, emotional and social benefits. We owe these fellow creatures who bring so many graces into our lives more responsible care. A fresh approach to the laws and enforcement of the laws that affect our canine and feline companions is necessary if we are to discharge our responsibilities toward them
Difficult financial times as we are now experiencing add to the stresses. Pets are given up because people lose homes and cannot find a rental that will accept pets. Budget cuts can mean a reduction in employees, adding to the overload for staff. Donations to non-profits suffer as peoples' disposable income is reduced.
Is it possible to make humane laws and their enforcement more effective under current conditions? I believe it is possible, but not without a complete re-thinking of the laws and a fresh approach to enforcement.
The basic structure of "animal control" has not changed much since I Love Lucy was the top show on black and white television.
However. Just about all the relevant variables have changed. For example, my county, San Diego County, California, has tripled in population. Breeds that no one outside the dog world had ever heard of have become popular. Two income families--both spouses working outside the home--have become the norm. Puppy mills continue to churn out poor, sickly dogs for profit and all sorts of mixed breeds are produced and sold to the naive as "designer breeds."
Like many other counties, San Diego is large both in terms of population and square miles. It includes cities, towns, suburbs, exurbs, ranch land, deserts, mountains, beaches, rich, middle class, poor, and a mind-boggling number of nationalities and languages which represent widely differing cultures and customs.
Even if public funds were available, and they certainly are not, throwing money at our sclerotic system of animal control would not significantly ameliorate the lives of homeless pets and improve the safety of dogs being walked on leash on the county's streets in the county's parks.
What should be done?
1. Jurisdiction for animal control needs to be closer to home than the county. Approaches that work for semi-rural communities cannot be expected to work for high density neighborhoods or suburbs. This means that cities and towns need to start taking responsibility for the welfare and safety of animals and humans within their jurisdiction. One spark of hope for this approach is in the talking stage with the cities of Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos considering the creation of a more localized jurisdiction for animal control. I am tentatively hopeful. But if these cities just replicate the old system, they will miss an important opportunity to really improve the lives of domestic pets in North County.
2. Criminal charges for violations of leash laws need to be eliminated. A law enforcement officer whose main concerns are robbery, theft or assault with a deadly weapon can be understandably reluctant to charge a person violating a leash law with a misdemeanor. Unless animals--usually dogs--are clearly being used in a threatening manner, leash law violations should be infractions.
3. Leash law violations should be treated similarly to traffic violations. While charges should be lowered, fines should be raised and graduated for each offense. In this way, dog on dog attacks can be addressed. Under the current system, the only consequence for a dog on dog attack is what the victim's human is able to extract from the perpetrator's human. Usually this goes through Small Claims Court and rarely results in full restitution of veterinary fees, much less sufficient cost to act as deterrent for future violations. I have no doubt that if the owners of the dog who savaged Zephyr had felt sufficiently punished financially for that attack, Portia, Bingley and John would not have been attacked less than three years later by the same dog and Portia would be alive today.
4. Leash law violators should be required to attend--and pay for--classes in responsible dog care. San Diego County Animal Control has a small pilot program with this approach which is showing encouraging results. Repeat violators should be assigned community service hours in shelters.
5. Just as some people eventually lose the right to drive a car, some people should not be permitted to have the responsibility of caring for a domestic pet.
It is pretty well established that the presence of a domestic pet in a human's life brings physical, emotional and social benefits. We owe these fellow creatures who bring so many graces into our lives more responsible care. A fresh approach to the laws and enforcement of the laws that affect our canine and feline companions is necessary if we are to discharge our responsibilities toward them
Monday, October 25, 2010
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
In June 2008, Portia, Bingley and I began to walk on Tuesday mornings with Marilyn and her pack: Franklin, Hattie and Ruby. Ruby was the oldest of the hounds and by far the smallest. It wasn't long before I began to call her Ruby Tuesday. Even when our walk days changed to Monday, I still thought of her as Ruby Tuesday.
Until Marilyn adopted her, Ruby's life was not pleasant. But she wasn't one to protest her lot. She was quiet and unassuming. Portia insisted on deference. Franklin likes to show off. Bingley will suddenly race for a rabbit. Hattie can be a little touchy when her ailments are bothering her. Magic is exploring her Inner Princess and lets us all know if she is not receiving the attention she thinks she deserves. But Ruby was always sweet tempered, tolerated Bingley's persistent attention, never showed jealousy, and could be counted on to be a compliant member of the pack.
Ruby was in kidney failure for quite some time. Then about six weeks ago, her condition became acute, and the vet told Marilyn that Ruby's days were numbered. But even though she was desperately ill, Ruby still enjoyed her walks and insisted on going.
Over the last few weeks, we have watched as Ruby literally became skin and bones. Last week she wasn't the first dog to ask for a rest. She seemed determined to keep up with the pack. But we left early in order to spare her. We hoped to see her this week. We hoped that she would live until her eleventh birthday on November 1. But Sunday, October 25th, she was so ill, she clearly needed help to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
She has now joined Portia. I like to think that she and Portia are getting re-acquainted and that Portia is showing Ruby around her new home.
Our deepest condolences go out to Marilyn, Jerry, Franklin and Hattie. Thank you, Marilyn and Jerry for giving Ruby the best years of her life.
Until Marilyn adopted her, Ruby's life was not pleasant. But she wasn't one to protest her lot. She was quiet and unassuming. Portia insisted on deference. Franklin likes to show off. Bingley will suddenly race for a rabbit. Hattie can be a little touchy when her ailments are bothering her. Magic is exploring her Inner Princess and lets us all know if she is not receiving the attention she thinks she deserves. But Ruby was always sweet tempered, tolerated Bingley's persistent attention, never showed jealousy, and could be counted on to be a compliant member of the pack.
Ruby was in kidney failure for quite some time. Then about six weeks ago, her condition became acute, and the vet told Marilyn that Ruby's days were numbered. But even though she was desperately ill, Ruby still enjoyed her walks and insisted on going.
Over the last few weeks, we have watched as Ruby literally became skin and bones. Last week she wasn't the first dog to ask for a rest. She seemed determined to keep up with the pack. But we left early in order to spare her. We hoped to see her this week. We hoped that she would live until her eleventh birthday on November 1. But Sunday, October 25th, she was so ill, she clearly needed help to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
She has now joined Portia. I like to think that she and Portia are getting re-acquainted and that Portia is showing Ruby around her new home.
Our deepest condolences go out to Marilyn, Jerry, Franklin and Hattie. Thank you, Marilyn and Jerry for giving Ruby the best years of her life.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
What We Do For Love
The song says It Never Rains In Southern California, which, of course is true some years and very untrue other years. I would have sworn that it never rains in October in Southern California, but this year is an exception. AND, we "never" have thunder storms in Southern California, but this year has been an exception. Last night we had a sustained thunder and lightening storm. Nothing by Kansas City or D.C. standards, but impressive for us.
And terrifying for poor Bingley. At 2am, he woke us up, whimpering and shaking. There is something profoundly sad about trying to comfort a powerful 80 pound dog who is pacing, panting and trembling with fear.
Bingley isn't a snuggler. He sometimes sits in front of me and asks to be petted. But even when he hops up on the sofa next to me, he maintains a little distance. Last night, he did let me rub his ears and head during the worst of the storm. But, mostly, he just wanted me to be close by. He finally agreed to settle down in his bed if I would sit on the floor next to him.
Magic has her own issues, but she shares none of Bingley's fears of thunder and lightening. She did stir herself to nose in for a little attention, but got bored and went back to sleep.
The storm finally passed about 3:15 this morning, when I was able to crawl back into bed until the alarm rang at 5:00.
Thunderstorms are in the forecast for today and tomorrow. I'm keeping a close watch on the radar map.
And terrifying for poor Bingley. At 2am, he woke us up, whimpering and shaking. There is something profoundly sad about trying to comfort a powerful 80 pound dog who is pacing, panting and trembling with fear.
Bingley isn't a snuggler. He sometimes sits in front of me and asks to be petted. But even when he hops up on the sofa next to me, he maintains a little distance. Last night, he did let me rub his ears and head during the worst of the storm. But, mostly, he just wanted me to be close by. He finally agreed to settle down in his bed if I would sit on the floor next to him.
Magic has her own issues, but she shares none of Bingley's fears of thunder and lightening. She did stir herself to nose in for a little attention, but got bored and went back to sleep.
The storm finally passed about 3:15 this morning, when I was able to crawl back into bed until the alarm rang at 5:00.
Thunderstorms are in the forecast for today and tomorrow. I'm keeping a close watch on the radar map.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Happy Gottcha Day, Bingley!
Three years ago today, the Chief Rescuer of Greyhound Adoption Center opened the doors of a dog hauler and found five dogs. Two were dead. Three had survived. One of those dogs was Bingley.
He had begun his racing career winning a race in Florida before his second birthday. Eventually, he was shipped to Arizona. After Bingley had lost a few races, he was sold to a gambling man who thought he could make money running his own string of dogs. Five racing Greyhounds are not cheap to keep. Food costs money. Dogs need a lot of water to stay hydrated in a hot hauler being driven across the Arizona and California deserts.
The dogs were rescued just in time. Nine days later, fires swept through San Diego County. Greyhound Adoption Center's kennel had to be evacuated and rescues were put on hold.
Thank you, Chief Rescuer! Thank you all of the staff and volunteers of Greyhound Adoption Center. We wouldn't have wanted to miss having Bingley in our lives.
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