The Devaluation of a Species
                     Companion animal homelessness perpetuates companion animal homelessness

    There is a force at work in young, developing minds that is called, among other things, "Value Programming".  It is generally accepted that up until what is referred to as "the age of reason" (approximately 7 years) a child forms and solidifies its core values.  Once formed, these core values are highly resistant to modification.  This can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
    What determines what these values look like in the now-reasoning child, teen, young adult, parent or senior citizen is what they were exposed to and surrounded by as a very young child,  Parents, don't despair.  All of your hard work "bringin' 'em up right" is not in vain and will have a hugely beneficial effect on your child, maybe not right now while he or she is busy rebelling but those values, principles and beliefs will be there, 'most likely, for a lifetime to positively impact your child's decisions and choices years down the road.  Like most everything else though, this can have a downside.  In the case of a child brought up in an abusive environment, this behavior and lifestyle becomes, over the formative years, the norm once those values have solidified.  This explains why "battered women's syndrome" is so difficult to combat.
    Okay, so you're probably thinking right now;  "Hmmm, interesting but what does all of this have to do with dogs and other companion animals?"  Well, think of it.  Here in the southeast, as well as other parts of the country and world, a dog or cat can generally live in the wild year-'round and raise to adulthood (and sexual maturity) litter after litter of young'uns.  We have here a self-sustaining population of homeless and feral animals that can and do become a problem, carrying disease, destroying property and posing a serious hazard on the highways.  This condition has existed for countless human generations and so each new generation grows through their formative years surrounded by, as the societal norm, dirty, hungry, sick and diseased companion animals who are often viewed as ground up carcasses in the highway or a buzzard feast along side of it.  Values are being programmed in your child to say, "This is normal, always been that way"!  Having grown up with this scenario as "normal", it is much more difficult for your now-adult offspring to look upon a companion animal as a source of love and companionship and much easier to remain apathetic toward the plight of these homeless pets.  Remember, you've been programmed to believe that this is normal.  So what are your thoughts on spaying/neutering as a humane means of population control?  Don't really care?  Not worth the time, money and effort?  Given our value-programming, this should be no great surprise.
    Nobody is really to blame here, it's merely a situation that exists but that doesn't mean it's right and needs to be perpetuated.  What has happened here is that, for generations, companion animals' worth has been consistently devalued in the eyes of humans.  No wonder then that seeking a humane solution to their overpopulation and suffering is not a priority and thus, companion animal homelessness perpetuates companion animal homelessness.
    What can be done?  Well, fortunately, we can change our core values.  Think about the convicted murderer in prison who finds religion and turns his/her life around.  Changing our core beliefs does take this sort of epiphany though but it can be done with a conscious effort and genuine commitment.  Spending a day at GARD rescue sites pulling dogs from horrendous conditions might motivate you, it's the stuff nightmares are made of.  Whatever you do. the first step in solving a problem is to admit that there is a problem. 
    Whether or not you can impact your own belief-system, you have a real opportunity with your youngsters!  There is a whole field of education geared toward teaching humane values called, not surprisingly, Humane Education".  Since its inception, GARD has recognized and identified this aspect of animal rescue as one of its three primary mission goals but the reality is that our #1 goal, the actual physical rescue and re homing of at-risk animals has always consumed the entirety of our resources (including, sometimes, the grocery money) and probably will for some time to come.  There are, however, a number of up building things (most of them  fun) that you and your children can do to help break this disastrous cycle of devaluation.
    I would first direct you to the "Kids Links" section of the GARD website ( www.gardonline.org ) as a good starting point.  You'll find there an interesting mix of fun, safe websites geared to teach and promote humane ethics.  Take some time with your kids to explore the concepts presented there in the form of games, puzzles and videos.  There is nothing to lose and everything to gain and, at the very least, you will have spent some quality time with your children.  You may even find yourself modifying some of your own programmed-in preconceptions.  There's more yet!  As the parent of a school-age child/children, talk with your educators about humane education in the schools.  The Humane Society ( www.hsus.org ) has some very good programs tailor-made for various school-age groups and is hugely supportive.  Ask questions and make suggestions at your parent-teacher groups.  Talk to other like-minded parents.  Form a club.  Try to involve your church, library or civic group.  Your group will always be welcome to come to our shelter to visit our rescued dogs and discuss issues that homeless/abandoned/abused/neglected/feral companion animals face.  It will be a great learning experience for all and, again, some quality time spent with your children.
    Lastly, if you're highly motivated and have the qualifications, join us here at GARD Inc. volunteering as our Humane Education Coordinator.  Talk with my mom or dad (Joy or Philip).  They treat me like the princess that I am and would dearly love for everyone to get as much out of their relationship with their pet(s) as they do.

Frustration of our own making

Given the intensity and intimacy of the relationship between dogs and humans, it’s a wonder that there isn’t considerably more frustration experienced by both species.  Frustrations do, however, occur.  There’s a whole lot about your world and even you that I do not and will not ever understand and I strongly suspect that the converse is equally true.  While most of these frustrations are minor and even inconsequential, sometimes serious difficulties arise that can lead to the termination of the relationship.  A great number of the dogs that come in to the GARD shelter are refugees from failed relationships.  They’re almost every one of them good dogs but somewhere along in the relationship with their humans, there was an insurmountable glitch and they ended up homeless.  Fortunately, there’s hope.  Okay, sometimes a relationship just won’t work.  We know that.  But a lot of times we’ve missed something and our frustrations can be overcome with a little objective thought, a fresh perspective or maybe a new set of eyes on the problem.

To illustrate how this can work, I’d like to relate a short story about Lilpuff who you met in my last post.  While the nature of this frustration was very minor and much more prone to creating pity rather than antipathy, the principles are valid and can be extrapolated to fit numerous other situations.

Now Lil is not only my best friend but is dearly loved by my mom and dad as well.  She’s a constant companion.  When dad’s here, it’s him, me and Lil.  There’s a problem here though, ‘cause Lil’s always been terribly afraid to ride whereas I love to go in the car and dad takes me whenever he can.  Lil, by necessity, is left out, she used to run whenever the car door is opened.  At the same time, you can tell she feels left out, she does everything else with us.

Now my dad’s a pretty smart guy (for a human) but he used an approach to this that, if he’d thought it out better, he should have known was almost doomed to failure.  One of my favorite places to go with my dad is the beach, so dad took Lil along too on one trip.  Okay, hold it right there.  I love the beach now, but my first time ‘round, it scared me half to death (Oh, neat, water.  Oh crap, it moves.) so dad might have suspected that Lil’s reaction may be similar.  What he was trying to do was gain acceptance of an activity that was scary (riding) by pairing it with another activity that was even scarier (beach).  Of all people, my dad knows better than this, he’s worked for decades, teaching humans (along with other aspects of behavior modification) how to accept new, sometimes frightening things into their lives.  If he’s thought it through in advance rather than in retrospect, he’d have realized that the operative principle in pairing is the combination of a non-preferred activity with a preferred (better yet, highly preferred) activity.  The hope and goal of this is that the preferred activity temporarily provides sufficient distraction from the non-preferred activity until the intrinsic rewards of the new activity can make themselves manifest and it, in itself, becomes a rewarding activity.  The new activity actually has to have some intrinsic rewards for this to work, there’s no way you’re normally going to pass off a bath or shot as a good time (trust me on this). 

Alright, dad stumbled upon the right approach and then thought about it later to figure out why it worked.  Mom and dad were taking care of a friends dogs while they were away and there was an offer of the use of their in-ground pool involved.  Mom and dad planned a rare afternoon off with a pizza party at the pool.  The pizza never happened, something my dad’s still grumbling about, but here’s what took place.

Lil LOVES water!  If nothing else is available, a wet washcloth will do.  Dad had to hang the water dish up in the air to keep her out of it.  We joke that the reason she likes water so much is because she practically grew up in a bathtub (see last post).  Lil LOVES water.  She can jump off a five foot embankment, six feet out and never leave a ripple.  I’m a duck dog and no slouch when it comes to aquatics and it makes me envious.  After a nervous ride to the friend’s pool, Lil had the time of her life discovering the joys of the human’s “cement pond”.  Since that joyous occasion, she’s been eager to ride and has totally dispelled her fears of riding.  She actually asks to go now and rides everywhere with me and my dad.  We’re (me and my dad) both so happy that our Lilly is able to be a part of an activity that we enjoy so much.  We don’t have to feel bad for her being left out anymore.  A couple of weeks ago, dad took us to Hilton Head and we spent hours strolling the length of South Forest Beach and guess what, we’re both learning to be less afraid of the water that moves.

This whole point of this post is to identify that there may well be very simple solutions to more serious, relationship-threatening problems that are just as simple and simply overlooked.  Rather than suffer a breakdown of the relationship between you and your best friend; A. Think about the problem and its antecedents and what behaviors are actually being reinforced. B.  Talk about it with a friend, preferably one who loves companion animals and understands them.  You can even talk to me.  I’m a dog.  I’ll understand.  C.  Consult a professional.  Short of hiring a trainer or consultant, there is plenty of good professional advice available for free on the web.  You can find links to some good starting points on GARD’s website.  D.  If all else fails, break out the checkbook.  I know that when you’re frustrated and at wit’s end, you’re probably not experiencing your greatest inclination to do this but it will be worth it in the long run.  Your dog will be a better friend and you’ll be a better person for taking your responsibility to heart.

Lilpuff

This would be a good time to tell you about Lilpuff because she’s so much a part of what I do and who I am.  Also because the very next thing I want to talk about involves her.
I know, Lilpuff is a strange name (we often just call her Lil) but there is a reason for that, as you’ll see.  Lil was very sick when she came here, all of her littermates had already died and she was down for the count.  My dad always says she was sick enough to kill three puppies.  Mom and dad knew that no matter what they did for her, she would die anyway but they tried.  At one point, it seemed like a kinder option to put her out of her misery but she wasn’t really suffering (she wasn’t very happy but didn’t appear to be in any pain) and you could see that she hadn’t given up yet.  She was so sick, she couldn’t move (this went on for over a month) but she would bite her blanket to let mom and dad know she was hungry and then she would eat canned food from their fingers.  She would lap up a little milk from a saucer when her head was held up to it.  In spite of this, we all expected her to die at any time but she refused to give up.  During this time, my dad would try to encourage her, telling her about all the fun things she could do with him and me if she pulled through.  He told her she didn’t have to worry about a home, she already had one.  Here.  Lil hung on and hung on and we were amazed but still we knew she would shortly end up dead.
One day my dad came in with the saucer of milk and she raised her own head to drink when she saw it.  This was fantastic but there was no way this pup could survive all she’d been through.  Well, long story short, Lil had no interest in dying.  Slowly, very slowly, she got better and stronger.  She had to relearn how to walk because she’d been down so long. She is 3 years old now, as healthy as a horse, my best friend and my second in command.  Together we are daddy’s girls and he loves us both.  When dad adopted her, so did I, that’s why we cal her Lilpuff.  Lil is not only my best friend,she is my equal (remember that I told you I have underlings, not friends).  If she’s that special to my dad then she’s that special to me also and we’re all so glad that she survived to become such an important part of our lives.  When a puppy is that sick and you can see death in their eyes, you still always think (and hope) that there’s a one-in-a-million chance for them  Lil’s that one-in-a-million.

Howling Mad

This is a piece I wrote a couple of years back that is as valid today as it was then:

Hi, Cocopuff here again.  As you may have gathered, I'm howling mad about what they're doing to our dog food!  By "they" I mean specifically, but not exclusively, Chinese manufacturers.  Lately we've been hearing about recall after recall and, while it's good that they are recalling defective, dangerous products, this is usually after incidents of sickness or death have been reported.  This is scary and entirely unnecessary.  I have nothing against the Chinese people, but I think that as the Chinese nation struggles to advance its stature in the world community it is bypassing some key elements that would normally prevent greed and avarice from becoming major influences in their commercial enterprises.  The latest debacle of poisoned infant formula (for their own consumption) really underscores the extent of the problem.  If the formula manufacturers and milk producers are not above adding the toxic compound Melamine to artificially enhance the apparent protein content of their product, I would tend to suspect that they have a problem with integrity as well as the necessary oversight and regulation to ensure that integrity prevails.  I really don't trust them to make my dog food while they're poisoning their own babies in order to increase their cash flow! ( note: since this was first written, the Chinese government has recalled all of the melamine-containing products.  Unfortunately, they did not themselves perform this recall or even bother to oversee it.  A year later, these products are right back on the shelves.)

What can you do?  Well, the first thing is to know what you're buying.  I know Dad's first reaction was to stop buying me any food, chewies or treats that were made in China but, unfortunately, it gets more complicated than that.  A number of manufacturers that produce food for distribution under a whole range of brands and prices use ingredients imported from China, so just going out and finding the priciest dog food and checking the label provides little or no protection.  With a little work and a little Googling, its easy enough to research a particular brand and get a sense how it is manufactured and from what.  There's way too much information to include here and we will refrain from endorsing any specific product or manufacturer here but you owe it to yourself and your beloved pet to come up to speed in how safe your pet's food is.

Secondly, the only way things are ever going to change is to stop buying these substandard, potentially lethal products and put manufacturers and retailers on notice that this is what you are doing and encouraging others to do.  As long as we keep buying it, they'll keep making it and poisoning our pets while they line their pockets at the expense of our tears.  Dad helped me compose an open letter (it's supposed to be written from a human's perspective) that you can sign and distribute to anyone in the pet food supply chain to express your concern and intentions.  Please feel free to print some out for yourself and/or your friends and co-workers.

Another step you can take to help protect your pet is to stay abreast of food safety issues as they are identified.  Rather than waiting to hear it on the news, we would recommend going to www.fda.gov and signing up for e-mail notification of pending and current recalls.  This will, at least, give you as much advance warning as is currently possible.

Lastly, if we will ever be able to buy a bag of dog (or cat) food without wondering if it's the last one we'll need, we need to be true to our ideals.  Times are tough and money is tight but ask yourself if you are willing to jeopardize your pet's health and safety to maybe save a couple of dollars.  If these inferior products start collecting dust on store shelves, the industry will have to change and once again get to the business of supplying us with safe, trustworthy pet supplies.  Good luck!

Unfortunately, the original letter was reformatted to fit into this space but you get the drift:

AN OPEN LETTER TO PET FOOD MANUFACTURERS, WHOLESALERS AND
RETAILERS

DATE:
TO: ________________________________
FROM: ________________________________

The intent of this letter is to advise you that I intend to avoid your pet food products (including
chew toys, rawhide strips etc.) that come from China as well as those that rely on China to supply
ingredients for their manufacture. Additionally, I will strongly advise my friends, family and
colleagues to do likewise in an effort to spare them the grief of losing a beloved companion as the
result of greed and lack of integrity. We are shopping smarter these days, reading labels more closely
and researching the manufacturing processes of those who would supply us with food for our
companion animals. It is my hope that this trend will continue and grow as more and more people
become educated to the fact that they are paying good money to these purveyors of toxic
contaminants and extenders to diminish the quality and length of their pet’s life. Be advised that I
(we) will be buying only products that have a reasonable assurance of purity and safety even if they
cost a bit more or cause us to change how and where we shop for them.

Unfortunately, we have, over the years, gotten used to cheap, shoddy merchandise from China as
well as other countries. We can probably tolerate this (at least for now) when it affects only noncritical
items like kiddie pools, lawn furniture and the like but we want you to understand that we are
not willing to cut corners with regard to our pets health and well-being by supplying them with
substandard food. Other cultures may view things a bit differently but, to us, our pets are as dear to
us as our children and we are devastated by their loss, particularly when it is unexpected and
unnecessary. We are not willing to allow a nation of manufacturers who are not above using toxic
melamine to artificially enhance the apparent protein content of their infant formula to play any role
in the process of supplying our pet’s nutritional needs. We are not willing to allow a nation of
manufacturers who offer and accept bribes and kick-backs to overlook shoddy manufacturing
methods and negligent quality control practices to supply raw materials or finished products for our
pet’s food. We are not willing to allow a nation of manufacturers who place their profit margin
above the integrity of their product and thus above the value of our companion’s life to be enriched
while we tearfully bury our beloved pets.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter

Hot Weather Tips for You and Your Dog

Like most dogs, I love to ride.  I don’t really care if it’s only to the store for a half gallon of milk or to gas up, okay, I’d rather be going to Dairy Queen or to the beach or my Grandma’s but the going is what’s important and my dad, like so many other humans recognizes this as a way of us doing things together.  When he takes me with him, I know he loves me.
Please, please don’t let your expression of love turn into a medical emergency or the loss of your beloved companion.  Often, when you're out, you have to run into the store, Post Office, whatever and, if you’re like most people, you worry about your canine companion jumping out of the window after some cat that just shouldn’t ought to have been there.  While this is a valid concern, even though you’re only planning to be gone a minute or two (if things go exactly as you had planned), the temperature in that vehicle can get hot enough to kill in mere minutes.  I’ve seen dogs locked in cars with all of the windows rolled completely shut on blistering hot days and I know my mom and dad aren’t too worried about hurting some feelings or causing some embarrassment in order save the occupant before it is fried.  I’ve seen people pull right up to the shelter here wanting to adopt one of our dogs with their dog in the car on a sunny day with the windows rolled up or maybe one just cracked a inch or two (does no good).  Now it’s important for our dogs to get a home, most of them were scheduled to be euthanized by Animal Control  precisely because they did not have a home but they don’t need a home quite that badly, they’ll stay here a bit longer  If you don’t believe me, try parking your car in the sun with one window rolled down an inch or two.  See how quickly it becomes unbearably hot in there.  Now keep in mind that your dog is much smaller and has substantially less body mass and will heat up and dehydrate much faster.  Humans, unlike dogs, also have the ability to sweat to help keep their body temperature constant.  So what happens if your credit card doesn’t go through when you’re at the store or the Post Office tries to set a new record for slow service?  That two minutes just turned to ten and I may be suffering from heat stroke or even dead when you do come out.  Your taking me was an act of love.  You didn’t mean to kill me.  Did you?
With a little preplanning, disasters can be avoided.  I know there are times that dad doesn’t take me, it’s just too hot or he has to go in somewhere that would result in me being left too long in the car.  Now the hard and fast rule is supposed to be never leave your dog in the car alone (see HSUS tips for travelling with your dog) but this is the real world and you know it’s going to happen.  Tell you what my dad does; he drives a Ford Escape with a sunroof and I get to go a lot more since he got that.  If he has to run into the store, he leaves all four windows down enough to get a good exchange of air and opens the sunroof.  He also installed a grill inside the back window so he can open it up without exposing any cats to a game of “stretch the kitty”.  This allows him on all but the hottest days to run into someplace for just a minute.  He also carries my Bubba Keg full of water once the weather gets warm.  Sometimes though, much as I hate to say it, the safest thing is to leave me at the house.  I don’t like that but it’s sure better than being dead.
A couple of other points for keeping tragedy at bay.  Airbags kill.  the fender-bender that ruined your day would end my life.  Some vehicles have an option to turn off the passenger side air bag.  This is a good feature. Having your dog ride in the back seat is always a good idea, airbags or no.  I’ve got my own doggy bed in the back of my dad’s car.  Even less thought about, electric windows can kill.  I love to look out of the window but, by doing so, my feet are placed right near the buttons to operate the windows.  Most cars have a feature for the driver to lock out all of the window controls but the driver’s and this is a great thing so long as you don’t leave me in the vehicle with the engine running and the air conditioner on to keep me cool.  While I’m looking out of your window to see when you’re coming back, I could easily mash the button and roll my head up in the window.
The key to all of this is to think ahead.  Plan your trips for when it’s cooler if you can.  When making decisions about travelling, think of me as an infant because, when it comes to surviving in a parked car, I’m just about that capable of taking care of myself. 

                                                       

The Ten Commandments

Here's another piece I wrote a while back:

Recently my Dad was telling Mom about the 10 commandments of dog ownership that he had read in some sort of doglopedia. He said it really bothered him because if people actually followed this advice, they and their dog would miss out on some of the more rewarding aspects of human/canine relationships. Well, seeing as how I'm already shedding, I thought I could shed some light on this subject before he sits down to write and gives you his long-winded version. I am, after all, a dog and know whereof I speak.


I won't quote, word-for-word, the 10 commandments. You can look them up for yourself if you wish (they appear in Planet Dog as well as other publications). The basic premise is that you, as a human, must establish yourself as the one in charge, the Alpha, in a manner consistent with the social order that exists among canids in the wild in order for the relationship to enjoy any success. The 10 commandments consist of do's and don'ts (mostly don'ts) such as: Don't share your food with the dog (the Alpha's food is his and his alone). Don't share your bed with the dog (the Alpha's den is his and his alone). Don't allow your dog to initiate play lest he think he is in charge. Better to take the proffered toy or ball without comment and then later, of your own volition, initiate some sort of game as if it were your idea (Oh please! Do you really think I'm that dumb?). Don't step over or walk around your dog. Make him move. You're the Alpha after all. Okay, I can see why Dad's a bit peeved about this stuff. First of all, it makes the assumption that I am incapable of differentiating between canid relationships and human relationships. Essentially, the message is that, in order for our relationship to work, you have to be the lead wolf or I won't respect you and will walk all over you. I may possibly even attack you.


Before I launch into my rebuttal, I must say that this information is in no way erroneous if all you're looking for is a successful working relationship with a dog (guarding, herding, tracking etc.) or a relationship that is successful due to lack of conflict and strife but is also equally devoid of the exquisite bonding that is there for the asking. Follow these 10 commandments and it is a good bet that your dog would not try to take advantage of you or challenge your authority. Follow these 10 commandments and it's guaranteed that you'll miss out on the most wonderful bond that is achievable between you and your pet. Think about it. If all I needed was a big, in-charge dog, couldn't I just get that from another dog? What makes my life special is living in and being part of a human's world and a human being a part of mine.


I pretty much love everybody, but I love my Dad more than anything in the world. I also respect his authority. He's large and in charge but he's also a human. He's not another dog and he's not a human trying to act like another dog. He is the senior partner in our dog/human relationship in much the same way you are the authority figure in the relationship with your child. My Dad doesn't do a lot of behavior modification to maintain this role in my life. I do remember a time when I was in my doggy teens that Dad took some time to do some formal limit setting with me (I can be rather strong-willed and pushy with my underlings sometimes) but mostly it just comes from the heart. I obey him primarily out of love and respect rather than training and correction. Our relationship is one of give and take, not command and obey. If your son or daughter came running up to you with a toy or game, would you just take it from them without comment only to offer it later as if it were your idea? Would you make them move every time they were where you wanted to be? Would you deny them a handful of your popcorn or a sip of your sweet tea? Do they disrespect you when you honor their requests for playtime or to share your snack? Do they stop loving you when you don't bully them out of your way?


One of my favorite things in this world is, at the end of the day, falling out with my Dad (and a dozen or so doggy friends) on the bed to watch some TV and maybe have some popcorn or crackers (Cheeze-its, I love Cheeze-its). Does this mean that I'm challenging his authority? I know that I'm there cause Dad loves me and wants to spend time with me not because I'm taking over his den. I also love to go for rides and, every time we get near the car, I'll ask him if we can go. Now, a lot of times he tells me no or that I'll have to wait some but what he doesn't do is just ignore me. We have kind of the same understanding about walks. Even though I'm pretty much always with him when he's not working at the mill, I'd rather be with him walking in the woods and will ask to do so any time we get within sight of the trail. I'm pretty sure he'll usually tell me I have to wait some but I'm also sure that he knows I'm wanting to go and will take me when he gets a chance but the point is that he recognizes that I'm asking and gives me an answer even if it's not the one I'm looking for. We have different standards for different situations. I know that when we're working I have to kind of stay close by if I want to be a part of what he's doing. I can't just go stirring up all of the dogs in the shelter. I'd really like to do that but I'd rather be with him. I always hear people who come to the shelter tell him what a good girl I am and how they wish their dog would just hang out with them like that. Dad never trained me to be this way. I hang out with him because I want to be with him and respect his rules because I want him to want me to be with him. Now when we're out in the woods or at the beach, the situation is different and I have a lot more say in things. In any given situation, I've got a pretty good idea how far Dad's willing to let me range ahead. If I'm in doubt, I'll ask him (all it takes is a look). When we come to a trail juncture, again, I'll ask which way we're going. Sometimes he'll just point or sometimes he'll let me choose. There's a lot of give and take in all of this and yes, sometimes I'll try to take advantage of the situation ( much like the give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile rule that human children subscribe to) but our communication also provides me with an idea as to what is negotiable and what is not. I know that when I hear that drawn out Cocopuff, nooooooooo , it means that I need to pay attention and not question what I'm being told. I really don't mind this as much as you'd think. The human world is much more complicated than that of a dog and I trust him to keep me safe in it. I know he loves me and wouldn't let me come to harm. Absolutely none of this is based on his being another dog in my eyes. I'm much brighter than that. Absolutely all of this is based on common sense, love, mutual respect and an awareness of the differences in communication that necessarily exist in dog/human relationships. It doesn't hurt to understand how dogs and other canids think and live in their own worlds but you don't have to be one to be a part of mine.


Before I'm accused of being as long-winded as my Dad, I'll wrap this up by saying that not all advice, even that coming from an authoritative source, is necessarily good advice and good advice is not necessarily great advice. If all you want from your dog is just someone to lie under the porch and not abuse or embarrass you, I guess there's no harm in that but you are both missing out on something quite special and rewarding. My Dad occupies a place in my life that no other dog could possible fill and I could not possibly be replaced by any human in his. I'd love to see every dog have this special relationship. I think it is a lot more in keeping with the original symbiosis that man and dog have developed over the last several thousand years and is still achievable even in today's urbanized, mechanized technology-driven society. If you feel that you could be getting more out of your relationship with your dog or just wonder what the heck I'm talking about here, I'd love to hear from you.

Things That Make My Life Worth Living

This post was taken from my old webpage. I think there's some good information there and some food for thought.
So what makes a dog's life worth living? I can only speak for myself here. I could survive with just food and water. True, without a vet I wouldn't live quite as long or happy a life but my ancestors did just that for thousands of years. Many years ago, my wild ancestors found that they had some sort of special bond with humans. By keeping each other's company, we could enrich each other's lives by helping one another out, defending them and sharing each other's experiences in life. Over time, that bond has grown to the point that it is no longer an oddity of nature but part of our very makeup. I believe this original bonding occurred due to the fact that we have some of the same attributes. Commonalities I think my dad calls them and greatest among them, I think, is the need for love. Without this, my wild ancestors might just as well have stayed in the woods. Let me tell you what makes my life worth living. I've got everything a dog needs. I live with my folks at their shelter so I've got lots of friends, old and new (I'm the boss of them all). I get plenty to eat and I get excellent medical care but being loved, I mean really LOVED is what makes my life so rewarding. I love pretty much everyone here, dogs, puppies and people alike and I watch over things to make sure nothing bad happens to any of them but I have a very special relationship with my dad. Sure, he picked me out of literally hundreds of rescued puppies to be his own but that, in of itself, is no big deal. What's important is htat he always takes time to let me know that I am special to him, to communicate with me and do fun things with me or just let me hang out with him while he works around the yard and kennels. Whether its taking me to the beach for the very first time, letting me lick his ice cream cone or spending some serious cuddle time, I always know that he loves me and I need that. All dogs do. I've always got his back and he's got mine. The other day we were helping my grandma take her dog Jake for a walk when three big dogs came out growling and wanting to tear him up. My dad and I got in between to make sure nobody got hurt and I was ready to fight. There was no doubt in my mind that, if it came to a fight, my dad and I would be in it together, side by side.

I just wanted to touch a little on communicating. Dogs are very smart and most will try to communicate (in doggy fashion) with their humans. (For a great book on communicating with your pet, check out PETSPEAK) The other day I was playing with my friends while my dad was working on a kennel in the back yard when the sky got very dark and the wind started to blow. This made me a little nervous but I don't really know why. I went out back to find him, looked up at him and then looked up at the sky and back to him. He let me know that he was aware and was watching for any signs of danger himself (it came out a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). Or just yesterday when we took a walk in the woods and wound up on a road that we'd never been on before. Once I realized that we weren't turning off into the old cotton field, I came running back and jumped up at his hand to ask him if he'd made a mistake or something (he is getting a little old you know). Once again, he reassured me that everything was under control (and once again, it sounded a lot like "It'll be a'ight"). It's this part of our relationship that I find to be so special, that someone recognizes that I actually know stuff and am trying to communicate with them. I guess that if no one listened, I'd just stop trying.

Let me tell you about our trip to the beach. First we went shopping at this great doggy store and then stopped for ice cream. When we got onto the beach, there were still a lot of people there and although I'm pretty well behaved, I'm a country dog. I'm much more used to running in the woods than threading through a bunch of sunbathers. At first I was on a leash which I HATE but, even though I could see that my dad had his doubts about letting me run free, he let me try and I rewarded him by being on my best behavior. I'm pretty sure I put one over on him though. My dad has his own language with me that doesn't sound much like what he uses when he talks with other humans but, at some point, he started using these hand signals that I've never seen before. I think he was pretty impressed in thinking that I learned them so quickly but, truth is, I already knew what it was that he wanted me to do (or not do). All the hand signals did was to let me know that he wanted something. It's amazing that so much of our communication is intuitive and unspoken but having this bond is what makes my life worth living.

Welcome

Hi. I'm Cocopuff, the official spokesdog for Georgia Animal Rescue and Defence Inc ( www.gardonline.org ). Chances are you've already seen me around either at adoption events, on fliers, at the shelter, or out and about with my mom and dad. I feel that I am particularly qualified to speak out on quality of life issues because I have a relationship with my humans that every pet would envy (also because my dad's helping me with this blog as I have somewhat of a tendency to mash several keys at once and I like to chew on the mouse). Not everyone will agree with the opinions expressed here. Please keep in mind that this is just one facet of GARD's efforts to help improve the quality of life for pets and their humans and the views expressed here are merely the opinions of one old man and a dog who loves him.
I have lots to say here. Some of it is pretty basic but OMG, I still see people pull in here and park their car in the sun with their dog inside and the windows rolled up ( they will not be adopting one of OUR dogs ) but most of what I want to share is what we can all do to get the most out of what can and should be a phenomenal relationship between a dog and its human. Beyond sharing my personal opinions, I would love to make this an interactive forum and get your feedback in the form of questions, criticisms, concerns, problems that you’re having etc. I’m a very good listener and with my own four years’ experience at being a dog and my dad’s 60 years of loving dogs, we might all come to a better understanding of this symbiotic relationship that we all have with eachother.
I'm going to let my dad say a few words next and he may, from time to time, have a thing or two to add but we're going to try to minimize that. Lord but he does run on at times!
Please feel free to post your comment (comments are moderated) or email me at cocopuffsblog@hotmail.com with anything you’d like to share.

Hi. I'm Philip, Cocopuff's "dad". I thought it might be fun and a little more interesting to present some ideas on quality of life issues in a collaborative effort with my beloved friend, companion and "helper". Any promise expressed on our website about refraining from anthropomorphizing is null and void here. It is all but impossible to delve into our relationships with our pets without a certain amount of extending our thoughts and values into their personalities. In the best of circumstances, we share a great number of commonalities. Indeed, this is one of the things that makes these relationships so rich and rewarding. If anyone takes offence at the thoughts and opinions expressed here, I am sorry about that. My intent is not to offend but to question and understand in the hope that some good can come from it.
A great part of my motivation as regards to the content of this blog stems from the fact that, in our endeavors, we come into contact with a disturbing number of people with callous, seemingly uncaring attitudes with regard to their pets' welfare, both physically and emotionally. If GARD is ever going to move forward to a point where we are actually helping to provide a long-term solution to our homeless/neglected pet situation here in coastal Georgia, certain issues need to be addressed and hopefully changed for the better. I'm a recent transplant from up north (a recovering Yankee, if you will) and I've often wondered how people here who are so much warmer and so much more human than the New Englanders with whom I've spent most of my 56 years can have among them so many individuals who almost totally lack these qualities when it comes to interacting with their domestic "pets". The best theory that I am able to come up with comes back to the homeless pet population itself. I found myself questioning why so many people that I run into display such a lack of compassion for their pets and treat them in such an irresponsible manner. Now I don't expect the world at large to mirror my own attitudes and sensibilities. I'm to a large degree a product of my environment and upbringing. I grew up in a household where pets (and even domestic farm animals) were valued and well cared for. Almost every dog and cat I've grown up with or had as an adult has either been a stray or been rescued from a bad situation and has been loved, pampered and spoiled rotten. My dad had a reverence and respect for all creatures great and small that, I'm happy to say, I inherited. I take great delight in my relationships with my pets (a number that seems to grow daily) and cherish those that soar to the level of mutual love, respect and understanding that I currently share with my Cocopuff.
So why are my attitudes so different than the individual who gets a dog, chains it to a tree in the backyard, feeds and waters it when and if the thought presents itself, neglects vetting and preventive medicine and when this empty husk of an animal dies, goes out and gets another? I've already recognized the fact that my friends, neighbors and co-workers, as a group, display more of the human characteristics that you would think would make them more capable of love, compassion and empathy. So why do those values not apply to our pets here? I have to go back to environment and upbringing. There is a process (called Value Programming by some) in the early stages of human development whereby core values that, for the most part last a lifetime, are formed and instilled by our surroundings. What we consider normal and acceptable is, to a great degree, defined and determined by what our environment presents to us as a young child. This process has usually solidified by the time a child reaches the age of 7 or so and these core values, once set, are highly resistant to alteration. It usually takes something pretty significant like death, a religious experience or some other type of epiphany to modify any or all of them. Now here I am, 4 year old Philip, growing up in rural Georgia where feral and cast-off pets do not die off in the 45 below zero winters of northern New England. Instead, they have litter after litter of pups, kittens, whatever. Every day I go to town with my folks or on the bus to school to see animals that have been literally ground into the pavement by traffic. On a daily basis, I see homeless animals that are infested with fleas, ticks, and lice. Half starving and awaiting a yet crueler fate. What sort of core values do you think I'm forming as to the relative value of these animals? This is normal. Who can fault me when, as an adult, I fail to take my pooch to the vet for his shots? Sometimes forget that his water dish has not been recently filled? Always forget that this creature is totally dependent on me for not only the physical necessities but the equally important displays of worth and love as well?
Even if I did not like animals, this would present me with a moral dilemma. How on earth can we treat living, breathing, loving creatures in this manner? How can we allow them to exist in such misery? Here at GARD, we do our best to place hundreds of such creatures in homes where they will be valued, loved and cared for and yet, we're doing nothing. Yes, the problem is slightly lessened in our immediate locale but the problem exists everywhere (not just in Georgia) and will continue long after we and our shelter have gone. I'm probably not going to make many converts here. If you're reading this, then you've already set down your core values and, although epiphanies do happen, you are not likely to alter your outlook because of anything presented here. How about our kids though? They are still in their "formative years" and, if we bothered, we could help them to integrate into their developing value-system a deeper sense of value, respect and commensurate responsibility when it comes to other living creatures. GARD itself is still in its formative years but as we grow and organize we hope to put some serious effort into helping youngsters to develop healthier attitudes toward animals through special events and in schools and civic organizations as well.
Why bother? Well, if you're like me and can delineate your life by the number of outstanding dogs (pets) you've had over the years, you already know. If you're not, then Cocopuff and I would encourage you to follow this blog and explore what can be gained through our interactions with our pets.