Learning To Take Things One Paw At A Time

Hello everyone!

 Sorry I've been MIA for a few days.  We have gotten a LOT done, thanks in part to our wonderful friends Binks & Yoda who held a raffle for us.  We managed to get two large dog runs put up, be fully stocked on food and doggie supplies and add a few little extras thanks to the extra funds!

  Some other exciting news this week was that one of our rescues, Bo, a 13 week old brindle pit bull pup found his 'furever' home and is doing amazingly well there with his awesome new family.  He has a little girl to play with, another pup only two weeks younger than him and his 'dad' is a Soldier.

  My son, Caleb, took Bo leaving the hardest of anyone and therefore that made it extra hard for me.  It's never easy to explain to a 3 year old why 'his' puppy had to leave.  I try to tell him that we will definitely visit, and that this puppy needed to find a new home so that we can help more and while I think that softens the blow, like any child, he just doesn't fully understand.  Here are some photos of Bo when he arrived and some photos of him the day that he left for his new home.

We have a few other dogs who will be coming up for adoption over the next month or two and we're excited to help them find their families.

Etta has been doing SO well and coming into her own more and more every day.  She has become very vocal and is learning to socialize so much better with the other dogs.  Every day she grows more confident in herself and it's wonderful to see.  She is still sometimes shy and withdrawn but not nearly as much so as when she first arrived and she takes great joy in 'yelling' at Whiskers whenever she sees him. =)  It's quite a sight to watch and hear.  LOL  While Etta has had a few minor PTSD 'episodes' she's gotten much less jumpy and comes around much quicker after each time.  That is reassuring and wonderful to see as well.  One of the things Etta and I enjoy most in our 'quiet time' is watching movies and sharing popcorn (extra butter flavor).  It's one of Etta's FAVORITE snack foods.  We've also been seeing a more consistent improvement in her eating habits and while at times she's been fickle about which food she enjoys we've discovered that she in fact likes Nutro large breed adult best.  We still like to add in some home cooked treats for her but are happy to see her enjoying dry food more and more even without the extras.

Whiskers has been doing very well too!  This week he visited Petsmart with Beth, Caleb and I with no incident even when a very large and hyper lab/pit mix was trying to 'make friends'.  He remained calm and cool with no signs of aggression which is a huge step especially because it was his first time in a store!  He followed all of my commands, looked to me for direction or reassurance if he wasn't sure and acted like a well rounded canine citizen.  I look forward to more outings with him especially now that he has learned that riding in the car (and getting in himself) is an enjoyable experience.

Adele, our senior GSD rescue, has been doing well and improving too.  She is happy and healthy and very active despite her minor arthritis (supplements are doing a world of good) and enjoys playing with the other dogs and napping under the trees when the weather is nice.  Though her age on her paperwork at the shelter stated she was 6 years old, after examining her more thoroughly, her age is probably closer to 10-12.  I can't remember if I shared that last time but thought I'd add it here.  We are open to finding an adoptive home for Adele but she is very welcome to live out the rest of her days here on the ranch if that perfect home doesn't come along.


  All the other dogs are doing well too.  Everyone is happy and healthy and making great strides in their training which we are excited to see.  There are a few other subjects I want to touch on before I close this blog, things that have been weighing on my mind or just random thoughts.

  First, I want to say to everyone that I appreciate all the support we have gotten while we are in these beginning stages of 'setting up shop'.  We have an amazing group of people working with us, especially Denise Smith, without whose help none of this would be possible.  We also have an amazing group of supporters who believe in what we are starting to do and encouraging us every step of the way.  We thank you all as well.  You have no idea how much your support means to us.

  Secondly, I'd like to address a question I've been asked often lately which is 'how do you do it?'.  The answer is simple.  In order to create a balanced, happy dog you must learn to become a balanced, happy person.  It takes time and energy and most of all time spent learning with your dog.  We strive to create a peaceful environment here because we simply could not do what we were doing with the amount of dogs we have if our dogs (either my 'personal' pack or the dogs we take in to work with) were not balanced and happy.  In my personal opinion, people fail to realize how sensitive dogs are to their surroundings and the feelings and emotions of those around them.  If you are living in chaos, your dogs behavior is going to reflect that situation.  Be it emotional or literal chaos.  The more hyper, high strung and stressed we are, the more those emotions are mimicked by the animals around us.  For those of you who are fans of Caesar Milan, you will often hear him talk about having 'calm, assertive energy' and there is good reason for that.  When that is what you are putting out, that is what your dog is reading and it helps to put them at ease.  We do not want to force our dogs into the position of pack leader with their canine pack, nor their human one.  It creates enormous amounts of stress for the dog when he/she feels as if THEY must run the household because everyone else is not emotionally balanced and stable and there are no rules or schedules.  Dogs are pack animals and they need us to be their pack leader.  By doing so, we can create a harmonious environment for our four legged companions.

In closing, I want to say that while at times things become overwhelming or a dogs problems seem like they are too much to handle, we must learn to take things 'one paw at a time'.  Living with dogs, and people, with PTSD is not easy for anyone, not the person suffering from it or those around them.  You feel as if YOU must always be vigilant as their care taker, sometimes it feels like walking on egg shells so that you don't set off the next episode.  However, we must learn that the only way we can deal with this and teach dogs (and even humans) to work through their fears, issues and anxiety, is to face what causes those things and work on teaching a proper response instead of a reaction.  Everything cannot be fixed in a day, or even a week, maybe not even months.  However, by taking it 'one paw at a time', we can navigate through each day, dealing with the problems and working through them as they come.  No one can ask for more than that. =)

Well, a storm is setting in here so that is all for tonight.  The pups are all safe and sound inside the house and it's time for me to turn in.

Until next time...