I rescued a human today

Oh, yes, I could. 

From JAMES NELSON & the Internet: I  RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY
           Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
           As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
           As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
           She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.
          A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.
          Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.  I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.                                     I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
          I rescued a human today.

       “Dogs' lives are too short.  Their only fault, really.”  ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull



#BEST #DOG #Movie ever: #My Dog Tulip British review, my review

       Adam Thirlwell   The Guardian, Saturday 30 April 2011                                                      There are many methods for turning your life into a piece of performance art, and one of them is to get a dog. A dog is a wild experiment.                                                                                                                Or so you can argue by observing the example of JR Ackerley, who was an editor of the Listener, determined prowler for boys and the owner, for 15 of her 16½ years, of a German shepherd called Queenie, whom he described, under a transformed name, in his memoir My Dog Tulip – first published in 1965, two years before he died aged 71 – which has now been made into a gorgeous animated film.                                                      This book is the greatest of dog books, and now this film is the greatest of dog films.                                                                         

         I agree in my 2011 review: “My Dog Tulip”   **** 4 stars

 “My Dog Tulip” is, hands or paws down, the best, most tender and amusing dog film ever made.  It is a must-see experience for anyone who loves dogs, humans, the movies or entertainment. 

It is difficult for me to contain my enthusiasm for this adult, animated film about a 15-year relationship between an Alsatian dog (with a huge desire for, naturally, doggie sex) and an aging, lonely, gay writer, voice to perfection by Christopher Plummer. 

In a most delightful way, “My Dog Tulip” tenderly explores the relationship between a dog and a human.  As the opening narration states, the English don’t much like each other, so they lavish affection on their dogs.  So do many of us.

           At the heart of the film are 58,320 hand-made drawings by the directors Paul and Sandra Fierlinger.  There are four distinct types of animation:  full color for Ackerley’s everyday life, simple line drawings resembling a New Yorker cartoon for Ackerley’s fantasy life, black-and-white renderings of his memories and, finally, yellow legal-pad doodles to represent Tulip’s life.                                                Tulip, who was named Queenie in real life, arrives as a big puppy and immediately infuses overwhelming energy into Ackerley’s life.  In the film he marvels, “It seemed to me both touching and strange that she should find the world so wonderful.”                                    The most hilarious, and grown up, sequence involves Tulip’s search for a mate.  We see Tulip wearing an awful flowered dress and flouncing around while trying to attract a scruffy male.  As I noted before, this is a cartoon for grown ups.   The narrations are all tenderly and perfectly intoned.                                                         Plummer deserves additional awards for his Ackerley.  Lynn Redgrave, as Ackerley’s sister Nancy, competes for Tulip’s love.         This film instantly became one of my all-time favorites.

           Or, as Ackerley says in the film: “She offered me what I had never found in my life with humans: constant, single-hearted, incorruptible, uncritical devotion, which it is in the nature of dogs to offer.”

Do Men Always Flirt?

While walking Gizmo, a thin, pretty blond in a fetching white track suit stopped jogging to pet Gizmo, who immediately put both paws around her thigh and bent his head for more petting.  She complimented Gizmo, exclaiming, “So blond, so beautiful.”

     My immediate answer, “And so are you.”

     Her response: A thank you and a bit of a blush.

     My instant internal dialogue:  Why did I do that?  Why was I actually flirting?  I don’t want to flirt, it was merely an automatic response, but one that welled up so quickly it seemed almost instinctual.

Playing or flirting?

     What is it about men, of almost any age, who are firting as if they were still in the game (I am not, I am deeply in love with my wife)? 

PS: I told Grace and she laughed, calling what I said harmless and charming.

PPS: I met White Jogging Suit again: she lives up the street from us WITH her husband.

“The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.”  ~Author Unknown




Sign up to make #Gizmo the #Beneful cover #dog

Cute enough

  

Cuter by far!!

       

           Pamala Sullivan, sculptress and all around great person, is our much preferred dog groomer at the Rancho Mirage Petco.  She always says that, after a bath, he looks like a "show dog."                                                 I agreed, adding that he looked like the dog on the Beneful dog food packages.  She said that Gizmo looks BETTER than the Beneful dog.    

     So how about a petition to Beneful: replace your dog with Gizmo, the beautiful.   Please respond after looking at the pictures.    

    

“Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?”  Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com




Fake Balls for Real Dogs

Two males, zero fake balls

     New York Times business section, June 5, 2011: Upscale (and a bit goofy) dog owners can now serve their doggie “friends” pan-seared duck with brown rice and blueberry compote, roasted turkey with butternut squash and russet potatoes and salmon with black-and-white quinoa.  It’s part of a trend.                                                                                              Last  year, according to this NY Times story, Americans spent a record $55 billion on their pets, more than the gross domestic product of Belarus.

“Jenn Mohr has designed a candle to address the doggie flatulence.   Made with floral ylang-ylang, white tea, myrtle and fennel, the “Fart & Away” candle sells for $28.”  Sounds useful for many humans.                                                                                                                                   The story also noted, “If more evidence of this boom were needed, consider Neuticles, prosthetic testicles for neutered dogs and cats, at about $1,000 a pair, which, their designers say, help “your pet to retain his natural look, self esteem and aids in the trauma associated with altering.””                                                                                                                                        Now just wait a minute: buying a false set of balls for your dog for $1,000 dollars to help his self esteem?  What about your self esteem after you have done something like that?   My guess is that you might need some false balls yourself!                                                                    Is it any wonder the Taliban want to destroy us?  Is this a possible sure sign of the end times for America?

“I wonder what goes through his mind when he sees us peeing in his water bowl.”  ~Penny Ward Moser




Is #Gizmo related to the #Traveler's #Insurance #dog?

          Because we’re not sure of Gizmo’s heredity, we’re open to any suggestions about his background.  While out on a walk, a couple with a King Charles Spaniel (of which, my friend John Powers said, “My dog’s family tree goes back much further than mine”) approached us.     

            After the two dogs sniffed each other and gently wagged their tails, the wife said that Gizmo looks just like the Traveler’s Insurance dog in the commercial about a dog burying a bone and putting it into a safe deposit box in order to make it secure.

          I looked up the charming and funny commercial and got these pictures from it.  Is there a family resemblance?

TV commercial dog

Gizmo: not a match

“They never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself, and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation.”  Jerome K. Jerome




How much retraining after a month's absence?

Oops: did he forget the chaize was off limits?

What did Gizmo forget after we were gone for nearly a month? 

         Very little: he pulled on his leash for about two minutes when we first went for a walk, but after a few Dog Whisperer “Pssst’s,” he healed nicely.

         Every once in a while he wouldn’t obey us, especially Grace.  Once, despite being called, he remained under the outdoor couch, hidden from view probably because he didn’t want to go inside the house.  I finally had to get a broom and gently prod him to get him to leave.  He quickly walked into the house, with no upset feelings about that assault to his dignity.  And he only did that once.

         He often jumped on our bed, something we frown upon, but despite his limp determination, we got him to leave our room and go to his own bed.

         There were only minor and transient changes in his behavior.  And, when I wanted Grace to do something after we returned from France, I only had to say, “Psssst,” once before she obeyed.  So who was learning from whom?

  ”The best way to get a puppy is to beg for a baby brother - and they'll settle for a puppy every time.”  ~Winston Pendelton

Moi chien vu boire l’eau dans votre loue

Gizmo, the hunter, poolside

         While driving in France, we attempted to create amusing French phrases of our own to insert into local conversations.  For instance, I thought it would be a lot of fun if we could work into ordinary conversation, “My dog would like to drink water from your toilet.”

          It came out something like: “Moi chien vu boire l’eau dans votre loue.”   We’re not sure if that is correct and, alas, we never got a chance to mention it.  

“ Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails.”  ~Max Eastman, Enjoyment of Laughter




Gizmo's Present: Parisian Dogs Worth Sniffing

Parisian homeless with pals

"I am more Parisian than you."

"I bless this car"

       I brought back little bits of Paris for Gizmo: the dogs I saw there that seemed good enough for him to sniff.

      The Parisians surely adore their dogs.  Of all the canines we saw, none pulled on their leash, none misbehaved, and very few barked at all.  It was as if the dogs were thinking: I am in Paris, therefore I must pout with French dignity all the time.

"I am Parisian, therefore I pout."

Perfect day: my owner, a bridge over the Seine. 

Old Stairs, older dog

A pug in Paris

Sunny day, three sophisticated  Parisians

 “I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.” -- John Steinbeck

      

What Had Gizmo Forgotten

Want to play?  How about Ping Pong?  Tennis?

       What did Gizmo forget during the almost a month we were in France??  Only how and when to heal (he quickly and easily remembered) and, for one night, he gave us a small series of barks at 2:30 am. 

     Oh yes, and one afternoon, when he knew we wanted him to be in the cage, he hid under the couches outside.  I had to prod him gently with a broom to get him out. 

“A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk.”  ~O. A. Battista




Sue Milewski suggestion: Jekyll/Hyde dog

Sue Milewski OK, Norman, here are my suggestions. IMO this dog is suffering separation anxiety. Do you have a crate or small kennel ? If so, put the dog inside with familiar objects and scents. Cover the kennel/crate with a sheet or blanket. That may help calm the dog down.

15 hours ago · 

Gizmo Remembers Us!!

NO PICTURES, TOO MUCH LOVE: 

We return from France, Gizmo runs from Grace to me and back again, with a visit to his dog caretaker, Darryl.  He yips a pleasure  yip, leaps up on his hind legs, hugs our thighs and buries his head in either our pocket or crotch.         He went from me to Grace and back again, offering equal measures of love to both of us.                                                                                                     

It was a joyous greeting with more joy to come.  Any concerns about Gizmo forgetting us were erased.  And it was so much fun being hugged and sniffed by Gizmo while petting and saying words of endearment over him, that I forgot to have the camera handy and there are no pictures of his loving greetings.                                                                                                                    

Later, when we wanted to talk at some length to Darryl, our wonderful dog sitter, we all gathered in the TV room.  While the three humans were sitting on the couches, Gizmo went from person to person, jumping up on the couches and attempting – and most often succeeding – in pushing his nose into our arm pits.  First Grace, then me, then finally Darryl – Gizmo is certainly a political animal!!                                                                                                                               

All concerns about would Gizmo remember us after a month in France and Paris were erased.  Gizmo not only recognized us, he reveled in our re-appearance, gave us all the love he was capable of giving and more.  And we returned that affection, although we never talked baby talk to him, thank goodness.

     “A puppy is but a dog, plus high spirits, and minus common sense.”  Agnes Repplier

Jekyll & Hyde dog behavior, comment

From Janet Newcombe:  Maybe the pros at The Grand Paw have a solution thegrandpaw.com. They have trainers. My good friend boards his Golden Retriever there when he leaves town and thinks very highly of everyone there.


My response: good idea.  Here is the info on The Grand Paw: 
The Grand Paw
51750 Jackson Street
Indio, CA 92236
Telephone: (760) 398-9900
Fax: (760) 398-9901


#thegrandpaw #dogs  #dogbehaviorproblem

HELP: what to do about Jekyll & Hyde dog?

I may be a gentle, good dog, but I sure can gnaw this bone

        I need Help about a sudden and, so far, inexplicable change of personality in her Wheaton Terrier.  My daughter’s male dog, after eating something that didn’t agree with him and being hospitalized for it, and after being left alone in the house for hours, suddenly went from a well-trained, house-broken dog to a barking, urinating, irritable wretch.  The neighbors are complaining.

           What could cause this sudden shift in personality?  Is there any cure?   Can you help with suggestions?

            Should my daughter show more or less love to him before she leaves the house?  Play peek-a-boo?

                   "It’s not about the dog. It’s always about us. It’s always about the owner.  It’s up to us to create an environment and circumstances in which the dog can thrive and be itself.” Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer

The Hughey Guarantee: Gizmo won't forget you

Will the joy of running lead Gizmo to forget us?

       About Gizmo forgetting us when we are away for nearly a month:

      From a romance novelist and expert chef, Caroline Hughey, who offered email this guarantee: “Somehow, I think Gizmo will remember you guys.  Not to worry.
      "Gizmo will remember your smell and he will be jumping up and down and running around like a nut the minute you walk in the door.”

      “One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why.”  ~Author Unknown

Change Gizmo's name to create more traffic??

change Gizmo's name?  For crass commercial purposes?

Weiner or Kardashian have been suggested.  What do you think?  #dog #weiner #Kardashian

Will Gizmo love/remember us after a month:

Tell me it isn't true: they're going away??

       Reflections on leaving Gizmo for a month with a dog sitter when we travel to Chicago and France, culminating with a week in a Paris apartment.                               


       Both of us need to go to France.  If one of us went to France and the other stayed at home with the dog, both of us would think the other was completely crazy, more than one card short of a full deck.  If we cancel the trip, our daughter, Russell would, with justification, think of having us committed to a loony bin, where we would sit around with the other inmates showing pictures of our dog.                                                                                                                      


        More problems: The dog sitter is almost a stranger.  I have never met him until the day before we leave.  He will stay part time in our home and because he has a Cocker Spaniel, part time with both dogs in his apartment.  $30 a night, 30 nights,$900 to protect a dog we obviously love.                                                                                                                          


      The problems, in my mind, center more on Gizmo than anything else.  Will Gizmo know us when we return?  Will he miss us?  Will we have to re-teach him about our ways?  Will he forget his training?  Will he have accidents indoors?  Will he forget where he likes to go outdoors?  Will the dog sitter, Daryl, take him to his favorite spots?                                                           


     Will Gizmo be happy?  And what about us?  We will surely miss him, but how much?  Will we talk about him?  Reminisce?                                                                                           


     Will he be safe?  Healthy?  Happy?  Will he suffer psychologically?  Is leaving the dog for less than a month driving me crazy?  Am I beginning to seem like a “cat lady,” one of those women who have 24 cats, who talks to them incessantly and, when she dies at home, they nibble on her?  

“That's the only dog I know who can smell someone just thinking about food.”  Charles M. Schulz

Urinating on woman's leg no way to meet her

Who me?  I would never do that...maybe.

        To the dog park: to the small dogs section.  Gizmo introduces himself to all the dogs.  Then all the people.  Gizmo may be a politician!   
          Then he goes to a group of owners, a couple of men sitting o9n the ground occasionally visited by their small dogs and one standing woman, named Morgana, who is there with her German Shepherd pup named Willow.                                                                                           
         Gizmo greets her and then, when I am not looking and after apparently emptying his bladder on every bench, dog, piece of grass and even the phony fire hydrant, Gizmo wets her pants’ leg!                                                         
         The woman is amazingly all right about that, even gracious, saying that, with a puppy, worse than that has happened to her.  That was she wore these pants, etc.     After my profuse apologies, I wanted to tell her that I was attempting to train Gizmo in how to meet women and urinating on their pants’ leg was not the way to do that.  (Although, if it worked for him, I might try it.)                                                                                                    


         A few minutes later, Gizmo and Willow began running and playing.  Gizmo turned Willow on his back, bumping into him, and causing him to yip.  So Gizmo is batting 1.000, urinating on the owner and injuring her dog.   Something is going VERY wrong with my lessons for him on how to meet women.                                                                                                                 

Gizmo and Willow at play as Morgana looks on.  I think her pants were dry by this time.

       Within another few minutes, Gizmo and Willow were puppies at play: the best of friends, drinking from the same water bowl and creating a game in which one lay on his back while the other gnawed on his ears.  Then the one lay down on his back and had his ears gnawed.  Looked like odd fun to me, but nothing I would try at home.

     “If you want sex, have an affair. If you want a relationship, buy a dog.”
 Julia Burchill



female dogs and big balls

Will someone cut my bangs?

     Science News, 5/21/11, published a story "Great Danes minds don't think alike."  It reported the results of a University of Vienna study of 50 pet dogs, including poodles, Australian shepherds, golden retrievers and mutts.  The experiment was to test if dogs noticed what one-year-old human babies see, when a ball inexplicable grows.
     A tennis ball was rolled along the floor until it went behind a screen.  Then a larger ball would appear on the other side.
     Conclusion: female dogs noticed -- and stared at the large ball for longish periods of times.  Male dogs stared at either the big or the little ball for about the same amount of time.  And the scientists can't figure out why.  They could not figure out any strong evolutionary pressure which would cause female dogs to stare at larger balls for longer periods of time.
     Well, I have solved their problem: First, people at the University of Vienna have too much time on their hands and should stop playing with dogs or balls.  Second, there is obvious evolutionary pressure for females to stare at large balls, something human females do all the time.  If I have to explain the reason for this, those folks are truly lost and should take a sex education class.

"I have a great dog. She's half Lab, half pit bull. A good combination. Sure, she might bite off my leg, but she'll bring it back to me."
-Jimi Celeste

Boxer at the Table

Not Archie: too small

Archie, the Giant Boxer:

       When I was a youngster living on the South Side of Chicago, my best friend Corwin owned a huge, slobbering, terribly friendly boxer named Archie.

         This is Archie’s story, according to Corwin:  “He was a monster of over 100 pounds.  They don’t come that big these days because of dollar-intensive breeding. 

          “After I went to college, Archie was totally spoiled by my mom.  How totally?  It got to the point that, when the meal was over, Archie would sit in her lap and clean her plate.

         “My wife-to-be was raised on a farm, where animals had their place and it was definitely NOT at the dinner table. 

          “When I came home from school, I brought her along because I wanted her to meet my family.  Dating was getting serious between us and this meeting was in preparation for the hoped-for marriage.

         “It was a pleasant meal, everything went well until Archie and Mom did their little act.  When this 100-pound boxer jumped on Mom’s lap and began cleaning her plate, my wife-to-be was flabbergasted.

         “It was the start of her teasing me about the strange habits of people from the big city compared to the more civilized farm folks.  It did not lead to the divorce.”

“The average dog is a nicer person than the     average person.
” -Andy Rooney  

Licking the Hand of a Dictator Can Be Expensive

I do not lick the hands of dictators.

         An anti Kim Jong-il website, Chosun.com, reported that “..the regime imports dozens of German Shepherds, Shi Tzus and other pet dogs from France and Switzerland every year as well as expensive pet shampoo, veterinary equipment and supplies. It "frequently flies in a veterinarian from France to check up on the dogs," the source added, paying altogether US$10,000 for the airfare and fees.”                          Actually flying in a vet from France for $10,000 including fee and airfare sounds almost reasonable.  I would bet that the vet would be going there just for the dog and not for the sightseeing (“here are some starving people and here are more starving people”) or the luxury hotel stays (“your suite comes equipped with its own torture chamber, if you choose to use it”). 

                                                                                                Lumping all the entertainment for the Maximum, Eternal Leader of North Korea, the site noted that, “In 2008, the regime spent around $100 million on expensive liquor, cars, luxury goods and other items including pet dogs and their care products.”  Of course, under the header of “It’s sometimes good to be dictator,” Kim Jong-il never has to submit to an IRS audit about his entertainment expenses. 



 “Inside every Newfoundland, Boxer, Elkhound and Great Dane is a puppy longing to climb on to your lap.”  Helen Thomson        

Deep Massages for Dogs?

"I wouldn't mind getting a massage."

         Despite the New York Times April 21, 2011 story in the Home Section encouraging dog owners to give their dogs a nightly massage of at least 20 minutes, I refuse to do that.  In fact, I feel absolutely fine about never giving Gizmo a long, deep-tissue massage at any time in his life.   When it comes to doggy massages, I am a Do-Nothing, Guilt-Free Zone. 

          Why should my dog get a massage when I am not being massaged?  Note the headlined question for the story:  ISN’T PETTING ENOUGH?   Answer: it better be.                                                                                                     The story began with Renee Lane lighting candles, putting “lilting guitar music” on the stereo in preparation for a 20-minute massage for her two-year-old toy poodle.                                                                                 Ms. Lane asked, “She helps reduce my stress, so why shouldn’t I reciprocate?”  Indeed!                                                                                                              The story continued with outrageous claims for massaging your dog including “increased circulation, improved digestion, strengthened immunity, stress relief, comfort at the end of life and muscle relaxation after a hard day (even if it was spent at the dog park).”                                                                           The story’s lame attempt at inducing guilt within non-massaging dog owners was leavened by quotes from scoffers, who called the entire Deep Massage Your Dog Movement a load of poppy-poop.  And I agree with them.                                                                                                                                       Wait.  Gizmo is sitting at my feet, staring up at me with soulful eyes and asking for something.  Could it be a massage?  When I asked him that, he wagged his tail, his eyes brightened and he put one paw on my thigh.                                                                                                                                                             Oh, all right.  But I’ll only massage you for five minutes.  We need some rules around here.

           "A house without either a cat or a dog is the house of a scoundrel." - Portuguese Proverb          

Dog Park adventures

At the dog park: the small dog section was deserted, so we went into the LARGE dog area, where Gizmo more than held his own. 

           In fact, when a huge Great Dane entered, Gizmo leaped at his shoulders as part of an overwhelming, energetic, playful welcome.  Then, led by a Sheep Herding dog, they all ran around, with Gizmo, runty legs notwithstanding, was usually in second place directly behind the bigger leader.  Atta boy, Gizmo.

         On our regular walks, which clock in at around 40 minutes and, if I am early enough, involve taking a right up Mesa View to Monterey, a busy highway.  The earlier I start, the less likely I am to see other pet owners or anybody else and sniff fumes of passing cars and trucks..

         The start of the walk is entirely uphill, meaning the toughest part of the walk is at the beginning.  Then, when the owner is a little tired, at the end of the walk, the return is entirely downhill and much easier.

           Gizmo proudly walks beside me while I listen to my IPod, which has captured news shows, the Prairie Home Companion and other delights.

         Today, an early rise got us walking at 6:15 am, which meant that the walk began with the sun just below the Eastern mountains and ended with a bright, cold, cloud-free day.  We strode along, two living creatures attached by a leash and love, in a civilized part of the desert but essentially alone.  A calm and pleasant experience. 

         “Like all dogs, Skip was colorblind. He made friends easily with people of all races and origins. The town was segregated back then, but as we know, dogs are a whole lot smarter than people. 
”My Dog Skip” (2000), narrator Harry Connick Jr.