Photos In Response to Forum

My anger has subsided some from this morning's posts, so in all fun, here is photographic proof that Malinois are difficult to live with.

First, here is what a "normal" dog does on a day off:

And this is what a crazy mal with a screw loose does on his day off:

While one dog is happy to sleep away the day, the other is just waiting for his command to attack a man.

As far as those pit bulls go, here is one after he has eaten his owner and taken over her bed.

Why I Stay Away From Dog Forums

There was a time in my life when I trolled dog forums. As someone who loves dog, who works with dogs, and who really, really wanted a working dog I wanted to get connected to the community. But when it became evident that it would be years before I could have my working dog, I started trolling dog forums of the breeds I did have. One thing I learned from all that trolling is that dog people are always right - even if they disagree with each other, they are both right. There is an old saying in the dog community that the only thing two dog trainers can agree on is that the third one is doing it wrong. That has been a motto of mine for years as I've slipped in and out of various dog communities and have heard many different opinions about dogs and dog training.

Recently on a breed specific forum there was a some talk about Malinois and how they are "special" dogs and how they are impossible to live with. Once some Mal owners posted proof that you can live with these dogs, people then started saying that the Mal owners who responded were "good owners" and they "got lucky" with a good dog - but that MOST Mals were crazy and reactive and "has a screw loose". The really sad thing is that what they are saying about Mals is exactly what most people are saying about the breed that they choose to live with - the Pill Bull.

In some cities pit bulls are euthanized simply because of the breed. I work in rescue and more often than not, I hear stories about pit bulls "going crazy" and "killing their owners". I hear people say "you just can't trust them" and "those dogs will turn on you". Is any of that true? Sure, some times it is true. But sometimes it is media hype and lack of education. It really frustrates me when people who live with those kinds of reactions can propagate them with another breed.

I've lived with a Mal for 4 months. Sure, he is a well trained dog, but he is also a recently neutered male and just over 2 years old. There are plenty of times when I have to correct him for naughty behavior. There are times when he gets frustrated and makes bad decisions. I've had to correct him for growling at a dog, for barking at strangers and for chasing cats. Does this make him a bad dog? No. I live with 2 chihuahuas that I have had to correct for the exact same behavior. Malinois are dogs - they make the same decisions that all dogs make - both good and bad. The one thing about Mals that I think makes them better than many breeds is their respect for their owners. They have an overwhelming desire to please and will do whatever you ask simply because you ask. This is why they are used as police/military dogs. They will run at a perpetrator that is actively shooting at them and will bite and hold until the owner releases them. You won't catch many other breeds doing that.

Sure there are bad Mals. Sure that are some good Mals that live with bad owners. Sure there are bad mals that live with great owners. But I don't think that there is an overwhelming number of any of those situations. Mals are dogs - they are high energy, drivey, dogs that need a lot of exercise, a lot of training, and a lot of structure. They are not dogs that the general public should own - but I think that is true of most breeds (including pit bulls and chihuahuas). Dogs have been bred for thousands of years to do very specific jobs. But it has only been more recently that we have asked these dogs to do something other than what they have been bred to do - and it has only been more recently that we have gotten into such trouble and have needed to re-home our dogs because that border collie pup just won't stop herding the children.  Grow up people!

Wordless Wednesday: Jackson at Work

Wordlessly Wednesday : the rhemus monkey

Mothers Day

I know that some people make fun of people like me - people who think of their dogs as their children. They think that having dogs can't possibly be as difficult as raising children. I beg to differ. Try having something with the brain of a two year old child living with you for 15 years. Imagine having to ask you teenager if he went potty and then walking him back into the bathroom to "make sure". Imagine having to make breakfast and dinner for your children for their entire lives. Imagine being completely responsible for every facet of your child's life - food, exercise, mental stimulation, socialization, etc for their entire life. Now, I am not saying that being a parent isn't tough, I am simply saying that being a good dog parent is also difficult. A friend once told me that I am the first "soccer mom" that she knows. . .and I often feel like that. . .but I enjoy (almost) every minute.

Here are new pictures of my kids:

My smiling old man


Abby still carrying her winter weight


Unfortunately I didn't get any new pictures of Pocket because this



Kept doing this



That was pre-surgery when he was still allowed to run and play. . .post surgery he is doing well - better than I expected. . .but spending most of his time "resting". We can't afford for him to rupture any sutures, so until we get the A-OK from the Doc, he is being crate rested with limited exercise.

Puppy Envy

I have puppy envy. . . yes, those words actually came out of my mouth. And, as far as I can tell, I am still completely sane.

I'm not the biggest fan of puppies because they have a ton of energy, make a lot of mess, and require a ton of work. I have, from time to time, fallen in love with certain puppies, but those puppies usually belong to friends and the puppies are like my nieces and nephews, so of course I love them. I have never wanted a puppy of my own. . .until today. . .

Abby fell apart half-way through agility class on Thursday. She decided that she didn't like the A-frame, and would only take the dog walk one way. Abby reverted back to her old self and I am not entirely sure why. I was really disappointed and apologized to our instructor, but she didn't seem phased at all by it - guess it's more common then I think (selective memory). Abby and I went out to the agility yard this morning to work on some of the issues. I had to put the A-frame back to half height before she would take it - then she took it joyfully. She was fine both sides of the dog walk today, but she only wanted to jump 12". As much as I love Abby, and as proud of her as I am at what we have accomplished together, it is still frustrating having to re-teach her basic things that she actually LOVES doing.

Today, I also got to work with my friend's puppy. She is a gorgeous aussie who was excellently bred and properly socialized. She was a total joy to work with. She had a great time doing very basic things, and had no fear of anything new. She is super smart and picked up on what we wanted from her right away and was very willing to continue working with us. I found myself thinking that I actually might want a puppy one day. I am a firm believer in rescue, but I have absolutely no problem with great breeders who are actually bettering their chosen breed - and I don't blame owners who want an awesome dog - especially owners who want to do something specific with their dog.

But, another dog is still a long way away for me, and in the end, I will probably rescue an adult - probably with issues. . . but it's always fun to dream of that perfect dog - the one that I can do everything I ever wanted with. . .one without years of baggage to sort through. . . But, in the mean time, I'll continue to work with Abby and be happy with the small success that we have. . .and try not to get frustrated with her when she has set backs. . .after all, she is not a well bred or properly socialized dog. . .and we have still managed to do some amazing things together.

Fostering. . . Again

I was planning on taking the year off from fostering - although I knew that if a medical case came along that I would probably be the one to take him in. We never hope for medical cases - you never hope to come across a dog that has been so neglected or abused that they need it, but we often do. Some we take and fix up and adopt out, some we can't help at all. But when this little guy showed up on the needs rescue list at a south bay shelter, he was impossible to pass up. And being tiny (only 3 pounds) it seemed like my house was the most obvious place to put him.

He is all over the media now with the horrific story of what happened to him - and it IS a terrible story. And everything that has been said is completely true. He is in a lot of pain when he defecates. And, unfortunately, because of the scarring, most of the pain he is in isn't productive, so he tries to go more often then a healthy dog does. He has been with me for only a few days, and my heart breaks with all his crying - and I can't wait until he goes in for surgery tomorrow so that he will finally be pain free.

But, when he isn't in pain, he is just about the cutest thing on this earth. He is a total puppy in every way - much to the chagrin of my old grumpy dogs! Luckily he isn't too annoying, and when everyone refuses to play with him, he goes and plays with "dean" - a stuffed dog that some friends got me YEARS AND YEARS ago after a very special puppy I worked really hard with was finally adopted. He also loves to play fetch and tug. He has no weird fears of people, places, or things. When he is all fixed up, he is actually going to be one very well-rounded and socialized puppy. It's truly amazing what dogs can go through and still be friendly and trusting after it all. He is going to be a great companion to someone soon.

If you are interested in donating to his medical fund, you can go here.

Forgot My Camera

Abby and I haven't trailed in awhile for a few reasons 1) its too cold 2) its a really long drive 3) I have to get up way too early 4) it gets expensive especially 5) because we never Q Despite all those reasons we went up this weekend and trialed. Why, you may ask???

Cutest Puppy Ever!!!!
Darling Dixie is a 3 month old Aussie that just came to live with some friends of mine who trial on weekends. Since this would be the first chance anyone got to see her, we sucked it up and made the drive. She is lucky she is this cute because I had to get up an extra hour early to meet her. . .I hate the time change!

Since we were there, I figured that we might as well trial too. I put Abby in Jumpers and 2 standard courses. I was super surprised how the day went.

The jumpers course was first thing and I am always the most nervous first thing in the morning because we aren't warmed up. Plus, we have a clean slate with the judge and I don't want him to look at us every other time we enter the ring with frustration. Abby surprised the crap out of me on her jumpers run. I was very pleased with her performance. She took off great with three straight jumps, then turned for an angled up without even thinking about running to sniff in the corner! There were some more jumps followed by another angle and then more jumps. . .which she blew past to sniff the sand bags. . . I am not at all surprised that she did that, and not at all frustrated about it. There was a time in her life when she would have been terrified of the bags and would have stopped working entirely. I got her attention back and we finished perfectly. She was gorgeous. I looked at the times later and realized that we could have Q'd with her run had she stayed on course! I was so proud of her! I actually feel like we did it - probably because this is the first time that I actually realized that we could if we keep working! I really wish I remembered my camera at 5:30am (well, actually it was 4:30 to my brain but the time change made it and hour later)

After our jumpers run things seemed to fall apart. We had a terrible standard 1 course. I was deeply disappointed because these are the types of coursed that we run every week. The standard 2 course opened my eyes to why we had such a bad standard 1 course, so I am glad that we pushed through for the second. The first course had a discrimination early a tunnel or a dog walk - not surprised that she took the tunnel - the wrong obstacle. After that it was useless. She had a bit of fun on the A-frame but we were a complete mess. The second run (exact oposite of the first) started out great. We jumped, weaved, tunneled, took the A-frame, then came back to the first discrimination - FAIL! She wouldn't take either. She just sort of FROZE. I finally got her to take one - which was the wrong one. . .then put her through the tunnel to end the course early. What did I learn? Abby doesn't like to be wrong.

Back when I was training Mole I had to be very careful when he missed an obstacle because he would fall apart when he was wrong. But I never noticed it in Abby before. You could see the look on her face: utter fear and confusion. It completely broke my heart. Here is a dog that desperately wants to please me and is terrified of making the wrong decision. (Just a side note, when she has been wrong in the past, I say "no" or "nope" and ask her to do it again. You are not allowed to use physical punishment for dogs in agility nor are you allowed to use harsh commands or raise your voice in disapproval - you will be disqualified for the day.) Abby has been fine with that in class, but apparently that is too much in a trial. I guess she understands that there is a difference. Now, I have to work harder on discriminations and remember to bypass the obstacle completely in a trial if she misses it. We are a long way from a Q in standard, so there is no reason for her to go back and try again - especially if it stresses her out.

Another good thing about the day was that the other Iggys were running too!! I love to watch them because they run so fast and so clean. Another reason is because they are all rescued too and it gives us something to strive for. I wasn't able to talk to Jennifer, couldn't find her, but I heard later that she thought that Abby had come a long way and was looking good. I was very pleased to hear it. I can see the difference, and I know that my friends can see the difference, but it is nice that other people, people I look up to, also see the changes. We have been working so hard for so long, and the changes are often so small that it is hard to look back and see all those changes a whole.