Stoutpup

We have company staying with us this holiday. Meet Frank the beta fish. Although a little weary from his journey from across the street where he lives, he’s been rather polite and has been the ideal house guest. Right now he’s gazing out into the courtyard of the building. This is new scenery for him and he’s hoping for a Rear Window moment over the break, which I have told him is highly unlikely. Lucy could care less about this fish, and we aren’t going to see how Diesel feels about it.

Recently Lucy came into the house tracking grubbiness everywhere through the kitchen and the living room. Before she had the chance to track it upstairs we scooped her up and put her in the sink. This was a job too big for baby wipes. Under the faucet she goes. To her credit, it’s been rainy and foggy and a Bulldog really can’t be concerned where she steps out in the yard, much less see where she’s stepping.

I know all of you are anxious to know the results of Dog-a-thon 2006…so here they are! On Saturday, The Humane Society’s annual “Dog-a-Thon 2006” fundraiser grossed $157,000 –exceeding last year’s results by about $35,000! Thank you so much — all you friends and family members who made Pierce County’s Dog-a-thon 2006 such a success. We love you!!! Lucy and I got bells and whistles (literally) for raising $500.00. This year was so much fun because Andrea and Buddy joined us — as well as Corey who took lots of photos which will be online for you to see pretty soon. Chica (Dan and Heide’s St. Bernard) won the “Biggest Dog” prize which consists of a medallion on a ribbon she wore proudly all day long.

There were lot’s of booths with freebies and info and the best freebie of the day was a red rubber ball from Mud Bay Granary — Lucy is absolutely obsessed with it. She likes it even more than Squeaky Mat that I purchased from Positive Approach for only $9 which was a bargain in itself. Basically anything that squeaks is good. Take that x 16 and you have one happy bulldog.

The walk was good, but we had to stop short (not the Costanza kind) to relieve Little Lucy who kept laying down by the side of the path every few yards. I bet we did about 3 miles. There was just too much excitement throughout the morning including all the people, dogs, contests and activities and she was exhausted.

The best part of the day was hearing we are $150K closer to no kill community status! With your continued support I know that The Humane Society of Tacoma Pierce County will reach its goal by the year 2008. Thanks again everyone who participated in supporting me and Lucy and the dogs and cats of Tacoma.

Me-Ow! I know you’re all thinking Napoleon Dynamite, but apparently there is such things a Liger — the offspring of a male lion and female tiger according to Wikipedia. I found this out over the weekend while I was watching “My Super Sweet Sixteen” on Mtv. Don’t ask. Anyway, Lucy has been sporting this very cute and fashionable T-shirt sent to her by Dawn. Thanks, Dawn! #lklm

National Geographic channel has been running a “Dog Whisperer” marathon. For those of you who don’t know who the dog whisperer is, he’s Cesar Milan, of the Dog Psychology Center in LA. Cesar specializes in rehabilitating dogs that are known to be prone to violence — he gives second chances to breeds such as Rottweilers and Pitbulls at his center (as well as many other breeds). Basically he says that dogs aren’t born violent, it’s their owners that fail to provide what the dogs need in order to become fulfilled dogs within their “pack” or family.

I love watching the Dog Whisperer because I learn something new in every episode. Most of the dogs have behavioral problems at home that range from aggressiveness to obsessive compulsive behavior to just plain annoying constant barking. The common thread in each episode is not only the rehabilitation of the dogs themselves, but the “training” of the owners to better relate to their beloved animals with an animal mentality — a “pack” mentality if you will. Most of the folks in these episodes are like me and they tend to treat their dogs like children - babies even. We coddle them and give in to their bad behavior out of love (we think), but really we do them a disservice by not showing them the structure — what they need — to know their place as pack members. For some reason even the most experienced parent or teacher who is used to disciplining kids and students tends to fail when it comes to being that calm assertive pack leader for their dog at home.

Here is Cesar’s Philosophy taken from his website :

“In the wild, a dog’s very survival depends on a strong, stable and organized pack, where every member knows its place and follows the rules established by the pack leader. The pack instinct is perhaps the strongest natural motivator for a dog.”

So…as leader of the pack I need to practice my calm assertiveness. I don’t want to nurture Lucy’s bad behavior (badgering us to play with constant head butting/barking) with chaos and inconsistency. After all we don’t respect our employers and elected officials when they lack process, set no boundaries, scream, flail their limbs about. Who wants to follow the lead of a crazy person. I realize that my dogs aren’t always looking to be cuddled and hugged and pinched and squeezed. Sometimes they are just looking for me to tell them to shut their traps and sit in their beds until it really is time to play. And they will still love me for it.

This blog is inspired by Lucy - the most photogenic Bulldog in the South Sound. Stay tuned for news, photos, reviews, and random thoughts.