Pippin O'Chi, Therapy Dog has Retired...

    

    Pippin O'Chi and I were a therapy dog team. She was/is the most loving little dog who just wanted/wants to give all the love she can to anyone willing to accept it. As a team, we wanted to help children, and wanted to promote reading and inspire children to read more. Pippin loves to snuggle with anyone, and loves children. Boy, oh, boy, she sure got/gets excited when she sees the pet carrier out.

    I have retired her due to two things the therapy group I had worked and paid to get therapy training through, did; things I feel were extremely wrong. I have removed their name in the "About Me" section. After I let this group know my feelings about these wrong - in my opinion, they have NOT even tried to contact me, but they were more than willing to take my money for the course work.

    What did they do? First, in their training courses, they stated how important it was that we, as the human side of the team, were to advocate for our animals and keep them safe. This was repeated multiple times. I have no problem with that at all, but this therapy animal group has a "Do as I say, not as I do" way of doing things!

    Pippin was rejected by her mother at birth, never even getting any of the colostrum milk, which is so important to the immune system. She has little fur. Is her lack of fur caused from not receiving the colotrum milk or genetics, I do not know. Her fur is thin on her upper side. She has zero fur underneath. Fur on animals is the equivalent to us humans wearing clothes in order to keep warm in colder months, or to keep the sun from burning our skin in warmer months. Pippin needs to wear clothing in the cold months, in order to keep warm. She actually burns more calories trying to stay warm, even with clothes on. This increase in calorie burning requires that she eat more, in order to compensate, but there have been times that her blood sugar still dropped, causing her to have a seizure. (Each time any being has a seizure, a little bit of damage is done to the brain.) When I tried to "ADVOCATE" for Pippin to wear a coat or sweatshirt while doing therapy work, stating all the above, this therapy animal group, who hammered home that we should advocate for our animals, would not budge an inch on their "rules" that animals were not to wear clothing. Even when I stated that we were NEVER ever going to go into a healthcare facility, and that the situation affected Pippin's health, they, in my opinion, showed they did not give a darn, and "rules were rules." Funny thing is that every human, in a therapy animal team, wears clothes...go figure!

    Pippin misses going out to visit other humans. She still gets excited when she sees the pet carrier, even when I have it out to take a kitten to the vet. 

    Our country has fallen into dark times with those who feel they have the right to dictate this or that, regardless of the harms their dictating causes. Too bad this therapy animal group has fallen into this same thinking, and is so blinded, in so many ways...THEIR LOSS!!

Baby Woodpecker Saved

Every once in awhile in life, an opportunity to do something to better the world presents itself to you. With that, you have a decision to make - to take action or to turn away and do nothing. It's truely a choice.

On Sunday, early evening, I was trying to finish up some outdoor chores. While walking towards my mini barn to get my lopers, something came crashing out of a maple tree about five feet from me. I saw the flash of black out of the corner of my eye. 

Being a curious person, I had to see what it was. To my surprise, a critter started moving away from me, fast, across the ground. It was some kind of baby woodpecker. It couldn't take flight, which means it was vulnerable to predators. 

With gloves already on, I slowly started trying to get close to this baby. Despite its small size, it was quick. Each time I got close, it moved further ahead, and then it dodged left towards the weedy ravine. I had to move fast if I was going to help this baby. Instead of taking the same path towards the ravine, I kept moving straight to get past where the baby had stopped. Then, I climbed through the fence, and dropped down below the level of the bird. I was able to walk straight and then up to capture the baby. 

The baby woodpecker was a fisty little thing. If it had had teeth, it would have nailed me. Instead it hit my gloved hands with its long beak. I shushed, trying to calm it. I knew what it was thinking, not literally, but it thought a huge monster had it. Its little life probably flashed before its eyes, thinking it was going to be eaten, but not today, not by this human. I was going to take this opportunity to help it, and by doing so the world would be that much better, that much more positive, in these "world on fire" times.

Important info: Myth - "you should never put a baby bird back into a nest, because the momma will smell your human scent and reject caring for the baby." Having been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator who took many classes dealing with the care of various animals and birds, I knew this myth. I also knew that the best place for that baby was back in its nest. Unfortunately, the maple tree it came crashing out of is super tall. It has more height than width, because it is in a heavily wooded area - trees close together get more height than a tree in an open yard, which spreads out in width. I couldn't even see a nest. Nor would it even be safe to try to climb this tree - the closes branch to the ground was an extension ladder's height away. Not a safe option for this human.

I contacted a licensed wildlife rehabber I knew. No answer. Left a message. I called a friend, whose husband is a DNR officer to find another contact. Two more wildlife rehabilitators were contacted. That was three in all, with the third telling me to keep it in a box inside over night and turn it loose in the morning - "The mom and dad should come feed it while it's on the ground. They stay on the ground for a couple of days before they are able to fly." and "It might be a downy woodpecker."

Humm. My previous wildlife rehab training states that - no private person should be in possession of wildlife and that it is a crime. Basically, if you are not a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or a DNR officer, you shouldn't have a wild creature in your possession. I let me friend, whose hubby is a DNR office, know what I'd been told - to be safe on this issue. Thank you J.B.

Despite a day that was predicted to be full of rain throughout, we lucked out. Early Monday morning, I put the box with the little woodpecker on the ground beside the maple tree it crashed out of. The baby came out, scooted to my woodpile, and hopped up towards the top of the pile, then sat. I took one last look, said a prayer that its parents would come take care of it and that it would live to have its own little family, and then walked away. 

God knows its fate, but I did my part to help. Did I do something huge to make the world a better place? No, but to that baby woodpecker I did something huge, because I chose to take action, to step in, and by doing so, helped save its life. (I did check throughout the day, but never saw it or heard it moving around.)

GUINEA PIGS 101 CRASH COURSE and CAVY BABIES - KOKO & NUTMEG

                                                                                            

    What do you do when the world is on fire or seems like it is going crazy in various ways, to include all the political crap and lies - literally (and I am entitled to my opinion), people unable to get along - which is a lack of respect, acceptance, morals and values, a society where only certain people are allowed to speak their OPINION, but others are bashed/mistreated if they disagree - another example of lack of morals, values and respect, AND a pandemic that has increased isolation? (Yes, that was a major run-on sentence, with more than one conjunction!) All the world’s negativity is a pandemic within itself! Basically, this all contributes to stress and even anxiety in many. 

We, humans, are actually “pack” animals in need of LOVING families and friends, which provides a positive support system to deal with these hurdles in life. Having someone or something to give love to and to receive love from can have tremendous positive affects to our whole being. In my case, I opened my heart up to a couple of baby Guinea pigs I named Koko & Nutmeg. 

First, I did months of research, which helped take my mind off the “mad world on fire events.” It also backed up my belief in knowing how to properly care for an animal prior to getting said animal. This is something I did before getting my chickens, which I’ve written about on my blog. What have I learned?

Here’s my Guinea pigs 101 crash course: Guinea pigs are also called Cavia Porcellus, and cavies. They aren’t actually pigs, but are a rodent (gnawing animal, with continuous growing incisors - two top and two bottom front teeth) found in South America, in the grasslands and mountain slopes of the central Andes mountains. They weigh from 1 to 3.5lb., live 3-8 years, can be 8 to 16 inches long, and are diurnal (active in the day) and also crepuscular (mostly active at dawn & dusk). They are prey animals, so they have a great sense of smell and hearing, which can help protect them. They are very social and a herd animal. They also sleep with their eyes open.

In my opinion, the Guinea pig “cool fact" is that they only have 4 toes on their front feet, and 3 toes on their back feet, which makes their feet really cute.

A female Guinea pig’s gestation period is approximately 58 - 72 days. Babies are called “pups” and are born precocious - fully furred with eyes and ears open, and teeth erupted, and able to walk. Pups are able to eat regular food within hours of being born, but also nurse from their mother for 3 weeks, sometimes longer if they are smaller, because of being from a larger litter. Average age for weaning is 3 weeks. 

Guinea pigs are considered adults at 6 months of age. Sadly, despite not being adult size, a female can become pregnant at just 1 month old, which can be life threatening to her and the babies.

Guinea pigs have been domestic pets for many hundreds of years. That being said, it doesn’t mean that all the care requirements for these little creatures have been properly meant - a sad fact within the pet shop industry of today. Better information is available in today’s technological world, which provides the information on proper care needs via the internet and youtube videos.

Most people have heard of puppy mills - the unscrupulous breeding of pure breed dogs, just for the sake of making money, without regard to the health and well being of the dogs or puppies. These dogs are kept in deplorable conditions, with their puppies sold to the general public and to pet stores for re-sale to the public. These puppies come from poor genetic breeding, and come with health issues and poor social skills. Sometimes this same thing happens with full breed cats. 

In the U.S., various animal groups, like Best Friends Animal Society, the ASPCA, humane societies, and lots of animal rescues groups have worked tirelessly to educate the general public about puppy mills and over-population within the humane societies and animal controls. This has helped, but not all puppy mills have been shut-down.

Sadly, what most people do not know is this same “mill breeding” situation happens with pocket pets, which are then sold in the pet stores. This means sick animals are then sold to the public. With Guinea pigs, there are warehouses with rows of cages with Guinea pigs being bred, and rebred, just to “crank out” as many babies/pups as possible. These breeding animals and pups are not even fed or cared for properly.

An incorrect fact - the pet store industry likes to tout is that Guinea pigs are low maintenance and an “easy” pet for people/kids. The truth is no animal is low maintenance or “easy,” because each creature has its own needs and requirements for health and happiness, just like us humans. Pet stores also like to sell very small cages, which are not even close to being humane. There is one cage sold in some pet stores, which meets the minimum requirements - a Midwest cage. When it come to proper space for a pet, I like to think and tell others this - how would you like to live in a small bathroom (6ft. by 8ft.) for the rest of your life? 

My research on Guinea pig care: 

1) Cage requirements are a minimum of 8 square feet for a Guinea pig. (I made a 2X5 C&C cage, with stand and 2 lids - because I have dogs and a cat. C&C means cubes and coroplast. Coroplast is used in the sign industry for temporary signage. It is a plastic corrugated sheet.)

My C&C cage with 2 Lids
©Photo by Tracey R. Simmons-Danz

2) Since Guinea pigs are social herd animals, they should not be kept alone. They need at least one other piggy for company, because you, as their human, will not/cannot be there all the time for them, and they can become depressed and die at a younger age. (You, also, need to keep them in same sex, so that you do not cause unwanted breeding.)

3) They need a constant source of quality hay - Timothy for adults, and alfalfa (higher in calcium for growing bones) for pups up to 6 months. (Some adult piggies do better on orchard grass hay.) Because their front incisors continue to grow, they need the hay to chewing/gnaw on, not only for nutrition, but also to keep the teeth worn down to proper length.

4) A clean source of water is needed at all times, with water bottle or dish kept clean.

Another view of my 2x5 C&C cage on a stand
©Photo by Tracey R. Simmons-Danz

5) Quality hay pellets are needed. (They do not need all the fillers or coloring that many pellet producers put in, which can be unhealthy.)

6) Certain veggies and limited fruits (because of sugar content) are needed.

7) Daily cage cleaning is required, as Guinea pigs can get respiratory and foot problems. 

8) You need to find a vet who has experience with Guinea pig care.

Here is my getting Guinea pigs story: When it came to me getting Guinea pigs, I wanted quality bred piggy babies and wanted the American breed, which has a short, smooth coat. I tried to contact the American Cavy Breeders Association, asking for a contact for a quality breeder of the American cavy breed. Over a few months, I sent emails to 3 different people listed on their websites, and waited for responses. In my mind, a quality bred piggy would have been started out right in life with proper food and care, which leads to better health. (I was/am dealing with health/coat issues with two of my rescue dogs, and EPI in Hope - my deaf dog, who requires enzymes on her food, so I wanted to avoid more problems with badly bred Guinea pigs.) Sadly, when it came to the American Cavy Breeders Association, for whatever reason, not one of the 3 people I contacted via email ever returned an email to me. 

Seeing young Guinea pigs in the pet stores did cause temptations to buy them. In the end, I chose to adopt Guinea pigs from a rescue, because I do not want to be a part of “helping” the “Guinea pig mills.” With a Guinea pig rescue, I believed a pup’s life would, at least, start out with proper food and care.

Going to petfinder.com, I found the color of babies I wanted at a humane society several hours away. I made contact, but it was the weekend. They were adopted before I even got a response. Not meant to be, so on with the search. I found another rescue just a little over two hours away - Kentucky Cavies Guinea Pig Rescue. Although, their website is through facebook, which I do not do, they do have a “chat” button you can click to communicate with them. I liked what I could read on the public part of this rescue’s fb page, so I sent them the very specific information of what I wanted - 2 female babies, American breed, one mostly black with a little white and one mostly brown/reddish or tan with a little white. (Koko and Nutmeg were the names I had picked out for these colorings, and picked out long before looking for babies.) Thinking it might be awhile before I got a response, I was pleasantly surprised when I had one within hours. A picture was sent of four babies, just days old, and not yet posted for adoption. Were they the colors I wanted? Nope, but I wanted them anyway, so I filled out the paperwork and waited for them to be weaned.

On a warm March day, a friend and I made the drive to pick up Koko & Nutmeg. They are little stress relievers, little therapy beings in this world on fire times!! After bringing them home, I felt like I’d miss out on something special for year, but didn’t even know it until I got them. Because they were so little, just 3 weeks and 2 days old, I had to put cardboard all the way to the top of my C&C cage, because I didn’t want to take a chance they could somehow squeeze through the little squares and get out. That means I cannot see them in their cage unless I stood up and look in, but if I did that they would hide. The funny thing is when they got/get a case of the “zoomies,” which happens in the evenings around 7pm, because I can’t see them, I hear their little feet running back and forth, zip, zip, zip…like a heard of tiny little elephants. Lastly, holding them and hearing their little noises brings pure joy. More stories about Koko and Nutmeg will be coming in future post. 

Transported Home!
Just 3 Weeks and 2 Days old.
©Photo by Tracey R. Simmons-Danz

Thanks for reading my long-winded post!!

Now 8 weeks and 5 Days old.
©Photo by Tracey R. Simmons-Danz

Kentucky Cavies Guinea Pig Rescue is based in Louisville, Kentucky, with a mission to not just rescue, but also promote education on Guinea pig care. They also want their piggies to go into non-smoking homes, which I totally agree with 100%. Prior to adopting my two babies, this rescue answered many questions, and even after adopting, they have answered many questions, as I still don’t know everything, despite all my research and youtube video watching to educate myself on Guinea pigs and their care. If you are wanting Guinea pigs, or need a friend for a solitary piggy, and are within a few hours drive of Kentucky Cavies Guinea Pig Rescue, I highly recommend them. They also have various supplies available for purchase.

Kentucky Cavies Guinea Pig Rescue Website

Below are various links to just some of the educational videos I have watched on Youtube and highly recommend before getting Guinea pigs:

Must see videos from LA Guinea Pig Rescue:

Best Cages

Emergency Kits for Guinea Pigs

Things You must Do for Guinea Pigs

Cage Space Needed

Hay Reviews

Guinea Piggles C&C cage building:

Guinea Piggles C&C cage intro

Guinea Piggles C&C cage stand

Guinea Piggles C&C Cage building

Guinea Piggles C&C lid construction

LA Guinea Pig Rescue has a great website with information. In addition, I highly recommend Scotty's Animals Youtube channel and website for information as well.

Deaf Dog Hope in a Video

I have learned how to make videos using lots of pictures and how to upload it to YouTube. Now I have learned how to take a video, edit it, and enhance it, then upload it to YouTube. I have a video of Deaf Dog Hope - my sweet baby girl, entertaining herself in an empty kiddie pool. Click the link below. I hope you enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqrCgoaG0VU&feature=youtu.be

Deaf Dog Hope Howls in Her Sleep

Deaf Dog Hope
March 2017

Imagine being pulled from the depths of sleep by your dog howling in the night. A dog barking or howling in the night wouldn't be unusual if they were outside; or they heard something that has caused them to wake up. Now think about if it is a dog who was born deaf who is howling, but most important, she is still asleep while she howls.

Since adopting Deaf Dog Hope on December 29, 2013, she has woken me up only a few times with her slumbering howls. It is a sound that is completely different from a hearing dog's howl. It is an extremely mournful, soulful sound, which wraps around my heart and squeeezes as I hear it and as it slowly diminishes. It leaves me lying there in the lingering silence wondering what has triggered the howl; and how in the world could Hope connect to her ability to howl - making the sound, having been born deaf??

Shortly after adopting Hope, I was absolutely surprised when she barked the first time, and it was and still is ear splitting. I realized because she cannot hear herself, she has no volume control, so to speak, causing the high decibel rated barks. Her dreamful howl isn't even ear-splitting or loud, which is why it is such a lonely, gut-wrenching sound.

I know I shouldn't have been surprised with her barks, because God gave animals instincts. These instincts tell the animal how to be the animal they are, to include their form of communication, even if they are taken away from their mother and handraised by a human.

This howling situation is different. Hope has never howled while awake. My other dogs have howled in response to the coyote populations yips and howls and from sirens. Hope hears none of it. Even if she sees my dogs howl, she does not join in.

Deaf Dog Hope with her favorite toy - a
Spiky Ball.
March 2017

As a child, I had huskies who loved to howl, so I understand a hearing dog's desire to howl. It is part of going back into their wolf ancestry. Howling is a form of communication, just like barking is. Howling can attract attention, can be used to make contact with another dog, announce their presence, warn other animals to stay out of the howling dog's territory, be an alert to danger, or used to search for another pack member. Some howling is caused by high-pitched sounds like emergency vehicles' sirens. While other howls can be caused by extreme pain. There are some dogs who even howl out of boredom or loneliness.

Whatever the reason, howling is part of a dog's instincts. Unlike humans who have to be taught how to do everything, include talking, God has embedded howling and barking in a dog's genetic code. The nagging question I have is - how does a deaf dog connect to her ability to howl when she doesn't have the above hearing triggers to cause it, doesn't have injuries to cause pain, is inside safe from predators, and most importantly - is asleep? Since it is an eerie, sorrowful howl, where is Hope in her dreams, what is she connecting to that creates such a distressing, heart-breaking sound?

I am left puzzled, wishing I could read Hope's thoughts in those moments. If you have a deaf dog and have experienced the forlorn slumbering howl, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I am including several pictures of Hope playing. She is so fast, it is difficult to get clear pictures. Over a hundred pictures where taken in two days time trying to get some clear ones for you to enjoy.

All pictures are copyrighted © to Tracey R. Simmons,

creator of Paws4Hearts Rescue, 2017.

Deaf Dog Hope "Asks to be Petted"

Hope with her Doggles on.
© Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2014

December 29, 2013 was the date I adopted Hope, an approximately eleven month old Border Collie/Husky mix born deaf and surrendered as an older puppy because of her deafness. Although, I found out later that the person who surrendered her used the excuse that this puppy was "cat aggressive."

When I asked to see Hope, at the time named Sweetie, in the Humane Society's lobby to get away from all the barking dogs and to give her lovings, I asked how she was around cats. I was told they didn't know, later told that until they saw her being aggressive they were not going to put that label on her. They knew that when an animal comes in with a disability like deafness, the owner feels guilty for not wanting it for that reason and will use another excuse to give up the animal to appease their conscious.

Hope, Pippin, and Spritzen playing.
© Photo by Tracey R. Simmons

Here we were standing in the lobby surrounded by large cages filled with kittens and adult cats. I watched Hope's interest in the kittens being greater - not in an aggressive way, than her interest in me as a human wanting to pet and love her. I have photos of her while still at the Humane Society - how scared she was just to be touched and hugged. She has come so far in a positive way.

I could tell the day I first saw Hope at the Humane Society that she had love to give. When all the other dogs were barking and jumping around, as I walked through the dog kennel area, Hope just sat, watching me, her blue eyes meeting mine.  I really believe that she could sense the hurt I was feeling for my black lab - Worf, who was basically in hospice care at home, nearing his last day. There was an unexplainable communication that took place at that moment.

I brought Hope home four days after losing Worf on Christmas day. She has never been aggressive towards my cats or the Chihuahuas. In fact, she is extremely gentle with my older cat, Gracie, the Grey.

Hope is indeed a lover at heart. Just last night, she came up to me, sat and looked me straight in the eyes. She was asking to be petted. When I moved my hand towards her, she quickly lowered her head under my hand, bumping it with her head. As I moved my hand across her head and back, the wiggles and bouncing started, so I stopped. She calmed down, sitting beside my legs, waiting. Then, I gently started rubbing her side, and she leaned into me more. She was in heaven.

Pippin wanting Hope to play tug with her.
© Photo by Tracey R. Simmons

Irresistible Squeaky Dog Toys

My Beloved Koda
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2014

Dog toys – they stimulate a dog’s play drive, helps with boredom, and provides exercise. If the toys have squeakers inside, some dogs will tear apart the toy to get to the squeaker, leaving you looking at the toy’s fabric in shreds and pieces of stuffing littering the floor or couch. In addition, if you are like me, you are thinking about the money that was wasted.

For years, I prided myself on providing squeaker toys to my dogs and teaching them to enjoy them rather than ripping them to pieces. Many times I had people say, “You can’t teach a dog not to tear up squeaker toys!” I assured them I could and had with several dogs.

I have taught medium size to large size dogs to play with their toys, and not tear them apart. One might think it would be more difficult to teach bigger dogs, but I have found it to be easier to do than the dinky dogs. The Chihuahuas, or in the case of my beloved late Koda – a three quarters Chihuahua, one quarter min pin, I have been challenged greatly in my endeavors to keep the toys intact.

Koda had learned to play and not tear up his toys.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2014

What could possibly be the difference? A dog is a dog, right?!

I have pondered this dilemma greatly. My conclusion is this: bigger dogs are right there in the way for you to step or trip over, so you notice them being too rough on a toy, snatch it away, ultimately saving the toy, leaving the bigger dog bewildered, as you go about your chores with the toy safely out of reach.

When it comes to the dinky dogs, they are, obviously, quite small, and that smallness is a breeding ground for sneakiness. For example, dinky dogs can look to be innocently snuggled up against the arm of the couch with a brand new squeaky toy. They are so small; they are nearly out of your view. They appear to be ready to fall asleep. Then, as you go about your chores, your dinky dog makes quick work at opening the squeaky toy. Their little teeth cut through the threads along the seam, just like scissors on paper. A small hole has been created. And poof, there’s the all magical, all wonderful stuffing. Meticulous that sneaky, dinky dog begins to pull bits of stuffing out.

Spritzen Nala O'Chi with new toy.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons
December 2016

Alas, you walk back into the room to find snippets of stuffing on the floor and couch. You grab the toy, looking for the hole and find none, as I did. I gave the toy back and sat down on the couch to watch a movie. Meanwhile, that dinky dog pulls the toy to the floor, just outside your view, and begins to work on that hole even more, opening it up further, exposing the irresistible stuffing. All of a sudden, you realize there is a large pile of stuffing lying there, looking like a white fluffy cloud. Subsequently, you look at your Chihuahua, who looks up at you with innocent eyes that say, “I really didn’t do anything wrong. White stuff? What white stuff? It must be a figment of your imagination!”

The Guilty Spritzen Nala O'Chi!!
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons
January 2017

Deaf Dog Hope, A.K.A. Egg Thief

My egg basket with eggs from organically feed chickens.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons December 2016

Sometimes you get into auto pilot when doing things, not thinking about what consequences may occur because of your lack of attention to details. This happened recently after I gathered chicken eggs. I put the egg basket with six eggs on top of the chickens' feed bin, which sits on the porch. Then, I went in to let Hope out to run and play. I got sidetracked and forgot to bring the eggs in. I was not thinking about the eggs being at Hope's level, or that Hope is guilty of counter-surfing, always looking for food to steal after her bout with being sick and underweight for three months before being diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.

(The EPI diagnoses is treatable. It means Hope has to have enzymes put on her food. The food has to soak for at least twenty minutes before she can eat it. The enzymes, which are ground up pig pancreases, helps Hope's body digest the food, rather than going through her undigested and coming out in the form of smelly diarrhea.)

A short time later, I realized I needed to bring the eggs inside and get them into the refrigerator. I stepped outside to see an empty egg basket. There wasn't an egg or any tiny bits of egg shell left. These eggs were from my organically feed chicken, and that organic food cost more, about three times more than conventionally food.

Aarrrrgghh!!!! There was no enzymes on those eggs to help Hope digest them. Heaven for bid, my mind began to spin and relive those three months of none stop diarrhea and extremely foul gas which affected Hope, but which I had to clean up and smell.

First, I sent out an urgent text messages to friends, who I knew would pray for Hope. Then, I quickly got Hope's dog food ready, with enzymes soaking on them. I thought that if she ate her food with the enzymes, that maybe it would help her digest the eggs and shells.

Deaf Dog Hope with her sign of shame.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons December 2016

After twenty minutes, Hope ate her food. Then, I let her stay outside longer, since the weather was decent. When the diarrhea came, and I knew it would, I wanted her to be outside. My plan worked out, no diarrhea inside the house.

The problem came later that night, while I was trying, repeat trying to sleep. Hope slept fine in her create beside the bed, but I lay awake as she let off SBDs, silent but deadly gas. At about 2am, I let Hope outside to do her duty, just in case she had anymore diarrhea. When I let her inside, as she was going up the stairs in front of me, the SBDs were no more. It was gag a maggot, blow your hair back, in your face, eyes watering, loud toots all the way up the stairs.

Did I surivive? Yes! The moral of this story is: I will keep the chicken eggs out of Hope's reach.

Organic Peanut Butter Helps With Dog's Nail Trimming

Organic Peanut Butter
on a Spoon.
Paws 4 Hearts Photo 2016

I wouldn't think that a 7.6 pound dog would be able to keep humans fifteen times or more bigger than her from trimming her nails, but Spritzen Nala O'Chi is able to do it. For me, I know how stress can be detrimental on an animal's health. Stress can cause an animal to have a stroke, and this was always on my mind as Spritzen Nala struggled and fought against having her nails trimmed.

Spritzer Nala has white nails, which makes trimming easier, because I can see the pink quick, and avoid it. When a dog is struggling, kicking, crying, and flipping her head this way and that, about the time I'd see the nail, get the clipper over it, ready to trim, that foot has moved, and I've lost the chance to trim that nail.

I found one way that worked - give Spritzen Nala natural dental chews, but it took two per foot. That was a lot going into her belly, so I had to find another way.

A Stress-free Spritzen Nala O'Chi
snuggled in her favorite blanket.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons
October 2016

An "Ah-haa Moment" came when I remembered how dogs love peanut butter. I buy organic peanut butter, which I refrigerate. Cold peanut butter is firmer - you have to let it sit at room temperature  for a litte bit to get it to spread on bread. This means it will take longer to lick it off a spoon.

At last, a healthy, stress free solution for dog nail trimming - they lick peanut butter off a spoon, while you trim quickly. The only thing is you can't just lay the spoon on the floor - it will scoot away as they try to lick. If you don't have another human to help, you will have to hold the end of the spoon in your mouth. As the dog licks the peanut butter, you can trim. This may seem like a goofy thing to do, but it does work. You and your dog will have a much lower stress level.

Note: as the peanut butter warms, you and the dog maybe wearing some of it, but that's just a small problem compared to a dog whose nails are too long. Happy trimming!

Deaf Dog Hope Learns a New Sign

Deaf Dog Hope
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons July 2016

When Deaf Dog Hope was first adopted, she was really quiet when she went outside to do her business. This lasted three weeks. Then, one winter day, the neighbors’ dog was on our property, just outside the dogs’ fence. When Hope went outside, this dog startled her by just being there, so after that she would go out and bark like crazy.

I spoke with the trainers we were working with to understand this situation. They said because Hope was deaf, she was barking in this wild, aggressive manner to compensating for her deafness, or trying to cover it up by letting any predators (or other dogs) know that she was big and bad and not to mess with her. In other words, it was a protective defense.

The problem for me was the loudness of Hope’s barks. She barked like a banshee. It was earsplitting for me. She had no volume control, because she couldn’t hear herself. And despite living in the country, there are neighbors close by.

For a long time, Hope would do her barking thing, then stop - maybe realizing that there were no predators around. More recently, she’s decided to continue this barking, so I had to figure out how I was going to teach her to stop barking or to be quiet.

The cool thing about Hope is that she’s really smart. I think it’s the Border collie part of her that helps her learn and puzzle through things when we work on training and a new sign, and this helps her figure things out quickly. Many times, it’s harder for me to work through how I am going to teach something new and the new sign in a way for Hope to understand what I want.

Hope pouncing on her spikey ball - her favorite toy.
(Because she is so fast, it is difficult not to having blurring
in a photo when she is playing.)
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons July 2016

Another thing about deaf dogs, is that they learn to "read" their human(s), as far as mood. Hope figures out when I am playing around and when I am being serious. (Hearing dogs can get the tone of a human to know when they are mad, but they don't always pick it up just by looking at a human.)

A few weeks ago, Hope went out first thing in the early morning, along with the other dogs. She immediately started her banshee barking. I quickly opened the door. Hope stopped barking as I gave her a stern look (because I was frustrated) and put my index finger to my mouth - the way we humans tell another human to be quiet. Because she’d stopped barking, I quickly gave her the “thumbs-up” sign. This is her equivalent to a click when clicker training a hearing dog – letting the dog know they did something right.

Hope's all white left side - albino white.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons July 2016

Hope understood the “I mean business” look. She swiftly figured out this new sign and what she needs to do. Now I don’t have to give the stern look. I just use the sign. Overly barking problem – solved!

How many signs does Hope know? She knows sit, down (as in lay down), sit back up, come, watch/look at me, wait/stay, release, target hand or object, go to mat/crate, no, shake, high-five, thumbs-up; and I can point a direction I want her to go and she’ll walk in that direction. She also knows the sign to stand between my legs and to do a clockwise circle – although we haven’t done these for a while. The latter two were things I wanted to do, along with adding more tricks & signs, because there are dogs that dance with their humans.

Hope's right side with some color.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons July 2016