It’s about Johnny, my neighbors’ beautiful young German Shepherd.  When the neighbors moved in next door to me several years ago, they brought along their two dogs — Alabaster, a petite, pretty, white Pittie, and Johnny, a magnificent young German Shepherd.  I was happy to meet the young couple and befriend their pets.  But the couple weren’t as excited to get to know their neighbors, which of course is their choice, obviously, but disappointing nonetheless.  Our properties are divided by concrete block privacy walls, so once Johnny and Alabaster were ushered into their new backyard, I was never able to interact with them again …

… Until Johnny began jumping the wall into my back yard.  The first time he came over was quite the surprise.  I happened to walk past my patio door and glance out to see this big guy standing there staring back in at me.  I marveled at his size — large, muscular, a real specimen dog.  Johnny, however, was not trained, even basics like walking on a lead.  He was a good-natured boy, but had lots of nervous energy, making him unable to focus or respond to commands.  It only took a minute or two to recognize that his owners were not invested in managing his behavior.

His owners were away that first time, so I kept Johnny with me in my yard till they returned home a few hours later.  We had fun.  Turns out Johnny loves water — loves it!  The more I sprayed the garden hose for him to chase, the more he loved it.  I loved his child-like joy!  And the more he ran and chased the water spray, the more relaxed he became.  I could see his nerves and anxieties melt away as he played and burned off all his built-up toxic energy.  It was a great time, and I could tell he was relieved.

Our New Normal.

And so began the next three years living next to Johnny.  He jumped the fence on a frequent basis.  I was always finding him in my yard running around.  I adored Johnny but, even tho he was welcome at my home, I couldn’t allow him to keep coming over unannounced.  My own pets were outside with me every day enjoying our yard, and I had no idea if Johnny could be trusted with them.  My dog Bandit is only 11 pounds, and my two cats are quite small as well, especially compared to a 150-pound hyper-active German Shepherd.  I couldn’t put them at risk by allowing Johnny free run of my property.  Johnny might have been friendly and non-threatening, but his size and nervous energy alone could hurt them.  We never knew when he would come over the fence — we just knew that he was always pacing on his side of the fence, and that he would surprise us at any moment.

Johnny’s back yard is higher than mine because we live on the foothills of a mountain range.  So he was never able to jump back over the fence to go home on his own.  And he would freak out — running, crying, pacing, barking, tearing up my grass, my window screens, etc.  I was never angry at Johnny for his anxieties and poor behavior, because it was never his fault.  I knew he was a good dog, who just needed some attention and training.  So I tried to take advantage of the times he was in my yard, and help him burn off pent-up energy so he could learn some commands.  He liked that.  But then the owners would come get him and he’d go back to being ignored and misbehaved.  It was a sad and unfortunate cycle.

Sad Intentions.

It became apparent that Johnny’s time living next door to me was coming to an end.  The neighbors were growing frustrated at having to come get him from my yard so often, and they commented on occasion that they needed to find him a new home.  They listed the typical reasons that people give:  he’s badly behaved, he’s too much work, we have a new baby, etc.  I could tell they were looking for a quick and easy way to unload him, so I began reaching out to people I knew to see if we could get him re-homed safely.  Before I got any takers, tho, the big escape happened.

The Big Escape.

One day last month, I got a notice on NextDoor.com about two dogs wandering a nearby neighborhood.  I pulled up the photo and saw that it was Alabaster and Johnny.  I quickly texted my neighbors that their dogs were loose and the finder had already taken the dogs to the county shelter.  I knew the danger they were in there, and my heart was racing.  The neighbors eventually texted back saying they would go retrieve them.  I texted them again and gave them the two kennel numbers to help quickly identify the dogs and get them safely out.  They texted back saying they were on their way to the shelter.

Later that evening, another post came through on NextDoor.com about Johnny and Alabaster.  It said Alabaster had been picked up by the owners, but Johnny was still at the shelter.  I was shocked to realize the owners had recovered Alabaster but had deliberately left Johnny behind at the shelter.  My heart sank.

Heartbroken But Hopeful.

Posts on NextDoor.com were swirling about trying to get Johnny out of the shelter to safety.  I called everyone I could think of.  Folks were even visiting Johnny at the shelter to be sure he was doing okay and posting status reports on any possible adoptions.  Three days later, the posts stopped.  No more updates on Johnny.  The shelter folks would not let us know if Johnny had been adopted or if they had killed him.

It’s been a few months now, and I still think of Johnny every day.  I fight the urge to judge his owners and be angry with them.  But it’s hard.  Johnny deserved so much better than he got from them.  My heart will always hurt for Johnny knowing he got cheated … and it wasn’t his fault.  I can only pray our networking helped and that he was adopted and is now in the care of loving, diligent folks who prioritize his wellbeing and happiness.  Miracles do happen.

If you don’t have the time or attitude to invest in training a dog, . . .

                                                              . . .   please don’t get a dog.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post And Another Good Dog Is Ruined. appeared first on BareFootPets.

And you find yourself chasing him all over the park?  Frustrating, right.  Well, I discovered a fool-proof correction for that problem totally by accident recently, and it seems to have a 100% success rate!

My little sidekick Bandit is super focused and insanely driven about his Kong toy, and he used to fetch it like a champ.  But somewhere along the way, he decided it would be really cute to make me chase him instead of returning the toy to me like he had once been doing so well.  I’ll admit it was cute, but for only a minute.  I didn’t want to fall into that bad habit, so I tried to correct him right away to reinforce the right behavior.  But Bandit wasn’t having it.

The Back Story.

A few months ago, Bandit hid his Kong ball in the house so well that neither of us could find it.  After spending too much time searching, I thought it easier to just go buy a new one.  So I did.  A few days later, we found the original Kong toy.

That afternoon, I took Bandit outside to place fetch, and I took along both Kongs.  He went after the first throw with a vengeance as usual.  But, instead of bringing the Kong back, he sat down where he was at the other end of the yard, and totally teased me, little scamp, expecting me to chase him.  Instead, without moving, I held up the second Kong and said “Look what I’ve got.”  Oh boy, did that get his attention fast!  He came flying back across the yard to me, first Kong still in his mouth, jumping up and down to get at the second Kong in my hand.

Score!

I told Bandit to “drop it” and he laid his first Kong at my feet, then jumped up and down to grab the second Kong in my hand.  I threw the second Kong, and he beat it to the other end of the yard.  But then he laid down again instead of bringing it back to me.  So I repeated again what had just happened a moment before — I held up the first Kong in my hand and said “Look what I’ve got.”  Here he came, roaring down the yard again with the second Kong in his mouth, to get the first Kong in my hand — a relay, or trade-off of sorts.  And that was all it took — only two times to make the correction and reinforce it.  Problem totally solved, and in a positive, happy way for him.

Out of simple dumb luck, I had discovered how to “fix the fetch.”  🙂   And it works for us every single time.  If your dog is as toy-driven as my Bandit, you probably can expect this trick to work for you as well.  Happy Fetching Like A Rock Star!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Fix The Fetch. appeared first on BareFootPets.

If you are a pet owner, you already have the great advantage of easily staying in shape during the COVID lockdown.  I noticed, when my company began its remote work environment back in March, that I right away began gaining weight, and it piled on fast.  Took about a minute to figure out I was engaging in more than my normal amount of comfort eating.  I knew I had to think outside the box to get that weight back off, because I hate exercising.  And, for a comfort eater, dieting is a very ugly word.

How Bandit Is Helping Me Lose Weight.

But it wasn’t hard to figure out the perfect answer.  I already take my awesome little dog Bandit out in the back yard every day for play time – at least twice a day, even three or four times a day sometimes now that I’m working from home during the lockdown.  It’s our time together out in the sunshine and fresh air, and we love it.  But he was the one getting all the exercise.  I just threw the ball.  So for me the answer was easy — I just started running with him.  Boom – problem solved.  Now I throw the ball and chase it right alongside Bandit.  He thinks that’s pretty cool, by the way.  Dogs love when you’re as excited about their toys as they are.  Sometimes we just get down on the floor and wrestle.  Bandit couldn’t be more thrilled for the extra attention and playtime, and I’m encouraged knowing it’s working for the good of my health as well.

How Gabriel Is Helping Me Lose Weight, Too.

I also have cats — Gabriel, SpeedBump, and Chelsea.  Although they sleep a lot more than Bandit, they do have their moments during the day when they get tickled and zoom the house.  So I’m taking advantage of those moments and zoom along with them, trailing long cat toys behind me for them to catch, or tossing squeaky toys across the room and running with them to retrieve.  Or making it a game of tag you’re it.  My cats love when I chase them through the house!

Better Than Taking A Happy Pill.

There are occasionally days during this never-ending lockdown when I don’t feel so much like running and playing, but I push on anyway.  Once we start and I feel the energy flowing, I’m very happy to be at it; almost feels like I took a happy pill!  And the pets are relieved to be shedding pent-up energy, too.  Remember — exercise benefits both you and your pets by reducing, even eliminating, stress, which we all know is bad bad bad for your body.  And Lord knows the lockdown has put a boatload of stress on everyone.  So, with the new more interactive playtime in our house, the pets are happier, I’m happier, everyone’s healthier.  And – the weight is coming off.  It’s a win-win for us all.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

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The post Lock Down, Lighten Up. appeared first on BareFootPets.

Well, here I sit at home, self-quarantined because I woke up today with a sore throat and swollen glands. My employer has already closed the office and we’re all tele-working at home for the foreseeable future anyway. So it just makes sense I should write in the BareFootPets blog today about the corona virus, right.

Include Your Pets During Crisis Preparation.

There is no arguing that folks have gone crazy trying to prepare during the corona virus crisis. Have you also taken action to prepare for your pet as well?  As more and more people are becoming quarantined, and are self-quarantining, be mindful that you also need to accommodate your pet’s needs.

Food.

Obviously you should ensure you have a good amount of your pet’s regular food on hand in the event you become unable to get out to shop for it later. If you are a late-comer to the preparedness stage of this crisis, don’t fret. You can easily feed your pet home-cooked meals until you are able to rebuild your supply of pet food.  Boiled chicken with rice and vegetables is always a big hit.  Use common sense when home-cooking for your pet — avoid spices, be very careful to de-bone completely, etc.

Supplies.

You should stock up on kitty litter, pee pads, prescriptions, supplements, water, … especially prescriptions.  Don’t compromise your furbaby’s health by allowing these items to run out. If you already are under quarantine and Fido needs a refill, call your veterinarian and ask if they can send refills to you by mail.  If mail is not a possibility, then pay by phone and ask a neighbor or friend to pick up the meds for you and deliver them to your front door where you can step out quickly and retrieve them.

Even if you are not a bottled water user, it’s always smart to have a couple of cases on-hand in case of emergency.  If your municipal water supply became tainted or in short supply, you would need bottled water to fall back on. This includes for your pets. REMINDER: keep your pet’s bowl and water supply fresh and clean–every day.

If pee pads are in short supply on store shelves, or you just need to tighten your spending for awhile, get creative again.  Just put down a trash bag and cover it with an old bath towel. This can act as a pee pad until the crisis passes and you’re able to get shopping again for the real deal. Same idea with kitty litter. If your cash flow or store supplies are low, just put some sand or dirt from your garden into the litterbox. Agreed, it may not be as fresh-smelling, but your kitty will be happy to use it until you can replenish your litter supply.

Exercise / Activity. 

Are you and Fido used to daily walks, but now you’re in quarantine?  You both can still stay active–just be creative.  Make use of your back yard to play fetch with a tennis ball, blow bubbles for him to catch, or just chase each other around.  You can get really creative and set up a make-shift obstacle course for him. How fun would that be!

If you don’t have a yard, you can make do inside your home, like chasing up and down a hallway, wrestling on the carpet, playing hide n seek under the bed blankets, chasing each other around the sofa, anything stimulating that will help to get both your pet’s and your heart rates up for 20 minutes or so a day.  Your pet will love the new mix-up in recreation too. Just don’t let yourselves get bored and lazy. Those are hard habits to break.

Companionship.

This is where your pet shines!  If you become quarantined, whether mandatory or self, you might find yourself going stir-crazy at some point. Your pet will get you through it beautifully. He’ll be right by your side–thrilled to have you at home with him every day.  He’ll keep you company and lift your spirits. He’ll entertain you and keep you laughing. He’ll help you stay active. He won’t even care what you’re doing, as long as he’s with you, whether curled up sleeping or reading a book, or rolling around with him on the floor. And he won’t make fun of your “bed-head” … or maybe he will. He will infuse your home with joy and love.  Doesn’t get any better than that.

As Long As You’re Focused.

Most of the ideas above are simple little no-brainers. As long as you’re paying attention and focused on taking care of everyone’s needs, including your pet’s, you’ll be fine.  And remember to be creative and stay active, intellectually and physically. Lastly, if you do find yourself quarantined, count your blessings for the precious little furry soul happily sitting at your side. God’s gift in the middle of the storm.

God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.

The post Pets And The Corona Virus. appeared first on BareFootPets.