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.

Always Harness Your Dog In The Car.

Two reasons. First and obvious is for the safety of the pooch. He’s safely anchored should you have to stop fast. He’s safely anchored and won’t fall out the window if he leans too far. But also think of this: if, God forbid, you’re in a car accident, first responders may not be able to get to you if your dog is loose in the car. If he’s injured and freaked out, he may try to protect you and threaten to bite anyone who comes near. Those precious minutes that first responders have to spend restraining your dog instead of getting you out of the car and to the hospital could mean life or death to you. Pretty sobering thought, isn’t it. Harness your dog–it’s best for both of you.

Jenny-Girl and Tyler Safely Harnessed and Enjoying a Ride.   🙂

If one of your reasons for not harnessing your dog in the care is he’s small and can’t look out the window if you buckle him in, then consider a booster seat.  You can see in the photo that I have a lovely pink pleather booster seat that fits 2 or 3 small dogs together at one time. They can see everything outside and they totally love it! The boosters are lightweight, buckle in and out quickly and easily, have tiedowns to attach your dog’s harness securely, and many have a drawer tucked underneath to store leads and water dishes, etc. So check out these options and pick a nice one for your pooch. Don’t take chances with your pet’s wellbeing, especially when there are such easy accommodations to be used.

Carry A Safety Notice In Your Wallet,

next to your license, that says you have pets at home. The safety notice should contain the person’s name who can care for your pets in an emergency. Again if, God forbid, something happens that you can’t get home, this safety note will alert everyone that you have pets at home. Now they’ll know who to call right away. It would be bad enough that you’ve suffered an event that might keep you from getting home. But it would add an extra element of tragedy to a situation if no one knew to go care for your pets until you could get back home to them.

Post A Notice At The Entry To Your Home,

like right by your doorbell, stating how many pets are in your house. My son told me “Mom, when we get called to a house fire, we have no idea what we’re walking into. We can’t save your pets if we don’t know they’re in there.” Omigosh, critical safety tip! Think about it–when firefighters go into burning homes filled with smoke, they have to feel their way around because they can’t see. Pets are freaked out and would be hiding. Firefighters would never know to look for them if they didn’t have a heads-up that the pets were in there. I went a step further and added our veterinarian’s name and phone to my safety post too.

If any of these situations ever happened to me, had I not prepared ahead of time for the safety of my pets, boy would I feel like scum. Knowing these critical safety tips and preparing accordingly is comforting. I know I’ve got my pets’ best interests at heart.

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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 Safety Tips From A First Responder – Wow, I Never Knew! appeared first on BareFootPets.

May not sound like a big deal, right, but this is an important one. The collar should be used only for the pet’s id tags, and a harness for attaching leads. Did you know that, by using a collar and leash to walk your pooch, especially small dogs, that you’re putting dangerous pressure on his delicate trachea and could cause it to actually collapse? A collapsed trachea means your pet will struggle forever now just to breathe, and will become old before his time. Medications can help a bit, but come with side effects. The only “fix” for a collapsed trachea is to surgically implant a stint. For most folks, this surgery is hardly affordable. Plus, it isn’t guaranteed and rarely works for the longterm – not to mention, it’s dangerous to put your pet through such a surgery. Please consider the argument for harnesses instead.

Is A Collapsed Trachea That Big A Deal?

A collapsed trachea is very painful for your pet and seriously diminishes his quality of life. It interferes with his breathing, causes him to cough endlessly every waking hour as if his insides are going to come out, and takes away his overall strength and energy. This wretching coughing drives everyone in the house nuts, the pet is miserable, the owners feel helpless to do anything because the surgery’s too expensive and, in the end, out of frustration, the pet gets surrendered to a shelter or sometimes even taken to the vet to be put down. This horribly sad outcome can be totally avoided by just using a harness instead of a collar. Attaching the lead to his harness will distribute the pressure evenly across the pet’s chest and eliminate any pressure to his trachea. Now that you’re aware of the hazard of attaching leads to collars, this is a totally simple change you can make to protect your pet’s health, your sanity, and your pocketbook. Make the switch now, prevent the damage, and protect his future. When shopping for harnesses, you’ll notice that some appear more like vests, covering a larger area of the chest. These are ideal if your dog is a real “puller,” because they best distribute the pressure overall to prevent any pain or injury to your pet.

But I Still Prefer Using A Collar – Can I Do So Safely?

If your preference is still to use a collar and leash, here’s a simple tip to ensure your pet’s protection: bring the collar right up to the back of the dog’s ears, and right up under his chin, as close as possible to the jaw and away from his trachea. And – here’s the most important part ~ NEVER pull backward on the lead. ALWAYS pull straight up, so that the collar and lead are right behind his ears and almost lifting his front feet straight up. That way, you’ll avoid any pressure to the trachea completely.

You also will have more control over your pet, because you’ll be removing his natural urge to pull against the lead. You see, dogs are biologically hard-wired to work and pull, just like an oxen pulling a cart. When they feel the pressure of a leash pulling them back, their basic nature kicks in and they instinctively pull against it. Think about how many times you’ve seen a dog dragging his owner along on a lead. You know it’s got to hurt because he’s pulling and wheezing SO hard and it looks like he’s choking himself. And you wonder why he doesn’t stop. It’s simple – instinct tells him to pull.

So you see – you sabotage any success you’re looking for in leash-training by using the old conventional method and letting your dog pull you on a walk. The harder you pull against him as he pulls against you – you’re actually encouraging a really dangerous habit. A good example is to watch dog shows. Notice how the handler lifts straight up on the lead and how it’s right up under the dog’s chin and touching behind his ears. That’s the correct way to use a lead. For those of you with dogs that pull, trust me when I tell you that getting a bigger, heavier collar and chains, or even those awful chokers with metal teeth on them, is NOT the answer. If you teach yourself the right way and then teach your pooch the right way, you’ll be able to handle the biggest “puller” dog with just your pinky finger. It’s true! Try it! Be patient, tho. If you’ve been walking your dog the old conventional way for very long, it will take awhile for both of you to get the hang of it and program yourselves the new way. But definitely worth it!

Pauly – Too Late To Turn Back Time. The Damage Was Done.

My little Pauly was left at the Humane Society because his owner couldn’t take the coughing. Pauly had a collapsed trachea, the vet said probably from being pulled by his collar. I took him home, and we had an instant love affair. Pauly was my sidekick, and God how I treasured him. But his wretching cough was the worst. There were many many sleepless nights when I thought I would lose my mind because it never stopped. But bless his heart he couldn’t help it, and he was so exhausted. I took him to the vet, then to a specialist, who told me about stint surgery. But the surgery wasn’t guaranteed to work. Stints often slip out of place and cause more problems than they solve. He advised against the surgery because it would be too hard on Pauly, and disappointing if it didn’t work. Instead, he put Pauly on medications to relax his breathing. That didn’t help. Pauly still struggled and coughed and coughed. He was just so worn out, and eventually lost the will to play with his toys … and eventually lost the battle just to breathe. It was beyond heartbreaking to see him get old before his time, especially knowing it could have been prevented so easily. Rest in peace, little guy. You were the best.

Look Down The Road To Help You Make The Best Decision.

So there’s your tip for the day – hook your leads to harnesses instead of collars, especially on delicate, small dogs. You may very well be saving his life.

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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 Woah Nellie! Harness or Collar? appeared first on BareFootPets.