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We ARE the majority! #TheMajorityProject
This post is sponsored by The Animal Farm Foundation and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the The Majority Project, but OMD! only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Animal Farm Foundation is not responsible for the content of this article.
I love my three dogs to the ends of the earth. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them, and it’s my job to take care of them, keep the safe, fed, trained, and loved.
Two of those three dogs happen to be pit-bull-type dogs, and I discovered very early on that it’s also my job to defend and advocate on their behalf. There are just so many myths about “pit bull” dogs, and many people don’t take the time to learn the truth. We were having dinner with a colleague and his wife, and he said, “Oh, we’re both terrified of pit bulls.” But he wasn’t sure why. He just knew what he heard about them on the evening news.
In an effort to challenge the negative stereotypes about “pit bull” dog owners, Animal Farm Foundation created The Majority Project, a photo collection illustrating how countless “pit bull” dog owners make valuable contributions to their communities and families every day. Animal Farm Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation, which has been rescuing and re-homing animals, as well as making grants to other humane organizations, since the mid-1980s. It is Animal Farm Foundation’s mission to secure equal treatment and opportunity for “pit bull” dogs.
Plus, Animal Farm Foundation partnered with actor and “pit bull” dog owner, Jon Bernthal to create a video about the project, which you can check out below!
The Majority Project with Jon Bernthal from Animal Farm Foundation on Vimeo.
We jumped on the chance to participate because those of us who love and care for these dogs need to stand up and give our dogs a voice. Emmett was the first pit-bull-type dog we welcomed into our lives, and he’s been challenging stereotypes since day one. In one of the very first training classes we took with him, a woman asked us if we’d put him down if we had kids. Since then, Emmett has trained and worked as a therapy dog – around kids of all ages, sizes, and ability. He’s traveled around the country, stayed in hotels, been on photoshoots, napped a whole lot, met people and dogs and even a couple more cats. It’s important to me to take him with me whenever it’s somewhere he’ll have fun and be safe because, well, I like having him with me, of course. But, more importantly, he spreads joy and love, and he changes hearts and minds.
We were thrilled to take part in this campaign, although I probably should’ve planned better! We didn’t snap this pic until after Cooper had spent the day running, jumping, and playing at doggy daycare. As you can see, he can hardly hold his head up, the little dear! (Yep, another myth busted: “pit bull” dogs can and do thrive in group play sessions like doggy daycare!) Emmett, on the other hand, pretty much always looks relaxed.
But, then Newt corrected me. She reminded me that SHE is the “pit bull” dog owner around here. So, we let her be a part of the campaign, too. (Another myth busted: “Pit bull” dogs can be in families with cats and other tiny animals! Newt and Cooper are best buds and spend a good chunk of their afternoon wrestling with each other.)
As dog owners – no matter what kind of dog you love – we need to treat them all as individuals and empower pet owners to be responsible. That is the only way to create safe communities – NOT by targeting a specific dog breed. Creating and enforcing non-discriminatory Responsible Pet Ownership laws is the most effective path to building safe, humane communities. Reckless dog owners cannot be correlated with any particular breed or type of dog; the only factor reckless dog owners have in common is their problematic behavior resulting from a disregard of public safety and animal welfare.
“Pit bull” dog owners: Help change public perception of the average “pit bull” dog owner by disproving existing stereotypes! Join The Majority Project by visiting themajorityproject.com, printing and personalizing an “I am the MAJORITY” sign and submitting a photo with YOUR dog! And join them on Facebook or Twitter!
We ARE the majority!
Being responsible for a reactive dog
Today I’m writing about Responsible Pet Owners Month as part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Rubicon Days, Cascadian Nomads, and Tenacious Little Terrier.
When you have a reactive dog, there are inherent responsibilities. Of course, there are tons of responsibilities for even the kindest of souls, but it’s heavier when your dog poses a risk for another person or dog.
Who? Me?
A couple years ago, all three dogs were standing at the back door. I was chatting on the phone with my mom. John was out of town. It was a beautiful day, so I let them out and continued my conversation. I heard Lucas start barking. For a few seconds I tuned it out – he barks a lot – but this little flag went up somewhere in my brain. I told my mom to hold on.
I listened.
He was barking – furiously – but it wasn’t in the yard. It was far away.
I dropped the phone and ran outside. Our gate was open.
Now, having Lucas, when we moved here in 2008, we promptly locked the gate and put the keys in the house. Some time later, because of significant erosion, the latches no longer lined up so we secured it with zip ties. On this particular day, I discovered too late that the zip ties had snapped.
All I could see were all three dogs careening down the middle of the road, straight toward a landscaping crew. The three guys were flipping out. I don’t blame them. At all. Here are three HUGE dogs barreling down the road at you? I’d flip out, too! One was brandishing a leaf blower, which was causing Lucas’ barking frenzy.
I yelled and asked the guy to grab at least one of them – he yelled back “NO!” – so I called Emmett, Mr. Reliable, who about-faced and tore back home.
I called Cooper, who hadn’t gotten as far as the other two yet, and he turned around and ran back, but he turned too soon – instead of into our yard, he barreled straight down the line between our fence and the neighbor’s house. I didn’t realize that right away because I was sprinting after Lucas.
My dog-reactive dog. My dog-reactive dog who once attempted to bite a stranger in the very park he was running toward. My dog-reactive, bite-attempting dog who is terrified – TERRIFIED – of noise-making lawn equipment like leaf blowers and mowers and trimmers.
All of which he was running toward, barking his face off.
And then… by some miracle… the Dog Gods were watching over us… he got distracted by something exciting on a porch a couple houses down. Instead of continuing toward the landscapers and toward the park and far, far away from me… he veered… he stopped… he sniffed.
At which point, I said his name in Firm Tone. Called him. He didn’t come. But that distraction gave me just enough time to grab him.
By the time we were heading back – all of this happening in one barf-inducing minute or two – Cooper had realized he ran the wrong way and circled back. I brought Lucas into the yard with the other two. Closed the gate. Called John and told him to buy steel bike locks.
Then, I sat in the grass and cried.
Truly, it took me several hours to fully calm down. My hands shook. My heart pounded. Tears flowed.
And then I realized how miraculous the whole thing was. We live in a dog-heavy neighborhood, a mere block from a park. There are kids, dogs, bikes, walkers, joggers, anybody you can imagine out all the time. There wasn’t a dog to be seen. They were running down the road, and there were no cars.
But what would’ve happened that day if someone HAD been walking a dog past at that moment?
I honestly can’t even think about that. What would’ve happened. It kept me up at night for a long time.
But this whole long story is to say: Being a responsible pet owner is so incredibly important. But no matter how hard you try, no matter how vigilant and diligent you are, accidents happen. I am the person who won’t let Lucas walk into the garage and jump in the car without holding his leash because what if – WHAT IF – a dog is in the alley?
I live my life with Lucas expecting there to be dogs everywhere. Everywhere. I plan relentlessly. He has his harness and his leather buckle collar. We have trained and trained and trained. And when we took all the classes at one facility, we found another and took their classes. We take cheese everywhere. We walk him where we have good lines of sight. He’s improved tremendously – more than I ever hoped for him, really – but despite that improvement, Lucas is still a dog-reactive dog.
And I am responsible for him.
I know this isn’t a helpful post. It’s not useful, and there are no tips or tricks or how-tos for being responsible for a reactive dog. But people with dog-reactive dogs are so hard on themselves. I read posts and articles where people question themselves and their decisions and “what if” situations – just like I did with this one – until you feel so down, despite making progress with your dog!
The bottom line is what I know you all already do: Just do your best. Have the right equipment. Train as much as time and money allow with force-free methods. Skip walks if they’re unsafe. Be grateful for how wonderful your dog is – even if the rest of the world doesn’t get to see it. We all make mistakes. The trick is to try to stay calm, learn what you can, then move on.
And buy saw-proof steel bike locks for your gate.
Siblings
For the past few days, I’ve altered my work habits immensely. I’ve had a cold and, being a huge baby about it, moved all my work under covers and blankets. And I’ve noticed something that is both sweet and peculiar: Among these siblings, they are nearly always paired up for a snuggle. Usually two of the dogs with the third off in a bed somewhere. Sometimes Newt gets in on the action. But they’re never in a big bundle! I started looking through old pics, and the pattern holds.
On occasion a threesome will pop up…
But the rarest of pairings… almost never spotted in the wild…
I wonder why this is? Those of you with multiples, do yours tend to bunch up together for big love fests? Go off singly? Or do you have iterations like these?
Things that *could* be considered crazy
I wish I could remember which post it was so I could give proper credit, but recently a comment left by one of you fabulous folks really stuck with me. It was something like: “Oh, the crazy things we do when we have animals!”
The funny thing is, after I read that comment, I found myself thinking as I performed various tasks throughout the day, “Yep. This is probably one of those crazy things.”
In no particular order, here are 10 that I’ve noticed that may or may not be entirely un-crazy. (And, obviously, I’m dying to know what yours are, too! Please, please share in the comments!)
- Every morning, I pick up the throw blankets and pillows from the living room floor, which Lukey knocked off in the night. I fold them and place them back on the couch.
- When I collect Lucas and Cooper from doggy daycare, I barrage them with questions. “Did you have fun? Did you run and jump and play? Did you make any friends?” Despite knowing, of course, they can never tell me… I still like to ask.
- I save the last bits of yogurt containers for Emmett.
- Before I make lunch, I pick up the throw blankets and pillows from the living room floor, which Lukey knocked off during his late morning nap. I fold them and place them back on the couch.
- Sometimes when I snap a particularly cute pic of one of the herd on my phone, I like to show them my phone. “See how cute you look here! Aww!”
- In the afternoon, I like to make a snack and cup of tea. While waiting for the kettle to boil, I pick up the throw blankets and pillows from the living room floor, which Lukey knocked off during his afternoon nap. I fold them and place them back on the couch.
- Whenever we wash the dog beds, we make a big pile of them – which we call Super Beds – so they can each get a chance to nap on a huge stack.
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- We spend all weekend shopping and cooking for Cooper. After making him lamb, salmon, quinoa, mixed veggies, steamed apples, and boiled potatoes, we’re too tired to cook anything else. And usually just get takeout. (Even Newt gets involved… see her on the counter? She thinks she’s so sneaky.)
- Lucas eats faster than his brothers. Emmett and Cooper both eat from slow-feeders, so as soon as Lucas is finished, he comes over to the sink to lick off the cat food spoon before it goes in the dishwasher.
- Every night before bed, I pick up the throw blankets and pillows from the living room floor, which all three of them knocked off while we were settled in reading or watching TV. I fold them and place them back on the couch so that Lucas can paw, circle, twirl them into his preferred sleeping arrangement that, apparently, includes knocking them all on the floor at some point in the night.
I’m not the only one, right?? You guys do some potentially, possibly nutty things throughout the day for your herds? Right?! I’d love to know what they are!! Please share your routines in the comments!
The search for the perfect dog food
In all the hubbub of figuring out Cooper’s crazy specific dietary needs, the big boys’ nutrition slipped through the cracks. Because we were spending so much time going to and from the grocery store, we copped out and picked up a bag of food for them there. It was one of two organic options, and it had excellent reviews online, so we thought… why not?
Well, it wasn’t a good fit. At all.
You guys are dog lovers, so you’ll understand when I say this: the gas. Aw, lordy. The gas.
Anyway, back to the drawing board for the perfect bag of dog food for Emmett and Lucas! Which brings us to our new adventure: We chatted with the folks at Petcurean and loved what their food brought to the table… er… bowl. (Check out this super helpful guide they provide on Dog Health & Nutrition for an example.)
Here’s the official spiel: “Petcurean is an independent, Canadian-owned family business. Since its beginnings in 1999, Petcurean has been committed to creating nutritionally-balanced recipes for dogs and cats, using premium-quality natural ingredients. GO!™ provides solutions for your dog or cat’s unique dietary needs, while NOW FRESH™ is the only dry food to use 100% fresh meat and fresh omega oils.”
They’re launching four new recipes this year. We love that there are grain-free options with no rendered meats, no by-products, and none of the yucky stuff like artificial preservatives and growth hormones. (How weird slash gross is it that those are even things we need to consider in our food supply?? But, I digress…)
For the next six months, the big boys are going to be Petcurean taste-testers – well, okay, their taste-testing isn’t that reliable. They’ll eat compost. And cat litter. They will, however, be eating Petcurean’s food while I keep an eye out on their health and vitality. (I’m really hoping that the added omegas help with their coats!) I’ll share our experiences with the food and even share some interviews with a nutritionist.
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! And, in the meantime, if you’re interested in trying it for your pup, I spotted on their website the opportunity to try a bag for free.
Petcurean pet foods are sold exclusively through pet specialty retailers in Canada, the United States, and more than 15 other countries.
Disclaimer: Petcurean is providing us with dog food for the boys. Plus, they generously donated $500 worth of the same food to Friends of Homeless Animals, the shelter where we found Emmett! However, as y’all know, we would never share anything we didn’t believe in simply for the sake of compensation, nor would we write a positive review that wasn’t the truth. If something doesn’t work, we’ll be totally honest!
The Peanut Butter Plan (for dogs who hate pills!)
Recently, Patricia McConnell wrote a great post about giving a dog a pill. If you haven’t read it, especially if your dog is a Pill Ninja, go check it out!
These guys take a lot of pills. Emmett has his thyroid medicine, his liver medicine (the size of a horse tranquilizer… that one’s a toughie), two different chemo pills, an acid reducer… and that’s just at breakfast! With the exception of the giant liver pill, the rest get mixed in his food (Dr. McConnell’s first suggestion!) along with his supplements. Which we’ve switched to powder form. Due to the million pills.
Lucas takes his joint medications and, periodically, a doggy aspirin or eight. Really, for his weight, the current formula we have suggests eight. That’s a lot of pills. And he doesn’t like them. At all.
Of our three, Lucas is the only one who’s earned Pill Ninja status. Before we found a daily that he liked, he used to pick it out of his kibble, finish eating, then carry the pill off to spit out – presumably thinking he was pulling the wool over our eyes.
Over the weekend he hurt his foot. It wasn’t his joints, like he was stiff or sore, but his front right foot was clearly aching. He hobbled around. Cried a bit. Paced (because climbing in his bed wouldn’t make us feel bad). Stared. Hobbled some more.
We knew it was time to give him his Pirin Tablets (please tell me someone else loves that movie, too???). Our go-to solution with him has been a peanut butter lollipop!
Instead of smearing the pills with peanut butter – he sees right around that ruse – we LOAD a spoon with peanut butter, then tuck the pills deep in the mound of yumminess. He can’t resist it!
Three crazy adorable pictures to illustrate:
Is your dog a pill ninja? Or, like Em, can you just toss them in your dog’s bowl? What’s your go-to pill technique?
Sneaky things
A while ago, I wrote about Lucas and the sneaky treat.
He still gets it every night, of course, but I’ve started to realize… we have lots of sneaky things around here, little habits and routines to spoil one member of the herd, while the others are oblivious.
Like, when Lucas and Cooper go to doggy daycare on Mondays, Emmett gets to play with his Most Special Toy, his hedgehog. If it’s out when the other two are home, it gets destroyed. So, I have a secret stash of hedgies in my desk drawer that he gets on Mondays.
And every morning, I eat breakfast – nothing special, just Greek yogurt with some granola – at my desk. The herd likes to sleep late, so usually Emmett, Cooper, and Newt are zonked somewhere. Lucas, though, follows me upstairs because he knows that as soon as I take my last bite, he gets clean-up duty!
Cooper doesn’t get many sneaky bits of food because of all his stomach problems, but he has somehow roped us into tucking him in every night. Everyone gets in their regular sleep spot – except Cooper – because he’s waiting for either John or I to get his blanket and wrap it around him.
Newt gets spoiled, too, though she doesn’t seem to appreciate it like these guys do! Since we’re cooking for Cooper now, there’s always a fresh supply of meat in the fridge. We always pop one little piece on top of her wet food at breakfast and dinner, and when we’re baking his salmon, she always gets a small piece of the skin to chew on.
Do you have any sneaky habits or routines with your herd? Have you ever been caught slipping a bite of something to your dog? Or, like these guys, have surreptitious maneuvers become part of your daily routine?
Home cooking for your dog? Don’t make this mistake! (We did. Shoot.)
Does this ever happen to you? You figure out something GREAT! So great that you can’t help but get EXCITED! And the more excited you get, you find yourself getting a smidge… carried away?!?
Welp.
That’s what happened with home cooking for Cooper.
{{If you need to catch up, here’s why we decided to home cook, and here’s how Coop was doing at last check-in.}}
He was doing phenomenally well. His system was actually digesting his food (gasp!) and he had consistently solid poops. We wanted to take photos and frame them, they were so good. Better than being solid? There was no more blood!
Victory!
Well, for a little while anyway.
Because we had so much success with a range of grains, carb sources, and veggies AND he was doing well with a couple different proteins, we decided to mix things up.
All at once.
There’s the mistake: When you are trying your dog out on a totally home-cooked diet, especially if that dog has digestive problems, stick to one change at a time. One. For real.
Sigh.
We started him on pork, and it seemed to be going OK, so we switched out his veggies and his carbs. Then we decided to give oatmeal a whirl. Then, two of the supplements that I ordered came in, so we stirred those in, too. There were five new things in his bowl all at once. Here is where I have to smack my head and ask, “What were you thinking, lady?!?”
And then he got sick.
Like, really, really sick. Like, worse than before.
Back to having emergency accidents around the house. {{Incidentally, he had a big one directly in front of our CritterZone, and I didn’t smell it until it was already… dried… That thing is pretty sweet. I’ll have a post and coupon code about it soon.}}
The blood was back, and he actually dropped about three pounds. In a week.
The big problem, of course, was that we didn’t know what it was that he reacted to so violently. The pork? The oatmeal? The supplements? No clue.
We had to clear out his system, so he ate boiled potatoes and steamed apples – and literally nothing else because he couldn’t keep anything solid in him – mixed with water to keep him from dehydrating. He ate nothing but that for over a week.
Once we were clear that he was clear, we started adding items back in, one at a time.
It’s been several weeks, and we’ve shifted one bite at a time from the potatoes and apple to his current mix: salmon, quinoa, green beans, apples, and supplements. We’ve been slowly shifting out the salmon and adding in lamb, which has gone perfectly. So far. But I’m not going to push it. I learned my lesson.
Let this be my warning: If you’re home cooking for your dog, especially a dog as sensitive as Cooper, never ever add more than one ingredient at a time. Give that ingredient a few days (or even a week – our new plan) to settle, then add something new.
So that’s the update and our cautionary tale! As we work out other combinations, I’ll be sure to share. I’ve gotten tons of amazingly good questions via email and on Facebook, which I’m compiling into an FAQ-style post. My plan is to tackle the supplement piece in a post by itself first (that’s been the most-asked question), so look for that next week!
Thanks for sticking with us through this! Please join in with your insights in the comments or on Facebook! I’d LOVE to hear your experiences and ideas – the more info we can all get, the better we can serve our pups!
Boredom Busters: 5 ways to exercise your dog indoors
In 2010, we faced an icy winter. Our backyard was a slick sheet, and the sidewalks were a slippery, salty mess. The dogs were going bonkers, so I put together this list of 10 ways to tire out your dogs indoors.
After a few years of working through that list each winter, we landed in Louisiana and faced the opposite problem: It was far too hot to play outside safely. We had worked through that initial list, so I brainstormed 10 (more) ways to tire out your dog indoors.
{{By the way, in case you don’t want to click through all those posts, I’m compiling the full list of 25 Boredom Busters into a handy PDF checklist that will go out with the January newsletter! If you’re not on the list, subscribe here so you don’t miss out!}}
Now, we’re back in Indiana and back in winter. While this has been a mild winter, we’ve had a couple health setbacks that have shortened Lucas’ and Cooper’s walks. They still need exercise – physical AND mental – so I’m back to brainstorming some Boredom Busters for the boys. Here’s my newest list: 5 ways to exercise your dog indoors!
- DIY games: I love food puzzles and games. But once they’ve played the same ones a few times, they have it totally figured out, and the challenge is gone. I realized that the puzzles we had in rotation were being solved way too fast to truly keep them busy. I DIYed a few variations to mix it up a bit. First up was this Restuffable, Easy DIY Dog Toy from Kol’s Notes. Piece of cake to make (some basic sewing skills required), and you can mix up what you stuff on the inside. I also made a little “find it” game out of two Solo cups. I cut a slit in the bottom of the cup and inverted it over a piece of food. The boys had to target the cup with their nose to earn the food. To increase the difficulty, cut slits in multiple cups and have them select the only one you put food under – a variation on the shell game!
- Take a drive: Now, I’d rather your dog be safe than bored, so this one is totally weather-dependent. If the streets are plowed, though, getting out of the house can be fun! Plan errands like driving through the bank because, obviously, you don’t want to leave your dog in the car, or just hit Starbucks – be sure to order your dog a Puppy Latte! Note: When John does this with the boys, he always warms up the car before they hit the road. I, on the other hand, am apparently cruel and never think to do so!
- Tag! This is Lucas’ favorite game in the house. We play it a couple different ways, but the important thing is to figure out what you can do to cue your dog to PLAY. (This article is an interesting exploration of that question.) For Lucas, he gets very wound up if we pretend like we’re coming in for a hug. I need to get video of this or something because it’s really different from an actual hug – like an over-exaggerated “I’m gonna get you!” He leaps in the air and spins around, at which point I take off in the opposite direction. He chases me around until he catches me, then I do the “coming in for a hug” again, and off we go for another round! With Emmett, the only thing that gets him going is if he sees you actively try to hide, like if he’s watching me and I duck behind the couch. He goes, “Uh oh! Better go get my lady!” at which point I take off the opposite way.
- Rotate toys: For a very long time, all our dog toys lived in a basket in the living room. The boys would dip in and out, choosing what they felt like playing with – but, over time, it turned into the same favorites got the most attention. So, I picked up about half the toys, stuck them in the pantry, and waited. When they seemed disinterested in playing with toys, I switched out three at a time (one for each boy, attempting to be fair… even though they only want the toy the other ones have). It revitalized several long-abandoned toys, and when I open the toy drawer, they get really excited to see what I’m going to bring out.
- Strike a pose: Start an Instagram account for your dog… and teach poses! I thought of this one because we needed some new tricks. We’ve been working on many tricks for many years, so I wanted to mix it up and come up with tricks that would photo well, just for fun, and Instagram is the perfect platform for those performances! Cooper is learning “Eskimo kisses” and I want the big boys to master a “pout” by putting their chins on their paws.
There you have it! If you can get through all 25 ways to tire out your dog indoors, you’re going to have a super fun – and exhausting – winter!! I’m sure with these lists I’ve probably missed something. Do you have any go-to indoor exercises with your pup? What do you do when you can’t get outside? Any fun boredom busters?
The 2016 Pinups for Pitbulls Model call is OPEN! #pfpbmodelcall16 #BtC4A
The 2016 Pinups for Pitbulls Model call is OPEN!
As you guys know, I am passionate about and dedicated to advocating for pit-bull-type dogs. Often, the discussion surrounding these beloved dogs can be heated and contentious. There’s so much negativity, and it can be disheartening.
I truly believe that Pinups for Pitbulls is a bright, shining light in the animal welfare world!
Everyone involved in the organization pours their hearts into their work – all for the love of their dogs and dogs like them who deserve a chance. Emmett and I were thrilled, honored, and ecstatic to be in the 2015 calendar and are so excited that we might get the chance to volunteer at an event in Indy this February for the organization!
The efforts are, of course, driven by the calendar. (You DO have your 2015 calendar, right?!?)
Well, wouldn’t you know! Coincidentally, the 2016 model call opened TODAY! Just in time for me to participate in Blog the Change for Animals!
The deets:
- The model call is open from today, January 15, through March 1.
- Click on this link to reach the application.
- There is a $55 tax-deductible donation to apply. That money supports advocacy efforts all year long!
- You can apply for yourself, for you plus your dog, or for just your dog.
The photoshoot experience was pretty amazing. I have NEVER had my hair and makeup styled like that by a professional makeup artist. It was so much fun, even though I was a nervous wreck. Emmett was a total ham, too! And now we have this incredible piece of his legacy, a great way that he was able to advocate for himself and dogs like him.
So, what’re you waiting for?! Go apply! Be the change for pit-bull-type dogs!