Waiting in the lobby for our group of kids for pet therapy:
I'm excited! I get to see my kiddos! See? My ears are perked! Let's go!
Let's go! Where are my kids?
One hour later…
Soooo tired. Take me home, please.
This has been an insane week, work- and appointment-wise. Not a bad thing necessarily, but whenever my schedule gets like this, I struggle with concentration and, of course, stress management.
Yet, in these instances, I always find myself thinking, “Thank goodness for these dogs!”
This face = mental clarity
So, in keeping with that theme, here are my 10 5 reasons dogs are great for mental health:
That’s all I got for now. This was originally going to be a list of 10, but apparently I need a little more mental health… Off to go scratch a snoring Emmett!
What would you add to this list?
Oh, boy. While not the most flattering photo of Emmett, it’s certainly hilarious/scary!
Three weeks ago, Cooper started doggy daycare.
Modeling his Martha Stewart "loyal" fleece
He was on the waiting list for six months before he finally got in, and we were super excited. We wanted him to go for two reasons: First, he seems to be a very timid, very shy guy. This doggy daycare does a great job at introducing similar pups and monitoring play. We wanted to see if it would help him come out of his shell. Second, and this is one of the many reasons I’m feeling guilty, I needed him out of my hair at least once a week. I work from home. Cooper is loud and mischievous, so he makes it very difficult for me to focus, take calls, etc.
The first day, when we arrived, Cooper was frightened. He tucked his tail. He whimpered. When they came to get him, he tried with all his mite to run back to us. It broke my heart.
When we picked him up, his report card wasn’t a surprise: He showed signs of anxiety. He was nervous around people and dogs. After a while he warmed up and had a blast playing with a few dogs and became very loving toward the people.
Phew!
Lucas wanted to help him model.
We were just glad to get that first day over with and expected him to warm right up to daycare. Well, each time he’s gone since then, he’s been equally resistant to leave us in the lobby, and when we pick him up, he FLIES into our arms.
But they said he’s playing and warming up. He clearly loves the people. He wags and grins and gives loads of kisses.
This morning John dropped him off, and – once again – his tail was tucked and he was whimpering.
He explained our concerns to them, and they promised to keep a close eye on him today and let us know some specifics.
I really wanted him to have fun. I really wanted one quiet work day to myself each week, too! But if he’s not enjoying himself…
Or should we stick it out if he’s “warming up” to see if he really does warm up?
Ah, the guilt of being a pet parent. What to do?
I guess I’ll just wait and see what his full report is today…
Thanks for letting me vent! 
Anyone want to share their doggy daycare experiences?
How I imagine this conversation went:
Cooper: Hey, Emmett. Hey. Hey. Hey. Can I sit with you?
Emmett: No. Go away.
Cooper: Well, let’s just see if I fit.
Emmett: No. Go away.
Cooper: I can fit. See? I can fit! Can you scoot over? Emmett? Scoot over?
Emmett: No. Go away.
Cooper: Plllease! Please, Emmett! Emmett, hey, please!
Emmett: No. Go away.
Across the country, advocacy and education organizations are gearing up for National Pit Bull Awareness Day, October 22.
In the meantime, Bless the Bullys is dedicating the whole month to pit bull awareness. How fabulous!
To help celebrate, find an event near you! (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.) If you’re in the Indy area, join Indy Pit Crew in celebrating NPBAD at the Veterans War Memorial. I’ll be there with Cooper!
What will YOU do to honor pit bull-type dogs this month?
Image: stephskardal. The caption reads: The dog shown in this picture is available for adoption. Call Salt Lake County Animal Services (801) 559-1100 and ask for animal ID #A338092.
Things I didn’t accomplish this weekend: grading a massive stack of my writing students’ work, washing dishes, pulling weeds, or, really, anything else productive.
Instead, I spent the weekend at the other end of Emmett’s leash visiting his kids at the mental health facility, reading at the public library, and participating in our local humane association’s annual fundraiser.
Here are 8 pics from our super-packed weekend! (By the way, Emmett has been asleep in his bed since about 5:00 last night. He got up to eat dinner, then breakfast this morning. Otherwise, his to-do list consists of “snore” today.)
Emmett and his pal Romeo arrived early to send off the 5K runners!
They patiently wait for the runners to line up at the start line...
... then Emmett becomes less patient!
Now we're talking!
In addition to wishing them luck, Emmett's fur helped warm up runners' fingers on the chilly morning!
After the whistle... "Where did everybody go?"
After the run, Emmett puckered up at the kissing booth!
Then look who showed up to support Emmett!
All in all, a very fun day and a successful fundraiser! We can’t wait until next year!
Meet Bella!
Look at that sweet face!
Name: Bella
Age: 8
City: Los Angeles
Favorite things: belly rubs, cheese, giving kisses, the sound of my husband’s car when he comes home, her kitty sister Stinky and her stuffed toy soccer balls
Bella’s story, as told by her person Tanaya:
We adopted Bella about 3 years ago quite unexpectedly. My husband and I were at our local pet store buying cat food when of course they were having an adopt a pet drive. Our building recently converted to dog friendly and we had been talking about getting a dog for some time. Well, we instantly fell in love with a small pit-mix and started the adoption process. After a few phone calls with her foster family we were ready and excited to bring her home. Frustratingly, at the last moment her foster dad called to say he wasn’t comfortable adopting her out to a family that lived in an apartment. He was dead set she needed a back yard. I was upset and devastated.
Well, the next day, slightly mad that we had purchased supplies for a new dog we would not be bringing home, my husband went to our local SPCA just to look and see. We knew we wanted an older pit bull because LA shelters are overrun with them. That is when he met our Bella. Her name was Foxy back then but she didn’t seem to respond to or care for it. Out of all the dog he saw that day, she was the only one that was calm and lovingly kissed him through her cage. After testing her with the cats at the shelter we started the process to adopt her.
The shelter knew very little about her. Even though she was 5 she was basically untrained. They surmised from the pads on her elbows that she was kept outside on hard ground or cement. A bit of her tail was missing and she was pretty shaggy with little bald spots. They knew she had a least two litters and was probably used as a breeding dog.
Well we brought her home and gave her a good scrubbing, within hours she learned to love her crate, in days she understood “no,” “sit,” “stay,” and “come.” Within months she was walking like a champ on her leash. In a year her fur grew over the broken tip of her tail and in a few years her pads have all but gone away. She put on weight and muscle and our 60 pound pitty turned into an 85 pound PIT!
What makes Bella a good pit bull ambassador is how calm she is, especially around children. We have lots of little dogs in our building that aren’t always the best doggie neighbors. One of my neighbors who has a little girl, who just adores Bella, commented to me once that his daughter is afraid of all the other dogs in our building but not Bella, who at the time was easily taller than her and of course MUCH MUCH bigger.
I don’t have a favorite memory per se. I treasure every memory made with Bella. She has introduced me to my neighborhood, neighbors and surrounding areas. She has given me confidence and better self-esteem. She has taught me what unconditional love is and made me a better human.
Recently, after surgery for a polyp, we were told they found cancer in the polyp and there was no way to know if she still had the cancer except with a major invasive surgery. When I was crying about the news she was smiling just as big and bright as ever, wiggling her happy little butt as if to remind me that what was important wasn’t tomorrow, but today. We have decided to let her be the happiest dog she can be for as long as she has left!
Just the thought of her smile, her joy when she rolls around in the grass, or her warm tongue on my face can brighten my day.
This post is part of Positively Pit Bull, a collection of stories about how wonderful our pit bull type dogs and pit bull mixes are! Have you submitted your dog yet? Please do! We can’t wait to meet your pup!
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Eyes are the window to the soul.”
When it comes to our dogs, I think their ears are the window to the soul!
Have you ever watched your dog’s ears? Like really, closely studied them? They tell you so much about what they’re thinking or how they’re feeling. I could write a whole book about my dogs’ ears. Though no one would read it. Except maybe John, and even he’d probably get bored by chapter 2.
Anyway!
When Lucas is happy, like on a walk with his buddy Turk, they loosely flop up and down.
When he’s nervous, unsure, or frightened, they stick straight out and droop down. We call that look “umbrella ears.”
His curious look results in a Dumbo ear situation.
With all three of them, I can see them tilt their ears like tiny little satellite dishes to listen to what I’m doing in the house. If they hear a strange noise outside, they pivot an ear to hear that, too.
Learning to “read” Lucas’ ears has been huge for us as we help him navigate and overcome his fears. He cries and whines a lot – whether he’s excited or terrified – so knowing which ear position means happy and which ear position means “get me outta here” has helped tremendously.
Emmett’s funniest ear situation is when he’s super exhausted, his right ear flops forward and bends in the middle. We call it having a “broken ear.”
What do you think Cooper’s ears are saying here?
I believe this look means, “I didn’t chew that hole in the rug. It was there when I got here. Promise.”
And, lastly, here’s an ear-related flashback to when Cooper was a wee little one.
What about your dogs? Are their ear movements as noticeable and dramatic as Lucas’? Have you named any ear positions or are we the only crazy people who have done so?
Please share! (You can click the photo below to download and share the poster.)
Update: Here is a link to a news article. He was taken Monday at about 6:00AM from the Rockford, Illinois area http://www.wqad.com/news/wqad-
