Rescuing Dogs

Recently I rescued a beautiful chocolate lab and I thought I should make a blog post about it because I thought it would be nice to share the story and I could give y’all information about how I go about rescuing dogs.

It first started with Scout and Cody hollering like it was their last day to live, so, obviously I got up and checked out what was happening. I asked my mom what was up, and she said there was a lab outside. I walked outside in search of the dog and saw it. The dog had a collar on, which was good since it meant the dog probably had an owner I could contact. After a few calls toward the dog I noticed the dog didn’t seem to care about me and just kept moving. At this point I was about 10 feet away from the dog and it wasn’t barking, growling, or doing anything that could mean the dog was going to attack, so I made the decision to go grab a leash.

Once I got the leash the dog was down the street and was too close to the main road for my comfort, so my goal was to steer the lab away from the road. After a few calls I almost gave up since the dog was paying no mind and went into a few yards. I was about to leave when I heard the jingle of the dog’s tags, so I walked back and called the dog. This time the labrador came toward me and I got my leash on them. I pulled out my phone to call my mom and tell her to keep our dogs in the house, so I could put the lab in our backyard.

Once the dog and I were safely in the backyard I looked at the tags and learned the dog’s name was Joy and then I called the number. No one answered, so I texted the owner. I decided to go inside the house and wait for a message and let the dog explore the yard. I wasn’t very concerned about the dog escaping since we had already blocked up any means of escape because of Scout. About 10 minutes later I get a text from someone saying their spouse would be in touch. Another 10 minutes later a car pulled up and it was Joy’s owner. Now Joy is relaxing at her real home.

Please always be safe if you attempt to rescue a dog. The only reason I was able to do this was because the dog wasn’t putting up any warning signs and seemed quite friendly.

 

Photo by Jaymantri on Pexels.com

Mental Stimulation

Having something for your dog to do is very important, especially if you don’t have time to do a lot of stuff with your dog! Training is one way to get your dog out of boredom! I have used training to give Scout something to do, but if I am not into it that day our training isn’t really the best route to take. If I am not into training that day I won’t teach Scout a new trick or try something a bit more outside the box! And with Cody… I am not a fan of training him because he gets TOO excited over food and he starts to “dance” around and since he has sharp claws he has often stepped on me and scratched me on accident, plus once you give him a reward he will almost take your hand off with the treat, so training is always the best solution to getting rid of boredom or depression in your dog.

One way I have kept my dogs happy and kept their brains from turning into mush is giving them mental stimulation toys!

Here is a picture of one I got recently:

Even a Kong is a good way to give your dog something to do!

I really recommend to get some type of toy to keep your dog occupied during the day. It will keep them happy and give them something to do! I also recommend to exercise your dog as much as possible when the weather is appropriate to do so.

Now here is a picture of Scout as she is about to try to convince Cody to play with her.

A True (Slightly More Dramatic) Story

Dramatic Version

 

The stink bugs, mosquitoes, and other insects buzzed loudly and flew around our ankles. Cody and Scout sniffed the air waiting for any prey to come too close. I slowed Scout down a bit. She was acting good even though she didn’t have her backpack on and we were in an unfamiliar environment. I looked ahead and saw what Robin had told me about. “No Trespassing” signs were hanging up and a new fence was being built. I walked closer to the signs. “It must be parking for the new fancy party place,” Robin said. I nodded in agreement. I looked to my left and saw an archway opening in the trees that led to yards of houses. I went over to take a picture. I finished capturing the beauty of the simple archway and I turned around. I guess I blinked, because I suddenly heard Robin scream, “CARRIE!” I opened my eyes to see Cody running across the field. I jogged over to where he was headed, worried he would go into a street. Another “CARRIE” echoed through my ears as I turned around to see Scout barreling towards where Cody had gone. I heard dog barks echo through the field. I ran toward Scout, Cody, and the dog barks. I saw Scout and Cody were barking at some dogs (who were also barking) on another side of a metal fence. I grabbed Scout as fast as I could. Mud covered one of her legs. Robin got Cody. We got out of that place quickly and then breathed. We walked home laughing at this new adventure.

 

Original Story

 

Baba told me there is something being built in The Field. We went to check it out. I saw a cool archway and got some pictures of it. Heard Baba scream, “CARRIE!” turned around and saw Cody running across the field with no collar on since he had slipped out. I jogged over to Cody. Baba screamed my name again. I saw Scout running over with her leash and collar on. (Scout had enough strength to pull out of Baba’s hands so that is why her leash and collar were still on.) I ran over and grabbed Scout who was barking at some dogs. Baba grabbed Cody and we went home.

Reading Emotions

Hello! Welcome back to the world of K-9s!

So today we are talking about dog emotions and why they are very important to take note of so you can avoid problematic situations.

Let’s take Scout as an example. I have noticed that she has problems with people she doesn’t know walking behind her. She has 3 stages of this usually.

1. Turns head constantly to watch the the people behind her.

2. She slows her gait down and just looks at the people while she walks.

3. She stops and doesn’t move even with encouragement until the people have gotten on her side or in front of her.

Now I think many people in our neighborhood think that Scout is an aggressive dog, which I can understand, but I don’t think her aggression is natural. I believe it is caused by her being nervous and not trusting people she doesn’t know.

(Her aggression has gotten better from training and using a backpack on walks)

Now one thing that really has gotten me interested in Scout’s emotions is how she acts around an area we call “The Field”. If I go near The Field on our walks and not go into it she will not move to carry on. Her tail is low, basically in between her legs, but she does not show any other signs of being nervous. I have been in The Field with her before and she is fine. She will act dominant, which I expect because most dogs would act dominant if they got the chance to claim new grounds. If Scout does go over the line and becomes too dominant and stops respecting the “Do not cross line” then I will snap her out of it and not let her explore the area as much as before.

I have had the experience where I have left The Field and she has stalled on leaving. She stopped and her tail was once again low, but not seeming afraid of where she was.

I have thought that I was the problem, which could be true. Scout could be afraid I might do something to her. This is very interesting to think about though, because I am able to play with her and she will be happy, I can train her and she isn’t nervous if she does something wrong, I can ask her to get off the couch and if she isn’t very keen on the idea she will often not get off which is when I come over and ask again and maybe have to give a slight push to get off the couch, but she does not look scared or nervous when she doesn’t do what I say.

I recommend looking into your dog’s emotions to explore the secret lives they have.

I have really gotten into animal emotions thanks to the Instagrammer RidingBlamless and her two horses that face their own emotions.

Long Time No See

Hey guys! Long time no see… The last post I did was when I was 11 years old and the last post Pearl did was when she was 8 I think. Time flys.  I want to talk about some things.

1. I would really like to get more active here and do more DOGGY DIBS and Training Treats.
2. I will try to get the long lost sister to do a blog post for old times sake.
3. I really liked collabing with Red Collar Rescue! I might try to do that again to get some dogs good homes.

I would also like to go out of my way to rescue dogs, but since I don’t have a driver’s license I can’t bring home dogs every other week. I would also love to bring back some old archives, but their is one story that has not been told in awhile and deserves to be revived… What is that tail (tale) you say? That is a secret for now.

Manners Before Charm

Hey guys. Today we are talking about a serious subject– MANNERS

For dogs, manners are a must in many cases. Here are four basic manners your dog should know.

Stay

Sit

Down

Come

If you are already a pro and are like “Yeah, bro, my dog is perfect he/she knows all these cool tricks, and she learned manners ages ago,” don’t get ahead of yourself. I used to be like that too until I noticed Scout was having trouble with her “sit” command. It would take her a bit to get it, so I had to go backwards in training. Now Scout has refreshed her memory and is working on manners and tricks every day for 5-10 minutes.

ALWAYS work on your basic manners in training and also challenge your dog once they have it teach them to stay standing or ask them to come the stop!

Have fun training!

Two New Foster Pups

I am caring for two new foster puppies. Meet them now!

A Jumping Class?? An Idea that Could Change Your Mental Relationship with Your Dog

Hey guys! 🙂 I had a great idea about doing videos for you on dog obedience, but that did not work out… AKA, OUR IPHONES DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE FOR VIDEOS! -.-

 A few days ago I was bored, so I decided to do some jumping with my dogs. Let me tell you, Cody has NO RESPECT FOR POLES and when I say “POLES” I mean pool tools! XD The pool tools, like net skimmers on long poles, are fine, though, and they make a bit more room for jumping than the typical agility poles, which are shorter! 🙂

I have been doing a jumping course with my two dogs for 4 days. Today I thought, “Wow! After 4 days of work, SCOUT will jump over things like a dog that has been training in agility for years!”

This gave me an idea. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to do a demo CLASS for dog lovers to see what it is possible to teach their dogs?” Any breed of dog could do this from the tiniest chihuahua to the biggest Great Dane to even the least “favorite” breeds (#Pitbulllover4life). 

I am telling you that you will be amazed at how much you will learn about your dog by teaching them to jump! I now know so much more about SCOUT! I realized how consistent my dog Scout is and how much she likes to please someone and how loyal she is. I feel like I had never known her until now, even though I have taught her lots of tricks! Agility training is good for the owner too. I was feeling a little down and depressed, but when I started this training program I felt a lot better and so does my dog.

Look out for announcement soon about a DEMO class!

Did NOT Plan for this, but it Happens

Today I was like “Why do dogs hate cats?” and knowing me I went to find out and I found out something bigger….

BEFORE I get into everything (!) I am putting down the wild/tame cat’s names, so I can use them!

1. Midnight Sky AKA Midnight.
2. Cheetoh.(Midnight’s (POSSIBLE  mate.)
3. Finn. (My cat *w*)
4. Maria. (Idk who her mate is, but she has had a litter.)
5. Oreo. (Maria’s kitten (Probably))
6. Zazo. (Most likey… Pr#####t -almost gives away story-)

Too many cats to name…

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME CATS MIGHT HAVE DIED OF AGE 😦  AND SOME OF THESE CATS MAY BE A DIFFERENT GENDER THEN THEIR NAMES PRONOUCE.

Today I saw Finn stareing down Cheetoh! I was about to go biking, so I was like I guess I could study these cats for a bit and maybe find out why dogs hate them! I watch Cheetoh disappear into a house’s yard AKA where Blue lives! 🙂 A few minutes later another cat came around Finn OF COURSE did not see her (Maybe it’s a him, but I think Girl)! I went to look at the cat closer. I knew this cat. Then I saw the weight and width of the cat! I thought “That is not a normal outdoor cat’s body shape”  I knew that something was up, because I saw this cat before and it was thiner! I followed the cat. I saw a hole in the ground which the cat went to. I knew it probaly went under the house that Zazo went to. I thought and thought… and at the end of the thinkingness I decided that the cat was pregnant. I turned around to get back to my house and I saw ANOTHER cat AKA Milky. I had a theory now. Zazo is Milky’s mate. I know another pair of cats which are Midnight and Cheetoh. Now Midnight and Cheetoh ARE MOST LIKELY siblings, BUT Zazo and Milky are a mating pair I think. Now I think Finn did not make red flags, BECAUSE Finn might HAVE known about what was going on!

TRAINING TREATS: HOW TO JUMP

Hey guys! Today I am going to teach your dog how to jump! 😀