Guest visitors

So while I've been busy with things here, I also have a few new visitors. I'm not sure how long they are staying. The story is that they are from a hoarder in Chicago. A shelter took them in, but they were going to be euthanized, so some local rat rescues here, took them. It was a total of 21 rats they had to find placements for. The way rats work is that they have to be quarantined for 2-4 weeks with no other rats to ensure they are healthy. Otherwise, the entire rat colony can be killed.

Matilda

Tallulah

The two I have, a pair of girls, I've named Matilda and Tallulah. I've never had pet rats before, but they are fun. They are easy to take care of in terms of maintenance, however, rat-proofing can be hard, harder than bunny proofing, at least in my house anyway.

I've had the girls a week in a half, and they are doing well. Matilda is more outgoing, but both take treats from me, climb into my lap, etc. Tallulah, however, will hide after a period of time out.

Anyway, if you've never had a pet rat, and you want something that is pretty easy to take care of and trainable, a rat might be for you. They are not smelly like a ferret either. They keep themselves very well groomed and do enjoy being around humans, at least these two. However, if you have other animals, you need to take caution with that. The other species may not be too happy with them, as evidence of Clover thumping for 2 hours after they got here.

Bunny antics and enrichment

Thanks for those who commented on my last post. I really appreciate it lots! I'm feeling a little better since that post, and this past week has had some interesting insights which I'll share in an upcoming post soon.

The good news about the computer cord was that it was just the cord and no damage was done to the computer. To boot, the computer repair place only charged me $41 total. Here's a photo of Clover's handi-work.

I know this was a result of not bunny proofing well and some lack of vigilance on my part even if it was for the shortest amount of time as possible. So now the cord is covered with pvc pipe until I get something else (I've tried a tubing before but she ate through it) I also realized yesterday when I was cleaning, another cord had been chewed, like totally broken in pieces. This was to my Wii.


But, despite all her mischief, I can't help but continue to provide enrichment for her. Clover now has her own weave pole set. I have posted some videos on facebook of her learning the weave poles, as well as her latest trick: jumping over the dogs. When I'm on my other computer, I will upload the file here. 

 Lastly, here is a photo of two of my three dogs plus Clover in the background just hanging out. I love her "super bunny" position.

Weekend pet festival

Yesterday, I went to a local Pet Festival.  This doesn't seem like anything special, except that I was horribly nervous to go.  Why you ask? Simply because I was afraid I might run into my former employer.  I had actually neglected going to a few events I heard about earlier in the summer, because I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I saw her.  And I'm still not really sure.

Before going to this event, I made sure to check the website and see if she was exhibiting there.  I did not see her listed, but still, there was a chance she was a late entry.  Entering the site, I just held my breath that I would not see her. I made a quick walk through and was soon relieved.  Even if I had seen her, it would have been an awkward situation, especially if she had a tent beside my vet like last year.

There was a fairly good attendance despite the high temperatures, though my vet and I were both worried that dogs might have heatstroke, especially because there were dogs there who were excitable and not prepared for an event like this.

I saw a few other people there I knew, as well as some former clients--the large Mastiff, now probably over 150 lbs, the now socialized and happy Goldendoodle (before he had been terribly fearful), and the smooth coated Parsons Russell Terrier who does quite a few dog sports.

I spoke to my vet a bit (she knows my situation) and saw her cute 10 month old, bubbly, smiley baby.  Though I am not a baby lover per se, I do love when they smile at you.

Overall, it was fun to get out and go.  There were a few negatives in that people simply did not watch their dogs and scuffles broke out.  Luckily, no dog got injured, and no human this year (last year a woman got bit in the face while trying to give a dog water. He startled and bit her)  I left feeling like I was glad I went.

The other thing this situation made me realize (or maybe I already knew) is that the dog community is small, and I'm bound to run into her at some point.  I'm also bound to run into other people who know her and a trainer who she hired after me due to the whole six degrees of separation phenomena.  But I can't let her presence stop me from going to an event, a seminar, or a workshop. It's like allowing her to remain in power over me, and that is just dumb, hard, but dumb.

Later, I came home and e-mailed a gal I was going to try to meet up with at the event.  Actually, I saw her several times (she owns the PRT), but she was always at a distance, and I was always talking to someone; thus, we never got a chance to officially say hi.  She immed me back on facebook and asked how my jobless situation was going. I was honest: crappy.  The last thing she said to me before we both signed off was:

"You need to get back into training. You are too talented not to be teaching people how to train their dogs."

It was such a nice compliment and meant a lot to me. So for now, I will end this post with that note of positivity.

Butterfly show

Last week, my dad and I visited the Conservatory here which is hosting a Brazilian themed butterfly show. Though I do love butterflies, I was a little disappointed overall, just because I wanted to see more species. It seemed I just kept seeing multitudes of the same ones. Plus, I was hoping to see a larger butterfly count. At least I didn't notice any dead ones like someone mentioned in a review last year.

I may go again at another time when it is not so crowded. The day we went was on a Sunday, the second day after the exhibit opened. So of course there were tons of families and kids there. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it is a fun event for kids, I just like to not feel so rushed into taking photos and such.

Anyway, I've always found butterflies such a nice metaphor for recovery and am always reminded of their beginnings as caterpillars. In a post last year, I mentioned my sighting of some Black Swallowtail caterpillars around my curly parsley plants. They were literally only there for an evening/night, and then like a flash, they were gone, only leaving the stalk remnants of the parsley. Unfortunately, recovery is not an overnight process and takes a lot of time. Don't we all wish it could like a flash though? You eat, your body is restored, your mind changes about food, and boom we're all better, normal, happy. Then, we could just have a party.

All I can say is to try to stick with it, as hard as it is at times. Familiarity is always easier, so it's learning to take chances, to face your fears, to trust your body, to realize that there is a much better life outside of an ED, to discover/rediscover who you are.

And lastly, I just want to give a shout out to all those wonderful ED recovery/body image bloggers and advocates out there. It's been a pleasure to watch some of you blossom and gain your wings in recovery. It's a scary thing to gain those wings--you can easily fly as you can fall. But, by taking flight, you are seeing what is out there for you, what is within your grasp.

More Butterfly photos

Oh the gifts dogs leave us

I know for many of you, it is still very much winter. Here, we've had a few cold days, but the temperatures are rising slowly. Right now, 40 and 50 degree weather sound about good, though I'd prefer 60s and 70s. I want to believe it will be an early spring. I mean after all, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous ground hog, didn't see his shadow (my guess, all the freaking snow, he couldn't have). Therefore, for what it's worth, his prediction is that spring is near.

Besides all the stuff about trees and flowers blooming, another way I predict that spring is near are the moles. Yep, you heard me right, moles. They are abundant here for whatever reason (I guess maybe similar to Boulder, CO's prairie dogs), and many people are not happy that they tear up their yards, including me. I'm not big into trying to "kill" an animal for removal, as really the best method is to trap them and then move them elsewhere.

Well, last year, I learned that Tovah is a bit of a huntress and finds these moles. At first, I was a bit shocked. I've never had a prey-driven dog, so it seemed a bit like whoa. But when I could, I'd watch her stare at the ground intently, just waiting, then she'd snake out the mole. Many of these moles were the small ones, and I soon learned, she had no intention of killing them, just "playing" with them. She'd flip them in the air, kind of toss them about. Of course, the poor moles, well, they likely died of shock, though some did make it. I removed those as best as I could. Last summer, she probably found 6-8 of them and not one had a mark or puncture on them.

This year, it looks like the mole count is going to be higher and start earlier in the season. Yes, she's already found 2--one on Thursday, the other yesterday. The one she found on Thursday, I literally saw her stare at the ground, wait, pounce, grab, and hold the mole. (I was here at this time and told her to drop it and leave it which she did) What surprised me with these moles were how large they were. I remember seeing one dead in my yard last year that was a big bigger but not by much. Check out for yourself below.

The mole she found yesterday is a bit of an embarrassing story. This cable guy showed up around 12:30pm. I was still in my jammies. Obviously, it was not my best impression here. He was apparently there to check signals. He was legit, so I let him in. I brought Hank and Tovah in from outside. Tovah dropped something black right by our feet. Yes, it was a dead mole! I was mortified! I immediately disposed of it and apologized profusely to the guy. Luckily, he wasn't too squeamish and said he'd seen it all. Still though, it was like one of those stories you hear about your child saying a curse word (ahem, yes that was me, the angel I was when I was younger) in front of someone, or running around naked or something.

The response on FB was interesting. Quite a number of people laughed over this, a few cheered her on, and one reminded me it could have been much worse--maybe a rat, a pair of underwear, a bra, or feminine hygiene products. I once had a cat who brought a baby snake into the house. This same cat killed a rat, left dead birds as presents on our front porch and in the basement, and also loved to "talk" to the birds trying to get them to come near the windows where they would meet their demise.

I don't necessarily discourage this behavior as long as Tovah releases when I ask her to and leaves it (she always has). I think this is her new fascination. For awhile there at the other place I lived at, it was dead birds. I always know w hen she has been "mole" hunting by the dirt on her nose, the holes in the yard, and her dead stares into the ground. My hope is that the moles will learn that this is just not a cool yard to be in and leave. I'm also hoping her mole fascination will not hinder her other scenting abilities of cadaver work which I'll be starting soon. I'm so psyched about that and hope she has the chops to do it. More on that later.

On a side note, apparently in Germany, moles are a protected species. Who would have thunk it?

Fabulous weekend

I'm way too tired to write a full report, but I had an absolute fabulous weekend. I figured this was such a good way to celebrate my Americaversary that was this past Tuesday. I wasn't able to do anything special for it, but going to the World Equestrian Games was such a delight. Though I didn't have any event tickets, just being on the grounds was quite an experience. There was tons to look through and see. Some of the exhibits were very nicely done. And by chance, we sat in on a lecture about dogs and their great nose ability. I spoke with the speaker afterwards, and apparently, she is a certified FEMA search and rescue disaster relief handler. We got to talking, and she has invited me to come check out their training runs when they are in my area. I'm very excited about this.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from WEG:

Brief news on my side of the pond

I don't have much time to write, but I want to say I believe the fence damage has been solved.  It's a bit of a long story, so I will have to write the details later.  Thanks for those who commented and were concerned.  

While trying to solve that mystery, the rest of the weekend has been quite busy with my mom and her husband visiting.  They are so helpful to me when they come.  In the 4 1/2 days they were here, my mom put up new curtains in the living room, basement, and mud room, did all my laundry, hung up some pictures rewired a lamp, put some new outlets covers on, weeded and cut limbs outside, and primed my bedroom--it's white with blue tint.  It makes the room look SO much better.  It was a deep burgundy/red color before.  Her husband, M. worked on my deck, so there is no longer a gigantic hole.  Now I can have chairs, a table, etc. and sit outside in good weather.  He also temporarily repaired the fence, so it is at least secure for the dogs now.

They left this morning.  I have a tendency to go through a little withdrawal, but I have quite a lot to do around here still to keep me occupied.  While we were going to clean out my little pond (we think that is the source of the mosquitoes-yuck!), we found a surprise--lots of tadpoles!  I decided to leave it for now, because in a couple of weeks, they'll turn into frogs and eat more insects.  It'll be a mutual benefit to both of us.

I'll post more soon about everything.  In the meantime, here are a few photos of the tadpoles!

I love you can see the eye in this picture.

Meet Clover!

Sorry for the delay, it's been a busy few days. If you have not guessed yet, the mystery animal is a bunny named Clover! She is a 3 month old mini lop bunny from Rachel. Since she was just spayed on Thursday, I've been keeping her a little less active. That did not stop her tonight as she had lots of energy and was doing what is called "bunny binkies" where they tear around the house.

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Here she is jumping to grab a carrot from the top of the cardboard platform box.

As you can see in this photo, she is settling in nicely. She seems to like lying over the vent with her feet back which is evidence of a relaxed bunny!

Here are a few photos of the dogs. Right now, they are separated but all can see each other. Overall, I'm very pleased with how they are doing. The dogs are learning she is part of the family, and Clover is getting used to them.

Now, of course, since I am a trainer, I'm hoping to clicker train Clover too. Just like dogs, they can learn different behaviors. I know this will be a fun experience for both of us. One thing for sure is that baby bunnies are like puppies. They truly want to just get a "taste" of everything, so I've had to keep a close watch on any wooden or plastic object. This is where the cardboard and phone books have been coming in handy. I just redirect her to those items to save the furniture. We're also working on litter box training, but I'm positive she will get that too!

Anyway, that was the big suspense!!

Last quick teaser

I will tell you that today is the day my new furry friend comes home. We are all very excited here. Remember Quick teaser 2 with the cardboard, here are a few things I've made so far:

The red, and blue thing is a cat jungle gym, so we'll see if it works or not. It's okay if it doesn't, because she'll have plenty of other things to keep her stimulated. The other two are tunnels--one long, the other short. The second short one is in her house.

More cardboard here. LOL I also have some phone books too which are not pictured.

And the show goes on

My boss just got back yesterday. She's drained emotionally and physically. When I think about it, she's quite like me, she is able to put together things logically but has a hard time with the emotional component. She knows I'm there for her, and I often remind her that this takes time and that she is "allowed" to feel, to be sad, to grieve. Slowly, I know she'll get there, but it is always hard. Sometimes, I think I've finally gotten to a point in my life where I can somewhat dish out the advice and take it as well. That's certainly never been easy for me, but I don't know, it's weird, I want to feel and believe in what I say. Not that I haven't before, but to apply this stuff to myself as well.

Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent "I'm having a moment" thought. Despite all this stuff going on, the show will still go on. We are still going to have the open house this Sunday. I've decided that if I can and if I am secretive enough, I'm going to add a "in loving memory" slide to the end of our promo powerpoint which I made in February.

Most of me is excited about the open house to finally meet some more clients, show our facility, etc. The only thing I do not look forward to is seeing the client I mentioned in my slight meltdown post who is attending. I'm trying not to let it bother me. Who know, maybe he'll surprise me. I'll post details on how it goes.

The rest of the week has been busy running around taking care of A's dogs, a client's dogs, and my own dogs. I've also been preparing for the arrival of my new fur child, hopefully Saturday evening. I'm super excited, but it's funny, because I feel like the worried new puppy owner, hoping I do everything right. I guess humility is good sometimes.

Lastly, I've come to the conclusion my neighbor's kids are just adorable. I've talked about them here and here. The latest visit was Wednesday evening. They saw me out planting some shrubs (I got eaten by many mosquitoes!). The youngest little girl apparently really likes Tovah and calls her "Tobah." She was cute, trying to get her to sit and wanted to feed her leaves, meanwhile giggling the whole time. The other two siblings like to talk about whatever--their mom seeing a garter snake, the cottontail bunny they found, the mole holes in their yard (which I think are actually coming into my yard but I have a "moler" in Tovah), other kids they know, etc. According to their mom, last week, when they found the cottontail bunny, they waited for me to come home all day, so they could ask me what they should do with it. I guess I'm now known as the "go to" animal person.

Quick teaser 2

You've now seen the cage (I like to call it her "safe house" or enclosure) for my new furry animal which should be arriving in a few weeks. Since this new furry animal likes toys, here's something I've been saving for awhile:



I don't think a lot of people really think of all the uses of cardboard besides recycling and packing, but there's quite a bunch. I've been saving additional cardboard too from our various shipment orders at work. So I'll likely be trying my hand at "cardboard" invention soon.

A quick teaser

I was going to post this later, but I just can no longer contain myself! If you have been following me on twitter or facebook, I've hinted at it. I'm getting a new addition to my crew very soon. This condo will house the new furry animal.

Geese inspiration

About a month or so ago, I posted about the geese. Well, yesterday just as I was about to walk one of my client's two dogs (same dogs as in previous post) + Tovah, the geese were there right on their lawn! The dogs barked, but I thought this was such a good photo opportunity. It was too bad I just had my phone, because otherwise, the photos would have been stunning. Another time hopefully.

I put the dogs up except for Tovah. I am always so curious what she will do, and remarkably for her young age has great impulse control (well except the cat she saw the other day, but that's another story). So to start the weekend, here are some geese photos. I was able to get pretty close which is always very exciting for me.

I think I've talked about animal totems before. If not, you can click to learn more about them. Right now, I just seem more drawn to the geese. I'm almost thinking maybe they are like my "recovery" animal totem since they remind me so much about support and reaching out. Plus, geese are considered "nurturers," and I'd say I definitely fit that category.

If you believe in animal totems or the like (they say we have 9 or so throughout our life), what would you say are yours? And what do they represent to you? Do any resemble something related to recovery for you?






Look how close she is!

The honks that encourage

I don't know if anyone has noticed all the Canadian geese out, but they are certainly around. I know a lot of people find them a nuisance with their loud honking and spread of geese excrement. At times, I certainly do, especially with dogs who think geese poop is like caviar.

But all in all, I have a fondness for them. One of my client's have a large lake right beside their house. The Canadian geese have taken to the water, swimming around and hanging out. I've tried hard to get these client's dogs to stop barking at them which is only somewhat successful. Some days Tovah comes along to play with these dogs, and she is just enamored with the Canadian geese. I can't figure out whether she is unsure of them or whether she is wondering why they sound like one of her plush geese toys.

When I watched the geese today, I found myself smiling. There were nine geese on the grass by the water. I guess the geese decided it was time to adjust their location, because five of them opened their wings and took off to land on the water. Then, they all began honking loudly. Two more joined them while two stayed behind pacing back and forth. The honking continued. To me, it was like they were trying to encourage the other two that they too could fly onto the water with them. The two continued to pace, but finally one got the courage to fly and join them. The geese still honked, encouraging the last one who was unsure he could do it. If geese could have wrinkles in their forehead, this one certainly did. *He really didn't know if he could do it. He paced and paced, conversing to the other geese that he was just too scared. The other geese still honked and honked. But finally, he took off and joined everyone on the water. Then, they all honked together in unison, like there was now a sense of peace in the community.

I loved watching this scenario. It reminded me of recovery and how we all need to root for each other in this process, even during those times when things are bleak, we are unsure, and we think we cannot. Support and encouragement are vital to recovering from any mental illness. I hope we all have this on our journey in recovery.

Related post: "V" formation

Note: *I realize I am anthropomorphizing the geese behavior, but it just felt so relevant today. In my line of work, we quickly discourage anthropomorphizing as owners often get it wrong i n terms of what is really going on with their dogs. However, sometimes you just can't help it. Even trainers fall into this trap too at times. The difference is we just know when we are doing it. :grin:

Sometimes we all need a helping hand

Give A Squirrel A Helping Hand @ Yahoo! Video

This is a really cute video. It reminds me of recovery. We try to get over a wall. We jump once, then fall, but we get back up and try again.

Then, when we realize, we really can't do this on our own, we are offered a helping hand. Maybe one's not enough, so we may be offered another one. We can choose to take it or not. But if we take it, we just might have the help we need to get over that wall.

Note--*Most times I think squirrels are pretty dumb since they can never figure out which way to run across the road. But in this case, at least, these squirrels showed some thought.

A mere "sign" or coincidence?

First off, thanks to all of you who commented or just held thoughts and/or prayers about these little birds. I truly appreciate how so many of you cared.

In the comments, Carrie and Sarah-J said that if the birds could that they would thank me for my caring actions. So here's my little story for today.

I was at work and doing my usual chores outside. It rained last night, so the paddocks were very wet and muddy. I'm walking along the paddock and suddenly see this on the ground:


I was astounded, thinking how remarkable this was. I've always said that when animals who are rescued pass away, they leave this earth knowing that someone kind took them in, loved them, and are forever grateful for that. Sometimes, it is beautiful to see a "sign" just to know. I know this could be a mere "coincidence," but I sure like to think this was from the baby birds, saying "thank you." Even the color of the feather would have been about right (I'm thinking these birds might have been blue jays) if the birds had matured.

The last few days have been a whirlwind, and quite frankly, I'm kind of exhausted with emotion. It was well worth the experience, and I'm sure won't be my last. But, this first one on my own as an adult will always have a special place in my heart.

Nature took its course

Sad news to report. Both baby birds died today. One, this afternoon, the other this evening. They both died in my hand while I was feeding them. One minute they seemed fine and were eating, and the next, their bodies stopped moving, and went limp. I now know what it feels like to hold something in your hand as it takes its last breath. These little guys were tiny at only 1 1/2 ounces, so there was just not much substance to them yet.

I knew it was such a slim chance that they would survive, even make it 24 hours (two did), but I wanted to hold out hope. I know I made some mistakes, like giving them water, but I really think they just didn't have enough gumption to keep going.

I buried both of them in the same place as the other one that was already deceased this morning. The interesting thing this afternoon was that I found two nests, both empty, on the other side of where I originally found the birds. I must not have seen them yesterday. I now know that the mother/father had a good chance of finding them, since they were nearby the nests, but they didn't. I also noticed when I walked around the tree, there was another baby bird in the same place I found the others. Unfortunately, it was not alive. I buried that one as well with the rest and said prayers and my good-byes to them.

In some ways, I do feel silly being emotional about these baby birds, but at the same time, I had such a feeling of exhilaration rooting for these little ones. It gave me a sense of hope that something good could happen, that I could save something. The one thing that provides me relief is that the ones under my care passed away with food in their system, warmth for their bodies, and tender loving care. Why it wasn't enough, I don't know. This was just not meant to be. :sigh:










Note--*Photos taken in the afternoon. Both birds were alive and kicking.

Quick update--saving the baby birds

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I really have no clue what will happen to them as about 90-95% die.

When I went back this morning, one did indeed die. It was weakest of the three, so it didn't surprise me. I buried him in the makeshift nest I had made and decided to take the other two. There was no way they would have made it at all, since their body temperature was quite chilled. I figured if the mother/father did not find them yesterday or this morning, then they were likely abandoned.

This is a bit new territory for me, so I got online and read some good articles. Apparently, no water should be given to them as that can damage their lungs. Eeek! I hope they will be okay. I made them a new "nest" in a box lined with newspaper and a heating pad. In the two hours, they've been with me, they seem much more alert, moving around and pooping too. Lucikly, I had some canned dog I had just bought, so I'm feeding them that. This is a huge challenge, as they need to be fed every 15-20 minutes with the exception between 10 PM-6 AM. And they are slow eaters! So they will definitely be coming to work with me. I only have one dilemma and that is Sunday (if they make it that long). I'm meeting my friend K. for the afternoon and had not planned on being back until the evening. I'm hoping maybe my boss will take care of them for me since she I asked her to take care of Tovah for that day.

That's the update so far. Wish me luck. I'd really like to see these little guys make it.

Rooting for unlikely candidates

When I was young, I always knew the signs of spring and summer. Besides the trees and flowers blooming, it was also the time where various baby animals were seen. There were many times my mother and I found baby birds who'd fallen from their nest, young blue jays who came into the house, baby squirrels whose home had been destroyed by the demolishment of their tree and mother, baby garter snakes our cats brought in, and young bats which flew in (that was actually fall but still fits this theme of baby animals).

Each of these animals, we either put in their appropriate places, rescued them, or gave them to the wildlife center to rehabilitate, a place where we volunteered in transportation. Sadly, none of them made it. The newborn squirrels left the most impression on me. They were only a few days old, naked and blind, easily fitting into the palm of my tiny hand. Without the knowledge these were squirrels, they could have easily been mistaken for newborn pandas. When they died, I held a funeral for them and buried them near the site of the fallen tree.

Today's adventures reminded me of those sweet childhood moments. While at work, I decided to work with Tovah in the neighbor's yard. I like to practice recalls there, hiding behind trees and bushes. As we were walking around a pine tree, suddenly, I saw three pink things. I took a closer look and realized they were very young baby birds! I looked around for a nest, but did not see one. I probably should not have, but I picked them up and was going to put them in a box to care for.


By this time, Tovah was incredibly curious. I told her she could look and to be "gentle." She did beautifully until she wasn't sure what they were, and then she barked at them. It was absolutely hilarious, but each time she barked, they squawked and opened their mouths.




After talking to my boss who I don't think realized how young they were and remembering that some mothers will find their young, I decided to put them back where I found them. Still, I was unsure, so I figured resident biologist Cammy would know what to do. We exchanged a few texts, and she told me the stark details that it was probably an unsalvageable situation and even if I took them in, they were likely not to make it.

I had this feeling, but by the end of the day, I decided to at least move them inside the pine tree since storms are predicted for the next three days. I figured the small chance they had to live, at least it was better in there than on the outer rim where rain would just beat down on them. I made a little "nest" out of some twigs I found and used some other plant material for padding. They did some content but very hungry.

When I finished up work, I decided to feed them some earthworms and water. I had to dig for these earthworms but managed to get two dozen or so. One by one, I fed each of them a worm. This proved to be much more difficult than I planned. They'd open their mouths, the worms would squiggle around and then just stayed there in a circle in their mouths. This reminded me of those incidents when people fall asleep with food in their mouths. I know at this early age the mothers usually regurgitate their food, but I was obviously not going to do this. Instead, I helped them by adding a few droplets of water, closing their beak, and soothing their throats. They only ate 4-5 a piece, so I hope that will be sufficient.

While I was doing all this, Tovah just sat and watched, no barking whatsoever. She even went up to them to nuzzle them. I truly love it when species of animals can learn to be gentle with one another, especially when one is a predator. It's a beautiful sight. Speaking of which, Tovah has also reminded me how well a dog's memory works. When I went to go feed the baby birds, she totally beelined to where we had found them. Yesterday, she also did something similar, but that post will be later.

I have no earthly idea whether these baby birds will make it. I know it's bleak, and who knows, they could be dead by tomorrow. But for some reason, just knowing that I did everything I could, gives me a sense of not just satisfaction or relief, but something else. I don't know the word to articulate it, and this sounds cheesy, but it's like smiling at myself sweetly.

I'm not really sure why I'm rooting so hard for these baby birds to make it. Maybe, it's because I know there is no one else to. This is when I hope nature decides not to takes its course but rather produce a miracle.

Note--*I'm sorry the image quality is less than stellar for these photos. I was using my camera phone which has not been upgraded yet.

AVSAB position statement on dominance in dogs

A little off topic from my usual posts, but I was excited to read this position statement on dominance by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

KEY POINTS:

• Despite the fact that advances in behavior research have modified our understanding of social hierarchies in wolves, many animal trainers continue to base their training meth­ods on outdated perceptions of dominance theory. (Refer to Myths About Dominance and Wolf Behavior as It Relates to Dogs)

• Dominance is defined as a relationship between individual animals that is estab­lished by force/aggression and submission, to determine who has priority access to multiple resources such as food, preferred resting spots, and mates (Bernstein 1981; Drews 1993). Most undesirable behaviors in our pets are not related to priority access to resources; rather, they are due to accidental rewarding of the undesirable behavior.

• The AVSAB recommends that veterinar­ians not refer clients to trainers or behavior consultants who coach and advocate domi­nance hierarchy theory and the subsequent confrontational training that follows from it.

• Instead, the AVSAB emphasizes that ani­mal training, behavior prevention strategies, and behavior modification programs should follow the scientifically based guidelines of positive reinforcement, operant condition­ing, classical conditioning, desensitization, and counter conditioning.

• The AVSAB recommends that veterinar­ians identify and refer clients only to trainers and behavior consultants who understand the principles of learning theory and who focus on reinforcing desirable behaviors and removing the reinforcement for undesir­able behaviors.

Just like there are misconceptions and myths in regards to eating disorders, animal care has the same equivalent. It's one reason why so many animals are in shelters and/or euthanized. I hope with more awareness, education, and appropriate training, people will learn that there are better, more effective ways to have a well-mannered pet(s) and develop human-animal bonds.

In the end, all creatures, whether four-legged or two-legged deserve compassion and respect NOT domination.

Okay, and now back to regular scheduled programming....