Helpers for the Special Needs Dogs & Cats

From the wheels used by Ricky Bobby rescued by HSUS to the pee pads at my back door, special needs can be met for our dog companions.  Not all disabilities are visible and not all involve mobility wheels.

Let me tell you about one of my special needs kids, and this isn't about my sweet Sophie whose special needs were evident to the eye. Following are some touching tales and videos of other dogs. If you can't glean the meaning of this blog I will tell you at the end.

My dog Jax has Diabetes Insipidus. This is a need not visually evident. He was in the home of a foster and the rescue group had deemed him 'unadoptable.  But his fosters loved him and knew otherwise, they had even taken him to TAMU for evaluation on their own dime and that deserves a big WOW. Diabetes Insipidus is a condition that presents with excessive thirst and urination, not enough anti diuretic hormone is produced.

Jax was a 6 month old pup and none of the treatments available helped. He was a pee-pot with little control. They needed to find my boy a new family for legitimate reasons and wanted to give Jax the best home possible. I went to their house to be interviewed and approved. I went outside and sat down on the ground. Jax ran around playing, urinated and went immediately to the water bowl. When he saw be he bounded over with enthusiasm and peed all over me.  His foster parents looked horrified waiting for my reaction. 

I hugged Jax and said, you just christened me.  Pee happens. I have tile floors and pee pads at the back door. As he matured his control improved though the health issue remains. Sometimes he has accidents, usually when he jumps, gets scared or excited he leaks. I don't care, he can't help his situation. And Jax is loving, loyal, well-behaved and a wonderful boy. I am grateful he is in my life and he certainly deserves love and care. All animals deserve love and care.

Pee happens. I have tile floors and pee pads at the back door.



 CHAPLIN

 

 

 

From DFW Pug Rescue: One of our special rescue pugs, Chaplin, was adopted by VCA University Animal Clinic in Dallas, TX. He has neurological issues that we have been treating with acupuncture and intestinal motility issues that are treated with a combination of three medications and a special diet. One of our amazing volunteers offered to continue the acupuncture treatment; she picks him up at VCA and gets him to the acupuncture doctor when needed. 

Chaplin needs medication for the remainder of his life, as well as neurological check ups, so for the doctors and staff at VCA to assume this responsibility is nothing short of awesome!  He goes home with a member of VCA at night and on weekends. This is a video of him hanging out at the clinic, such a happy boy.This link http://youtu.be/cm-WF5op6yk shows the challenges Chaplin faced with mobility.

 

ROSIE

 

Do you remember my posts about sweet Rosie and Remember Rosie? Thank you Rosie and your Mom for helping bring awareness. Rosie was rescued from a puppy mill and had genetic disabilities.  But she was a joy and deeply loved, fun and playful.

 

 

 

Products To Help are Available!

 

Chaplin had a custom made wheels. But there are resources for our friends with disabilities. One of the most heartwarming sights I have personally seen was when I visited a friend at her apartment. A neighbor was taking is handicapped German Sheppard for a walk using a sling to help him down the stairs for his walk. Wheelchairs, slings, ramps, diapers, strollers, splints and more. For example: from Canada http://www.dogquality.com/, the U.S. http://www.handicappedpets.com/ and http://eddieswheels.com.

 

 

This is an ad for doggie wheels nevertheless is shows happy dogs given mobility again.

 

BOBBY & NAPOLEON

 

I didn't forget cats. Bobby was left in a box on the vet's doorstep as a kitten. He has spinal injuries and a broken tail. He walks strangely on his back legs and must wear bandages and care to protect his legs. The video is 9 minutes long but shows how he is enjoying life even though he walks a bit differently, playing and obviously loved. Napoleon has his own wheels.

 

 

ALERA

 

 

This is a tearjerker. But Alera's daddy gave her love and she had a good quality of life though short. The other link shows off her new wheels and how they are used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jNpCgZ3lJEM

 

 

Buddy Love aka The Bumblesnot

 



Bumblesnot is a 10 year old black pug rescued from a shelter in 2011. Click the link to learn more and follow his adventures on Facebook. When this boy was adopted he had some mobility issues with his back legs. Now he has his wheels and his family must suppress his bladder. But he is happy and loved.  If you click the video link know 1) It starts with loud music and 2) I'm not sure I care for the "proper care instructions"  are presented audio wise but you do learn more about the care of this disabled and lovable boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cfrs22nfkA

 

 

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS DISABILITIES DON'T MEAN AN ANIMAL SHOULD BE NEGLECTED OR DESTROYED.  THEY DESERVE LOVE AND CAN HAVE A GOOD QUALITY LIFE.

BE THE CHANGE!

 

 

 

Raining Cats and Dogs by Peter Martz. Sounds beautiful but is so very sad. Claiborne Animal Shelter is a 501c3 organization run entirely from donations and volunteer labor. If you'd like to learn more about us, please visit www.ClaiborneAnimalShelter.com or visit us on Facebook!



 

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12/26/13 to 1/10/14 After Christmas Special!

Fun Books. Laughter and Love and Animals.

Fun Books. Laughter and Love and Animals. Slideshow below.

  How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal, Matthew Inman.
If your cat is kneading you, that's not a sign of affection. Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn't a gift. It's a warning. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is a hilarious, brilliant offering of cat comics, facts, and instructional guides from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.

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Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed (and Other Heartwarming Letters from Kitty) by Jeremy Greenberg. I am not picking on Cats.

The cat's answer to Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe, Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed is a hilarious collection of full-color photos and letters of excuses and suggestions from cats to the people who love them—no matter what bad thing they’ve done!

Inside Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed, writer and comedian Jeremy Greenberg presents a collection of laugh-out-loud letters and photographs that offer a cat's eye view on common feline vs. human cohabitation conundrums. It's the perfect gift for crazy cat lovers and anyone who appreciates hilarious (and so true!) insights into cat—and human—nature, including: Your cat sits on your laptop not just for warmth or attention, but to prevent you from interacting with the outside world.

After all, isn’t the main reason to have a cat so you don’t have to waste time developing normal human relationships? If you spent a third of your life licking yourself, you too would occasionally forget to stick your tongue back in your face. Eating grass has medicinal purposes, and most cats believe grass should be legalized. The cat feels bad about barfing on your bed…because now it must get to up to go sleep on your clean laundry instead.

I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano.

Cat lovers will laugh out loud at the quirkiness of their feline friends with these insightful and curious poems from the singular minds of housecats. In this hilarious book of tongue-in-cheek poetry, the author of the internationally syndicated comic strip Sally Forth helps cats unlock their creative potential and explain their odd behavior to ignorant humans.

With titles like "Who Is That on Your Lap?," "This Is My Chair," "Kneel Before Me," "Nudge," and "Some of My Best Friends Are Dogs," the poems collected in I Could Pee on This perfectly capture the inner workings of the cat psyche. With photos of the cat authors throughout, this whimsical volume reveals kitties at their wackiest, and most exasperating (but always lovable).

Texts from Dog by October Jones.

My dog sends me texts. Yeah. It’s weird.

When October Jones figured out he could send text messages to himself on his mobile phone, he naturally decided that the best use of this discovery was to send passive-aggressive messages to himself under the guise of his bulldog. And so the exasperating, slightly delusional, and utterly endearing Dog and his alter-ego BatDog were born.

Texts from Dog features Dog’s attempts to keep the neighborhood safe from the likes of Mr. Postman and his arch-nemesis Cat-Cat—he has managed to only smash three TVs and a patio door in the process. And in between crime fighting sprees and run-ins with the squirrel mafia, there are romantic interludes with pillows, fetch sessions gone terribly awry, and the abusive banter only a bromance between man and his text-savvy dog can spawn.

For those of us who have ever had a conversation with a pet in our heads, Texts from Dog will make you laugh out loud and perhaps even make you think twice about leaving your pet home alone for the day. Hope and Happy the Parakeets are arguing. 

Now the dogs are barking and running around. Why? The doorbell didn’t ring. What did the parakeets just tell them? I may never finish this post. ;)

I Could Chew on This: And Other Poems by Dogs by Francesco Marciuliano.

A New York Times bestseller? Oh, you know the dogs weren't going to let the cats get away with that! This canine companion to I Could Pee on This, the beloved volume of poems by cats, I Could Chew on This will have dog lovers laughing out loud.

Doggie laureates not only chew on quite a lot of things, they also reveal their creativity, their hidden motives, and their eternal (and sometimes misguided) effervescence through such musings as "I Dropped a Ball," "I Lose My Mind When You Leave the House," and "Can You Smell That?" Accompanied throughout by portraits of the canine poets in all their magnificence, I Could Chew on This is a work of unbridled enthusiasm, insatiable appetite, and, yes, creative genius.

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Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe (and Other Heartwarming Letters from Doggie) by Jeremy Greenberg. See I told you I wasn’t picking on cats.

Inside Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe, writer and comedian Jeremy Greenberg presents a collection of 50 laugh-out-loud letters and accompanying full-color photographs that explain Fido's love of funky smells, why a ball needs to be thrown again, and practically every other lovably loony canine characteristic. From an impassioned plea to stop the silly nicknames, to an attempt to skip a bath, to explanations for stolen shoes and swiped sandwiches, Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe offers a pooch's perspective on common canine vs. human cohabitation conundrums. Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe is the perfect gift for dog lovers and anyone who appreciates hilarious (and so true!) insights into dog--and human—nature.

Animals Talking in All Caps: It's Just What It Sounds Like by Justin Valmassoi. See I told you – animal fun. A goat who wants to sell you some meth. A giraffe who might be violating his restraining order. An alpaca with a very dirty secret. A cat who’s really mad at you for cancelling Netflix instant. Blog author here. Are you reading?

I’ll tell you a secret, only 3 of my dogs are in the chair with me as I write this and I swear all three just farted. I may not complete this blog as I am pinching my nose and typing with one hand.


Selfish Pigs: Adorably Awful Little Swine by Andy Riley.

From the creator of The Book of Bunny Suicides comes the book you’ve been waiting for: Selfish Pigs. Filled with more than 90 pieces of line art depicting pigs being selfish, this is the must-have for pig-lovers and Riley fans. It's pigs—and they're being selfish. Horribly, nastily selfish. They drink, they smoke, they steal, they eat pork and bacon, and they're funny while they're doing it.

Do they metaphorically represent humans at their worst? Or are they just horrible swine who don't give a damn about metaphors? You'll have to judge for yourself.

I thought about adding the book The Book of Bunny Suicides andReturn of the Bunny Suicides but didn’t want bunny friends to get any ideas or Bunny parents to send me hate mail.

Evil Penguins: When Cute Penguins Go Bad by Elia Anie.

What's black-and-white and evil all over? Get ready to find out the terrifying truth.... Penguins.


They're everywhere-gracing movie screens, Coke ads, and merchandise. But don't let those happy feet fool you. When they're not surfing or marching bravely across the Antarctic, penguins have a whole other agenda going on. And it isn't pretty.

In Evil Penguins, Elia Anie captures the antics of cute little birds who have gone over to the dark side. If you thought the worst a penguin could do is make you feel guilty about global warning, think again. Here are cartoons of penguins leading revolts, giving SpongeBob a swirly, causing plagues, clubbing baby seals, killing Inuits while dressed as ninjas, and wreaking havoc in dozens of other hysterically appalling ways.

Both penguin lovers and those who know that evil can come in even the cuddliest packages will appreciate these bad birds.
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Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Det by Jenny Gardiner.

A gift from an overseas relative, Graycie, an African Gray parrot, arrives in the Gardiner home not long after the birth of their first child, adding the responsibilities of parrot-hood to their newfound parenthood. Jenny Gardiner and her husband were hoping for a docile, beautifully plumed, Polly-want-a-cracker type of companion—but patchily feathered, scrawny, ill-tempered Graycie was the furthest thing from what they envisioned.

In Winging It, Gardiner shares in vivid and hilarious detail the many hazards of parrot ownership, from endless avian latrine duty to discovering the multiple ways a beak can pierce human flesh. Whether she’s swearing at the dog, mimicking the sound of the smoke alarm, or bobbing to the beat of the kids clapping for her amusement, she brings the family joy, laughter, and, sometimes, tears.

So why would the Gardiners subject themselves to the crazy behavior of this parrot for so long? Well, because, as the Gardiners realize, Graycie is a part of the family, and just like in any relationship between living creatures, things do not always go according to plan.. A mix of hilarious pet hijinks and a poignant story of family commitment, Winging It is a reminder of the importance of patience, loyalty, and humor when it comes to dealing with even the most temperamental members of the family.

Cross posted to Dogs and Animal Rights.

Parakeet Hope Says No to Nest

Hope and Happy, my feathered friend and family are parakeets.

Happy courted Hope. He was solicitous, attentive and charming. He worked to capture Hope's affection.

Now Hope has become the 'alpha parakeet' if you will.
I will put birdseed on my hand to eat.  If Happy settles on my palm first, Hope will run him off. Sometimes she will allow him to return but only briefly.  The will both be on my hand eating seed and she will chase him off.

Poor Happy is being nagged.

They have a mirror, toys, a bell and string to untie.  And Hope unties the string.

Recently I provided a nest for the pair.  I included nesting materials to add to the twig nest. 

And Hope is methodically disassembling the nest.  Yesterday and much to fast for a photo capture, Happy decided to help.  He perched on the nest and pulled at a twig with his beak.

Hope flew over and chastised him - forced him to move to the other side of the cage.

Does this mean Hope doesn't want to be a mommy? Or is she a bully.  I don't know. But I do know that sweet Hope is doing her best to make sure Happy is not always Happy.

Here is a photo of a recent shunning.

Dogs are Angels. Say A Prayer.

Today say a prayer for all animals. Pray humans act humanely.
 
Pray their Guardians love and care for them.

And be Thankful.

Today I am thankful for all the dogs that have blessed me.

I deeply miss and love the ones that are dead.

I love and cherish the companions "the little boogers" that share my life with me now.

Well time to go - P is barking and if my dog translator is accurate she is saying, "You have JB, A and MG in the chair with you.  That is 3.  I am 1.  Stop ignoring me and pick me up.  Now would be good."

P is right.  She is one (1).

 

And every 1 animal is precious. Every animal deserves & requires love and care.

 

BE The CHANGE! You Can Make a Difference.

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You Know You Are Loved.

 

If every item of clothing has dog hair embedded in the fibers,

 

You are loved.

 

If you continually find bird seed in your shoes,

 

You are loved.

 

If kitty litter is tracked around your house.

 

You are loved.

 

(Yes you are loved but cats expect to worshiped too!)
 

If pet fur clings to your eyelashes.

Honor the love and trust you are giving by helping.

 

You are loved. Unconditionally.

 

 

 

BE THE CHANGE. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

 

 



 

 

Dogs & Our Animal Companions Are Better People Than Us. Books.

Dogs & Our Animal Companions Are Better People Than Us. If you are a dog lover, you already know that dogs are better people than humans. Here are some wonderful books that help make the point.

“Dogs love and share and help and care. Dogs Are Better People Than Us. Dogs Make Us Better Humans.” Andrea Geist

A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt—showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)—taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.



The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of "Unadoptables" Taught Me About Service, Hope, and Healing by Susannah Charleson. “Charleson journeys into the world of psychiatric service, where dogs aid humans with disabilities that may be unseen but are no less felt. This work had a profound effect on Charleson, perhaps because, for her, this journey began as a personal one: Charleson herself struggled with posttraumatic stress disorder for months after a particularly grisly search. Collaboration with her search dog partner made the surprising difference to her own healing. Inspired by that experience, Charleson learns to identify abandoned dogs with service potential, often plucking them from shelters at the last minute, and to train them for work beside hurting partners, to whom these second-chance dogs bring intelligence, comfort, and hope. Along the way she comes to see canine potential everywhere, often where she least expects it – from Merlin the chocolate lab puppy with the broken tail once cast away in a garbage bag, who now stabilizes his partner’s panic attacks; to Ollie, the blind and deaf terrier, rescued moments before it was too late, who now soothes anxious children; to Jake Piper, the starving pit bull terrier mix with the wayward ears who is transformed into a working service dog and, who, for Charleson, goes from abandoned to irreplaceable.”

Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog by Susannah Charleson. Charleson first book. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper of an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face.


The Silence of Dogs in Cars by Martin Usborne. “Photographer Martin Usborne is on a mission to save as many animals as he can in 365 days. His aptly titled project—A Year to Help—began in July 2012 and will wrap up next month. The quest has sparked him to travel the world visiting rescue shelters in Spain and a dog meat restaurant and a zoo in the Philippines, as well as to launch a blog chronicling his adventures. In his just-released photo collection, The Silence of Dogs in Cars (Kehrer Verlag), he aims to capture the way in which we silence, control or distance ourselves from other animals. Mission accomplished.” — Abbe Wright.

    The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving: How Dogs Have Captured Our Hearts for Thousands of Years By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. “No other animal loves us in quite the same way as dogs love us. And it is mutual. Is it possible that we developed the capacity for love, sympathy, empathy, and compassion because of our long association with dogs? In "The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving", Masson considers the far-reaching consequences of this co-evolution of dogs and humans, drawing from recent scientific research. Over the past 40,000 years a collective domestication has occurred that brings us to where we are today - humans have formed intense bonds with dogs, and the adoration is almost always reciprocal. Masson himself has experienced a profound connection with his new dog Benjy, a failed guide-dog for the blind, who possesses an abundance of inhibited love. But Masson knows that the love he feels for Benjy - and that Benjy feels for all the people and animals around him - is not unique, but is in fact a love that only dogs and humans possess. With wisdom, insight, and a brilliant analysis of recent scientific research, the bestselling author delivers a provocative and compelling book that will change the way we think about love and canine companions.”

BE THE CHANGE. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

 

 

 



 

 

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