Respect The Code!

Most law-abiding dog-owners in the beach are using the designated off-leash areas to ensure their canines get sufficient exercise and socialization in an attempt to appease the rest of the community and the powers-that-be.

Within the past two weeks, I've been told by multiple sources about two dog fights in the off-leash areas.

These have not been the brief, vocal conflicts where dogs confront one another for momentarily being in one another's space or for nabbing a toy.

Those skirmishes usually only last about ten seconds and it's over. The less dominant ( or less energetic) of the two sustaining no injuries-save for a bruised ego. Not giving it another thought, he returns to his socializing, a rung lower on the ladder.

These fights have been blood-drawing, have-to-break-them-up battles. One owner got his hand badly bitten in his attempt to separate the clashing canines.

The off-leash areas have a 'Code of Conduct' posted at the entrances.

It simply isn't being adhered to-Pit Bulls are running loose, unmuzzled in the partially-enclosed areas, in-tact males are in there, (against the code) dogs who show aggression toward another dog are not being leashed and removed from the space-instead the person who complains about a dogs aggressive behavior has to listen to a flurry of obscenitiesfrom its owner (wonder why the dog is aggressive??!). Dogs who aren't under voice or signal control are not being retrieved and leashed.

As summer approaches, the problems can only escalate.

When tourists from other areas of the city flock to the beach with their canine companions for some sand and sun, the off-leash areas will be the place to exercise them.

It will be culture shock for many dogs who may not be as socially adept as most of our fortunate friends.

If we can't respect other dog owners and the required code, perhaps we should consider having the areas patrolled by impartial parties-who have knowledge of both dog behavior and the code of conduct.

Gentle (?) Leaders

Advertisments for head collars-the Gentle Leader and the Halti-claim to 'calm the boisterous dog who pulls on the leash.'

Every obedience school, trainer, every expert in the canine field-even veterinarians-are expounding on the excellence of these devices.

Unfortunately, I beg to differ. In my opinion, these collars border on abusive and can lead to injuries, especially when coupled with a flexi-leash. There is no teaching involved with this product.

The concept behind the design is to simulate the pack leaders control by encircling the puppy or dogs snout and lower jaw as well as applying pressure at the scruff of the neck.

Anytime I've watched a dog discipline another dog using this technique, it's done for no more than fifteen seconds, then it's over, with the desired effect, a calm, respectful dog. When the more dominant dog uses this form of discipline, it never leaves a mark-it's done with a firm gentleness.

There are dogs who have permanent hair loss and scars on top of their snouts from these gentle leaders. I'm not even sure where the term leader comes into play. Most dogs I see wearing this contraption are either squirming desparately to get out of it-pawing at their own snouts and rubbing them onto the ground or the skin on their faces is pinched up and twisted, contorting their features so the dog can only see with one eye due to the tautness of the equipment.

I would be concerned with the obvious damage over time, to the cervical vertebrae from the constant twisting motion of the neck as the dogs head is continually yanked sideways. If it's used as a training device for a few weeks, (which I've never seen happen) injuries incurred while wearing one can last a lifetime.

Not all snouts are shaped the same. To offer this product in small, medium and large doesn't make a whole lot of sense (except of course, to the manufacturer!). At the very least, customizing the head gear to reflect the needs of individual breeds would show some basic knowledge of canine structure-and a little intelligence!

Could there be a correlation between the use of this head equipment and the rise in the number of cases of Wobbler's disease in recent years?

Convenience certainly plays a part in its popularity... let's face it, it's far less time-consuming, strapping on the head gear than devoting a couple of weeks teaching the basic etiquette, rules and expectations of walking together.

There is no collar that can take the place of training!

What appears to be a quick and easy fix is not necessarily the best way when dealing with nature.

You'd think by now we'd all have learned that lesson!!

Live Dogs Used As Shark Bait

With a burdened heart I create this post tonight. It gives me no pleasure at all.

There will be no pictures on my blog tonight to reflect this post. I can't bring myself to desecrate this space that way.
You can however check out the links below but the images are quite graphic and very disturbing.


I speak of the barbaric use of both live or dead dogs and cats being used as shark bait. The practise of taking a dog, piercing a giant hook through both upper and lower lip or snout or paws of someones more than terrified domesticated companion as its stuggling is in vain.


Once the dog or cat is captured, the fisherman 'hook' them the day before to let them bleed sufficently.

Some escape before being tossed overboard, to live without being able to eat or walk, depending where the hooks are and to die a pitiful dealth due to infection or starvation.


The dog is then hoisted over the side of the boat and dragged through the water, using the blood streaming from the open wounds caused by the fish hooks to attract any shark in the vicinity. Sometimes the fishermen leave the dog or cat out in the water overnight and return the next day to check for their catch.


Apparently this practise has been going on for over a decade.


I can't spend more time on this topic....it's unhealthy for my soul.
I just wanted to make anyone who is interested aware there are two options.

There is an on-line petition you can sign.

http://www.petitiononline.com/13by3/petition.html


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1019_051019_dogs_sharks.html


Or (and better) you can take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and send a letter (you know, that primitive practise of writing on paper, signing your name to it, placing it into an envelope with a stamp!) addressing it to any French Consulate.


Shame on the French Government. France-a country that professes such love of dogs to allow this barbarism to go unchecked for so long!

Choose Wisely!

I once named a sweet-as-pie puppy Scandal. Her registered name was 'Sandalwood What A Scandal.' I wasn't considering her personality or character at the time but instead was reflecting on the trauma surrounding the whelping.

How many times people would comment that she suited her name! From running down the boardwalk with a squirrel she'd just caught, stopping to show her 'treasure' to passers-by, to catching a seagull as it was taking flight, then charging along the sand blindly, its wings covering her eyes, while tourists stared in shock and disbelief.

I think it has alot to do with our voice inflection when we utter their given word (name). The energy and quality behind what that name brings to our mind.

'Boomer,' a black lab, is rough and ready to go anywhere, ingest anything and in his twilight years is unaccepting of his physical limitations (adventurer/construction-worker/hockey-night lad).

'Lacy,' a sheltie, is a gentle, mild-mannered, slightly aloof girl (frilly-girl/teatime/poetry reading).

'Carl,' a great dane, shows signs of leaning toward having OCD, is genuinely fun to be around and kind (living vicariously through others/dependable/a bit needy).

'Ruckus,' a boxer, is always at the center of any disruption at the dog park, not in a nasty way but just wants to be where the action is ( dash and dare/nosey/high-energy).

'Lucy,'a yellow lab, is a fun-loving, high-energy, what'll-we-do-next girl (shopaholic/where's-the-party girl).

'Whiskey,' a beagle, is full of energy, (and himself!) and wants to be the center of attention (the comic-relief/always regale-you-with-a-story type).

Then there's my 'Journey.' An unassuming sort, plodding along, taking everything in, investigative, exhibiting a low-key acceptance of life.

How often have we exclaimed--or heard, 'that name really suits your dog'....or is it the dog who has grown into the name...the subconscious qualities, the subliminal message we send when we utter their name?

So when you bring your new puppy home or decide to keep that 'special one' out of a litter, the first order of the day is to decide on a suitable name.

We can hardly entertain the idea of proudly presenting our newest member of the family without an identity, without a label conjuring up the character and qualities we're hoping the pup will one day embody.

Logically speaking, we should probably wait until our new charge has given us more to go on than the expected accident on the carpet upon bringing it home...it would be more prudent for us to wait for a glimpse into its character and personality.

I believe a dog grows into its name. It will become the embodiment of the name you choose...so choose wisely.

It's All Fun & Games until...

Yesterday we celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday in Canada. Every year, the last Monday before May 24th is a statutory holiday. The May 2-4 weekend.


It's also the unofficial weekend we recognize as the kick-off to the summer season.


We celebrate this weekend in various ways. There's a slow-moving exodus along every major highway in the country as people get back to nature, returning to open up their cottages. We have our barbeques heating up for get-togethers, we flock to garden centers with a list in hand of perrenials, annuals and garden ornaments as we mentally prepare our backs and knees for the hours we'll put in beautifying our gardens.


We celebrate with a plethora of pyrotechnics...fireworks!!


Most cities put on a display on the holiday Monday. Many individual communities gather in local parks to hold their own mini-displays. In backyards, in shopping-mall parking lots or if you're a group of teenagers, on the street after 1:00a.m.


Go into any corner store at this time of year and there's a bevy of all the newest fireworks to choose from-The Eliminator Shell, The Wheel, Beast of Artillary, Dominator Candle, Triple Whistling Bottle Rockets, Molatov Cocktail. The choice is endless and seldom requires age verification.


The chemicals used to make us 'oh' and 'ah' are hardly environmentally friendly. Barium, used to produce the brilliant green colors is poisonous and radioactive. Copper compounds used to produce blue colors, contain dioxin, which has been linked to cancer. Cadmium, lithium, antimony, rubidium, strontium, lead and potassium nitrate are used to produce different effects, even though they can cause a host of respiratory and other health problems. Couple this with the really big displays put on by the cities usually being set off over or close to a body of water, where all the dusts and contaminants fall, contributing to our water contamination.


Not to mention the amount of refuse left at any location where people gather in large groups or the toll on the local bird and wildlife population.


I'm always put off when I see a dog brought along to these displays. The crowds of revellers and the brilliant colours and designs of pyrotechnics may appeal to the child in us all but they DON'T appeal to my dog or any dog I know of for that matter.


The sound alone is enough to put the most laid-back dog on alert. Their noses being more sensitive than ours, pick up the scent of the chemicals emanating from these creations... these 'terrors in the sky.' They register them as foreign and unfriendly.


Last year, on this holiday, I received a frantic phone call from a neighbour. There were some teenagers passing by her house who stopped long enough to let off a few firecrackers. Her dog was in the fenced-backyard at the time. It panicked at the noise and somehow escaped.
We searched for hours. The next morning, she received a call from Animal Control. Her dog was found on Lakeshore Blvd. It had been hit by a car as it tried to cross the busy street.


I have seen dogs quivering in their paws, panting and displaying any number of stress signals when they are within ear-shot of our celebratory fireworks. Some seek out refuge in the basement, a closet or under a blanket. If a dog is at all sensitive, as with thunderstorms, it's intolerance will grow as it ages.

Dogs can become withdrawn for days after-refusing to go outside after dark, exhibiting apprehension when they come across a sparkler left in the grass at the park the next day.

As far as I'm concerned there should be a ban on selling fireworks to the public. Yes, even the innocent sparklers. Not so innocent when lit and slid into someones shirt.


It's all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked (or burned) out.

There's One Born Every Minute

If you open any dog-related magazine and turn to the classified ads, you'll stumble on two or three dog psychics for hire.



For a fee, you can hear your dog's innermost feelings verbalized and if your dog has had a 'past-life' or multiple past lives, you can hear all about that too. From the dog's innermost thoughts straight to your ears...via a psychic.

If you can't get to where the psychic of your choice is, this isn't a problem. They can do a reading over the phone. Just hold the phone in the general direction of where your dog is resting and the psychic will pick up your animals vibes and relay the message to you.

I don't mind admitting, I have a few problems with this whole picture. I'm a skeptic.

I'm alot more comfortable with the term animal communicator. We all communicate on many different levels with our dogs...body language, energy levels, voice inflection and good old verbal commands or words our dogs have come to recognize. (not 'understand' but recognize)

I do believe dogs communicate with us and if we're in-tune' with them, they are capable of sending us messages, to get our attention. We sense their being. They read us.

On the other paw, there's the self-proclaimed animal psychic.

I don't believe anyone can communicate with a deceased animal-which is a service most of these people offer, some with a promised 99% accuracy!


I don't believe they can read my dog's past lives, nor do I believe a dog can tell them what happened to him/her when he/she was three months old or a year-old, that is still traumatizing him/her today.


Dogs do not have the cerebral reasoning ability it takes to tell a psychic, or anyone else, a story in any language...but watch them long enough and their story will unfold.


A woman who dearly loved her dog sought the aid of a local animal psychic to find out if it was'time to say goodbye' to her 16-year old companion.


I had been strongly suggesting her dog was trying to 'tell her something' for-the-past year-and-a-half, watching as it stumbled and fell over, too old and feeble to walk. (she got a carriage for it) The dog had lost it's eyesight the year before and at this point was plagued with seizures throughout the day. It gave up on eating. There was something almost mournful in it's body language. It was tired. Her owner was desparate to know what was wrong-what her friend was 'feeling.'

The 'message' was loud and clear to me.

During the winter months when the snow became too deep to push the carriage to the psychic's house for a weekly reading, her owner was relieved when the psychic told her she could do a reading over the phone. How very convenient for all involved!

My dog has a half-dozen ways of 'telling me' or communicating to me when she's tired, thirsty, hungry, needing a walk, wanting to play, not feeling well, disappointed, suspicious of an individual, feeling lazy, angry, excited, happy, nervous, concerned, fed-up, wanting my attention, desiring a cuddle, contented and yes, even when she's a little miffed with me---


I've set the stage for this type of communication and we are 'in tune' enough with each other to reap the benefits. We're conscious of each other's energies-each other's being...we feel/sense each other.


Unfortunately, it's a far cry from carrying on a conversation, although I'd probably prefer a conversation with any animal than most humans. (oops-did I say that??!)

People who seek out dog psychics are in need. They are searching for someone to console them, to share their path with...or perhaps they need to seek out professional help for themselves.


Besides, if I were blessed with psychic abilities, I don't think there would be a fee involved in sharing my gift.

Pippi Longstocking Gone Wrong

I've just come in from my last walk of the evening with my dog.


The neighourhood is quiet at this hour of the night, a couple sitting out on their front porch, enjoying the still, cool night air. A cat crossing the street on some kind of mission. We pass a couple of dog owners out on their last call. No raccoon sightings, which is not unusual as garbage pick-up was this morning--they've had their fill after rummaging through any of the loose trash before daybreak.

Journey stops her investigative sniffing on a lawn long enough to recognize a person approaching from a distance. I acknowledge the on-coming pedestrian traffic by stepping slightly to the side,motioning Journey over onto the grass to allow an unobstructed passage.

When the person, a female of about thirty years old, gets within two feet of us, she jumps up, lands in a crouch position, at eye-level with my girl, stares at her and doesn't say a word.

I'm fairly thrown by this behavior and Journey has taken a step backward with a concerned expression on her face.

I ask her what she's doing and she lets me know she's 'saying hello' to my dog.

I suggest this isn't the best way to do so anytime but especially in the dark at night.

She then informs me she trains dogs (would NOT have ever slotted her as a trainer--of any sort!) and, 'yes, this is exactly the way you do it'.

'No,' I say, my patience surprising me. 'You should never get down at eye-level with an unknown dog and just stare at it.'

'Too bad you've got a scaredy-cat there. You've made her that way, you know,' she tells me as she's bringing herself back to an erect position.

Fixing her with a frosty, eye-level stare of my own, conscious of her bright blue and white Pippi Longstocking tights, I'm trying to formulate what path I want this confrontaion to to take.

As she slowly starts to pass us, I realize there's no response necessary--I'm dealing with a complete maniac.

Journey twists her neck around and watches Pippi until she's completely out of sight, still wondering, I'm sure, what that human was all about.

Hmm...I wonder if I'll ever get to meet a dog she's trained--or who her employer is??!!?

With her skills, I guess it could be one of those big-box pet stores who are brokers for puppy mills. And I bet you could find a couple of those designer breeds there too!

Lip curling...