Thursday's Tips: Puppy Training

I've heard from some humans that they loved the "idea" of getting a puppy, but once they brought their puppy home, they weren't quite sure what to do with "it." Well, I've shared about the great advice that my dog-mom and dad's humans gave my hu-mom & hu-man, but I also want to share a new website that offers puppy training -- specifically "lab" puppy training, but I think it will help ALL puppy owners. The website is called "Lab Puppy Training" and can be found at www.LabPuppyTraining.com You will find things like what to do "your first night with your puppy" (http://labpuppytraining.com/198/first-night-with-new-puppy/) ; "Puppy Night Training" (http://labpuppytraining.com/201/puppy-night-training/) etc.

Check it out, I think it will help both you and your humans get off to a good start!

Well, I hear my bowl being filled, so it's off to breakfast. Have a WOOFderful day! ~ Zoe

Wednesday's Weave

If you are new to my blog, this is just to let you know that woven into my story is the story of Kip. So here we go with the 2nd installement of Kip's story...

When Kip came to live with my hu-mom and hu-man, he was overweight and in need of a good grooming. Poor Kip, he came back from the groomer with his glorious locks shaved!


Before I came along, Kip wasn't alone. He had Goldie (a cat that had also belonged to my hu-man's Mom and Dad),


and the chickens...


but the chickens are another story entirely. If you are really curious, you can read about them here.

My hu-mom and hu-man worried how Kip would respond to the chickens, and when they saw him laying on the ground with his paw wrapped around one of them, they were quite concerned! BUT, no worries. Kip wasn't trying to hurt the chicken, he was just "cleaning" it. My hu-mom says she wishes she had a photo to share with you of the chicken's soaking wet head, following Kip's "cleaning", but unfortunately no photos were taken.



Yes, Kip proved that he is a fine mix of steel and velvet. He is a great watch dog, but he is also a lover of his humans, cats, chickens, and now me!

Tuesday's Telling: Cooper's Dog

We've been following Cooper, a 4-year old little boy with severe allergies and ashthma, and his need for an allergen-alert dog.

Cooper's family has raised $5,000 in 8 weeks, with another $5,000 to go. The good news is that with half the money raised, Cooper's dog can be ordered.

So what is the next step? Well, Cooper had to go to his Allergest for testing, to make sure he doesn't have any additional food allergies. Once they know for certain all of his allergens, they can notify Angel Service Dogs, and the dog will be trained specifically for Cooper.

If you would like to help Cooper get his dog, you can contribute directly through his website, or if would like to purchase my PawPrintArt cards, please know that 30% of the profits will go to help Cooper get his dog.

Thank you again and have a PAWfectly wonderful day! ~Zoe

Chapter 3: New Puppy Advice

My dog-mom and dad's humans, Michael and Karen sent my hu-mom and hu-man home with a file folder filled with my "history", my schedule, advice, and me....

My history included information about my dog-mom and dad's pedigree, and my operation, shot and medical information to date.

My schedule...
And advice...

Since my hu-mom and hu-man had never had a puppy before, Michael and Karen wanted to make sure that we would "adjust" well to one another, so they gave my hu-mom and hu-man the following advice....

1. They said that if I ever chewed up something that I wasn't supposed to, peed inside the house, or did something that I wasn't supposed to, my hu-mom and hu-man should roll up a newspaper and....(oh I know what you are thinking, but wait...) they should whack themselves on the side of the head with it, because they are the humans and it is up to them to provide a "puppy-proof" environment, let me out when I should be let out, and provide a nurturing environment for me.


2. They also encouraged my hu-mom and hu-man to touch and massage my paws, so I would be used to the touch and wouldn't go ballistic when it was times to get my nails clipped.


3. They also had the same advice for touching and massaging my ears, so ear-cleaning wouldn't be traumatic.


4. They also showed my hu-mom and hu-man to touch my muzzle, clean my eyes, and open my mouth and dig things out, that shouldn't be there -- (I gave them plenty of opportunity to practice this one in those early days!) All of this was designed to get my hu-mom and hu-man used to touching me...and me getting used to them touching me, so that when I was a "big" dog, I wouldn't growl at or bite them when I saw them coming near my face.


5. Michael and Karen told my hu-mom and hu-man that I was smart, so they should challenge me, give me plenty of time and attention, and most of all love.

And it is with the above information and advice that we started our new live together....

Portraits of Life

Okay, so I'm not the only artist in the family -- my hu-mom is an artist too. While my art is pretty much thematic and focuses on my paw print, she paints what she calls "Portraits of life -- of people, pets, places and favorite things." If you'd like to see more of her art, please check out her blog at http://debjeffrey.blogspot.com/, or her website at http://www.debjeffrey.com/

Have a terrific Thursday! ~Zoe

Wednesday's Weave

Woven into my story, is the story of Kip – my brother from another mother…and father. Kip was my hu-man’s Daddy’s guard dog. Not much is known about Kip’s life, before he came to live with my hu-mom and hu-man, but I’ll share what I know.

Kip is a german shepherd mix – we know that because he has some German Shepherd features, black and tan coloring, curved tail, barrel chest, narrow hips, dark rimmed eyes, a long nose, and he’s huge! The other part of the mix is an unknown – people have guessed Corgi, due to his rounded ears and kind face, but that is something we will never know.

                  






 German Shepherd





            

                                              Corgi

Kip

I mentioned before that Kip was a guard dog. His job was to bark – and he did (and still does) his job well!

Kip spent his days and nights at his Daddy’s business. When my hu-mom and hu-man would go visit, they kept their distance from Kip – they were afraid of him! When my hu-man’s Daddy retired, Kip came to live with him and his wife at their home as an “outdoor” dog. When my hu-man’s Daddy went away to heaven, my hu-man swallowed his fear and went and let Kip off his chain….

My hu-mom says that right after my hu-man let Kip off his chain, he ran an errand and left her and Kip alone at the house -- my hu-mom inside and Kip outside – they still hadn’t met face to face. While my hu-man was gone, some “seedy looking character” came to the gate, and Kip went into action. He went to the front door, stood in front of it, faced the person at the gate and started barking. My hu-mom came to the door and her heart was changed. She knew in that instant that Kip meant to protect her and not hurt her.

My hu-mom and hu-man returned from that trip with Kip in tow. My hu-mom and hu-man were not what you call “dog” people, so Kip was an outdoor dog and wasn’t allowed in the house – afterall, dogs are dirty, smelly, sheddy and slobbery…or at least that was the perception.

Kip has become an important member of the family and I’ll share more about him in next Wednesday’s Weave.

Tuesday's Telling: Give a Boy a Dog Update

I am absolutely pAWEd by the way humans have rallied together to help support Cooper Giron and his need for an allergen-alert dog. The Giron family has now raised $5,000.00 -- that means they can now order Cooper's dog!  Cooper's dog will come from Angel Service Dogs, and although there is still an additional $5,000.00 to be raised, ASD can start training a dog specifically for Cooper.

We dogs have a great sense of smell, so according to Angel Service Dogs, "Scent detection is a perfect job for a correctly trained dog" and "once trained by a master trainer, a dog will be able to detect trace elements of an allergen in any form; raw, cooked, oil, butter, dust, etc."  I'm so happy that one of my canine buddies will have such an important job!

I want to PAWsonally thank you too, for purchasing my PawPrintArt cards.  We have sold 11 to date and 30% of the profits will go to help Cooper get his dog.  If you are in need of Thanksigving cards, you may want to consider our Turkey PawPrintArt card -- it will provide you with a whimsical card that you can send your loved ones AND help support animal and human rescue.

Well, time for a belly rub, so I'll talk with you again soon...  Zoe

Chapter 2: The Gift

According to my hu-mom, the greatest gift was me...

and the 2nd greatest gift that my dog-mom and dad’s humans gave was the gift of house-training!

My dog-mom and dad’s humans, Karen & Michael), spent their early days watching over us puppies, making sure we well cared for, socialized, and….house-trained. They would herd us all outside every two hours, after every feeding, and after every nap. My hu-mom says Karen & Michael were sleep-deprived during those first weeks, but that they did a great job, and she is happy to report that I have never had an accident in the house.

In my early days, I was trained to sleep in a crate at night, and when I needed to go outside to “do my business,” I would give a little bark – just one, and my hu-mom or hu-man would let me out. We have since moved away from the crate and I have a bed next to my hu-mom and hu-man’s bed -- but if I just can’t wait to go outside in the middle of the night, I still give what my hu-mom calls my “puppy bark,” and one of them lets me out.

My hu-mom calls my house-training the 2nd greatest gift, because she has heard horror stories, (and she watches, “It’s Me or the Dog”), so she knows what a truly selfless gift Michael and Karen gave. 

For help with house-training, Leah at Attaboy Dog Obedience & Training recommends: http://www.hssv.org/docs/behavior/dog_housetraining.pdf

And now I open the floor to you and your experience – How did you overcome the adjustment period to a new dog or cat? We’d love to hear your story....

Tuesday's Telling: Give a Boy a Dog

Tuesday's will feature a short story about an animal, person or situation that could use a little support and encouragement. 

Today's story is about Cooper Giron, a 4-year old boy who has severe asthma and a unique medical condition that leaves him highly allergic to a number of things.

Cooper's parents are trying to make Cooper's life as "normal" as possible, however as most kids can just run outside and live life without a care, Cooper can't leave home without his "best friend," an emergency pack containing epinephrine (to counter shock) and his asthmatic inhalers.  You see, any contact with the allergens could send him into potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. 

Cooper's family has learned that there is an allergen-alert service dog that could help Cooper, and they are trying to raise $10,000.00 to get one for Cooper.  Just like drug-sniffing dogs used by law encorcement, an allergen-alert service dog would never leave Cooper's side -- it would warn him of the presence of any allergens, and if he is exposed, the dog would alert a supervising adult -- it would also carry Cooper's emergency medical pack.

The family has raised $3,600.00 to date, so any assistance you can give would be greatly appreciated.

As you know, my hu-mom and I are making Paw Print Art from my paw prints and my hu-mom's imagination.  We sold our first two cards today and we are honored to be able to donate 30% of the profits to help Cooper buy his dog. 

I can't tell you how excited I am that I could help get Cooper his dog.  If you would like to donate to this cause, you can purchase my Paw Print Art (30% of the profits will be donated to the cause), or donations can be made through Cooper's blog. 

If you have a story that you would like for us to feature on our "Tuesday's Telling", please email me at ZoeChronicles@aol.com, for consideration.  Thank you again and have a woof-derful day!

Chapter 1: Hello World!

According to my hu-mom, everyone has a story.
My story began December 16, 2005, when I was 1 of a litter of 9, born to Aspen, (an AKC Registered Yellow Lab), and Ruckus, (an AKC Registered Golden Retriever).

 

My dog mom and dad’s humans (Karen & Michael), planned on keeping 2 of us puppies, and adopting out the rest to friends.




Karen & Michael gave us names that described our character. There was BT (bent tail), Chubbs (self explanatory), Chaos, etc., and me, Rudy, short for Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.
 
 

Karen & Michael had a constant flow of people to see, play with, love on, and hold us puppies – to make sure that we were well socialized.



My hu-mom (Deborah) and hu-man (David) would come visit – David liked to get down on our level and be surrounded by puppies. He was convinced that they “needed” a puppy.




Deborah was a little more subdued. Oh she loved and doted on us, but she wasn’t convinced that she/they were ready for the responsibility of a puppy.



You see, just six months earlier, David’s Father had gone away to heaven and his guard-dog Kip was left without a home.



David and Deborah adopted him, but with past experience with cats and chickens only, they were still just learning what it meant to be “dog” people.

So, what changed their mind? Well, initially their mind was made up for them. Deborah had waited so long to decide, that all of the puppies were spoken for.
 
Then one of those “life events” occured– you know the kind, one of those experiences that is painful and doesn’t make sense, but it is important for growth --

David’s sister Carole died on February 14^th, 2006. When Carole was a young girl, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was operated on and told she would not live very long, and she would never have children. God had other plans, though, and Carole had one son and lived until lung cancer claimed her life at the age of 62. Carole lived her life with a huge scar on her neck, a constant reminder of the incredible miracle that was her life.

After Carole’s death, Deborah had a change of heart and felt that she was ready for the responsibility of a puppy, but not just any puppy – me!



You see, when I was just a “young girl”, I was diagnosed with a physical problem that without surgery, would have certainly cost me my life. I forgot the medical name for what I had, but there was an artery that wrapped around my esophagus and it prevented me from eating solid food. I had to have surgery to correct the situation and at 7 weeks of age, I was left with a huge scar on my chest and side that I too would carry as a constant reminder of the miracle of my life.



Fortunately, Karen and Michael loved David and Deborah so much that they gave me up so that I could go live with them. David and Deborah changed my name from Rudy to Zoe, meaning “life” in Greek.
And now you know how I got my name and how I came to live with David, Deborah and Kip.







So be encouraged, difficult and seemingly hopeless situations can result in GREAT blessing!