Wednesday's Weave: Liberty

So far, Wednesday's have been devoted to weaving together the story of Kip and me, but today I am going to deviate a bit.

Today I'd like to share with you about Liberty, "the scholarly dog."

My hu-mom's friend Maggie, from high school, is Liberty's hu-mom. Maggie works for the U.S. Government, so it's not surprising that she would name her dog Liberty. Liberty comes from a line of patriot dogs -- there was Justice (his grandfather), Freedom (his father), and of course his girlfriend's name is Betsy Ross.

My hu-mom and Maggie were in the marching band in high school. Their high school band was invited to participate in the world famous Rose Parade, but due to circumstances beyond their control, their band didn't participate.

So now, Maggie's dog Liberty has a chance to participate in that famous parade. Liberty, "the scholarly dog" has been entered in the Natural Balance pet food contest, to win a spot on a Rose Parade float, but he needs your vote!

So today I ask for your vote for Liberty...the scholarly dog. To vote, please click here to go to the official contest page, then all you have to do is click the "VOTE" button above Liberty's photo. The contest ends November 30, 2009, so please vote soon.

Thank you, and may we always know Liberty! ~Zoe

Tuesday's Telling: Rescue Ride at the Ranch

First, an update on Cooper's allergen-alert Dog -- it has been ordered! Thank you to everyone who purchased PawPrintArt cards during the month of October -- together we contributed $20 to help Cooper get his dog! To learn more about Cooper and his need for an allergen-alert dog...and to help support the cause, please click here.

For the remainder of the month of November, we will be supporting Equine Rescue -- specifically, Miller's no-kill sanctuary for rescued and unwanted horses.

Miller's takes in unwanted horses, evaluates, retrains or nurses them back to health, and then gives them a purpose. Miller's sanctuary horses are available for sale, adoption, fostering, using as a companion, or sponsored to work in Miller's programs.

"Miller's is a rescue facility. They work with Animal Services and other non-profits to provide a home for all types of horses that would otherwise be sent to slaughter or put down due to circumstances other than terminal illness."

So how can you help? Well if you are looking for a reason to visit California's Central Coast this weekend, Miller's is sponsoring a "Ride For a Reason" on November 14th at Santa Margarita Ranch. Details about the ride can be found at the Miller's Sanctuary Website (http://www.millersecs.org/).

For the month of November, 30% of the profits from my PawPrintArt cards will be going to help support Miller's Sanctuary, so if you need any Thanksgiving (or animal related) cards, please consider PawPrintArt cards.



Thank you for caring for animals everywhere! ~Zoe

Chapter 5: Clicker Training

I've explained that my hu-mom and hu-man were not what you call "dog" people, so when I came along, they had no experience with children, or puppies, so they read books, watched The Dog Whisperer, sought out advice wherever they could, and trained me as best they could.

My hu-mom learned about clicker training, and this turned out to be something that really "clicked" with me = ) She did two things: 1) she watched my natural tendencies, and when I did something that she wanted me to "repeat", she would click the clicker and put a name to it; and 2) she used treats and the clicker to form a response from me.

For example... when she wanted me to sit, she would take a treat and place it near my nose, then move it back towards the top of my head. In order for my eyes to follow, I had to sit down. As soon as I sat, she clicked, said "sit" and gave me a treat -- followed by a lot of praise.


My next command to learn was "down," for lay down. Again my hu-mom took a treat and while I sat, she put the treat in front of my nose, then pulled it down towards the ground...and away from me a bit. This made my nose follow the treat and as soon as my front elbows hit the floor, she clicked, said "down" and gave me the treat. We practiced this for quite some time, then she put the two together in what she called "puppy push-ups."

What are Puppy Push-ups you ask? Well, they are calisthenics for dogs, silly! My hu-mom would say "sit"...then "down"...then "sit"...then "down" Puppy push-ups were fun, still are, tiring, but you should see my biceps!

My hu-mom and I spent hours clicker training and as a result I can do many tricks on voice command...and hand motion command, but that's another story and I'll share more about that later.

Until next time, have fun with and challenge your puppy, then give him/her lots of loving! ~Zoe

Thursday's Tip: Traveling with Your Puppy/Dog

Ah, there's nothing like the feel of a puppy or a small dog -- so cute, soft and cuddly.  Yes we are cute and cuddly, but the car is NOT the place to hold and cuddle us.  Just as there are baby seats to protect small babies when traveling in the car, there are ways to keep us safe from airbags, flying objects, or from becoming a flying object.

Today we turn to an article posted by Susanne at http://www.labpuppytraining.com/ to share the proper way to travel with your puppy.  To read the article, please click here, or watch the following video for the Cliff Notes....




Until next time, have fun traveling and living life with your pets!  ~Zoe

Wednesday's Weave

Kip was living the good life with my hu-mom and hu-man, along with Goldie the cat and the chickens. Kip and Goldie roamed in the yard constantly, and the chickens dug and scratched around the yard during the day, but were put away into their chicken coop at night to protect them from the possums and racoons.

All were fine until the neighbor decided to replace the fence that separated our yards (unfortunately they neglected to tell my hu-mom and hu-man about it...) Anyway, they hired a work crew who came and tore out the fence and set about to replace it. Well the fence line is long and they didn't finish in a day, so they leaned something up against the railing. Well, at that time we had a neighbor who let their dog do pretty much whatever it wanted, and it decided that what it wanted was our chickens. So it pushed through the temporary barrier that was the fence, entered our back yard, jumped over the picket fence that surrounded the chicken coop, broke through the wire that enclosed the chicken coop and killed the chickens.

By the time my hu-mom and hu-man got out to the chicken coop, the dog was nowhere in sight and all that was left were chicken carcasses and the dog's collar and ID tags. My hu-man went to the owner to tell them what had happened and return the collar, and the human offered no apology and absolutely no remorse. I shared earlier how the chickens came to be a part of the family, so you know how much they meant to my humans, so I'll just take the opportunity to remind you that if you are a pet owner, you are the human and it is up to you to be responsible and watch, protect and train those who are in your care.

Sorry, I didn't mean to jump on my soapbox...okay, back to the story....

With the chickens gone, it was just Kip and Goldie to roam around in the yard and keep each other company. That is until my hu-man learned that his friends had "lost" their cat. They raved about how much that cat meant to them and how much they missed it. Well, the man ended up going away to heaven, leaving his wife all alone. My hu-man felt sad for the lady and offered our loving Goldie to her, to help her with her grief.

So after the chicken's demise and Goldie's change of address, Kip was all alone. Oh, my hu-mom and hu-man would invite Cadence (a yellow lab who lives down the street) over for play dates, but they knew it was not enough. Kip needed a companion, and that is what opened the door for me to come live with my hu-mom, hu-man and Kip.

Tuesday's Telling: Cooper's Dog Update

For those of you checking in for the first time, we have been following Cooper, a four-year old little boy with severe asthma and allergys. To help Cooper live a more normal life, we are doing what we can to help Cooper get an allergen alert dog, to help detect and protect Cooper from his particular allergens.

The price of this specially trained dog is $10,000.00, and Cooper's family is more than half way to their target. At $5,000.00 they had enough to order the dog, but now, they still need $4,700.00 to pay for Cooper's dog in full.

We are so thankful for everyone who has contributed directly to Cooper, Angel Service Dogs, or through the purchase of my Paw Print Art Cards.

Cooper's allergen-alert dog will be trained by Angel Service Dogs -- if you would like to know more about them, they will be on the Today Show this Friday (November 6th).

Today's posting is short, but sweet -- there is hope for Cooper thanks to Angel Service Dogs and you!

Have a terrific tuesday! ~Zoe

Chapter 4: Let the Training Begin

I had a lot of energy when I was a young pup, and my hu-mom, with no dog experience, didn't know how to walk me. Oh she tried, she hooked on a leash to my collar and I pulled her down the street. Next she tried a halti collar, and I absolutely refused to move with that thing on!






Since the walk wasn't happening, my hu-mom knew I needed exercise, so instead of the frustration of trying to walk me, she started putting me through a one-hour workout in the backyard every day. She would throw the ball, play tug, and anything else she could think of to get me to run around and get rid of some of my energy. Our play time eventually became a trick training time and I learned how to respond to a clicker. I knew that if I did what she wanted me to, I would get a treat -- and I loooooovvvvveeee treats!


Although my hu-mom and I had a great time playing in the backyard, she heard about "The Dog Whisperer" show on the National Geographic channel, and she learned the importance of "the walk." So, she strapped on the leash and tried again....and again.... I continued to pull -- afterall, I was just a young pup with lots of energy, and I wanted to explore the world! After much frustration on my hu-mom's part, she finally called "Nick" to teach her how to walk me.


Nick came to our home and the first thing he did was tell my hu-mom that I was using the wrong collar. He pulled out a pinch-collar and when my mom saw it, she broke down in tears. She thought it looked like a torture device and she DID NOT want that thing around my poor little puppy neck!



Nick explained how the "device" worked and placed it on my hu-moms forearm. He showed her how if I walked "nicely", the collar just sat on my neck, however if I started to pull, all she had to do was give a quick "correction" (that he demonstrated on her forearm), and how that would get me back on track to walking without pulling. He also showed her how it would feel if she used the collar and allowed me to continue to pull -- it was not pleasant!


My hu-mom saw that the collar could be "good" or "bad" depending on how SHE used it. Thankfully I have a hu-mom who loves me, so she agreed to use the collar in the "good" way.


Nick showed her how to walk and correct me, and after one session, we were a much improved team and able to walk -- and walk we did!


...what mom? time for a walk? Well I guess that is it for today folks. Check in again tomorrow for more from the Zoe-Chronicles. ~Zoe