Pit Bulls as Therapy Dogs

This article was spotted by a friend on Twitter. It's worth sharing. We've moved toward being a culture that is afraid of certain kinds of dogs and forget that by in large, the problem is with how people train and treat dogs. Check out this story about pit bulls as therapy dogs and keep it in mind the next time you encounter breed specific legislation in your local communities. (read more about BSLs here and here.

Of particular interest, by the way, is that breed specific legislation in Bermuda would make me a restricted dog. Can you imagine someone wanting to restrict Magnolia Wigglesworth? That's ridiculous. Check it out here.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - In the gymnasium at north Austin's Gullett Elementary School, a young boy sits on the floor with a book in his lap. The child is trying to sharpen his reading skills and he has a helper. Actually, he has two helpers: a woman who is volunteering her time and her dog.

Across the room, Patti Brauss, a 14-year veteran physical education teacher, watches with a grin on her face.

"There are kids who absolutely light up when they see a dog and that builds bridges sometimes if there's a stressful situation in the classroom," said Brauss, "or a skill the child can't do, and by being able to share that with a dog or be motivated by the dog, we can't do that as humans. It's the power of the petting."

On the gym floor another dog rolls over on her back and accepts some of that petting from another student.

"I think she's precious," the child said. "She's precious; she's a precious dog."

Nearby, another girl bends down and kisses a dog on the head.

Nearby, another girl bends down and kisses a dog on the head.

It's not just the kids that are getting into it all. Owner Ashley Arkin brought her dog to the gym.

"It's that emotional connection that just breaks you down and brings you back to your primal self," she said. "I love it; I love helping other people and the best thing I can do is help others with my dog."

The thing is, though, Arkin's dog is not just any dog. He's a pit bull dog! That's right, the breed that many people condemn as vicious and uncontrollable. Type "pit bull attacks" into Google and you'll be deluged with over 2,000,000 hits. Pit bull owner Lydia Zaidman begs to differ.

"They love people; they're extremely tolerant of people." Zaidman said. "Of course, each individual one has to be temperament tested and each one is an individual like any other dog. But in general, they temperament test very high. They really love people; they like to be around people and so they do really well."

Click here for the rest of the article

The View From Here: Irene's Morning Wind Edition

My human predicted that this was going to happen. I woke up this morning and poked my head out the front door, sat down inside the threshold, and looked up at my human. Who is he kidding thinking I'm going outside? He finally coaxed me out the door and off the porch. I just stood there amazed at how the wind would pick up and make my ears go aloft. It's a cute trick. I bet you wish your ears could do that!

I'm currently refusing to do any outdoor business until conditions improve. I can wait. Really.

Anyway, here is the beginning winds of hurricane Irene. I'll periodically direct the human to capture a clip of the weather as long as it is safe to be standing in the front yard. As you can see, the oak trees are likely going to look very threatening as the day goes on.

Calcium Oxalate. Say what?

For those of you who are regular visitors on my Facebook fan page, you know that I've been plagued by ongoing urinary tract problems for the better part of the last month. It's not been pretty. I used to love going to the vet--I walked in fearlessly and enjoyed all the attention. Now I'm digging my paws into the ground when I am outside the front door of the vet's office and once inside, I stand by the door with my nose against the doorjamb hoping that I can somehow escape.

I've had urinalysis done twice, two ultra sounds, x-rays, and blood work. Though it's not definitive, it is looking like I might have calcium oxalate stones in my bladder. These little stones roll around inside irritating the tender lining of my bladder and, well, it's uncomfortable.

The human first noticed all these problems four weeks ago. Almost overnight, I started needing to stop and pee five or more times on an hour walk. This is very unlike me--I usually once going once or twice. The vet first diagnosed it as a UTI. I tried a course of amoxicillin. That didn't do much. I was then put on Rimadyl as I finished the course of antibiotics. Little did I know there were a whole host of side effects with Rimadyl. Let's just say while I wasn't peeing a lot because of the stones, I was going outside a whole lot to do some other stuff. I promptly went off the Rimadyl and we got a second opinion from another vet.

A urinalysis, by the way, did not indicate that there were any bacteria. There also weren't any evidence of stones, either. My pH was a bit off, and there was blood in my urine. Both are problems. An ultra sound suggested that there might be stones in my bladder.

My second doctor (whom I'm very fond of, are you reading this Dr. A?) at Linwood Animal Hospital tried me on a second course of antibiotics. This time I tried Baytril. After a week there wasn't a significant change. The human had me pee into a cup (this must have been fun to watch) and I was back into the vet. Much to my horror I spent the morning at the vet. They shaved my belly and did x-rays and an ultra sound. The x-rays showed the outline of stones and the ultra sound confirmed it. The urinalysis shows no bacteria and traces of calcium oxalate.

This however is unclear: the human consulted Dr. Google and found clear evidence that when urine samples are refrigerated or more than 30 minutes old tend to precipitate calcium oxalate regardless of the presence of stones. The human tells his patients that Dr. Google is no substitute for the advice of an actual living doctor. The human needs to remember his own advice.

Dr. A's best recommendation is to have bladder surgery. They will open up my bladder, clean out all the stones, send them out for analysis, and close me back up. This however doesn't sound very pleasant. The human is investigating plan B.

The human is having a nutritional consult with Dr. Rebecca Remillard at MSPCA Angell. That might turn up a few options. We're also having a consult with Dr. Dan Cirnigliaro who is a local vet with a holistic outlook. That might turn some other stuff up too.

The human tried to see if there were less invasive options available to treat the stones (there certainly a whole host of possibilities in humans!). This was a disappointing adventure. Being wary of rising medical costs, the human was willing to pay for a consult as long as he knew there were other options potentially available. Despite being willing to pay for a telephone consultation to find out specifically if there were other options available for treating bladder stones, both Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tufts Veterinary school and MSPCA Angell both declined to answer the question or put the human in touch with someone who could answer the question. The only way to find out about less invasive options is to schedule an appointment (at a rather significant expense) and travel to both hospitals. Great if there are other options. Not so great if the answer is the only treatment is surgery.

Of course, no one can suggest treatment just from a brief phone call--that makes sense. Every dog is different and every situation is unique. It just seems that a simple question (are there a variety of interventions available) deserves a simple answer.

Our friendly dog coach Maureen Ross provided a couple recent editions of The Whole Dog Journal. There was an excellent article in the May 2010 edition called "Stoned Again: Diagnosing, treating, and preventing calcium oxalate stones in dogs." The article reviewed some of the latest research and in particular, talked about the work done by Leslie Bean in bringing together some of the latest information about calcium oxalate stones in dogs. The article has given some hope that there are specific dietary interventions that can prevent the reoccurrence of the stones (which are pesky, and tend to come back within three years). The article also gave a bit of hope that it's possible for dietary intervention to resolve the problem without surgery.

Much more research is needed. For the time being I'm scheduled for surgery at the end of the month. The human is going to keep asking questions until he hears answers that he likes. If he doesn't hear answers that he likes--well that means something. It means that surgery is the best option.

What People are Saying

Here is a quote about me!

I’m crazy about Maggie! She was a great part of my therapy. I really think she could intuit when I was feeling good and when I needed a little extra love and attention. I think animals, and dogs in particular, are an important part of making us feel happy because they’re affection is unconditional, and they teach us how to feel responsible for ourselves through caring for them. And it’s pretty hard not to smile when Maggie’s romping around burying her imaginary bones and trying to get you to pet her.

New Office

So I've spent most of my weekend thus far being shuttled back and forth to Cambridge as the new office is being prepared. I'm finally getting to relax today as everything was completed yesterday. Here I am, resting in the new space. If you want to see more check out this link.

Doga

Now that I'm a year old it's important that I keep myself healthy. I'm finding that doga (like yoga, but for dogs) is an ideal practice for me. My teacher Maureen, who recently started a website called Daily Doga, captured me in the frog pose.

Family Photo Album

Her are some pictures of my brother Cooper. He recently found me on Facebook. I'm starting to think it would be fun to have a family reunion at some point this summer. I wonder if the nine of us plus mom might be able to coordinate a little something?

Dogs Can Help Children Become Better Readers

A recently released study demonstrates what has already been known anecdotally: children can become better readers when they regularly read aloud to dogs. One study found that children's reading fluency improved by 12 percent while a second demonstrated a 30 percent improvement.

Curious and want to know more? Check out the R.E.A.D. program which is offered through the Intermountain Therapy Animals. Live in New England and interested in bringing a pet partner team to your classroom or library? Check out New England Pet Partners. If you're the patient sort you can wait until I am old enough to take my therapy dog test: than you can schedule some time with me, Magnolia Wigglesworth.

Here are a few clips about dogs used in reading programs. If you have some spare time check the box on the lower right hand side of your screen entitled Therapy Dogs in Action. There are nearly 30 clips there about therapy dogs in all sorts of different situations.

My First Birthday Approaches: Want to Join Me?

By my best estimation, I'll be turning one year old on June 16th. It is hard to believe the journey that I have taken. One of nine puppies, I was born in Kentucky. My mother had heartworm and was unwanted. When we were just one day old her owner dropped all of us off at a shelter. He didn't want to care for any of us: doctors say that my mom showed signs of being neglected for awhile. Because we were so young and our mother was ill, we were destined to be euthanized.

We were lucky. Someone noticed us and took us to their home. We were again noticed and taken to a foster family that works with an organization in New Hampshire. Peace and Paws safely transported me all the way to Bedford New Hampshire where we all stayed together as a family. My mom nursed us all until we were old enough for new homes: she was then nursed back to health and is enjoying a very nice life on a farm.

I was adopted by Jason when I was 12 weeks old. Here I am a few days before I was adopted. Aren't I just cute? Shortly after I came to my new house I started my new job as a therapy dog. It's been a journey for both of us: I've learned all the tools of the trade (sit, stay, down, roll over, leave it, snuggle, relentlessly kiss faces, etc.).

Since those first days coming into the office, I've had a mind of my own. I've made it a point to interact with people on the street that most don't normally pay attention to. Ask anyone that knows me: I demand that Jason stop and love each and every person on the street that appears in need. I've befriended scores of homeless people, said hello to every child that is crying, and kiss every lonely person.

Sure, it's exhausting. It's also what I like to do. As my teacher Maureen has said, something great happened to me when I was a puppy, my life was saved, and I was adopted into a home that cared for me. When I put my paws up on a homeless person's shoulders, sit gently on the lap of someone in a wheelchair, nuzzle against the leg of an intoxicated person, or roll over and let a college student who misses their pet at home I share one consistent message:

"hang in there, something good will happen to you too. In the meantime, I can offer the unconditional playful and peaceful compassion of a dogs love."

What does this all have to do with my first birthday? I'm glad you asked. Jason and I are going to be spending two hours on Wednesday June 17th doing what I like to do: walking around Harvard Square spreading my message of playful and peaceful compassion. I'm going to have two whole hours where I can lead Jason around, say hello to whomever I wish, and love whomever seems to need my love.

I'd like to invite you to join me--not in person--but in your own way in your own communities. If you have a dog that is well behaved, and you know how your dog interacts in novel situations, perhaps you'd like to find a safe time to walk around your community and share some peaceful and playful compassion with those you wouldn't ordinarily notice? If you don't have a dog--or your dog is a little shy--perhaps you and a friend might like to find a safe time to walk around your community and do the same thing? Perhaps you'd like to visit a nursing home or hospital? Read books to children in a public library? Maybe you'd perhaps just like to celebrate my birthday by showing playful and peaceful compassion by helping someone with the door, a heavy package, or something else?

If you'd care to join in--and I hope you do--let me know what your plans are. Send in pictures of what you did (always ask permission first!). I'll post them here on my blog as well as on my Facebook fan page.

Let's help spread the news of my message of playful and peaceful compassion. Let's make a change.

Out Playing

Hey everyone--the spring weather has come and I'm spending my time outside playing. I'm lucky enough to have a house guest for almost two weeks. We are out doing all sorts of fun things like frolicking in the sunshine, hiking, and visiting new places. I'll be back to regular posting next week. In the meantime I might have time to blog some sporadic puppy-thoughts.

Web Site Renovation

Hi everyone. You might have noticed some changes to the blog over the past couple of days. First and foremost, Jason finally decided I was old enough for my own e-mail address. I can now post to my blog under my own name. I feel so grown up!

Also, if you look to your right, there are three new icons. The first, Jason's name with an umbrella, will take you directly his website that talks about his private practice. The second, a self explanatory "follow me on twitter" badge will take you to our shared twitter profile. You can follow Jason and I there to find out when the blogs are updated, find out what we are up to, and get other little morsels of information. The third badge, also self explanatory, takes you to my new Facebook fan page. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to use it. I figured if that crazy cute dog Trixie Koontz has a page, I should have my own too.

You also might notice there is a new and improved slideshow. Over the coming weeks there will be lots of new pictures of me. Jason bought photoshop and tells me he is feeling creative.

Lastly, since Jason is redundant, all the way on the bottom right is a Twitter widget that lists our last several tweets.

Thanks for stopping in today. Make sure you do something positive today to build your relationships--whether they be with animals or humans.

DNA Testing

Well this is unexpected. I had been under the impression that I was part Basset Hound and part Blue Heeler (aka, Australian Cattle Dog). This evening I got an e-mail from Melissa, the woman who runs Peace and Paws. That's the organization that rescued me and my siblings from the shelter and fostered me until my home was found. Cactus Jack, one of my litter mates, got a DNA test. His new owners were curious about his heritage.

I am indeed part Basset Hound. For those of you who are curious, Basset's are short-legged sent hounds that were bred to hunt rabbits by scent. There aren't a lot of rabbits running around where I live. Squirrels work well, as do the Canadian Geese along the river.

Basset's usually top out at one foot in height at the withers. However they are stout muscular dogs weighing between 40 and 70 pounds. They are usually brown and black, most often spotted, but do exist in a variety of colors. They are considered a friendly breed though "forget" training when a reward is not present (those of you who have met me have no doubt figured out I have this quality). Bassets are also a very vocal dog--howling and barking when they want something, or a low murmuring whine to get attention (I especially do this when falling asleep).

Training needs to be persistent, as Bassets listen with their noses more than their ears (strange, since they have such big ears). They can be stubborn, but highly motivated by food and respond well to positive reinforcement methods (e.g., clicker training).

I am also part Blue Heeler, also known as the Australian Cattle Dog. These are medium sized dogs with short coats. The dogs have either brown or black hair distributed evenly through a white coat (which ends up looking red or blue). They are a herding dog originally developed in Australia (thus the name, silly) to drive cattle over long distances of difficult terrain.

Female Blue Heelers are between 17 to 19 inches tall at the withers and weight between 30 and 60 pounds. The mask on Blue Heeler's face is one of the most distinctive features of the dog. The mask is a black patch over one or both eyes. If it's on one eye is a single (or half) mask. If it's over both is a double (or full). Have you seen my pictures? As a puppy I had a double black patch. As I'm growing up that patch is turning brown. Kind of cute, no?

Blue Heelers are known to have a lot of energy, abundant intelligence, and an independent streak. They are not aggressive dogs but form strong attachments with their owner. This can lead to heelers being protective of their owners and their possessions. Heelers require copious exercise, companionship, and a job to do. By nature, they tend to herd people by nipping at their heels. Particularly if those people are young children who run and squeal.

Now here is for the surprise. The genetic testing indicated that I am equal parts Basset Hound, Blue Heeler, and Collie. Collie? What?

So I got my paws onto the computer and read about Smooth Collie's on Wikipedia. There is a lot left for me to learn since I've not done any previous reading about collies.

I'm attaching a picture of a smooth collie that looks just a little bit like me. This is considered a large dog, with females ranging from 22-24 inches tall at the withers. Weight is from 45 pounds in females to 75 pounds in males. The dogs come in four colors. Sable (that was Lassie); tricolor (black with tan and white markings) and blue merle (silvery gray marbled with black and tan markings); or white (mostly white with heads and usually a body spot of sable, tri, or blue color).

These are sociable dogs that are considered easily trained. Collies are considered smart and eager to please their owners. Training usually involves a light touch since they are sensitive to correction and don't respond well to harsh treatment (would you?).

Collies are herding dogs, so like the Blue Heeler, they need a job to do.

It's interesting learning about my genetic background. It helps me understand some of my behaviors and gives clues how to best shape my behavior toward things that I instinctually want to do. It also hints how to best engage me in training.

Have you learned about the heritage of your dog?

Maggie Graduates/Real World Training Is Important

I was a little delayed getting my graduation certificate. The winter holidays really got in the way of my regular attendance in class. Nonetheless, I am indeed now a graduate of my level one puppy class. I celebrated this morning by romping around with six other dogs for nearly 45 minutes. That's what I call a fun time.

I overheard the most interesting conversation. People are actually training their dogs with their Wii. While I'm not sure if the thing about the Wii is true, I do know that an awful lot of people replacing dog classes with television shows (It's Me  Or The Dog, Dog Whisperer, etc.) or DVDs that they purchase.

This isn't really the effective choice for dog training. I hope you think so too. Reading books about dog training and watching programs are important: there is a lot of information to be learned. It's important too, however, to get some real life training. Part of why puppy class is so important is that I get to play with other dogs. In doing so I learn how to be a well socialized pup. I get feedback from other dogs when I play too much or too rough; I learn how to give feedback when I'm doing playing or don't like how the playing is being done. I also learn how to respond in different environments. I can sit fine at home. It's much more difficult to sit and stay when there are other dogs milling about. Likewise, I can come when I am called. It's so much harder to pay attention when I'm called in a room full of frolicking dogs.

Please sign your dog up for a class today!

Home From Vacation

Traveling by car with dogs in the winter can be rough--especially in blinding snow storms! Home safely now and will be working on some new blog posts. Here I am watching the snow during the long drive across I-90.

Anyone out there have any good suggestions for traveling by car with dogs?

All Healed and Ready to Go

Thanks for all your words of support while I was out having my surgery and recovering. It's hard to believe my spay was just ten short days ago. Here I am, back in the office and jumping off the chair to get some love.