Stevens-Coolidge Place

So this evening I got to enjoy a little bit of late summer sunshine at the Stevens-Coolidge Place which is a property of the Trustees of the Reservations. It's near my home in an undisclosed location in the Merrimack River Valley. 

The property is one of my favorites to visit. The carefully manicured gardens are delightful to romp through. When no one is looking I sample a few of the flowers. They never taste as good as they look. The whole point today, actually, was the flowers. At least that is what the human told me. 

It turned out that it was "picking day" so a number of local humans were milling about with scissors picking the flowers. Somehow I was still forbidden to eat the flora. 

Despite the denial of tasty treats, I did manage to have some fun. I'm including some images of the highlights here.

Galloping was my main mode of locomotion

Yes indeed. I spy a bunny.

A rare shot where I actually look at the camera.

Exhausted. Playtime complete.

Our Magnolia of the Flowers

Recently the human took me to The Stevens-Coolidge Place, a property belong to the Trustees of the Reservation, for a spring photo shoot. With the backdrop of land first farmed in 1729, a myriad spring flowers, it was an ideal setting. The unanticipated problem was that I decided that the spring time blossoms were delicious.

As you can see, I'm fast--but not nearly fast enough to escape detection by the camera. I was hungry. I couldn't help it. I'm powerless of delicious flowers.

The human thought he might command more of my attention if he came in for a close up.

I wasn't much in a listening mood. In fact, as you can tell by my expression, I was rather irritated.

Really. Delicious. If the human would let me eat them I'm sure they taste just like spring chicken. I'm sure of it. Of course, all I heard was "leave it" and some kind of grumbling about the flowers being there for everyone to enjoy. Yeah yeah yeah,I know. If every dog ate a flower there wouldn't be any for the humans to enjoy. 

What the human didn't seem to understand was that I was there first, so I should get to sample some of the flowers. He's so mean, that human.

Foiled again by the camera. A therapy dog can't catch a break, can she. Apparently she also can't catch a flower.

Buddy

So this was an unusual find. Earlier this week I was rustling along the brambles next to the Charles River and stopped and pointed out the remains of Buddy (2000-2006). The simple wooded box was firmly affixed to the ground and appeared to be thoughtfully placed in an out-of-the-way place. 

I don't know anything about the story of Buddy--but this creature was obviously cared for, loved, and is missed. It seemed fitting to mark our discovery here.

My long lost brother

Well that was unexpected. On the way into the office this morning I was engaged in my usual shenanigans: I found an enormous branch and was crossing the street in Central Square while holding said stick in my mouth.  The below video is just a simulation of this morning. The actual stick was three times larger (no joking!).

Anyway, as I was crossing the street I noticed two young women eyeing me up. Perhaps they were jealous of my fabulous stick? When I got closer (and the human warned me not to knock them out with said stick) they approached and asked about me. 

"What kind of dog is she? My sister has a dog that looks just like her!"

They humans discussed a little more. Then they discovered the most amazing thing. The young woman's sister was in a horse show in Kentucky two and a half years ago. While there she discovered a large litter of ten puppies who had been abandoned. Somehow she managed to sneak Goose away when he was just a couple of weeks old. The remaining nine puppies and mother were taken to New Hampshire and fostered by Peace and Paws.I was one of those nine puppies. If you want to hear more about my story check out this link.

Goose moved to New Jersey and has been leading a very happy life. He's my brother. Who would have thought that walking down the street in Cambridge I would meet a woman who has a sister who lives in New Jersey that saved my brother Goose.

Secret Santa Saves the Day

For those of you in the know, my human has been bemoaning the fact that Target suddenly stopped carrying his favorite style of Kleenex -- he prefers the kind that come in oval shaped boxes. He had bought them in bulk awhile back and had a closet stuffed with them (what kind of psychologist would run out of Kleenex, right?) .

The supply has slowly dwindled. Things were getting desperate when his cache dropped down to to measly boxes. With the holiday season came a brief reprieve: Target had holiday themed oval boxes.

Joyous times were had by all -- and a sufficient amount of Kleenex was purchased to make it through December. But then what? What would happen if the shelves remained clean of the oval boxes. Would the human have to resort to standard (and boring) Kleenex?

Secret Santa to the rescue! Last week we discovered a bag in the waiting room. Inside of it was a personalized oval tissue box. Who knew the people at Kleenex have a website for making personalized Kleenex. Think of the possibilities!

Family Portrait

The kind woman who fostered me, my siblings, and my mother recently shared this photo on the Facebook page of Peace and Paws. Can you guess which one I am?

My siblings and I

Chicken three ways

I have a confession to make. I love chicken. My favorite preparation these days are dried chicken strips. My human keeps an enormous bag of them in the closet. When a strip comes out I've been known to engage in every trick I know--at one time--to get said chicken strip. They are delightful. If you've not tried them, I highly recommend it!

Recently I've been noticing a plethora of chicken bones strewn about the roads and sidewalks of Cambridge. Have you noticed them? Hardly a week goes by without discovring a chicken bone somewhere on the sidewalk. Being a somewhat dangerous food item, my human has developed an uncanny ability to spot them. Sometimes I spot them before he does. Since he has been pulling them out of my mouth I have developed my own uncanny ability: I hide them in my mouth and chew when he isn't looking. The crunch always gives me away.

I wasn't fully prepared for the next preparation of chicken that I was to discover. The human and I had a long break between patients. Since the gates of Harvard Yard are currently locked I couldn't engage in my favorite activity of squirrel chasing. I know, there are squirrels everywhere. The ones in the yard are more trusting so I can sneak up closer, and usually I get more of an audience which I appreciate. At any rate, we struck out on some of the lesser traveled roads. We were going to head over to the MIT campus and see what their squirrels were like.

We approached the MIT campus from the river and stumbled upon a a small public park. The satellite image shows an aerial view of the scene we happened upon.

What did I find here this past Thursday? Chickens. Live ones. Apparently those in the know have known about these chickens for awhile. We were planning on walking through the small green park when the human spotted several chickens clucking about. What was even more amazing was who was in charge of these chickens. Behind the fence was a beautiful and friendly pit bull. The chicken, working hard to escape my hungry mouth (like the human would ever let me eat one!), jumped over the fence and sat on the pit bull's back and clucked at me.

What a sight!

We captured a few cell phone images for your viewing pleasure.

Therapy Dog Round Up: Dancing Dogs, Cruelty, and a Lawsuit

• Therapy dog troupe in Chicago puts on a production of the Nutcracker.

• George Mason's School of Law brings in a pack of puppy cuteness to help students manage end-of-semester exam stress.
• Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of a SEAL operation in Afghanistan, talks about the brutal slaying of his therapy dog DASY. "She was like a daughter to me."
• In other sad news, Scooby, a doberman pinscher in training to be a therapy dog, was shot and killed in his owner's front yard by a cyclist carrying a gun.
• David Frei, founder of Angel on a Leash, talks about what therapy dogs can do.
• Justice Department files a housing discrimination lawsuit against the University of Nebraska at Kearney, alleging the campus denied a student the chance to keep a therapy dog in her apartment to cope with depression and anxiety.
• Army Cpl. Kacey Schlundt finds a sense of calmness driving seven huskies to their second chance at life. "Schlundt feels that every dog he helps save squares a debt for every life he took while fighting insurgents in Mahmudiyah from 2006 to 2008."

What Happens When you Tickle a Gorilla?

They giggle, of course. Wouldn't you?

If you want to hear more about the story, check out this clip:




Thanks to Steven Motson for spotting this clip!

Dogs help veterans cope with psychological war scars

Dogs help veterans cope with psychological war scars

NORFOLK, Va (Reuters) - As the number of veterans grappling with the psychological scars of war mounts, a miniature Australian Shepherd named Jonas represents a newer breed of treatment for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jonas, a peppy 2-year-old, is a legal service dog, trained to scan owner Ian Lord for signs of stress oranxiety and respond with licks, cuddles and demands for pats.

Lord, a 25-year-old Air Force veteran in Norfolk, Virginia, credits his specialized pet with helping him cope with the mental aftershocks of war.

"He makes it a lot easier to recover from a trigger, like sounds of a helicopter overhead," Lord said. "The difference is, instead of getting wound up about it the rest of the day, it's like OK, go outside and throw a ball around, or just cuddle up to him a bit and kind of snap out of it."

The number of veterans receiving PTSD treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs rose from 254,930 in 2006 to 408,167 in 2010, an increase that could continue when 40,000 more U.S. troops return home from Iraq at year's end.

Psychotherapy and cognitive processing therapy, which includes education and awareness about symptoms, are the department's main treatment methods, said deputy chief consultant for specialty mental health Sonja Batten.

But other experimental treatments also are being used, including yoga, acupuncture, meditation and psychological service dogs like Jonas.

"There is an interest in the PTSD community in exploring a variety of different ways to approach the problem," Batten said.

The department doesn't know how many veterans are using service dogs as part of their treatment, and there is debate over whether the approach is beneficial.

PTSD dogs perform an exercise called "backing," where the dog walks directly behind the veteran and provides a sense of protection from unknown, imagined and frightening things, said Lynette Nilan, the department's strategic planning and measurement director.

"You kind of get into this (debate) of, is it in the patient's best interests to deal with those unfounded fears ...(or to) reinforce those fears by having a dog stand behind you to protect you from something that you really shouldn't have to be protected from," she said.

SERVICE DOGS FOR SERVICE MEMBERS

A new study is underway to determine whether psychological service dogs can help veterans overcome PTSD and, if they prove effective, to develop usage criteria and guidelines. The study will aim to pair at least 200 dogs with veterans in Florida and Colorado, Nilan said.

Carol Borden, executive director of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. in Williston, Florida -- one of the organizations taking part in the study -- said dogs are specifically trained according to an individual's needs.

"We talk to each veteran and find out exactly what their challenges are," she said. "There are multitudes of things we can teach the dogs to do, depending on each individual's circumstances."

Lord, who now works part-time while applying for graduate school, saw four years of active duty as a loadmaster in the Air Force, flying missions carrying troops and cargo into Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding countries.

He said he was diagnosed with PTSD after suffering "almost the stereotypical meltdown" in 2010, when a simulation-style training course stirred suppressed memories of getting shot at in Iraq.

Lord was removed from flight status and later was honorably discharged from the service for unrelated reasons, he said.

Jonas came into his life thanks to his wife Megan, a 23-year-old medical student. She had been training Jonas as a therapy dog for hospital patients, but it wasn't a good match, she said. Hospital dogs weren't allowed to lick, and Jonas did a lot of licking.

The couple noticed Jonas would start cuddling and licking Ian whenever he exhibited PTSD symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and sleeping problems.

That sealed the pooch's fate as a PTSD service dog. His service is prescribed by Lord's psychiatrist, giving Jonas the same legal rights of entry to businesses and public spaces as guide dogs for the blind.

"As soon as people hear he's a PTSD dog, the next thing out of their mouths is, 'Oh, thank you for your service, sir,'" Lord said. "They connect the dots pretty quickly."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Greg McCune)

Cats and Hurricanes

My household feline companions are finding this tropical storm formally known as Hurricane Irene to be the most amusing thing. At various points during the day I've caught them transfixed staring out the window. Here is Iggy standing atop the dryer looking at all the various treats blowing across the skylight.

I bet he wouldn't be so amused if he had to be out in the rain.

Dying Man's Final Wish to be Reunited With Dog

Our friend Ahnung recently shared this link about a homeless man's dying wish. Just one small example of the powerful bond between dogs and humans.

The Hunt

I had a few moments in between patients and raindrops today to indulge myself in my favorite activity: chasing all the squirrels out of Harvard Yard.

Orangutan and Hound Dog: BFFs

Who's That?

School listening face

Yesterday was a school day for me. Getting a good education is a wise idea for anyone--children, adults, therapy dogs, and household dogs of all kinds. It keeps the mind engaged, shows us new possibilities, and is in general fun! Here I am demonstrating my listening face. One of the first things I learned as a puppy was "watch me." I hear that and I make eye contact with my human. It's the basis for everything we do. If I'm barking and out of control, a quick "watch me" will often break my attention and redirect me. Similarly, if i'm in a dangerous situation a quick "watch me" can reorient me so I can hear other commands (like come, down, leave it, and other similar things).

Jake demonstrating patience

School of course is also a time to get some good exercise while we are practicing our skills. This here is my friend Jake. Here you see him practicing waiting. he had already gone over two jumps. He was asked to stop here and wait until he got the go ahead to do two more jumps. At the end he got to push an exercise ball, ring a bell, and he got a tasty little reward. Pretty fun, eh? Jake is an advanced student. He was able to do this task in two steps. His human had him do a sit/stay in front of the first jump. She walked out to this jump. She called "jump" and he did just that. When he got to the step she called out "wait" and he did just that. She walked out to the ball and called him again. Being a younger student, I worked on a different level. Sometimes when my human says jump I will bypass the jumps and just run to him. I'm learning what the words for all the different equipment mean. The goal over time is for the human to say "jump" from any place in the room and I go to the jumps and do them. That'll take a while.

Dog Walk!

Here I am doing the dog walk. It's one of my favorites, mostly because in the middle of the dog walk there are a couple of wubba kong's tied to a bar. I like to try to grab them on my way past. I'm getting pretty good at this part of the circuit. I run up and over the A Frame, through the tunnel, across the dog walk, and then onto the table where I do a down/stay. The human has to be extra careful because he has a habit of banging his knees on the dog walk--we both do this circuit while running.

My friend Sunny

We had a little break in our educational activities at school yesterday. I used this interruption in my schedule to investigate an interactive toy that we have in the classroom. See what a good job it does keeping my attention? The food the human put inside it helps of course. Occasionally using toys like this are a great way to engage your dogs curiosity--especially on rainy days when no one seems to want to go out.

ASPCA 2011 "I Saved My Pet!" Photo Contest

I've entered myself in the 2001 ASPCA "I Saved My Pet!" photo contest. Interested in entering? Check out their website for information. Here is my entry --

"I was abandoned when i was one day old. Rescued by Peace and paws, adopted into a new home, and trained to become a therapy dog, I've been accompanying my human (a psychologist) to work. I'm by his side every day sharing my message of playful and peaceful compassion."

Last Day Before Spring Break

Class started off normally enough today. The human and I always get there a little bit early since we all gather in the fenced in back yard and get in some off-leash play. All of us know each other, and the humans make sure we are safe by regularly practicing recalls. When the energy gets too ramped up, for example, all of us dogs are called back to the humans and we spend a little time settling down and grounding ourselves. We do this over and over again. It's great practice.

After the outdoor playtime, we get back on leash and go inside the training building. Our teacher Maureen Ross always has a few words of wisdom for us. We check in with each other on how the previous week has gone. We talk about what we'd like to work on in the class.

Those first few moments are always a nice time to connect and bond with our humans. Here is a candid moment shared between Jake and his human Kathy. They are awfully happy together, don't you think?

Some of my classmates have a more laid back attitude. Gracie, who was helping me herd around a Newfoundland named Journey, decided to recline a bit and grab a quick nap. I've seen her lay like this for hours--unless of course she's invited herself into someone's lap. She also has developed this incredibly cute behavior. She'll roll over on her back and lay perfectly still--perfectly still until someone walks close to her. She'll then use her paws to gently beckon the unsuspecting human toward her.

Class often presents me with an opportunity to practice tolerating change. That happens sometimes, doesn't it? You think you know what's going to happen. You think you can depend on a routine. Then everything changes and you need to adapt. If you can't adapt--well--you bark a lot and then adapt anyway.

You see, today Maureen had an idea. This is Maureen's idea face. Look closely. Learn this face. When you see it, there are frequently costumes involved. This is also a high probability of laughter and general silliness.

Being an adolescent, I provide the teacher with a lot of attitude when she asks me to do something that I find ridiculous. Sit? Stay? Really? Who wants to listen at school. This is my response to her idea face.









Mind you, Maureen doesn't do it alone. Please memorize the following faces. If you see any of them coming into your dog class turn the lights off, lock the door, and pretend like you aren't there. It's for your own safety. You could also find them all at New England Pet Partners -- just in case you'd like to invite them to your facility to provide a little animal assisted therapy (and humor, too).

"Pam" -- Wanted for dog drooling incident

"Liz" -- Wanted for questioning related to a howling noise disturbance

"Kathy" -- Wanted in two states for excessive treat giving

"Diane" -- Wanted for contributing to the delinquency of a dog (Gracie last scene in the back of a police cruiser)

"Noreen" -- Wanted for questioning in a herding incident

Okay -- we have that out of the way. So what did we do today? I thought we were going to do a conga line. The humans did after all have costumes on. It looks a little like a line dance, doesn't it? Here is what we did: one at a time we practiced sit/stay (or down/stay) and then one human walked away. The human then asked us to do something at a distance (for example, down -- or come interrupted by a "wait!" or "stop!"). That way we each got to practice several new behaviors in new combinations (an interrupted recall, being told commands at a distance, etc.). We also each got to work on our patience because we had to wait until it was our turn. As you can see from this picture, my classmates were all doing a great job of paying attention--that is except for me and Gracie. I was bored out of my gourd and Gracie--well--who knows what she is thinking.

Last thoughts? Dog training is important, fun, and a life long process. It's important (and easy) to learn the basics like sit and down. It's more complicated to learn those skills in different contexts. Dog school is one fun way to learn how to behave in a variety of situations. It provides constant novel stimuli, companionship, and fun. Try it out. You and your human will be happy.

A Day in the Life of a Therapy Dog

8:30am: Ready for more coffee

9:30am: Ready for my morning walk

9:35am: In the garage by the scary door that slammed on my foot once.

9:36am: Hurry up and open the door.

9:40am Surveying for something good to eat

9:41am: I'm told these aren't food.

9:45am:  spy with my little eye...

9:46am: ...a mid-morning snack?

9:55am: Magnolia Wigglesworth reporting for duty.

10:00am Time for a nap.

12:00pm Anyone want to play?

1:00pm: Time for another nap.

2:00pm: Demonstrating unconditional positive regard.

3:10pm: Something smells good.

3:11pm: Yes, that's it. I see it.

3:12pm: Squirrel!

3:30pm: Pausing to inspect Harvard Yard.

3:33pm: Squirrel!

4:00pm: Magnolia Wigglesworth reporting for duty.

5:15pm: An unexpected walk along the Charles.

5:20pm Play things!

6:00pm: Back to work.

9:00pm: Too tired to walk down the steps. Carry me please.

9:30: Ready to be transported home to an undisclosed location.