Apartment's too small? Boyfriend's allergic? Perhaps just not down with
de-pooping the backyard? Whatever the reason, if you or someone you
know is simply not ready to become a full-time dog parent, peruse the
following list of alternatives for people looking to cram some dog-time
into an otherwise (sniff) dogless existence.
Apartment's too small? Boyfriend's allergic? Perhaps just not down with
de-pooping the backyard? Whatever the reason, if you or someone you
know is simply not ready to become a full-time dog parent, peruse the
following list of alternatives for people looking to cram some dog-time
into an otherwise (sniff) dogless existence.
1. Dog-sit. Got a friend-with-dog? Make his/her day with a homemade
coupon book that offers ten free dog-sits. Later, if you wish to expand
your client roster and turn this into a paying gig, consider
registering with Pet Sitters International, a great resource for
would-be petsitters and those seeking sitting alike. petsit.com
2. Get a gard(en) dog. Perfect for green thumbs, grandparents, and
backyard and/or Chia Pet enthusiasts, Green Piece Wire Art makes
life-sized, moss-filled wire frames in the shape of your favourite dog
breed, from Corgis to Collies. greenpiecewireart.com
3. Volunteer at your local shelter.
4. Pick up a cuddle buddy from Perfect Petzzz. In lieu of the real
thing, Perfect Petzzz will send you a soft, sleeping, plush pup that
"breathes" like a real dog and comes equipped with a bed, brush,
carrier, tag, and adoption certificate. Basically a four-legged Cabbage
Patch Doll, come to think of it. perfectpetzzz.com
5. Become a foster parent. There are countless dogs out there looking for a warm place to temporarily call home. fosterdogs.com
6. Get woken up by slobbery kisses every time you fall asleep on your
keyboard with the help of My Monitor Pets' "licking" screen savers. For
as little as $4.99, you can choose from Cooper, Punky, or Dudley,
amongst other kissing canines. You can even order them up as animated
screensavers for your cell. mymonitorpets.com
7. Buy a Nintendog. From the genius crew who brought you Mario and
Luigi, comes the ultimate real-pet substitute: a digital dog that you
can teach tricks, feed, bathe, neglect (if you're not careful),
socialize, and LOVE. Great for parents looking to give their kids a
petcare preview. nintendogs.com
8. Start asking random strangers if they'd like a belly scratch and watch your popularity skyrocket. Or not.
In the late 1980s, NBC's Saturday Night Live introduced viewers to
Toonces. The prototypical family cat, Toonces was your everyday
domestic feline with one notable exception: Toonces the family cat
could drive the family car.
In the late 1980s, NBC's Saturday Night Live introduced viewers to
Toonces. The prototypical family cat, Toonces was your everyday
domestic feline with one notable exception: Toonces the family cat
could drive the family car.
While every skit invariably saw his sojourn conclude Thelma-and- Louise
style over a cliff, it was always fun while it lasted. After all, a
driving cat? That's almost as ludicrous as a bowling squirrel, a
knitting raccoon, or a Commodore 64-savvy dog. Each one, in 1989,
worthy of a hearty: "As if." But it's not 1989 anymore.
Times have changed. And with them, societal norms have undergone some
jaw-dropping shifts. The big perm has given way to the straightening
iron. ("Impossible! Teased bangs are hot!" says my 1989- self.) Instant
coffee has been pushed aside by the $5 latte. ("Nonsense! I can get 42
styrofoam cups from one jar!" she says again.) And New York's Toonces,
the fictional driving cat has been replaced by Toronto's Annabelle, the
real-life e-networking Cockapoo. ("I just don't get it. Now hand me a
Tab.")
Last June, with a little help from personal assistants Alexandre and
Geoffrey Roche, Annabelle launched Dogbook, an application of the
so-addictive-thereshould- be-rehab cyber-vortex of Facebook.
While the Facebook mothership links human friends with friends, and
friends of friends, and friends of friends of Kevin Bacon, the canine
offshoot links dogs with friends' dogs, and friends of friends' dogs.
And friends of friends of Kevin Bacon's dog. ("Six Degrees of Kevin
Bacon's Dog" is an oft-played drinking game at doggie daycares today.)
Whether or not the idea of your dog accumulating friends online makes
you scoff, what can't be disputed is that likes appear to be attracting
likes. Yorkie owners unsure of how to treat an aging dog's poor dental
health can befriend other Yorkie owners and engage in some beneficial Q
and A, for example. With what is arguably Dogbook's most
forward-thinking feature, desperately floundering owners now have the
opportunity to post information pertaining to a missing dog‹giving
Dogbook the potential to become the canine-kid equivalent to the milk
carton.
Just how many members would even see such a posting? The numbers may
surprise. While Annabelle might have been the first dog with her furry
face on Dogbook, 10 months later, she's certainly not the only one
engaging in virtual bum-sniffing at the Web dogpark.
Dogbook today boasts nearly a million members from doghouses dotting
the globe; from countries as expected as Canada to countries as
who-knew? as Iraq. Proving yet again, that the human/dog relationship
continues to gain international momentum.
While some might claim that all the hype is nothing more than a passing
fad brought on by a frenzy of stick-bug celebutantes toting purebred
runts the size of chandelier earrings, Geoffrey Roche disagrees.
According to this prolific adman with a knack for having his finger on
the pulse of what's-what, "Even in the last five years, we've seen a
shift. We've got empty nesters with disposable income, and we've got
younger couples waiting longer to have children. In both instances, the
dog becomes a sort of child to the owner. Dogs have become full-fledged
family members."
There's no doubt such is the case in the Roche household. Where, we're
guessing, Annabelle got her paws on some old SNL re-runs. Realizing
that if Toonces could drive a stick, surely he could enter a URL,
Annabelle and the Roches have now initiated Catbook, which, let's face
it, is an entirely selfless thing for a dog to do. With Catbook now
pushing the half-million member mark, Annabelle obviously knew it was
time we let cats play with the mouse.
1. Make the switch once and for all to biodegradable dog poo bags. What are you waiting for? scoopies.com
2. Order ecologically sound dog beds and organic, pesticide free dog food from olivegreendog.com or greedogpetsupply.com, sites specializing in environmentally friendly pet supplies.
1. Make the switch once and for all to biodegradable dog poo bags. What are you waiting for? scoopies.com
2. Order ecologically sound dog beds and organic, pesticide free dog food from olivegreendog.com or greedogpetsupply.com, sites specializing in environmentally friendly pet supplies.
3. Go natural — make your own natural flea spray and deodorizer. Goodbye chemicals!
4. Eat locally. Search out a dog cookie company making and baking locally.
5. Banish the plastic bag. Buy a reusable canvas shopping bag for trips to the grocer and the pet food store.
6. Consider durability when purchasing dog toys. Better to buy one high-priced, puncture-proof toy than dozens of a cheaper variety that won¹t last past a few good play sessions.
7. Put away the plastic wrap and tin foil and instead cover that half-empty can of dog food with a reusable, snap-on plastic lid. torudog.com.
Brio is currently one of Canada's top dogs in agility, a wildly popular
canine sport that requires dogs to run a course of jumps, ramps,
tunnels, and other special obstacles like the weave poles and the
teetertotter. The United States Dog Agility Association, just one of
several bodies that organize agility events, represents more than 100
affiliated groups and reports more than 20,000 registered competitors
throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bermuda,
and places as far-flung as Spain and Japan. Agility competitors are
timed and those with the least "faults" such as knockdowns or other
errors, combined with the fastest time win "legs" toward agility titles
as well as placement ribbons in their class.
"READY!" Brio, a quivering snow ball of energy, balances on hind legs, front paws pushing up and down, praying, begging to be released. His eyes are fixed on owner Sherrie Shorman. "Set!" The Bichon flips around. "Go! Jump!"
At last! Brio flies over the first hurdle with Shorman running to his left. "Tunnel!" He turns a sharp left, disappearing inside what looks like a giant vacuum hose laid on the ground. Shorman meets him at the opposite end with praise‹ "Yes!"‹and points to the next obstacle: "Dance!" Without missing a beat, the Bichon kicks up ruddy earth as he races to a set of poles planted upright in the ground in a line. Side by side, dog and owner take on the challenge. Brio weaves rapidly in and out through the poles while Shorman does a highstepping, tip-toed tap dance alongside, rolling her tongue in a long-winded RRRRRRRRR that urges Brio through the weaves and across the finish line. "Good boy!" Shorman rewards Brio with treats and tosses his favourite ball.
Brio is currently one of Canada's top dogs in agility, a wildly popular canine sport that requires dogs to run a course of jumps, ramps, tunnels, and other special obstacles like the weave poles and the teetertotter. The United States Dog Agility Association, just one of several bodies that organize agility events, represents more than 100 affiliated groups and reports more than 20,000 registered competitors throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bermuda, and places as far-flung as Spain and Japan. Agility competitors are timed and those with the least "faults" such as knockdowns or other errors, combined with the fastest time win "legs" toward agility titles as well as placement ribbons in their class.
Handlers run with the dogs on the course to guide and encourage them, but they may not touch the dogs or the obstacles during a competitive run. The sport demands physical agility, speed, and skill, but, most of all, teamwork. To succeed, a dog must be fast and keen, but must also accept direction from his human partner. Dogs must work without collars (a rule based on safety considerations), leading to many jokes about "naked" dogs, but this perfectly symbolizes the need for partnership: a collarless dog is a dog well beyond the power of a handler to physically intimidate. If your dog can't run naked and work with voice direction alone, you aren't ready for agility competition. At Highrun Dog Sport Facility in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, owner/ trainer Bev Mattson brings communication between dogs and their owners to a new level. Starting with the Nanaimo Kennel Club on Vancouver Island in 1997, Mattson soon knew she'd found her niche in agility. She attended seminars and training sessions and ultimately began trialing (competing). In a covered barn with no side walls, she trained others. After a move to the mainland, she sensed there was a need for more competition and training opportunities in the area. Although she first conducted classes outside and in horse arenas, she knew she wanted a purpose-built facility to house the training sessions. "I needed a roof over my head and a facility just for dogs so I wouldn't have to clean up horse manure anymore," she explains. She built it and teams of dogs and their owners came to run. "We've forgotten to run with our dogs," she says. "Run! That's what agility is."
On this particular evening, Mattson is working with master-level teams of dogs and owners. Tracey Mallinson, 40, horticulturalist/ dance teacher, brings Acer, a Poodle sporting decorated French-braided hair. Acer skims through the tire hoop. Speed is his middle name as he dives after his toy squirrel thrown at the finish line. Laurie Huston, 31, professional painter, and Fletcher, her Lab cross, move to the starting line. Fletcher circles Huston then waits under her legs. "This way I can line him up with where he's going to go," Huston explains. Marian McCormack, 43, food industry, gives commands from 5 metres away to Jessie, her Border Collie/ Blue Heeler cross.
For beginners, a six-week session costs $70. The requirements are minimal: dogand people-friendly, current vaccinations, and basic obedience skills. Beginning level is started on-leash. Eventually dogs run off-leash. Highrun houses a dog playground equipped with teeter-totters, tunnels, hurdles, dog-walk planks, pause table, weave poles, A-frame, and tire hoops. Here dogs climb, jump, stretch, and crawl over, under, around and through obstacles with their handlers guiding them in a race against time.
At the beginner level, Mattson combines obedience with foundation agility. Obstacles like planks and jumps are at ground level, tunnels are short and straight, and the A-frame is flattened out. Sessions include valuable and fun exercises such as turning your dog into, away from, and around your body.
"In my experience 90 percent of the dogs take to it right away," Mattson says. She shares a story about the first class Flora, her Bernese Mountain Dog, attended. "The A-frame was the first obstacle. Flora climbed over and back, then over and back again. And again. Ears flying. Huge smile on her face. Woohoo-Woohoo! She just kept doing it. Seven times. I had no control. I was so embarrassed. My trainer told me to leave her as she wasn't being unsafe. Flora was having so much fun she couldn't contain herself. I learned a valuable thing: never come down on your dog. It's about fun."
The team of Mattson and Flora went on to win a first place at the very first Canadian National Agility Competition in 2001.
Embarrassing first-class moments can chase even the most courageous of the pack straight to their den to lick emotional wounds, but they usually return. "You get addicted." Shorman says. "When I'm three blocks away, my dogs start crying, excited to be going. Brio wags his tail, shakes, and barks. Agility is great exercise. My relationship with Brio is so close because of agility. It creates a tight bond, more communication, more love." Mattson echoes this sentiment with the story of Atsak, an American Eskimo Dog who had lost his sight. "Agility gave him confidence, got him through his later years. He'd go into our barn, do the old teeter over and over then the tunnels back and forth [even though] he was totally blind." As Mattson succinctly puts it, "Fun and the relationship between you and [your dog] are most important. It's about little things, the look on her face when she comes off the teeter, the silly things the two of you do on the course. It's about having fun with your dog. That's what's important."
Dear Dog lady,
Is it ever okay to feed a dog cat food? I am a pet sitter and I have a client who has an Italian Greyhound who lives with two cats. He feeds them all the same food, Purina One cat food!
I'm guessing it's probably not nutritionally sound for the dog but I don't want to approach my client about it unless I have sound facts. I'd love to hear your input on this subject. This little dog's health may depend on it! -Karen, Williamsport, PA
Karen, no, no, no. This lazy client wants two for the price of Purina One. He could be harming his Italian Greyhound. Tell him to cease and desist. Cat kibble is denser than dog food because it has more protein and calories. Cats are carnivores. They eat meat exclusively. Dogs are omnivores. They need a varied diet, with some grains and vegetables. The food metabolizes differently in each species' system. Dogs gain a lot of weight if they eat cat food all the time. It might not hurt for a couple of meals (although it may cause diarrhea), but a steady diet of cat chow is killing. Please encourage your client to pay the extra money and buy dog food. Thanks for bringing this canine culinary crime to Dog Lady's attention.
Dear Dog Lady,
There's a soap opera at my dog park. It all started when a newly divorced woman with her big shaggy dog began hanging out with a married man and his Vizsla. His wife goes to work early so he's the one who walks the dog. My Lulu, a mutt mix, loves playing with their dogs. But the newly divorced woman and married man have started being exclusionary. They don't hang with everybody anymore and go off together with their dogs. They can be seen walking around the space where our group meets. They talk only to each other. They throw each other looks. One morning, Lulu and I tried to walk with them and, by the awkward silence, I understood I wasn't welcome. Their dogs and Lulu still jump around as usual. Lulu streaks after the two dogs whenever she sees them. I always have to chase her and bring her back to the group because the woman and man want to be left alone, I think.
Help. What should say I to these two? I want my dog to play with their dogs without worrying I'm interrupting something. Everybody in the dog group gossips about this and we all wonder what's up.
-Maura, New York, NY
Maura, any communication with this dog park duo must be casual, friendly, and within the confines of the usual chirpy canine-lingua. How about, ‚ "Hey guys, mind if my dog runs with your pack? They can't possibly object and, if they treat you like a third wheel, it's their problem, not yours.
Dog Lady understands why tongues wag. This couple isn't being very sociably smart at a sanctuary of fun and frolic for dogs. And, remember, where there are smoky glances, there's usually fire. They are the ones to worry about all this and what it means for them. Their dogs don't care. The animals merely enjoy the innocent frolic. And you are just a bowser-besotted observer of human misbehaviour. Eventually, the truth will be revealed.
Dear Dog Lady,
I've got a problem with a neighbour who seems to think that I'm not doing my duty picking up after my pup. On more than a few occasions, I've noticed this woman standing at her front door as my dog, Blue, and I have approached her house. I thought maybe it was just coincidence, but yesterday as Blue and I were standing across the street from her house, I heard a male voice call out accusingly, "I hope you have something to pick up after your dog." I turned and saw a younger guy (probably her son) poking his head out the front door. I indignantly replied, "Of course!" He replied ‚ "Good." I was more than a little offended and had to resist the urge to stop by the house at the end of our walk to show them the evidence I carried.
Blue does tend to sniff around a lot near this woman's house because she lives at the end of a dead end street where lots of garbage, leaves and dead critters build up against the fence, presenting all sorts of intoxicating aromas. Should I try to set the record straight or am I better off just ignoring this woman? My concern is that she's going to tell her tales to other neighbours and Blue and I are going to get a bad reputation.
-Spike, Denver, CO
Spike, don't ignore her. Pretend you're a mutt missionary and you must convert her. The next time you spy this woman, remark on the lovely spring weather and say something chatty to the effect: "Blue and I wish everybody did their part to clean up." Maybe she needs to vent, which your entree will allow her. Everybody does not like dogs and some dog people can be so reckless by leaving stuff behind for others to step in. You should be a shining example of good breeding, a doggie diplomat beyond reproach. Be nice to her so she will have no choice but return the favour.
Dear Dog Lady,
I have an issue with an older woman. Actually everyone in the neighbourhood with a dog has had the same issue with her. She has a beautiful yard with hedges all around the outside. The problem is that she thinks the sidewalk and the grass on the far side of the sidewalk are also her property. One day, as we were walking past her house, my dog sniffed in the gutter. Suddenly, I heard banging on the window and turned to see the woman shooing me away. I just looked at her and mouthed, "What?" I decided I'm going to tell her I understand she wants a nice yard, and I actually appreciate that. But shooing people off the public sidewalk is inappropriate. While she is responsible for maintaining the sidewalk, it isn't actually her property. I want to tell her she really ought to be nicer to the people who walk dogs in the neighbourhood since none of us reported her for not shoveling her sidewalk this winter forcing kids on their way to school to walk in the street. What do you think of this?
-David, Boston, MA
David, sigh. Dog Lady wonders if there are too many cranky folks out there with nothing better to do than stare out the window and yell at people for imaginary transgressions. Give this woman a break. She's property proud and maybe she's lonely. It won't kill you or your dog to skirt her sidewalk. And if she yells because your dog sniffs in her gutter, smile and move on. Life is too short to plot the comeuppance of nit-picky neighbours.
Dear Dog Lady,
I've been with my current boyfriend for six years, and we've lived together for two. At my parents' house, I have a wonderful black Lab named Buddy. I know Buddy is happier at home with the other dogs than he ever would be in the city with me, but I would like to get another dog.
My concern is how to convince my boyfriend this is a good idea. I was born and raised a dog lover, but he was not. He thinks our apartment is too small and we don't have enough time. But Dog Lady, I don't want a Mastiff, just a small to mid-size dog. And Dog Lady, I've taken care of dogs my whole life; I would never dare to neglect a walk, a belly rub, or a chew toy. How can I convince him this is a good idea for both of us?
-Maria, Toronto, ON
Maria, there are deceptive ways to persuade your squeeze, a non-dog person, to allow you to get a pet but Dog Lady declines to spell them out. Your boyfriend has the freedom to say "no," you have the freedom to say "yes." You must do what is right for you, an unmarried woman.
If you truly cannot live without canine companionship, inform him of your decision, and hope he comes around once the dog is ensconced. You must be prepared to do all the work and have faith the relationship will endure‚ or not.
Trying to convince your boyfriend to suffer a dog in a tiny space will never be productive. He might always feel beleaguered by the inconvenience. For now, with this guy, in this matchbox apartment, you have to reckon with reality: the time may not be right to add a dog. If you continue to ache for canine joys, volunteer at your local animal shelter. And bring your boyfriend. The experience might be a heart-warmer for both of you.
Dear Dog Lady,
One morning, after my West Highland Terrier completed his bathroom duties, I rewarded him with a dog treat and praised him. I sat down to my breakfast and proceeded to eat my usual toast and coffee. My Westie appeared and begged for some toast with butter. I told him "no" because he had already gotten a dog treat. He then left, came back, and tossed the dog treat at my feet, letting me know he did not eat it and preferred toast instead. These little guys learn our human ways so quickly. I was most amused and rewarded him with a couple of pieces of toast.
-Gizella, Cleveland, OH
Gizella, your darling Westie turned you to toast by showing off his breathtaking terrier cuteness and cunning. Dog Lady will not rebuke you for indulging him. When our dogs perform brilliant stunts like this, they earn our laughter and eternal respect. In the future, simply cut back on the jam and butter.
Visit askdoglady.com to ask a question or make a comment.
An interview with spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle.
Carousel Short Description:
Connie Wilson
Photographs by Fred Fraser
It was seven years ago that I first encountered the teachings
of Eckhart Tolle. I was at a crossroads in my life,
unemployed and searching for the next path I should take.
I decided to enroll in an entrepreneurial course and it was
there, sitting in that classroom, that I first heard a passage from The Power of Now. I'll never forget the words, as I knew without
a doubt that something very significant had happened to me. I
went out and bought The Power of Now, followed by several of
Tolle's other books. I keep them close at hand and frequently
refer to them. I never put one down without having gained deeper
insight into myself, my relationships, and the world around
me.
Modern Dog Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Connie Wilson recently
sat down with Eckhart Tolle, number one New York Times bestselling
author of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual
Enlightenment. Widely recognized as one of the most influential
spiritual books of our time, The Power of Now has been translated
into over 30 languages and has helped countless people
around the globe awaken to the spiritual dimension in their
lives, find inner peace, increased joy, and more harmonious
relationships.
It was seven years ago that I first encountered the teachings
of Eckhart Tolle. I was at a crossroads in my life,
unemployed and searching for the next path I should take.
I decided to enroll in an entrepreneurial course and it was
there, sitting in that classroom, that I first heard a passage from
The Power of Now. I'll never forget the words, as I knew without
a doubt that something very significant had happened to me. I
went out and bought The Power of Now, followed by several of
Tolle's other books. I keep them close at hand and frequently
refer to them. I never put one down without having gained deeper
insight into myself, my relationships, and the world around
me.
When I recently learned that, like me, Tolle has a dog that
figures prominently in his life, I felt compelled to contact him
to see if he would grant me an interview for Modern Dog. It's
through this dog connection that I got the opportunity to meet this
remarkable human being and his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel,
Maya, in their peaceful home on the edge of Pacific Spirit Park in
Vancouver, British Columbia. I hope you find as much inspiration
in his thoughts and teachings as I have.
CW: Just looking at Maya right now...she's sitting and playing
with her toy. I guess that's a perfect example of being "in
the Now"-in the present moment. Can you give us any other
examples that are dog-related?
ET: To simply watch a dog without any kind of mental commentary,
just tune in...there's a link. Something else that's very
important for many people is they realize, consciously or unconsciously,
that their dog is not judging them. For some people, it's
the only relationship that they have where there's no fear and
where they realize they are being accepted and not judged. For
many people it's the only relationship they have with another
being. That's a pity, because really they should have deep relationships
with humans also, but that's difficult because every
human being has a mind and every human being judges and so
people become afraid, they withdraw, they put up barriers.
I believe that dogs are keeping millions of people sane who
would otherwise become deeply neurotic in our alienated world.
So, the dog keeps you in touch with being-beyond mind-Being,
the innermost core.
You can look into the eyes of the dog and see that innermost
core. There are teachings that say every being is a spark of the
divine of God. You can see it sometimes more clearly [in dogs]
than in a human being because the human being has the veil of
mind, negative emotions, and ego, and plays a role.
I believe that dogs fill a vital function in the collective consciousness
of humanity. I would call them "the Guardians of
Being." They show us what we have lost and, once we realize
that, they can help us in our shift into a deeper state of consciousness.
Of course, we don't want to be confined to only deep relationships
with dogs, but they can teach us how to relate deeply to
another being and then we can learn to relate deeply to humans
also. That has to be the next step.
CW: I think that's very well said. In your book, you say we
operate in a "fear-based society" and I think that has a lot to do
with whether or not you want to show somebody how you honestly
feel about them-you really love them but maybe they're not
going to give you that love back, so you're afraid to demonstrate
love and you close yourself off.
ET: Yes, it's wonderful to see, when I walk with Maya, people
come and immediately their hearts open...they may not even look
at me, they look at Maya; they pat her. They wouldn't dare do
that to me though it would be quite nice. (laughs)
CW: You've had Maya for three years. How has she affected
your life and your teachings?
ET: Before Maya came, I didn't go out in the forest here, which
is right next to the building. Now I go for a walk in the forest
every day, and I know it's good for my body, it's good for the
soul.
CW: That's quite a gift in itself. Is Maya your first dog ever?
ET: Yes.
CW: To what do you attribute the increasing popularity of
dogs?
ET: It's the alienation of modern society and the human need to
relate deeply to another being, which they are unable to do with
humans. I hope this is changing, but in the meantime, dogs offer
the opportunity to relate to and to have an open heart towards
another being. To be able to show love to another being which
is always [reciprocated]. That's why I think dogs have a function
that is absolutely vital, to keep humanity sane in this transitional
period between two states of consciousness.
"For some people, it's the only
relationship where there's no fear
and where they realize they are being
accepted and not judged."
moderndogmagazine.com 103
CW: You could speak firsthand of the
thousands and thousands of people in
whose lives you've made a difference. It
must feel absolutely incredible.
ET: Yes, it's wonderful.
CW: Did you have an idea that you
would have this opportunity to do this
and become so well recognized as a
result?
ET: No. When I was writing The Power
of Now, I realized that [the book was]
important [but] I thought it would reach
only relatively few people. It would
transform people, but I didn't realize that
so many people would be open to it. I
thought only people that were deeply spiritual
might recognize the truths. It helped
those people but, for many people, The
Power of Now was the first spiritual book
they had read and it was deeply meaningful
and transformed them. That was a
surprise and it surprised us how quickly it
grew because it was published on a very
small scale at first in 1998; 3,000 copies
were printed and that first year it just sold
through word of mouth. Then it grew and
grew and magazines wrote about it and
ultimately it reached Oprah.
CW: You start The Power of Now with
a caption, "You are here to enable the
divine purpose of the Universe to unfold.
That is how important you are." Do you
think that dogs are here for that purpose
as well or are they here to act as muses to
help assist us on that journey?
ET: Right now, part of the dog's divine
purpose is to assist humans. That's why
they have chosen to be with humans.
They have been with humans for thousands
of years and now there is a link
between dogs and humans, much closer
than it has ever been. So part of their
divine purpose is to help us. But it always
goes both ways. Because by living with
humans, dogs also grow in consciousness...
it is reciprocal. They are helping
us; we are also helping the collective,
one could say, the "dog consciousness."
The two species are part of the evolution
of consciousness itself. They are different
expressions of the evolution of consciousness,
which is the purpose of the
universe.
CW: As you've become more recognized
and, well, famous, there are lots of
demands on your time. Do you find it's
hard to adhere to your principles, such as
Being in the Now?
ET: If I were not careful and alert it
would be quite easy for things to take
over my life and I would get lost in innumerable
things I have to do-respond
to people, answer thousands of emails.
But I don't. There are many things that I
don't do. I even have to say no to many
interview requests. Occasionally, I have
an inner voice saying "yes." When your
request came, for some reason it came
from within and I said "yes." I always
trust this inner response. I don't have
an outer thing that says "Oh, I must
do this or I should do that." There are
many things that I simply don't do. And
a few things, when the answer comes
from within, when the positive response
comes, then I do it.
Lessons to be Learned From Your Dog
Eckhart Tolle on Being in the Now
There are various portals that you can
use to enter the Now. One portal is to
become aware of the energy field of
your body as you sit there. To feel that
you are actually alive in your hands and
your arms and your legs, throughout
your body. There is an aliveness that
most people cannot feel because they
are only in their heads, thinking. All their
attention is absorbed by thinking and
they are not present where they are. So
you can use this portal, the aliveness
of your inner body. You can use sense
perceptions...watch nature-trees or
animals or your dog. Just be alert as you
watch a dog, playing, resting; play with
a dog...you can learn being present from
an animal. Your dog can teach you to
be present because the dog is ready to
enjoy, celebrate life any moment...the
Now. The dog is in the Now so it can
teach you or remind you. When you
become burdened with problems, look
at your dog and see how the dog is
always ready to celebrate life.
Another opening is to ask yourself
whether you are friendly with the present
moment or whether you are making
the present moment into an obstacle or
enemy. If you are against it or want to
run away from it, you create stress, you
create anxiety, you create past guilt or
resentment...all these things that people
carry around, they are in the past, and
then you have the burden of the future
which you can't control, so to come
to the present moment is actually a
transformation of consciousness. That's
why The Power of Now has had such an
impact because it has told people that
they didn't realize they could be present
and they could simplify and deepen their
lives tremendously and make it more
joyful.
Why foxtrot with a person, when you can limbo with a Labrador?
Carousel Title:
Dancing with the Canine Stars
Rick Spalding
Carousel Short Description:
Canine Freestyle
Many of the uninitiated scoff at the thought of dancing with dogs and
yes, there is undeniably an element of the ridiculous to the sport,
what with the inter-species dance team, tux-and-tailstype matching
outfits and song choices like "Putting on the Ritz," but, as any
attendee will attest, there is something both compelling and strangely
moving about the performances-not to mention supremely entertaining.
Photographs by Peter Brown
THE CROWD IS PACKED TEN DEEP, STANDING AROUND AN empty, roped-off arena.
At ringside, a gleaming Doberman waits by his handler's side, wearing a rhinestone studded collar. The handler is wearing a flashy scarlet dress of satin and sequins, above the-elbow-length red gloves, and rhinestone jewelry.
"Christine Hughes and Faust!" announces the MC, and the team steps briskly to the centre of the ring. They take their starting position, back to back, the woman, hands on hips, striking a coquettish pose.
The music starts and the team begins dancing to Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." The Doberman turns, side-steps, backs up, weaves through his handler's legs, spins, and promenades in time with his partner. They have rehearsed for hundreds of hours to perfect this routine.
The dance ends with a flourish and the team bows, side by side, to rousing applause. Exiting the ring, the handler hugs her dog with tears in her eyes.
Canine freestyle is a sport that combines the precision of dog training with the exuberance of dance. In many ways, it resembles figure skating: in a high-level routine, music, choreography, costumes, disciplined moves, and emotional interpretation create a theatrical experience that audiences adore.
Many of the uninitiated scoff at the thought of dancing with dogs and yes, there is undeniably an element of the ridiculous to the sport, what with the inter-species dance team, tux-and-tailstype matching outfits and song choices like "Putting on the Ritz," but, as any attendee will attest, there is something both compelling and strangely moving about the performances-not to mention supremely entertaining.
Diane Kowalski doesn't feel the least bit conflicted about her sport, and never has. Canine freestyle (CF) captured her interest immediately. Even before getting involved, she was intrigued with the creativity of the sport.
Kowalski is a professional competitor and instructor of canine sports. She started training for CF in 1999 and competed for the first time in 2000. She's quickly risen to the top of the sport. In 2002 and 2005, she was named "Trainer of the Year" by the World Canine Freestyle Organization (WCFO), one of the largest CF organizations in the world, and at the 2006 U.S. Nationals she received a trophy for "most bonded" team.
In her view, dogs benefit immensely from involvement in CF. "[They get] mental and physical stimulation-exercise, strength, flexibility. Dogs are kept active and use all of the muscles in their bodies," says Kowalski.
The top-ranked trainer is currently competing with three dogs: two Border Collies and one Briard. Each has a distinct temperament, with the Briard, Mrs. Beasly, being the most headstrong.
According to Kowalski, training dogs for this sport can also benefit the human half of the team. "It has helped me to develop a better awareness of how dogs think and learn, and to be more sensitive to what dogs need to be successful."
Success at CF can only be realized through a lot of hard work and practice. A championship-level routine is characterized by attention to detail, says Kowalski. "The handler knowing the routine and music well; the dog understanding every single move and behaviour, and performing precisely; the routine being choreographed so that it flows well and it's easy for the dog to go from one behaviour to the next; music selection that is comfortable for the team to work with, [and] costuming that is appropriate, comfortable, and reflects the artistry of the piece."
It's no surprise that competing at the top level requires a big investment in time. The handler works on the routine independent of the dog, but there are still four or five training sessions with your partner every week.
Once the dog knows basic obedience commands such as heel, sit, stay, down, and come, the team can begin work on typical individual freestyle moves that include heeling on the right side instead of the left, spinning, backing up, moving sideways, weaving through legs, jumping, fetching objects, and bowing. After that, the dog must still learn the actual routine- performing the moves in sequence, in particular places at specified moments, with the added distractions of music, crowd, and unfamiliar venues.
Competing at an elite level can also involve a financial investment. Gail Walsh is President of Paws 2 Dance (P2D), an association based out of Surrey, British Columbia, with Canadian and American members. She estimates that a person taking lessons from a top trainer, entering a couple of competitions per year, and traveling for demonstrations or seminars might be spending $2,000 to $3,000 a year on the sport. But you can enter the sport inexpensively, she stresses.
"If you want to train on your own, make your own costumes, and just do demonstrations of the sport rather than competitions, it costs very little."
While P2D is a small club with just 28 members, it was started by Ray Underwood, one of the founders of North America's first freestyle club back in 1991, Musical Canine Sports International (now defunct). As with many sports, different governing organizations exist. There is no worldwide, single authority on the sport, says Walsh. According to her, the various clubs and associations approach the sport from slightly different angles.
"It's hard to say which organization's titles have the widest recognition, since each club has different standards on how to earn those titles. There are not only different standards but totally different views of how the sport should be performed. The titles earned in one club may mean nothing to someone who has had to work to a different standard in another club. Because of the differences in the sport, there is no true world champion."
While association rules and formats may vary, dogs that excel in the sport often have common characteristics, says Walsh: well-socialized; "proofed" to different environments, smells, and noises, and, above all, obedient. The dog should have the "desire to please his handler," she stresses.
P2D's president can also make some broad statements about the typical competitor. She says that CF participants are usually middle-aged women. They have some disposable income and free time, often because their children are grown. "There are a few men and younger women in the sport, but very few," Walsh says.
Patie Ventre, founder and CEO of WCFO, sees another type of typical competitor- still a woman, but a family member, with kids who may follow her into the sport and even a husband who may develop an interest in competing. Where Walsh says competitors are typically middle class, Ventre stresses that they come from "all walks of life." As for the dogs, Ventre says they're evenly split between mutts and purebreds and no breed dominates the sport. For example, Border Collies-recognized as excellent canine athletes, and certainly well-represented in CF-while intelligent, can be stubborn and anticipate commands, she says.
Ventre is a former public relations/ad agency owner with a background in dance and performance. She competed in skating through her teens and performed Latin and ballroom dancing in the 1980s. She now competes in CF with two breeds, Border Collies and a Chinese Crested-Papillon mix. With the former, she may perform to mamba, waltz, or contemporary music, such as Bette Midler or Stevie Nicks, while with the smaller dog, she puts the emphasis on cute, choosing songs such as "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain." At competitions, you will hear anything from polkas to country and western, she says. Some youngsters even use hiphop, although their music choice is subject to parental approval.
Props are allowed in WCFO competitions, as long as they are integral to the theme of the dance, not training aids. And while there are no required moves at any level, the way in which the handler can interact with the dog changes with more advanced divisions. For beginners, hand signals and cues are permitted, while at the most competitive levels, only verbal commands are permitted.
Ventre says the WCFO's many divisions cater to competitors of all kinds. They have a senior class-Sassy Seniors-in which either the dog must be over nine years old or the handler must be over 65. They also have a Handi-Dandi class, for dogs and handlers with disabilities. In all classes, the dog must always be handled by its owner. The WCFO, says the founder, is "the largest organization governing the sport today," with more than 1,000 active members and a further four or five thousand that may be involved only in competing.
Despite the evident enthusiasm of those involved in the sport, it is often greeted by the unacquainted with derision, typically dismissed as the not-pretty collision of unskilled amateur dance with crazy dog enthusiasts, strutting about in flamboyant trappings, dragging their dogs along for the ridiculous ride. Whether that is true or not, freestyle events inevitably attract huge crowds and most viewers are spellbound by what they see.
Just what it is they see, more often than not, is a palpable bond between dog and handler-and a dog having the time of its life. ■
Earthdog enthusiasts and their driven dogs put ancient instinct to the test.
Carousel Short Description:
Patricia Komar
Photographs by Dina Goldstein
Owners bring their dogs here to test the dogs' instinctual behaviour on scent trails and in underground tunnels leading to quarry. They want to see if little Angus and Heidi can still do what their doggie ancestors were bred to do as early as 55 B.C.: go to ground and get rid of fox, badger, river otters, and other vermin that were wreaking havoc on their owners' land. Dogs that do well here can go on to participate in Earthdog Tests, Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)-sanctioned, non-competitive events leading to the titles Junior Earthdog, Senior Earthdog, and Master Earthdog. British Columbia held the first Canadian Earthdog Tests in 2002 and the Sea to Sky Earthdog Club now sponsors two sets of testing events each year.
Tabe spots the opening in the ground. She whines and barks her
little body is like a tight muscle, writhing, twisting. In the dark
recesses of her mind, she must hear the howls of ancestors urging her
on. I put her on the ground. She sniffs the earth. Picks up the scent.
She's off. With her nose plastered to the ground, she runs, looking
like a mini-rhinoceros, chasing the invisible scent line right to the
hole, disappearing into the tunnel. She's gone.
Tabu, my Cairn
Terrier, is one of many terriers and Dachshunds tested in simulated
hunting situations at this earthdog practice held in Aldergrove,
British Columbia. Owners bring their dogs here to test the dogs'
instinctual behaviour on scent trails and in underground tunnels
leading to quarry. They want to see if little Angus and Heidi can still
do what their doggie ancestors were bred to do as early as 55 B.C.: go
to ground and get rid of fox, badger, river otters, and other vermin
that were wreaking havoc on their owners' land. Dogs that do well here
can go on to participate in Earthdog Tests, Canadian Kennel Club
(CKC)-sanctioned, non-competitive events leading to the titles Junior
Earthdog, Senior Earthdog, and Master Earthdog. British Columbia held
the first Canadian Earthdog Tests in 2002 and the Sea to Sky Earthdog
Club now sponsors two sets of testing events each year.
Early
Sunday morning, the day of a scheduled practice, Tabu senses
something's up when I begin packing the SUV with her special blanket,
favourite bed, stuffies, snacks, and my gumboots. A dead giveaway, the
green gumboots. Tabu knows. She races to her seat in the car.
We're
off for an extreme adventure heading down the highway in the direction
of rolling hills and fresh country air, leaving behind city noise and
traffic jams. As I turn off the highway, Tabu remembers. She's been
here twice before. Her body begins to shudder. She whines and barks.
Weird utterances escape her little mouth as she talks in a language
known only to other Cairns. She jumps from window to window, her
instinct awake. She knows. We're here to play the game and she's ready.
I
turn onto the rutted dirt road that leads up to the site. At the far
end of the field, vehicles are lined up, tailgates down, people setting
up kennels and walking their dogs.
I chat with other
"earthdoggers" who have ventured out to the country. Janna Kumi, who
works in the heart of Vancouver as a negotiator for the federal
government, leaves the city behind to bring Bina, her Wirehaired
Dachshund, to the practice. Kumi found Bina in Bavaria via the
Internet. "She was destined to chase foxes in their dens-a most
gruesome job. She's shy, always was, as I was told. We bonded
immediately, and I promised her she would have a good life in a new
land-far away from foxes."
I can't see the tunnels, as they are
buried. Three-sided tunnels consisting of two 9- inch side walls and a
roof are inserted in trenches dug in the ground, so that the floor is
exposed earth. The tunnels are then covered with dirt and vegetation.
At the end is a simulated den sprayed with quarry scent. A pet rat,
kept completely safe in a secure container, separated from the dogs,
serves as the faux quarry.
Ray Walden, from Richmond, B.C., is
the "Dungeon Master." "I designed and built the tunnels used here," he
says. "I've built several hundred feet of tunnels." His famous designs
feature Plexiglas siding. Demonstrations at malls and expos using his
design allow spectators to view the dogs making decisions as they
maneuver through the tunnel.
In order to have a successful run
at the beginner level, "Introduction to Quarry," dogs must traverse a
10-foot-long tunnel with one 90-degree turn within two minutes, then
"work" the quarry (barking, growling, digging) for 30 seconds. At each
level, tests increase in difficulty using longer tunnels and built-in
obstacles, such as a tree root. At the Master level, dogs are worked
two at a time, one underground while the other "honours," staying above
and taking over when needed. Chris Roberts brings Andy, an 8 year-old
Cairn, to practice at the Master level.
"Andy lost one eye to
cancer. She's a pirate dog. You'll hear AARRRRRRR when she gets down
there," Roberts jokes. Andy still has all the characteristics needed
for being an earthdog. "The dogs that ‘go to ground' are the
short-legged terriers [Latin-terra, meaning earth] and Dachshunds
[German for badger hound]." They have good noses, excellent reflexes,
are top-notch sprinters, courageous, persistent, strong, flexible,
often able to turn around in a tunnel, and can think on their own.
To
some, earthdogging is more than a timed run. Kumi, readying Bina at the
Senior run, tells me, "Earthdogging is a sport primarily for the dog,
overcoming their fear going into a dark hole and confronting their
fears. When I saw her head pop up at the end of the 30 foot tunnel on
the Junior test, I can't describe how I felt: very proud of her, happy
for her. Brought tears to my eyes!"
Lia Bijsterveld, president of
the Sea to Sky Earthdog Club, says, "The event is as much a human
social event as a dog-fun event." Her 9-year-old Border Terrier, who
was the first CKC Master Earthdog, sticks his head out of the hole to
orient himself, barks once, twists his body around and launches himself
almost backwards right back into the hole. "Piper needed very little
coaching to find his inner earthdog. He was destined to take part in
earthdog and it would be cruel not to let him participate."
I'm
watching for Tabu as she negotiates her way deep in the tunnel, flying
on instinct, searching for the hideout. A muffled little growl.
Digging. Barking. Clearly, my little earthdog hasn't moved all that far
from the generations of working terriers that make up her ancestry;
their drive, their joy in working a scent below the ground lives on in
her. I couldn't be more proud. ■
Patricia Komar is a freelance
writer living in the Lower Mainland. With her two dogs, Bruno and Tabu,
she searches for muses in the wilds of B.C.
Let's face it, modern dog owners are just as guilty as first-time
parents when it comes to rambling on and on about their "kids." And
while a good poop horror story makes for conversational common ground
at any canine-centric soiree, why not show your range? The following
cocktail party cheat-sheet highlights dogs that have made a significant
impact on our common culture. A few minutes studying this list and
you'll soon prove that it's possible to impress even the finest
pedigreed pooch (and his/her sexy owner) with your best trick: speak!
Let's face it, modern dog owners are just as guilty as first-time parents when it comes to rambling on and on about their "kids." And while a good poop horror story makes for conversational common ground at any canine-centric soiree, why not show your range? The following cocktail party cheat-sheet highlights dogs that have made a significant impact on our common culture. A few minutes studying this list and you'll soon prove that it's possible to impress even the finest pedigreed pooch (and his/her sexy owner) with your best trick: speak!
Move over Mona Lisa...
Snoop Dog in the house, er, the museum, rather. In 2002, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, affectionately referred to as "Snoopy's Home," opened in Santa Rosa, California, in honour of the legendary cartoonist. The museum features a massive wooden sculpture depicting Snoopy's evolving personas from Schulz's childhood dog, Spike, to today's pot-bellied Beagle, a labyrinth in the shape of Snoopy's head, and most recently, an exclusive showing of Peanuts-inspired fashions from top designers including Isaac Mizrahi and Betsey Johnson. www.schulzmuseum.org
Why the Germans Really Lost the War
Hailed as "the most decorated war dog of World War I," Sergeant Stubby was a Bull Terrier of sorts discovered in 1917 on the Yale campus by John Robert Conroy. After traveling to France as a stowaway aboard the USS Minnesota, Stubbs spent 18 months warning fellow soldiers of gas attacks and incoming artillery shells, biting German butt (literally), and "dropping bombs" on enemy territory (sorry, couldn't resist). As for his personal fashion sense, Stubby looked best in his chamois coat decorated with war medals made by the thankful women in the French town of Chateau-Thierry.
Calling All Sports Fans
For over a century, the most recognizable face on Yale's campus has been the most slobbery one: that of Handsome Dan, the Bulldog believed to be the first ever live mascot. To date, fourteen handsome look-alikes have followed in the original's footsteps to traverse the football field. Over the years, successive Dans have endured multiple kidnappings and a near-drowning, initiated assaults on opposing Ivy League mascots, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, and summered at Martha's Vineyard. 1975 even saw Dan XII make a political statement as the first and only female to carry the torch, commemorating Yale's 1969 decision to accept women.
Tales from Wales
Long ago, King John of England (aka bad dude from Robin Hood) hooked up his friend Prince Llywelyn of Gwynedd with a great hunting dog named Gelert. Upon returning home one day, Llywelyn and his princess were greeted in front of their lodge by Gelert, soaked in blood, his tail wagging. Inside, Llywelyn found his infant son's cradle overturned, no baby in sight. Llywelyn did the math, drew his sword, and delivered a fatal blow. As Gelert lay dying, Llywelyn suddenly heard the cries of his infant son. He found him under the crib-lying next to the bloody body of a wolf. It's said that Llywelyn never spoke again. To fully appreciate this lesson in conclusion-jumping, stop by the Welsh village of Beddgelert and visit brave Gelert's grave.
Before the Golden Arches, There was Nipper
In 1887, a man named Mark died, leaving his little dog (along with a cylinder phonograph) to his brother, an artist named Francis Barraud. One year later, Barraud completed a painting of Nipper listening curiously to a recording of his late master's voice coming through the phonograph. With a little marketing effort from Barraud, the image of Nipper and the phonograph soon became a ubiquitous advertising symbol for a series of companies, including The Gramophone Company, RCA, and EMI. Then, in 1921, EMI opened the first HMV (His Master's Voice) store. So next time you're walking Rover past an HMV, remember that it wasn't always about flashy pink signs and celebrity posters...rather, it started with a mutt named Nipper.
Feel free to cut this page up into conversational cue cards and hand it out to poop-talking parkies as you see fit! ■
At a gathering of dog owners, I found myself sitting at a table with a
woman who was explaining, "You can always tell which member of a family
actually picked the dog. People always pick dogs that look like
themselves. If you want a well-known example of this, just take the
case of Winston Churchill. Now there was a man who certainly looked
like his pet Bulldog!"
At a gathering of dog owners, I found myself sitting at a table with a woman who was explaining, "You can always tell which member of a family actually picked the dog. People always pick dogs that look like themselves. If you want a well-known example of this, just take the case of Winston Churchill. Now there was a man who certainly looked like his pet Bulldog!"
Winston Churchill was, of course, the British prime minister who helped to guide England through the dark days of World War II. The fact that Churchill, in his mature years, looked like a Bulldog is indisputable. The round full face, the flattened features, the jowly cheeks, the large wide mouth, the skin folds around the eyes-all look much like those of the English Bulldog. It was interesting to note that the woman who had been speaking about him had long blond hair, which, paired with her tan-coloured pants and vest, certainly had a strong resemblance to her own dog-a Golden Retriever.
Actually, there are scientific explanations for why people might have a preference for dogs that look something like themselves. The data is quite clear that, at least when dealing with people, we certainly prefer those who are similar to us.
Do you ever wonder what the secret is behind the success of computerized dating services? It is nothing more than a matter of matching on the basis of similarity. These services give extensive questionnaires in order to find out some basic information about their clients, including their religion, their family's social status and income, their political beliefs, their taste in music, entertainment and sports, and so forth. Then they match people on the basis of as many dimensions as possible. The better the match, the more likely that people will develop an attraction for one another.
The interesting thing is that the research shows that if you want to predict whether people will like each other, you tend to do better if you include some physical aspects of the person's appearance along with measures of attitudes and personal history. How tall a person is, how much they weigh, their hair colour and skin tones, will all have an influence since people prefer others who share their physical characteristics as well. While most people like physically attractive people, the most successful matches involve pairing people of about the same degree of attractiveness. Thus, beautiful people are happiest with other beautiful people, average-looking people with average-looking partners- making it highly unlikely that in real life, the ugly, misshapen, Quasimodo of The Hunchback of Notre Dame would ever live happily ever after with the beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda.
There is some evidence that people tend to select dogs based on how similar that breed's personality is to their own. For example, the classic film actor Humphrey Bogart was known for the strong, rugged, roles that he played in motion pictures like The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Director Howard Hawks once commented that "Bogey thinks that he has to live up to the reputation of all of those tough guys he plays." Hard-drinking and rowdy in his personal life, he always owned dogs with tough and self-sufficient characters, such as Boxers and Scottish Terriers.
Contrast this to another classic film actor, James Stewart. The American Film Institute observed Stewart was an actor "so beloved by the movie-going public that they call him ‘Jimmy,' just like a member of the family." He had a real-life personality that was similar to the warm, down-to-earth, friendly men that he played in films like You Can't Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Philadelphia Story. Stewart surrounded himself with dogs of the same temperament, namely Golden Retrievers.
You might feel that it would take quite a leap to get from the fact that we might select a dog that has a personality similar to ours and end up with the conclusion that we might choose a dog that looks like us as well. Yet there is a way to get there using a psychological mechanism that is subtle yet simple, namely familiarity.
Simply put, we like things that are familiar. This explains why we are so willing to read or view each new version of the King Arthur legend, or why people go back, year after year, to hear the same opera, and why radio stations that play only "oldies" are so popular. It explains why advertisers repeat the same ad so many times (they describe this as "repetition builds reputation"). It also explains why people vote for actors, and the sons, daughters or wives of well-known people without any knowledge of their actual competence for the elected position-it is simply because the name is so familiar that a positive feeling has grown up around it.
One scientist demonstrated this in an amusing way. He showed people a series of Chinese characters, without any translations of them. When the people were later asked to guess what these characters actually meant, the ones that had been shown a number of times (so they were now familiar) were more likely to be "translated" by people as meaning something positive and favourable.
Scientifically, we have now reached the important part of the story: your face. We all are quite familiar with our own face. We see it in the mirror every morning as we shave, put on make-up or comb our hair. We see images of our face thousands of times each year as we pass by various reflecting surfaces in the environment. Science, therefore, suggests that, as in the case of everything else that we have seen many times, we should be rather fond of it. It is also likely that we will also transfer some of that sentiment to anything that is similar enough to remind us of our face.
Some psychologists have argued that this explains why children who look very much like one of their parents tend to be favoured and treated more lovingly by that parent. It might also provide a link to why people end up with dogs that look something like themselves. If the general features of one breed of dog's face look something like the general features of our own face, then, all other things being equal, that breed should arouse a bit more of a warm and loving response on our part.
Since there had not been much scientific work done on the resemblance of dogs and their owners, I tested 104 women students enrolled at the University of British Columbia. First, they were shown slides containing dog portraits of four different dog breeds. Each portrait was simply the head of a dog looking toward the camera. The four dog breeds included an English Springer Spaniel, a Beagle, a Siberian Husky and a Basenji. For each dog, the women simply rated how much they liked the look of the dog, how friendly they thought it was, how loyal they thought it might be and how intelligent it appeared to be.
Afterwards, I asked some questions about the women and their lifestyles. As part of this, they were asked to look at a series of schematic sketches of hair styles and to indicate which was their own most typical hair style. I was not interested in details of their coiffure, but only in certain general characteristics. Specifically, I divided these hair styles into two groups: the first group contained longer hair styles that covered the ears, while the second group contained shorter hair or longer hair that was pulled back, so that the woman's ears were visible.
In general, women with longer hair covering their ears tended to prefer the Springer Spaniel and the Beagle, rating these breeds higher on the dimensions of likeable, friendly, loyal and intelligent. Women with shorter hair and visible ears tended to rate the Siberian Husky and the Basenji more highly on these same dimensions.
The reason for this result may have to do with familiarity effects on liking. Longer hair on a woman forms a framing effect around her face, which is much the same as the framing effect caused by the longer, lopped ears of the Spaniel or Beagle. Shorter hair gives more visible, unframed lines to the sides of the woman's face and allows her to see her own ears. Both the Siberian Husky and the Basenji lack the drooped ears that frame the face like long hair, and both have clearly visible pricked ears. Obviously, we are not talking about an overpowering effect on preference, since there were a number of women with short hair that preferred the long eared dogs and vice-versa. However, the size of this effect is large enough to be statistically reliable and could confirm the common belief that we look like our dogs to some degree.
Given that hairstyle variations of this sort are only sensible to talk about in women, this particular research model was somewhat limited, so Michael Roy and Nicholas Christenfeld, psychologists from the University of California at San Diego, decided to extend my research using another technique. They photographed 45 dogs (25 purebreds and 22 mongrels) and their owners, separately. They then showed photos of the owners to 28 volunteers and asked them to guess which was most likely that owner's dog from a pair of pictures containing the owned dog and another. A dog was regarded as resembling its owner if a majority of the volunteers matched the pair. The volunteers were able to correctly match purebred dogs with their owners in about two thirds of the cases. This seems to confirm that dogs and owners look alike.
There was an interesting quirk in the data, however. There was no link between the appearance of mixed-breeds and their owners. Co-researcher Christenfeld thought that this was reasonable.
"When you pick a purebred, you pick it specifically because of how it's going to look as a grown-up," he pointed out. "On the other hand, mutt owners like me make our choice on the spur of the moment at a dog shelter. The truth is that we really don't know what the grown puppy will look like."
So the science suggests that this bit of folk wisdom is correct. People do, indeed, tend to select dogs that look themselves. However, this is not a universal principal.
Let's go back to Winston Churchill, who many people claim as a perfect example since he clearly resembled his pet Bulldog. The problem is that Churchill did not own a Bulldog. The British often consider the Bulldog as the symbol of their country, and Churchill was the leading political figure in Britain. These facts are what probably led to the erroneous conclusion in the public mind that the great man also owned a Bulldog. Churchill's own dog certainly was not selected on the basis of visual similarities. If you could have looked into Churchill's bedroom, curled up around his feet on the bed you would have found a Miniature Poodle named Rufus. With his narrow pointed muzzle, clean, unwrinkled face and close-set eyes, this dog did not look even faintly like his master. This breed of dog was not merely some accidental match since, when the original Rufus died, his owner replaced him with another who looked virtually identical to the first one. "He is named Rufus II-but the II is silent," Churchill explained.
Still, despite the case of the prime minister and his Poodle, research does seem to show that the idea that dogs and their owners resemble each other is more likely to be true than false. And in Churchill's case-well, his daughter owned a Pug, which might be close enough!
Dr. Stanley Coren is professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of many books on dog behaviour, including The Intelligence of Dogs, How Dogs Think and Why Does My Dog Act That Way? His website is stanleycoren.com.
Special Treatment: The latest in health care for dogs
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Carreen Maloney
Photographs by Carreen Maloney
Though people have been helped by specialists for generations, this is an emerging industry in veterinary medicine. In the past, veterinary specialists were traditionally attached to universities and other veterinary schools. They were mainly teachers, and accessible only to determined, passionate pet owners. Sometimes they were called upon to treat valuable prize-winning animals such as Thoroughbred horses.
THE SMALL BROWN POODLE BEGAN TO TURN BLUE AS HE FELL INTO SEDATION, his instinct to gasp for air temporarily dulled by drugs. Earlier X-rays had revealed a mass hanging from his tonsil; only the tiny remaining space lay between life and death. With the large tumor blocking the dog's airway, Drs. Tatjana Mirkovic and David Francis worked calmly but quickly, searching for a path for the air tube.
The tube finally slides in, and a sigh of relief breathes through the four-person team working on the dog. With the tube now carrying air to the lungs, he is breathing better than he has in months. Mirkovic and Francis decide their best course of action is to remove the tumor. After some delicate surgery, it comes out, the size of a cherry tomato.
This Poodle is one of thousands of animals visiting Vancouver, British Columbia's Canada West Veterinary Specialists and Critical Care Hospital (known as Canada West) each year. In 2006, the 50-bed hospital saw about 11,000 patients. Approximately 75 percent were dogs.
Potential patients must first receive referrals from family veterinarians. More than 400 veterinary clinics refer their clients to Canada West from a region that spans British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska, and Washington.
"We lend our knowledge when general practitioners are at a loss or when the repair is beyond their scope," says Dr. Loic Legendre, Canada West's dentistry wizard, as he prepares to outfit a Royal Canadian Mounted Police dog with crowns he fashioned using an alloy containing palladium. The German Shepherd's two upper canines have worn down during his years on the job.
Along with dentistry, Canada West offers specialized medicine in neurology and dermatology, skilled orthopedic surgeons, cancer treatment, human-grade diagnostics such as CT scans, radiographs, ultrasounds, and MRIs, and around-the-clock emergency care for animals in critical condition.
Dr. Kimberly Barron of Bellingham, Washington, frequently refers clients to Canada West.
"My clients have all had good experiences there, even if they had to put their dog down," says Barron, owner of Northshore Veterinary Hospital. "I am so thrilled with their bedside manner, and especially their communication with me. They are phenomenal. And it's so convenient to have all the specialists in one place."
Animals are sometimes examined by several teams of specialty veterinarians and their assistants while they are at Canada West for diagnosis and treatment. A steady stream of dogs arrives with their owners and a few come by private ambulance. They receive care for trauma following household or car accidents, treatment for chronic or serious conditions, and might undergo complicated surgeries such as hip replacements.
At Canada West this particular week, two Rottweilers, a Boxer, a Golden Retriever, a Mastiff, and a Beagle are wheeled into surgery for various leg and knee injuries. Also present are a Coton de Tulear with back pain, and a Border Collie who, having been run over by a trailer, has multiple pelvis fractures and a ruptured bladder. A friendly Labrador and a fractious orange cat arrive for their regular appointments to receive chemotherapy for cancer.
Though people have been helped by specialists for generations, this is an emerging industry in veterinary medicine. In the past, veterinary specialists were traditionally attached to universities and other veterinary schools. They were mainly teachers, and accessible only to determined, passionate pet owners. Sometimes they were called upon to treat valuable prize-winning animals such as Thoroughbred horses.
Specialists began going into private practice in the late 1980s and early 1990s, says Shawn McVey, a partner in Veterinary Specialists in Private Practice (VSIPP), an American company that organizes an animal conference for these specialists. Now half of the specialty graduates are going straight into private practice, says McVey, who also happens to be CEO of Eye Care for Animals, a 24-clinic chain offering ophthalmology.
VSIPP reports there are about 325 to 350 veterinary specialty clinics across Canada and the U.S. To be counted, a clinic must have two or more board-certified veterinary specialists on staff.
Ten years ago, Canada West was started by a group of young veterinarians already linked by a common drive to specialize. Drs. Alan Kuzma and Terri Schiller, two of the five partners, were mobile surgeons for years. They travelled from clinic to clinic in their cars loaded with surgical instruments, each performing two to four surgeries a day. Both knew they could offer their patients better care by opening their own clinic.
"You had no control," Kuzma says. "Sometimes there were bad operating rooms, and [assisting] technicians might not be trained for advanced surgery. There was no control over the care of the patient afterwards. We would leave and hope for the best."
Kuzma and Schiller teamed up with Dr. Laurence Braun, whom they got to know while she worked at the Vancouver Animal Emergency Clinic. Braun showed great finesse and devotion tending to critically ill patients, a vital component of Canada West's services. Patients might spend some time in intensive care during their stay here, and a 24-hour watch sometimes makes the difference between life and death. Dr. Greg Starrak joined the group with his already successful diagnostic imaging practice. The fifth partner, Dr. Nick Sharp, is an acclaimed neurologist and neurosurgeon who joined the practice in 2002. (There are just 138 veterinary neurologists in North America, and Sharp is one of only two board-certified in neurosurgery also.) Today Canada West has 100 employees, 22 of them veterinarians. The clinic never closes, and three shifts of staff float in and out day and night treating animals in need.
Staff report that they face some of the same challenges as nurses working a pediatric ward-dogs can't communicate verbally, so they must be watched closely for clues as to their dispositions.
"They can't tell you how they're feeling," says Nicole Jameson, hospital coordinator. "We have to figure it out. This place attracts people who have a desire to learn. It's the most amazing adrenalin high you can imagine, saving an animal."
Because the hospital treats many critical cases, inevitably all endings aren't happy ones. The clinic's morgue is a testament to this. Two rows of brown paper bags are lined up on the countertop, each with a loved animal's name written on it. Every bag contains an urn with ashes, one final paw print in clay, and a card personalized by the staff members who cared for the animal during his or her stay at Canada West.
"It can be heart-wrenching to see people in pain face letting go," says Jayne Robertson, coordinator of the intensive care unit. "There are huge emotional connections between people and their pets-the pet has seen them through things such as illnesses, and sometimes they are closer to the pet than their [human] family."
In addition to compassion and skilled care, one of the clinic's keynotes is cleanliness. Just a few dust motes can compromise a sterile environment during surgery and contribute to post-operative infections, so the four operating suites are scrubbed clean following each procedure (including the walls and ceilings). An in-house disinfectant team roams seven days a week to stamp out diseases that might be lingering in the hospital. An internist swabs random surfaces and submits samples to a laboratory for testing. One employee is devoted solely to sterilizing instruments. Brian Cutteridge packs them up in blue surgical cloth bundles securely taped and bearing the particular surgeon's initials. The bundles aren't opened until the procedure is ready to begin in a sterile operating theatre.
These advancements are expensive. In June 2005, Canada West upgraded from a 6,000 square-foot facility to its current 17,000-square-foot location nearby. Kuzma says outfitting the new clinic cost $2.5 to $3 million, including leasehold improvements and surgical and diagnostic equipment. Some medical diagnostics machines cost "more than six figures," and the building is equipped with many extras, such as lines that snake through various operating and procedure rooms carrying oxygen and medical air for patients, and nitrogen to power equipment.
In Canada, "we are not aware of medical costs for ourselves," Kuzma says. "There can be sticker shock." American clients used to pay-per-use medicine are more prepared for the cost of human-grade care provided by Canada West, Kuzma says.
Owners can expect to pay $1,000 for a day of diagnostic tests if the condition is serious. Surgery to repair a broken leg might cost $3,500, or even $10,000 and up if two or three legs are broken and internal injuries are complicating the trauma.
Laura Clark, community outreach director for Whatcom Humane Society in northern Washington State, brought her dog, Jesse, to Canada West this past spring for respiratory problems. Unfortunately, her affliction wasn't curable.
"It was worth it-we would have mortgaged our house to take care of our animal," Clark says. "We were impressed with the skill of the doctors. They couldn't fix it, but they could answer our questions."
Others who brought their dogs to Canada West also rave about their experiences. Last fall, Bellingham resident Michelle Snow-Waltz and her husband Kevin Waltz brought Toby to the clinic for cruciate ligament surgery. The seven-year-old Newfoundland Retriever mix blew out his knee chasing birds, rendering the 140-pound dog lame. Dr. Mark Smith cancelled his weekend plans to perform Toby's operation. Several years ago, the Waltzes also brought their cat, Eddie, to Canada West. He was blind and diagnosed with a brain tumor. Eddie did not survive, but Toby has recovered beautifully.
"They bend over backwards to provide above and beyond what they need to," Snow Waltz says. "You can be sure the animals are getting the best care money can buy."
Clark agrees. "Even though we had to go there under bad circumstances, at least the doctors were there for us."
Schiller says that with every case, Canada West has three clients: the referring veterinarian, their human client, and of course, the patient.
A visit to Canada West can be a scary experience for some people already fearing the loss of their companion animal, so the hospital tries to minimize distress, says Sharon Brown, hospital administrator. The spacious, elegant waiting room has no ringing phones. Those are answered in another room: both the client calling in and the customer coming through the doors get the full focus of the staff during a difficult and stressful time.
"You experience the deepest grief to the greatest joy," Brown says. "It's a magical place to work. Where else do you get to see miracles every day?" ■
Carreen Maloney was a journalist in Canada for 10 years at the Ottawa Citizen, the Winnipeg Free Press and Business in Vancouver. She has rescued animals for 15 years. She writes about animals and runs Fuzzy Town, a U.S.-based toy and pet products company. She can be contacted at carreen@fuzzytown.com.
Dear Dog Lady,
How does my Shar-Pei, Wilma, select where to go to the bathroom? What criteria must be present? I don't understand why she is so picky about where she goes. -Nisreen, Vancouver, BC
Nisreen, you ask one of the cosmic questions about the canine culture. Dog Lady has studied this fussy phenomenon over thousands of hours spent walking with darling, so you might think there would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, only dogs truly understand the piddling details.
For Wilma, the elaborate lavatory procedure is a ritual of identity. Imagine she uses her output the way a graffiti artist uses a spray paint can-to mark up the earth with messages such as: "Wilma, a five-year-old spayed female who last ate canned lamb and chopped carrots, was here." Dogs want to get a leg up to put down their scent. They announce themselves and seek to cover up another dog's smell. It's a very precise process, a mystery only their noses know.
Our dogs can drive us crazy while they deliberate about where to send the pee-mail. They sniff up and down or go in circles, ensuring their output will hit whatever benchmark they've assigned. Bear with them.
Dear Dog Lady,
True story. My girlfriend moved in with me a few months ago. However, she is growing sad (not with me) because my building does not allow dogs. We have an incredible apartment. I don't want to move, but I don't want her to be unhappy. Help me out here. -Michael, New York, NY
Michael, for some people, living in a dogless building is godless. Pets provide warmth. A condo community or apartment association that bans animals can seem like a colder, more self-absorbed place. The frosty habitat must be getting to your girlfriend.
On a brighter note, Dog Lady, ever the busybody, presumes the two of you are living large. Maxi-pads in dogless housing can be tres chi-chi because residents have nothing else to do but carp about keeping up appearances.
Dog Lady knows of a ritzy condominium that bans dogs. Big warning signs are posted. If a dog even ventures onto the grass outside the building, a frazzled person leans out a window and screams for the dog and the human leash-holder to scram. Considering all the problems in the world today, this pet-as-pest policy seems excessive.
Hug your girlfriend. Tell her you understand and really mean it. Promise her, for the short-term, you will be her happy hound. Don't do anything precipitous, such as offer to move right away from your luxe digs. You don't want to resent her because she seems to be a keeper. You're still getting to know one another. And you've learned an important lesson: your lady likes living with animals-both hairy and furry.
Dear Dog Lady,
I went to a professional mixer and met a man who is very good-looking, well-dressed and fun. We made easy conversation and laughed a lot. Afterward, he took me to dinner. He talked about his dog, Yahoo, a big mutt (a Shepherd-mix) that he got at the pound. I was thrilled when he asked me to join him and Yahoo on a long walk the next day. I love dogs and think guys with dogs are sexy-until this guy left a big Yahoo pile behind. I couldn't believe he ignored the mess. I wanted to say something but didn't. Now, he's asked me out again but I can't decide whether to go or think up an excuse. Advice? -Becca, Portland, OR
Becca, you seek a man who scoops to conquer your heart. Your aim is true, but don't dump this fellow immediately. Give him another chance to clean up his act. Some guys have a thing about picking up dog poop. Call it queasiness, embarrassment, or just plain obliviousness, but they don't like to do it.
Remember, this indiscretion occurred during a self-conscious first date. If it happens again, be direct and say something to him-something light and airy instead of confrontational. Or you could magically pull a baggie from your pocket and pick up, although the preemptive strike would probably shame him, which you should avoid because he's sounds like a decent man who adopted a shelter dog. This generous act alone should tell you he has a big heart even if his environmental manners require a tutorial.
Dear Dog Lady,
We have a Poodle, and she seems to exhibit obsessive-compulsive disorder. Is this normal? When I brush my teeth, she flies up the stairs to stand next to me, no matter where she is or what she's doing. This is just one example of many. We love our Poodle, however, I would never get another one because I don't want a dog smarter than me (just kidding). In the hierarchy of dog breed intelligence, where do Poodles rank? -Bob, San Francisco, CA
Bob, your letter caused Dog Lady to erupt in a fit of giggles. Indeed, it sounds as if your tooth fairy is a bit daffy. Take heart because it is not a cause for worry-unless your dog is hurting herself, other dogs, or humans. Most dogs have OCD. They are obsessive about their people and their stuff. They are compulsive about their people and their stuff. Dog Lady's darling is possessed by a chewed-over frog whose fading squeaker plays a slo-mo version of "Jingle Bells." With dogs, it's always something.
You are fortunate to live under the same roof with an Einstein. Poodles are considered way above average on the canine intelligence scale. When your dental assistant grabs your floss and rigs up a cat's cradle, don't be surprised.
Dear Dog Lady,
Our neighbours allow their dogs to piddle on our front door stoop and sidewalk on a daily basis. Needless to say, it is unpleasant to come across every time we enter and leave the building, not to mention smelly and unsanitary. We love our neighbours and their dogs, but we are growing tired of this lack of doggie etiquette that we so frequently come across living in our city neighbourhood. What's a person to do? -Cathleen, Chicago, IL
Cathleen, you have Dog Lady's ear-and her scruples. Every dog walker must examine his or her conscience on this one. Rushed while urging a dog to do business quickly, an owner often doesn't even think about where the dog piddles as long as it gets the job done. You speak up for everybody who must endure this thoughtless wave of urination.
Say something the next time you catch a canine lifting its leg or squatting on your stoop or sidewalk. Be cheerful, not confrontational, but firmly remind the dog's walker you would appreciate more consideration.
We dog owners believe poop is the offensive big magilla. We carry bags to clean up. Unfortunately, pee doesn't fit in a baggie. Still, responsible pet walkers should make every effort to steer their sweeties away from front stoops and stones attached to private property. These pissing contests are disheartening. People should know better, even if the dogs don't.
Dear Dog Lady,
My dog, Zeus, watches TV intensely. He likes cartoons, babies and other animals (especially when those animals "speak" to him). I like to take Zeus on weekend drives in the country but I noticed my dog did not enjoy the drives as much as I did. Since then I have installed a TV in the car so he has something to do. Am I rotting his brain? -Brendan, South Bend, IN
Brendan, talk about bendin' to the comfort and convenience of a dog. No wonder your Zeus is the god of the heavens. Dog Lady has rarely heard of such indulgence, except for C-List celebrities who tote around their poochies in hobo bags and interior designers with clients rich enough to afford raffia dog beds from Italy.
Dogs have small brains, so rotting Zeus' frontal lobe is not a big problem. If your dog enjoys watching cartoons and shoutouts from his beastie boys, go ahead, although Dog Lady cannot imagine dogs enjoy country drives any more than toddlers in car seat lockdown. Make sure you give your glazed TV hound regular bathroom breaks and romps in fields of green away from the automobile. ■
Visit askdoglady.com to ask a question or make a comment.
ONE SUNNY SATURDAY LAST SUMMER, MY 85-POUND LAB-SHEPHERD CROSS, SOOKE, and I found ourselves sniffing around a swank canine boutique in search of a fabulous new collar and, naturally, a few complimentary treats. Brimming over with X-X-S four-legged fashions, the trendy yet tiny store offered about as much floor space as a Twister mat and, with a large dog in tow, felt marginally more comfortable.
As if our physical surroundings weren't enough to make us long for the canine equivalent to Big & Tall, the fact that the boutique's lone sales associate went out of her way to completely ignore us-despite the fact that we were her only customers-made the point clear enough. But just in case we missed it, the arrival of a new customer and her Miniature Pinscher left little room for doubt.
Going from zero to friendly in 1.3 seconds, the now-bubbly saleswoman was all pats and smiles, reaching behind the counter to reveal a stash of gourmet treats as Sooke looked on drooling and my blood simmered.
I'd like to think that we dog people are a pretty tolerant bunch. I mean, you'd have to be to put up with all the barking, whining, shedding, chewing, growling, scratching, digging, and pooping. And yet, though many of us wouldn't dream of discriminating against other human beings on the basis of their race or physical characteristics, getting snubbed got me thinking about whether dog owners discriminate against each other's dogs on the basis of their breed and/or size.
To be clear, I'm not talking about breed-specific legislation: that's another topic entirely, and a far more serious one at that. I'm simply observing the way that some of us perceive and treat each other-be it consciously or unconsciously. But before I look at other people's attitudes, I think it's only fair to examine my own.
Despite owning a large mixed breed, I consider myself to be someone who likes all dogs. Though having said that, I'd be lying if I didn't come clean about having felt slightly embarrassed on a few occasions when, while dog-sitting for various friends, I've had to walk Toy dogs around my neighbourhood.
The root of this embarrassment is clearly a holdover from my childhood and the large dog-loving adults in my life who universally referred to small dogs as "slipper dogs." Though never explicitly stated, it was implied that there was something slightly odd about owning a dog that, in their opinion, bore a stronger resemblance to fuzzy footwear than a wolf.
Paradoxically, my family actually owned a small dog for the better part of my childhood, a so-ugly-she's-cute Heinz 57 named Ozzie whose diminutive stature was overlooked by my otherwise sizist parents on account of her having, according to them, "the personality of a big dog."
Interestingly enough, my parents aren't the only people I know who rationalize small-dog ownership in this way. Just last week, I spoke to a woman who insisted her Jack Russell Terrier was, in fact, "a big dog trapped in a little dog's body."
A loose survey of random dog owners shows further support for a small dog/big dog dichotomy. About two out of every three people I spoke to had a strong predisposition one way or the other, with many quick to identify themselves as either a "big dog person" or a "small dog person."
Many didn't stop there, however. Some, albeit jokingly, went on to disparage larger dogs as "fur pigs" and "gigantic, noisy, poop machines," while other dismissed smaller dogs as "purse dogs," "Paris dogs," and "little white fluffies."
Some even went so far as to question canine status. Said one Husky owner, "I don't consider small dogs [as] dogs: they're accessories. I could never own a dog that's smaller than any cat I've had."
On the other side of the size divide, a Boston Terrier owner, nodding in the direction of a couple of Great Danes lumbering towards us at one of our local dog parks, quipped, "Those aren't dogs: they're horses."
Like size, breed is another common bias for certain dog owners, with breedist sentiment typically falling into one of two general categories: "pure breed"-ists, of which there are as many subcategories are there are breeds, and "mixed breed"- ists, of which there are infinite variations.
I remember meeting a pure breedist at my local dog beach. From behind gargantuan designer sunglasses, the well-heeled 40-something woman disdainfully surveyed the rag tag collection of mongrels tearing up and down the shoreline with her glossy Irish Setter before remarking without a hint of irony, "This isn't Red's usual set." She then went on to list off half a dozen of Red's regular purebred playmates.
In addition to being a sizist, my father also happens to be a mixed breedist, having only ever owned Lab crosses, all of which, with the exception of his current dog, have been black. (As a random footnote, I'll also add that my Dad has a bizarre tendency to give consecutive dogs the same, ridiculously lame, names. So far, he's had two Marks, posthumously referred to as Mark I and Mark II, and is now on his second Jerry-Lee.)
Many pure breedists defend their preference by arguing that purebred dogs are, generally speaking, more predictable in terms of size and temperament; a big plus when less predictable factors, such as children, are part of the equation.
Some mixed breedists wear their mutt ownership as sort of a badge with an almost non conformist, indie pride. Many are quick to dismiss purebred ownership as a transparent attempt to use a pet to telegraph elite social status. Says one mixed breedist, "People buy purebreds for the same reason they buy Mercedes: to let everyone else know how much money they have."
We all know it's natural to have preferences. Some people love chocolate ice cream. Others love vanilla. Some love Chihuahuas. Others love Bouviers. In this regard, there's nothing inherently wrong with having a preference for a particular size or breed of dog. It's only a problem when we prejudge other dogs and their owners on the basis of these differences.
Sure, dog owners like to tease each other, but all jokes aside, I'd like to think that underneath it all, we still recognize that regardless of whether we prefer big or small, pure or mixed, we're all still dog people-united by our love of wet noses and sloppy kisses and with a shared commitment to equal treats for all. ■
Melanie Carson is a Vancouver-based writer and reformed mixed-breedist who has, in recent months, been furthering her cross-canine understanding by looking after a friend's Boston Terrier puppy. Her five-year-old Lab-Shepherd cross is not amused.
The latest diet isn’t a fad, it’s your best friend.
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Deborah Wood
Photographs by Jess Golden
When I take my dogs for a walk, all my neighbours recognize my little Papillons. They don't always recognize me. I'm about half the size I was two years ago; I've lost 125 pounds. What's my secret? Actually, I owe every ounce of my weight loss success to my little dog, Pogo. I didn't start out planning to lose weight. It was my dog who was dieting. Pogo needed to lose about half a pound; on his small-dog frame, the equivalent of 10 pounds worth of love handles on me.
When I take my dogs for a walk, all my neighbours recognize my little Papillons. They don't always recognize me. I'm about half the size I was two years ago; I've lost 125 pounds. What's my secret? Actually, I owe every ounce of my weight loss success to my little dog, Pogo.
Pawsing For a Reality Check
I didn't start out planning to lose weight. It was my dog who was dieting. Pogo needed to lose about half a pound; on his small-dog frame, the equivalent of 10 pounds worth of love handles on me.
I'd cut down just a bit on the serving size of his super premium dog food and added some pumpkin and veggies for volume, a sensible option for my little guy. One night, after scarfing up his dinner, Pogo gave me a sad look that clearly asked, "Isn't there more?"
"You're just fine. You've had plenty," I lectured him. Then I looked down at my heaping plate of spaghetti and had an epiphany. "Deborah, you are such a hypocrite!" I said out loud. The next day, I was at my first Weight Watchers meeting.
Until that moment, I was in absolute denial about my own serious weight problem. I viewed myself as sort of plump. As middle-aged. As a victim of a fashion industry that for unknown reasons had started making sleeves on clothes surprisingly small.
Pogo and I weren't alone in needing to lose weight. About half the people and half the pets in North America are overweight. Everyone knows it's important for humans to lose weight, but you may not know it's just as important for your dog. Northwestern University (NU) in Chicago did a study with overweight people and portly dogs. Almost half the owners described their pudgy dogs' condition as "ideal."
However, in a study done by Purina, slender dogs lived almost two years longer than dogs that were just a little bit overweight. Slender dogs have less health problems, too. Arthritis, diabetes, and other diseases that are caused or made worse by extra pounds can dramatically reduce your dog's quality of life.
Treating Ourselves As Well As We Treat Our Dogs
In my case, I soon realized that for many years I'd been taking much better care of my dogs than I was of myself. I shopped for them in the all-natural food store, and then went to the bargain brand supermarket for my own food. I took them to their veterinarian if they sneezed, but it had been a lot of dog years since I'd seen my own doctor.
I made a simple pledge to myself to take care of all of us in my home with the same diligence. I was committed to the health of my dogs-and to my own. In addition to following my new healthy regimen, I finally went to see my human doctor for all those middleage tests we should have. I was happy to find I was quite healthy and my new lifestyle will help me stay that way.
The World's Best Exercise Equipment
When it comes to exercise, dog-lovers have a leg up- make that four legs up-on the rest of the world's dieters.
In the NU study, the overweight people were given a sensible diet and advised to take daily walks with their dogs. A control group without dogs got the same diet and exercise recommendations. Not only did the dog owners lose more weight, they were happier.
"What surprised us was how much fun the participants had. That isn't common in a weight control program," says obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner, who designed the study. "They didn't say they felt deprived. Many participants said they wouldn't have entered the program or stayed in the program without the dog."
Kushner and veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker wrote a book called Fitness Unleashed! A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together (Three Rivers Press, 2006). This book is a healthy and sensible guide to dieting and exercise for both people and their dogs.
For those of us who were never jocks, exercise can be intimidating. I can't imagine going to a gym full of hard-bodies. Walking my dog is a Lycra-free zone of acceptance. Because I'm focusing on my dog instead of myself, I feel free to take the risk of exercising my less than perfect body.
People who exercise with their dogs have fun, no matter what their level of fitness may be. That's not always the case with other exercise plans.
"You don't grow to love the StairMaster. No one talks to their free weights. In walking your dog, you develop a richer, deeper level with your dog," says Dr. Becker. While he was working on his book, he decided to practice what he preached and walk his dogs more. The result was a 42-pound weight loss for him.
Pogo and I started out with one-mile walks. It's now common for us to log five or six miles. But I had a problem: though my two older dogs weren't up for the demands of longer, faster paced walks, I didn't want to leave my other buddies behind. My solution was to buy a pet stroller, a flashy red jogging model. I let the old dogs walk at their pace as far as they feel comfortable, and then put them in the stroller. Pogo and I pick up the pace and power walk the rest of the way.
Points To Ponder
Our dogs don't wait to go have fun until their rear-ends are a certain size. We shouldn't either.
We know that a round, short Pug is just as wonderful as a tall, slender Afghan Hound. We should accept our own kind of beauty so easily.
The fact that some of us gain weight more easily than others is also explained in the world of dogs. As much as 70 percent of the risk factor for obesity in dogs can be traced to your dog's breed, according to Dr. Becker. Greyhounds and Whippets almost all stay naturally lean, while stocky breeds like the Labrador Retriever and Beagle tend to pack on the pounds. Still, with the right diet and exercise, dogs of all breeds can weigh the appropriate amount for their builds.
Of course, my weight loss and Pogo's won't last if we don't keep our eating and exercise habits for the long term. Because of my dogs, I'm optimistic that I've made a true lifestyle change. I look at what I put into my mouth just as carefully as I always monitored what my dogs ate.
And exercise? There is no personal trainer as demanding as Pogo. He expects fun every single day, rain or shine. I hope a lot of people and dogs will be inspired to come join us. Summer is here. It's the perfect time to snap on the leash and go for a walk. ■
Deborah Wood is the pet columnist for The Oregonian newspaper and the author of 11 books, including The Little Dogs Activity Book released in January. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with three Papillons and a cat, and follows the Weight Watchers program, attending their meetings weekly.
Dear Dog Lady,
My partner and I like to entertain but our parties seem to drive our Yorkipoo, Prunella, nuts. Recently, when Jeff had his office colleagues over for cocktails, Prunie vanished for the whole time. Jeff wanted to show her off and called for her constantly but she didn't budge from her hiding place. We didn't even know where she was until after everyone left. We scoured the apartment looking for her and finally found her sleeping in the back of our bedroom closet. Early in June, we plan to have a big open house and we'd love to parade our little girl for the guests. What can we do to make Prunella more sociable? -Peter, Boston, MA
Peter, take a minute and consider festive matters from petite Prunella's perspective. How would you feel attending a cocktail soiree in the Land of the Giants? Imagine trying to work the room when you can't see through a forest of ankles. The whiffs of hors d'oeuvres would overwhelm your senses but the monster party people would only drop crumbs on your head- or, worse, step on you. These are the perils for a Yorkipoo trying to maneuver through any human social gathering.
Prunella is no Paris Hilton. She has sent her regrets. Don't force her to come out and make nice. Let her go wherever she wants during the open house and don't be surprised if you find her in the back of the closet again. Before guests arrive, trick out her sanctuary. Make sure Prunella has a soft blanket and a couple of her toys and treats so she can have her own party in peace.
Dear Dog Lady,
I am from the New York City area and am wondering if you have heard of any services that would allow me to "rent" a dog for the day? Specifically I would like to hire a certain breed of dog for the day, meaning he/she would be dropped off in the morning and then picked up at night. I would provide food, walking, etc. for the dog. -Sara, New York, NY
Sara, allow Dog Lady to make sense of this. You seek a dog delivered to you with a full tank and low mileage? Sounds like a rental car on four legs. Dog Lady has read of a dog-for-hire business in Tokyo, but the service seems too creepy to contemplate except on waggish Internet blogs. However, just by asking the question, you might have unleashed the shady entrepreneurs eager to make a buck with a Bowser leasing venture.
If you really want to test drive a canine, go to your local animal shelter. The shelter orphans need exercise and attention so the staff might let you walk a dog for an afternoon. Of course, there are no amenities. You wouldn't be able to specify a breed and the shelter workers have no time to drop off or pick up the dog. You would have to do all the work, which might cause you to realize that a high-end rent-a-Rover scheme is an inhumane notion.
Dear Dog Lady,
I have two Tibetan Terriers, Duncan and Robert. They get along very well, but Duncan has always been the dominant dog. Now, I'm beginning to think Robert would like to renegotiate the terms of their relationship.Lately, Robert has been giving Duncan some lip. Last night, Robert refused to give up a treat that Duncan wanted-a first-and Duncan consoled himself by chewing and partially consuming Elizabeth Edwards's new book, Saving Grace. Any thoughts on this? Do dominant dogs ever convert to Number Two? -Mary Anne, Washington, DC
Mary Anne, dominant Alpha dogs can convert to Number Two when they cede their territory. As Robert refused to give up his treat and Duncan decided not to fight him for it, their own deal was silently struck. Robert, MuttBeth, became the Thane of Cawdor.
Expect them to continue to joust back-and-forth for the title. There are likely to be other shredded losses in these skirmishes unless you hide all consolation prizes from Tibetan Terrier-eye-view.
Dear Dog Lady,
I recently saw Nathan Lane, the Broadway star, on Martha Stewart's talk show and Lane said this about his French Bulldog: "She is constantly licking. Licking the furniture, licking me, licking herself. You want to just say, ‘You've got the job, calm down.' She is like a little hooker." I memorized this line because it offended me. I wondered whether Lane's dog was sick. My dog licked everything, too, and it never occurred to me that she was "like a little hooker." I thought she was being too obsessive and needed to see the vet. Why must these show business people turn everything into a funny story? -John, Philadelphia, PA
John, thanks for this detailed review of Lane's performance. Pets generate good showbiz anecdotes and Lane made whoopee of his dog's antic licks. Stewart, the legendary control freak and dog maven, should have suggested that Lane bring his Frenchie to the vet to rule out any pathological cause for the licking. Yet, such an admonition would have ruined the giddy moment. Thank heavens there are astute viewers like you to fill in the blanks. Lots of licking can certainly signal a problem, which is usually solved with behaviour training or medication to ease compulsions-but that's not a funny story.
Dear Dog Lady,
I really want to meet a nice guy and fall in love. That's kind of like saying, ‘I'm going to climb Mt. Everest with one hand tied behind my back,' because I'm 55 with wrinkles on my face and in my past, but I'm hopeful. I've been browsing the online personals and saw a picture of a man whose looks intrigue me, but whose Scottie dog repels me. Since childhood, I've been afraid of small snarly dogs, but this guy must be proud of his dog because he poses with it on Match.com. I do like dogs but I don't like the looks of this one. Should this prevent me from writing to the man? -Martha, San Francisco, CA
Martha, my dear, of all the impediments to a relationship, a guy's Scottie should be the least of it. You haven't even met this man yet. He's still a fantasy figure, so you have nothing to worry about. Go ahead and send him an email. Don't even mention the dog nipping at your romantic heels. Also, answer many other ads. The personals are a numbers game. The more you respond, the more chances of connecting. The best way to compete is not to fixate on a single shaggy aspect of one prospect but to strive for bulk volume. You've got miles to go before a terrier stands between you and your admirable goal of falling in love. And, who knows? You just might fall for a guy with a Scottie.
Dear Dog Lady,
I recently got laid off from my job, which means I'm home all the time with Lulu, my Labradoodle. This is a great comfort for me as I chart a new career course. I've set up a home office and am outfitting it with all the things I'll need to run a business. Do you have any suggestions about what kind of supplies I should stock for Lulu, my office assistant? -Ray, Vancouver, BC
Ray, bully sticks, squeaky toys, Kongs stuffed with peanut butter, and tennis balls should perk up any canine administrative assistant. Lulu is the ideal candidate to take a meeting, run it up the flagpole, and be the brainy Dogbert in your own cubicle culture.
But heed this serious warning: Keep your paper shredder in a place where Lulu will never find it. Recently, there have been terrible reports of dogs whose tongues were mangled in shredders after the curious animals licked the appliances. Veterinary surgeons could do little to help save the tongues and the pets were euthanized. Dog Lady doesn't mean to be Debby Downer, but she never could have imagined this traumatic situation until reading about it with horror. Be a responsible manager with your staffer. Take pains to ensure you have dog-proofed your home office as thoroughly as possible.
Dear Dog Lady,
I have a nine-month-old male puppy, a West Highland White Terrier, and I am having trouble with him jumping up and barking at the TV when it is on. I have tried getting up and telling him "no bark," distracting him with a toy, and spraying him with a water bottle. None of these is working. He seems to really go crazy when another animal is on the screen. Do you have any suggestions for me? -Grace, Orlando, FL
Grace, many dogs-mostly terriers-bark wildly at TV animals and lunge at the set. Presumably, this trend has only increased as huge plasma and LCD flat screens have invaded our living rooms, providing high-def clarity to images. Our sweet pets have every right to try and protect us from the looming doggie ex machina.
You can keep trying to educate your Westie not to leap at the TV, but, eventually, he will train himself after many failed attempts to invade Animal Planet. When he hits the wall enough to knock some sense into him, the jumping and barking should diminish. Also, snuggle up with your ditsy darling when you watch TV. Your calm and comforting presence might dissuade him from hurling himself at the glass menagerie. ■
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