The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Partly cloudy. High of 65. “A”
SUNDAY: A few clouds early, otherwise mostly sunny. High near 80. “A”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Sad BARKING LOT update: St. Francis Police K9 Bane passes away after battle with cancer. MORE
Related to Bane, this NYC exhibit closed last weekend, but still worth a look….
AND FINALLY, from my wife Jennifer’s dog blogging vault:
This is the time we stop to think about all that “Mom” means and all that Mom does. You’re sure to read lists containing common terms such as chauffeur, nurse, confidant, maid, chef and mediator. How ‘bout one more: chief pet caretaker.
Yep, on top of everything else, moms are generally the ones who end up caring for Fido. Everything from shopping for food to the end result of yard duty seems to fall squarely on her shoulders, despite the repeated promises from her children that THEY would take care of it.
Getting a dog during the summer is a great time for the kids to walk it and bathe it. But when it’s January and warmer in Alaska than it is in Wisconsin who’s the one donning the ski boots so Rover can romp?
Do you know any family where Mom yells out, “Roxie threw up again! Eeew, gross! I’m not cleaning that up…” No, she just grabs the roll of Viva and dives in no questions asked.
Since minor children have no source of regular income, who pays for everything? Milk Bones, loofah doggies, plush bedding and flea collars don’t fall from the sky. The kids don’t work, and they certainly don’t drive. Who takes Ralphie to the vet at least annually?
And let’s not forget who the best and biggest worrier in the family is. When there is a medical concern or run-away issue, who’s the one staying up at least half the night until the problem is resolved?
If you’re still stumped as to what to get Mom this year, consider this… Make good on your promise that you will, indeed, care for your dog. After you hand Number One Mom the box of chocolates, bouquet of flowers, and mushy card, why not take Rex for a walk, give him a bath, pour his food and water and play with him. (I’d suggest also vacuuming up his hair and cleaning the yard but we want to see mom smile, not faint from shock.)
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. Very warm. High of 76. Chance of rain 70%. “A” for most of the day until the rain arrives late in the afternoon.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. High of 65. “A”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
OK. There have been countless articles about Kristi Noem, the biggest dog story of the week by far. No need to rehash what we all know. Still, the story can’t be ignored. So consider this. Did she break the law?
Two golden retriever therapy dogs, Luna and Nova, are accompanied by a law enforcement officer at Life Church in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin authorities on Thursday promised a thorough investigation of the fatal police shooting of a student who they say was armed outside a middle school. “When faced with a deadly threat, they responded with deadly force,” Mount Horeb Police Chief Doug Vierck wrote in a Facebook post asking for patience with the ongoing investigation. “No officers, students, or staff were injured other than the armed individual.”
Dog Abandoned for Being Too Big Doesn’t Understand Why ‘Nobody Wants Him.’
Big Love for a Small Dog
By Mike Kerrigan Wall Street Journal April 19, 2024
Rudy. PHOTO: FINN KERRIGAN
Rudy, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is 13, or 95 dog years. I fear the Old Man, as he’s also affectionately known, won’t make it to his 14th birthday this September. The day he dies will be painful, for Rudy and I have a special bond.
When my family visited a Greenville, S.C., breeder in 2010, my wife and kids all had their eye on the same puppy: a lively darling with “best in show” written all over her. Believing my brood had an abundance of love to give, I had other plans.
I made the case for choosing the runt. While all his siblings snuggled close to their mother, one impossibly scrawny pup remained quietly on the periphery, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of hounds. My family reluctantly backed the choice.
The pooch that instantly captured my heart reminded me of another undersized overachiever, the cinematic hero who on determination alone willed his way onto Notre Dame’s football team: Rudy. And so we named him that.
The past two years have been tough on Rudy. He is arthritic as well as completely deaf and blind, and he has to be watched whenever he goes outdoors. But true to his namesake, his heart is strong, with no sign of the mitral valve disease that often burdens his breed as it ages.
He barks after dusk, when he tends to become more disoriented, so our veterinarian suggested someone cuddle him every night before bedtime. The idea was that a familiar scent and touch would help reorient him. Happily, this ritual fell to me.
After dinner my ailing dog and I sit together. I play songs that remind me of him, hoping they won’t be impossible to enjoy when he’s gone. Sometimes it’s Neil Young’s “Old Man”; less often it’s the poignant “Feed Jake” by Pirates of the Mississippi. I hold Rudy close before taking him to bed.
Strangely, this routine has calmed me at least as much as it has Rudy, for our time together reminds me of something important: Whether life is long or short, all anyone possesses is the present, and all that matters is what is done in it. In that precious moment, the Old Man simply basks in love.
What a wonderful way to go through life—choosing to give and receive love, both acts of the will, in every moment. For me, what a triumphal reminder that the source and summit of the created universe is the perpetual presence not simply of something loving, but of Love itself.
Rudy needed me more when he was young, but as we both grow old, we need each other equally.
—Mike Kerrigan is an attorney in Charlotte, N.C.
Mike Kerrigan’s op-ed “Big Love for a Small Dog” (April 20) struck a chord. Shiloh, our 15-year-old cocker spaniel, is like Mr. Kerrigan’s Rudy, completely deaf and blind. We communicate with our small dog by scratching her ears and rubbing her tummy. While it is uncertain which of us will first reach the Rainbow Bridge, my wife and I are certain of one thing: We will be greeted at that destination by a rejuvenated and loving puppy by the name of Shiloh.
—SCOTT HOYNE Long Grove, Il
AND FINALLY, VIDEO: Dog has an adorable wiggle in his step when he goes for walks.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Windy. Cloudy skies will become partly cloudy in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High of 78. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Showers and thunderstorms likely tonight. “A” during the day.
SUNDAY: Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Thunder possible. High of 57. Chance of rain 90%. “D”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Bone of Contention: Could Courthouse Dogs Sway the Jury? More pooches work in the justice system, bringing hugs, wags and some controversy By Corinne Ramey Wall Street Journal April 24, 2024
In California’s Ventura County, there’s a well-dressed regular at the local courthouse who is always lying down on the job.
Comet, a 3-year-old black lab, wears a vest and bow tie to court and settles into the witness box before a trial starts. Jurors, who could be biased by the dog’s presence, are none the wiser. Unless Comet, snuggled at the testifying witness’s feet, nods off.
“The dog snores and it can get really stressful for us,” says Jennifer Barbettini, who works with crime victims at the Ventura County district attorney’s office. The witness typically nudges Comet awake before anyone notices.
The pack is growing. More than 320 courthouse dogs are working across the U.S., more than triple that of a decade ago, according to Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, founder of the nonprofit Courthouse Dogs Foundation.
Courthouse dogs such as Comet, typically working with prosecutors or victim advocates, often are used to comfort witnesses testifying in court or people, particularly alleged crime victims, during law-enforcement interviews.
You get someone who doesn’t want to talk, is street hardened and wants no part of being in the building,” says Brian Bendish, a prosecutor in Westchester County, N.Y., as Lewis, the 6-year-old Labrador retriever he lives and works with, looks on with puppy-dog eyes. “Then Lewis comes in and you can feel the change in their cooperation.”
But some defense attorneys are arguing that courtrooms have gone to the dogs.
“A dog signals to a jury that an alleged victim is sympathetic, needy or vulnerable,” says lawyer Jan Trasen, of Washington Appellate Project, a public-defender organization. “The accused person doesn’t get to sit there with props.”
“I love dogs,” adds Trasen, whose own mutt, Bear, was trained at a juvenile-detention center. “I just don’t think they belong in courtrooms.”
How do pooches get summoned for courthouse duty? Experts look for dogs—typically black labs, golden retrievers or a cross—that are emotionally stable and social, even with people they don’t know, says Flora Baird of Canine Companions, a nonprofit that breeds, trains and places service dogs, in addition to those in the justice system.
Trained to follow more than 40 commands and not bark on the job, these canines are paired with handlers who work in criminal justice and manage a dog as part of their role.
For Jason Kramer, a prosecutor in Denver, the process was akin to doggy speed dating. His first match, a labrador-golden retriever named Rita, was a bust. “She had me wrapped around her paw, and I wasn’t going to be a very good handler,” says Kramer. His current partner is Rita’s brother Rylan, who is more receptive to his commands.
Some regions are more court-dog friendly than others, says O’NeillStephens, of the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. “Out West it’s much more acceptable,” she says. “Along the East Coast, they see it as undignified.”
Nine states have laws explicitly allowing specially trained dogs in courtrooms. In others, including Maine and New York, efforts to pass similar legislation have thus far failed. “Some of my colleagues are concerned about fairness,” says state Sen. Pam Helming, a Republican who sponsors New York’s bill. Helming had visited Juno, a courthouse dog in Ontario County, which is in her upstate district. “This isn’t scientific, but when Juno gave me some kisses, my blood pressure probably dropped a little bit,” she says.
Kids are among the dogs’ biggest fans.
Victim advocate Shannon McFate, of the Denver district attorney’s office, asks children their favorite color before choosing neckwear for her office’s dog, Bodhi, from his 50- piece bow tie collection. Fawn Borden, in Arkansas, taught a dog named Roxy how to play Uno with those who come in for interviews.
Adults, too, appreciate a four-legged friend, although handlers learn to ask before bringing the canine variety. Once, Borden, who works with victims, took a dog along to an interview, but found the pup wasn’t welcome. “The woman showed up with a bunny, who was her emotional support animal,” she says.
Dog rules vary. In Arkansas, the law requires dogs to remain out of jurors’ sight. The stakes are high: If the canine pops out its head from the witness box, a judge could declare a mistrial, Borden says.
“We tell our clients, ‘Wear slip-on shoes, and you can use your foot to pet the dog,’” she says.
In some other states, judges instruct jurors not to let the dog’s presence impact their deliberations.
Objections by defense lawyers have led to a body of appellate law around the country, giving new meaning to the saying “a dog of a case.” Courts have largely ruled in favor of canines. When Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled in 2021 that trial judges have the discretion to allow witnesses to testify with dogs, the court noted one judge had taken several precautionary steps to prepare for the possibility that excited tail-wagging by a dog named Melody would make noise in the witness box.
Dog handlers face unique challenges. Kramer, the prosecutor in Denver, runs 15 minutes late because Rylan’s fans, from security guards to coffee vendors, stop him in the hallway. McFate, of the Denver district attorney’s office, is constantly battling Bodhi’s blond fur. “I feel like if I don’t have a roller with me it’s a fireable offense,” she says.
—Wall Street Journal
Kristi Noem writes of killing dog – and goat – in new book.
VIDEO: Rat hunting dogs in Sacramento….
Caught on video in Brooklyn…
A Stolen Dog Feels Like Losing a Child, Study Finds.
Meet Bella, the extremely rare five-legged puppy looking for a home in the Milwaukee area.
AND FINALLY…
A blog from our vault and Jennifer writing back in 2012 (updated):
I have suffered from seasonal & environmental allergies for most of my life. I have never had “allergy testing” because quite frankly I am too chicken to subject myself to the process. Generally I just take OTC antihistamines from first bloom to first frost and deal with it.
I tolerate a range of annoying allergic reactions besides ragweed and pollen. I have a severe reaction to nickel in metal so much to Kevin’s chagrin I can only wear “real” gold. I can’t come within 5 yards of a horse or I will break out in hives and have eyes so swollen I look like, well, I don’t know what. Just the other day, I tried a new brand of dish soap because I thought it smelled nice. “Big mistake,” my rash-covered hands told me.
Kevin, on the other hand, has no issues with things like this. The man can cut grass in a dust storm, pet a dozen dogs at one time, stand in a field of flowers and use any sort of soap/lotion/fragrance. If he sneezes once during the months of June, July and August it’s because he got pool water in his nose.
I truly hope that our daughter Kyla takes after her Daddy and has her own natural ability to fight allergens and not rely on a lifetime supply of Benadryl. I don’t know… with our luck, our poor offspring will sneeze in unison with Mommy from May through October and we’ll open the windows once during the summer season.
(UPDATE FROM FOX6 NEWS MILWAUKEE: “One word: Rough.” That’s how allergist and immunologist Dr. Khaled Girgis of HCA Midwest Health describes the 2023 allergy season we’re in for this spring. Allergies are the gift that keeps on giving. Those who suffer know all too well its impact on sleep, daytime alertness and overall function. Now with rising temperatures and increased pollen in the air, the arrival of spring allergy season is here, and doctors warn we’re in for a bumpy ride. After a mild winter season with less precipitation in most areas across the U.S., Girgis said pollen counts could skyrocket as it starts to warm up – as they did in key regions just a couple of weeks ago. “If spring turns out to be rainy, mold counts will go up,” he said. Girgis said there are three pollination seasons: spring, late May with grass, and mid-August when weed season kicks in).
So where am I going with all this nasal news? Well, if you think the two-legged members of your family are the only ones who can suffer this time of year think again. If you have noticed the family pooch scratching more, or sneezing uncontrollably then chances are he/she is suffering from seasonal allergies. Fortunately there are ways to cope just like there are for humans. Antihistamines are a possible source of relief, as are a short-term dose of steroids.
This year if you are itching & scratching, rubbing your eyes, sneezing and dealing with a raspy voice and scratchy throat; please don’t dismiss your dog may be suffering the same ways you are.
From a fellow allergy sufferer, good luck with summer.
—Jennifer Fischer, 03/17/2012 (revised)
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Partly cloudy. High of 49. “C”
SUNDAY: Sunny. High of 59. “B”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Here’s a column by Tammy Swift of The Forum, the major newspaper for Fargo, North Dakota:
When it is ‘only’ a dog tied to a tree, should we ignore it?
The dog is tied to a tree.
He is on a long leash, but has wrapped his tether around the tree so many times that he can barely move. He sits right up against the trunk so as not to yank on his collar.
I feel sorry for him. I want to walk over to untangle him, but know it’s unsafe to approach a strange animal in a strange yard.
At the time, I’m chatting with an acquaintance, who follows my line of sight to the dog. The man, who lives nearby, says he hates looking at the dog, because it is always tied to that tree. No one plays with him or pays attention to him — and he’s always outside, even when it’s freezing cold or brutally hot.
A little girl comes out of the house on the property where the dog lives and gets on her bike. Excited to see one of his humans, the dog springs into action. Unwinding himself, he pulls on his tether so he can get as close to her as possible. Then he barks and barks, as if to say: “You’re part of my pack. Can’t you see me? Can I come, too?”
She yells, “Shut up!” and pedals away.
It seems like this dog gets the bare minimum of everything to survive. A water bowl and food bowl within reach — but empty. I see no sign of shelter in sight, beyond the tree to which he’s tethered.
Why do people do this, I wonder. Maybe it’s the same old story: People see an adorable puppy in a pet store, then lose interest when it grows into a lanky adolescent. Or they don’t bother training the dog early on, so when it barks too much, jumps up on people or struggles with house-training, they ban it to an isolated outdoor existence.
What kind of life is this for a dog — a social, intelligent pack animal that lives to interact with its humans?
I wonder what the story could be behind this poor pooch, who also looks painfully thin. Perhaps he’s supposed to be a “watchdog,” raised in a purposefully austere and callous way so he’ll turn mean and distrust anyone outside of his family.
Or maybe these are the types of people who view a dog as a possession — an object that can be shot or dropped off in the country when the owners tire of it.
I struggle to give the owners some measure of grace. There might be money problems, which typically affect the care of the family pets first.
Or perhaps the problems inside that house are so great that no one has time to worry about the dog.
So I try to forget it. I push the sight of that poor creature to the back of my mind and go on with my day.
But several days have passed and I’m still thinking of that dog. That poor animal living its solitary life in such a small space that the grass is worn down around the tree.
Why should I care? Shelters are filled with dogs and cats that have experienced much worse abuse than this. The human capacity for cruelty toward other humans is great; why should I be surprised when that cruelty focuses on animals?
Yet I wonder how to ignore it. Should I be like everyone else who has driven by this yard and seen this dog, then chose to look the other way because they don’t wish to interfere? I’ve been accused of being oversensitive before, but is it oversensitive to care about a neglected and forgotten animal? Is it better to be hardened to the cruelties, both big and small, around us?
I call local law enforcement and report it.
Maybe they will be able to do something.
Or maybe they won’t. The owner could lie and make excuses, just as I’ve seen on the animal-rescue shows. “His ribs show because that’s the breed,” the property owner might say. “The kids love him. He’s usually in the house with us! He’s a member of the family!”
If that happens, his sad reality will continue. This 15-foot circle of yard. This leash. This tree. That’s his whole world, day after day after day.
But several days have passed and I’m still thinking of that dog. That poor animal living its solitary life in such a small space that the grass is worn down around the tree.
Why should I care? Shelters are filled with dogs and cats that have experienced much worse abuse than this. The human capacity for cruelty toward other humans is great; why should I be surprised when that cruelty focuses on animals?
Yet I wonder how to ignore it. Should I be like everyone else who has driven by this yard and seen this dog, then chose to look the other way because they don’t wish to interfere? I’ve been accused of being oversensitive before, but is it oversensitive to care about a neglected and forgotten animal? Is it better to be hardened to the cruelties, both big and small, around us?
I call local law enforcement and report it.
Maybe they will be able to do something.
Or maybe they won’t. The owner could lie and make excuses, just as I’ve seen on the animal-rescue shows. “His ribs show because that’s the breed,” the property owner might say. “The kids love him. He’s usually in the house with us! He’s a member of the family!”
If that happens, his sad reality will continue. This 15-foot circle of yard. This leash. This tree. That’s his whole world, day after day after day.
— For 35 years, Tammy Swift has shared all stages of her life through a weekly personal column. Her work has won awards from the Minnesota and North Dakota Newspaper Associations, the Society for Professional Journalists and the Dakotas Associated Press Managing Editors News Contest.
Bark Air is the first dog-centric airline but tickets are not cheap.
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: A mainly sunny sky. High of 68 “A”
SUNDAY: Sunny. Warm. High of 78. “A”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
VIDEO – Florida K9 Officer Helps Police Find Missing 3-Year-Old in Dense Forest Behind His Home The Epoch Times April 9, 2024
Midnight will work to the point of exhaustion—his best friend and handler’s exhaustion, that is—and still keep drudging on without stopping, until the job is done.
“He is very determined to find his goal because he wants his toy,” K9 handler Cpl. Damon Clark, with the Deland Police Department (DPD), told reporters after they successfully reunited a lost 3-year-old boy with his family on Friday, March 29.
All available assets and officers had been deployed that day to conduct a massive search focused on a wooded area behind the home of a family in DeLand, Florida, who had called in their missing son at 11:30 a.m.
Cpl. Clark and his K9 partner, Midnight, arrived at the home, and the boy’s mother brought out a blanket to give a scent to the dog trained in locating narcotics and missing people.
Cpl. Clark and K9 Midnight. (Courtesy of Deland Police Department)
“He kind of acts a little squirrely once he gets the odor, so then I send him on and he pulls,” the officer said. “We went on a 15 [-foot] lead, it gives him a little bit more room and leeway to bracket back and forth, and so I hang on and enjoy the ride.”
Plowing headlong into the dense thicket, the officer braved abrasive scratches to follow a now-energized Midnight to where he was leading them. Cpl. Clark read the K9’s movements to understand what was being told and sensed. It wasn’t long before the sounds of the boy’s crying were heard and they honed in on him through the vines, trees, and shrubbery.
Midnight is “very enthusiastic, he’s very loving,” the corporal said. “So he knew what he was tracking, and once he found the little boy he started licking him. Ran up to him, was licking his face, licking his arms.”
(Video Courtesy of Deland Police Department)
DPD officers and K9 Midnight rescue the toddler. (Courtesy of Deland Police Department)
The rescue represents their fifth missing person successfully recovered. Despite being bloodied and working up a sweat, the officer says it was “well worth it” to reunite the child with his parents.
For Midnight, though, another reward was in store.
“The dog tracks for his toy, so that’s his payment. So he’s like, ‘Hey, I found it, where’s my toy?’” the officer said.
“He would not stop. He wasn’t going to stop. I would physically exhaust myself well before the dog would,” Cpl. Clark said, speaking of Midnight’s work ethic. “As you would see from some of the videos, he was dragging me through the woods and he wasn’t going to stop.”
K9 Midnight, Cpl. Clark with his colleagues (back), the family of the 3-year-old, and their toddler. (Courtesy of Deland Police Department)
A father himself, the officer added, “I understand what it would be like to lose a child even for just a few minutes. It would be traumatic, so it’s always awesome to complete the mission.”
After the toddler was returned to his family, DPD posted a statement on Facebook, updating the community.
“The boy was unharmed and returned safely to his family. Officers gifted him with a DPD teddy bear, part of a recent donation to our department,” they wrote, posting photos of K9 Midnight, his handler, and the family with the child, safe and sound. “Good work to all teams involved! This is the outcome we hope for in these situations, a safe return!”
We do love a happy ending!
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Abundant sunshine. High around 50. “C”
SUNDAY: Cloudy with periods of rain. High of 46. Chance of rain 80%. “D”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
A police dog’s death has Kansas poised to increase penalties for killing K-9 officers.
It Was Crazy to Buy My Aging Mother a Puppy. It Was Also Brilliant. By Katie Roiphe Wall Street Journal April 6, 2024
IN AN AMBULANCE on the way to the emergency room, the EMTs are concerned that my 88-year-old mother is having a heart attack. My mother, however, is worried about how her dog, Ajax, is feeling. I tell her that I have arranged for someone to come and pick him up, but she keeps asking, from her gurney in the overcrowded emergency room, if I think he is OK.
Five years ago my sister and I, in a moment of lunacy, bought our mother, the writer Anne Roiphe, a tiny maltipoo in the hopes of assuaging her loneliness in this phase of life. We knew this was a controversial decision. She lived alone. Her mobility was terrible. She could barely walk around her apartment with a cane. How could she take care of a puppy?
My mother, however, was thrilled. Ajax immediately snuggled onto her lap. But he was also an agent of chaos. He chewed her books. He chewed through photo albums. He left half-chewed lamb and turtle toys for her to trip over. He ruined all of her rugs.
But what would these last years have been like for my mother without Ajax?
We generally condescend to animal love. We underestimate it, dismiss it, place it low on the hierarchy of affections, but maybe this is wrong. Ajax occupies an exalted place in my mother’s household. She is far more attuned to his every fluctuation of mood than I am with, say, my children.
Ajax is feted, petted, spoiled to such an extent that he is more maharajah than dog. My mother picks him up so much that he never learned to jump on or off a bed or sofa; he will not walk up stairs. Instead, he waits patiently for someone to carry him. He barks when she eats because she feeds him directly from her plate, though she denies it. He has an unruly mop of white hair just like her. “Ajax is not really a pet,” she once told me.
He gives her day narrative form. The need to feed him, give him water or worry about whether he is sick or tired or bored structures otherwise dreamy and floating patches of time. She ends the day with the warmth of his furry body next to hers in bed. Being needed or doted on by another creature is grounding.
When I invite my mother to a family dinner in Brooklyn, she insists on bringing the dog. To the rest of us, it feels like she is risking life and limb by loading Ajax, along with her walker, into a taxi and possibly getting tangled and tripping on the leash.
But she is more worried about him being lonely if she leaves him for a few hours than she is about breaking a hip. One of the most eloquent meditations on the mysterious potentialities of dog love is Sigrid Nunez’s “The Friend.” An older single woman who prizes the quiet of her one-bedroom life inherits a Great Dane named Apollo. She finds herself taking cabs home instead of the subway because she is so eager to get back to him. She writes, “What are we, Apollo and I, if not two solitudes that protect and border and greet each other?”
In his book “My Dog Tulip,” the writer J.R. Ackerley writes that when his beloved German shepherd died after their 16 years together, he felt like immolating himself on a funeral pyre. No human had ever made him feel that way. A particular intensity develops between people who live alone and their dogs. Marilyn Smith, a 78-year-old widow and psychotherapist in Long Island, named her fluffy havanese “Benny,” short for Benzodiazepine, a class of antianxiety drugs. “I know everything he is thinking and he knows everything I am thinking,” she told me. She has three grown boys but jokes that Benny is her “best son.”
My mother’s daughters and grandchildren are busy with work and school and relationships and dinners and trips. Many of her friends are sick or dead. When the human world turns away, when others are busy or distracted or ambivalent, a dog is steadfast. The bond is pure and constant.
In the hospital, my mother tells a nurse about Ajax. “Like the cleaning product?” The nurse asks. “No, the brave warrior from Greek mythology. He is in the Iliad.” A big name for a tiny fluff ball who can’t jump down from a couch, but he is her protector. He rarely takes his eyes off her. He doesn’t leave her side unless he is out with the dog walker. He barks at the steam heat coming out of the radiator, but she doesn’t find this annoying. Instead, she feels he is defending her.
As she is being discharged from the hospital, my mother says, “A home without someone you love is not a home but a memory.” She is referring, I think, to the absence of my father, her husband of 40 years, who died in 2005. I don’t know what to say in the face of this painfully accurate assessment. But then, at the thought of Ajax, she brightens, and I am grateful for this dog who is not a dog, this warrior against solitude.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
We’re back after a terrific family vacation in Disney World!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.t
TODAY: Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High of 48. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. “D”
EASTER SUNDAY: Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 45. “C”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Cloudy early then partly cloudy and windy later in the day. High of 54. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. “C”
SUNDAY: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. Colder. High of 37. “D”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
Dog deaths revive calls for end to Iditarod, the endurance race with deep roots in Alaska tradition.
BARKING LOT UPDATE: Have you ever wondered how accurate those pet DNA tests are? A pet DNA company sends back dog breed results from a human sample a second time. WBZ-TV in Boston reports…
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoo
TODAY: Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High of 58. “B”
SUNDAY: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High near 65. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. “A”
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
A number of US presidents have been distressed by troublesome family dogs.
Opinion Don’t blame Biden’s dogs for the blood on the White House floors
By Jill Abramson Washington Post February 26, 2024
A White House staffer walks Commander on the South Lawn on March 13, 2022. (Oliver Contreras for The Washington Post)
The White House has been the scene of violent episodes, most famously in 1814, when British troops ransacked it after President James Madison and his wife, Dolley, fled for safety in Maryland. Only rarely has blood been spilled.
That relatively spotless record was stained last week by shocking details in more than 400 pages of U.S. Secret Service documents detailing a spate of violent attacks, one of which left enough blood on the floor that a White House tour had to be interrupted while it was cleaned up.
Who was responsible for the savagery? Commander, the German shepherd owned by President Biden and his family. The dog was responsible for at least two dozen separate biting attacks on Secret Service agents over the course of a year ending last October, when Commander finally was exiled from the White House to live with other members of the first family.
The attacks are described in excruciating detail in Secret Service documents made public last week in response to a Freedom of Information Act requests from CNN and the Black Vault, a website that publishes unclassified government documents. In private emails between Secret Service agents, some of whom were bite victims, it’s clear that members of the protective team felt threatened by Commander and were sick with anxiety that someone would be very seriously hurt. In a memo from October 2022, an unnamed Secret Service technician described a biting incident and said they were “worried about the family pets behavior escalating and that … something worse was going to happen to others.”
Last June, according to the report, blood was spilled after Commander ran toward a Secret Service agent and sank his teeth into the agent’s left arm, leaving a wound that required stitches. An account of the incident states that “East Wing tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to blood from the incident being on the floors.” Apparently, there is a video of the attack, but it hasn’t been released.
Then, in July, according to one of the agency emails, Commander attacked an unnamed special agent from the presidential protective division’s counter-surveillance unit who was in Rehoboth, Del., to provide security coverage for the Bidens during their stay in the beachfront community. As the agent walked to a backyard security post, according to the email, Commander started to bark. However, the agent did not realize Commander was “loose and off leash.” What happened next, according to the report, is this:
“In the background SA [redacted] heard the voice of what [redacted] believes to be FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden yelling [redacted quote]. Commander ran toward the direction of post [redacted] booth and bit SA [redacted] in the left forearm. Causing a severe deep open wound. As result of the attack SA [redacted] started to loose (sic) a significant amount of blood from [redacted] arm.”
The agent received six stitches to his arm and antibiotics from the White House medical unit. Another Secret Service agent bitten by Commander in the fall of 2022 needed hospital treatment.
Commander had already been guilty of other biting incidents on top of the ones revealed last week — and he is not the only bad actor in the Biden canine pack. Major, a German shepherd the Bidens rescued, also attacked an agent and a National Park Service employee. Major was banished from the White House in late 2021 and sent to live with friends of the Bidens in Delaware. The Bidens apparently tried to keep the dogs under tighter supervision and sought remedial retraining, but to no avail. In the documents, agents complained that the dogs, even after being put on supposed high watch, would sometimes appear out of nowhere or be roaming around unsupervised. Indeed, just days after Commander was permitted to return to the White House, he bit another person. Finally, last fall, he was sent away for good.
I am a credentialed dog lover and first approached these documents with empathy for the Bidens and deep sympathy for the bitten agents. I’ve owned and tried my best to train four dogs. I wrote a dog blog documenting my experiences, both joyful and hair-raising, with a Golden Retriever puppy. Those experiences expanded into a book, “The Puppy Diaries,” published in 2011. Some of my dogs have displayed aggressive tendencies on occasion, but none were biters. Indeed, at the first serious growls — long before any biting threatened to occur — I called in trainers.
With the spirited Golden, I hired two trainers. The first used only positive reinforcement techniques and achieved only modest results, such as getting the puppy to stop eating my husband’s glasses. The other was called in after repeated, embarrassing episodes of leash aggression. This trainer was much firmer. In fact, he had worked for the New York City Police Department as the force’s official dog trainer.
I’ve never had to relinquish ownership of a pet. (Though I admit, when my children were small, I was sorely tempted to leave the hamster cage door open to the elements once or twice.) It must be incredibly painful to have to banish a dog.
An unnamed Biden friend is quoted in last week’s news coverage describing the first couple as “heartbroken” about the biting incidents. (“Heartbroken” is a term the Bidens have used to describe their reactions to U.S. military casualties, deadly natural disasters and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.)
Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden’s communications director, gave a statement last week to CNN. She said the family repeatedly tried to get a handle on the dog situation. Commander joined the Biden family as a puppy in December 2021.
“The president and first lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day,” Alexander said. “Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander.”
The White House does appear to be a challenge for dogs, especially German shepherds. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog, also named Major and also a German shepherd, bit Sen. Hattie Caraway (D-Ark.) and attacked British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, tearing MacDonald’s pants. President Theodore Roosevelt had a bull terrier named Pete who bit numerous people, even tearing the pants off the French ambassador.
But as I waded through the gory details of all these biting incidents, my empathy for the Bidens faded. Put plainly, these documents are a harrowing narrative of pet ownership in high places run dangerously amok. Two dogs belonging to the same family were both serial biters and had to be exiled. At some point, the trouble is not the animals — it’s the owners.
—Jill Abramson is a former executive editor of the New York Times
Longest sled dog race in eastern US is canceled because …
Dog Survives Two Weeks With Head Stuck in Biscotti Bucket.
Dog Adopted After 900 Days in Shelter Is Returned Within Hours.
Your Cat Up a Tree? Climbers Branch Out, Swing to the Rescue Betsy McKay Wall Street Journal Feb. 15, 2024
Ralphie had gotten himself into a hairy spot, out on a limb. His family was desperate to reach him, but couldn’t.
Why not? Ralphie is a cat. The gray shorthair in Richfield, Ohio had discovered that climbing up a tree was easy, yet now he was unable to get down.
His family spent days chasing their tails, looking for help. Finally, they found Duane Hook, a tree climber who specializes in the high-tech fixing of feline misadventure.
Armed with ropes, harnesses, and a way with cats, Hook launched himself after Ralphie, who had clawed his way up a towering backyard maple and catwalked onto a spindly branch. Traversing expertly around limbs and leaves, Hook closed in on the fretting feline.
“It was like he was Tarzan in the tree,” recalls Connie Palmer, Ralphie’s owner, of Hook.
Finally, cats have found humans almost worthy of liberating them from perilous perches. Hook is one of many skilled tree climbers and arborists branching out into the crucial service of freeing cats from places cats aren’t meant to be.
There are enough of these experts that there is a worldwide directory. They deploy the whole kit and caboodle: honed climbing techniques, cutting-edge equipment, fluency in cat-speak and feline bribery (Churu cat treats are like “crack cocaine for cats,” Hook says). They call themselves cat rescuers—but they know better. For the most part the cat is in charge.
“Cats have this pride—they don’t want to admit they need help from this human,” says Hook, who makes cat calls through his volunteer service, “Getmeowtahere Treetop Cat Rescue.” He delivered about 50 felines back to earth last year within driving distance of his home in the Columbus, Ohio area, and can tick off many tales, including one involving a 25-pounder called “Fat Cat.”
It isn’t clear how many cats take a sudden fancy to high-rise living. There is no official cat-alog of stuck-cat events, though a search online shows it is fairly commonplace. Many fire departments rescue cats. But they are also often busy helping humans, or may not always have high-enough equipment. So they, 911 dispatchers, and veterinarians frequently send distressed relatives to experienced tree climbers.
Climbing takes skill, but winning a cat’s trust can be the trickiest part, says Tom Otto, who rescued 726 cats last year and more than 75 so far this year with fellow arborist Shaun Sears in western Washington state, through their nonprofit Canopy Cat Rescue. “We try to build rapport with the cat,” Otto says.
He used his cat-whisperer bona fides recently with Bynx, a brown and white tabby up a Douglas fir. After more than 30 minutes of climbing, Otto encountered a big-eyed kitty with a frightened look. Otto played it cool and pretended not to pay attention to her. When he finally tried to pet her, she bolted even higher. They were at 185 feet—his highest ascent ever for a cat.
“I got the sense she was just really scared and just wanted some help,” he recalls. He moved up and softly pet the tip of her tail. This time, she turned and walked toward him on a twig, her paws and legs covered in resin. Otto scooped her up, whisked her into a net, and got a quick video on his phone. (Yes—because who doesn’t want to watch a video of a cat rescue?— climbers also, thankfully, litter their social-media accounts with cute cat content.)
Canopy Cat Rescue’s other recent clients include Bowser, Thumbelina, Roxy, Yeti and Bagel, who was stuck for nearly a week in a huge cedar tree.
“When folks call, we ask, ‘Hey, is your cat friendly?’” says Sears. “Does your cat run and hide when strangers come over? They’re going to act up a tree how they act on the ground.”
In the tree, the Canopy Cat Rescue arborists interpret vocalizations and body language. A high-pitched fast meow might be, hey, open to some help here, while Sears says a low growly one could mean “a kitty that is not super excited to get handled up in the tree.”
A cat happy for assistance might have its tail up like a flag, rub its head on a branch, or “make biscuits” with its paws, he adds. A skittish kitty might swish its tail or pull its ears back.
Can one scratch out a living as a cat rescuer? Many raise money or take donations rather than charge. Otto and Sears have also been given a dozen eggs, a plaster skull and a wooden statue of a cat with its tongue out.
Only a cat knows for sure why it scoots up a tree. Many are running from predators, Otto says. It is easy for cats to get up because they have front-facing claws, says Bob Reese, a cat rescuer in Huntsville, Ala. Getting down is harder.
A cat instinctively wants to descend head first, he says, “but they quickly learn that it doesn’t work.” He trained three of his cats to back down, using a harness and leash. Once a cat’s tail end points downward, says Reese, “gravity takes over and they shimmy backwards down the tree.”
It isn’t a hard rule, but most rescuers prefer to wait until a cat has been in a tree awhile before responding. “They haven’t submitted to their situation that they need help until they’ve been up there 24 hours,” Hook says. “They still think their options are better.” Owners can find that hard to digest. “I honestly do more counseling of humans than I do rescuing of cats.”
Hook, an engineer and packaging manager at a brewery, started rescuing cats in 2010. He already was a passionate tree climber, had cats and learned other climbers were saving felines from trees. “I thought, I have these skills and I’m good with cats.”
He kept at it, motivated by the challenge.
“These cats never choose to climb the trees I would choose to climb,” he says. “It tickles the problem-solving part of my brain.”
Ralphie had been stuck in the maple tree for five days by the time Hook arrived one evening after a 10-hour workday. With Ralphie meowing pitifully, Hook launched a line.
Secured with his harness and ropes and wearing a camera, he climbed up and through the canopy and inched along the branches.
By the time he reached Ralphie’s spot, the cat had crawled out toward the end of a thin branch. “C’mon kitty, kitty, kitty,” he called, offering tuna-flavored treats. Ralphie wasn’t buying it.
Using his climbing gear and a saw, Hook bent the branch and coaxed his target onto another limb. “Ralphie, why don’t you let me help you, buddy?” he pleaded, as the cat moved away again.
“OK Ralph, I’ve chased you all over this friggin’ tree,” Hook said, after a long pursuit. He pulled the limb with Ralphie toward him, and before the scared cat could escape, snatched him up and into a sack.
“Hey guys?” he called down to Ralphie’s owners. “The cat’s in the bag!”
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
The Barking Lot is a regular weekly feature of This Just In…Originally written by both my lovely wife, Jennifer and me, this blog brings you the latest news about our furry friends including articles, columns, photos and videos. Enjoy!
THE WEEKEND DOG-WALKING FORECAST: We grade the weather outlook for taking your pet outdoors.
TODAY: Snow and ice reamin on streets and sidewalks after Friday’s snow showers. Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High of 37. “D”
SUNDAY: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High of 54. “D” in the morning, “B” in the afternoon
Speaking of dog walking…
Why skipping your dog’s walk is a bigger deal than you think
For dogs, only hanging out in their backyard is like reading the same book again and again
By Kelly Conaboy Washington Post February 20, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST
My landlord recently installed a fence around the shared front yard of our building in Upstate New York. Each of her tenants has a dog, and she thought it would be nice to provide a safe off-leash space where they can run around and chase a ball. But this act of kindness has introduced an unfortunate new temptation. When it’s time for one of my dog’s three daily walks and the weather is bad, or I’m particularly busy (or particularly lazy), I now sometimes think: “Maybe I’ll just let him into the yard?”
Of course, I’m happy to have a place to let him out for quick pee breaks. But I fear falling into a pattern of regularly skipping walks. Research indicates that many humans do: A 2011 study from Michigan State University on the benefits of dog-walking found only two-thirds of its subjects routinely walked their dogs. According to experts, this forgoing of walks doesn’t only make neurotic dog guardians like myself feel guilty. It can significantly affect your dog’s emotional and physical well-being.
“First of all, dogs don’t exercise by themselves, for the most part,” says Stephanie Borns-Weil, an assistant clinical professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The amount of exercise a dog needs varies based on age, breed and health — it can be as little as 30 minutes a day or as much as a few hours — but virtually all dogs need exercise in some form.
The typical yard, Borns-Weil says, just doesn’t offer enough stimulation to prompt an adequate amount of movement. Unless you’re spending time playing with your dog, “they’re just going to sit there,” she says, “because the space is familiar.” She compared it to reading the same book over and over again, or seeking enrichment by hanging out in your bathroom.
This need for exercise, while crucial, isn’t even the most important reason to walk your dog. They may or may not get some exercise in the yard, Borns-Weil says, “but they’re not getting companionship [from their human], and they’re not getting the mental stimulation that comes from seeing new things, or, from the point of view of a dog, sniffing new things.” Dogs who don’t have these needs met “are subjected to some of the same effects of long-term chronic stress on their health that people are,” she says, ranging from depression and anxiety, to problems with the immune system. (Studies have found that dogs in shelters, too, benefit from direct human interaction, which reduces stress and stress-related behaviors.)
To help your dog get the most out of her walk, let her explore. “Sniffing is the way that dogs experience the world,” says Valli Fraser-Celin, a humane dog training advocate. Where humans have 6 million olfactory receptors, research shows dogs can have up to 300 million; it’s how they acquire information about their environment and communicate. Dogs can tell which animals have been nearby — including sniffing out their gender and information about their health. A friend’s dog walker used to equate the act of sniffing to a dog “checking their email.”
But so often, humans hurry them along, prioritizing exercise (or their own schedule) over their dog’s interest in the world around them. “It would be like taking me to the Smithsonian Institute,” Borns-Weil says, “and I’m wanting to stop and look at the exhibits, and somebody says, hey, hurry up, we’re just exercising, keep walking.”
Allowing a dog to pull off to the side and sniff whenever he wants can feel wrong to those accustomed to outdated, dominance-focused training methods, which prioritize obedience above all else (and which are based on a long-debunked, but still persistent theory). Fraser-Celin warns against getting wrapped up in that mind-set.
It isn’t necessary that your dog walk obediently behind or beside you, or that they only stop to sniff when you grant permission. What’s important is that you pay attention to what they’re communicating, and help them meet their needs. “If your dog wants to sniff every blade of grass,” Fraser-Celin says, “then that’s what they want to do on their walk.”
After some amount of time, you can usher them to a new area to sniff, or you might even designate a portion of the walk for sniffing and a portion for exercise. But, above all, guardians need to take the animals’ lead, Fraser-Celin says, “rather than focusing on what our intentions are for the walk.” And if your dog isn’t into meeting strangers, canine or human, don’t feel pressured to acquiesce to those who insist their dog “is friendly!” or “all dogs love me!”
“Whenever you’re out in the world, it’s important to be an advocate for your dog’s needs,” Borns-Weil says. “Your dog is not public property.”
For dogs just learning leash skills, Fraser-Celin recommends starting in the house, or another area free from distractions, and using a well-fitted harness to take the pressure off their neck. (A fanny pack full of treats also comes in handy, I can tell you from experience.) If more help is needed, you might consider working with a positive reinforcement trainer. And if you feel your dog is uncomfortable walking, or has developed what seem like new fears or behavioral issues, Borns-Weil recommends a checkup to rule out medical problems. If your dog has a significant amount of anxiety around walking, it may be an issue for a veterinary behaviorist.
As for my dog, I can barely get one-third of the way into the question “Do you want to go for a walk?” before he’s jumping with excitement. Whenever I’m tempted to flake out on him, I try to remind myself of that. Plus, he’s not the only one to whom I’d be doing a disservice. Spending this time with me is important for his health and well-being, yes, but it’s just as important for mine. Studies have shown what many dog lovers likely already know — that canine companionship and dog walking can reduce stress, benefit health, lower medical costs and decrease depression and anxiety. It’s a gift we can give each other. Fenced-in yard be damned.
—Kelly Conaboy is a writer in New York who covers dogs, culture and dog culture
Time now for DOGS IN THE NEWS, canines that made headlines the past week.
RELATED READING-The following column appeared in the NY Times on Aug. 23, 2023:
Consider This Before You Judge Commander (or Any Other Dog)
Any dog can bite. It is the special misfortune of dogs living in the most famous house in the United States to have their bites widely publicized, amplified and scrutinized. And so when Commander, the German shepherd who lives with President and Jill Biden, began biting, his behavior made headlines.
The story, I think, is bigger than the question of whether Commander is showing “aggressive behavior,” as an email from a Secret Service agent put it. I’m chary about assuming that Commander means to maim. Even in my hesitation, though, I know that when it comes to our dogs, we still like to characterize them in categorical terms, as good or bad. We blame the breed or blame the owner.
Neither is correct. The real story is that we are still holding dogs to standards they cannot possibly understand, while at the same time failing to really observe them and understand their behavior on their own terms.
Commander is not the first biter in the White House. The Bidens’ previous dogs Champ and Major were sent back to Delaware in March 2021, after what was described as a biting incident. Teddy Roosevelt had a bull terrier called Pete who bit a Navy Department clerk and tore off the pants of the French ambassador. Franklin D. Roosevelt exiled his dog — also, coincidentally, a German shepherd called Major — after he bit the British prime minister, as well as the first woman elected to the Senate, Hattie Caraway. (Lest anyone start hand-wringing about German shepherds, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier Meggie, a squat, short-legged dog, was a biter: She was sent away after biting a journalist.)
Why do dogs bite? As much as we like looking to our own behavior to interpret a dog’s actions, this is one case among many in which it is not apt. A biting man is well outside social norms. But biting is part of every dog’s normal behavioral repertoire. From 3 weeks of age, puppies are biting — which is to say, they are using their mouths to explore the world — to taste it, grab it, manipulate it. If they are growing up around other dogs, they very likely will bite them, too, and learn from the response what happens when they bite too hard.
Early development marks the beginning of dogs’ learning to inhibit their bites, knowledge that will serve them well in their future social interactions with other animals, including people. If a dog is not properly socialized in early life — exposed to other dogs, people and any other animals they’ll be living with — they won’t get that all-important feedback. By 5 weeks of age, puppies are mouths with tails, and their teeth are sharp.
Only a few weeks later, puppies may wind up in a human home. The ease with which we can adopt or buy a dog (you could purchase a puppy with PayPal in the time it takes you to read this article) obscures the fact that dogs do not arrive at your home with a clear understanding of how you expect them to behave. Among the concepts that are fundamentally perplexing to dogs is that, while they use their mouths operationally, we reserve our mouths for breathing, speaking, eating and kissing, for the most part — and expect dogs to as well. Even more challenging, dogs frequently use mouthing and biting in play with one another without incident. So dogs need to learn that while they are free to bite toys, sticks, objects and other dogs in various contexts, they are never free to bite you.
This does not stop people from reacting with alarm at any sort of dog bite, often resorting to killing the dog. It is worth pausing here to interrogate what exactly a bite is.
When we read about biting dogs, it is often assumed that they are biting aggressively, with intent to harm or kill. That is certainly one possible aim of a bite. But a well-socialized dog might do plenty of nonaggressive biting. Some biting we could call gentle biting or mouthing: putting one’s mouth on a person, often when the dog is playing or excited. These are not aggressive bites, nor are they, typically, damaging ones.
There is also a warning bite: A dog might snap her teeth defensively if startled or afraid. The resultant bite could be damaging, but the intent is not aggressive. A bite could be done reflexively, as in a case in which a person grabs a stick of interest to a dog or takes his food away prematurely. This kind of protective gesture is an indication that the person has failed to see what the dog thinks of as his own. A bite could be done to scold, as when a mother dog bites her puppies when they nurse too hard or bother her. This bite is an interdog communication of a line being crossed.
Since I am a researcher of animal behavior, my approach to Commander’s biting would be, in essence, to ask him what he means by his bite. I have not been a witness to any of the reported bites, but if I were, I would look to describe their context in order to help differentiate the kind and reason for each instance.
Did someone suddenly approach Commander (surprising him)? Does it look as if he was in pain or in an uncomfortable situation (the bite as information about his discomfort)? Did he give warning signs like a growl or bark before biting (defensively)? Was the bite done in response to a spirited gesture or a chase (playfully)? What did the dog do after the bite — continue to bite or step back? Bark and jump (more assertive) or roll on his back, exposing his belly (more submissive or playful)?
There is no one kind of bite, nor is there any bite without a prompt, internal or external. To know what to do with a biting dog — to even know how to talk about what he did — we need to understand that context. Even so, as some people were hospitalized after being bitten, the meaning of Commander’s bites might be secondary. Whether he intended it or not, his mouth can inflict damage.
Many sweet, laid-back dogs living as pets in our homes might be stressed to the point of developing a lively biting habit if they lived in the White House, faced with so many people, so much noise and so many camera eyes directed at them, handling by multiple people and lacking the typical owned dog’s straightforward daily routine. The White House acknowledged this in a statement, saying, “The White House complex is a unique and stressful environment for family pets.”
I agree, and the answer isn’t that the dog needs better training. There’s no bad dog, Mr. President, but there are better and worse environments for a dog to be a dog.
Opinion: The love of a corgi saved a homeless man. The love of his friends couldn’t
BY TED ROGERS LA Times FEB. 20, 2024 3:05 AM PT
My dad had a simple rule: If someone needs your help, and you can give it, you do.
So it was an easy decision for my wife and me to foster an older corgi in 2020 so that the dog’s owner, a professional man who had lost his job and slid into addiction and homelessness, could go to rehab and have a chance to get back on his feet. We took the corgi into our Hollywood apartment, gave it a bath, and set about trying to heal the stress and trauma it had suffered.
The dog helped us heal too, from the loss of our own beloved corgi months earlier. And after its owner got sober, and was given help finding a job and place to live, the joy when they went home together made any sacrifices we had made seem more than worth it.
Over time, the man became a kind and generous friend to us, driving me to doctor’s appointments when diabetes made me give up my car, and taking us to dinner and the Hollywood Bowl. He even offered financial help after the company my wife had worked for shut down.
It seemed like a literal Hollywood happy ending. But while celluloid stories wrap up in tidy ways, real life seldom does.
On Saturday, Nov. 11, a massive arson fire erupted underneath the 10 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. In the aftermath, this incident brought into focus how critical underinvestment in the state’s infrastructure could lead to a far worse outcome.
It didn’t take long for cracks to show again.
On the surface, the man had regained the stability and success he once had enjoyed. But underneath, we saw self-doubt and distress. He was afraid to take his corgi into public spaces, quickly undoing the work we had done to socialize the dog. And then, the beloved corgi was diagnosed with cancer and canine dementia.
Eventually the poor dog was unable to recognize the man it had loved for so long, and in the fall of 2022 our friend had to let the one true love of his life go. My wife and I tried to be there for him, feeling the loss of the dog we had once fostered too, but the man withdrew and we struggled to maintain contact.
He’d periodically resurface, describing his deep, depressive hole, and how he had crawled back into the bottle to cope. He seemed to fear what we’d think. But another lesson from my dad, which has stuck with me for all these years, is that no one is my better, and no one is beneath me.
So I tried to remind the man that the only shame in falling is not getting up again. He adopted another dog, a corgi puppy, about a month after his first dog passed, but it didn’t seem to help. He began cycling through a series of jobs, losing one position after another. He disappeared for weeks at a time.
Our fears for our friend deepened during the recent holidays when we heard nothing from him. Our texts, calls and emails went unanswered. We waited for him to resurface.
Finally, in mid-January we received a call from the man’s building manager. She had gone to his apartment to see why he hadn’t paid the rent. She found our friend dead on the floor.
The medical examiner concluded he had died from a heart attack sometime around the first of the year. His new corgi had been locked in his crate possibly for as long as 10 days, without food or water. The man’s neighbors have now taken it in.
In the end, we think our friend died of a broken heart. We know how hard he took the death of the corgi we fostered. I like to think he and his dog are together again, somewhere.
We took my father’s lesson literally. We saved a corgi to help save a homeless man. We tried, and failed, to save the man too.
—Ted Rogers is a writer and creative director. He is the editor of BikinginLA.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
We’d really appreciate it if you forward this on to other dog lovers you know. Let them have some fun!
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This Just In... From Franklin, WI 