By Shannon Wells, Elaine Bailey, Laurent Keller and Prof. Dr. Patrick Kim Cheng Low/Sik-Liong Ang, MBA
Cats: Live in each moment - Cats ALWAYS live in the NOW. They are fully present in the moment. Even when that moment involves napping! They enjoy the NOW and make the most of it, whatever the day presents for them. NOW is where life happens! Not next week or next month, it's always in the moment. Have you ever seen a cat worrying about workloads or their To-Do List?! How much time do you spend fully present in the NOW?
There is another valuable lesson we can learn from our feline friends: Teach others how to treat you - Cats live by the instructions in their own Operating Manuals. If a cat doesn't like something, it simply chooses not to participate and just walks away. Cats are independent decision makers. They decide and then they act. It's easy to live our own life by someone else's interpretation of our Operating Manual. We live by their perceptions of what we should do and how we should act. We become a People Pleaser saying 'Yes' when we really want to say 'No. 'Who's Operating Manual are you working from?
The Horse: In the Western tradition, there is always a wild horse in us and one in which we, as a person or leader needs to tame or put it under control. That wild horse can be our emotions and feelings. The leader should be emotionally stable, and in fact, possess high emotional quotient .It is worthy to note that horses also have a great sense of balance, in part due to their ability to feel their footing and in part due to the highly developed proprioceptive abilities(that is, the unconscious sense of where the body and limbs are at all times) (Thomas,1998). In this aspect, leaders need to be high in self-monitoring, with a good sense of balance and flexibility, mixing with all kinds of people. Having a good sense of balance and a wide area of interests, a leader would not be too rigid, lop-sided and easily stressed. Low self-monitoring, with limited options open, can often act inflexibly or be inflexible(DuBrin, 2007), and people who are flexible and skilled in networking and mixing with different groups of people usually score high on the self-monitoring factor.
Dogs: Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. If what you want is buried, dig deep until you find it. Never pass up an opportunity to go for a joy ride. And, when someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Geese: Now here’s a bunch that knows what synergy truly means. If you’ve ever seen a flock of wild geese flying overhead, you know that they do so in a V formation. Now V may stand for victory, but it also stands for common sense and practicality. The leader of the bunch is the goose at the tip of the V. All the other birds are able to fly easier because of the uplift caused by its wings. And each of the birds that follow fly assisted by the previous bird’s uplift. This way, by pooling their resources and helping the weaker ones, the geese are able to travel 71 percent more than they normally could. Also, when the leader tires, it falls back and another goose takes its place. So for synergy and cooperation, look no further than the geese.
Ants: Colonies operate through organised co-operation and task-sharing. Ants work together to capture prey that is bigger than they are; they can call up extra workers when an abundant food source is discovered; they can defend a colony by repelling invaders. Weaver ants use silk squeezed from ant larvae to “glue” leaves together for nest building. Nursemaid ants look after eggs, larvae and pupae, moving them from place to place each day depending on the temperature. Ants of Switzerland’s Jura region search out antibacterial spruce resin and distribute it within their nests to reduce the number of pathogens.
The secret behind such organised societies is communication and the innate ability to work together. It is these two qualities which are not only the key to the ants success but more specifically to their survival.
Dolphins: Dolphin trainers will attest to the fact that these beautiful beasts of the sea are not like other animals – they don’t respond positively to threats or punishments of any kind. Rather, if you want the dolphin to do your bidding, you must coax, cajole and praise. In our world too, praise and encouragement work much better in getting people to do your bidding willingly. The operative word here is “willingly” because any task done unwillingly is never well done.
Read more about leadership in the animal kingdom
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Halloween Costume Contest For Your Pets
Our friends at Feathers N Fins are hosting a Pet Costume Contest this Saturday, October 30th at GPO (3pm)
Dress your dog up as an ice cream sundae...
Or perhaps a pirate
And if you are lucky enough to have a "special" dog then NASCAR is really the only way to go
Dress your dog up as an ice cream sundae...
Or perhaps a pirate
And if you are lucky enough to have a "special" dog then NASCAR is really the only way to go
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
GAIN Gets Around
GAIN volunteers Cindy Bartels,Corinne Lopez and Julie Grady met with students from Tamuning Christian Fellowship. The kids lovedour mascots Wheels, Ebony and Macon and that admiration was mutual
Macon w/ Guam Fire & Rescue
If you don't already know Macon's story please click the photo below. It will really help you appreciate just how far he has come. He is our hero and this picture is a testament to the valiant efforts of all of the compassionate souls who have heard his astonishing story and stepped up to help him on his long road to recovery
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Suffolk approves animal abuse registry bill
The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill to create a law establishing a county registry for animal abuse offenders, the first of its kind in the nation.
The new law allows the county to create a public registry of convicted animal abusers, in which the names, aliases, addresses and photographs of animal abusers would compiled in a searchable database, much like the state's sex offender registry. The convicted abusers would pay a $50 annual fee for upkeep of the registry, and those who fail to register would be charged $1,000 or face jail time.
A public hearing for a second bill, which would require pet stores and animal shelters to check the registry before allowing anyone to purchase or adopt an animal, was tabled for a later date.
If approved, that law would prohibit pet stores from selling an animal to a convicted abuser.
Roy Gross, who heads the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said his group, which deals with over 2,000 animal abuse cases in the county per year, believes the animal abuse registry will help to save animals.
“Most serial killers began as animal abusers,” he said. “It's a known fact: people who hurt animals hurt people too.”
The new law allows the county to create a public registry of convicted animal abusers, in which the names, aliases, addresses and photographs of animal abusers would compiled in a searchable database, much like the state's sex offender registry. The convicted abusers would pay a $50 annual fee for upkeep of the registry, and those who fail to register would be charged $1,000 or face jail time.
A public hearing for a second bill, which would require pet stores and animal shelters to check the registry before allowing anyone to purchase or adopt an animal, was tabled for a later date.
If approved, that law would prohibit pet stores from selling an animal to a convicted abuser.
Roy Gross, who heads the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said his group, which deals with over 2,000 animal abuse cases in the county per year, believes the animal abuse registry will help to save animals.
“Most serial killers began as animal abusers,” he said. “It's a known fact: people who hurt animals hurt people too.”
Lawmakers Consider an Animal Abuse Registry
California may soon place animal abusers on the same level as sex offenders by listing them in an online registry, complete with their home addresses and places of employment.
The proposal, made in a bill introduced Friday by the State Senate’s majority leader, Dean Florez, would be the first of its kind in the country and is just the latest law geared toward animal rights in a state that has recently given new protections to chickens, pigs and cattle.
Mr. Florez, a Democrat who is chairman of the Food and Agriculture Committee, said the law would provide information for those who “have animals and want to take care of them,” a broad contingent in California, with its large farming interests and millions of pet owners. Animal protection is also, he said, a rare bipartisan issue in the state, which has suffered bitter partisan finger-pointing in the wake of protracted budget woes. Read full article here
The proposal, made in a bill introduced Friday by the State Senate’s majority leader, Dean Florez, would be the first of its kind in the country and is just the latest law geared toward animal rights in a state that has recently given new protections to chickens, pigs and cattle.
Mr. Florez, a Democrat who is chairman of the Food and Agriculture Committee, said the law would provide information for those who “have animals and want to take care of them,” a broad contingent in California, with its large farming interests and millions of pet owners. Animal protection is also, he said, a rare bipartisan issue in the state, which has suffered bitter partisan finger-pointing in the wake of protracted budget woes. Read full article here
Are animal abusers properly punished? Area officials weigh in on use of Buster’s Law
By KATIE NOWAK
For The Saratogian
Chester Williamson was 16 when he killed Buster, an 18-month-old tabby cat, by dousing the animal with kerosene and lighting it on fire in Schenectady in 1997. Williamson received three years probation and court-ordered psychiatric counseling, a punishment that many felt did not match the severity of his crime.
That act of violence, and the subsequent fallout from public demand that more be done to punish people like Williamson, directly influenced the state Legislature’s passage of Buster’s Law in 1999, which makes some acts of animal cruelty felonies.
The fervor surrounding Buster’s death more than 10 years ago was echoed in recent weeks with the news that Robert Clow — who allegedly killed his girlfriend’s dog, Daisy, by tying her to a tree and shooting her three times with a .44 caliber Magnum — will not be charged under Buster’s Law.
In defending his decision not to charge Clow with a felony, Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally previously told The Record in Troy that the statutes of Buster’s Law do not comply with this case because Clow’s conduct was not “intended to cause extreme physical pain or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner.”
Instead, McNally said Clow killed Daisy because she was feeding on or playing with the carcass of a dead cat on his girlfriend’s porch. If done to specifically cause his girlfriend pain and suffering, as some animal rights activists claim, then it would have been elevated to a felony, he said.
“I get a lot of calls on almost every one of these cases,” McNally said. “People feel very strongly about animal abuse, and that’s understandable. And I think some folks would like to see every animal abuse case be a felony, but that’s just not the status of the law.”
Indeed, though it has resulted in hundreds of convictions throughout the state since its inception, the law has not often been applied within the Capital District. A survey of local district attorneys found few convictions under Buster’s Law throughout the past few years, compared with a larger number of misdemeanor animal cruelty cases.
Rensselaer County has had only one Buster’s Law case under McNally’s watch, when Hoosick Falls resident Michael Lohnes killed a stranger’s pet horse, named Skye, in 2008 by stabbing it as many as 20 times and slitting its throat. Initially charged with a misdemeanor, Lohnes was eventually convicted of felony aggravated animal cruelty and was sentenced in February to up to seven years in prison.
McNally said the conviction was “a pretty hard one … probably the biggest one I’ve seen in this district.”
Another high-profile Rensselaer County case was that of Matthew Beck, the Hoosick Falls dog warden who in 2009 shot several stray dogs in the head and buried them in a manure pile on his property. Beck was not charged under Buster’s Law and instead pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors. He spent only two weekends in jail and received three years’ probation at his sentencing in March.
The most recent Buster’s Law case in the Capital District occurred earlier this month when Justin C. Taylor of Ballston Spa allegedly killed his girlfriend’s Chihuahua during a domestic dispute.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III alleges that Taylor, a member of the Air National Guard, punched, kicked and then threw the dog, Kelvin, against the floor and wall, causing severe head trauma that eventually killed the tiny animal. In addition to assault charges against his girlfriend, Taylor faces two years in prison for the death of Kelvin. The case is pending.
Murphy said he has used Buster’s Law in a number of other cases, “in instances of severe and significant abuse. Studies show that when someone is willing to batter, torture, harm an animal, it’s not unusual for them to take the next step and harm a human.”
That was one of the driving forces behind the passage of Buster’s Bill, said the man who championed it, state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Schenectady.
Williamson killed Buster in Tedisco’s district, and Tedisco said he was inundated with phone calls from constituents and animal rights activists after the crime, clamoring for more to be done. Tedisco called the chief of police, who told him that while the crime was a misdemeanor, it should be considered a felony, since the FBI lists animal cruelty as a bridge crime, leading to other harmful activity in the future.
Williamson himself illustrated that grim concept. Over the next 10 years, he served a half-dozen stints in county jail, went to state prison on two felony charges and, in 2008, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old mentally disabled girl he lured to a park near her home. He’s currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
After Buster’s death, Tedisco sought to protect the world from people like notorious serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, both of whom had backgrounds of animal abuse.
“It’s important not only for our family pets, it’s important for our families and children to get these guys off the streets and get them some counseling and straighten them out,” Tedisco said. “I think a number of people across this state, the nation and the world will understand that these pets are part of our families. They give us unconditional love, and if we have that much disregard for these creatures, we tend to see that we have disregard for even humans later on, because that’s what directions these individuals take.”
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney agreed with McNally’s assessment that not every case of abuse falls under Buster’s Law.
“It has to be fairly egregious conduct, but we’ve had that, unfortunately,” he said.
An example of that conduct is Thomas Hendricks II, who was sentenced to two years in county jail in May after he killed his wife’s two dachshund puppies, both less than a year old, and severely burned her toy poodle. He held one puppy under water and squeezed it to death, and beat the other with a pool cue. The poodle survived its injuries and was later readopted.
While heinous acts of animal abuse are ongoing in the Capital District, Tedisco is hopeful that Buster’s Law can eventually be amended and expanded to encompass all manners of abuse, and that the law can be applied appropriately. He disagrees with McNally’s decision not to apply the law in the Clow case, and thinks it’s representative of an overall misunderstanding of the law.
“We’re making headway, but these high-profile cases, where they pooh-pooh the law and have these misdemeanors and the low penalties, take us one step back,” Tedisco said. “We have to speak out when we see these types of things where the reality suggests this is a felony.”
Tedisco is pushing to further educate law enforcement officials, district attorneys, judges and the public about the dangers animal abusers pose to others. He also has several bills in the works that would set up a hotline to report abuse and animal hoarding, expand the definition of “companion animal” set forth in Buster’s Law and create a registry that would prevent an abuser who didn’t undergo mandatory counseling from adopting or purchasing a pet.
“I think we’ve come a million miles, and I think we’ve got 10 million miles to go,” Tedisco said. “I’m not totally displeased with the effectiveness of the law, but I think we have to continue to do more
For The Saratogian
Chester Williamson was 16 when he killed Buster, an 18-month-old tabby cat, by dousing the animal with kerosene and lighting it on fire in Schenectady in 1997. Williamson received three years probation and court-ordered psychiatric counseling, a punishment that many felt did not match the severity of his crime.
That act of violence, and the subsequent fallout from public demand that more be done to punish people like Williamson, directly influenced the state Legislature’s passage of Buster’s Law in 1999, which makes some acts of animal cruelty felonies.
The fervor surrounding Buster’s death more than 10 years ago was echoed in recent weeks with the news that Robert Clow — who allegedly killed his girlfriend’s dog, Daisy, by tying her to a tree and shooting her three times with a .44 caliber Magnum — will not be charged under Buster’s Law.
In defending his decision not to charge Clow with a felony, Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally previously told The Record in Troy that the statutes of Buster’s Law do not comply with this case because Clow’s conduct was not “intended to cause extreme physical pain or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner.”
Instead, McNally said Clow killed Daisy because she was feeding on or playing with the carcass of a dead cat on his girlfriend’s porch. If done to specifically cause his girlfriend pain and suffering, as some animal rights activists claim, then it would have been elevated to a felony, he said.
“I get a lot of calls on almost every one of these cases,” McNally said. “People feel very strongly about animal abuse, and that’s understandable. And I think some folks would like to see every animal abuse case be a felony, but that’s just not the status of the law.”
Indeed, though it has resulted in hundreds of convictions throughout the state since its inception, the law has not often been applied within the Capital District. A survey of local district attorneys found few convictions under Buster’s Law throughout the past few years, compared with a larger number of misdemeanor animal cruelty cases.
Rensselaer County has had only one Buster’s Law case under McNally’s watch, when Hoosick Falls resident Michael Lohnes killed a stranger’s pet horse, named Skye, in 2008 by stabbing it as many as 20 times and slitting its throat. Initially charged with a misdemeanor, Lohnes was eventually convicted of felony aggravated animal cruelty and was sentenced in February to up to seven years in prison.
McNally said the conviction was “a pretty hard one … probably the biggest one I’ve seen in this district.”
Another high-profile Rensselaer County case was that of Matthew Beck, the Hoosick Falls dog warden who in 2009 shot several stray dogs in the head and buried them in a manure pile on his property. Beck was not charged under Buster’s Law and instead pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors. He spent only two weekends in jail and received three years’ probation at his sentencing in March.
The most recent Buster’s Law case in the Capital District occurred earlier this month when Justin C. Taylor of Ballston Spa allegedly killed his girlfriend’s Chihuahua during a domestic dispute.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III alleges that Taylor, a member of the Air National Guard, punched, kicked and then threw the dog, Kelvin, against the floor and wall, causing severe head trauma that eventually killed the tiny animal. In addition to assault charges against his girlfriend, Taylor faces two years in prison for the death of Kelvin. The case is pending.
Murphy said he has used Buster’s Law in a number of other cases, “in instances of severe and significant abuse. Studies show that when someone is willing to batter, torture, harm an animal, it’s not unusual for them to take the next step and harm a human.”
That was one of the driving forces behind the passage of Buster’s Bill, said the man who championed it, state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Schenectady.
Williamson killed Buster in Tedisco’s district, and Tedisco said he was inundated with phone calls from constituents and animal rights activists after the crime, clamoring for more to be done. Tedisco called the chief of police, who told him that while the crime was a misdemeanor, it should be considered a felony, since the FBI lists animal cruelty as a bridge crime, leading to other harmful activity in the future.
Williamson himself illustrated that grim concept. Over the next 10 years, he served a half-dozen stints in county jail, went to state prison on two felony charges and, in 2008, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old mentally disabled girl he lured to a park near her home. He’s currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
After Buster’s death, Tedisco sought to protect the world from people like notorious serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, both of whom had backgrounds of animal abuse.
“It’s important not only for our family pets, it’s important for our families and children to get these guys off the streets and get them some counseling and straighten them out,” Tedisco said. “I think a number of people across this state, the nation and the world will understand that these pets are part of our families. They give us unconditional love, and if we have that much disregard for these creatures, we tend to see that we have disregard for even humans later on, because that’s what directions these individuals take.”
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney agreed with McNally’s assessment that not every case of abuse falls under Buster’s Law.
“It has to be fairly egregious conduct, but we’ve had that, unfortunately,” he said.
An example of that conduct is Thomas Hendricks II, who was sentenced to two years in county jail in May after he killed his wife’s two dachshund puppies, both less than a year old, and severely burned her toy poodle. He held one puppy under water and squeezed it to death, and beat the other with a pool cue. The poodle survived its injuries and was later readopted.
While heinous acts of animal abuse are ongoing in the Capital District, Tedisco is hopeful that Buster’s Law can eventually be amended and expanded to encompass all manners of abuse, and that the law can be applied appropriately. He disagrees with McNally’s decision not to apply the law in the Clow case, and thinks it’s representative of an overall misunderstanding of the law.
“We’re making headway, but these high-profile cases, where they pooh-pooh the law and have these misdemeanors and the low penalties, take us one step back,” Tedisco said. “We have to speak out when we see these types of things where the reality suggests this is a felony.”
Tedisco is pushing to further educate law enforcement officials, district attorneys, judges and the public about the dangers animal abusers pose to others. He also has several bills in the works that would set up a hotline to report abuse and animal hoarding, expand the definition of “companion animal” set forth in Buster’s Law and create a registry that would prevent an abuser who didn’t undergo mandatory counseling from adopting or purchasing a pet.
“I think we’ve come a million miles, and I think we’ve got 10 million miles to go,” Tedisco said. “I’m not totally displeased with the effectiveness of the law, but I think we have to continue to do more
Friday, October 22, 2010
Dear Dogs and Cats (post at snout height)
1. The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
2. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
3. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
4. For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.
5. The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message human high on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "furrrr"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Usually come when called
5. Never drive your car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their kids.
2. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
3. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
4. For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.
5. The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message human high on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "furrrr"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Usually come when called
5. Never drive your car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their kids.
SECOND CHANCES: A dog gets a one (and so does the soldier who adopted him)
The video was meant to simply make some Facebook friends, and his mother in particular, smile.
Steven Boyd, 39, had taught his dog Djaingo how to "say grace," and one late September morning, camera in hand, he coaxed the sleepy pup out to the living room and into prayer.
Front paws on Boyd's thigh, head bowed, man and dog offered up these words:
Thank you for allowing us to be the man and puppy you've allowed us to be. Father, thank you for our friends and family, their prayers and support and energy that they give us… Father, I do ask a special prayer that you help me to not chase the neighbor's cat and to listen to my master whenever he asks me to do anything.
What began as a post on Boyd's Facebook page was passed on and shared. It's popped up all over YouTube, appeared on numerous other sites, and it even got play on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
But the story behind Djaingo the praying dog is deeper than it is cute.
Boyd found his way to the dog just when they needed each other most.
The man was sick - had been for more than a year and a half - when he strolled into an animal shelter looking for a temporary escape. It was September 10, 2003, the day before the second anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the memories of that day weighed heavily on him.
For 12 years, Boyd says, he served in the U.S. Army. He says he was, among other things, a sniper, a paratrooper and, subsequently, a counter narcotics operator. He'd been fearless professionally and personally. He'd jumped out of planes, rappelled down cliffs and mountain biked his way across dangerous terrains.
Now, though, he was losing everything. The hospitalizations kept happening. His career was shot. The relationship with the woman he thought he'd marry had ended. The medical questions loomed large. He was dying.
At the pound that day, he simply offered to walk some dogs. He had no plan to adopt an animal. But then, three hours into his visit, his eyes and the dog's locked. He knew, in that instant, they were meant to be together.
The only problem was the dog was already scheduled to die. It was set to be euthanized the following morning. It was too aggressive and could not be trained, the shelter workers insisted. Boyd didn't care.
He begged. He pleaded. And $75 later, the best investment he says he ever made, the duo went home.
The former military man, who lives in Austin, Texas, put that pup through its own boot camp. The dog began to trust his owner, show affection and within six months he'd been transformed. He was happy, loving, sweet.
"He saved my life as much as I saved his," Boyd says.
Along the way, the Australian Cattle Dog was given a proper name - rather than his given name, "Chip." His owner thought back to the time when he'd done some training with the 3rd Royal Australian Airborne. The men had taught him the term "djaingo" – to "go djaingo," Boyd explains, means to go out, get drunk and rowdy, pick up women and have bar fights. And so that tough little dog was named.
Since he first was hospitalized on February 19, 2002, Boyd has struggled. Because of multiple traumatic brain injuries - sustained through military exercises, a car wreck, a rappelling accident and a grenade detonation - he says he suffers from gastroparesis, a paralysis of the gastrointestinal tract. It makes eating and drinking a form of "Russian roulette," he says. It can cause food to sit in his stomach and rot. He has starved himself, unintentionally. For days on end, he can vomit 10 to 15 times an hour. He's broken ribs in the process.
As a result of this illness and repeated, extensive dehydration, he says his weight - 175 when healthy - has dropped to as low as 98 pounds.
By his side, in sickness and in health, has been Djaingo. Boyd's parents live three hours away, and his mother, Cheryl, says she takes solace knowing the dog is there.
He sticks by her son and keeps watch. When Boyd is too sick to take the dog out, he can leave the apartment door open. The dog will run outside on his own "to do his business," she says, and then guard the open door. If her son is in need of medical attention, the dog will alert neighbors.
Having Djaingo has been source of comfort to Boyd. But there was one time when the animal just wasn't enough.
After several days of vomiting four years ago, he thought he'd end it all. He'd had a friend who years ago had committed suicide by drinking Clorox, and from the bathtub's floor, where he was curled up, Boyd eyed the nearby bleach bottle. With the cap off, he prepared to drink.
"I heard it as distinctive as I hear your voice right now," Boyd, his own voice shaking, says by phone to CNN. "I heard, 'Don’t do this.' It was my father God, and I broke down. I get teary-eyed now talking about it."
He'd grown up in a Christian home, "a proverbial 'Leave It to Beaver' family," he says. His dad had been the deacon of their church. His mother is a Sunday school and Bible study teacher. And though Boyd always considered himself Christian, up until that moment he realized he'd been living the Christian life, as an adult, on his own terms.
The debilitating illness that can leave him homebound much of the time, the loss of everything, had in fact saved him, he says.
"It changed everything. I truly feel as if it was God using a 2-by-4, smacking me in the head and telling me to wake up," says Boyd, who described himself as "callous" after his years in the military. "It's softened my heart in so many ways. It's made me realize the things you take for granted in life are sometimes the most important things in life."
He got involved in church. He attends Bible studies when he's able. And as last year's Christmas gift to his mother, who describes herself as a "prayer warrior," he taught Djaingo how to say grace.
"He's a disabled veteran on a very limited income," his mom says. So in lieu of buying each other gifts, she told her son last year that instead they'd "do something, write something or make something" for one another.
What her son and Djaingo did for her touched her heart, she says. And, with the release of the recent video, she's not alone in receiving this gift.
The response has overwhelmed Boyd. He's received more than 5,000 messages from around the globe - including Australia, Russia, Thailand. The friend requests on Facebook have poured in by the hundreds. Djaingo, now with his own Facebook page, is racking up new friends, too.
Boyd has gotten marriage proposals. A grandmother who is going through chemotherapy and lives alone says she watches the video every morning to help her face a new day. A mother whose son has lost faith is hoping that by teaching the dog to pray, her son will feel the connection again, too. Pastors are using the video in sermons.
And all of this, including what it's done for her son, Boyd's mother says, is proof of "God's hand" at work.
"Steven told us he was so lonely. So much of the time, he's apartment-bound. Now he's getting emails from all over the world," she says. "It's given Steven such a boost to his morale. God can take the tiniest thing and use it for good."
Every evening, Boyd and Djaingo say grace together. It's not that the man believes the roly-poly dog, who's actually been mistaken for a pig before, is actually praying. He knows his faithful pet is just doing what he's told so he can get his dinner.
"But it's an affirmation of my faith to have my dog be able to participate," Boyd says. "Who would have thought God would use my fat dog to spread His glory?"
Monday, October 18, 2010
Animal abuse linked to domestic violence
Facts About Animal Abuse & Domestic Violence
In association with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Why it Matters
•71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals.
•68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals. 87% of these incidents occurred in the presence of the women, and 75% in the presence of the children, to psychologically control and coerce them.
•13% of intentional animal abuse cases involve domestic violence.
•Between 25% and 40% of battered women are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets or livestock should they leave.
•Pets may suffer unexplained injuries, health problems, permanent disabilities at the hands of abusers, or disappear from home.
•Abusers kill, harm, or threaten children’s pets to coerce them into sexual abuse or to force them to remain silent about abuse. Disturbed children kill or harm animals to emulate their parents’ conduct, to prevent the abuser from killing the pet, or to take out their aggressions on another victim.
•In one study, 70% of animal abusers also had records for other crimes. Domestic violence victims whose animals were abused saw the animal cruelty as one more violent episode in a long history of indiscriminate violence aimed at them and their vulnerability.
•Investigation of animal abuse is often the first point of social services intervention for a family in trouble.
•For many battered women, pets are sources of comfort providing strong emotional support: 98% of Americans consider pets to be companions or members of the family.
•Animal cruelty problems are people problems. When animals are abused, people are at risk. [
Did You Know?
•More American households have pets than have children. We spend more money on pet food than on baby food. There are more dogs in the U.S. than people in most countries in Europe - and more cats than dogs.
•A child growing up in the U.S. is more likely to have a pet than a live-at-home father.
•Pets live most frequently in homes with children: 64.1% of homes with children under age 6, and 74.8% of homes with children over age 6, have pets. The woman is the primary caregiver in 72.8% of pet-owning households.
•Battered women have been known to live in their cars with their pets for as long as four months until an opening was available at a pet-friendly safe house.
The New Zealands SPCA is taking animal abusers to task by actually naming them in their hall of shame and their new ad campaign puts a human face with that of these precious animals we call friend
If You Need Help
Contact your GAIN or a trusted veterinarian to see if they have temporary foster care facilities for pets belonging to battered women.
What You Can Do
Have your pets vaccinated against rabies, and license your pets with your town or county: make sure these registrations are in your name to help prove your ownership.
•Consider and plan for the safety and welfare of your animals. Do not leave pets with your abuser. Be prepared to take your pets with you: many women’s shelters have established “safe haven” foster care programs for the animal victims of domestic violence.
•Alternatively, arrange temporary shelter for your pets with a veterinarian, family member, trusted friend, or local animal shelter.
What Advocates Can Do For Battered Women With Pets
•Add questions about the presence of pets and their welfare to shelter intake questionnaires and risk assessments.
•Work with animal shelters, veterinarians, and rescue groups to establish “safe haven” foster care programs for the animal victims of domestic violence; some women’s shelters are building kennels at their facilities.
•Include provisions for pets in safety planning strategies.
•Help your clients to prove ownership of their animals.
•Help victims to retrieve animals left behind.
•Include animals in abuse prevention orders.
•Help victims find pet-friendly transitional and permanent housing.
•When victims can no longer care for their pets, make referrals to animal adoption agencies.
•Establish community coalitions against family violence that include humane societies, SPCAs, animal control agencies, and veterinarians. Invite representatives from these agencies to train your staff on how animal abuse cases are investigated and prosecuted: offer to train their staffs and volunteers about domestic violence issues.
In association with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Why it Matters
•71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals.
•68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals. 87% of these incidents occurred in the presence of the women, and 75% in the presence of the children, to psychologically control and coerce them.
•13% of intentional animal abuse cases involve domestic violence.
•Between 25% and 40% of battered women are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets or livestock should they leave.
•Pets may suffer unexplained injuries, health problems, permanent disabilities at the hands of abusers, or disappear from home.
•Abusers kill, harm, or threaten children’s pets to coerce them into sexual abuse or to force them to remain silent about abuse. Disturbed children kill or harm animals to emulate their parents’ conduct, to prevent the abuser from killing the pet, or to take out their aggressions on another victim.
•In one study, 70% of animal abusers also had records for other crimes. Domestic violence victims whose animals were abused saw the animal cruelty as one more violent episode in a long history of indiscriminate violence aimed at them and their vulnerability.
•Investigation of animal abuse is often the first point of social services intervention for a family in trouble.
•For many battered women, pets are sources of comfort providing strong emotional support: 98% of Americans consider pets to be companions or members of the family.
•Animal cruelty problems are people problems. When animals are abused, people are at risk. [
Did You Know?
•More American households have pets than have children. We spend more money on pet food than on baby food. There are more dogs in the U.S. than people in most countries in Europe - and more cats than dogs.
•A child growing up in the U.S. is more likely to have a pet than a live-at-home father.
•Pets live most frequently in homes with children: 64.1% of homes with children under age 6, and 74.8% of homes with children over age 6, have pets. The woman is the primary caregiver in 72.8% of pet-owning households.
•Battered women have been known to live in their cars with their pets for as long as four months until an opening was available at a pet-friendly safe house.
The New Zealands SPCA is taking animal abusers to task by actually naming them in their hall of shame and their new ad campaign puts a human face with that of these precious animals we call friend
If You Need Help
Contact your GAIN or a trusted veterinarian to see if they have temporary foster care facilities for pets belonging to battered women.
What You Can Do
Have your pets vaccinated against rabies, and license your pets with your town or county: make sure these registrations are in your name to help prove your ownership.
•Consider and plan for the safety and welfare of your animals. Do not leave pets with your abuser. Be prepared to take your pets with you: many women’s shelters have established “safe haven” foster care programs for the animal victims of domestic violence.
•Alternatively, arrange temporary shelter for your pets with a veterinarian, family member, trusted friend, or local animal shelter.
What Advocates Can Do For Battered Women With Pets
•Add questions about the presence of pets and their welfare to shelter intake questionnaires and risk assessments.
•Work with animal shelters, veterinarians, and rescue groups to establish “safe haven” foster care programs for the animal victims of domestic violence; some women’s shelters are building kennels at their facilities.
•Include provisions for pets in safety planning strategies.
•Help your clients to prove ownership of their animals.
•Help victims to retrieve animals left behind.
•Include animals in abuse prevention orders.
•Help victims find pet-friendly transitional and permanent housing.
•When victims can no longer care for their pets, make referrals to animal adoption agencies.
•Establish community coalitions against family violence that include humane societies, SPCAs, animal control agencies, and veterinarians. Invite representatives from these agencies to train your staff on how animal abuse cases are investigated and prosecuted: offer to train their staffs and volunteers about domestic violence issues.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A Priceless Gift from Cartier
GAIN Wins $10,000
Cartier Wins 1st in Petfinder.com
World’s Best Pet Parent Contest
The Guam Greyhound Race Track closed in 2008 leaving employees out of work and over 300 Greyhounds homeless. Guam Animals In Need took on the challenge to relocate and rehome the Greyhounds. “In our wildest dreams did we ever think that this rescue effort would result in being awarded a $10,000 prize from one of our rescued hounds,” stated Cindy Bartels, GAIN President.
The Guam Greyhound Rescue unit was formed to rescue, rehabilitate and ship the Greyhounds to the States. With the help of numerous Greyhound Rescue Groups in the States and Susan Netboy of the Greyhound Rescue Foundation, nearly 200 hounds found new homes. Bolt was one of the dogs we rescued.
Bolt was rescued one evening in a torrential rain storm in late December, 2008. He had been roaming the streets and jungle of Guam since the track’s closing. He was found sick and emaciated. Taken in he was vetted so that he could be sent to the states to be placed in an adoption program.
In August 2010, Petfinder.com conducted the World’s Best Pet Parent Contest. Dana Provost entered Bolt....by then his name had been changed to Cartier. For the next six weeks, Cartier supporters from around the world voted for him. Dana had selected Guam Animals In Need as the non profit organization to benefit should Cartier win. Cartier racked up over 7,000 votes to win 1st Place.
To understand the elation and sadness in receiving this donation, you must know Cartier’s story. It was written by Dana Provost:
Cartier Wins 1st in Petfinder.com
World’s Best Pet Parent Contest
The Guam Greyhound Race Track closed in 2008 leaving employees out of work and over 300 Greyhounds homeless. Guam Animals In Need took on the challenge to relocate and rehome the Greyhounds. “In our wildest dreams did we ever think that this rescue effort would result in being awarded a $10,000 prize from one of our rescued hounds,” stated Cindy Bartels, GAIN President.
The Guam Greyhound Rescue unit was formed to rescue, rehabilitate and ship the Greyhounds to the States. With the help of numerous Greyhound Rescue Groups in the States and Susan Netboy of the Greyhound Rescue Foundation, nearly 200 hounds found new homes. Bolt was one of the dogs we rescued.
Bolt was rescued one evening in a torrential rain storm in late December, 2008. He had been roaming the streets and jungle of Guam since the track’s closing. He was found sick and emaciated. Taken in he was vetted so that he could be sent to the states to be placed in an adoption program.
In August 2010, Petfinder.com conducted the World’s Best Pet Parent Contest. Dana Provost entered Bolt....by then his name had been changed to Cartier. For the next six weeks, Cartier supporters from around the world voted for him. Dana had selected Guam Animals In Need as the non profit organization to benefit should Cartier win. Cartier racked up over 7,000 votes to win 1st Place.
To understand the elation and sadness in receiving this donation, you must know Cartier’s story. It was written by Dana Provost:
Cartier was released to travel to the states on February 19, 2009. He came into Los Angeles airport and there was a transport team from my adoption kennel waiting to bring him into our adoption program. Cartier was placed in my adoption group’s sponsor dog program when he came into our kennel. Our group takes in Greyhounds that have special issues and needs, such as a medical issue into our adoption program until the Greyhound gets well enough for adoption. While they are being rehabilitated they are placed in our Sponsor Dog Program. This program is good for people that cannot adopt a Greyhound or are limited as to the number of Greyhounds they can adopt but wants to help the adoption group in another way. Two of my local friends donate in that particular program. Our group sends out letters and pictures of the dogs they sponsor. Sometimes my friends send me pictures of the dogs that they sponsor. Ironically, when they sent me the picture of the Greyhound they were both sponsoring it was Cartier! Again, like magic he appears before my eyes.
Immediately after that poignant event, I started inquiring about Cartier to find out if he was ready to be adopted or if he was being profiled into a home. At that time, I found out that he had a chronic medical issue with his back right foot, where it would swell three times the size and then he would get listless, sick, stop eating, until his foot would start releasing fluid when his foot would get back to a reasonable size – never back to a normal size. This “episode” occurred almost every three weeks. They told me that he would have to stay in the kennel for a while until they could get this medical issue under wrap. He would be very hard to place because of this chronic issue. So, I asked if it would be possible for me to adopt him and with that said, “He has your name all over him.” But they also said, “He has this chronic medical issue, it cannot be cured, and we have no idea how it is affecting his internal organs, or how long he will live, as he is 8 years old.” He became my boy on June 14, 2009.
Adoption day was very dream-like. The minute he came out of the transport van, I started crying, dropped to my knees and just cuddled on him. He was home. His forever home. He was quite aloof at the beginning not sure of all the raucous going on about him. He had been through quite a lot of trauma in the last seven months of his life. But that would soon change. He adored my crew of four Greyhounds and a little Greyhound/deerhound mix, Paris, who just hit it off where she started mothering him. He in turn was very nurturing and liked to have peace in the family, so he would let everyone know that now that he was there everything was going to be copasetic.
Cartier started playing with Chanel. She is a very playful Greyhound and loves her toys. So they started playing together with their various squeaky toys, they even came up with a game between each other. Have you heard of the dueling banjos? Well in my house, they took it one step further and they started playing the “dueling squeakers.” I have to say that Cartier was just having the time of his life learning and experiencing his new life and all it had to offer.
In the meantime, while he was blossoming, I had started treating him holistically for his foot. I embraced his medical issue wholeheartedly. His medical issue was chronic, I knew that. I had a myriad of tests done and they all came back negative – it left the veterinarians scratching their heads. He did well with the holistic treatments, but it did not alleviate the condition at all, other than having what I call “episodes” once every couple of months instead of the chronic every three weeks.
I have to say that Cartier lived it large. I hoped for the best, but I never knew too much of his background in Guam and he was already 8 years old with this medical issue, so there was no guarantee of his lifespan. With his demeanor he easily took on with full grace the role of Greyhound ambassador. We could not go anywhere without people stopping us and asking about Greyhounds. He was so wonderful with children that soon after his adoption I had him tested through Therapy Dogs Incorporated and he passed to become a registered Therapy Dog.
Yes, we lived it large, whether it was costume contests (he made the most wonderful Greyhound Bus), he took 3rd place in Cesar Millan’s Best Camera Face, and most recently took 1st Place at the Las Vegas Humane Society’s Polished Pooch Contest, we even were able to get in a couple of vacations to Greyhound gatherings in California and Utah. Cartier was able to experience life as it was and he loved and participated in everything. Cartier not only had outer beauty but he had an inner beauty that with all he had been through in his life. . . his inner beauty just radiated through him and extended to others in spirit. You could not help but just put your arms around him and love upon him – you received so much back from him. My “Guammie Bear” was fun and was always ready for the next adventure. One of the funniest moments he had is when he would be ready to go – I’d find him standing in the mud room by the outside door that led out to the garage – waiting to go for a ride, wagging his tail, tongue hanging out, big smile on his face – how could you not love a face like that? His exuding of energy was relentless.
Ten months after adoption, Cartier came down with renal failure. That unforgettable day was bittersweet. You see, Cartier hadn’t been really up to par the last week before his appearance in the Polished Pooch Contest, so I had made arrangements to take him in for tests after the contest. They ran some tests to find that he was in renal failure. He stayed in the hospital for five days. I went to visit him every day for three hours at a time, taking him for little walks, feeding him, and just laying with him and talking to him, reassuring him that he was going to get better and come home.
When he was able to come home, it was a happy day, because we were going to beat this! Cartier was strong and we had come so far, with his chronic medical issue with his foot. I had a friend base from all over the world that was giving me information on medications, special diets, special recipes, all in hopes to help Cartier with the kidney disease. I even contacted Ohio State University Veterinarian School, where they run a Greyhound Health and Wellness Program. I contacted them to seek out more medical regimens that could help my boy and possibly they would be able to enlighten me as to what his chronic medical issue was with his foot. In fact, Dr. Couto, from that clinic had seen cases like Cartier had and called it “swollen leg syndrome.” In retrospect, I wish I had contacted him when I had adopted him. Dr. Couto immediately consulted with my veterinarian and we started an additional medical protocol, not only for the kidney disease but for this ailment. It isn’t an ailment that could be cured, but it could be monitored and maintained.
Eventually, I believe that this ailment caused his death. Some of his test revealed that he was losing protein out of his urine, and when his foot was in the process of leaking fluid, he could have possibly been losing protein in that fluid as well. Losing protein can be deadly. So, at this point, his medical issues were grave.
Cartier and I had a blissful 11 months. Cartier was insightful. He may have known he was sick for a long time and didn’t show it. I have no way of knowing that since the love he expressed was so pure and he gave so much during the short months I had him. I had no reason to think otherwise. I believe he wanted to go out on his terms. And that he did. My Guammie Bear succumbed to renal failure almost a month after diagnosis and almost one month before his “Gotcha Day,” the day he was adopted.
In that short time, Cartier imprinted my heart more than I can possibly put into words. Not only my heart did he capture but he captured hearts from all over the world. Because of his mass exposure from the national contests I entered him in and because of his numerous angels that helped with his rescue and care in Guam, there were people from all over the world that came together providing constant support and love for him. I have had several people tell me that although they never met him in person that he was bigger than life in their hearts. He had something special they said and he touched them. He had a heart bigger than you can imagine and just had this luminescence about him and which he shared with everyone. He was bigger than life itself and truly had the life from rags to riches, from pauper to prince. He will always be my jewel, my Cartier. I can look back and know that we did everything we could have in the short time we had together. I have lots of memories that he left me with and looking back, I would have done it all over again. He deserved the life of all the finer things life had to offer him while he was with our family and he got them.
Now, with his passing, my pack is going through changes. They are so quiet and solemn. Chanel, his play buddy, took four days before she would even pick up a toy to play. Paris, his motherly sister, is mournful in the house, like she has lost her best friend. Sancerre is very cuddly with me, like she knows I need her to be close, and Cezanne, my needy boy, seems to be in a confused state and trying to seek out where he stands in the pack. Each of them said goodbye in their own way to Cartier the night he passed. I do think dogs react to death differently than we humans do, they are very accepting to it and it is a fact of life for them. Each of my pack through Cartier’s illness treated Cartier with respect, love, tenderness, and nurtured him to his passing.
As can be imagined, I have had an outcry of people from all over the world send their condolences and their sadness at his short-lived life with me. His passing has empowered me to keep doing what I do best. That is take care of the Greyhounds that pass through my life, no matter how long or how short their time is with me. Take time to “smell their fur.” Meaning treat each and every day of their lives like it could be their last. Then you will never ever have to look back and say, “If we could have done this or if we could have done that.” Just do it! Try to keep them safe, healthy, and love each of them to the best of my ability. I did that with Cartier. Everyday he was with me, “I smelled his fur.” I have no regrets, I know I did my best with him, he knew he was loved. I was blessed to have had him in my life to be able to share him with everyone. The greatest gift he gave me was that he left this world on his terms. I did not have to make the decision. He left me with that blessed gift. He will never be forgotten. He has left a permanent imprint on my soul.
Some of the souls he touched by his being started when he was rescued. An unknown military wife found him in a shopping center huddled in a corner. She took him home but when he wouldn’t eat for her and he had the swollen foot, she delivered him to the rescue that they had set up in Guam for the rescued Greyhounds. Then there was the angel that cared for him in the kennel in Guam. Noni handfed him and got him vetted and ready to travel to the states. There was another military family that a little girl would come in and go into his kennel and talk to him on her daily visits to him. They eventually adopted another pair of Greyhounds and moved to China. I think that is why he had such an affinity for children. He had started having good memories to take place of the bad ones. Then there were my adoption kennel angels who would come and stay with him during the night to try to get him to eat and well to be able to be placed up for adoption. Then there are the people that initiated the cause of rescuing the Greyhounds from Guam and coordinated to be able to bring them to the states. People that touched him in spirit were many. Many of the same people that sent their thanks when I adopted him; many were the same that sent their condolences and relayed to me that he lived the best life he could possibly have had no matter how short, it was full of love and compassion and truly a rags to riches story of a misfit Greyhound.
I really cannot figure out at this time why he was not able to stay with me longer. I truly believe that his medical issue caused him to be sicker internally than what we all thought. I had a friend tell me that his work was done here. I want to think that he continues his work by gathering all the Guammie Bears that never got to be in forever homes and that he will be waiting with them when my time has come, all will have forever homes with us.
I cannot understand why Cartier came to me so quickly after Renoir’s passing. It took me a few years before my last Greyhound’s passing to adopt. It seems that this whole adoption and the way it went down was divinely inspired.
I am a very active owner with my Greyhounds. I called Renoir, my glamour girl. She did television appearances, runway modeling in Los Angeles, at Kodak Theatre, San Diego, and Las Vegas convention modeling. So, she knew I’d miss that in some way, because not all Greyhounds “dig” that sort of thing. She lived for it. So, again, I believe she sent me Cartier to fill that void. He seemed to thrive being in the spotlight. He was so engaging and held such presence, so he seemed a perfect fit to continue the active household routine.
When I think of Cartier’s legacy, I believe it will come through me. To be able to tell his story about his life from pauper to prince and pull it into my compassion for Greyhound adoption. Bigger than life he welcomed everything and anybody into his life. People felt his presence. All the adversity he had in his life from being shipped as a puppy from Australia to Guam, being put into the racing world so young, having a medical issue with his foot and being forced to run anyway for seven years, left out to fend for himself after the track closing, and be able come through it. Would any of us be able to come through it as he did? Through all of this he showed unbelievable compassion for his life and to others he met. That is what made him so special. What an unbelievable gift he gave to all he touched with his story the unbelievable compassion and forgiving of this dog. Cartier promoted Greyhound advocacy and awareness through the contests, wherein he was the only Greyhound submitted. He has quite a story to tell through my heart. Making others aware of his “mysterious” medical issue and making it come to light that through my perseverance to find treatment found out what it was in the end, too late to help him but may be help another Greyhound out there that has this same medical issue. What one Greyhound did by just being – to bring people together from all walks of life from virtually all over the world is an absolutely amazing feat. And that Greyhound was Cartier!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Dogs & Pessimism
A study has gained new insight into the minds of dogs, discovering that those that are anxious when left alone also tend to show 'pessimistic' like behaviour.
The research by academics at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA is published in Current Biology tomorrow (12 October). The study provides an important insight into dogs' emotions, and enhances our understanding of why behavioural responses to separation occur.
Professor Mike Mendl, Head of the Animal Welfare and Behaviour research group at Bristol University's School of Clinical Veterinary Science, who led the research, said: "We all have a tendency to think that our pets and other animals experience emotions similar to our own, but we have no way of knowing directly because emotions are essentially private. However, we can use findings from human psychology research to develop new ways of measuring animal emotion.
"We know that people's emotional states affect their judgements and that happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively. What our study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs – that a 'glass-half-full' dog is less likely to be anxious when left alone than one with a more 'pessimistic' nature."
In order to study 'pessimistic' or 'optimistic' decisions, dogs at two UK animal re-homing centres were trained that when a bowl was placed at one location in a room (the 'positive' position) it would contain food, but when placed at another location (the 'negative' position) it would be empty. The bowl was then placed at ambiguous locations between the positive and negative positions.
Professor Mendl explained: "Dogs that ran fast to these ambiguous locations, as if expecting the positive food reward, were classed as making relatively 'optimistic' decisions. Interestingly, these dogs tended to be the ones who also showed least anxiety-like behaviour when left alone for a short time.
"Around half of dogs in the UK may at some point perform separation-related behaviours - toileting, barking and destroying objects around the home - when they're apart from their owners. Our study suggests that dogs showing these types of behaviour also appear to make more pessimistic judgements generally."
Dr Samantha Gaines, Deputy Head of the Companion Animals Department from RSPCA, said: "Many dogs are relinquished each year because they show separation-related behaviour. Some owners think that dogs showing anxious behaviour in response to separation are fine, and do not seek treatment for their pets. This research suggests that at least some of these dogs may have underlying negative emotional states, and owners are encouraged to seek treatment to enhance the welfare of their dogs and minimise the need to relinquish their pet. Some dogs may also be more prone to develop these behaviours, and should be re-homed with appropriate owners."
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