Aww, poor Little Red.  I arrived to pick her up, only to find that she had a foot injury so one of her caregivers was carrying her to my truck for me.  She had a cone around her head so she couldn't get to the wrap and makeshift bootie on her foot, and she seemed not to be a big fan of the cone, even if it was a comfy cone.  I didn't see her face most of the ride to the office because she had closed the cone off on the window to look outside. 

Because of her injury, she didn't have a harness on today, but she still did pretty well on the leash when we got to the office.  She also did all of her business outside which I praised her for.  Once we got inside, it appeared that the cone thing was really freaking her out.  Every time she heard a noise, because she couldn't see it, it would make her jump.  Any time I went to pet her back, she jumped too, because she couldn't see me reaching for her.  She was ok with petting her face and head though, so I knew it was the cone.  I took it off after a while since she was so skittish, and decided I'd just keep an eye on her.  She did just fine and was behaving much better, too (less fearful). 

We got signed up for the Wallflower Class which started today.  I was pretty excited to see how she would do since she's been doing pretty good with me.  Being in a weird situation with lots of other people and dogs is a whole different ballpark though, so we'd have to see...

Oh, I forgot to mention, though you can already see from the pictures, she had this adorable little pink track jacket on when I picked her up.  Too darn cute isn't she?

Later in the day...

Well, time for the first class was here, so I got her ready to go.  We drove to the meet up spot and she was pretty darn nervous. 

She walked to the building just fine, but once we got to the entrance, forget it... she did not want to go inside.  I actually picked her up and carried her in because we were causing a back up.  There was a really big group - not what I'd expected - and because of it, she was clearly nervous and only wanted to hang out by the door while all of the other teams were walking around the room.  Our trainer said this was ok... only to do what she was comfortable with, so I hung with her by the door and watched the others.  She wasn't behind by any means.  Most of the shy dogs were hugging the walls, Red just seemed to like the door.  She was showing interest in treats, and so I was able to get her to walk away a bit and jump up on an agility table that was further from the door.  It's good to see she's so treat motivated, as this can help out a lot in training and trust.  Another woman in the class saw what I was doing and decided to help out.  She was offering Little Red treats in an effort to lure her further and further away from the door.  It worked sort of.  She'd take a treat or two and then retreat back to the door.  But she was doing something which was great. 

Red didn't show much interest in the other dogs, just treats, and focused very well on me while in class.  Because the class was so big, our trainer discussed splitting the future sessions into two time slots, which I think will be much better for Red.  It was actually a pretty simple first class.  We just discussed some things and let the dogs be in a room where they might be uncomfortable with their surroundings, in order to get them used to an unusual situation and realize it was good once they were getting all of the treats.  Once half the class cleared out at the end, Red was much more attentive.  I was able to get her to do a complete walk around the perimeter of the room, treating her and talking to her along the way.  She felt much more comfortable when it was only ½ as many people and dogs, which is why I think next week will be even better.

And that's about it.  After her class, I had to drop her off at the clinic where she was meeting up with her boyfriend (Beefcake) and having her foot re-wrapped before returning to her run.  So unfortunately her time was cut a bit short for the day, but I think it was a great day for her.  New experiences and lots of treats.

Until next week...

~Jamie & Little Red, January 24, 2010

My 3rd week with Little Red!

This week was much better.  When I arrived to pick her up, I saw that she was fitted with a new harness!  Yay!  I think this is going to be a huge improvement for her.

She felt more comfortable on the drive to the office, and walked very well on her leash when we got out of the car to go into the building (with the help of that harness for sure).  While in the car, and I was pretty excited about this, she was more curious about me than usual.  She poked her head through between the driver's window and seat several times, and then climbed through the center console to say hello.  Too cute! 

Once inside the building, she had a little oops and went to the bathroom in the building, but it could have been a mixture of nerves and the fact that I didn't walk her first.  I was going to let her out in the run when we came in, but she apparently had to go sooner than that.  My coworker stopped in to pick up some things and Red was quite outgoing.  While she shied away from the petting, she was forthcoming in introducing herself and checking to see if there were any treats for her.  (There's no shame in her treat game that's for sure)  <smiles> 

She was much more comfortable in general today, and was even coming up to me for pets.  Even if she happens to be looking for a treat, she is taking the pets in their place and is beginning to warm up to me.  She napped a while on the blanket in my office, which is big because during week 1 she wouldn't even calm down enough to sit.   

She jumped up on my desk a few times looking for treats, but I wouldn't give her anything until she was down and sitting (trying to teach manners and trust at the same time is not easy because my instincts to spoil are more pronounced than my instincts to train - ha ha).

All in all, she did great and laid right beside me most of the day. 

Ooh, ooh, and here's some cool news!!  Word has it there's a Wallflower Dogtraining Class coming up!  This could be just the thing for Miss Red.  It starts next week so I'm sending out an email for her to get in there.  More on that to come so stay tuned!

~Jamie & Little Red, January 17, 2010

2nd Day at the Office

I arrived to pick up Red in the morning and her caregivers had her all ready to go.  She gave me that adorable smile as she came out the door to me, and since she didn't have as far to walk, she walked to my vehicle pretty easily.  I picked her up to put her in and once again, she did wonderful on the drive to the office.  In fact, no nervous smells were detected during the entire ride.  <laughs>

Red did a little better this week (baby steps).  She got comfortable in her surroundings a lot sooner and was lying around most of the day.  She comes to me a lot, but at this point I can't claim that it's true affection, but likely more because she knows I'm the treat machine.  I can't expect too much too fast, but I'm trying to provide intervals of treats and pets when she comes to me on her own so she associates me with good things and realizes I'm ok to trust.  That's when the real bond will set in.

I got on the floor with her for a while to try to make her a little more comfortable since she's so small.  She seemed to like this and was more interested in being pet in this position.  She even attempted to play a little.  She's been really sweet in nature, I just know it'll take a bit before she's comfortable enough with me so that I can bring her on other days of the week when my coworkers are in.  I wouldn't want to rush her on that because I don't want her scared out of her wits, so I'll wait until I feel she's doing better and is ready to move forward. 

Right now I think it'll take some time to establish a bond since I only see her once a week.  Not to compare, but my other office dog Ruthie took about 2 months to start coming out of her shell around me, and even now after a year and a half of bringing her to the office, she still has little setbacks in behavior that need to be addressed, but she's done a complete 180 on her social skills, which was awesome to see and be a part of.  I'm so hoping for the same for Red.  She deserves to live in a world that doesn't feel scary to her, and I hope to see to it that she makes significant improvements in her confidence because she really doesn't have anything to fear anymore.  Best Friends wants the best for Little Red, and there are lots of caring, loving people out there who want to see her succeed. 

Go Team Red!!

See you next week! 

~Jamie & Little Red, January 10, 2010

p.s.

I know this is Red's blog, but just for fun, here's a photo of my other office doggie, Ruth, that I've referred to in my blogs.  She's a real looker!

And she is SOOO ready for a home.  If you're interested in finding out more about her, you can either click here, or email me at jamieh@bestfriends.org (I can provide lots of info and photos)

Day 1 in the Office 

The week had passed and Red was doing great with Beefcake, so it was time to go pick her up for her first day at the office.  I arrived, and again, I received that signature grin right off the bat.  It's such a funny little smile... she looks right at you and just exposes all of her teeth.  Not the normal pittie smile, but in fact, it's the face my pittie boy makes when he smells smoke.  My husband and I have called it his Elvis look, and yet this is how Little Red smiles.  Too darn cute.  So she was all cool with me coming in to say hello to her, until she realized she was coming with me.  She went from cordial to ground hugging, dog pancake quicker than I could imagine.  She walked a little eventually, but not much.  I actually ended up carrying her little butt down to my truck, but get this, once I put her on the ground to unlock my car and open the door, she jumps in like it's no thing.  Ok, note to self, car rides = good stuff / walking = eh, not so much.

 She actually did great in the car.  She really enjoys looking out the window at the world passing by and she has excellent passenger manners.  Oh, well, except for one thing.  I was warned that Red has a little issue with nervous gas.  Oh, no problem, I thought.  What's a little dog gas anyway?  Well, I found out soon enough.  She may have liked watching the world go by in the confines of a vehicle, but perhaps I made her a little nervous because before long, I was glancing around to see if she'd gone poo in the car.  No?  You mean?  Wow, that's some serious nervous gas.  Windows down.  We're going to have to get this girl comfortable, and fast.  Ha-ha!

We arrived at my office and she was really good about getting out of the vehicle.  She was interested in the new area and sniffing around contently like all dogs do.  When it came time to go inside, she wasn't too sure about it, but eventually gave in and walked through the door.  Once inside, she had this rush of energy.  Little Red became little rocket and she was running around checking out every room in the building.  She seemed to favor running up and down the hallway the most. 

I went back to my office to get to work and let her settle in.  It took her a good while to get comfortable enough to lie down, but she eventually did and she did wonderful all day.  She has excellent "house" manners and is very gentle with treating.  She's a curious little girl; definitely a bit nervous at times (and you know what that means), but she did a lot better than I was expecting since this was the first time she's experienced something like this since her arrival here.  Little Red is a very sweet girl.  She listens when called and she learned rather quickly how to access the dog run to go to the bathroom.  The only thing I really had any problem with was while on a leash, as she's quite the nervous puller and in my opinion, she'd do best with a harness.  While she was very shy and hesitant, she did show that she actually enjoys being pet once she is willing to accept it.  She received lots and lots and lots of treats, as I'm trying to teach her that Jamie = good people.  Treats will do that ya know? 

There isn't really much more to report for today's visit.  She was anxious, curious and silly all at the same time.  If she heard a noise, she jumped, but then took off like a trooper, running up the hallway to find out the source of the noise.  She never found much, so she'd come trotting back to my office and walk over like, "where's my treat?".  I was so happy when I finally watched her lie down and relax, as that meant she was comfortable enough to put her guard down for a bit.  I'm looking forward to many more fun days with her, but for today, it was time to take her back to Beefcake.  The good news, the car ride back to Dogtown was neutral smelling.  <smiles>

We'll see you in two weeks - as unfortunately, I have a little trip to make over the weekend!  Here's a few more pics to hold you off... 

p.s. Get a load of those ears!  Are they not the greatest?!?!

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  "Did you hear that? Should I go check on it?"

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 "I think someone's messing with me.  There's nothing in the kitchen."

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 "Pardon me, I'll get my own kibble thank you."

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~Jamie & Little Red, 12/27/09 

You know her, you love her… it’s Little Red. I’ve started this blog to follow along on some of our adventures together, as she’s the newest addition to my project dog / office pup program. If you’d like to read up on how she’s progressing, as well as check out some adorable pictures, feel free to tag along on our journey here. 

I remember the first time I saw Little Red and Handsome Dan together.  What a cute pair they made, Little Red working her personality off of the confidence of Handsome Dan.  I’m not sure if people realize just how little she really is, but I assure you, she’s a tiny thing, so I can understand her having some fears since everything is so much bigger than her.  She the only pittie I’ve ever lifted and haven’t worried about throwing out my back.  <smiles>  Anyway, so I saw her that first time, but being as I work in the office, I have to admit it had been quite a long time since I’d seen her again after that.  We all have different jobs that tie into fulfilling the No More Homeless Pets mission at Best Friends, and mine just so happens to be behind a desk.  I love my job, but admittedly, there are lots of days that the only time I get to see the animals is on my way in, or when I can find the time to volunteer on my days off.  

One day, I received a call from a member who was a bit frantic about getting an update on one of her sponsor dogs.  As we sometimes do, I went the extra step and decided to go up and check on her sponsor dog myself so I could report back to her as soon as possible.  So I hopped in my truck and headed to Dogtown.  After checking on her dog, I waited a moment while they put him away, and then saw that Little Red was around.  She gave her signature goofy little smile, but then totally retreated when I went to pet her.  I didn’t remember this side of her, and in talking with her caregivers, I understood it was due to Handsome Dan’s recent adoption and she wasn’t feeling as confident anymore.  In short, she’d taken a few steps back in her progress.  She’s generally outgoing with other dogs, but was acting quite skittish and hesitant with people.  Don’t get me wrong, she’d take a treat from you, but that was about it.  So I talked to her caregivers and asked if they thought she could become an office dog.  I have another dog, Ruth, who was formerly people shy that I have been bringing to the office for over a year, and her personality has done a 180, so why not try with Red?  So Red’s caregivers said they’d check with their team leader and get back with me.

A few days later, I’d heard back and was told that she could come to the office with me, starting with once a week and we’d go from there.  The only hold up was that she was being introduced to another dog and they wanted to give the two a little time to become acquainted.    Hmm, well, acquainted they became.  I’m sure you’ve all read the story on Little Red and Beefcake (if not, by all means get your cute overload right here).  She’s quite smitten with him to say the least.  Puppy love is certainly going on there.  And I can’t exactly blame her… Beefcake is one handsome boy and stands up to his Beefy name (muscles galore).  If I were a dog, he’d be my type, too, and Red has taken to him quickly.   

And that was good news because I’d be able to start picking her up soon.  There’s one day a week that I work by myself, so I thought this was the perfect day to start working with her.  I thought that getting her to bond with me first would be a good idea, so that when I start bringing her on other days when my coworkers are around, she would have someone she felt comfortable with and could look to when she was unsure of a situation.  So it was set.  Approved and ready to go.  Now I just had to wait a week for her first day.  Tick tock, tick tock… stay tuned

~ Jamie & Little Red, Dec. 20, 2009

Hello everyone - I'm John, and I work for Best Friends as a Dog Caregiver at Conrad's and Leopold's, a dog care area in Old Dogtown. Beginning on Nov 11 I participated in a Best Friends rescue called Pup My Ride, which we've done several times this year. Pup My Ride goes into the Midwest and pulls mostly discarded breeder dogs from puppy mills and arranges their safe transport to the Northeast, where they are very adoptable. These are dogs of all ages, mostly on the small side but usually with some surprises thrown in as well - like the beautiful and friendly pair of Mastiffs that turned up! This was my first experience with Pup My Ride and I was overjoyed to be asked to go along as the animal care supervisor - one of my dogs, Ginger, is a former puppy mill breeder and the cause is near and dear to my heart.

Co-worker Mary Richie and I met early on the morning of the 11th to begin the long drive from Kanab, UT to the staging area in a horse barn in the Midwest. I believe Mary's title here at Dogtown is receptionist but that doesn't do justice to her talents; and on this operation she is simply the Person Who Knows Everything and Keeps Track Of Everything. In a chaotic environment where dogs are constantly moving around and situations change on a moment by moment basis, she tracks every piece of information and can tell you anything about any dog at any time, as well as the closest place to buy an extension cord and where to obtain 6 bundles of newspaper at 1am. 

Our noble steed for the long journey was to be a mid-90s Ford F350 Turbo Diesel Dually towing a cargo trailer loaded with all the supplies we would need for the staging area - soup to nuts, crates to poop scoopers. The rig really brings out my inner Tim Allen, I want to grunt every time I climb into the driver's seat. The coolest thing for the dedicated long-distance driver is the 75 gallon aux fuel tank built into the bed; between that and the two stock tanks it holds a total of 115 gallons of diesel for your long distance driving pleasure. The ride to the staging area took two days and was relatively uneventful, with Mary and I alternating driving and sleeping.

We arrived in the Midwest on the 13th at our host facility, a horse barn - which turned out to be PERFECT for this sort of operation! The 23 individual stalls each had their own door, so dogs could be let out to play in the stall areas or allowed to run around while cleaning was done without fear of escape - great! We met a few co-workers there including our fearless leader Kelli Ohrtman some dedicated Pup My Ride volunteers and began setting up the stalls to house dogs - including isolation areas and areas for puppies.

And oh, the volunteers... these are people who came here to do this for us and with us, some of whom traveled great distances to join us and stayed in hotels while on-site at their own expense. They all worked 13+ hour days without complaint, doing the dirtiest work you can imagine - scrubbing kennels and bowls, doing all the hands-on care. They were the lifeblood of the operation and some simply amazing, selfless, caring people.

Over the next two days, dogs came in and were dropped off by the vanload. Each dog needed to be given a collar tagged with an individual ID number and a crate location, so that we could keep track of every dog and make sure they were all taken care of. We also began the process of pairing dogs for transport, which I would continue right up until the transport truck loaded - the truck had 96 travel crates and we expected to ship 160 dogs on it, so it was important to pair dogs up as quickly as possible to see who got along with whom.

On rescues like this you never know what will turn up, and we were really lucky on this one; there were no medical emergencies - thank god! As the volunteers took dogs through intake and carried them back to their kennels they acted as the first screeners for possible issues, alerting us to things that needed to be looked at when our veterinarian came in to do physical exams on every dog prior to transport.

Though there were no emergencies, many of the dogs displayed signs of an abominable lack of care that is unfortunately all too typical of puppy mills: painful burrs and matts in long haired dogs that had never seen a grooming, nails grown into foot pads, obvious flea infestation and ear problems - and oh, the smell. There is a smell unique to dogs that have just been released from the mill that will stay with you forever; it's not just the excretions they have lived all their lives lying in in too-small cages but also of untreated abscesses, of infected ears. It is the smell of cruelty, made bearable by knowing that these dogs were about to have such a vast improvement in their lives.

The two intake days went quickly, with constant activity - cleaning, cleaning, cleaning; checking on concerns and socializing with the dogs. Behaviorally they were also a great group - by and large shy and undersocialized, but also curious and friendly. We saw huge changes in some of them over just a few short days as they began to realize that everything would be different now.

Many of the rescued breeder dogs I have met on this Pup My Ride transport for Best Friends and other mill dog rescues act like this: when you open their crates and invite them out, they don't quite know what to do. No one's ever done that before - they've always been grabbed, usually not very nicely, for a veterinary procedure or to be thrown in with another dog for breeding. They slink for a few minutes and stay low to the ground, their body language speaking volumes about their uncertainty even as they taste freedom for the first time. As sad as this can sometimes be to witness, it is also hopeful: nearly every dog like this that has the curiosity to come out and give it a try will make a full recovery and enjoy and revel in their freedom.

After two days of intake we had our medical day, where our incredible on-site vet did physical examinations and innoculations on 196 dogs in an 8 hour period, with just one 10 minute break. She was fast but also thorough, identifying what dogs needed further treatment and/or investigation. Volunteers lined up with dogs to keep a steady flow coming to her, which also gave ample chance to visit with dogs while they waited!  As always, during the examinations crates were being cleaned, water changed, newspaper laid and dogs visited with - and in the evening, once the checks were done, the daily feeding. The barn was also surrounded by grassy areas that were great for walking the larger dogs - particularly Louie the Basset Hound, who always had a line of people who wanted to take him out!

On the morning of the fourth day the main transport truck arrived and we began to load it with dogs beginning at 6am - it contained 96 kennels which volunteers set up with absorbent pads and ice chips in buckets, then we loaded all the dogs.

The load went very smoothly and the main transport truck was on the road by 9am, followed by a chase van that had some special cases in it destined for other rescues. Here's a little video tour of the inside of the main transport truck:

With most of the dogs safely on the road, our hard-working volunteers stayed behind to clean and break down every kennel and load the cargo van with all of the rescue supplies. That also went quickly and Mary and I began the drive back to Kanab at noon after loading 8 dogs into our truck, mostly special medical cases that would return with us to Best Friends for care.

We decided to try sleeping in shifts and driving continuously the approximately 27 hours back to the sanctuary, and that worked out great! We stopped every few hours for food and dog care, then immediately got back on the road with our charges. The Big Red Truck arrived back in Kanab on-schedule and Mary and I both went home for a long nap!

More information on Best Friends' Puppies Aren't Products campaign, including information on the Pup My Ride program.

Lots more pictures!

A few videos.

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