“Oh, he’s just a teddy bear,” says the client as the big huge Rottweiler lifts his head and looks at me.
What I say and do next will color their impression of me for the rest of our relationship.
Am I scared of big dogs? Not unless they give me a reason to be.
Do I exercise reasonable caution with them? I sure do, just like I do with all animals.
I approach a big dog, the kind who sometimes have a reputation for being aggressive, the same way I do all pets. Respectfully. I am confident but not domineering. That approach doesn’t work for me. I like for our relationship to be mutually agreeable, which it usually is. I don’t automatically muzzle a dog just because of their breed.
So if the dog really is a teddy bear, we have a great interaction and life is good. One of my best patients was a big sweet Rottie who sustained a nasty burn injury and needed regular bandage changes for a month. As you all know, burns are excruciating. This sweet pup was so good throughout the whole ordeal.
On the other hand, if you tell me your dog is a teddy bear while he or she is growling and/or baring their teeth, they get a muzzle or they leave. My safety and that of my staff is paramount.
“She’s just scared,” said the owner of a 160 pound Dane as I was trying to do an examination. “Don’t show any fear.”
I put out my hand. The dog snapped at it, then lunged at my stomach.
“See?” said the owner, accusingly. “You were scared.”
“With good reason,” I responded, reaching for the muzzle. “I can’t even come within a foot of your dog without her lunging at me.”
Then the owner told me all about the dog’s history, about how she was abused, and she was scared. I believe her. Fear is one of the leading causes of aggression in dogs.
“If a scared dog bites me,” I told her, “it hurts just as much as a bite from a dominant dog. Or a food aggressive dog.”
Almost 10 years into this and I have never sustained a big bite. That is part luck, and part common sense. Our job is to read a dog’s body language cues, not their breed history, and act accordingly. In turn, I ask owners to respect that when I say “Your pet needs a muzzle,” it doesn’t mean “You are horrible and your dog is horrible.” It simply means, “I would like to not get bit today.”
For the most part, they do. This owner chose to leave, but when she came back to see my boss to get a vaccine the dog needed half a bottle of tranquilizers.
Grief counselor Dana Durrance asks a good question for a late night discussion: do you believe departed pets come back to visit? And is this a discussion you would even want to have with your vet?
I’ve been reading a terrific book by a famous and well-known medium named Concetta Bertoldi (she consults regularly with members of Britain’s royal family as well as with American celebrities and politicians). Her book, “Do Dead People Watch You Shower?” is a fascinating compilation of all the questions she’s been asked over the years about life after death, and what she has said in reply.
One of the questions posed to her involved pets. Question: “Are our pets waiting for us on the other the side?” Her response was very interesting to me so I’d like to paraphrase it here…”Of course our pets are waiting for us. Pets give us the nearest thing to unconditional love we can ever know on this side. Often, when I’m doing a reading, someone on the other side will tell me to tell my client, “your dog is here or Whiskers can hardly wait to see you again.
Sometimes a pet doesn’t even wait for you to cross; they come back and visit you on this side in various ways. People who dream about their pets or claim to see them for brief glimpses are probably being visited by that beloved pet who is checking to see if you are all right.”
What do you all think? During times of pet death or euthanasia at our hospital, we often will get questions like this about pet souls, what happens to them after death, and if we will ever see them again. As a veterinary professional, it can get really tricky when a client asks these types of questions. You don’t want to risk upsetting your client if their beliefs are very different from your own and yet it’s nice to be able to express what you truly believe.
How about you? Would you like your veterinarian (veterinary hospital) to give you his/her honest opinions about pet death, pet souls, and the after-life? I’d like to hear your opinions.
–Dana Durrance, www.vetwisdomcafe.com
Dana Durrance is a veterinary grief counselor and the former director of the Changes program at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She and her veterinarian husband own Mountain Shadows Pet Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO.
Due to the overwhelming response to the earlier post about Calming Collars, Deb has agreed make a $5 donation to “the puppy for Bradyn” for each Calming Collar purchase this month that mentions Dr. V or Pawcurious or even Blogathon2010 (there is a “how we heard about you” box in checkout). Thank you Deb!
This is your second chance to win the item of your choice from Calming Collars.
Let’s make this one a happy post. Despite your pet’s anxiety issues (else you wouldn’t be commenting to win, right?) what is the joy that they bring you?
For me, it’s Koa standing behind the exam room door every time I open it. She just stands there, waiting for me to come out. Then when I open the door, she’s wagging her tail like she hasn’t seen me for 3 years instead of 10 minutes.
In the third story on the theme of rescue, Dani from Helping Pets for Little Paws shares how a foster-based rescue program helps animals who would otherwise be at risk in shelters.
There are many options when looking to adopt a pet. One option is to adopt from a foster based rescue group. A foster based rescue group is a typically a group of volunteers that open their home to animals that have been owner relinquished, pulled from a shelter or found as a stray.
The goal of foster based rescue groups is to successfully place the animal in a forever home. Rescue groups fully vet the animal (shots, sterilize, negative heartworm test, de-worm – sometimes much more dependent upon what it takes to get the animal healthy) and work on behavior, such as issues like housebreaking, trust issues, pet etiquette, etc. Foster parents know their foster dog’s or cat (sometimes bunnies, ferrets, even guinea pigs are foster pets!) temperament and personality. They know what type of home would make a good match for each pet.
Most foster based rescue groups are volunteer based, with no paid employees. They operate off of donations only, as the adoption fee is typically less than what it cost to vet the pet. But rescue groups do not do this for the money, they do it to save animal’s lives.
By adopting from a rescue group, you open a slot for another homeless animal to be saved. Help us in our mission: Save a life, Adopt – Don’t Shop!
In the second rescue story, Kathy Powelson shares the love and lessons she has learned from her two Australian shepherds, Jazzy and Blue.
I feel like I have spent my entire life searching. Searching for what, I do not know. If I knew, I may have an idea of where to look. If I knew, there might be some goal, some direction for which I knew the path to follow. But when you are lost, the paths are not visible. Not even visible enough to see any road blocks or detours. They simply, are not there.
My search fills my dreams. Dreams of hopeless and endless efforts to complete a task, to reach someone close to me, to try to explain my feelings.
My body often feels like it’s weighed down, as if I were immersed in lead and I am unable to reach a door, pick up a telephone in time. My mind is clouded in water, challenging me to articulate the feelings I so intently need to express. In these dreams, those I love the most mock me, they are impatient and sometimes callous to the torment I feel. There is no reprieve and I awake daunted and alone. (more…)
Over the next hour I have three stories to share, about the theme of rescue. We rescue each other. They rescue animals. We rescue them.
It’s funny how often a big concept manifests itself right under our nose. Joanie C. from Colorado shares how she came to realize that for her, Be the Change was taking place right in her own home with the adoption of her dog Cinder. I’ve read Cinder’s story several times now, and it makes me misty eyed each and every time I read it.
It’s not that Cinder’s story is any more heartfelt or that she was more needy than any of the other millions of less-adoptables out there. The only difference is that I can tell Cinder’s story and she can’t. As I’ve thought more and more about the Be the Change movement, I realized that Cinder is the change. It isn’t what I’ve done, it is who she is and what she represents.
When Cinder came into my life I wasn’t necessary looking to adopt a dog. My first rescue dog Shelby passed away in July 2005 and it was the first time I was without a dog in 11 years. I knew that I would eventually adopt another dog, either by way of rescue or shelter, or another stray who happened to cross my path the way my first two dogs did. I was slowly warming to the thought of another dog when I happened upon Cinder’s photo online. (more…)
As you all know, BZTAT is busily painting as we speak in service to several animal related causes. The tie between art and charity is strong- both come from the heart, so that should be no surprise. Guest poster and animal artist Sue Steiner speaks to the bond she has with her beautiful horse Ricco:
Ricco, one year ago
Ricco is my yearling. One of the great pleasures of the past year has been to watch this amazing creature grow and develop. I had to laugh the last couple days when something ~finally~ clicked in Ricco’s head when he learned how to take … the big step. Anyone who has been challenged by what seems like a huge obstacle in front of them may be encouraged by this story.
I’ll explain. Ever since Ricco was just a little wee foal he has been confronted by the ~big step~ outside the barn. I have a cement aisle way. The stalls have rubber mats but the aisle is textured cement which creates a step down of several inches out the back of the barn leading to my paddocks and pastures. All the horses know its there and just step down from the barn as I lead them in and out … except Ricco. (more…)
by Dr. V | Saturday | November 13, 2010 | Comments are off for this post
Biscuits by Lambchop were created for “Lambchop” after he become ill because there were no treats out there that met all his special dietary needs, including many food allergies and sensitivities. In honor of this lil’ guy, this scavenger hunt is titled “Where’s Lambchop?” – you know, like Where’s Waldo?!
So find Lambchop! We’ve hidden this cute drawing of Lambchop on 4 webpages!
(Note: THIS is not the hidden one!)
Go to Biscuits by Lambcchop’s Facebook page to see which ones and then post the answers to @lambybiscuits on Twitter and include the hashtag #blogathon.
Memorializing a pet is a regular topic of conversation here on the blog, and in this post, family therapist Laurel Lagoni from Vet Wisdom Cafe shares a great idea for one way to keep our memories of our loved pets alive:
Planting a Tree In Memoriam
“I’m confused about what to do now with my dog’s ashes. He was cremated and I received his remains a couple of weeks ago. I don’t really want to keep them, but I also don’t want to scatter them around and then have nowhere that I can “visit” him. Help! What do other people do?”
-excerpted from a conversation with a pet parent
This is a common dilemma for pet parents as there aren’t as many rules and customs for pet cremains as there are for human cremains. Here’s one idea from a wonderful, little book by Daniel Butler called How to Plant a Tree: A Simple Celebration of Trees and Tree-Planting Ceremonies.
According to Butler, people have always enjoyed a close relationship with trees. They provide food, shelter, protection, and enjoyment. And, when planted with purpose, trees can provide meaning and comfort for years and years. Here’s what Mr. Butler suggests for an In Memoriam ceremony combining a loved one’s cremains and a tree planting. (more…)
