(Ottawa Dog of the Week for June 21st/10)

“Nugget is a 10-year old Collie-German Shepherd mix. When I picked him up from a farm in Pembroke 10 years ago, he was the only one in the litter I could catch. His slowness that day was deceiving, however. These days, Nugget’s athletic nature allows him to keep up with speedy snowmobiles without a problem for long distances, always ready for more. On walks, he regularly pulls his brother, Tacoma along by the collar on their “double dog leash”, and he’s been known to scale 6-foot tall chain-link fences & climb ladders as necessary. In addition to his athletic nature, he’s as smart as a whip and sometimes I’m convinced he understands English as well as most people. On walks, he ellicits “ooooohhhs” and “aaahhhs” from passers-by and the occasional “he’s beyoooooootiful Mommy!” from children. He’s modest, but I’m sure he loves the attention. I sure am glad I caught him on a slow day so many years ago… I really lucked out!” – Nugget’s human, Reid.

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This story was sent in by a reader. Lisa Warden is the Canadian woman who saved Pete in India. Before Pete she had rescued and adopted a paralyzed dog that got hit by a car and left to die. Tragically, Piccolo died a few weeks ago and this is a tribute she wrote about him and her grief and how to try to move on.

Lisa’s story:

To my friends around the globe who love dogs and know how much they mean to me…

Pickles, formally known as Piccolo Pachiavelli Chatterjee del Jagatpur, passed away very unexpectedly on May 20, 2010, at our home in Ahmedabad.

I saw him first in the spring of 2009, lying on the road in the hot, dusty, village of Jagatpur outside Ahmedabad. In fact, what I thought I was looking at was a dead dog, lying as he was in a crumpled, emaciated, twisted heap. As fate would have it, I had to pass through the village on a regular basis to get to a class I was attending. The next day, I saw the carcass again, but further down the road. I thought some dogs had dragged it down there to eat it.

On my way through Jagatpur the following week, I came across a scrawny puppy near the village tea stall. I asked the driver to stop so I could feed him some biscuits. As I was doing so, I heard a dragging sound off to my right. I looked up and couldn’t believe it. It was the crumpled canine heap I had taken for dead, straining to pull himself over to me — or, rather, to the biscuits I was feeding the pup. I could see that he had been run over. His back was broken, as were his hind legs. He was bone-jarringly thin and caked all over with mud and filth. I was shocked to see a creature in such a condition. The top sides of his back legs were raw and bloody. They had no skin left on them as a result of dragging himself around. I couldn’t believe he was still alive, let alone able to make it over to me. He devoured the biscuits and whatever else edible I could find in the car.

For the next two weeks I brought him a full meal each time I passed through Jagatpur. “Crumplestiltskin”, as I initially called him, didn’t seem to be friendly. It wasn’t that he was aggressive towards me — it’s just that he didn’t display any overt signs of warmth or appreciation, other than scarfing down the food I brought him as quickly and desperately as possible.

When my class was finished, I was terribly worried about what would become of Crumplestiltskin. How would he possibly survive? We had just moved out of a hotel in the city and into a house with a big walled garden. I decided that if he would let me pick him up and put him in the car without biting me, I would bring him home to our garden and give him somewhere comfortable to live — or die — with dignity. I would have the vet examine him; she could euthanize him there if she decided there was no hope for him.

My heart was pounding on d-day as I approached Jagatpur. First of all, I didn’t know if Crumplestiltskin would allow me to pick him up and put him in the vehicle. Secondly, I knew I would have to do it fast. Unusually for India, the locals had not exactly been friendly during the previous two weeks whenever I stopped to feed the dog. Remarkable only for its bleakness, the village appeared deserted until I showed up. Then, out of nowhere the villagers would instantly emerge and converge, forming an intimidating circle around me while I fed the dog. They were pushy and curious in an aggressive, almost hostile manner. It didn’t feel good. My plan felt like some kind of commando hostage rescue operation. I prayed my socks off all the way there and choreographed the whole thing in advance with the driver. We rehearsed in our heads: stop, jump out, driver opens back door, I grab dog. If dog bites me or tries too hard to fight, we abort the mission. If he doesn’t, I throw him in the vehicle, driver slams door, we jump back in the van and wheel it out of there.

Amazingly and miraculously, it all went according to plan. When we got to Jagatpur, Crumplestiltskin was waiting for us in his usual spot down from the tea stall. We pulled over, jumped out of the van, and moved into position. I went straight to the dog, took a deep breath, and took him by the scruff with my left hand. To my immense and immediate relief, he looked at me with his deep, dark, beautiful eyes and offered not a shred of resistance. I then scooped up his hind end with my other arm, walked over to the van, and placed him on the quilt in the back of the car. The driver shut the door, we hopped backed in, and tore out of there before anyone knew what was going on. Wow, mission accomplished. Spent adrenaline flooded my veins and made me wobbly.

When I got Crumplestiltskin home, I put a folded quilt out in the shade in the garden on which I placed his emaciated body. He collapsed into an exhausted, relieved sleep.

Over the next two days I realized it was not that Crumplestiltskin was unfriendly; it was just that he hadn’t a shred of strength left with which to do anything other than cling to life. The vet advised deworming, feeding and rest. As for the prognosis, we would just have to wait and see. What I also began to learn shortly after getting him home was that in this crumpled, broken heap of a skeletal dog was a well of love, devotion, gratitude and personality the depths of which I would be lucky ever to experience again.

As for his name, we knew “Crumplestiltskin” was only temporary. We were committed to “uncrumpling” him and blessing him with as good a life as we could, for as long as he was with us. On his second day at home, as he looked at me with those incredibly beautiful, dark, expressive eyes, it jumped out and practically screamed at me: “Piccolo!!!” I don’t know why, but it was just perfect.

Over time, as perfection inevitably gets worn and tattered, “Piccolo” became “Pickles”, which eventually became “Pickles the Incontinent of the Subcontinent” as we realized his bladder control was sporadic at best.

Within a matter of weeks we took in two adorable small puppies we found on a construction site near our home. Not to be outdone by the little charmers, Pickles made sure they knew he was top dog, and took pleasure in bossing them around. As they grew bigger, he grew stronger. In retrospect, getting our pups Button and Penelope when we did worked to renew Pickles’ zest for life. He had a new pack to manage, and a new reason to live.

When Hugo, the skinny little pup who was eventually triumphantly adopted by Sarah and Ryan in Canada, joined the mix last fall, Pickles did a great job babysitting and playing with the little cutie. He adored little Hugo (now “Pete”) and was so happy to have him in the pack:

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There is only 1 word for this: adorable!

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for May 24th/10)

“We got Popeye (a pomeranian) after we lost our youngest dog, at five years old, to hemolytic anemia, a very fast moving blood disorder. We were devastated and in a state of shock after losing our baby to this horrible disorder. It took a matter of days, and he was gone. Our hearts were totally broken. Our two older dogs were moping around and barely eating, and the house lacked any life. After only a couple of weeks, we started searching for a puppy to help heal our broken hearts. Popeye did that and more. Although he will never replace the dog we lost, he has brought life back into the house again. Although it took time, our two other dogs accepted him as part of the family, and now get along quite well. He is a pleasure, well behaved and a comfort to us. He is quite active, but yet always has time for a cuddle. We are totally in love with him.” – Popeye’s mom, Eileen.

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With spring in the air, a lot of people are considering moving to a new home. Be sure to think of your pet along this process to make sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

At moving time, give the dog a chance to relieve bowels and bladder in a safe area on leash. Then put the dog in the crate in a quiet place with a nice treat while people are bustling around moving the household goods. Use the crate and the leash to keep your dog safe from becoming lost along the way.

When you arrive at your destination, open the carrier as soon as you are in a safe place and examine your dog. Spend some time playing with your dog and reassure him that everything is okay and this is now his new home. Provide a treat or a new toy so that your dog will associate the new place with fun

Set up your dog’s belongings so that he will immediately recognize the familiar items. With familiar furniture including his bed, crate, toys and food and water bowls. Your dog should be able to settle quickly into his new home. Allow your dog to explore his new home and familiarize himself with the new sights and smells.

Make sure that all doors, windows, and fences are secured so your dog will not accidentally wander away. Give the dog plenty of opportunity to do this, but supervise so the dog won’t get into trouble in the process. For times you are not able to supervise the dog, it’s usually best to give the dog the freedom of the new place in stages, starting with just one or a few rooms, and adding more as the dog becomes settled.

Remove the old ID tag from your dog’s collar and make sure the new ID is secured on his collar. Try to maintain your pet’s normal routine as you unpack. Try not to disturb the location you have chosen for your dog. Having a secure place to go to is important for your dog in an unfamiliar place.

Taking your dog out for a walk around the new neighborhood will also acquaint him to his new surroundings. Have patience and allow him to explore everything around his new home.

You may want to introduce your dog to your new neighbours. Your neighbour’s familiarity with your pet may help in the recovery of your dog if he ever gets lost. Make sure to keep your dog on a leash when meeting new people.

Settling In

Housetraining is somewhat specific to a location. Therefore be sure to include a refresher course in the new home. A dog exploring unsupervised among your things in a new place is highly likely to have a housetraining accident. Your best chance of limiting this to no more than one accident is the same supervision you used to housetrain the dog in the first place.

Avoid leaving the dog alone in a new yard until you’ve had a chance to observe the dog’s behaviour there, and thoroughly inspect the fences and possible hazards. Toxic plants, rat poison left behind by a previous resident, neighbouring dogs and rowdy children will all need to be considered.

Have a happy and safe moving day!

by Diane Sarasin for Ottawa East Bark Busters

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I’ve written before about my love for Etsy – the online marketplace for all things handmade. I was contacted by this Etsy seller who has the cutest prints for sale!! Check them out here!

Buy One, Get One Free sale for Ottawa Dog Blog Readers!!

Mention “Ottawa Dog Blog” and their choice of a free print (equal or lesser value than the one they buy) in the “Message to Seller” at checkout.

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