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Editorial, Issue 108, Apr/May 2013 The Big Bang Theory of Thievery
My diabolical dog Sierra.
I suppose it is desirable to possess a certain degree of humility as a means of keeping oneself grounded, less liable to succumb to the perils of arrogance or pride. And I am here to tell you that there is no surer way of retaining one’s humility than to own a dog.
For over ten years now my dog Sierra has helped keep my ego in check. The minute I start to think I’m all that and a DQ Blizzard, my furry comic foil will invariably step in, only too happy to provide my comeuppance. Sometimes I’m convinced that she’s out to get me, that this is her life’s work, but my wife says I’m just being paranoid. I dunno, I swear there have been times in which I’ve overheard Sierra laughing at me. My thinking is not so blinkered and confident, however, as to entirely reject the notion that what I heard was actually just the sound of teeth crunching down on some rawhide. Again, I have Sierra to thank for my keeping an open mind on such matters.
Dogs really are smarter than we are. Their minds are uncluttered by the useless information upon which we base our entire lives. Unapologetically opportunistic, relentlessly pragmatic, dogs reduce life to the pursuits of food, a place to nap and the perfect place to pee. Anything beyond that is just so much fluff.
And so when I leave to get a drink during the commercial break of The Big Bang Theory only to discover upon return that my special spot (I’m very Sheldon Cooper-like that way) has been taken by – you guessed it – Sierra, it tends to lead one to conclude she had been lying in wait to take my spot. After all, moments before, Sierra had been lying down – snoring loudly and chasing bunnies through yonder hedge – in one of 65-odd Bowser beds littered across the premises. Surely this was all part of some kind of master plan.
Indeed, one must conclude that this was a deliberate, fiendishly clever, pre-planned attack designed to inculcate one unsettling idea: anybody can be replaced. Even if you’re the proverbial “Head of the House”, Sierra appears to be telling me, your reign is, at best, temporary; at worst, illusory.
And so while I will doubtless remain a humble man as long as dogs are a part of my life, I take issue with one of Sierra’s conclusions. Perhaps it’s true that any one of us can be replaced. I am unable, however, to say the same of Sierra.
For over ten years now my dog Sierra has helped keep my ego in check. The minute I start to think I’m all that and a DQ Blizzard, my furry comic foil will invariably step in, only too happy to provide my comeuppance. Sometimes I’m convinced that she’s out to get me, that this is her life’s work, but my wife says I’m just being paranoid. I dunno, I swear there have been times in which I’ve overheard Sierra laughing at me. My thinking is not so blinkered and confident, however, as to entirely reject the notion that what I heard was actually just the sound of teeth crunching down on some rawhide. Again, I have Sierra to thank for my keeping an open mind on such matters.
Dogs really are smarter than we are. Their minds are uncluttered by the useless information upon which we base our entire lives. Unapologetically opportunistic, relentlessly pragmatic, dogs reduce life to the pursuits of food, a place to nap and the perfect place to pee. Anything beyond that is just so much fluff.
And so when I leave to get a drink during the commercial break of The Big Bang Theory only to discover upon return that my special spot (I’m very Sheldon Cooper-like that way) has been taken by – you guessed it – Sierra, it tends to lead one to conclude she had been lying in wait to take my spot. After all, moments before, Sierra had been lying down – snoring loudly and chasing bunnies through yonder hedge – in one of 65-odd Bowser beds littered across the premises. Surely this was all part of some kind of master plan.
Indeed, one must conclude that this was a deliberate, fiendishly clever, pre-planned attack designed to inculcate one unsettling idea: anybody can be replaced. Even if you’re the proverbial “Head of the House”, Sierra appears to be telling me, your reign is, at best, temporary; at worst, illusory.
And so while I will doubtless remain a humble man as long as dogs are a part of my life, I take issue with one of Sierra’s conclusions. Perhaps it’s true that any one of us can be replaced. I am unable, however, to say the same of Sierra.
Cover story, Issue #107 Feb/Mar 2013
So you think you've been working like a dog?
In this issue we're profiling four special working dogs, with a little help from their respective handlers.
So let's meet Cody, Zori, Hero and Radar, whose selfless service and tireless enthusiasm brings joy, aid, knowledge and comfort to our lives.
K9 Cody & Provincial Offences Officer Robert Dale Meerburg
Civil Servant - Toronto Animal Services
K9 Cody has been an employee of the City of Toronto since January 10, 2005. In that time he (along with partner and best buddy Officer Robert Meerburg) has worked on dog bite prevention programs aimed at schoolchildren, and made innumerable appearances at community and special events obedience demos in the GTA.
The circumstances of their meeting date back to 2004, when Officer Meerburg’s previous partner, Duke, was approaching retirement age. He was asked to be on the lookout for a new sidekick.
Meanwhile, Cody’s adoptive family, who found him to be too much dog for their liking, had dropped him off at Toronto Animal Services.
Meerburg can still remember the first time he laid eyes on the excitable yellow Lab.
“So I went down there to see him,” Meerburg says. “And he was just…wound. Non-stop barking, non-stop biting, jumping on everything. Basically, if he couldn’t go over it, he would try to go under it, and if he couldn’t get under it, he would just try to go right through it.”
Undaunted, Meerburg took on the challenge and proceeded to start training Cody to be Duke’s successor. “The first eight months with him was brutal,” he says.
Meerburg recounts tales of mischief and naughty behaviour to bolster his comparison of Cody with Bart Simpson. There was the incident with the mounted police unit at the CNE grounds, then the hole in the drywall…
“He was a handful.”
Thanks to Officer Meerburg’s patience and commitment, the relationship between the two eventually developed into a close partnership. Cody became a distinguished representative of Toronto Animal Services.
“Our mandate was to teach children respect around animals, how to properly approach an animal if they would like to pet one, trying to avoid grabbing the ears, the tail, the feet,” says Meerburg. “He was quite successful at that aspect of it.”
Always the ham, Cody would often upstage his partner during their appearances by rolling on his back and tossing stuffed toys in the air.
But sadly, age and health concerns have conspired to force Cody’s imminent retirement from TAS in 2013. The two buddies, however, have no plans to lose touch. After his retirement, Cody will continue to live with Officer Meerburg and his family for the rest of his life.
The circumstances of their meeting date back to 2004, when Officer Meerburg’s previous partner, Duke, was approaching retirement age. He was asked to be on the lookout for a new sidekick.
Meanwhile, Cody’s adoptive family, who found him to be too much dog for their liking, had dropped him off at Toronto Animal Services.
Meerburg can still remember the first time he laid eyes on the excitable yellow Lab.
“So I went down there to see him,” Meerburg says. “And he was just…wound. Non-stop barking, non-stop biting, jumping on everything. Basically, if he couldn’t go over it, he would try to go under it, and if he couldn’t get under it, he would just try to go right through it.”
Undaunted, Meerburg took on the challenge and proceeded to start training Cody to be Duke’s successor. “The first eight months with him was brutal,” he says.
Meerburg recounts tales of mischief and naughty behaviour to bolster his comparison of Cody with Bart Simpson. There was the incident with the mounted police unit at the CNE grounds, then the hole in the drywall…
“He was a handful.”
Thanks to Officer Meerburg’s patience and commitment, the relationship between the two eventually developed into a close partnership. Cody became a distinguished representative of Toronto Animal Services.
“Our mandate was to teach children respect around animals, how to properly approach an animal if they would like to pet one, trying to avoid grabbing the ears, the tail, the feet,” says Meerburg. “He was quite successful at that aspect of it.”
Always the ham, Cody would often upstage his partner during their appearances by rolling on his back and tossing stuffed toys in the air.
But sadly, age and health concerns have conspired to force Cody’s imminent retirement from TAS in 2013. The two buddies, however, have no plans to lose touch. After his retirement, Cody will continue to live with Officer Meerburg and his family for the rest of his life.
Zori & Susan Read
Georgian Bay Volunteer Search & Rescue (GBVSR)
Certifications: OPP Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association (OSARVA); North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA)
Extensive and continuous training – along with a very special canine partner – are the key ingredients in developing a search and rescue dog. Indeed, there are only six dogs in all of Ontario who have successfully passed the certification test for civilians.
Zori, a Belgian Malinois, owned by Susan Read of the Georgian Bay Volunteer Search & Rescue, is one of them.
So how does one go about teaching a dog to search for missing and lost persons?
“SAR [search & rescue] training uses a variety of techniques,” says Susan. “The dogs are trained to perform specific behaviours using their motivation. A search and rescue dog has to have extremely high drive, primarily hunt drive and play drive.”
SAR dogs are taught through repetition that detection of human odour, and the communication of the discovery to the handler, means they will receive a reward.
The test for OPP OSARVA certification is particularly rigourous, and requires re-testing every year to maintain the team’s elite designation. It includes a 2-kilometre track (usually a wilderness environment) along with an area search to detect a person hiding in a 1 square kilometer area. They must also find three articles of clothing in a 200m x 200m space in less than 30 minutes. Successful candidates must demonstrate superior talents in agility, obedience and retrieve drive.
To give you some idea of how special Zori is, she has successfully held on to her certification since 2008. Since then she has assisted police forces in Barrie and Midland in cases where children or dementia patients have become lost.
“She was quite a young dog when she was certified [for OSARVA],” says Susan with palpable pride. “She was probably one of the youngest dogs in Ontario to have ever certified.”
The objective of a SAR dog is to clear large areas so that human searchers don’t have to cover that ground. Zori wears a GPS collar during her searches. The resulting data is then downloaded by the OPP, who will then assess how thoroughly the area was covered.
“She’s fabulous at clearing areas,” says Susan.
As unique as Zori doubtless is, Susan maintains that she is part of a team.
“Zori is just another tool in the toolbox. She’s not called out on her own, she’s called out as a part of Georgian Bay Search and Rescue. So, once we have a call out, we are deployed, and we report to the command centre, we’re given a task same as everyone else.”
Zori, a Belgian Malinois, owned by Susan Read of the Georgian Bay Volunteer Search & Rescue, is one of them.
So how does one go about teaching a dog to search for missing and lost persons?
“SAR [search & rescue] training uses a variety of techniques,” says Susan. “The dogs are trained to perform specific behaviours using their motivation. A search and rescue dog has to have extremely high drive, primarily hunt drive and play drive.”
SAR dogs are taught through repetition that detection of human odour, and the communication of the discovery to the handler, means they will receive a reward.
The test for OPP OSARVA certification is particularly rigourous, and requires re-testing every year to maintain the team’s elite designation. It includes a 2-kilometre track (usually a wilderness environment) along with an area search to detect a person hiding in a 1 square kilometer area. They must also find three articles of clothing in a 200m x 200m space in less than 30 minutes. Successful candidates must demonstrate superior talents in agility, obedience and retrieve drive.
To give you some idea of how special Zori is, she has successfully held on to her certification since 2008. Since then she has assisted police forces in Barrie and Midland in cases where children or dementia patients have become lost.
“She was quite a young dog when she was certified [for OSARVA],” says Susan with palpable pride. “She was probably one of the youngest dogs in Ontario to have ever certified.”
The objective of a SAR dog is to clear large areas so that human searchers don’t have to cover that ground. Zori wears a GPS collar during her searches. The resulting data is then downloaded by the OPP, who will then assess how thoroughly the area was covered.
“She’s fabulous at clearing areas,” says Susan.
As unique as Zori doubtless is, Susan maintains that she is part of a team.
“Zori is just another tool in the toolbox. She’s not called out on her own, she’s called out as a part of Georgian Bay Search and Rescue. So, once we have a call out, we are deployed, and we report to the command centre, we’re given a task same as everyone else.”
Hero & Sarah Carson, North Bay, ON
Performer
Hero, also known as The Hardest Working Dog in Showbiz, has been Sarah Carson’s constant companion since she picked him up as a pup on November 1, 2011.
Sarah, 18, owner of Paws Up Dog Training in North Bay, felt an immediate kinship with her new Border Collie.
“He fell asleep on my lap in the car,” she says. “I was just so happy.”
Hero’s training regimen started immediately. By the age of three months he had already learned 60 tricks. Just over a year later, this prodigious dog has amassed a repertoire upwards of 120 tricks.
A prodigy herself, Sarah first learned how to train dogs by watching videos on YouTube only four years ago when she was a mere 14 years of age. Since then she has parlayed her skills into the creation of her own business and, with Hero at her side, made numerous appearances on television, radio and in person.
Sara and Hero’s most memorable, high profile appearance thus far was Late Night with David Letterman on November 13, 2012. Memorable for most people, that is, but not for Sarah, who confesses a case a nerves pretty much obliterated any memory of performing on the “Stupid Pet Tricks” segment of the show (Hero blew bubbles).
“It happened so quick,” she says. “Now, thinking back, I can’t remember what happened. I remember walking on to the stage…and then shaking [David Letterman’s] hand and everything [is] a complete blank.”
Luckily, there is ample video evidence available of Sarah’s appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on her website (www.pawsupdogtraining.net) to refresh memories of her Hero’s welcome.
Kody, Radar & Alexa
Purity Pest Control Thornhill, ON
Michael Goldman, owner of Purity Pest Control, holds the distinction of being the first person in the world to train a dog to sniff out bedbugs. And as anyone who has paid attention to the news knows, a nose for finding bedbugs in Ontario makes Michael and his team a valuable resource for hotels, health care facilities, homeowners and property management companies.
Kody (left), a nine and a half-year-old Collie-Shepherd, was Michael’s first bedbug detector when he started the business about seven years ago. But Kody’s initial training did not involve seeking out bedbugs.
“I took Kody down to Florida [at the Florida Canine Academy] to be trained for termites,” he says. On the way back I was thinking about it. And, you know, bedbugs are the real cash cow in my industry, and the real threat.”
Kody, now retired, is still taken out on “the odd termite job,” says Michael, because he still enjoys the work.
Alexa (right), a five and a half-year-old Golden, was next to learn the art of bug detection, but the onset of a neurological problem shortened her career. Alexa’s gentle nature, however, made her a perfect candidate for another job.
“She is a certified therapy dog with the Delta Society and Therapeutic Paws,” says Michael with obvious pride.
Radar (middle) is a three and a half-year-old Australian Shepherd, and Michael’s current go-to dog for bedbug detection.
“He’s got the radar to find bedbugs,” says Michael. “He’s got so much energy.”
Training a dog to become adept at bedbug detection takes, on average, about two months, Michael says. The aptly named Radar, however, whom Michael started to train at three months, was a big exception.
“To imprint the odour took about 60 seconds,” he says. “It was unbelievable how fast it was to get him to understand what I wanted.”
Michael is quick to stress that training for a bedbug-detecting dog is an ongoing concern.
“Let’s say I’m doing a hotel,” he says. “I’m doing 50 rooms. If my dog doesn’t alert after a few rooms, I’ll inspect the room, I’ll proof it, make sure there’s nothing there and then I’ll take the dog out and I’ll do a hide.”
A “hide” is the deliberate placement of a sample vial in a room previously determined to be bedbug-free. The hide acts as both a re-test of the dog’s bug-detecting acuity, and the means by which the dog’s motivation can be maintained.
“I carry a vial in a plastic bag with me all the time. I’ll place the hide in there and then I’ll bring him in and let him find it so he can get rewarded,” says Michael.
“He has to win at some point.”
Kody (left), a nine and a half-year-old Collie-Shepherd, was Michael’s first bedbug detector when he started the business about seven years ago. But Kody’s initial training did not involve seeking out bedbugs.
“I took Kody down to Florida [at the Florida Canine Academy] to be trained for termites,” he says. On the way back I was thinking about it. And, you know, bedbugs are the real cash cow in my industry, and the real threat.”
Kody, now retired, is still taken out on “the odd termite job,” says Michael, because he still enjoys the work.
Alexa (right), a five and a half-year-old Golden, was next to learn the art of bug detection, but the onset of a neurological problem shortened her career. Alexa’s gentle nature, however, made her a perfect candidate for another job.
“She is a certified therapy dog with the Delta Society and Therapeutic Paws,” says Michael with obvious pride.
Radar (middle) is a three and a half-year-old Australian Shepherd, and Michael’s current go-to dog for bedbug detection.
“He’s got the radar to find bedbugs,” says Michael. “He’s got so much energy.”
Training a dog to become adept at bedbug detection takes, on average, about two months, Michael says. The aptly named Radar, however, whom Michael started to train at three months, was a big exception.
“To imprint the odour took about 60 seconds,” he says. “It was unbelievable how fast it was to get him to understand what I wanted.”
Michael is quick to stress that training for a bedbug-detecting dog is an ongoing concern.
“Let’s say I’m doing a hotel,” he says. “I’m doing 50 rooms. If my dog doesn’t alert after a few rooms, I’ll inspect the room, I’ll proof it, make sure there’s nothing there and then I’ll take the dog out and I’ll do a hide.”
A “hide” is the deliberate placement of a sample vial in a room previously determined to be bedbug-free. The hide acts as both a re-test of the dog’s bug-detecting acuity, and the means by which the dog’s motivation can be maintained.
“I carry a vial in a plastic bag with me all the time. I’ll place the hide in there and then I’ll bring him in and let him find it so he can get rewarded,” says Michael.
“He has to win at some point.”
From the Editor's Desk, Issue #107
Working Toward the Perpetual Now
Think about the way in dogs approach work. A dog can be fast asleep – legs quivering while dreaming of chasing elusive bunnies through thick hedges – only to be unceremoniously awoken, told to do something, find something, go somewhere, or perform for someone. In an instant, his desire to lie down and have a nap has been suspended. Time to punch the clock.
In this issue we’re profiling four different working dogs. We’ve got an entertainer (Hero); a searcher (Zori); a detector (Radar) and a civil servant (Cody).
According to their handlers, when each of these dogs is called upon to work, they exhibit no signs of procrastination. There is no bellyaching involved, no office politics to stew about over the weekend; no peaceful Sunday marred by dread about going back to work on Monday. There is no pressure to succeed, no professional jealousy, no schadenfreude, no gossip, no harassment. Dogs are not haunted by past career failures, nor worried about what may befall them in the future.
There is only the work.
And when a dog is working it is a thing of beauty. There is something tremendously moving about the eagerness in a dog’s eye when he is busy. Busy at work.
A dog lives and works in the perpetual now. Just for a moment try to imagine that. As a great man once said, “I wonder if you can.”
As humans we’re often smug about our intelligence, our capability of reason and forethought, our ability to think far beyond the capacity of a servile animal. And yet I must confess that I find myself wishing I could spend 30 seconds inside the consciousness of my dog as he leaps for a Frisbee, just to experience what no future and no past feels like.
Think about the way in dogs approach work. A dog can be fast asleep – legs quivering while dreaming of chasing elusive bunnies through thick hedges – only to be unceremoniously awoken, told to do something, find something, go somewhere, or perform for someone. In an instant, his desire to lie down and have a nap has been suspended. Time to punch the clock.
In this issue we’re profiling four different working dogs. We’ve got an entertainer (Hero); a searcher (Zori); a detector (Radar) and a civil servant (Cody).
According to their handlers, when each of these dogs is called upon to work, they exhibit no signs of procrastination. There is no bellyaching involved, no office politics to stew about over the weekend; no peaceful Sunday marred by dread about going back to work on Monday. There is no pressure to succeed, no professional jealousy, no schadenfreude, no gossip, no harassment. Dogs are not haunted by past career failures, nor worried about what may befall them in the future.
There is only the work.
And when a dog is working it is a thing of beauty. There is something tremendously moving about the eagerness in a dog’s eye when he is busy. Busy at work.
A dog lives and works in the perpetual now. Just for a moment try to imagine that. As a great man once said, “I wonder if you can.”
As humans we’re often smug about our intelligence, our capability of reason and forethought, our ability to think far beyond the capacity of a servile animal. And yet I must confess that I find myself wishing I could spend 30 seconds inside the consciousness of my dog as he leaps for a Frisbee, just to experience what no future and no past feels like.
Mike Arms is bringing animals Home 4 the Holidays
by Tom Sandford
Mike Arms is credited with facilitating the adoption of more homeless animals than any other living person in the world. It’s an extraordinary achievement, one that is immediately traceable to an epochal moment in Arms’ life in which unspeakable cruelty collided with soul-stirring selflessness.
Decades ago, while working for the ASPCA in New York, Mike responded to the report that a dog had been hit by a car. Arriving at the scene, it was immediately apparent from the catastrophic nature of the injuries that the dog – a black and tan shepherd/terrier mix – would not survive. As he neared the dying dog, Mike was accosted by two men who objected to his efforts to provide assistance. They were, they explained, taking bets on how long the dog would live.
Appalled at such callous disregard for life, Arms turned his attention to getting the dog into the ambulance. But when he did so, he was savagely beaten and stabbed by the two men. Bleeding and unconsciousness, Mike came to when the mortally injured dog miraculously crawled over to him and licked his face.
In that moment, Arms vowed that if he were allowed to survive this ordeal he would devote his life to the protection of animals.
Mike made good on that promise, and spent 20 years as director of New York’s North Shore Animal League (which bills itself the “World's Largest No-Kill Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization”) before becoming president and CEO of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. A non-profit multi-pronged organization that Mike refers to as a “facility of the future,” it boasts features like an adoption centre, a boarding facility, an equine hospital and stables.
In 1999, Mike created Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays, a program that encourages people to adopt pets during the holiday season. Arms is fully aware that the specific aim of his campaign flies in the face of the commonly held belief (unwittingly supported by adoption organizations who are often closed during the season) that holiday-inspired adoptions often result in regretful New Year’s returns.
“But nobody had ever did a study on that,” he says, “except for me. And it was totally untrue.”
Asked how this belief came into existence, Arms offers a shockingly blunt response.
“I believe the one who came up with that rumour were the puppy mills. They don’t want you to do adoptions at their biggest sale time of the year, because for every adoption we do, that’s one less puppy mill sale being made.”
The circumstances surrounding holiday pet adoption, he says, are much different in “the real world.”
“Here’s what really happens. If Billy or Janie write down on their list to Santa that they would love to have their own puppy or kitten, after they go to bed, mom and dad sit there and they discuss it. And they say, ‘You know, they’ve been showing responsibility, keeping their rooms clean, keeping up with their homework, keeping up their grades. What better reason for the season than to bring in a new life?’
If your facility is closed, you didn’t stop them from getting a pet. You just stopped them from where they’re getting a pet.”
Education and responsibility are key factors in any family’s decision to acquire a pet, says Mike, and the main reasons why facilities should remain open during the holidays.
“If you’re lucky enough to have [a family] come down to your facility, where you can mandate spay/neuter, and let them know this is a 15, 16-year commitment, and to get them more engaged in pet responsibility, then you’re part of the solution.
But if your doors were closed, you might as well stand outside and give them a gift certificate, send them to the mall, where they’re going to support puppy mills and get an unsprayed, unneutered pet, and really not know the responsibility of pet ownership.”
The statistics suggest Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays has been a tremendous success in its quest to preserve and improve the lives of orphaned animals.
“When we started this in 1999,” says Mike, “we just did it with the 14 organizations here in San Diego.” That initial campaign resulted in 2,563 adoptions.
“And that grew,” he says with palpable pride, “to last year, where we had close to 4,000 organizations, and collectively we adopted out 1,278,000 pets. We’ve adopted out seven million pets since the inception in 1999. Not only are we saving these pets’ lives and taking the burden off the facilities, but we have stopped seven million puppy mill sales.”
Arms is quick to credit Iams for their unwavering sponsorship of, and unshakeable belief in, the program.
“We’re very fortunate with Home 4 the Holidays,” Mike says. “The Iams company said ‘You know what, we’ll get behind this. We’ll put resources in to really get the word out.’ They put a lot of money into this, promoting and marketing it. Without them, it would have just been a great dream that would have never taken place.”
Four decades after he was bludgeoned, stabbed, and finally awakened by the gentle grace of a dying dog, is Arms still inspired by the events that changed the course of his life?
“That day in the street I was given a purpose in life. Every day when I get up and go to shave and I see the scars, they’re like my medals. It reminds me of what I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t have to think about it; I know my life has a purpose. It was all because God decided that day to teach me what I’m supposed to do with my life.”
For information on how you can participate in Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays, go to www.iams.ca/en-ca/pet-adoption/home-for-the-holidays.
Decades ago, while working for the ASPCA in New York, Mike responded to the report that a dog had been hit by a car. Arriving at the scene, it was immediately apparent from the catastrophic nature of the injuries that the dog – a black and tan shepherd/terrier mix – would not survive. As he neared the dying dog, Mike was accosted by two men who objected to his efforts to provide assistance. They were, they explained, taking bets on how long the dog would live.
Appalled at such callous disregard for life, Arms turned his attention to getting the dog into the ambulance. But when he did so, he was savagely beaten and stabbed by the two men. Bleeding and unconsciousness, Mike came to when the mortally injured dog miraculously crawled over to him and licked his face.
In that moment, Arms vowed that if he were allowed to survive this ordeal he would devote his life to the protection of animals.
Mike made good on that promise, and spent 20 years as director of New York’s North Shore Animal League (which bills itself the “World's Largest No-Kill Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization”) before becoming president and CEO of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. A non-profit multi-pronged organization that Mike refers to as a “facility of the future,” it boasts features like an adoption centre, a boarding facility, an equine hospital and stables.
In 1999, Mike created Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays, a program that encourages people to adopt pets during the holiday season. Arms is fully aware that the specific aim of his campaign flies in the face of the commonly held belief (unwittingly supported by adoption organizations who are often closed during the season) that holiday-inspired adoptions often result in regretful New Year’s returns.
“But nobody had ever did a study on that,” he says, “except for me. And it was totally untrue.”
Asked how this belief came into existence, Arms offers a shockingly blunt response.
“I believe the one who came up with that rumour were the puppy mills. They don’t want you to do adoptions at their biggest sale time of the year, because for every adoption we do, that’s one less puppy mill sale being made.”
The circumstances surrounding holiday pet adoption, he says, are much different in “the real world.”
“Here’s what really happens. If Billy or Janie write down on their list to Santa that they would love to have their own puppy or kitten, after they go to bed, mom and dad sit there and they discuss it. And they say, ‘You know, they’ve been showing responsibility, keeping their rooms clean, keeping up with their homework, keeping up their grades. What better reason for the season than to bring in a new life?’
If your facility is closed, you didn’t stop them from getting a pet. You just stopped them from where they’re getting a pet.”
Education and responsibility are key factors in any family’s decision to acquire a pet, says Mike, and the main reasons why facilities should remain open during the holidays.
“If you’re lucky enough to have [a family] come down to your facility, where you can mandate spay/neuter, and let them know this is a 15, 16-year commitment, and to get them more engaged in pet responsibility, then you’re part of the solution.
But if your doors were closed, you might as well stand outside and give them a gift certificate, send them to the mall, where they’re going to support puppy mills and get an unsprayed, unneutered pet, and really not know the responsibility of pet ownership.”
The statistics suggest Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays has been a tremendous success in its quest to preserve and improve the lives of orphaned animals.
“When we started this in 1999,” says Mike, “we just did it with the 14 organizations here in San Diego.” That initial campaign resulted in 2,563 adoptions.
“And that grew,” he says with palpable pride, “to last year, where we had close to 4,000 organizations, and collectively we adopted out 1,278,000 pets. We’ve adopted out seven million pets since the inception in 1999. Not only are we saving these pets’ lives and taking the burden off the facilities, but we have stopped seven million puppy mill sales.”
Arms is quick to credit Iams for their unwavering sponsorship of, and unshakeable belief in, the program.
“We’re very fortunate with Home 4 the Holidays,” Mike says. “The Iams company said ‘You know what, we’ll get behind this. We’ll put resources in to really get the word out.’ They put a lot of money into this, promoting and marketing it. Without them, it would have just been a great dream that would have never taken place.”
Four decades after he was bludgeoned, stabbed, and finally awakened by the gentle grace of a dying dog, is Arms still inspired by the events that changed the course of his life?
“That day in the street I was given a purpose in life. Every day when I get up and go to shave and I see the scars, they’re like my medals. It reminds me of what I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t have to think about it; I know my life has a purpose. It was all because God decided that day to teach me what I’m supposed to do with my life.”
For information on how you can participate in Iams’ Home 4 the Holidays, go to www.iams.ca/en-ca/pet-adoption/home-for-the-holidays.
Editorials/Stories from the Editor
Editorial #5, Oct-Nov 2012
Sgt. Pepper, our nearly two-year-old Field Golden, knows he’s not allowed on our bed at night, but in the last few months he’s been in the habit of staging nighttime commando raids in which he somehow displaces two fairly resolute, sentinel-like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to establish a beachhead between my wife and I.
Recently, I awoke with a nose full of Cavalier fur and no Pepper. I assumed the Cavvies had waged a successful counterattack and repelled the bony invader. Moments later, however, Pepper nudged my hand with his cold nose as if to say, “Hey, I’m down here.”
His eyes looked funny, his tail was down and he made no effort to jump on the bed.
It became apparent rather quickly that Pepper was simply incapable of jumping on the bed – and we were filled with instant dread. Anyone who has ever seen a dog with a back injury knows the pit-of-the-stomach panic that results from seeing a previously rambunctious, irrepressible spirit suddenly shut down.
We determined that the previous night’s Frisbee play session was the culprit, and called the vet’s office to schedule an appointment later that day.
When Dr. Juan Elduayen came into the examining room I inexplicably felt a wave of relief come over me. He is blessed with a gentle presence that radiates comfort and compassion. Although we had never met, I trusted him completely.
After a thorough examination (both inside and outdoors, so he could observe Pepper’s gait), Dr. Elduayen assuaged our worst fears and told us Pepper would be better in a week.
When I learned that Juan himself is facing a serious medical situation – he was recently diagnosed with an inoperable form of adenocarcinoma – I was astonished that he could still manage to perform his duties as a veterinarian with such fortitude and dignity.
Because Juan requires treatment at a special facility in California, his friends and colleagues at Woodbine Animal Hospital are currently holding an auction to raise funds on his behalf. Bids and donations can be made at www.juancarloselduayen.com. Further information is available by calling Woodbine Animal Hospital, 416-699-1175.
Anyone who has had a sick pet knows how stressful this situation can be, and how that same stress can be relieved by the actions of a compassionate vet.
I wish Juan the same sense of peace he so graciously offered me.
Recently, I awoke with a nose full of Cavalier fur and no Pepper. I assumed the Cavvies had waged a successful counterattack and repelled the bony invader. Moments later, however, Pepper nudged my hand with his cold nose as if to say, “Hey, I’m down here.”
His eyes looked funny, his tail was down and he made no effort to jump on the bed.
It became apparent rather quickly that Pepper was simply incapable of jumping on the bed – and we were filled with instant dread. Anyone who has ever seen a dog with a back injury knows the pit-of-the-stomach panic that results from seeing a previously rambunctious, irrepressible spirit suddenly shut down.
We determined that the previous night’s Frisbee play session was the culprit, and called the vet’s office to schedule an appointment later that day.
When Dr. Juan Elduayen came into the examining room I inexplicably felt a wave of relief come over me. He is blessed with a gentle presence that radiates comfort and compassion. Although we had never met, I trusted him completely.
After a thorough examination (both inside and outdoors, so he could observe Pepper’s gait), Dr. Elduayen assuaged our worst fears and told us Pepper would be better in a week.
When I learned that Juan himself is facing a serious medical situation – he was recently diagnosed with an inoperable form of adenocarcinoma – I was astonished that he could still manage to perform his duties as a veterinarian with such fortitude and dignity.
Because Juan requires treatment at a special facility in California, his friends and colleagues at Woodbine Animal Hospital are currently holding an auction to raise funds on his behalf. Bids and donations can be made at www.juancarloselduayen.com. Further information is available by calling Woodbine Animal Hospital, 416-699-1175.
Anyone who has had a sick pet knows how stressful this situation can be, and how that same stress can be relieved by the actions of a compassionate vet.
I wish Juan the same sense of peace he so graciously offered me.
Toronto’s Favourite Newspaper for Dog Lovers is now known as...
Ontario’s Favourite Newspaper for Dog Lovers!
Editorial #4, Aug-Sept 2012
News media has undergone substantial, devastating change in the last ten years; change that is at this moment modifying and recreating the manner in which news information is gathered and disseminated. The digital revolution has proven that devotees of Twitter and Facebook, along with bloggers and online news outlets, can spread news faster than dinosaur-like hard copy-based newspapers or even CNN.
We are in the midst of a sea change that is sending protracted chest pains throughout the corridors of every media organization in the world.
But don’t take my word for it.
In April of this year the CBC announced it would be eliminating 650 jobs over the next three years. CNN’s ratings recently suffered a much-publicized dip that made the world-renowned news titan appear suddenly vulnerable.
The climate for print media is particularly dire.
In June, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which began as a daily newspaper in 1837, announced it was cutting its staff by half – by half -- and publishing only three times a week.
Notwithstanding this negative trend, our humble little publication is poised and duly pleased to announce that, beginning with this very issue, Dogs Dogs Dogs is going province-wide.
Ontario’s dog community is comprised of myriad trainers, writers, breeders, athletes, entrepreneurs, shop owners, food producers and, of course, pet owners. It is a community unto itself. I’m frequently amazed at how deeply rooted the network of so-called “dog people” is in Ontario; everyone I meet seems to know, or has at least heard of, everyone else. And those who have not yet met have an unspoken bond in their mutual love of dogs.
By going province-wide, Dogs Dogs Dogs is neither ignoring nor defying the trend away from the printed page -- after all, we are habitual users of Facebook and Twitter and attempt to update our webpage on a regular basis – we are simply trying to create a unique platform upon which the vendor meets the consumer, the doctor meets the patient…and the dog lover meets the dog lover. And to accomplish this, we need to stretch our paws across the breadth of Ontario.
Editorial #4, Aug-Sept 2012
News media has undergone substantial, devastating change in the last ten years; change that is at this moment modifying and recreating the manner in which news information is gathered and disseminated. The digital revolution has proven that devotees of Twitter and Facebook, along with bloggers and online news outlets, can spread news faster than dinosaur-like hard copy-based newspapers or even CNN.
We are in the midst of a sea change that is sending protracted chest pains throughout the corridors of every media organization in the world.
But don’t take my word for it.
In April of this year the CBC announced it would be eliminating 650 jobs over the next three years. CNN’s ratings recently suffered a much-publicized dip that made the world-renowned news titan appear suddenly vulnerable.
The climate for print media is particularly dire.
In June, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which began as a daily newspaper in 1837, announced it was cutting its staff by half – by half -- and publishing only three times a week.
Notwithstanding this negative trend, our humble little publication is poised and duly pleased to announce that, beginning with this very issue, Dogs Dogs Dogs is going province-wide.
Ontario’s dog community is comprised of myriad trainers, writers, breeders, athletes, entrepreneurs, shop owners, food producers and, of course, pet owners. It is a community unto itself. I’m frequently amazed at how deeply rooted the network of so-called “dog people” is in Ontario; everyone I meet seems to know, or has at least heard of, everyone else. And those who have not yet met have an unspoken bond in their mutual love of dogs.
By going province-wide, Dogs Dogs Dogs is neither ignoring nor defying the trend away from the printed page -- after all, we are habitual users of Facebook and Twitter and attempt to update our webpage on a regular basis – we are simply trying to create a unique platform upon which the vendor meets the consumer, the doctor meets the patient…and the dog lover meets the dog lover. And to accomplish this, we need to stretch our paws across the breadth of Ontario.
“She’s a very strong dog”
A behind-the-scenes look at the caregivers who saved Duchess, a 2-year-old Bull Mastiff, who sustained a serious gunshot wound to the neck…and still managed to walk into hospital on her own four legs
Above: Dutchess at the hospital, with evidence of the gunshot that tore through her neck.
It was a shocking story to wake up to: At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 27, Toronto police and EMS workers attended the scene of a shooting on Woodgarden Crescent in Scarborough that left a woman and a dog wounded. Police took a man into custody a few hours later; last reports stated that both victims would survive their injuries.
But that’s not the whole story.
Heading into Morningside Pet Hospital at 4560 Kingston Rd. was head RVT (Registered Vet Technician) Lisa Pearson, who had no idea of the drama that was about to unfold.
“We had gotten a call just before I came in letting us know that she was on her way in,” she says. “There were actually a few police officers that brought her in because the owners [friends of the wounded woman] were kind of tied up with everything that was going on.”
The dog, a two-year-old Bull Mastiff named Duchess, arrived at the hospital at approximately 8:20 a.m. with a gunshot wound to the neck.
“You know, you think a gunshot in the neck and you think the worst really,” says Lisa. “They have the exact same structure as we do in our necks…a lot of things that can go wrong for sure.”
The team, which included Lisa, Dr. Mehran Baroughi and an ACA (Animal Care Attendant), waited outside the hospital for the imminent arrival of the police car carrying the wounded dog.
Amazingly, Duchess did not appear to be noticeably distressed in the slightest.
“We were expecting it to be a lot worse,” says Lisa.
Indeed, a still-astonished Lisa says that upon Duchess’ arrival the wounded dog “just basically hopped out of the car” and trotted into the hospital with no assistance, under her own power.
Trial by (gun)fire
As improbably nonchalant as her entrance doubtless sounds, make no mistake, Duchess had been seriously wounded. And for the staff at the hospital, who had never seen anything like a bullet wound before, this would be trial by (gun)fire.
The entrance wound had penetrated an area near the vocal cords, narrowly missed the esophagus, and exited in the back of the neck.
“She was very lucky. It didn’t hit a lot of the things we’re concerned about in the neck, like the veins and the blood supply going to the brain, or even the spine,” says Lisa.
The first thing the team had to do was stabilize the ostensibly stable patient so that she could be transported safely to the VEC (Veterinary Emergency Clinic) for further treatment.
“We had given her some good pain meds, of course. A gunshot is painful, even though she wasn’t showing a whole lot of signs of being in pain. She was pretty stable herself but we did sedate her to bring all the anxiety down as well; just kind of settle her system.”
Additional steps were taken to guard against any unforeseen complications.
“We took x-rays of her neck and then we also placed an IV catheter into her leg so that we would have access to her vein. She was fairly stable, but just in case she decided to start to crash on us then we were able to access her veins quickly, to administer IV fluids, any medications or anything like that.”
Even though the hospital staff is comprised of trained professionals, Lisa confides that it was upsetting for everyone involved to see a dog in that condition.
“It was shocking that somebody would do that, first of all -- and to a dog.”
But there was another reason why the staff at Morningside Pet Hospital is so deeply affected by the incident. They were well acquainted with the wounded animal on the table.
“The fact that she is our patient, it does touch the heart for sure,” says Lisa. “Even just seeing her, how she handled the whole situation…she was calm throughout the whole thing. She didn’t seem to be in too much distress. She’s a very strong dog.”
Duchess will survive the injury she sustained, but she still has to take care in the short term, and may still face challenges in years to come.
“She has to be closely monitored and kept really quiet. She can’t exercise, she can’t do a whole lot right now because she’s still has to be watched because [the bullet] did cause a lot of tissue damage.
“She could develop breathing problems. She could also develop – because it did go through roughly around her vocal cords that can cause some problems with barking.”
If Duchess’ resilience and quiet bravery weren’t enough evidence of her indomitable and generous spirit, Lisa says that in the aftermath of the shooting
Duchess has been comforting those around her.
“The owner said that she knows [Dutchess is] a very strong dog and just kind of proves it. She’s been their rock. Even though she’s been a victim, she’s still been their rock throughout this whole situation.”
We were basically outside waiting for them to come in. We were expecting it to be a lot worse…and she just basically hopped out of the car and it was like, “Okay.”
.
But that’s not the whole story.
Heading into Morningside Pet Hospital at 4560 Kingston Rd. was head RVT (Registered Vet Technician) Lisa Pearson, who had no idea of the drama that was about to unfold.
“We had gotten a call just before I came in letting us know that she was on her way in,” she says. “There were actually a few police officers that brought her in because the owners [friends of the wounded woman] were kind of tied up with everything that was going on.”
The dog, a two-year-old Bull Mastiff named Duchess, arrived at the hospital at approximately 8:20 a.m. with a gunshot wound to the neck.
“You know, you think a gunshot in the neck and you think the worst really,” says Lisa. “They have the exact same structure as we do in our necks…a lot of things that can go wrong for sure.”
The team, which included Lisa, Dr. Mehran Baroughi and an ACA (Animal Care Attendant), waited outside the hospital for the imminent arrival of the police car carrying the wounded dog.
Amazingly, Duchess did not appear to be noticeably distressed in the slightest.
“We were expecting it to be a lot worse,” says Lisa.
Indeed, a still-astonished Lisa says that upon Duchess’ arrival the wounded dog “just basically hopped out of the car” and trotted into the hospital with no assistance, under her own power.
Trial by (gun)fire
As improbably nonchalant as her entrance doubtless sounds, make no mistake, Duchess had been seriously wounded. And for the staff at the hospital, who had never seen anything like a bullet wound before, this would be trial by (gun)fire.
The entrance wound had penetrated an area near the vocal cords, narrowly missed the esophagus, and exited in the back of the neck.
“She was very lucky. It didn’t hit a lot of the things we’re concerned about in the neck, like the veins and the blood supply going to the brain, or even the spine,” says Lisa.
The first thing the team had to do was stabilize the ostensibly stable patient so that she could be transported safely to the VEC (Veterinary Emergency Clinic) for further treatment.
“We had given her some good pain meds, of course. A gunshot is painful, even though she wasn’t showing a whole lot of signs of being in pain. She was pretty stable herself but we did sedate her to bring all the anxiety down as well; just kind of settle her system.”
Additional steps were taken to guard against any unforeseen complications.
“We took x-rays of her neck and then we also placed an IV catheter into her leg so that we would have access to her vein. She was fairly stable, but just in case she decided to start to crash on us then we were able to access her veins quickly, to administer IV fluids, any medications or anything like that.”
Even though the hospital staff is comprised of trained professionals, Lisa confides that it was upsetting for everyone involved to see a dog in that condition.
“It was shocking that somebody would do that, first of all -- and to a dog.”
But there was another reason why the staff at Morningside Pet Hospital is so deeply affected by the incident. They were well acquainted with the wounded animal on the table.
“The fact that she is our patient, it does touch the heart for sure,” says Lisa. “Even just seeing her, how she handled the whole situation…she was calm throughout the whole thing. She didn’t seem to be in too much distress. She’s a very strong dog.”
Duchess will survive the injury she sustained, but she still has to take care in the short term, and may still face challenges in years to come.
“She has to be closely monitored and kept really quiet. She can’t exercise, she can’t do a whole lot right now because she’s still has to be watched because [the bullet] did cause a lot of tissue damage.
“She could develop breathing problems. She could also develop – because it did go through roughly around her vocal cords that can cause some problems with barking.”
If Duchess’ resilience and quiet bravery weren’t enough evidence of her indomitable and generous spirit, Lisa says that in the aftermath of the shooting
Duchess has been comforting those around her.
“The owner said that she knows [Dutchess is] a very strong dog and just kind of proves it. She’s been their rock. Even though she’s been a victim, she’s still been their rock throughout this whole situation.”
We were basically outside waiting for them to come in. We were expecting it to be a lot worse…and she just basically hopped out of the car and it was like, “Okay.”
.
Carpe Diem: a Nugget of wisdom
Insofar as any dog’s lifespan is unspeakably brief, compared to ours, I believe we should try to include them in as many family activities as possible. Whether going around the block for a coffee, or away on a six-hour road trip, time spent away from our dogs this summer is, in my view, time wasted.
It was not for nothing we entitled this issue the Dog Days of Summer.
Dog sports like dock diving are a wonderful way in which to spend a day out in the sun with your dog. The premise is very simple, and anyone can do it: the handler tosses a floatable toy into the water and the dog jumps off the dock to retrieve it, and is then measured for distance (Check out groups like Ontario DockDogs and Ultimate Air Dogs for more information).
Our dog Nugget, the gentlest of blond Golden Retrievers, used to love dock diving (that’s him on the front page of this issue). When he was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 3, we felt it was important to keep him active and happy.
And nothing made him happier than dock diving.
Over the course of three years, however, the seizures became more frequent, and the ever-increasing cocktail of drugs numbed his senses and robbed him of his balletic athleticism. But he still loved to jump.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a great deal of competition in dock diving – not between the dogs, you understand, but between the owners who use their dogs as proxies on whom bragging rights depend. After the drugs sapped his strength, he was still excited about dock diving, but for Nugget it wasn’t going to be about competing anymore. On a good day he could summon the strength to jump 13 or 14 feet. On a bad day, when his eyes betrayed helpless confusion, and his countenance resembled that of a dog over twice his age, he would jump only 7 or 8 feet.
Nugget’s trademark schtick, however – and the action by which announcers, competitors and spectators came to identify him – always came after the jump. Where most dogs sprint down the 40-foot dock, hit the water, retrieve their toy, and get out of the pool, Nugget insisted on taking his own sweet time. He swam slowly and deliberately towards his beloved yellow Wubba, seemingly oblivious to the queue of dogs and handlers waiting for their turn on the dock.
By the summer of 2010 the three-year cycle of seizures, hospitalizations and drugs had turned his beautiful blond coat completely white. His face was drawn. He fell behind on family walks. He slept a lot.
And that’s why it came as such as shock when Nugget somehow won first place in his division at a DockDogs competition on the Canada Day weekend.
When he passed a mere two months later, it made me think he had it right all along. Life shouldn’t be a furious sprint to the end of the dock, but a calming, slow swim in a pool.
It was not for nothing we entitled this issue the Dog Days of Summer.
Dog sports like dock diving are a wonderful way in which to spend a day out in the sun with your dog. The premise is very simple, and anyone can do it: the handler tosses a floatable toy into the water and the dog jumps off the dock to retrieve it, and is then measured for distance (Check out groups like Ontario DockDogs and Ultimate Air Dogs for more information).
Our dog Nugget, the gentlest of blond Golden Retrievers, used to love dock diving (that’s him on the front page of this issue). When he was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 3, we felt it was important to keep him active and happy.
And nothing made him happier than dock diving.
Over the course of three years, however, the seizures became more frequent, and the ever-increasing cocktail of drugs numbed his senses and robbed him of his balletic athleticism. But he still loved to jump.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a great deal of competition in dock diving – not between the dogs, you understand, but between the owners who use their dogs as proxies on whom bragging rights depend. After the drugs sapped his strength, he was still excited about dock diving, but for Nugget it wasn’t going to be about competing anymore. On a good day he could summon the strength to jump 13 or 14 feet. On a bad day, when his eyes betrayed helpless confusion, and his countenance resembled that of a dog over twice his age, he would jump only 7 or 8 feet.
Nugget’s trademark schtick, however – and the action by which announcers, competitors and spectators came to identify him – always came after the jump. Where most dogs sprint down the 40-foot dock, hit the water, retrieve their toy, and get out of the pool, Nugget insisted on taking his own sweet time. He swam slowly and deliberately towards his beloved yellow Wubba, seemingly oblivious to the queue of dogs and handlers waiting for their turn on the dock.
By the summer of 2010 the three-year cycle of seizures, hospitalizations and drugs had turned his beautiful blond coat completely white. His face was drawn. He fell behind on family walks. He slept a lot.
And that’s why it came as such as shock when Nugget somehow won first place in his division at a DockDogs competition on the Canada Day weekend.
When he passed a mere two months later, it made me think he had it right all along. Life shouldn’t be a furious sprint to the end of the dock, but a calming, slow swim in a pool.
How to Recognize the Signs You’re Getting a New Puppy
Editorial #2, Issue #102, Apr/May, 2012
“I got an email today from a breeder.”
There it is: this is how it begins. The seed is planted over a simple conversation during the commercial break of Dancing with the Stars.
“Huh,” is my typical response, my mind elsewhere. “That Bruno Tonioli is an odd duck.”
Only hindsight will reveal the breadth and scope of my wife’s cunning; her strategic genius; her effortless manipulation.
Weeks go by.
“I got another email from a breeder.” Her tone is more strident this time; inexplicably emphatic.
On that particular evening I’m half-dozing through a reality show of my wife’s choosing. All I remember is a rather unhinged woman tearfully explaining that she “didn’t come here to make friends,” and that she hoped to take her relationship with some guy she had just met “to the next level.”
“Huh.”
Only this time, that’s not the end of our conversation.
“Yep. She says she’ll have a litter on the ground in the next couple of days!”
Weeks go by. And then it happens – during one of my favourite programs.
My wife is sitting at her computer in the dining room, making all kinds of cooing noises. There’s the occasional chortle; the inevitable “Awwwww…”
“Oh, sweetie, you’ve got come here and see this. The breeder sent me some pictures of the new puppies! Aren’t they cuuu-eee-uu-ute?”
I had no idea that “cute” was a polysyllabic word, but there you are. However, there’s no denying that the puppies are, in fact, “cuuu-eee-uu-ute” (Note: I can type this word, I’m simply unable to pronounce it).
Soon thereafter I received an email from my wife with more pictures. I see puppies and more puppies. I see puppies curled up in piles on top of puppies sniffing other puppies. There are puppies everywhere. Instinct compels me to scan the pictures for #OccupyWhelpingBox banners, tents and drum circles.
The puppies are squinting in the pictures. They look pink-eyed, nearsighted, and vaguely porcine in nature. In other words, these puppies are at the absolute height of cuuu-eee-uuuteness.
The accompanying message is rife with exclamation marks and emoticons.
You must understand that at this point I’m still oblivious to my wife’s machinations. I mean, really, all she has done is show me pictures of recently born puppies. That’s it. No hidden motive there.
But then, while we’re watching Tyra Banks and Nigel Barker discussing the abstruse mysteries of fashion, it comes.
“The breeder invited us to come see the puppies!”
And then it hits me.
“Huh?” I say. Except this time I’m barking out my favourite non-word to express fast-brewing anxiety.
“Yes, this Saturday. I thought we could go in the afternoon. We could have lunch.”
Arguments to the contrary elude me. My rebuttal is eventually formulated – by which time, however, it is most certainly moot, inasmuch as our new puppy will have be named and comfortably sitting in my lap.
Huh.
“I got an email today from a breeder.”
There it is: this is how it begins. The seed is planted over a simple conversation during the commercial break of Dancing with the Stars.
“Huh,” is my typical response, my mind elsewhere. “That Bruno Tonioli is an odd duck.”
Only hindsight will reveal the breadth and scope of my wife’s cunning; her strategic genius; her effortless manipulation.
Weeks go by.
“I got another email from a breeder.” Her tone is more strident this time; inexplicably emphatic.
On that particular evening I’m half-dozing through a reality show of my wife’s choosing. All I remember is a rather unhinged woman tearfully explaining that she “didn’t come here to make friends,” and that she hoped to take her relationship with some guy she had just met “to the next level.”
“Huh.”
Only this time, that’s not the end of our conversation.
“Yep. She says she’ll have a litter on the ground in the next couple of days!”
Weeks go by. And then it happens – during one of my favourite programs.
My wife is sitting at her computer in the dining room, making all kinds of cooing noises. There’s the occasional chortle; the inevitable “Awwwww…”
“Oh, sweetie, you’ve got come here and see this. The breeder sent me some pictures of the new puppies! Aren’t they cuuu-eee-uu-ute?”
I had no idea that “cute” was a polysyllabic word, but there you are. However, there’s no denying that the puppies are, in fact, “cuuu-eee-uu-ute” (Note: I can type this word, I’m simply unable to pronounce it).
Soon thereafter I received an email from my wife with more pictures. I see puppies and more puppies. I see puppies curled up in piles on top of puppies sniffing other puppies. There are puppies everywhere. Instinct compels me to scan the pictures for #OccupyWhelpingBox banners, tents and drum circles.
The puppies are squinting in the pictures. They look pink-eyed, nearsighted, and vaguely porcine in nature. In other words, these puppies are at the absolute height of cuuu-eee-uuuteness.
The accompanying message is rife with exclamation marks and emoticons.
You must understand that at this point I’m still oblivious to my wife’s machinations. I mean, really, all she has done is show me pictures of recently born puppies. That’s it. No hidden motive there.
But then, while we’re watching Tyra Banks and Nigel Barker discussing the abstruse mysteries of fashion, it comes.
“The breeder invited us to come see the puppies!”
And then it hits me.
“Huh?” I say. Except this time I’m barking out my favourite non-word to express fast-brewing anxiety.
“Yes, this Saturday. I thought we could go in the afternoon. We could have lunch.”
Arguments to the contrary elude me. My rebuttal is eventually formulated – by which time, however, it is most certainly moot, inasmuch as our new puppy will have be named and comfortably sitting in my lap.
Huh.
A walk on the wild side
Are Toronto’s off-leash parks going to the dogs…or not?
By Tom Sandford
Winter 2011/2012
It's called the People, Dogs and Parks Off-Leash Policy, but some licensed, professional dog walkers are concerned the rules don’t adequately target the conduct and behaviour of the first party named in the regulations.
Very belligerent
“I find people are getting more aggressive,” says Anne Turner, a dog walker in the Beaches area since 1999. “Very belligerent.”
During a chilly afternoon slog through the sand at Kew-Balmy Beach Off-leash Park, Anne speaks candidly of changes she has seen in the attitudes of dog owners since Toronto City Council approved the policy on January 27th, 2010.
“I mean, generally, people are pretty well-behaved,” says Turner. “I just find that some of the general public who do not own dogs don’t respect the off-leash area.”
In what way?
“More and more people are letting their dogs run amok,” says Turner. “That, I’m finding, has gotten much worse: people [are not] really accepting responsibility.”
Turner recounts numerous incidents of owners either turning a blind eye – or simply flat-out refusing – to react to the actions of dogs ostensibly under their control.
“The lack of responsibility for their animal’s behaviour blows my mind.”
Once inside the fenced-in off-leash park, she says, it’s “a free-for-all.”
People, she laments, often feign helplessness and defer to the whims of their pets, oblivious to the dictates of common courtesy. Anne describes a typical occurrence of such aggression by proxy.
“Another one of my favourites is when their dog comes running over, steals one of your dog’s toys and then they look at you and say, ‘Oh, sorry. He’s not going to give it back.’”
Oblivious owners
Jennifer Burns, a professional dog walker for 17 years, feels some dog owners blithely relinquish control of their pets immediately upon entering the off-leash zone.
But for Burns, this is where the work really begins.
In situations where two dogs begin to play rough, “a lot of people will just say, ‘Oh, they (the dogs) will sort it out.’”
“That’s fine. You can make that decision for your dog,” she says. “But don’t presume to make it for my dog.”
“The big trick is to see [the potential for conflict] before it starts.”
She recalls an occasion in which a woman pushing a stroller had entered the off-leash area accompanied by a dog and several children. The woman subsequently produced “an open block of cheese and a knife on top of the stroller,” says Jennifer incredulously. “And she’s doling out cheese chunks to the children. I’m like, ‘You’re in an off-leash area!’”
The peanut butter policy
Likewise, Turner has no shortage of anecdotes related to apparent lapses in common sense.
She recounts, with obvious amusement, an occurrence in which a woman, accompanied by three children, unwisely chose to have a picnic on a blanket in the middle of the Kew Beach off-leash area.
Anne’s six dogs were well behaved, she says, but as one might predict, approached the woman and her children as they ate.
While there was no incident to speak of – the dogs merely approached and sniffed with interest – the woman took umbrage at their behaviour.
After Anne informed her she was picnicking in an off-leash area, the situation went downhill. The woman responded with profanities.
Toronto Animal Services representative Robert Dale Meerburg admits there are imperfections and occasional conflicts arising in off-leash parks.
“We have a lot of off-leash areas and they’re adding new ones all the time in the city of Toronto, and they’re not without their problems.”
According to Meerburg, however, the idea of picnicking in an off-leash area, while mystifying on its face, is perfectly legal. It may surprise some people to learn that off-leash parks are not intended for the sole and exclusive use of dogs.
“Those people are free to [have a picnic] there if they choose to,” says Meerburg, after hearing the details of Turner’s anecdote.
So does this mean that people are potentially free to walk through off-leash parks even if they’re, oh, let’s say, smothered in peanut butter?
“They could walk through there smothered in peanut butter,” he says.
When apprised of Mr. Meerburg’s interpretation of this aspect PD&P Off-Leash Policy, Anne is visibly astonished.
“Then what’s the point of having an off-leash area?”
The section of the policy dealing with monitoring and dispute resolution says that issues between dog owners and dog walkers (note: picnickers are not specifically addressed) will be tracked “as they arise.” But with only a handful of officers out in the field, most disputes will have been settled one way or another by the time anyone with authority can be contacted.
To dog owners and would-be picnickers who enter off-leash zones, Anne Turner offers one piece of advice.
“They are dogs. They are not children. They are not you. It’s an animal. Please expect them to behave as such and deal with it accordingly.”
Off-leash park etiquette
Very belligerent
“I find people are getting more aggressive,” says Anne Turner, a dog walker in the Beaches area since 1999. “Very belligerent.”
During a chilly afternoon slog through the sand at Kew-Balmy Beach Off-leash Park, Anne speaks candidly of changes she has seen in the attitudes of dog owners since Toronto City Council approved the policy on January 27th, 2010.
“I mean, generally, people are pretty well-behaved,” says Turner. “I just find that some of the general public who do not own dogs don’t respect the off-leash area.”
In what way?
“More and more people are letting their dogs run amok,” says Turner. “That, I’m finding, has gotten much worse: people [are not] really accepting responsibility.”
Turner recounts numerous incidents of owners either turning a blind eye – or simply flat-out refusing – to react to the actions of dogs ostensibly under their control.
“The lack of responsibility for their animal’s behaviour blows my mind.”
Once inside the fenced-in off-leash park, she says, it’s “a free-for-all.”
People, she laments, often feign helplessness and defer to the whims of their pets, oblivious to the dictates of common courtesy. Anne describes a typical occurrence of such aggression by proxy.
“Another one of my favourites is when their dog comes running over, steals one of your dog’s toys and then they look at you and say, ‘Oh, sorry. He’s not going to give it back.’”
Oblivious owners
Jennifer Burns, a professional dog walker for 17 years, feels some dog owners blithely relinquish control of their pets immediately upon entering the off-leash zone.
But for Burns, this is where the work really begins.
In situations where two dogs begin to play rough, “a lot of people will just say, ‘Oh, they (the dogs) will sort it out.’”
“That’s fine. You can make that decision for your dog,” she says. “But don’t presume to make it for my dog.”
“The big trick is to see [the potential for conflict] before it starts.”
She recalls an occasion in which a woman pushing a stroller had entered the off-leash area accompanied by a dog and several children. The woman subsequently produced “an open block of cheese and a knife on top of the stroller,” says Jennifer incredulously. “And she’s doling out cheese chunks to the children. I’m like, ‘You’re in an off-leash area!’”
The peanut butter policy
Likewise, Turner has no shortage of anecdotes related to apparent lapses in common sense.
She recounts, with obvious amusement, an occurrence in which a woman, accompanied by three children, unwisely chose to have a picnic on a blanket in the middle of the Kew Beach off-leash area.
Anne’s six dogs were well behaved, she says, but as one might predict, approached the woman and her children as they ate.
While there was no incident to speak of – the dogs merely approached and sniffed with interest – the woman took umbrage at their behaviour.
After Anne informed her she was picnicking in an off-leash area, the situation went downhill. The woman responded with profanities.
Toronto Animal Services representative Robert Dale Meerburg admits there are imperfections and occasional conflicts arising in off-leash parks.
“We have a lot of off-leash areas and they’re adding new ones all the time in the city of Toronto, and they’re not without their problems.”
According to Meerburg, however, the idea of picnicking in an off-leash area, while mystifying on its face, is perfectly legal. It may surprise some people to learn that off-leash parks are not intended for the sole and exclusive use of dogs.
“Those people are free to [have a picnic] there if they choose to,” says Meerburg, after hearing the details of Turner’s anecdote.
So does this mean that people are potentially free to walk through off-leash parks even if they’re, oh, let’s say, smothered in peanut butter?
“They could walk through there smothered in peanut butter,” he says.
When apprised of Mr. Meerburg’s interpretation of this aspect PD&P Off-Leash Policy, Anne is visibly astonished.
“Then what’s the point of having an off-leash area?”
The section of the policy dealing with monitoring and dispute resolution says that issues between dog owners and dog walkers (note: picnickers are not specifically addressed) will be tracked “as they arise.” But with only a handful of officers out in the field, most disputes will have been settled one way or another by the time anyone with authority can be contacted.
To dog owners and would-be picnickers who enter off-leash zones, Anne Turner offers one piece of advice.
“They are dogs. They are not children. They are not you. It’s an animal. Please expect them to behave as such and deal with it accordingly.”
Off-leash park etiquette
- Pick up dog waste
- Be considerate
- Keep an eye on your dog
- Try to anticipate problems
- Don’t allow your dog to become a bully
- Discourage excessive barking in areas near homes
