Hope Ridge Puppy Blog

Dutch is 2 years and in Prime Form

2009-04-20T15:17:00.002-04:00

Dutch is at 2 years and going strong - very strong.

He can run for miles and hates to follow but will in new surrounding in the woods.

Loves Everyone - and mostly it is returned - sans a big older dog that does not like the nose-butt invitation to play.

He's lots of fun and a great traveller - loves new places and trips back to the same places. He remembers everything - where the cat hides, where the rabbits run, where the dead deer lay... Ans where the treats get stored and the sound of access to them.

It is time for him to get aquainted with a bitch of his own.

Bill

test blog

2008-10-02T08:55:00.003-04:00

trying to help bonita fiugure out what went wrong...

just not sure what the problem is

Mea Culpa

2008-06-07T12:20:00.003-04:00

I know, I know...what good is a blog that stops for nearly 6 months? Various and sundry excuses pop to mind, but none of them worth the effort to try them. Suffice it to say, I've been irresponsible, thoughtless and lazy.

In any case...I'm b-a-a-a-ck! Just past noon on the first Saturday in June that feels more like a sultry Saturday in August here in lovely Wilmington NC... I'm gazing out at my lush lawn and just realized I completely missed the azaleas, apple and pear blossoms while on my 6 wk odyssey to San Diego for my son Jon's wedding.

Speaking of lush lawns, let's talk about customer service... HUH!?

Earlier this year, while lush lawns were months away, I called the local premium lawnmower repair service, one that I had used before and had been relatively satisfied with, to come pick up my fancy, not-too-old zero turn riding mower that has been giving me fits for a couple of years by throwing belts. Last year, I replaced a pully assembly hubby damaged removing one day when he got overly ambitious, but it never corrected the popping belt problem, which was probably mis-alignment. To counter it, hubby had been using belts that were smaller than called for... This year, I decided to correct it once and for all and sent it to the shop for a complete tune-up AND with specific instructions to fix the belt issue.

I got the machine back about a week before heading out to SD, with ALL pully assemblies replaced, aligned, yada, yada, yada (and PRESUMABLY TESTED), to the tune of $600+. Last thing I wanted was to have it die during high season and have to wait weeks to get someone to work on it, so I had them replace all the iffy stuff. Since grass was just starting to wake up, I didn't get a chance to try it myself before heading out...

While I was gone, hubby claims that the first time he tried it, grass wasn't that long and it just wouldn't cut, i.e., blades started slipping when they hit the heavy stuff, so, he changed the belt out to one that is smaller (ok, I sighed) and the next time he tried it a couple weeks later, belt started popping off just like before the $600 repair bill (hmmm). Since I was gone for 6 weeks during late spring, needless to say, by the time I got home and realized when I saw the savannah that the grass hadn't been cut in several weeks (he never told me about any of this while I was gone nor why he hadn't called them back about it before I had to), I was not a happy camper. Needless to say, tick season was around the corner and I had at least one tick magnet in the pack, so foot long grass was not an option...

I called the shop the day after I got back (5/13) and they sent someone out that day for a pickup and I explained to him about the belt continuing to pop off. I figured: how long could an alignment take?

A couple weeks after sending it back, I finally broke down and mowed the 2 acres using a me-propelled 21" hand mower...took me two days because it was so hot out and I couldn't do much more than a couple of hours worth without having a melt-down. I finally called them just before Memorial weekend to find out that they hadn't even looked at it yet but would right after the holiday weekend (grrr).

When I called and spoke to the repair guy, he told me they couldn't do anything until they had the correct belt and he didn't have any in stock, so had to order. OK, so how long to get a pretty common belt? I held off on mowing the lawn again because I wanted to be sure to test it out on the LONG & HEAVY stuff when I got it back, BEFORE they took off again!

As I discovered when I stopped in this past week (over a week after I spoke to the repair guy), apparently quite a while, because they were on backorder... I was so p.o.'d that I just growled, turned around and stomped out as the parts guy said he was going to try to find another supplier...

Meanwhile, ticks are out in force, but with the heat index so high, no can mow, at least not during daylight hours and I suspect my neighbors wouldn't be too happy with me mowing all night...

So, I've got the greenest, lushest lawn with lovely spikes waving in the light breeze... Maybe I'll try to get just what I can see tonight...although I do still want to leave some for when I eventually get my mower back...I probably ought to tell them that so they make sure they test it before they release it... how do they test it anyway?

Salve for the Aching Heart

2008-01-19T12:51:00.000-05:00

As I was talking to my sister in MA last night about poor Jeb (earlier blog), I was reminded that I never posted anything about Abram's and my ride on the Amtrak rails to Beantown over the holidays.

You may remember that Abram is the service dog I am training for Carolina Canines here in Wilmington NC. He was the firstborn out of my Pearl/Max litter and, at 10 months, is stepping up so very nicely to the awesome task of helping someone in a walker or wheelchair. So, when I decided to head north for the holidays to visit my family (instead of staying home alone in a pity party after Gerry and I separated), I realized what a unique and great training experience it would be for Abram.

And it was, indeed...for both of us! Nearly 20 hours each way with the only "grass" pitstop in Washington DC!... Thank goodness that I remembered to manage his fluids and that he doesn't have a teeny-tiny bladder!

The Amtrak folks were MARVELOUS - from the booking agent who issued him his own ticket without me asking, to the conductors who got to know him on the way up and were anxiously looking for him on our trip home because I decided to get on at a later station than our tickets called out.

Of course, when we embarked in Fayetteville mid-afternoon, many eyebrows were raised and I could hear one or two ignorant mutterings of "why does SHE get to bring a dog? there's nothing wrong with HER!", but he was so quiet that most people didn't even see him curled up at my feet between the seats.

By the time we finally disembarked just outside of Boston into a mild snowstorm, we were both ecstatic to be off the train! It was Abram's first experience with snow and my sister Becky worried that he would be cold with his short hair (her dogs were retrievers), but he surprised us all by embracing it. At one point during the 10 days we were there, I actually bought him a sweater, but he would have nothing to do with it after I wrestled him into it the first time.

Of course, everyone fell in love with him because he is such an easily loved guy, everyone that is except one of my sister Sally's dogs (Lucas- a chow rescue, barely visible in the background of the photo), who threatened to kick his butt several times during the course of the week. He pretty much steered clear of him, choosing to spend his time trying to get the other one (Leon - a chow mix rescue) to play instead.

While Christmas shopping one day in the posh new section of the Natick Mall, we got stopped by security for the first time since we started training, to inquire whether he was a helper dog. Once I answered yes, he immediately apologized and walked away mumbling the same into his walky-talky. My sister commented on the fact that no one stopped us until we got into the hoity-toity section LOL.

Our next adventure will be a roadtrip to San Diego later this winter/spring in the RV with mama Pearl and Reba. Feel free to offer us a parking spot for the night on the way out!

Initiation Rite To Avoid

2008-01-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've been working with Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue Inc for about a year and a half now and had managed to avoid the situation NO ONE wants to experience and that most rescue coordinators try to avoid placing their foster parents in: the death of a rescue while in your care.

As I understand from several rescue colleagues, many of those situations involve intentional euthanasia because of dog aggression but, occasionally, a terribly, horribly abused dog dies as a direct or indirect result of the abuse it received.

Friday night I felt the pain of the latter when I got the call that sweet Jeb died on the OR table during the amputation of his gunshot leg. Here's what happened...

Thursday night had been worse than Wednesday night, with the painkillers useless against the pain he was feeling. The swelling in his damaged leg had increased all the way down to his ankle and he was obviously in agony. He cried so hard that when he stopped, his voice had a little hiccup in it similar to what a child gets after a long, hard sobbing session. I sat up with him until 5 a.m., talking to him and stroking his head with tears streaming down my face. Finally, I found some earplugs and dozed off in troubled sleep for a few hours with his pitiful moaning/barking in the background several rooms away.

By Friday morning, he would no longer take any food or treat-wrapped meds, and the swelling was even worse. I called my vet in tears and her assistant finally reached the local ortho specialist who agreed to do a consult that day. His crying was pretty much continuous by then.

They are a 24 hour service, although typically only take admissions after 6 p.m. and before 8 a.m. I got there around 10:30 a.m. and we took the crate out of the car there so that he wouldn't be tempted to jump out. He then had to be pulled out and carried because he couldn't find the strength to stand and walk out on his own.

Around 4:30, the attending vet called and gave me the options: try to repair/pin the fracture, which would likely involve a longer recovery period, had unknown prognosis until they could get in there to see the damage but certainty that there would be more than one surgery, or amputate, which would likely immediately relieve much of the pain and have him off restricted activity in a couple of weeks. Since I had already consulted with my rescue colleagues earlier in the day, I quickly opted for the amputation.

She also thought that, while he was in less than optimal condition for surgery bloodwork-wise, trying to get the infection under control that begun to rage again in his grown-over wound would be riskier than the surgery. She told me that she would call me that night as soon as he was out of surgery.

With phone on nightstand to await the post-op call and all dogs (except new puppy) piled on the bed with me, I went to bed early hoping to catch up on sleep I'd missed the previous two nights while comforting him. I had just turned the TV off and flicked off the reading lamp when the phone rang at 7:40 p.m.. "I'm sorry to have to let you know..." she began. He had gone into respiratory failure, followed by cardiac arrest, likely due to blood clots travelling from the wound area.

I can't say I wasn't expecting it in my subconscious, but it still took me by surprise. I thanked her for trying and told her she could stop trying to resuscitate him and let him be at peace finally. Then I sobbed for an hour while I dug down to find the courage to call the various angels who had fallen in love and tried to help him along the way.

How people deal with grief is interesting. Most of the reactions were similar to mine: extreme sadness, but some level of comfort knowing he was no longer in pain and that he had gotten our heartfelt love for the last week. One reaction that perplexed me was umbrage that the vet had done the surgery knowing that his bloodwork was off, notwithstanding the agony he obviously was in.

Today, my birthday, I feel as though I have passed an unavoidable rite of initiation into rescue, one that worried me when I started a year and a half ago, but now strengthens my resolve to do everything I can to keep it from happening again.

I don't mean to sound righteous, but I'll wear the badge of my experience proudly, glad that maybe I made just a small difference in his memory of humans, that we're not all to be feared.

In many ways, Jeb was a gift that helped me grow more than any of the other rescues I fostered and I will accept such a gift again if given the opportunity.

Breaks My Heart

2008-01-17T20:03:00.000-05:00

Just when you think life is merrily rolling along and life isn't handing you many lemons, you meet that rescue that makes it all so clear why you do rescue.

Jeb, aka Big Guy, Handsome, Buddy was dropped off with a severe older leg fracture around the first of the year at a night box at a local NC animal control station with a high kill rate. I'm not exactly sure where those statistics are captured (certainly not anywhere on the county websites), but I believe it. There are lots of hunters in this area with all kinds of hounds and, if a dog don't hunt, some of 'em'll drop 'em off, figuring that, when their time runs out, the county can handle the killin' part.

We're not sure what Jeb's story really is beyond finding pellets in the vicinity of the fracture on the X-rays, but we all know of the hunters that have called looking for "dawgs" to hunt boar. While ridgebacks are hounds with a decent prey drive, they above all have a preference for big cats and pack hunting, so it's entirely possible Jeb wasn't getting the job done with possum or birds or boar. But, why shoot him?

So, instead it may be more plausible that he was mistaken for a deer (season just ended here)...

Or maybe he got lost awhile back and had been scavenging some farmer's chickens and got shot, someone found him limping around a few weeks later and dropped him off.

The humanist in me prefers the second scenario, but the realist in me questions why drop him at night?

In any case, he was shot with probably a 20 gauge shotgun in his right flank and it must have been close enough to have enough of an impact to create a very serious fracture. He's adapted fairly well to it (except for the pain) and can get around well enough on the other three legs to take care of business. It may be possible to pin it, but worst case, it will need to be amputated.

There are also shot scars and an embedded pellet on his left side and his rear flanks are characteristic of severe starvation, except for the awful swelling in the fractured leg.

But I digress... So, a Bladen County "shelter friend" gets contacted by whoever she gets contacted by, fosters him for for a couple of days, contacts my rescue organization who ask me yesterday if I have time to check him out since I am closest (under an hour away). When I get there, Krista lays out what they know and what his care has been since he was turned in. Unfortunately, he wasn't prescribed any pain meds until just last week, nor was he generically wormed (only tapeworms). Good news is he is heartworm and erlichia negative.

An "angel" had covered his earlier care and they were going to move him up to Vermont after another "angel", Lynne Swanson DVM of Safe Harbor Farm spay/neuter clinic, took care of neutering and what they thought would be amputation last weekend. Then, when the X-ray offered a glimmer of hope that maybe the leg could be saved and at least be partially functional, Dr. Swanson found another vet with orthopedic expertise who agreed to try the repair.

By now, they've eaten up all the "angel's" donation and have decided he won't/can't go to Vermont but unfortunately, his pre-surgery bloodwork revealed that his red blood cell count was very low, so surgery had to be postponed until it could be raised. That was a week ago, so I took him to Dr. Nusbaum today to have it rechecked and it's still too low. So now he's on B-12 juice, Clavamox (infection in the fracture area), Zubrin (pain and swelling in the fracture area), Panacur (parasites draining RBC) and nowhere near strong enough tramadol (PAIN, PAIN, PAIN).

I'm going to try and make a recording of his piercing cries when the meds aren't kicking in fast enough - he will stand in position until he can't stand anymore, then finally drop to the bed and fall into a troubled half-sleep. He can't speak, but his heart-wrenching cries speak volumes about how much he's hurting.

Oh, to have the satisfaction of hurting he/she who did this to him. Call me old-fashioned in a sense, because I have such a difficult time believing a woman could do this...

Tough Way To Start the New Year

2008-01-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

Kelly had her 10 pup litter early, oddly, and we lost all but a female puppy who was born alone about 20 hours after Kelly's membranes ruptured for the first pup, who died 12 hours later. Due to a multitude of missed cues and indecisiveness about when to do the c-section, we didn't discover until after removing the horns that not only had a puppy been blocking the birth canal for some time, but a cyst had apparently burst in her right ovary at some point, causing high white blood cell readings when she was admitted for the surgery and only one fullterm puppy in that horn. She had also had slightly high WBC prior to breeding, so was likely cystic then. In fact, her first litter in 2003 was also somewhat problematic (5 perfect stillborns in a 100% vaginal whelping session) but we attributed it to stress due to excessive temperatures during 1st trimester for two weeks after the Florida hurricane. In light of this, that probably was secondary.

Of course, I went ahead and had her spayed because she would ALWAYS have problems when bred. She loves her family and is doing pretty well as a mother of one so far, attentive and concerned when she hears her crying from her basket. She has her own issues with just having had a c-section, mostly related to pain management. Also likely that her breast milk is "coming in", which has got to be painful due to swelling, since one puppy can't possibly nurse as much as 10.

We've also run into a loose stool issue with the puppy, related to the antibiotics that Kelly is getting, along with everything else she got yesterday that is leaking into the puppy through nursing. We're trying to address it through supplemental feeding but it is important that she be able to nurse to keep Kelly's milk coming in. I haven't slept more than 2 hours for several days now and not at all during the day, although I may try to take a nap this afternoon :o)

Here are two recipes for milk replacers. The first is thanks to Bonita Snodgrass of Bwana Kennel, from her DVM David Dykes. The second is thanks to Diane Jacobsen of Calico Ridge.

In either case, refrigerate and feed by oral syringe slowly onto the back of their tongues. It should be a somewhat thick consistency, which will cause them to suck rather than gulp. You definitely don't want any to go into their lungs. I sit the pup up vertically to avoid same issue.

Weigh pup before and after every feeding – note that puppies should gain approx 10% of their weight daily, especially in first three weeks (while nursing). Serve body temp by rolling syringe between palms. Do not microwave very small amounts because it will COOK fast, which will compromise its effectiveness somewhat and could make it VERY hot.

If you are merely supplemental feeding and a puppy is also nursing, 1 cc per ounce of body weight should enable weight gain. If not nursing, up it to 1 1/2 cc/oz. If you are having problems like me with diarrhea from Mom's antibiotics, make sure your milk replacer is using yogurt or something else that can help adjust the friendly bacteria in the pup's system and make sure you don't overheat it.

Lion Milk
Courtesy of Bwana Kennel, formula by David Dykes, DVM
1 can evaporated milk
1 can water
¼ c plain (fatted - harder to find than you think) yogurt
2T light karo

Blend until smooth. Add cooled, strained broth from 1# boiled liver. (If you have other dogs, mix the liver itself into their kibble over the next few days but only a little to nursing mom - too rich)

DJ Perfect Replacement
Blend together
8oz plain fatted yogurt (can use vanilla in a pinch)
2T regular mayo
2t lt karo
1 egg yolk
can evaporated milk
8 oz water

My Main Puppy

2007-12-16T00:10:00.000-05:00

I'm in San Diego until next Tuesday visiting with my main puppy Jon and his gf-soon-to-be-wife Diane and managed to talk my way out of joining them tonight on an annual Christmas activity known as Naughty Elf Night. While I'm usually up to partying, as you can see from the pictures below, I'd be way out of my league.

San Diego is great- weather similar to Wilmington if not a little nicer. Who knew they had hills? And I mean hills!

To make this Hope Ridge related, Jon and Diane have two Boston Terriers who are something else. They are about the same size as a 7 week old ridgeback, one named Lily, the other Babe, as in the Pig, because she snuffles like one searching for truffles. Here is a pic of Lily in my suitcase in the dark...and Babe with one of her babies that she suckles until it falls apart.

Just FYI, Jon and Diane will be getting married next May, date to be announced soon. I'll probably bring the RV back out here so I can stay a little longer and maybe hit a dogshow or two on the way out or back.

Who wants to ride shotgun?

Getting ready for Christmas!!!

2007-12-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

Jagar & Aidan were all smiles as they posed for their pics in front of the tree! Actually, Jag was NOT happy with process. Nonetheless, we got a couple good shots. From our family to yours, happy holidays!!! ~ ~ ~ Ralph, Geri, Aidan and Jagar Barnard (sorry, couldn't figure out how to get the pics side by side!)

Sissy

2007-12-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that Sissy has adopted a family here in Wilmington NC (the Ennekings) and is very happy in her new home. They are equally happy to have been adopted especially since their older dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge recently.

As you can see from the picture, there are two small children, one less than a year old, and their mom says she is perfect for them. Based on what I know about Sissy's nice temperament and ladylike behavior, I agree. I'm so happy she has a family all to herself!

Track Santa

2007-12-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

For all those young and old alike who believe in Santa, click this link to see where Santa is today... http://www.noradsanta.org/

We'll be headed up north via Amtrak's Palmetto service in a coupla weeks to spend the holidays with my family in the Boston area. First though, I'm headed to San Diego for a week to spend some pre-holiday time with my son Jon and his fiancee Diane... Never been there, so I'm looking forward to it. I would have taken Abram except that Southwest doesn't allow service dogs-in-training on their flights :o(.

Vote for Abram

2007-11-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it... I clicked on the dogster.com Enter Your Dog link with a pic of Abram securing the Best Kisser (28 kisses in 30 secs) prize from Eileen Bailey at the Ridgeback Rodeo this past summer. If you click on the pic below, I believe it will enter your Vote for Abram in the Tongues/Slobber category, although his weren't much on the slobber side... I think it will take you to the Vote site though so you will have to click the Back arrow to get back to blog.

Please vote for Abram in the World's Coolest!

Also, Abram and I will become new R.E.A.D. partners at Wrightsboro school next week. I am taking Pearl through the therapy dog evaluation at the end of the month, but I miss going since Wenzi died, so I asked Kathy at Intermountain if I could use Abram in the interim and she said OK as long as Rick at Carolina Canines said OK. I think it will be good for the kids to see the Circle of Life...Abram being Wenzi's grandson and all.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T15:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from Jagar ! ! (and Abram)

Ralph, Aidan, Jag and I just had the pleasure of hosting Mary (Mimi) and Abram during their short stay in North Mississippi. The 4 legged boys went trick or treating with the kids. Abram was a little excitable given the fact that the kids were running around a lot. Of course running means you want to play! Anyway, here is a pic of me (love the blonde wig?), Jagar with his Halloween kerchief and Aidan the Ninja Warrior. ....me & Abram after all the festivities. Isn't he a cute boy? Grand sire Jagar could take him or leave him (probably more accurately the latter!). Here are our decorated pumpkins (not about to play with sharp objects around the 3 yr old), and Mimi and Aidan. Happy Holidays all!

Bosco Needs a Good Home

2007-10-20T12:45:00.000-04:00

Is this not a handsome boy? Bosco is Pearl's brother and will be 4 next March. (btw, all these guys have lots of eye boogers :o)

He's living in CT right now, but I'm not sure he's yet had the pleasure of a northeast winter. If he's like his granddam Wenzi or uncle Simon, wet feet are the pits! His mom tells me he doesn't like to be in the rain, so sounds pretty normal to me!

Bosco needs a new home, not because his family doesn't love him anymore, but because he can't be inside with them all the time due to allergies. He's always been an inside dog.

Staying in the garage most of the time isn't a fair option for him, so his family would like to find him a home where he can be the wonderful inside dog that he is. He loves kids, other dogs, rolling in smelly stuff, taking walks, cuddling, sunbathing, eating, playing and snoozing. He isn't a barker, jumper, chronic chewer-upper or crybaby and was neutered as a puppy.

He's about 80#, perhaps a little light because he stressed a little in the move to Connecticut and dropped a few pounds, but is getting back to normal now.

Although he hasn't had any obedience training, he will walk on a lead with a child, so he sounds very trainable to me. If he's anything like his sister Pearl, he will probably love lure coursing and agility and will be a natural at obedience.

He will be sadly missed so he has to go to the perfect home. Please leave a Comment here with an email address or contact me at mphelps2@ec.rr.com if you are interested in adopting this wonderful boy. We would prefer someone who already lives in the Northeast to minimize moving trauma.

Long Live the Queen

2007-10-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

Such a sad day here in Wilmington... My long-time best friend and companion Wenzi died suddenly last night from bloat, also know as gastric dilatation-volvulus. Had I realized what was happening at the time and gotten her to the emergency room, it's possible it could have been a different outcome, but such is life...

She would have been 11 in February 2008 and was the Queen of All She Surveyed. The hardest thing for us right now is that we had no time to prepare. At 10+ years, you know the clock is ticking, but I thought she'd give me a hint when the time was getting nearer. Other than the normal parts starting to wear out or slow down, she was full of life.

Just yesterday we visited two nursing homes where we do therapy work and she was her usual ridgeback self: "sure I'll shake your hand/kiss your face, assuming you have a treat in the other!" In fact, we met some new friends there who were just blown away by how young she looked for an old girl...

Like the wonderful stoic grand-dame that she will always be in our hearts and minds, she quietly crept off in the night to my office to lay her head down one last time in the room where she helped me whelp her grandpups this past March, next to the old couch where she presided while I worked for hours at a time on the computer.

Goodbye old friend...I miss you more than I ever would have believed and am glad you were able to go on your timetable rather than eventually leaving it up to the wuss that would be me. I'm heartbroken we didn't have the chance to say goodby before you left.

XXXOOO

Mom

Wilmington Dogshow

2007-10-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the Hanover Kennel Club annual show and I entered Zulu, Reba and Pearl. I don't know what I was thinking since I had one each in the puppy classes and then Pearl in Bred By Exhibitor. There were 4 bitches in catalog, but mine were the only two that showed, so Pearl took a point Saturday and Reba Sunday. Zulu won his puppy class (one other puppy) but didn't get Winners Dog - that went to a large Sengei male.

Zulu did great for it being his first show. Reba, on the other hand, was a mess... The lady that had the other puppy dog very kindly handled her for me in Winners Bitch showdown (because no way was I gonna get Gerry in the ring) and she did fine on Saturday when Pearl took WB, but on Sunday, Reba got WB and wouldn't do ANYTHING during BOB. I asked the lady that was handling her go back in rather than change armbands but poor lady, Reba SAT DOWN and dug her heels in and wouldn't even go around once...

I ended up taking over the handling and finally just PICKED HER UP. Fortunately the judge (Rita Bell) was very understanding and gave us our BOS ribbon anyway. The kind, helpful lady was Asta McCormick out of Myrtle Beach and she was mortified but glad that it was MY dog rather than hers heehee. She is a new showperson here in US, recently moved from Europe. I have to think of something nice for her for the show next week in Lumberton - I don't know many who would do what she did for me!

AAT Volunteer(s) of 2007

2007-09-29T17:10:00.000-04:00

Gerry and I took Wenzi and Abram to the Carolina Canines Volunteer Appreciation annual picnic today and were totally surprised and pleased to learn that Wenzi and I are their Volunteers of the Year for our Animal Assisted Therapy work at local nursing homes and schools! I didn't realize that 60-70% of their volunteers are NOT retired or working from home and don't have the luxury of visiting two or three different facilities a week for a couple of hours each, as we do.

And pretty soon, Pearl will join us as a Pet Partner so that she too can spread a little joy among the elderly and children! What is so extra special about our relationship with Carolina Canines is that Rick Hairston, the founder, was willing to give Abram a shot at being a Service Dog after he saw what a great temperament his grandma Wenzi had. All the rest of their service dogs are either golden or black labs or labradoodles, so we are truly unique.

Most everyone we meet is amazed because they thought ridgebacks were more aggressive than my babies and are pleasantly surprised to find that isn't the case...

Couch 'taters

2007-09-21T14:38:00.000-04:00

This pic is a few months old, but sooo shows the ridgeback in his favorite surroundings!!! Here are Aidan, Sissy, Pearl and Reba.

Zulu

2007-09-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

We have a prodigal pup in our midst for a little while so that I can get him in the show ring...

Zulu aka Maroon is back from Fayetteville and is ALL boy puppy! Given that Sissy is still in season and he is intact (show boy), he's been putting up quite a fuss that we won't leave the two of them together for any longer than 5 seconds. But that should be remedied in the next week or so as her cycle wraps up... for all those of you who have intact Hope Ridge females, just a reminder that their cycles are typically longer than normal dogs, i.e. 6-8 months if a Kelly pup, otherwise more like 10-11 months.

He has a very nice head and is darker than either Reba or Abram, certainly gettting that from Max. He is slightly lighter boned than Abram but is carrying about the same weight at six months and should be very solidly in the standard (85-90#) when full-grown.

And he LOVES to play, in particular with grandma Wenzi. I'll add some other pics this weekend when I get a chance to work with him a little...

This and That

2007-09-18T17:09:00.000-04:00

Friends Marilyn and Cynthia that we met during Pearl's March litter just stopped by for a puppy fix. Marilyn had all 40# or so of Reba on her lap for awhile...that is when she wasn't loving on Abram, who just endears himself to EVERYONE.

I picked Zulu up this weekend while at RDO day in Raleigh - while his bone is a little lighter than Abram's, he's only a pound or two less. He is also a lover boy and quickly remembered his dam, grand-dam and littermates. Sissy is in season right now so we have to keep them separated because he is also VERY interested in her! Six months is NOT too young for him to be fertile, or to figure out how to mate, so be very careful with your intact males no matter the age. It's my understanding that neutered dogs may even be potent for a month or two after surgery, depending on the circumstances, so BE CAREFUL with your intact girls!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we learned Sissy has a mild heart murmur so we have pulled her from our breeding program and have found a wonderful local home for her to go to in November. We also found a great spay/neuter clinic here who will spay her for under $100 - I'll do that a few weeks before she goes to her new home to allow her to recover in a familar place. In the meantime, Pearl isn't real happy with her being in season (or Sissy has PMS!) and they have taking to squabbling regularly. Poor Sissy is spending lots of time in the house with me and Wenzi these days...

RDO Day in Raleigh was very interesting and worthwhile...We got to do education on both ridgebacks and rescue, along with meeting some great folks who are very passionate about their RRs. I wonder what the attendance was? The sun stayed out and it was about 15° hotter and 80% more RH than today (high 78), so it was nice to have the RV to take a break and have lunch in.

I entered Pearl, Reba and Zulu in the Wilmington shows in mid-October, so I may need some help with handlers who would be willing to step in if we get that far :o) need be. That is, if I can't talk Gerry into helping! Please, honey?

Well, off to fix dinner for the kids...

Dutch at 6 months - the Winged One

2007-09-18T06:49:00.000-04:00

Ok I'm Six months Old and am I aways hungry. My Pal Bill Say's that I have wings and can run at speeds that can launch me into flight....Ok, just feed me less kibble and more chicken.

I love to run with Bill; he rides the 4wheeler and I run with him. We go for 4 to 5 miles a couple times a week. Bill says I can run in excess of 25 miles per hour - cause thats as fast as he will go. Some times we play Frisbee. It is lots of fun but I never get to keep the Frisbee long enough to properly chwe it to shreads.

Bill says I've reached doggy pubery cause I lift my back leg when the urge comes to me. Why does he laugh at me? I love my toy Mr. Cheetah. After I tear the stuffing out of Mr. Cheetah (I already removed that squeeker thing) , I'm taking a nap. Tell Bill I need a bigger bed.

Where Is Everyone?

2007-09-12T19:11:00.000-04:00

Hey folks, I'm feeling a little lonely here... seriously, how is everyone doing? pups are 6 months on Tuesday the 18th and I haven't seen any photos in awhile!

How is training going? any issues? Reba is jumping on people, then Abram follows and sometimes even Sissy. Reba also PULLS when on lead - I got her a Gentle Leader http://animalbehaviorproducts.net/gl_choose.shtml, then part of the clasp cracked last week. Gentle Leaders are GREAT for pullers! She will Sit and Down but is clueless on Stay, etc. I will probably hold off on putting her in shows for awhile while I work with Zulu (littermate from Fayetteville) and Pearl.

Abram is still doing well, but I work with him a lot more than I do with Reba because of the service dog program. I also started him in classes at 7 weeks.

My point is that at six months, your puppy will still be a puppy. When you can't watch them, they need to be safe and, if inside, confined to a crate or other place where they won't get into trouble. If outside, they need to be monitored inside a 5+ foot high fenced area. So far, Abram and Reba have demolished a 50# bag of potting soil, 40# bag of softener salt, a whole watermelon, my hydrangeas, several rolls of paper towels, Gerry's cell phone charger cord and have pulled most of the apples off the lower section of my dwarf. And I consider myself pretty watchful, checking every half hour or so.

They think it's a lot of fun to shred things into itsy bitsy pieces. I still haven't cleaned up the garage where they decimated the paper towels when we forgot to close the door to it. This weekend... after the Responsible Dog Owner day in Raleigh on 9/14. Just a note: event runs from 10-2 at the fairgrounds.

I know everyone has pictures of the kids, so, even if you don't want to blog, please send me one or two so I can set up a kid's page on website. I think you can put up to 1.5 meg pics in blog, though. PLEASE SEND/POST PICS!!

Responsible Dog Owner Day 9/15 in Raleigh NC

2007-08-24T15:03:00.000-04:00

As we finalize the details for the NC RR rescue team's booth at the Raleigh Fairgrounds, it gives me an opportunity to pause and consider the dilemma that RR ownership offers, especially RESPONSIBLE ownership.

Let's face it, being a rescue volunteer can jade you. Being a responsible owner AND breeder offers twice the opportunity for dilemmas when as a foster parent you are faced with problematic breedings (genetically) in the first place, coupled with bad placement situations and circumstances during the most critical parts of a dog's life. Then, when you run into health issues in your own stock as you test various things as a responsible breeder AND owner, you have to make some hard decisions about your own breeding program.

Depending on where you are in it, generations-wise, you may be able to recover. Just as in humans, some of the uncovered health issues may be environmental rather than genetic.

But you need to have some certainty that with each generation you aren't passing on some predispostion to life-shortening diseases.

Hence, the value of testing: heart, thyroid, hips, elbows, and, I think, disposition or temperament. If a dog's attitude is so nasty that he/she has to be put down at some point in the future, they shouldn't be part of a breeding program. We already have more than enough nastiness in the breed from not addressing it 30 years ago. Why perpetuate it?

I'm not saying I want submissive or lemming-like behavior from RRs, but they should be easily controlled and obedient to their master(s). Last evening, some people stopped by and when I opened the car gate, Reba and Abram ran out. Since we live about 800' or so from the road, and they were within 150', I wasn't too worried, but they definitely wouldn't come when called.

Granted, they are not even six months old, but they get into running and their ears shut down. I closed the gate and then went out the persongate back near the house and forgot to close THAT gate, so Pearl and Sissy joined in the romp. I got the big dogs to come first and the little ones eventually followed. I called Abram a couple of times and he started heading towards me, but it still took me about 5 minutes to re-collect them all, partially driven by the fact that my neighbor sometimes leaves tasty trash sitting in the bag on his front lawn, so they HAVE to go check it out. Normally, though, the adults can run in the fields and respond much quicker.

It is much better, safer, easier to have a big dog who will 99.9% of the time respond to your commands. In general, I'd rate ridgebacks in general at around 85%, those with the appropriate temperament and training, much higher.

Wenzi my therapy girl will be 11 in February. She has lumps and bumps but is still beautiful. We just found out she has early renal failure. She was at the vet's for a small growth on the outside of her lower lip, so we did some bloodwork/urinalysis and vet said her kidneys were starting to go. She has no clinical signs. I think renal failure is #2, after cancer, as leading causes of death in dogs, so maybe managing it now will enable her to live longer...

I jokingly told my parents the other day that, had they been dogs, I probably would have altered them after I discovered 3/4 of their pups had bad feet. Same with a lot of things that we didn't know 30-50 years ago...both dogs and humans.

Back to rescue - don't forget to come visit the booth on RDO Day at the Raleigh fairgounds on Saturday, September 15...

Doodling Along...

2007-08-19T19:35:00.000-04:00

There are five other dogs in Abram's service dog training "class", all older than him by a couple of weeks. He is the only "smooth" coat - two are sister goldens and three are yellow labradoodle brothers.

This past week while Zebulon's parents took their oldest daughter to college in Mississippi, he stayed with us and the rest of our ridgie pack. Abram just passed the five month mark last week and Zebbie (or Doodle as Gerry calls him) is a month older, but he is still all puppy! Here's a picture of him running toward me along with the rest of the kids. That's Abram obscured by him in the rear.

Lots of folks ask if he is some kind of wolfhound because of the punky looking hair, but he's just one of those new "designer" dogs...

Abram went to the vet Friday for his "brain surgery" (what my female vet and her female assistants call neutering) and is recovering nicely. I'm not sure he knows exactly what happened, but they said he woke up very upset and they had to re-sedate him. He's fine now and doesn't seem at all concerned anymore. He had a prelim done on his hips too and that looked great, so he's taken one more big step to becoming a service dog.

Here's a pic of Doodle and the kids trying to stay cool under the breezeway...

All About Abram

2007-08-07T20:55:00.001-04:00

Abram is mostly a delight to everyone who meets him - he's friendly and loves to please. Just before we left for PA, he weighed in at 42# but since Reba was 38# today and he is MUCH bigger than her, I'm going to guess he's around 50#. He goes in next week for neutering and preliminary hip xrays, so we'll see then...

He really enjoyed the attention at the rodeo as is evidenced by the pics, but he occasionally gets a little too full of himself and one of the adult girls has to put him in his place (snout chomp usually) . Agility came very naturally to him, especially the tunnels and the boojie board (balancing). He couldn't wait to get through that tunnel!

He goes almost everywhere with me and doesn't quite understand when he has to stay home - he's VERY opinionated and not afraid to share them with the girls or us! He has really taken a liking to one of the goldens in our training class so its a good thing he's going in for surgery next week...maybe he'll stop trying to mount everyone then!