Monday Question

What food do you eat and how often are you fed?

We eat Blue Buffalo Basics.  It is the only food Pocket can digest.  We have Sizzlers bacon treats for our treats and some privately made healthy treats.  If we are lucky we get corn flakes, turkey and chicken

Capone is our May 7, 2017 Pup of the Week

Humans like to say they rescue dogs but from what I have experienced dogs are the ones who save their humans.  This is Capone’s story.  He took the saving humans idea to a whole new level.  

Angela Fullmer and her husband Isaac found the miniature pinscher, chihuahua, whippet mix abandoned on the highway 18 months ago.  They brought him home and they and their children fell in love with the dog the would name Capone.  They had no idea how Capone would repay their kindness.  

Capone was part of a large family with nine human siblings, the youngest one three months, to play with.  On the night Capone repaid the great kindness shown to him his father, a trucker, was on a haul and his mom, who had recently graduated from Mercy College with a degree in health care management, had fed, and put to bed, their nine children, before falling to sleep in her own bed.

At 1:30 AM Capone began to bark.  His mom told him to be quiet.     She did not want him to wake the baby.  But Capone persisted.  She told him to come to her.  Capone turned and ran back into the kitchen.

Angela had the same reaction that all moms have.  That stupid dog is barking at nothing.  She got out of her warm bed and followed Capone into the kitchen.

She saw the microwave plug was on fire.  She knew an electrical fire could spread quickly.  She picked up her newborn, Atreyu, and 20-month-old Mondecai, then told her oldest son, Landon, to gather the six other children and get outside.

Fire began to go up the wall and out the window, finally, the smoke alarm sounded.  Angela called 911 then did a family roll call:  Landon, 12, Alexander, 10, Jadzia, 9, Ronan, 7, Inara, 6, Mezoti, 5, Khaleesi, 3, Mondecai, 20 months, and Atreyu were all accounted for.

But where was Capone?

The hero strolled out of the house as if nothing had happened.

Sadly the family had lost everything, including many beloved stuffed animals, but they were all still alive, thanks to Capone, which was the important thing.

The family had to stay in a hotel and poor, confused Capone was at a friend’s house for three days where he didn’t eat and cried a lot.  When another apartment was found for the family Capone was joyfully reunited with those he saved.  He wouldn’t leave Arteyu’s side, sleeping on her blanket while Arteyu napped.

A couple of months after the fire, thanks to the generous donations of neighbors, the family had clothes and stuffed animals again, and they bought a house with a big backyard for Capone to play.  

Capone is one of many dogs who has been nominated for the American Humane Hero Dog Award.  You can see the list of nominees here www.herodogawards.org. The next time you talk about rescuing your dog think of Capone and ask who saved who.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Pet Cancer Awareness Month

I arrived at Rainbow Bridge almost four years ago after succumbing to lung cancer.  Every day I meet a new dog who is at Rainbow Bridge for the same reason.  Pet cancer is the number one reason that pup and kitties come to Rainbow Bridge.  If you are over ten years old chances that you will be diagnosed with cancer.  Doctors and researchers are working very hard to bring these numbers down.

Starting May 6, 2017 Petco, for three weeks, is teaming with Blue Buffalo to raise money for several organizations including The Morris Animal Foundation (http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/) The National Canine Cancer Foundation (http://wearethecure.org/)  the Riedel and Cody Fund (https://riedelcody.org/), the Kate Koogler Canine Cancer fund (http://www.katefund.org/) and many more who are working to lessen the amount of dog who come to Rainbow Bridge because of cancer.  You can also click this link (http://petcancerawareness.org/what-we-do/where-the-money-goes-map/) to see if there are any organization in your area that is getting money.

Your parents can donate to these organizations by going to Petco from May 6 to May 29 and making a donation at the register.  You can simply round up the total of your purchase to help the cause, but it you make a larger donation it will really help, and could give me a break from having to swear in so many new dogs here who have passed from cancer.

Also, my dog friends, you can help out too.  When our parents take us to the pet store they are anxious to see what we want as we sniff every bone and peer under the shelves to see if there is any discarded kibble.  For the next three weeks, I ask you to bypass the bones and ignore the toys.  Go to the register and put your paws on the credit card reader and let your parents know you would prefer the chance to spend many more day with them than one more toy.

If you cannot go to a Petco or don’t have one in your area, you can make a donation by going here (https://petcancerawareness.org/donate/).

Because of our short life spans, humans have multiple dogs during their lifetimes.  Chances are very good at least one of those dogs will get cancer and the parents will need all the help they can get.  

If you can donate let me be the first one to say “Thank you very much.”

The Sounds of Spring (It is Mostly Pocket Barking)

It is now May in our sleepy village.  Winter is quiet here.  There are no children, only adults who have traveled far on life’s road and have settled for a simpler, slower life.  Foley called them the prune people:  Their diets consisting of food to keep the plumbing moving and their skin shriveled by age.  I call them the zombies, as they walk by each day, aimlessly, searching for what I do not know.  

Winter muffles all sound, except for the occasional snow blower; but spring brings the frogs singing their love songs, the constant sound of lawn mowers humming somewhere in the distance, and finally the sound of a Pocket dog roaming her territory again.

Yes, I am out, I am loud, and I am loving it.

I bark at everything.  Zombies walking (they may give me attention), Zombies walking dogs (I half want them to play with me, and half want them out of my neighborhood), Zombies working in their yards, dogs tied up in their yard (to say hi to the dogs and to berate their parents for leaving their dogs tied to a tree) and to anything new in the area (I remember how everything was on my last walk and bark if something new is there.)

My parents try to quiet me.  They have talked to trainers who recommended noise to distract me.  They tried a spray bottle that made a noise.  I didn’t hear it.  When I bark the sound in my head is very loud.  Then they tried to get my attention with a water bottle.  I appreciated being cooled if in the middle of my walk.   Another trainer said to use a special command that is not used at any other time.  My parents chose “Un-huh.”  I went bark, bark, bark, they went “un-huh, un-huh, un-huh” until we turned into our own rhythm section “Bark, un-huh, bark, un-huh, un-huh, un-huh, bark.”  They have even tried a soft kick on the butt which stops me for a second, to bark at the foot, but I am right back to it.  (Don’t worry, it is a gentle kick, if it were hard I would write a ten blog series about being suffering from dog abuse).

I am not the only family member who causes unrest in the development when we walk.  Daddy has declared war on poopie bags.  “Why won’t these damn bag separate?  What are they glued together?  I can’t even find the perforation.  Finally, I found it.  Christ, which end is the opening?  The damn thing won’t open!  What am I just supposed to pick it up using the side of the bag?  I hate this thing?”  

“Bark, bark, bark.”

“Un-huh, un-huh, un-huh.”

I am sure there are a lot of complaints at the manager’s office.

I hope when we are asked to leave because of all the noise we make our next neighborhood is this nice.

Now I need to get back to my rounds.

Bark, bark, bark, bark.

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

If you scooch over we can make room for one more

Monday Question

How many time a day do you need to go out to use the peeing and pooing area?

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River Song:  Morning, second morning, afternoon, before supper, after supper, before snack, before bed (7)

Pocket:  Morning, second morning, after breakfast, before noon, early afternoon, mid afternoon, late afternoon, before supper, after supper, before treat, after treat, before bed one, before bed two, random time during the day  (14)