Surf Dog Contest Winner Rip Curl Ricki Carves Waves with 15 year-old Adaptive Surfer While Fundraising for his Rehabilitation.

SAN DIEGO, CA, August 24, 2009…”Rip Curl Ricki,” a local golden retriever surf contest winner, took to the waves last Thursday, August 20, to learn a new skill: surfing tandem with Patrick Ivison, a 15-year-old spinal cord injured adaptive surfer. Mission accomplished! Ricochet (as she’s known on land), and Patrick rode their first wave all the way to the beach! They were so stoked they continued riding wave after wave, as if they had been surfing together forever.

In addition to accomplishing a score of tandem surf rides with a person with limited physical abilities (rarely, if ever done), Ricochet also shared some party waves with Patrick. Ricochet has surfed tandem with other dogs, but this newest project presented a unique and exciting challenge: training to surf tandem with Patrick, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of an accident when he was a child. Patrick was diagnosed quadriplegic, but he is able to surf using an adaptive surfboard.

Although Patrick has excelled through the years in both school and adaptive sports (adaptive surfing is his specialty), he recently decided that having a service dog would help him achieve greater independence as he approaches his college years. Paws’itive Teams, a local non-profit organization that places service dogs with persons with disabilities, caught wind of Patrick’s story and matched him with a golden retriever named Kona. Patrick also participates in an intense physical therapy program funded through Help Patrick Walk, which helps him build strength by exercising parts of his body he can’t move or control on his own. Since starting his therapy, Patrick has been able to do things he never thought he could.

The costs of training a service dog, and specialized physical therapy are steep, however – that’s where Ricochet’s knack for surfing and fundraising comes in. Ricochet has always been part of surfing fundraisers for great causes, and will be competing in the Surf City Surf Dog contest in Huntington Beach on October 11 where Patrick is an official beneficiary. All proceeds donated to Ricochet through her fundraising efforts will go directly to Paws’itive Teams, and Help Patrick Walk, for the sole purpose of easing the financial burden on Patrick and his family. You can catch Ricochet and Patrick carving waves in San Diego for the next several weeks to prepare for the Surf City Surf Dog event where they will be demonstrating their new tandem surfing skills!

More information can be found at www.ripcurlricki.comwww.pawsteams.org and www.helppatrickwalk.org.
Please also contact Judy Fridono (707) 228-0679

Does Your Dog Really Think Like You?

Maisie* is a wonderful girl. A Scotty/Cairn mix, she is adorable, brilliant, and not just a little busy. When her owners joined her to their family, she was reported to be paper trained, which often means the breeder kept the litter on papers, that they relieved themselves on paper.
Thus it was with Maisie. She was unreliably housebroken.

Cooper could not be left alone, a pit bull, retriever, Dane mix. His owners, a couple who never gave up on any pet, made extreme efforts to have someone with him always. Even a few minutes alone in a house, he destroyed a couch, a mattress and the doorjamb. Cooper’s owners believed he had “Separation Anxiety”
Suzette’s owner thought she was timid; she rarely touched the ground. This was fine for both Suzette, a miniature poodle, and for her owner. She whined and barked at everything that came close and Suzette’s owner would hold her for comforting. The problem emerged when, enrolled in dog training, Suzette bit the trainer’s shoe and growled at her owner during the “Leave-It” exercise. Fearful Suzette was a bully!

Noah’s family despaired at training him not to chew on their belongings. Whenever he was reprimanded, he found a shoe or some laundry to gnaw, hidden behind the couch. A tiny Chihuahua, they believed it was out of spite.

Kiki, an English Mastiff, was unclear about many things. She leapt upon every living creature, dog, cat or human, as though in effervescent greeting. She also pulled at the leash, lunging to get to the sniff-stop. Her family is at a loss as to how to deter her from this joyous conduct. Were she a Pomeranian, they would doubtless disregard most of these as problems, but her sheer size demands a better solution. She is impervious to the squalls of the flattened and slobbered on cat, the snaps and feints of the canines she encounters, and she has to be shut away when visitors arrive, lest they, like the cat, be covered in dog hair, spit, and bruises from her bountiful greetings.

When Yukon was rescued from roaming the streets, his amber eyes spoke of intelligence and fear. A husky-wolf hybrid, he has learned every command, but simply chooses to ignore most of them, or hesitates a long pause until, it appears, it is his choice to sit, lay down, come to call, or get off the couch. His family now includes three cats and the mother and daughter who have adopted Yukon are fearful that he might harm the cats. He also, whenever possible, goes on a walkabout the neighborhood, returning at will.

Dog mentality is not like ours. We love our dogs. Whether they reside at our feet or outdoors to protect the stead, they are unfailingly part of the family. So successfully interacting, we attribute human emotions and motives to their conduct. The truth is, they are not so much like us.

They are keenly smart, exactingly affiliated to their household or pack, have a deep need to fit into a hierarchy, and will respond dependably to this order. They experience no guilt, no spite, no jealousy, no shame. They read body language and observe the rules of conduct in the home, doing what dogs do without fail. They do not have abandonment issues as we would experience and do not have separation anxiety as we do. They simply long to be with those to whom they belong and being without will cause an effort on their part to rejoin, or self comfort in an effort to cope with being left alone. They get bored easily, being intelligent.

They don’t even experience love on the same order as we humans do. In our lives we leave our parents, often moving to a far corner away. Or we, as parents, push our young out into the abyss of adulthood. We break off with old friends, break up with lovers, divorce our mates and lose contact with those to whom we once belonged.

A dog will never do this. Once a dog is yours, the affiliation is hardwired into the brain. This is why you can beat your dog (and people once often did as part of “training”), fail to feed and water, neglect and ignore—you dog will still love you and grovel for a kind word. Their love is unconditional, abiding and pure.

Efforts at training include housebreaking, learning to do things by command, keeping from chewing anything that fits in the mouth, not stealing food, walking nicely on a leash, abstaining from nuisance conduct such as: digging, barking incessantly, nipping heels and hands, jumping up, piddling in greeting, eating the family pets and starting trouble with the neighbors’ children, animals and garbage.

In this column we will explore the logical dog brain, wonder at how clever it is, how it was designed to truly be man’s best friend. Each case mentioned has a logical reason, which, when understood without human pathos, will lead us to a better solution.

Many trainers will employ devises to prevent the dog from acting out these “emotions”, including crating, shock collars, harnesses and head halters, and myriad other efforts to quell the action. In truth, if the cause is an emotional, dog-driven need, then stopping an action will only create the need for other outlets. The dog will find other ways to express their needs, which are simple. They must have proper outlets for behaviors bequeathed by their breeding. Beagles have to dig and bark. German Shepherds must herald every new event with a vocal cascade (usually three barks). Retrievers must have something in the maw to feel complete, Vizlas desire to roam. Most terriers would love to have a go at the family hamster. Cattle dogs and other herding breeds feel the need to have everyone clumped together, be they other dogs, children or sheep.

Dogs need to develop patience for the departure and arrival of family members. They need to feel secure. They also need to grasp in their dog-brain, that they are the dog. It will never be their turn first over humans, they are the lowest in the human hierarchy, and will be the happier for it once it is settled. Dogs like order. They like routines.

In future articles, we will talk about their concept of hierarchy. We are not pack members. They can sit in the lap. They can sleep in our beds. They can request a treat or a walk or a time of play, but they cannot ever demand.

Maisie, Cooper, Suzette, Noah, Kiki and Yukon are well on their ways to being better dogs, as their family members require them to ask nicely, and to serve. While it is important to treat a dog like a dog, they are pets, after all. With a little clarity and mutual understanding, we can enjoy them. In the lap or at our sides, in our beds or guarding the stead at night, they simply want to know what is required of them.

*Though Maisie is her real name, most of these pets’ names have been changed to protect the guilt-free misbehavors. All of them are based on the conduct of specific canines.
Kristen Craig nee Lauterbach has been involved with training a variety of animals since she was very young. Horse crazy, she spent most of her free time at a local two-bit dude ranch, salvaging auction horses for sale to homes. She became the neighborhood shaman, offering help, advice, training and care to the pets in her community of friends in Claremont, CA.
She has trained Zoomobile animals and delivered lectures in Oakland, ran the National Cat Protection Society in the now defunct Long Beach branch, directed the Alameda Animal Shelter and had the good fortune to work alongside and learn from a young Ian Dunbar.
She is currently training dogs in the San Diego area.

Lydia, the 13 year old CattledogXBasenjiXBeagle
And Kristen, sharing some thoughts.

Irvine Animal Care Center Awarded “Shelter of the Year”
IRVINE, CA (February 26, 2008)
The City of Irvine Animal Care Center (IACC) is the proud recipient of the “2007 Shelter of the Year” award, presented on February 9, 2008 at the Purina Pro Plan 53rd Annual Show Dogs of the Year Awards in New York City. The shelter was selected for this award based on its innovative programs and disaster relief efforts during the Southern California wildfires last fall.
During the October 2007 firestorms, the shelter received more than 90 pets from families who had to evacuate their homes in San Diego , San Bernardino and Orange Counties . All animals were safely returned to their original owners after spending, on average, eight days at the shelter. To help care for the additional animals, staff and volunteers worked extra hours to ensure that each animal received quality attention, blankets, beds, toys and treats. Donations from the community helped the shelter accommodate the additional pets in its care.
The shelter’s innovative programs have helped educate the community about the needs of homeless, abandoned and abused pets, and have saved thousands of lives through its Third Chance for Pets Program and adoption events. The shelter’s Third Chance Program transfers happy, healthy pets from other shelters to the Irvine for another opportunity at finding loving, permanent homes. The success of the shelter is measured by the number of animals it receives that are reunited with their original owners: 43 percent of all dogs are returned to their original owners versus 15 percent national average; 5 percent of all cats are returned to their original owners compared to a 2.5 percent national average; and 90 percent are adopted into new, loving homes or returned to their original owners.
The IACC is the largest pro-humane animal shelter in Orange County , and receives around 4,000 animals each year. The shelter is located in a beautiful, five-acre park-like facility. The IACC prides itself on replicating family life for shelter pets temporarily in its care. Each pet enjoys a daily routine of playtime, socialization and exercise and receives high-quality pet food provided by Science Diet. The shelter is also home to 14 farm-yard animals, including two goats, three pigs and nine chickens. The farm-yard animals, previously utilized for humane education, enjoy a comfortable environment in their retirement years.
For more information about IACC programs, call 949-724-7441 or visit www.irvineshelter.org

Cats Enjoy "Happy Socks"

Brownie Troop 1141 from Bathgate Elementary in Mission Viejo recently visited our Newport Beach shelter to learn about cats.  They brought with them two bags full of “Happy Socks” that they made for the kitties.  Happy Socks are clean socks of all colors and sizes which the girls gathered and then lovingly filled with catnip. Our cats loved these great toys!

Volunteer Coordinator Julie Pearson and Adoption Counselor Sue Worrel led the troop on a tour of the shelter.  The young girls learned about cat care, spaying and neutering and the importance of keeping cats indoors to keep them safe.  They had a chance to visit and interact with the adoptable adult cats and also the cats in our Retirement Center which is a place for cats to live the rest of their lives.

National Cat Protection Society is always pleased to provide tours of our facility to promote humane education.  Many shelters and humane societies are now reaching out to the young minds of their communities in an effort to teach children about proper care of animals.  It has become especially important to show children at an early age what kind of love and commitment it takes to have a pet.  Additionally, children learn what shelter and humane organizations in their areas do and how they and their families can be a part of humane support through volunteer programs and donations.

National Cat Protection Society is always pleased to provide tours of our facility to promote humane education. 

Many shelters and humane societies are now reaching out to the young minds of their communities in an effort to teach children about proper care of animals.  It has become especially important to show children at an early age what kind of love and commitment it takes to have a pet.  Additionally, children learn what shelter and humane organizations in their areas do and how they and their families can be a part of humane support through volunteer programs and donations.