For a week and a half we had the honor of house sitting an
Alpaca farm in Placitas. Our dogs are part of the family and
always join us on these adventures. So we had a total of 6
dogs, 15 Alpacas, 1 cat and an unspecified number of Coyotes.
The first goal when going into a new home is to establish a
clear leadership structure and define the rules that will govern the
rest of the stay. Combining two well-established packs is an
adventure in itself. If not controlled, our three can be pushy
with other dogs. So in the beginning, it was a matter of
making the house dogs, TJ, Dusty and Einstein, feel safe
and build their trust in us. For Kita, Jackson and Hoshi,
we had to make it clear that the rules in our old home apply in the
new home and they do not have special privileges above the
other dogs. The first few days took constant maintenance, but
within a short amount of time, the house dogs were coming when
called, following us around and acting more comfortable around the
other dogs. To speed along the process of integration it
is important for all of the dogs to participate in pack
activities. Only pack mates eat together, sleep
together, walk together and have a common leader.
The other aspect that made those
10 days a special treat were the lovely alpacas. All
of our dogs are from herding breeds yet have never been exposed to
stock and the very first moment they saw the large alpacas
they were very excited. Alpacas are very different
from the regular herd animal. Instead of running
from a dog, they bend their very long necks down and stare the
dogs straight in the face. It was a hallmark moment when
Kita first met them. She ran up with all the enthusiasm
in the world, yet jumped back and hid under Rick's leg when one
bent down over her. She is a very determined dog though and
now she holds the record for the most spit on cattledog. It
was fascinating to watch our dogs around them. They had an
ingrained desire to see all of the alpaca together in a
tight group. If any of them strayed or the group
spread out too much our dogs would get very agitated and run
around them until they rejoined the circle. Chuck believes
that alpaca are above being herded and he gave our dogs
a "C" at best. Considering the circumstances and the fact
that our dogs haven't been taught how to steer in any
direction, I think they did an admirable job. But then
again, that's a mother's pride
talking.
There is
a trail in Placitas called the Piedra Lisa trail. The write-up
on it sounds really nice, so we have gone out several times to hike
it. Each time we head out, though, we find a really nice
looking trail that isn't labeled but heads out in the direction we
wish to go (the mountains). We haven't been disappointed once
- but what's there to be disappointed about - beautiful scenery,
quiet trail, time with our pack - sounds like heaven to me.
Check out some of the pictures that we took while
hiking: Hiking in
Placitas
October
6th, 2007
Today was
the official start of the Albuquerque International Balloon
Fiesta. We have been enjoying the morning views of colorful
balloons for weeks so this was a real treat. Our day had a
different focus, though. It was evident that our dogs needed
some nature time so we packed up and headed out for a day long hike
on trailhead 140 up to Sandia Crest. It was a wonderful
experience and our dogs our thanking us by sleeping soundly.
In a continuing effort to increase our stamina, Rick carried a 50 lb
back pack for the 5 1/2 hour mountain hike. For the next
stamina building exercise, maybe we'll go with 20
lbs.
September 30th,
2007 One of the facinating
individuals that we've met since we've arrived in New
Mexico is the world renowned photographer D
R Goff. We met at the Placitas wine tasting and found that
we both had something that was of value to the
other. He has two Standard Poodles, Jacque and Ramon, and so
we traded a Dog Training session for a Photography shoot. His
dogs are so well behaved that we definitely won out on this
deal. He brought us out
to his property, La Mesa Roja
in the Jemez Pueblo area and took some wonderful
pictures in the most vibrant setting. If you're looking for
beautiful land that comes with peace and quiet, you should
definitely check this place out.
The Month of September, 2007
The
whirlwind of activity for the past 15 months has finally paid
off. We have met some amazing people and our first month of
business in this new market is going remarkably well.
Here are a few highlights and stories that have defined this
period for us.
Our Welcome: Before
moving we sent out informational packets to all of the local vets
and shelters. Within a few days of arriving,
Watermelon Mountain Ranch gave us a call and invited us out
to their shelter. They identified some of the dogs that have
been overlooked for adoption for various reasons and we
started working with them individually to make them more
adoptable. We are sponsoring in home training for
several choice dogs, such as Lucky. Check out your
choices for adoptable dogs on the "Our Shelters" page. Sophia
and Lee DiClemente, the founders of Watermelon Mountain
Ranch, have greeted us with open arms. They invited us to
their adoptathon on Coors Bypass the weekend after we
arrived. There we worked with the dogs and helped adoptive
parents prepare for the homecoming of their new family
members. We also did some coaching for some frazzled
owners the day after adoption. Sophia mentioned that this is
the first adoptathon that they have ever
sponsored where no dogs have been returned. We can't
take credit for all of that, but hopefully we helped.
We have also started
working with CARMA who places dogs in
foster homes until adoption so they can gain household skills
and adoptive owners can have practical insight into their
temperament.
The
Move: It took us 4 days to move from Washington
to New Mexico. We camped for the first two nights (in Oregon
and Idaho), but Utah had a rough storm system running through
it, so we stayed in hotels the last two nights. All
of our dogs are trained as service animals which helps keep
them calm in public settings and the fee for the pet
deposit was waived. They were incredibly well behaved because
we created a pattern that was consistent with their
daily routine. Each morning we would pack up our campsite or hotel room (similar to getting ready for
work), then we would drive to a nearby park and bikejor with
them. They came to trust that they were going to get
their exercise so they calmed down and waited for it to
happen. As soon as we would get in the car they would mellow
out and settle in for a long ride. Jackson has had a
pattern of car panic which has improved since we
adopted him. This trip was very therapeutic for him, because
he could be lulled by the gentle vibrations of the car and the
stress of seeing other vehicles and the scenery rush by
became desensitized. On the other camping trips we
have gone on, we drove in the van, which has no
windows, so he was sheltered from his fears.
This voyage gave him time to cope and move past his
fears. The
storm system that ran through Utah definitely added a
sense of adventure to the trip. I was driving behind
Rick to keep an eye on our overloaded trailer and be
a buffer between him and other vehicles, since his vision was
limited. We were driving down a road with a six percent grade
and only one lane each way with no passing for the majority of the
decline. The high winds and heavy rain made the trailer
swing back and forth behind the van. I put my hazards on
so that the cars behind us would give us space.
But a huge semi was not respecting that signal and was
tailgating. Behind him was a long line of
cars. All of the sudden, all three of our dogs sat
up and stared intensely at me. I had not made any new
sounds or changed my position at all. I was surprised for a moment as I glanced
at them through the rear view mirror, then it hit me: I was very
stressed out. As I was worried about external factors,
the dogs were only focused on me and a change in my attitude,
which I did not notice, was causing them to become uncertain.
My appreciation for my lovely pack increased dramatically and I had
to smile to myself. Without saying or doing anything, I
focused on relaxing, breathing deeply and finding a slight
amount of humor in the situation. After a couple minutes they
were still staring at me. I felt more relaxed, but
it wasn't good enough for them. So I worked on it some
more. After a short time, all three of them laid
down and went back to sleep. I did an internal check and
felt a peace with my surroundings. One of the beautiful things
about living with dogs is they keep you in
check. For their peace of mind, I had to be calm and
stable, something I wouldn't have even thought of without
them. Thank you Hoshi, Jackson and
Kita.
August 26,
2007
Well, the
big day is almost here. We have 6 days left to finish packing, and
then we will be on our way to Albuquerque, NM. We should
arrive on September 4th, and be ready to begin client
sessions by the 5th. We have had a wonderful time working with all
of our clients and the staff at the Benton-Franklin Humane Society
here in the Tri-Cities, WA, and we would like to thank everyone for
their support as we've been preparing for this transition in our
lives.
The journey there will
be it's own adventure (that we will chronicle here) as we will be
camping along the way with our pack. When you travel with 3 dogs
hotels aren't really a good option, and we have never liked paying
for them just to rent a bed for a few hours, so camping is usually
our solution. We'll let you all know about what works and
what doesn't in keeping them under control during this move. Dogs
prefer to have reliable patterns in their lives, and shaking up
their world by packing everything up and driving them across the
country is bound to be a stressful time for them (and us). We camp
with our dogs regularly, and we have developed an association with
the car that they always go fun places when they ride in it, so
we're hoping they will have enough established routines to carry us
through. We also intend to stop about every 2 hours to exercise
them to keep their energy level under control and create a feeling
of migration for them to make the transition smoother (which is why
the trip will probably take 4 days). Most importantly, for a
successful transition we must stay calm. We're working hard to find
ways to vent our stress away from the dogs and to make sure that we
are always in control and relaxed around them. They need to be able
to count on their leaders being solid. We'll let you know how it
goes.
The first goal when going into a new home is to establish a
clear leadership structure and define the rules that will govern the
rest of the stay. Combining two well-established packs is an
adventure in itself. If not controlled, our three can be pushy
with other dogs. So in the beginning, it was a matter of
making the house dogs, TJ, Dusty and Einstein, feel safe
and build their trust in us. For Kita, Jackson and Hoshi,
we had to make it clear that the rules in our old home apply in the
new home and they do not have special privileges above the
other dogs. The first few days took constant maintenance, but
within a short amount of time, the house dogs were coming when
called, following us around and acting more comfortable around the
other dogs. To speed along the process of integration it
is important for all of the dogs to participate in pack
activities. Only pack mates eat together, sleep
together, walk together and have a common leader. 
The other aspect that made those
10 days a special treat were the lovely alpacas. All
of our dogs are from herding breeds yet have never been exposed to
stock and the very first moment they saw the large alpacas
they were very excited. Alpacas are very different
from the regular herd animal. Instead of running
from a dog, they bend their very long necks down and stare the
dogs straight in the face. It was a hallmark moment when
Kita first met them. She ran up with all the enthusiasm
in the world, yet jumped back and hid under Rick's leg when one
bent down over her. She is a very determined dog though and
now she holds the record for the most spit on cattledog. It
was fascinating to watch our dogs around them. They had an
ingrained desire to see all of the alpaca together in a
tight group. If any of them strayed or the group
spread out too much our dogs would get very agitated and run
around them until they rejoined the circle. Chuck believes
that alpaca are above being herded and he gave our dogs
a "C" at best. Considering the circumstances and the fact
that our dogs haven't been taught how to steer in any
direction, I think they did an admirable job. But then
again, that's a mother's pride
talking. 
One of the facinating
individuals that we've met since we've arrived in New
Mexico is the world renowned photographer 
campsite or hotel room (similar to getting ready for
work), then we would drive to a nearby park and 
I was surprised for a moment as I glanced
at them through the rear view mirror, then it hit me: I was very
stressed out. As I was worried about external factors,
the dogs were only focused on me and a change in my attitude,
which I did not notice, was causing them to become uncertain.
My appreciation for my lovely pack increased dramatically and I had
to smile to myself. Without saying or doing anything, I
focused on relaxing, breathing deeply and finding a slight
amount of humor in the situation. After a couple minutes they
were still staring at me. I felt more relaxed, but
it wasn't good enough for them. So I worked on it some
more. After a short time, all three of them laid
down and went back to sleep. I did an internal check and
felt a peace with my surroundings. One of the beautiful things
about living with dogs is they keep you in
check. For their peace of mind, I had to be calm and
stable, something I wouldn't have even thought of without
them. Thank you Hoshi, Jackson and
Kita. 
We'll let you all know about what works and
what doesn't in keeping them under control during this move. Dogs
prefer to have reliable patterns in their lives, and shaking up
their world by packing everything up and driving them across the
country is bound to be a stressful time for them (and us). We camp
with our dogs regularly, and we have developed an association with
the car that they always go fun places when they ride in it, so
we're hoping they will have enough established routines to carry us
through. We also intend to stop about every 2 hours to exercise
them to keep their energy level under control and create a feeling
of migration for them to make the transition smoother (which is why
the trip will probably take 4 days). Most importantly, for a
successful transition we must stay calm. We're working hard to find
ways to vent our stress away from the dogs and to make sure that we
are always in control and relaxed around them. They need to be able
to count on their leaders being solid. We'll let you know how it
goes.