Our life The indomitable stray. Summer 2010 On July 2nd, our dogs woke us up with a "hey! there's something out there!" kind of bark. We went to investigate and we found a soaking wet dog smiling and wagging her tail on the other side of the fence. The storm the night before was pretty rough, but besides the condition of her coat, she didn't seem fazed.  We checked her collar and found a rabies tag but no name tag. We let our dogs out and they ran to the fence barking. We thought this might make her travel on but she just turned sideways so they could smell her and continued to smile. Our pups stopped barking, smelled her and looked at us. It almost had the attitude of "why is she out there? shouldn't she be in here with us?". It was the most bizarre thing because a couple of our dogs are still being worked through reactiveness to strange dogs. They all seemed to be in agreement. We ignored her for a little while because we already have five dogs, we don't need six dogs in a small cabin. But she was determined. She wanted to be part of our pack and wouldn't leave. She followed along the fence as we walked our five. So after some discussion, knowing that the next step would determine the square footage available per dog, we took her to our vet, Dr. Contos at Ventana Animal Clinic. They scanned for a microchip and found one but it was not registered. They called the City of ABQ Animal Control and they had no record of her rabies number, nor did they have a notice of a lost dog fitting her description. Neither did Rio Rancho. We put out notices of a found dog and took her in for a vet check. She had a fractured pelvis (as if she fell out of a moving vehicle), had been shot through the thigh with a pellet gun (the pellets were still stuck on the inside of her thigh) and was under fed (but not emaciated). So we got her some medication and took her home. Still in shock, but strangely connected to this little thing, we came to the big decision: a name. After several days of discussion we agreed on Corey. Usually we name our dogs after something that we are interested in (for example, Jackson is after Daniel Jackson in Stargate sg-1; by the way, Tug and Teddy came with thier names) but this was such an unexpected occurrence that we decided to name her after no one. Corey it is. Corey is an amazing, spunky little thing. Nothing fazes her, if you disapprove of her she has a "meh" response, she can play/explore all day long and is friendly to everyone. She joined the pack for a little over 2 weeks and then jumped the fence. She returned when we saw her and called her back. The next day she jumped and didn't return until the next morning (we opened the dog door for the dogs and went back to bed. When we woke up an hour later she was sleeping in the open crate that we had designated for her). Then she hung around for a week then left again for two days. On many days she would be waiting for us outside the front gate or in the opposite yard from the one we left her in. It was like she wanted to be part of the family but was missing something. We weren't sure if she lived close by and just went wondering and found us or if she was dumped off by someone but liked exploring. Were we just a brief vacation? Part of the frustrating part was that she could climb the fence to get out and to get back in. So there was no controlling the situation from that aspect. We were playing around with the environment that we left the dogs in. We had been separating the dogs into groups of three because we wanted to diffuse any tension that might arise with too many dogs unsupervised early in integration. We were looking for patterns. Did she jump the fence when she was with certain dogs or combinations of dogs? We finally decided to try to give her more room, so we opened the fence between the two yards making a space about 2/3 of an acre. That was it. She needed enough room to feel like she could roam and explore and still get to be part of the family. She loves wondering around, chasing lizards and rodents (which she has a knack for catching), exporing smells, pouncing on balls, sticks and bugs and just being a silly adolescent. I'm not sure how she got out here into the middle of no where and what her life was before us, but I'm pretty sure she has spent a good amount of time as a stray. She seems to know that life style very well, she is independent enough to enjoy it and is effective at feeding herself. Her ingrained need for a secure pack was in conflict with her desire to roam (at least in modern day) until we gave her enough room to have both. Now she has been with us three months and has settled in as one of the six. Six... That's a lot of dogs. What is love? Spring 2009 Have you ever met a dog and despite the logical argument against having him or her as  part of your family it feels like this individual has always been yours, it's just taken him a while to find his way home? That happened to us and it has changed our life forever. This unforgettable dog is Tug. Tug is a darling boy who has been feared his entire life, rejected from adopted homes and before he became officially ours he had lived in at least six different shelters, foster homes and adoptive homes (we're not sure what happened before he was six months old). Because of his imposing size and lack of structure he was feared and his canines were filed down. Due to his past, he has the doggie version of PTSD and is startled easily and reacts like he has to defend his life. Where most other people saw a scary, mean dog we saw a sweet boy who was begging for balance, begging for guidance. We initially meet him at an in-home session and the family was unable to overcome their fear of him and increased his stress and reactions. Then he was dropped  off and Watermelon Mountain Ranch when we were working there in 2008. We just fell in love with him and we developed a deep bond. When we left WMR, leaving him was the hardest part. He was always on our thoughts. We would take him out on day trips and go hiking in Santa Fe. When we would visit, he would run around the kennel and make the other dogs leave, then he would run straight at us, like a bullet, then slide to a stop right in front of us and gently put his head between our legs and hide his head. It was the sadest, sweetest thing ever. Sort of a "Mommy, Daddy, why am I still here? Why don't you take me home".We tried to find a loving home for him. Any one that we thought would be both strong in their constitution and gentle in their application was on our list. No one worked out. We got him transferred to Second Chance Animal Rescue (one of his previous rescues) so he could be in a home instead of a kennel. He escaped from their yard (causing a car accident) and we were cited because the transfer was done in our name. We showed up to court and explained the situation and the judge thank us for our work and let us go without a fine. The second time he escaped, he was sent to a local boarding facility awaiting a transfer out of state. We were frantic. Our sweet boy was suffering and was about to be lost to us. We couldn't let that happen. He was our boy. He is our boy. So the question came down to "If he's our dog, why in the world is he living somewhere else?". We couldn't have another dog because of the household limit in Rio Rancho (by the way, while all of this was going on, we were obsessively house searching in ABQ for a home so we could take him. Our efforts failed). So we bought a piece of land, roughed it a bit while Second Chance Animal Rescue helped us build a small cabin, all so our Tuggerton could come home. That is love.  We made two resolutions when we adopted him. First, he would never spend a night without us or one of his other pack mates. Secondly, we would never expose him to anyone who was afraid of him. No fear allowed. He has experienced enough of that and now deserves to live in peace. Now our sweet boy has found his way home and he is loved more than we can describe. Teddy (a.k.a. Lillyboy) goes to
school. October 15th, 2008 Teddy has now been with us for six weeks and he has finally settled in as a stable member of our pack. It took a lot of focus, though, to teach him the life lessons that he needed to be a harmonious part of our family. Our main goals were for him to learn self-control, basic manners and how to be respectful of everyone and everything. That's all!
So now that sweet side of Teddy has fully emerged. We could see it under all of the undesirable behaviors from the start. Now that he understands what is expected of him and he knows that he is safe, he is thriving under the numerous benefits of being one of the pack. We have a new addition to our pack! September 5th, 2008 Joy, Rick's Mom, has decided that she wants a little companion to keep her company when she's at home. So we went searching for a sweet lap dog  that was also playful and boisterous enough
to keep up with Hoshi, Kita and Jackson, since he would be
staying with us and our pack when she is at work. We didn't
have to look far before we found Teddy, a tan German Spitz (which is
a large version of the Pomeranian) that was surrendered by
an aging man that was no longer able to care for him. It was
clear that he had not received the attention he needed by the state
of his coat. It was so matted that we had trouble finding his
skin, which had several hot spots. He was so tangled, in fact,
that at first we thought he was a girl! He was
surrendered without a name, so we filled out the paperwork with the
name "Lilly" (now known
as "LillyBoy" at the
shelter). We picked him up today from Watermelon Mountain
Ranch, took him over to meet Joy and then had him
groomed. A very cute little guy came out from under
all that hair. Now the work starts!Teddy was obviously both spoiled and untrained. At three years old he has no concept of appropriate elimination locations, he is picking on the other dogs and is wildly running around doing dominant gestures to everyone and everything. His natural level of assertiveness is pretty low, but he is doing his best to make a lasting impression and take over our pack. Luckily, all of these issues are easily resolved with a bit of patience, clear guidance and self control on our part. Rehabilitation on a Large Scale Spring, 2008 Starting in March, we had the good fortune to be able to run the kennels at Watermelon Mountain Ranch for a few months. We made it a goal that while we were managing the facilities, any dog that was adopted from the Ranch would be better off then when they were surrendered. We found our time there to be a very enriching experience.  Dogs in a typical shelter tend to act out or go "kennel crazy" because the workers that are doing their assigned jobs of cleaning the kennels and dishing out food unintentionally miscommunicate to the dogs about appropriate behavior. Here's an example: as a kennel worker walks down the aisle to feed the dogs, they are barking and acting crazy. He ignores the deafening sound and tries to get through the task as quickly as possible. The dogs, on the other hand, have been waiting for this interaction all day. They take the food as a reward for their behavior and so they connect the dots: it's barking that gets them the food. Once they put it together, they act this way any time anyone enters the kennel, in the hopes that this time the barking gets them what they want. You add to this the stress of being in tight quarters with so many other dogs, where the only interaction they can have is face to face aggression through a fence or the sad alternative which is to try to disappear into the corner. You add to that the stream of strange faces poking at them through the fence (an act of aggression) and talking in high pitch tones (adding tension to an already overwhelming environment). When you walk down the rows of a traditional shelter, you are not seei  ng the natural disposition of the dogs. You are
witnessing a very stressed animal in a very unnatural environment
who is responding to the direction of unsuspecting kennel
workers. The animals are doing the very best
they can, but with time aggression, fear, depression, hyperactivity
and neurosis are a common fate for the kennalized dog. All of
these symptoms can be reversed and overcome with a little patience,
and the right type of information and action, but sadly, most people
only see a scary dog or a lost cause. This is where I have a
high level of respect for the thousands of rescue
groups through out the country that save dogs from such
unhealthy environments and place them in foster homes to create
balance and peace within their lives. Check out Our
Shelters page to read about the
rescue groups that we are dedicated to helping with their noble
mission. If you run a shelter or rescue and would like to
join in a partnership with us please visit the Contact Us
page and tell us your story. We
have a policy of only working with no-kill rescues and
shelters who are dedicated to the well-being of the animals in
their care.To accomplish our goals of creating calm balance, we set in place a program that brought out the best in each dog. We took great care in matching up temperaments, controlling behaviors around food, making each day interesting and fun, providing exercise, structure and deep, meaningful affection. At Watermelon Mountain Ranch, the dogs that are social are kept in groups of three to six. In this way they can have companionship and an opportunity to fulfill a primal need continue story This is definitely worth seeing! A national news crew was very impressed with our work and did a three-part series on us! This news story covers our rehabilitation work Program Rehabs Troubled Dogs at End of Line  This one is about Rick's exhausting work to turn WMR into an eco-friendly shelter Eco-friendly Shelter Saves Environment, Money  This last one is about the perpetual care program that provides a safe haven for pets when their owners can no longer care for them. Perpetual Care: The Answer to Pets Who Outlive Owners  You can also access these stories by going to www.zootoo.com and typing "Dillender" into the search field. We would like to thank Mike Davis for his belief in our work and for arranging these interviews with Zootoo. December, 2007 The event that consumed most of our attention was the Home 4 The Holidays adoptathon. Watermelon Mountain Ranch organized the event and invited several other rescues and shelters.  H4TH has been held across
the nation for many years and we have been informed
that our event has broken every record for number of
animals adopted and retention. 535 animals (dogs and cats)
found new homes. We offered free training to all of
the dogs that were adopted and out of the ones that were from
the Ranch, only four have been returned (as of the end of
March). All four of the adoptive parents that rejected their
dogs refused training. This is a huge accomplishment!
Previous return rates were around 25%. The retention has been
so high for a number of reasons. First of all every
family that was interested in adopting (from the Ranch) received
coaching on how to integrate their new family member, how to create
a peaceful introduction (because Christmas time is full of
excitement) and many were taught how to walk them before they left
the event. Then they were encouraged to attend our 5 week
Canine Care and Obedience Course that came with the adoption.
A high percentage took us up on our offer. In addition to that
we were on call for emergencies and did in-home sessions for the
dogs that were having trouble in their new home. The
dedication of all of the volunteers that worked the event were
priceless in making this a success. November 10th, 2007 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 legs 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, we
think they did an admirable job. But then again, that's a
parent's pride talking. Check out the rest of our 10 day adventure: Chuck and Dianne's Alpaca Farm October 14th, 2007  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
hisfears. 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 Jackson, Hoshi 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. |
2003 Southern Blvd. SE #102-85, Rio Rancho, NM 87144
answers@afreshperspectivedogtraining.com