My Fire Hydrant

Cooper and Mason

Since this is Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week AND ALSO Deaf Pet Awareness Week, it seemed appropriate to check in with my friend, Michele–who shares her life with less adoptable pets, deaf Boxers.

Last year, Michele was dealing with the news that her Boxer, Cooper, had been diagnosed with Stage III Mast Cell Cancer. And also adjusting to adding a 4th Boxer to her pack — Mason — because Michele failed Foster 101. Both Cooper and Mason are deaf.

Michele tells me, “In the past year, Mason has learned over 20 signs but his favorite sign is ‘good boy.’ People who see us walking always ask about him and his deafness when we sign; they say they would have never thought a dog could communicate through sign. I also still get calls from people who have deaf dogs. And also from people who realize their old dogs are going deaf. And I think my old girl is losing her hearing some too — she startles a lot more as she is getting older — but she knows the signs, so we communicate.”

Michele goes on,

Geddy, Mama Michele, and Mason

So a little over a year has passed since our lives were touched by a new Boxer in the house, can I just say it’s been a whirlwind!

Bailey, Cooper, Geddy and Mason are all sleeping on my bed as I write this update.  Sleep is what Cooper does most of his days now.  The vet is completely astonished that we still have him in our lives and he is doing as well as he can.  The cancer has spread to some organs but he seems to be still happy when he’s awake and will take any opportunity to lie on my lap…. Which of course no matter what weight loss he has had, he’s still a BIG boy!

Our Bailey has had two tumors removed from her this past year, both were benign which is a blessing, however she had her shoulder injured last fall with a run in with our crazy pup and her arthritis has really kicked in.  She still runs the roost and is the Queen around this house!

Geddy is still our sweet boy and has enjoyed Mason the most since we got him.  They are the best and worst of friends… we call it the love hate relationship as Mason gets the most pleasure out of torturing Geddy!

Then there is Mason…. Or as we like to say, the DEMON SPAWN!  Oh yes, I have to say he’s tested my patience this past year!  He’s every Boxer owners nightmare with bad behaviors… he’s mouthy, he loves to destroy toys… he’s torn up any toy I can find, which includes the ones that say SUPER TOUGH or UNCHEWABLE!  That makes me laugh when I bring them back the next day.  He was a challenge to get him crate trained, to not chew on everything he could in our house and walk on a leash without wanting to chew it up also!

He also is my youngest son’s best friend, who will wait by the window every day without fail 5 minutes before he gets off the bus.  He will fall asleep with him at night and slowly creep out of his bed once he’s asleep as to not wake him up and he has the sweetest face anyone could imagine. He has a special sense about him when the older dogs are not feeling good, always “trying” to be on is best behavior or giving them extra kisses on the head when they are laying down.  He is so smart, sometimes too much for his own good, but he has learned so many signs, he knows the routines when we leave or go to bed and although he was this little guy when we got him, he towers over all the other dogs with his gangly “pup” legs!  He is a blessing and as I look over on the bed, his head resting on the back of my Cooper, I realize he’s brought new life into Cooper as well and may just be what’s helping us keep our house full of Boxers!

Mason

Both Mason and Cooper were classified early on as “less adoptable dogs.” How lucky for them that Michele saw their potential. And how lucky for Michele and her family. These two sweet boys are well-loved members of Michele’s family. They just communicate with their human pack members in a slightly different way.

Not less adoptable. Totally more adaptable.

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If you’re interested in more information on what great pets deaf dogs can make,
visit Deaf Dogs Rock.

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Some of you may know that I am one of the moderators for the Iams Facebook wall. I’m also training my teammate, Janet, to help with the work. She posted a photo of her dog Elmo today, and I just had to share! He’s adorable!!

Elmo

Tina, from our marketing team, welcomed Lily into her family recently. What a cute puggie puppy!

Sleeping Lily.

Some very exciting news! Our second annual “Behind the Paw” summit is scheduled for next week! We’ve invited a furbulous group of pet community advocates and anipals to come for a visit to learn more about P&G Pet Care. We’ll be tweeting about it–if you’re on Twitter be sure to watch for #BehindThePaw to get updates. Here’s a preview of what’s happening!

A new adoption in my work family! One of my teammates recently adopted Boone from her local shelter!

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In the email that brought me the photos, my buddy Sandy says:

We are now the proud parents to Boone.  He is a four year old Aussie rescue from the shelter, with some wild bed head.  He is very laid back and very tolerant of being brushed.  He has visited our home and seems to like the yard and doesn’t seem very concerned with the cats (and vice versa).  We’ll get him tomorrow as he is getting a “procedure” done today to keep the Boone population down,…I should have a stork in the front yard screaming “It’s a BOY!!”  What a silly Mommy I am, but I know you understand.

He is such a handsome boy!  Congratulations, Sandy!

A good friend of mine from work, Chad, just failed Fostering 101! Meet the new addition to his family, Aubry!

Meet Aubry!

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In the middle of the front row, in the green Iams shirt, is my buddy Leah. She's taking a pledge for $1,000.00!

So much fun today! We (Iams) helped out at the SPCA Cincinnati’s 15^th annual Adopt-A-Pet Fund telethon. We were LIVE on Cincinnati’s Channel 12 WKRC! And the telethon brought $111,830.00 in donations to help the SPCA! (And you can still donate!)

You may remember that back in September we (the employees of Iams/Eukanuba) did a shelter make-over at one of the SPCA Cincinnati’s two locations (here’s a slide show of photos I found while writing this post).

Founded in 1873, originally to abolish the inhumane treatment of horses and mules, the SPCA Cincinnati serves an area of approximately 500 square miles that has a population of over 900,000 people. They are totally funded by private donations—no tax money or government funding! And what an incredible job they do!

• They operate from 2 locations where thousands of orphaned pets are matched up with qualified families every year.

• Their Companion Animal Access Program (CAAP) certifies dogs to be pet therapy dogs allowing them to visit hospitals and nursing homes to cheer up people who might need some canine love and put a smile on their face.

• Their staff and volunteers visit Cincinnati schools and organizations to teach about animal welfare, pet responsibility, and pet safety. They raise awareness of the positive benefits of having a pet in your life, and promote the need for spay/neuter.

• They offer basic dog training classes.

• They have full-time Humane Agents to investigate cases of animal cruelty.

• They offer a 24/7 Emergency Service that transports injured and sick wild or lost companion pets to local veterinary hospitals for treatment.

To help raise money for this very worthy organization, several of my teammates made the trek to the TV studios of Local 12 WKRC-TV. WKRC is very supportive of the SPCA. Not only did the station host the telethon today, they have SPCA Adopt-a-Pet segments on Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Wednesdays at 7:45 a.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. They also co-sponsor the SPCA’s Mobil Adoption Unit.

Today’s telethon had a beach party theme with lots of local personalities and celebrities dressed for a day at the beach in flowered shirts, shorts, and sandals. There was a beautiful ocean-front background and “sandy” carpet. We heard lots of wonderful stories about successful adoptions along with photos of some beautiful adopted and adoptable pets. And one of my favorite people (and an Iams’ veterinarian) Dr. Amy Dicke, appeared on camera to talk about dental care and digestive care for dogs and cats. Another friend of mine, Deborah Brundage (we call her Debo) appeared on camera to present a donation check on behalf of Iams. Live music (lovin’ those beach tunes!), nice people, and a great cause!

What a fabulous way to spend a Saturday morning!

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Some good news in my Google mailbag today! Okey’s Promise which I wrote about last week has been fully funded through contributions from the online pet community. How cool is that! In her email Vicki–AKA the artists BZTAT–says:

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to each and every person who pledged to the cause. Whatever the size of your pledge, you are each very special to me, as you have helped to make this crazy dream of mine come to fruition.

This is really good news! For the rest of the story, click this link.

This is a call to action: Here’s how you can Be The Change in just a few short minutes.

One of my favorite artists, Vicki Boatright–or @BZTAT as she’s usually known in the online pet community–is working on a project to raise awareness of the connection between child abuse and animal abuse. Okey’s Promise, her project, is named for the tiny abused cat that BZTAT recently rescued.

Starting in her home town of Canton, Ohio, Vicki plans on creating a highly visible public mural featuring a child, a dog, and a cat to remind us of those who are most vulnerable in our society. Her hope is to spark a local dialogue regarding the issues of child and animal abuse. This local effort will be backed by a national media campaign to serve as a catalyst for a wider discussion of the issues through the commission of additional murals in other communities. Vicki says:

“The issue of pet abuse and abandonment is deeply connected to the issue of child abuse and domestic violence. Both issues need to be addressed together, not one in isolation of the other…Creating artwork that is highly visible to the community has a greater chance of connecting the dots for people. It is easy to ignore a fact sheet, but hard to dismiss a powerful public artwork that reaches out to you each day as you drive by it.”

Here’s the part where you can Be the Change: Make a donation so Vicki can make her project happen. Every dollar helps–we go farther and the road is easier with a little bit of help from a lot of people–so give what you can afford.

Wouldn’t you like to have one of BZTAT’s murals in your community?

I just wanted to mention that I’m interviewed on the Grouchy Puppy blog today! Wow!