Adopt 2010 Contest

To me, adoption means hope.... and a second (or third..or fourth) chance at finding the home they were always meant for and becoming the dog they were meant to be.

Shayne made the leap from nearly euthanized pound puppy to being featured in her own 1/2 page national coupon for a leading dog-cookie company. She went from a dog they were concerned about adopting out to a dog who was the face of a national brand (if ever so briefly).

Shayne was an abuse/neglect case for the Humane Society--she had been tied to a tree for at least several months and was starved/neglected (and we have reason to believe she had been abused). She was skinny and scared when I convinced the HS to allow me to adopt her (she had food aggression issues that they noted and other aggression issues popped up as she became healthier). It took a lot of work to get her to trust me but she did... she wanted so badly to interact with me but was very scared. Yet this scared dog has also been able to reach out to inner city youth and share the love with them.

She has volunteered her time at a special summer camp for inner city youth (many of whom are like Shayne was, abandoned, neglected, abused, forgotten) (see the photo). She quickly became a camp favorite with these youth because of her willingness to spread the love even if she isn't 100% sure all the time... when the kids learn some massage techniques and just watch as her body relaxes through their soft words and kind touches, they really feel the connection with her and understand what something so small as soft words can do for a timid dog. The girl in the pink shirt in the photo (shayne's head is on her lap) was not 100% comfortable with dogs... she was a little afraid, but that's the girl shayne was so drawn to and felt comfortable enough to lay down on (even thought three other youth were also loving on her)... they were really meant for each other.

To me adoption is about THAT moment... when shayne's head hit the lap of that young woman... a girl who was a little afraid of dogs and the dog who was REALLY afraid of humans are able to connect in a quiet and peaceful moment and really become connected with out words ...just the sound of the creek in the background and the gentle and loving touch between girl and dog...this moment would not have been possible without adoption.

IMPORTANT PET SAFETY STORY

Dear Dogster friends,
I want to share a very sad story about a neighbor dog. This is a sad story, but one that is important to read.

I first want to tell you about Lucius. Lucious was a 2 year old (about) Cane Corso--he was a beautiful dark brindle who had just about grown into his massive head (not quite, but close--he was about 110 i think). He was purchased from an amazing breeder to a great family who cared for him dearly. They spent countless hours socializing their puppy, making sure to build the confidence in Lucius so that he would be a perfect citizen. He frequented the dog beach and the local dog parks. Lucius was loved by everyone in the area and literally everybody knew of him--he was a true ambassador for his breed and all mastiff-type dogs.

About two weeks ago Lucius and his mom and dad were playing ball in the park, like always. They always used a lacrosse ball because it had a lot of spin and made some funny twists and turns, often making Lucius miss the ball entirely. Unfortunately, what made the ball so fun, also made it deadly. Lucius caught the ball on a funny bounce and the large, slippery, solid ball got lodged in his throat--Lucius started trying to cough/vomit.

Lucius' dad immediately looked and felt in his mouth and could not feel or see the ball. He was wise enough to immediately administer the abdominal thrusts (heimlich maneuver). After several thrusts, he felt in Lucius' mouth and could feel the ball... he struggled for several minutes trying to get the ball out of Lucious' throat. He gave a few more abdominal thrusts in effort to bring the ball further up... Lucius' body began to react to being unable to breath and his throat spasmed, effectively locking the ball in place. The ball was too hard and slippery to get any grasp on to pull it out.

After struggling an struggling, Lucius died, at the park, in the arms of his loving dad.

I share this story with all of you just as a warning and a reminder to make sure the toys you play with are appropriately sized for your dog (and your dogs are supervised appropriately). Many dogs each year in the US die from choking on toys and balls are often the culpret.

Please spread the word and share Lucius' story to friends/family/dog park people--it has become a mission for Lucius' parents and his friends to spread this warning so that Lucius' death can save other dogs (and owners).

Very best,
Tena (Shayne's mum)

p.s. If you use lacrosse, golf, racquet, or other solid slippery toy-balls, please consider alternate toys like wiffle balls, jolly balls, or other softer/graspable balls/toys (or larger sized ball). If you are unsure about the size of a ball and its level of choking hazard to your particular dog, ask your vet. Be safe and use a slightly larger ball or one that can easily be grasped.

DESPERATELY SEEKING A JOB!!

Dear Fellow Dogsters,
I have heard this working before, so i thought i would give it a try.

I am seeking a teaching job (or anything related to teaching) in the NY/NYC/CT area. I have a Master's Degree in Education and have been in classrooms from 3 year olds to fifth grade over the last five years.

If any one has any connections or knows of any openings i would love any further information.

Thanks for any help you can offer!!

Tena

vacation!!!

I am so excited! Mom is taking me to a border collie rescue LOL!! No, really, she says this BC rescue is on a 175 acre farm and we will have six days to hike, swim, play.. all OFF LEASH! She also says i get to play some frisbee with kids who are there for a summer camp! So a week of my favorite things!

mom is a little unsure since she is a techno-geek and she wont have electricity for the week!

That being said, she will not be posting on dogster until the 12th or so of August. She MAY go into town on the weekend (when she's not teaching) to check internet, but who knows what will happen!

I'll be back with lots of pictures!!

--Shayne

Equal protection in Allegheny County PA!! YAYYY

Mom is super happy today because her home county (one she will probably end up moving back to) just voted in an ordinance to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

So that means, people cannot be discriminated against in terms of getting a job, keeping a job, or joining organizations. There are exemptions for religious groups, non-profits, and fraternal organizations but it is totally a step in the right direction and she is SOOO happy!!!

Good job Pittsburgh and Allegheny County PA for supporting equality and non-discrimination!!!!!

There are many things i love about dogster...but...

Y'know... it's really frustrating and disheartening when people are put in the kennel here on dogster for sticking up for other dogs or for their own integrity when the dog(s) causing the issue never have any punishment. I mean, i see that they disobeyed the rules, but at the same point so did the original aggressor.


Dogster HQ.... i really appeal that instead of only kenneling those who respond to rude behavior but also the original aggressor.

C'mon HQ...

Change has come! Except in california... sad face

Early this morning/late last night my human mom was extremely excited, jumping around and partying with her friend. I wasn't sure what was going on, but they kept repeating "he did it! No, we did it!"

I hear that a great man has been elected president, whatever that means. I hear there is hope now, for a promising future. I hear there is pride again for being an American. I hear there is rejoicing in the streets, by all colors. I hear there is reason to believe we can achieve true equality.


I am not sure what all of this means, but my tail is wagging along with the excitement of my mom. Though i do here there is an adoptive puppy in the future of President Obama!!!!!!!


Change has come to America!!!

An awesome day has been clouded over by the writing of discrimination into the california constitution. Only in America can the same people vote in a racially diverse president only to also write discrimination INTO the constitution on the same day. UGH....

Shayne's Fourth Frisbee competition--4th place freestyle

On sunday shayne competed in her fourth frisbee competition but her very FIRST freestyle competition down in NJ.

I have to say she totally ROCKED freestyle... in her first competition she scored a raw 67 points (no D/A added in). I was SOOO proud of her! She did a really fantastic job. We placed fourth in that freestyle raw score... She had two really awful toss/fetch rounds...but hey we are going to keep working on it... i got some good throwing tips... i'm gonna take a bunch of discs down to our feild and jsut do lots and lots of repetitions to hopefully get some muscle memory on good throwing techniques.

Shayne's lack of catching is perplexing...even to two world class competitors who were helping me out... she can make all these great catches in freestyle (long long throws) but when it comes to D/A she gets under the discs and pops them up... it's a bit frustrating but we are going to work on it!!!

We had a great time and got lots of great compliment from some very seasoned teams on our freestyle round so that was really quite awesome!

Rock out!

3rd place in her 3rd frisbee competition!

It was 97 degrees, sunny and humid (heat index of 105!!)--but we were out playing frisbee! Shayne was in her third competition and came in third place in the novice division! Conditions weren't great but Shayne pulled through nicely!

Our first round was not too great but we came back strong in the second round and pulled off well.

We also got to meet fellow Dogster' Sasha and her mom for the first time--it was a good time!

All in all a great (yet waay too hot day).

Larchmont dog beach

Shayne spent another afternoon playing at the dog beach. This time she found a dead crab and proceeded to roll on it for a good 10 minutes (which meant BATH TIME when she got home--she stank my car up something impressive!). It was low-tide so there were a lot of interested sea creatures she played with. She dug up a 4 inch clam--it was HUGE. She dug up 1.5-2 inch crabs last year at the beach (if i had known she had that special talent i would have brought a bucket so we could have fresh steamed clams!). This clam was so big she dug it up...picked it up...dropped it..looked at it --and then whined because she knew there was NO way she could crack it open!

Shayne apparently LOVES clams but is completely indifferent to oysters. There were TONS and tons of oysters on the beach but she paid no attention to them...she was focused on hunting down the clams.

To end the day shayne surprised me but jumping up onto a ledge that was chest height for me (i'm 5.7) so it was easly 4 ft 7 inches tall! She went from standing on the sand to leaping straight into the air and pulling herself up on the ledge! I asked her to do it a few times to make sure i didn't just think i saw her do it ..but wow...she is such an athlete! for being maybe 18in at the whithers...to jumping up onto a ledge that was 54 inches in height... i was WAY impressed by her athleticism!

It was an awesome day at the beach!