Year in Review

Works for me!

Wow, another year has gone by. Where did the time go? This time last year I decided not to make any New Year's resolutions since I had failed so badly the two years previously. Instead, I did a Year in Review thing. 2015 turned pretty good, so I think I'm going to do it again this year. Superstitious? Maybe.

Jedi had a busy year!

• He competed in 18 dog shows, even going out of state for a few. Unfortunately, he still has zero AKC Champion points.

• He did, however, earn an International Championship Title through IABCA. Woohoo.

• Jedi met sheep for the very first time and passed his herding instinct test. He is a German shepherd after all!

• He earned his CGC in February and passed the GSDCA Temperament Test in June.

• Jedi was introduced to the new sports of barn hunt and nose work. He like them both, and we're going to continue on with nose work in 2016. Stay tuned: there will be plenty more nose work news coming soon.

2015 was a busy year for the blog as well. Apparently I had a lot to say. This post makes number 168 for the year. In April I participated in the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. I shared everything I could about AKC conformation dog shows -- in alphabetical order no less! (You can see all those posts from here.) That was a lot harder than I had expected, and I won't be participating in the challenge next year. By the way, P-- Pedigrees and Registrations with the most popular post from that series. Go figure.

And then there's Drogo, the World's Most Famous Bearded Dragon*. He joined our family back in February and became the Fashion Dragon himself. There will be lots of new pictures in the coming year. Poor Drogo.

My blog life spilled over into real life back in September. I was paired up with Leah from Let's Go Dog during last year's Pet Blogger's Gift Exchange. I was so excited to hear that Leah and her dogs, Zack and Zoey, were coming to Jacksonville during their U.S. Perimeter Trip. Guess what? Hubby and I actually got to meet them! I'm hoping for a similar experience in 2016 with Pamela and Honey from Something Wagging This Way Comes. Cross your fingers!

Finally, on a personal (and sort of dog-related) level, I was elected President of the local German Shepherd Dog Club. That, too, has been a bit more challenging than I had expected. Lucky for me, I've got some great friends in the club helping me to not screw up move things along. You can expect to see more dog club news on the blog over the next year as well. We have some fun things planned, so you know I'll have to share!

Long story short: 2015 was definitely a better year for me than 2014 was. I'm hoping 2016 will be even better.

Before I go, I want to say that I am grateful for my friends and family - both on line and IRL. You all have made a big difference. Thanks for the humor, the encouragement and the accountability. Thanks for sharing your adventures and points of view. I look forward to even more next year. Be safe tonight. Love you, -- K

* There may be a little exaggeration on the "famous" part, but we won't tell Drogo that, OK? I don't want to hurt his feelings -- except for the humiliating photo shoots, but that's for another day.

Don't Be a Statistic

I didn't design this meme, but I think it needs to be shared anyway.

This time of year things are very busy in the Animal Control office. It's not unusual for me to spend the first half of January 1st trying to pair up lost pet calls with found pet calls. My kennel is always full with the runaways the police picked up over night. The other half of the day is spent writing tickets for dogs off leash on the beach and in the parks. And then there are the cranky, hungover people pissed off that they're getting tickets "on a holiday." (On a personal note: If pet owners would be a little more conscientious I wouldn't have to work on holidays. And if I don't work on a holiday then I don't write tickets on a holiday. Honestly, I'd rather be at home with my friends and family.)

It's the last Wordless Wednesday of 2015! Hop around below and see what others are sharing. Meanwhile, I'm going to bathe a couple of stinky dogs. I took this picture at work yesterday:

We've had record highs this week. The beach is packed. Today's forecast is 84 degrees. I know! I figure I may as well ring in 2016 with fresh smelling pups. See you all next year! -- K

Another Reason to Tag Your Dog . . .

. . . well-meaning "animal lovers."

By the way, I've expressed how I feel about self-proclaimed "animal lovers" in the past, so regular readers can correctly assume that this is another rant.

Repeat after me: Creative editing, not real life.

I think people watch too much Animal Planet. People assume that every loose dog must be a homeless stray in need of rescue. And any dog that is shy, timid, or fearful must have been abused. These same people feel that any dog without a collar is obviously unloved. And for some strange reason, all animal control officers are evil and want to euthanize everything that comes through. Yes, these are the stereotypes that I deal with every day. Here are some true cases in point:

• One Saturday night Hubby's band was playing at a biker event. The bass player's woman du jour walked in with a recently groomed Yorkshire terrier. No collar. WDJ said she just found the dog outside the bar, and since she was "an animal lover" she couldn't leave it there. Then she said she couldn't keep it and asked if anyone wanted it. A second woman popped up saying she had always wanted a Yorkie. I stepped in and said "That's somebody's dog, you can't just give it away." I told her that if she brought it to my kennel the next day -- a Sunday -- I would scan it to see if it has a microchip. If not, I would take it and try to find the owner. Both women told me to mind my "own fucking business" and the second woman walked off with the dog.
  
  
• Atticus is a neurotic lab mix who lives along the beach. I've known him for years. His anxiety medications keep him really skinny (I have verified this with the dog's veterinarian), and his owners can't keep him from bolting out the door. I came into the office one Sunday and there were two messages from the night before. One was Atticus's owner saying that the dog had slipped his collar and was on the loose again. The other was from a woman saying that she had found an emaciated black dog and wanted me to pick it up right away. When I returned her call she told me that she'd already given the dog away because she was an animal lover and "obviously the owners were abusing it." I told her the dog had a medical condition and she needed to return the dog. She refused. It got ugly from there. The police went over and explained the situation to the animal lover using the phrases "stolen property," "petit larceny" and "misdemeanor arrest." She quickly produced the dog. Apparently she's a not-going-to-jail lover as well.
  
  

• 

  The stray GSD

  Last week there was a picture of a German shepherd posted all over Facebook. He had been running loose and was picked up at the National Park. The park rangers had tied him to a park bench, but the dog was becoming agitated and aggressive. There were 20 Facebook comments in less than 20 minutes from well-meaning citizens trying to send somebody to "Go get that poor dog." Fortunately, I knew the animal control officer in the area. She was on her way to my kennel but I asked her to go pick up the dog first before somebody did something stupid. (Good thing too, because the dog had already bitten one of the park rangers.) I saw the dog. He was thin, but very clean. He also had freshly clipped nails. He belonged to somebody, yet all these well meaning animal lovers were willing to take the dog without giving his owner a chance to find him.
  
  
• Even police officers aren't exempt from bonehead "animal lover" mentality. My first year on the job I was sent to a crash scene. A woman was on her way to the hospital. She had a small dog in the car and no emergency contact info. As I showed up, one of the police officers was handing the dog to a passerby. Both the police officer and this random woman thought it would be better for the dog to stay with her then in my "cold dark kennel." I had to insist that they give me the dog. I asked the police officer if he was giving the passerby the victim's purse and other personal property for safekeeping as well. He finally got it (legally, dogs are property) and I took the dog. Good thing I was insistent! Several hours later I got a frantic call from the hospital. The dog in my kennel was diabetic and needed medicine right away or it would die. The owner gave me the name of her vet and I transported the dog for treatment and boarding until the owner was released. So what would have happened if the dog had died under the stranger's care? Who do you think would have been sued? (Hint: Who has the deeper pockets?)
  
  

There are hundreds of cute tags out

there. Pick one. USE IT!

Things would have been a lot easier if all of the dogs above had collars with tags. Medical alert tags would have been extremely helpful for the last dog. I'm constantly saying "Your dog should always wear a collar and tags." Still, people -- including many of my friends -- argue with me saying they don't like to hear the jingling. I recommend those people buy silicon tags. They don't make noise.

Despite all my arguments for collars and tags, I still get opposition. I'm constantly told: "I'm a good dog owner. My dog never leaves the house." Truth is, those statements aren't mutually exclusive. In just last month I've had dogs that:

• Slipped out unnoticed during a holiday party.
• Pushed through a gate that was left unlatched by the lawn guy.
• Ran out a door left open by children home on winter break.
• Dug under the fence for the very first time.
• Knocked out a screen and jumped through the open window.
• Were intentionally thrown outside by an angry soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.
• And the worst story of all: A burglar broke into a house and stole all the Christmas gifts. Grinch left the jimmied door open and the dogs got out. They're still missing.

BTW, all those dogs belonged to people I would classify as "good dog owners."

Others tell me "I don't need to worry about a collar because my dog is microchipped." I've got bad news here too. Not everyone who finds a dog takes to be scanned. I have picked up numerous chipped dogs that were found and kept for weeks before Animal Control was called. Meanwhile, frantic owners had been calling daily. 

Also, most vets do not scan every animal that comes in. If you say you found the animal, they will scan it. Or if you're crazy like me, and have the vet scan to make sure the microchip is still working, they will do it just to make you shut up. But unless you say otherwise, the vet is going to assume the dog you brought in is yours and not automatically scan it. (And before you start screaming "Well they should," you need to know that scanning only shows whether or not a microchip is present. Tracing the alphanumeric code on the microchip through the various microchip companies to locate an owner is time consuming. Do you want those extra man-hours added to your vet bill? Don't lie!)

Here is my professional advice: Don't leave the safety and security of your dog to others. Don't assume that strangers will do the same thing you would. People are lazy. People are jerks. Always make things as idiot proof as possible; there are a lot of idiots out there. -- K 

Awww...Really Mom?!

So, I wanted to dress the dogs up in cute outfits and take Christmas photos. I had plans to turn them into stunning personalized Christmas cards that would impress all my friends and family. Truth is, my plans were nothing more than delusions of grandeur. Long story short: No personalized Christmas cards this year. This is the very best picture could get:

As you can see, it didn't go as planned. Jedi refused to look at me completely, whereas Roxy glared. GLARED! I couldn't get them to stay still at the same time. Also, filed under TMI, I had to shoot at an odd angle because Jedi wouldn't put away his lipstick (if you know what I mean). And that is something you just can't unsee. BTW this is a reoccurring problem with him, and I have actually Photoshopped his "doghood" out of pictures in the past.

Drogo's Christmas photo didn't turn out like I wanted either. Click here if you'd like to see that one.

I hope my photographic ineptitude made you smile this morning. That's the point of the Awww...Monday blog hop. Click around below and see what others are sharing today. A big thanks to Sandee over at Comedy Plus for hosting this. -- K

Merry Christmas

Drogo is wishing you a Merry Christmas reptile style!

Honestly, that's not far from the truth. It's been in the 80's all week. Nice and warm, just like he likes it. The rest of us, however, not so much.

I hope you enjoy Drogo's photos. You can see more on his very own Fashion Dragon page. BTW, I don't want to say that my family is encouraging Drogo's humiliation, but I DID get a DIY calendar kit for Christmas. Just sayin . . . Anyway, Merry Christmas to you and yours. -- K

Shepherd Christmas Cookies

My friends wanted to make sure that Roxy and Jedi also have a Merry Christmas, so a couple of them sent over homemade dog treats. How cool is that?

Yes, those are German shepherd-shaped grain free dog treats. Did I mention that my friends are awesome, thoughtful and talented?

  

The dogs really liked them too. Even picky Roxy made sure to lick up every crumb.

It's Wordless Wednesday! Hop around below and see what others are sharing today. -- K

Sick Pup Follow-Up

Poor, sick puppy.

Four months ago I shared a sad story about the $3500 sick puppy. You can read the entire story at "Kelley Drinks Because . . ." The gist is:

• Husband bought a "surprise" German shepherd puppy for his wife from an online broker. Husband never spoke with the breeder, nor did he interact with the puppy before purchase.
• The puppy was delivered just before the wife's scheduled two-month trip to Europe.
• Puppy showed up sick. The couple treated the infection, then they discovered serious genetic problems. The puppy was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia (both hips) and bilateral distal femoral osteochondritis dissecans (excessive cartilage growing on the ball joints of both large leg bones).
• The couple realized that their work schedules and finances weren't great for a healthy puppy, never mind one that would require thousands of dollars in orthopedic surgery.
• The puppy broker stopped returning calls and the name of the breeder was never divulged.
• The wife blanketed the local dog community with sad pleas, looking for someone to take on this "special needs puppy."

This is a healthy puppy.

Well, a friend of mine got involved. She was able to comb through the couple's paperwork and found some slightly good news. The puppy originated in Florida, so there was a mandatory health certificate, for what it's worth. Obviously the veterinarian didn't inspect the puppy as required. There was no way this puppy was fit for purchase. However, the name of the breeder was on the certificate. Word got out quickly. The breeder's Facebook page was inundated with nasty truths and was eventually shut down. Animal welfare groups have gotten involved and they are going after both breeder and veterinarian -- to what extent, I don't know. (Because of my job and position as an AKC-sanctioned club president, I'm trying not to get involved.)

The couple kept the puppy after all. They tried to make him as comfortable as possible while weighing their options. The puppy died quickly and quietly last week. They think he had a heart attack. (No autopsy was performed.) The puppy wasn't even 9 months old. The couple is devastated, but happy that their pet is no longer in pain. And they're feeling guilty that they're relieved the ordeal is over. This is not what they were expecting when they saw their little ball of fur 6 months ago.

I'm very sorry for the pain that this couple and their poor sick puppy went through. I'm sharing this story hoping that it will be a lesson to others. Here are some things I want people take away from this:

This is worth the work!

• Never, ever, EVER buy from an online puppy broker. If you can't talk to the breeder directly, run away!
• Living creatures should not be surprise gifts. Animals are a lot of work. Everybody needs to be on board before bringing one home.
• A dog is a 10-15 year commitment. Make sure your schedule and finances have room for the new addition.
• Just because you pay more for something doesn't mean it's better. This is especially true with dogs. My AKC show dog is no better than my "free to a good home" dog was.
• Do some research beforehand. What should you expect from a dog of this breed/size/age? Does the breeder/rescue group/animal shelter have a contract? If so, what protections and recourses do you have should something go wrong?

If you don't like the answers you're getting, walk away -- no matter how cute the puppy is. It may sound callous. Sorry. But a little legwork up front can save you a lot of heartache later on.

My friend is still in contact with the couple. When they're done grieving she can help them find a happy, healthy German shepherd either through a reputable breeder or a good German shepherd rescue group. Too bad they didn't meet her last year. -- K