Celebrating Senior Dogs – Introducing Layla’s Sweet Sugarface
Here at West Coast Dogs we love all dogs but hold a special place in our hearts for senior dogs and their irresistible sweet sugarfaces.
Sweet Sugarface Layla!
Layla is almost 13yrs old and she lives with her family in Virginia. She has had a very busy life since being adopted at age 9; she rescued her human from a vicious dog attack, has mentored and nurtured foster pups and new family members, and together with her humans works tirelessly to promote the adoption of older dogs, dogs with disabilities and dogs who are challenged by breed discrimination. She still loves to play, learn new tricks and excels at cuddling and snuggling. She has an almost-famous sibling named Indigo that helped to educate us all this past year in a series of features we posted here at west coast dogs. Read them both here and here and learn more about this wonderful dog and her family of heroes.
Anticipated Delivery – BarkBox
Waiting for our BarkBox
We’re back and excited to tell you about this cool new product/gift idea that we’ve signed up for.
First a bit of background, for Christmas my sister signed me up to receive a monthly gift called a luxe box that contains cosmetic sample sizes, shampoos, nail polish, etc. We thought it was a great gift and love the idea of getting package every month. Then, being the dog lovers that we are, we decided to investigate to see if there was something like this for dogs, and sure enough, there is!
It’s put out by a company called BarkBox, you can find them here at BarkBox.com. The really neat thing about this (besides the cool products) is that for every single box they ship, they give a donation to an animal shelter or rescue group. AND…they actually encourage people to send them suggestions for worthy rescue groups to receive these donations.
Then we discovered that they didn’t ship to Canada, so we emailed them and they told us to be patient, and well, we didn’t have to sit stay for very long because within a few weeks they wrote us with the great news that they are now serving the Canadian market as well as the United States!
But back to the BarkBox.
We just ordered today, so we expect to receive our first box later in May. Each box contains dog related treats, samples and products to try.
We plan to report in each month to let our readers know what we’ve received and how we liked it. The only challenge we’ve had so far is that we had to choose between three dog sizes, basically small and cute, just right and big and bold. You may know we have a small and cute and well, a less-smallish super cute dog here at west coast dogs. So, thinking that summer is coming and we could all afford to lose a few pounds, we went for the small and cute selection.
And wait, that’s not all….the great dog-loving, charity-giving people at BarkBox are offering a promotion to our west coast dogs readers. Enter the promo code WESTCOASTDOGS and get $5 off your order.
It makes a great gift and you can sign up for three, six or nine months or longer.
Be sure to check back with us in a month or so and Tiggy and Holly will be reviewing their first ever BarkBox parcel.
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Celebrating Sugarface August P Doggest!
Here at West Coast Dogs we continue to honour special senior dogs, and their telltale Sugarfaces! Today we are celebrating 12yr old senior sensation August P Doggest coming to us from Portland, Oregon.
Putting Cyber Bullying on Paws – Getting to know Phoebe!
Welcome Phoebe! (and her spokesperson Jayne)
Now Phoebe isn’t your ordinary dog, not by any stretch. Phoebe is a dog of adventure, a dog of experience and a dog who is taking a stand against cyber bullying and cyber crime.
We’re not quite sure where to begin, but we’re very excited to have you talking to us today.
Now Phoebs, can I call you Phoebs?
Yes, of course you can, people call me that all the time! BOL!
Now, because of my own Husky heritage, I can tell from your photo that you are a Siberian Husky, how old are you?
I’m five years old now.
Let’s have Jayne tells us a bit about your background:
Well, as she told you, Phoebe is 5 year old Siberian Husky who used to be a sled dog.
A REAL sled dog?!
Yes, a real sled dog!
But, isn’t that a bit of a rough life for a dog?
Yes it is. When she was a sled dog, she lived outside 24/7 in a fenced in area tied to a blue barrel that was her only shelter.
Well, we’re certainly glad that things changed for her. How did she come to live with you?
My husband and I found her on Craigslist just over 3 years ago. She was part of a sled dog team that was being given up by a couple in Canada who were divorcing. All the dogs on her team were named after the characters on the TV show, “Friends.” A woman in New Hampshire rescued the team and was able to socialize three of the dogs to be adopted out and we ended up with Phoebe!
That must have been a big change for Phoebe, how did you all manage?
Well, it was kind of like having a full-grown puppy.
What do you mean?
I mean, we had to teach her to go up and down stairs, to not pee in the house and that dog beds were better to sleep on than the floor.
Did she have any health issues when she came to you?
No, not really she was just extremely skinny when we got her, but has since “fattened up.”
Now how did Phoebe get into her new career?
Our vet suggested taking her as many places with me as possible to socialize her, so when I had to go to a school two hours away, I asked the headmaster if I could bring her.
Phoebe ended up sitting with me in the school library and she was like a kid magnet. Students were drawn to her and would come and pet her and then open up to me about things that were troubling them including being bullied online.
Crime Fighters!
Wow! Phoebe could be a secret agent!
Actually I saw this as an opportunity for both Phoebe (to continue to socialize her) and for the students to give them a comfortable environment to open up about cyber bullying and ultimately to teach them about how to stay safe online.
Sounds like you saw and opportunity and you took it. Did Phoebe require any special training in her new role fighting cyber bullying?
Well, I began teaching Phoebe tricks like right shake, left shake, right high-five, left high-five, and double high-five.
Then, I started taking her to schools with me on a regular basis and when I talked about cyber bullying, I’d bring her on stage, have her do her tricks, then when I asked her, “What do you say to cyber bullies?” she would growl on command. The kids love her!
What is your job, meaning do you ordinarily talk to kids about cyber crime etc?
I speak to middle and high school students, college and university students, as well as doing training for law enforcement on how to work on cyber crime cases and doing keynotes at conferences worldwide.
What is Phoebe’s schedule like now?
Her schedule varies and depends on the school’s rules. We are hoping things pick up in the spring – it seems schools like to have us come in the fall or spring, just before school lets out.
What does Phoebe do when she’s not stomping out crime?
She’s spoiled rotten!
I take her everywhere I can, in the car when I go out to do errands, and many businesses allow me to bring her in, like our local bank, an auto parts store and the AT&T store. They love her just like the kids do!
She sounds like a great ambassador. Does Phoebe have a blog/website?
You betcha!
She has her own page on our web site at:
http://www.haltabusektd.org/phoebe/index.html
Twitter account at https://twitter.com/#!/Cybercrimedog and:
a Facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/phoebe.crimedog
Now if kids don’t have a Phoebe to open up to, what should they do if they feel like they are being bullied online?
They should find someone they can tell what is going on. Don’t think it will just go way, because it won’t. If they don’t feel comfortable talking to someone in person, they can contact Phoebe online, or contact Uncle Jim, who is our celebrity spokesperson, at http://www.haltabusektd.org/about/staff/unclejim.html.
That sounds like a great option for someone who may feel that they don’t have anyone to turn to.
Both Phoebe and Uncle Jim will keep any contact anonymous. They can also file a report with us at http://www.haltabusektd.org/help/help.html. Then there is a site where they can report the cyberbully anonymously at http://www.schooltipline.com
Now, what does the future hold for Phoebe?
I’d love to spread the word about her and the work we do together out in the public more. It’s my fantasy that maybe a dog food or dog toy company would like her to be their spokesperson. She’ll continue to go to schools with me and as long as it’s by car, we hope to get to as many schools as possible to spread the word about staying safe online!
Any final comments?
Phoebe would like to shout out a big “ROO ROO!” to all your readers!
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Huck’s Journey – Finding Forever
People often say, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey’. This week we met a dog named Huck who made us look at this quote a bit differently. In fact, I bet if you asked Huck, he’d tell you that for him it isn’t about the journey at all, it’s about getting to his destination, arriving at his forever, all wrapped up in love and attention and food and shelter and companionship and care.
Hello, I'm Huck and this is my story
But before we can get to his destination we do need to tell you about his journey.
Recently we introduced you to non-profit group called Home For Good that rescues dogs in the Southern United States and brings them to New Jersey to find them homes. Once they arrive in New Jersey the dogs are then placed in foster homes while they await adoption. Next we brought you the story of Kathy, a new dog foster mom, and her experiences of what it was like to open her home to these rescued dogs on their journey to finding forever homes.
And that takes us to Huck. You see Huck was rescued by Home For Good, placed in a foster home and then adopted. And they all lived happily ever after.
Well…not exactly. Let’s go back a bit and find out what actually happened.
Before Huck was Huck, his name was Jersey.
He was only a few days old when he was found, lying with his siblings and his mother. Tragically, the Mom and her newborn pups had been struck by lightening and none but little Jersey had survived. He was taken in by Home For Good, bottle fed and nurtured till he was old enough to be placed. Then comes the moment that all homeless dogs wait for; Jersey was adopted.
Five months later, Jersey was back in the custody of Home For Good. He’d been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and his adopted family wasn’t prepared or able to manage this situation. Home For Good arranged for Jersey to have double hip surgery and then he was placed in a caring foster home for his recovery. After his surgery he experienced some seizures, so Home For Good got him the vet care he needed to stabilize that situation. The rescue group then posted info about Jersey on Petfinder.com in hopes of finding him ‘another’ forever home.
Melissa was looking on Petfinder that day. You see she’d recently lost one of her dogs:
I had a dog, Honey Puppy for the past 15 years. A few years after I adopted her, I took in a stray who I named Michael Moore. A few months ago, Honey died at the age of 18 from cancer in her mouth. I was devastated and Michael Moore was depressed. I think dogs like to have canine companionship as much as human companionship. So we went looking for a new dog to complete our pack.
They say first impressions are everything and well, for Jersey this was his second chance at a first impression.
The Petfinder description of Huck included a video and he looked so sweet and fun that I couldn’t resist him. It was love at first sight. I knew we could handle a dog with some special needs and since they often have a harder time finding homes, I wanted to take someone who needed a little extra TLC.
Happy in the sunshine
We had to ask Melissa, what led her to consider adopting a rescue dog?
I am one of those people who can’t help buy cry every time the ASPCA commercials come on TV. I hate the idea that there are so many perfectly wonderful dogs who will die because they don’t have homes. It makes me downright angry that people with no intention of breeding or showing just don’t bother to have their dogs neutered. And puppy mills make me ill. I have only ever had rescue dogs, and I love them so much I wouldn’t consider anything else.
Tigs and Holly are both rescue dogs, and I wish I could say our reasons for getting them were as noble or passionate. We got them both simply because we weren’t prepared to take on a puppy and wanted ‘easier’ dogs.We also wondered why she’d take on a dog with some possible medical issues and challenges:
Some time ago we adopted a senior dog named Grover from a shelter; he had serious medical issues and we didn’t want this sweet, funny old man to die in a shelter so we took him in and gave him medical care for the rest of his short life. When Grover died, we decided that our next adoptee would be a younger dog, who would hopefully be with our family longer.
And thus, Jersey (renamed Huck) arrived at his destination. We had a few more questions for Melissa.
Happy in my new life
What was it like when he first arrived? How did the two dogs get along?
They were best friends from the start. Huck loves every dog he meets; Home For Good did a great job of socializing him with other dogs and with evaluating his temperament.
Did it take Huck long to settle in?
No, not at all. He was on his best behavior for a day or so; his inner puppy came out after that. He is more energetic now and likes to play more than he seemed to at first. Now, he has settled right in.
Did you have any apprehensions (about getting a rescue dog, about his difficult background etc…)?
I wasn’t nervous at all once I met him! But the next day when I was talking to the physical therapist on the phone, I realized just how much work we needed to do to make sure he got the maximum benefit from his surgery. This has been one of the best parts of having Huck, actually. He and I walk at least two miles every day to build his strength. We do his exercises together and we drive to his physical therapy appointments twice a week–where I stand in front of the treadmill talking to him.
At water therapy
It has bonded us tremendously and we are already a team.
Did you have any particular challenges?
The only real worry I had was his age–I had always had adult dogs before him and wasn’t sure exactly what a teen puppy like Huck would be like. I have had to train him a little more than my others, but my older dog has taken on most of that role–he has made sure Huck knows where to do his business, which things are OK to chew and which are not, and when it’s time to go lay on his bed. That has been amazing to watch.
What makes Huck special?
This could be a VERY long answer–this dog has charmed his way into my heart in a very short time. He is a sweet, playful boy and he loves to go everywhere with us. He is gentle around Michael Moore (who is 14 now and not really interested in too much rough-play) and loves to play with the other 8 dogs on our campus. We are hoping that once he recovers fully from his hip surgery he can begin training to become a therapy dog. I live and work in an all-girls boarding school, and Huck is a perfect hug-dog for the girls when they are feeling sad or homesick. He knows just when to put his nose gently on someone’s lap and when to do a silly trick to elicit a laugh. He seems to genuinely care how people are feeling.
Yes, I'm a lap dog, well sort of...
Do you have any advice/suggestions/guidance for people considering taking on a rescue dog?
Take the advice of the rescue organization or shelter! Don’t pick a dog based on looks (unless he or she also matches the needs of your family). The rescue organization has taken a lot of time to get to know the dog and evaluate it. They will be really good at picking the right family for the dog. Don’t be offended if they say another dog might be a better match for you.
Sometimes people expect a dog to come home and know what to do from the start. Remember to take the time to teach your new dog where things are, and how you want him to do things.
Anything you’d do differently next time?
No! As soon as Huck is fully recovered from his surgery, I plan to volunteer with Home For Good, to help repay the incredible gift they have given me and my family.
We appreciate you sharing Huck’s story with us and on behalf of all dogs who haven’t started their journey or are in the midst of their journey, thank you for being the destination for one special yellow dog.
Saving one dog won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one dog
Get to know a bit more about Huck on his blog at: http://meethuck.blogspot.com/
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