4 Legs & a Tail North Winter 2017

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Northern VT & NH Winter 2018

Does this collar make me look fat?

The Inspiration Behind the Iditarod Meet Marmaduke Tips for a PAWesome winter!

The Cat Who Lost His Ear

Inside this issue of 4 Legs & a Tail

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The Age-Old Canine Debate: Puppy or Adult? Karen Sturtevant Do You Believe All Animals Are Worthy of Protection? We Do, Too! A look at the efforts of Green Mountain Animal Defenders

A Book Over Twenty Years in the Making, Tanya Sousa

A look at how Cookie’s Fortune finally made it to bookstores

Tips for a PAWesome Winter Adventure, Cara Leone

What is safe to use on your driveway and sidewalk?

8. Does This Collar Make Me look Fat? M. Kathleen Shaw, DVM

Helpful advice to keep the weight off this winter

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10. How to Train Your Dog to Fetch a Beer

Impress your friends at your Super Bowl party with this trick

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11. Simple Tips for Successful Winter Bird Feeding 12. 1925 Serum Run Participants, Betty Bailey

The true story of the life saving dogs that inspired the Iditarod

14. To Heat or Not to Heat, DJ Nelson

So how warm should you keep your aquarium?

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Cat Who Lost Both His Ears Is Winning Instagram Followers with His Huge Heart, Kelli Bender Once the Teeth Are Clean, Let’s Keep Them That Way-Cats, Sandra Waugh, VMD

Celebrate National Dental Month this February with your favorite feline.

18. Love Story: Extraordinary Girl + Amazing Cat

An autistic five year old finds her artistic freedom thanks to her therapy cat

20. Alternatively Speaking: Aging Gracefully, Dr. Anne Carroll, DVM, CVA

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A holistic approach during your dogs golden years.

22. Opiate Addiction and the Hound Healer, Dawna Pederzani

With the odds heavily stacked against them, a young man and a rescue dog find solace in each other

24. Working With My Pony, John R. Killacky

A symbiotic relationship of trust, persistence and achievement

26. 2018: The Year of the Dog A look at the legend of the zodiac 27. Marmaduke: The Story, Kate Kelly

For more than 60 years, the beloved Great Dane has tickled our funny bone

We received a lot of feedback on our last cover from Sean Kitt.

He is a NYC based graphic artist and illustrator, with ties to Peacham, VT. www.SeanKitt.com Winter 2018

4 Legs & a Tail Volume N.417 P.O. Box 841 Lebanon, NH 03766 603-727-9214 TimH.4LT@gmail.com

Publishers: Tim Goodwin, Tim Hoehn Senior Editor: Scott Palzer Office Manager: Beth Hoehn Graphic Design: Kristin Wolff, Kate Haas Kerry Rowland Sales: Scott Palzer

If you have a tale about a tail or a photo that will make us smile, we’d like to hear from you. 4 Legs & a Tail is published quarterly and distributed free of charge throughout Northern VT & NH. 4 Legs & a Tail, Inc. is locally owned and operated and acts as a moderator without approving, disapproving or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data or claim. Any reproduction in whole or part is prohibited.

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WAGGED IT FORWARD

hank you to everyone who came out for the 1st Annual Wag It Forward: A Festival for Pets! at the Champlain Valley Exposition.

Pet Food Warehouse is so grateful to all the rescues, vendors and sponsors for sticking it out through the rain and wind because the sun in the afternoon was glorious. Thank you to the more than 1500 people and 700+ dogs (and a few ferrets) that braved the changing weather to celebrate all things animal. A big thanks to Dockdogs for hosting a competition and The Grift for keeping people dancing. Thank you to all the demonstrators for sharing their knowledge and expertise with the community. Thank you to Chase Away 5K for agreeing to host their 7th Annual Chase Away 5K in the morning to kick off the day’s events. We really want to thank the Champlain Valley Exposition, especially Chris and Jeremy, for their constant help and cheerleading during this last year of planning. We could not have pulled off this event without our amazing, animal-loving community. ​ After all the money was tallied from t-shirt and ticket sales and donations from our loyal customers and fantastic sponsors, we are happy to announce we raised $9,339.97 for the 26 animal welfare and rescue groups who attended Wag It Forward.

Each group will receive their portion--$359.23 to further help their cause. Wag It Forward: A Festival for Pets is already on the calendar for 2018 at the Champlain Valley Exposition-- save the date for October 14, 2018.

Check out the all new, state-of-the-art facility of Onion River Animal Hospital

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Winter 2018

Mature pets like Penney make for the perfect companion.

The Age-Old Canine Debate: Puppy or Adult?

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Karen Sturtevant

hen Penney waddled into my life three years ago, I was love-struck. She smelled like death, her body hurt, her emotions were flat and she was confused and frightened. She came from a puppy mill having lived her life neglected and ignored. No kind human attention or veterinary care. When she exhausted her usefulness as a breeding cash machine, she was discarded. At four-years-old, Penney had a lot of living left in her English bulldog life, and I was chosen as the one to facilitate.

The easy choice would have been to walk away, let fate run its course and explore where I could get a tiny, perfect puppy. Up to that first moment, I hadn’t considered adopting an older dog. I was always the one who melted into a marshmallow when I was in view of a puppy. If it was within jogging distance, I was there smushing my face into hers and babbling like a lunatic.

Looking back over the post-Penney period, I can’t image not having her drippy drool, her snoring, and her vet bills as part of my life. Do I regret not buying a puppy and opting to adopt an older dog? Not one little bit. Adoption of adolescent or senior dogs can be just as, if not more, fulfilling and enjoyable than buying a puppy.

If you’re considering adding a canine companion to you family pack, do your homework, talk to professionals, visits shelters and rescues and ask questions as several factors need to be determined.

Puppies, vulnerable and clueless, need consistent attention and training. A wellWinter 2018

adjusted puppy is one that is socialized into both the human and animal world, learning acceptable behaviors and clear boundaries. Young dogs left alone during this peak emotional development window miss out learning key manners of conduct.

New pet parents are often surprised at the amount of work and preparation that comes with a puppy. Who will let her out during the work day? Who will take care of her when you go on vacation? What happens if she has a medical emergency and you don’t have the funds needed to care for her?

The past teaches us that we cannot predict the future circumstance of anyone–– of the two-legged or four-legged species. What we can do is research, formulate a plan to prepare for the ‘what if’s.’

With their floppy ears, doe eyes and too-big paws, puppies are irresistible. Dogs, once those cute, adorable puppies, have their own charm. Shelters and rescues are over-whelmed with as many, if not more, older dogs than puppies. The need for loving homes is great. Countless dogs of all ages are euthanized every day due to nonplacements and the need to create space for newly-found strays, surrenders and litters. Don’t discount the option of that six-year old quietly sitting in the corner or the less-than-perfect mixed breed, heading hanging, looking dejected.

Many older dogs were once a valued member of a loving family now find themselves awaiting new homes for a Continued Next Page

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number of reasons, not always due to aggressive or problematic behavior.

Unexpected life circumstances can force a family to give up their beloved dog.

Often these dogs are good natured with sweet temperaments just waiting for a second chance.

For those who don’t have the time or energy to dedicate to puppy-rearing, an established dog just might be the better choice. In general, older dogs are more emotionally mature than their tiny counterparts. They are housetrained, no longer feel the urge to chew everything within reach, and have formed their personality and quirks. They will quickly find their place in the new family,

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depending on the amount and consistency of structure and routine shown them. All breeds are different; some adapt more easily than others.

Puppies, like toddlers, need constant supervision. Many dogs, after an introductory, settling in period, can be left on their own, assuming they have access to water, toys, and a quiet place.

While the personality of a puppy can be molded, to some degree, an adolescent or adult dog has already formed their disposition interspersed with the traits of their specific breed.

“I want a puppy so I can have her for a long time.” We hear this a lot. The truth is there are no guarantees. Just as a puppy may develop a life-threatening condition (yes, it does happen), an older dog re-homed at eight years old may live an additional six healthy years. Puppy cuteness is temporary. The little furball today will grow lightning fast into adulthood. Never bring a home any animal simply because of the cute factor. Cute will eventually disappear.

When we have puppies for adoption (a rare occasion), our social media explodes with comments, views and applications.

Puppy pandemonium! When a senior dog is posted, perhaps with health or behavioral issues, the response is often less than stellar. Many people tend to want the freshfaced little munchkin, not the well-worn

worldly adult who requires extra time and modifications, whether it’s ramps over the stairs, yoga mats on the floor to help with footing or professional training sessions.

If you and your family are active, always on the go and realistically don’t have a puppy-friendly schedule, consider an adult dog. Very young children don’t understand that a puppy’s tail and ears aren’t for tugging. Older, more responsible children should take part in the decision making process and be part of the team in walking, grooming, feeding, socializing, and training. A carefully, thought-out family plan stacks the deck in favor of raising a well-balanced canine companion.

When you’re factoring in the canine budget, remember veterinary and grooming appointments, trips (mostly in the wee a.m. hours) to the emergency clinic, food, toys, prescriptions (possibility compound), training and obedience classes, and even more veterinary appointments. Canines, whatever the size or age, are not inexpensive.

Puppies, like babies don’t stay small for long. With proper nutrition, socialization and medical care, cute puppies become delightful dogs before our eyes. I can image what my Penney looked like as a little tyke with her rolls and wrinkles. If I had gotten her as a youngster, would I love or care for her any differently than I do now? Would I forgo sleeping on an air mattress beside her when she didn’t feel well, leave work early to pick her up after a surgery or spend a good chunk of my paycheck on her care?

The answer is an unequivocally no.

When the time is right for you to choose your canine companion, weigh the options, do your preparation and talk to as many people as possible. The better equipped you are with knowledge, the more appropriate the choice will be for you and your family dynamic. This decision is a long-term promise to a four legged friend.

Canines: puppies, adolescents, adults and seniors bring out the best in us.

They live in the moment, are eager to please, grateful for our commitment to them, teach us life lessons, love us even when we don’t like ourselves and make us better human beings. It’s true, just ask Penney.

Karen Sturtevant is a freelance writer, works at the nutritional supplement company, FoodScience Corporation, is editor-in-chief and contributing writer of Vermont Bride magazine, and the author of two children’s books, The Adventures of Gert & Stu and Zippy too and The Rainy Day Adventures of Gert & Stu and Zippy too. She volunteers with Green Mountain Animal Defenders and Vermont English Bulldog Rescue. She shares her home with two guinea pigs, two Russian tortoises, fiancé, Mike and her beautiful English bulldog Penney.

Winter 2018

Do You Believe All Animals Are Worthy of Protection?

We Do, Too!

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stablished in 1983 to protect the well-being of all animals, we are Green Mountain Animal Defenders (GMAD). Our volunteer-run, not-forprofit, animal-protection organization is unique in that it is Vermont’s oldest and largest group with a statewide network of members and supporters who help animals of all species.

What does it take to be an animal advocate for Green Mountain Animal Defenders?

A desire to help animals is all that is required. That can be accomplished in various ways, including speaking up for animals through letters to the editor or outreach events, joining our statewide transport team for injured wildlife or other animals who need medical care, limiting or eliminating animal-based foods from your diet, encouraging others to spay or neuter their pets, or donating your time and talents to spread awareness of GMAD. Volunteers are the lifeblood of Green Mountain Animal Defenders, and it is because of them that we are able to accomplish all that we do. We are fortunate to have advocates with varied skill sets, such as event planning, social-media experience, data entry, graphic design, and bookkeeping.

We recently held our 7th Annual Walk for All Animals in Burlington, Vermont, and raised $8,301.61. We had 77 registered participants and over a dozen dogs on the walk, as well as 16 volunteers helping to run the event.

Thanks to major sponsorships from A Well-Fed World, New England Air Systems, and Community Bank NA, as well as the outpouring of support from the community, fundraisers, and volunteers, this year’s event was a true success! We can’t thank our sponsors and volunteers enough for their time, effort, and support of our mission.

Our volunteers’ creative and artistic skills were put to good use to make signs with thought-provoking messages for our walk. A few notable messages were: Animals deserve humane treatment; Don’t be captivated by captivity; Compassion over cruelty; If you think it’s wrong to hurt animals, you already believe in going vegetarian; and a quote by Albert Einstein, Widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures.

If you agree with one or more of these viewpoints, we hope you’ll consider joining our dedicated group of volunteers and supporters.

Connect with Green Mountain Animal Defenders Green Mountain Animal Defenders has an active following on Facebook, so be sure to check out our page at https://www.facebook. com/GreenMountainAnimalDefenders/.

For other ways to stay connected, subscribe to our e-alerts at https://bit.ly/ealert or by visiting our website at www.gmad.info.

Support Our Lifesaving Work As we head into our 35th year of protecting animals in 2018, we hope you will make a donation, support one of our campaigns, or become a member. For an easy and secure way to contribute, please visit http://bit.ly/ GMADdonationoptions. If you prefer, donations and membership dues may be mailed to GMAD, PO Box 4577, Burlington, VT, 05406.

Thank you!

HOW TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Winter 2018

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, we look forward to hearing from you!

Please send questions or request our volunteer application by e-mailing info@gmad.info.

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A Book Over 20 Years In The Making Tanya Sousa

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ears ago, a woman passed a New York used car-sales lot. Behind the fencing were 7 guard dogs – providing a service for the man who owned the cars and the business. One day she passed and the lot was vacant except for the dogs, trapped there, no water, no food. The woman discovered the man had abandoned them. She rented a van, loaded up the dogs and drove them to a no-kill shelter.

The woman is Lynda Graham-Barber - an author who has published with companies large and small. Living in Newport, Vermont for years, she had a very different life in New York, working as an editor for a publishing company, helping her husband Ray with his career, and… tirelessly rescuing animals.

New York City and its surrounds is a tough place for strays, and not many days passed that Lynda or Ray didn’t find one. “I’ve written all of these books, many about animals, but I never wrote a book about dogs,” Barber said. “It was too close.

It took years before I was ready.”

Her latest book is finally about a dog.

Cookie’s Fortune, illustrated by Nancy Lane, and published by Gryphon Press, will be out on October 3rd. Picture books pack a punch when created by someone like Barber. KIRKUS, the famous book reviewer, agrees: “Little dog lost—and found. Dogs go missing all the time. Plenty of them have lost their way. Many, more likely have been abandoned. This tale doesn’t tell readers how Cookie—a little ragamuffin

Metro when he was discovered by author Lynda Graham-Barber and her husband Ray in a Manhattan area subway station.

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of a dog—came to be a lost dog in the big city, but that is her opening circumstance.

Nothing looks right, nothing smells right.

‘The little dog walked / and walked / and walked,’ the repetition putting readers in the dog’s paws. Night comes, and the dog wanders into a junkyard for some cover.

‘The car looked forgotten, / as forgotten as the little lost dog.’

The text tells a story, painting wrenching scenes—‘The forgotten dog and the forgotten car / stood stark against the pale pink dawn’—and affirming ones. It also has a sharp point. Dogs like Cookie often end up in shelters, and fewer end up as rescue dogs. (A page of information at the back of the book suggests ways readers can help shelters and offers plenty of stark facts for caregivers to consider when thinking about bringing a dog into the house.)…”

The character of Cookie is inspired by a dog Barber rescued. She said, “Ray and I were going to a concert and were using the subway. I remember seeing something that looked like a pile of rubbish. Then something moved – I thought it was a little pig! But it was a dog!” She closed her eyes and grimaced at the memory. “The smell was unforgettable – the poor dog hardly had hair left. We skipped the concert and brought the dog to the vet.”

‘Metro’, as the Barbers called the dog, had the worst case of mange the vet had seen. Lynda and Ray took him home and isolated him from their own pets. “The vet said to rub a cream all over him 3 times a day for 6 weeks and he might come back.

In 6 or 7 weeks he was a completely different dog!”

The happy and healthy little dog found a permanent home. Barber’s neighbor’s mother was recently widowed. They arranged for the woman and Metro to meet; it was love at first sight.

Metro was one of many dogs Lynda rescued with her husband Ray. She continued helping whenever possible after Ray died and she eventually remarried artist David Hunter.

Barber’s first animal rescue was when she was just out of college -- a kitten on her fire escape. Then there was the first dog - a female who crept into an art store

Author Lynda Graham-Barber sits outside of her stone cottage in Newport, Vermont with ‘Biscuit’, the most recent permanent rescue dog in her life.

and spent the night there, warm and safe although homeless. “We named her ‘Augustine’ because we found her in August,” Barber explained. There have also been Vermont dogs - ‘Will named for Willoughby Lake, ‘Primavera’ named for spring, and ‘May’ named for May Pond where Lynda loves to paddle.

Still, many of Lynda’s hardest memories were from New York. There were dogs abandoned in front of markets – litters of puppies dumped, injured dogs and hungry dogs on sidewalks. “I walked everyday with a backpack. I kept a leash, wet dog food, and a towel just in case. If I found one, I’d take it right to the vet. I’d drive for miles to bring them to no-kill shelters.” She found ‘Noel’ on one such walk. Barber said,“I saw a dog at Christmastime on a curb, it was beside a dead dog, and he wouldn’t leave that dog’s side. We drove 1200 miles to a no-kill shelter that could take him.”

Today, Lynda and her second husband David live in a stone cottage with plenty of acreage. They share the place with one dog, a rescue named ‘Biscuit’ who travels with them everywhere. The land is cared for with habitat in mind. David creates piles of slash for shelter. Wood duck houses set close to a pond. Stone walls offer places to live and hide. Lynda and David create artwork that sometimes features dogs.

David’s sculpture, “A Dog Called Schwinn,” was created from a recycled Schwinn bicycle. Lynda creates upcycled items with dog images. Her heart project, though, is Cookie’s Fortune. “I told my publisher, I will not die until this book is published!

I never forgot Metro. How did such a cute little dog end up in his situation?”

You may view the book trailer for Cookie’s Fortune (created by Bradleigh Stockwell) at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JTXPAgVb93E or order the book Winter 2018

Tips for a PAWesome Winter Adventure Cara Leone

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t some point each winter, my parents will go on vacation, somewhere sunny and warm. Inevitably, I will end up dog-sitting Dakota, the mopey basset hound. I have clear memories of last winter as my husky, Kona, gracefully bounded deer-like through the fresh fields of snow.

He raced playfully back and forth, ears perked, tail up. Dakota tried to follow, however, his attempt to clear the snowbank in a single bound ended with him sinking straight to the bottom. When your ground clearance is less than the depth of the snow it gets real cold, real fast. He spent most of the walk whining (more than usual) and after returning to the house, bee-lined for the woodstove where he could curl up and snooze. Whether you need to find a way to keep up with a dog like Kona or make a dog like Dakota keep up, there are some ways to make your cold weather adventures more enjoyable.

Kona

Know your Animal: Warmth - Dogs with short coats may need a coat or jacket. Stick to synthetics or high quality natural fibers such as wool and don’t use cotton as it will hold moisture and rob the body of valuable heat.

Paws - If your walks are constantly interrupted as you dig out snow and ice from chilly paws, consider getting a set of high quality dog booties.

If you are not using booties, use a warm, wet washcloth after coming back in.

That will not only reduce the mud inside but help get excess salt off of sensitive pads. Just like a good pair of leather boots, remember those paws also need an occasional conditioning to help reduce over drying and cracking!

Level of Practice: If you have never taken your pup snowshoeing, you don’t know how they’ll react.

Consider bringing a longer leash or a leash with a waist belt if you like to use poles.

Are the trails you’re considering favored by snowmobilers, mushers or cross country skiers? Research before you go and try to avoid these situations, if possible, since you cannot predict how your dog might behave.

For some activities like cross country skiing, letting a dog run across these tracks can ruin them for others. As a courtesy to all that share the trails: keep your dog leashed and under control, stay to the right and don’t forget to pack out all your waste (human and doggy)!

Looking for new dog friendly trails this winter? Try Boston Lot Lake in Lebanon, NH, or Mink Brook Trail in Hanover, NH. Make sure to check online for any

Dakota ready for winter?

trail updates before you go and always let someone know where you are going.

The winter is a great time for outdoor adventures with our 4-legged family and friends. Just be sure to remember CAP. Hopefully Kona and I will see you out there!

Cara Leone is the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School Program Coordinator at the Powerhouse Mall in West Lebanon, NH. For event schedule visit llbean.com/westlebanon. ​She spends her free time finding outdoor activities that can be enjoyed by both a 7 year old husky and a 3 year old toddler.

Remember the acronym CAP: conditions, animal, practice. Know the conditions, know your animal and be realistic about your level of practice.

Know the Conditions: Wind chill factor - your pet is just as susceptible to hypothermia as you are Daylight - Wear reflective materials and bring extra lighting.

Ice conditions - Slippery conditions can cause a pulled muscle or snapped tendon and if the ice won’t support your dog, it won’t support your rescue attempt.

Water - Snow alone will not provide enough hydration.

Winter 2018

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Does This Collar Make Me Look Fat? Obesity in Pets is a Serious Problem M. Kathleen Shaw, DVM - Vermont Veterinary Medical Association

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he obesity epidemic in America is not only affecting people, it is affecting our pets as well. Many pets are overweight, but often owners don’t know it until they take their pet to the veterinarian for another reason. As veterinarians, it would be irresponsible of us to ignore your pet’s weight when we do a physical exam, just as it would be for a physician to ignore a human patient’s overweight condition. As your pet’s medical caretakers, we need to bring it to your attention because we are responsible for your pet’s health. So, Fido or Fluffy is a little pudgy. Does it matter?

YES. Numerous studies have proven that pets who are overweight or obese are much

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more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, and many other diseases.

How do you know if your pet is overweight? Since ideal weights vary by breed, a good way to judge your pet’s weight is to place your hands on either side of its rib cage and feel for the ribs. You should be able to easily feel the ribs (but not see them).

When viewed from above, your pet should have a waist and when viewed from the side should have a slightly tucked abdomen. If you can’t feel the ribs and you can’t see a waist from above, your pet is overweight.

Still aren’t sure? Ask your veterinarian.

Now, let’s take a look at why our pets are becoming overweight and what we can do about it.

Our pets gain weight for the same simple reason that people do: they eat more calories than they use. We are the ones buying and giving the food, so we need to look at how we contribute to this problem.

Some pets are expert beggars or even act like they haven’t had breakfast, leading different members of the household to feed them more than once. Many of us substitute treats and extra food for affection. There is always that one person at home who sneaks the pet extra treats, and some of us are ‘guilt’ feeders. The animal begs, so we give just a few more kibbles.

Unfortunately, those kibbles add up. Just a teaspoon - about 20 kibbles - extra per day for a cat adds up to a pound in a year. In a human, that’s like gaining ten pounds!

People food is a huge source of extra calories. A little cube of cheese to a small dog is like a human eating a couple of Big Macs.

A pizza crust is the same. It all adds up.

Sometimes there is a medical reason for the weight gain. Sometimes it is related to a slower metabolism with age.

So, what can we do about our overweight pets? The first step is to have your veterinarian do a thorough physical to assess your pet’s overall health and to help rule

out any medical reasons for the weight gain. Perhaps your dog has a low thyroid level and needs some medication or maybe your cat has arthritis, which makes it painful to be active and burn off calories. Did you know that by age ten, 90% of cats have some evidence of arthritis seen on x-rays?

What we often interpret as “slowing down’ or “growing old” is often pain from arthritis. Who wants to exercise when it hurts?

Your pet may even benefit from a prescription pet food specifically formulated to help your pet shed those extra pounds.

Talk to your veterinarian about it when having your pet’s physical exam.

Some things you can do at home to help control your pet’s weight are to first do a family survey of who is feeding the pet what (including treats and people food) and when. You must get everyone on board to help your pet lose weight. Measure out your pet’s food with a measuring cup. Avoid people food - it is extremely high in calories. If you must give treats, use vegetables (no raisins, plums, avocados, garlic, or onions), but remember that every food has calories, so unlimited amounts of any substance can cause weight gain. Substitute affection for interactive play time. Just because your pet has a fenced in yard or lots of toys does not mean they are going to actually exercise. Get a Frisbee or ball for the dog and play with them, and some fishing pole-type toys or a laser pointer for the cats. Even ten minutes a couple times a day will make a huge difference.

Walking the dogs will help your health and theirs.

Weight loss isn’t easy, but it can be done. It will help your pet to live a longer, healthier, and pain-free life.

The Vermont Veterinary Medical Association (VVMA), founded in 1898, is a professional organization of 360 veterinarians dedicated to compassionate animal care and quality medicine.

Winter 2018

impress your guests at this year’s Super bowl party.

This WikiHow article shows us just how easy it is to teach your dog to fetch you a beer, or any other cold drink, from the fridge in just a few easy steps.

BASIC TRAINING How to Train Your Dog to Bring You a Beer!

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t was Super bowl Sunday when most of us first saw this iconic Budweiser commercial. Dogs love to please us. And let’s face it, we love a cold beer during the biggest game of the year.

So why not mix the two, and train your dog to bring you a beer! It will certainly

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OPENING THE FRIDGE: 1. Tie a rope or a towel to the door of your fridge. If you have a tug toy that your dog likes, this would work as well. You can also wrap a treat inside the towel to make it more enticing.

2. With your dog next to you, say “Get me a beer” or whatever command you have chosen for this action. Encourage your dog to bite on the towel. Give praise and a treat every time your dog bites the towel on your command.

3. Say “Get me a beer” and encourage your dog to pull on the towel. Give praise and a treat every time your dog pulls the fridge open.

GRABBING THE BEER: 1.Put the beer can on the lowest shelf of the fridge so that your dog can reach it.

It helps to clear out any stuff around it.

Empty a beer can and play fetch with it. If necessary, wrap something around the can so the dog can grab it more easily.

Put something against the fridge door so that it stays open without you having to hold it.

Near the fridge, point to the beer can

and tell your dog to “fetch”. If your dog doesn’t understand, as you give the command pick up the beer and place it in the dog’s mouth.

2. Give your dog praise. Give the “drop” command so that she drops the can into your hand. Give praise and a treat. Repeat until your dog can pick up a beer can and put it on your hand using only verbal commands.

3. Move further away from the fridge and repeat. Keep moving a little further away until you’re sitting on your living room couch in front of the TV, or wherever you’ll often be when you command your dog to fetch the beer.

CLOSING THE FRIDGE: 1. Open the fridge door slightly.

2. Dangle a treat so that your dog gets up on his hind legs and leans with his front paws against the door. This will close the door. Say “Close it” when you’re doing this, and reward your dog when he puts his paws on the door.

3. Move further away, leaving the fridge open. Tell your dog to “Close it”. Reward your dog whenever he closes the fridge.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: 1. Stand close to the fridge. Ask your dog to “Get me a beer”. He should now be comfortable opening the fridge door. While the fridge door is open, tell the dog to “fetch”.

2. Have him put the beer in your hand and reward him.

3. Repeat the previous step, but this time say “Close it” after he grabs the can and reward him profusely after he’s brought you the beer.

4. Move a little further away and say “Get me a beer”. Your dog should open the fridge door but if he forgets to, just grab the beer or close the fridge, and remind him verbally.

5. Reward him when he brings you the beer (having done everything he was expected to do). Keep doing this and eventually most dogs will complete all of the tasks with a single command: “Get me a beer”.

Larger dogs between 12 and 18 months of age will most easily learn this cool trick because of their size and willingness to learn, however, it is possible to teach old dogs new tricks, so give it a shot! Your friends will be amazed and impressed and you’ll have more couch time!

Please remember, use cans, not glass bottles – you don’t want your dog biting too hard or dropping a bottle and breaking it, causing possible injury to the dog and, (god forbid) spilling your beer. Also remember that you’re teaching your dog how to open the fridge… while he might be trained to bring you a beer, you’ll also have a dog that knows how to gain access to all the best food in the house!

Winter 2018

Simple Tips for Successful Winter Bird Feeding P

ut out feeders with good size capacity: And/or use multiple feeders to provide ample food especially during snow and ice storms.

Provide nutritious winter seed foods: For most birds theses often include seed mixes of: black oil sunflower seed, hulled peanuts, niger seed and white millet seed.

Offer fatty food too: Birds need to burn more calories in the winter just to stay warm. Suet is considered a high energy food because it consists of fat that has 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates or protein. Peanut Butter is also popular with our flying friends but is more expensive than suet. Suet feeders are a favorite of woodpeckers and other insect-eating birds Keep your feeders full: Winter birds

Winter 2018

need to stock up on calories especially for those long, cold winter nights.

Be consistent and keep feeding through the winter: Birds grow accustomed to your feeders especially in severe weather when the snacks you offer may mean their very survival. If you leave home for an extended period, try to have a neighbor or friend keep the feeders going.

Remember water: Birds can become dehydrated in winter even if surrounded by ice and snow. Putting out a pan of water near the feeder on warmer days is a terrific idea.

Stamp down the snow below: Groundfeeding birds such as dark-eyed juncos, doves and many sparrows will be able

to gather up the seed that drop from the feeders if they don’t have deep snow to try to manage.

Hang feeders in cat-safe locations: Place bird feeders in locations that do not also offer hiding places for sneakattacks by cats and other predators. Think of placing the feeders ten to twelve feet from shrubs or brush piles. This gives the birds some time to react.

Remember feeder cleanliness: Your feeders can get a little grimy. Because natural food sources are scarcer in the winter, more birds may be attracted to backyard feeders and those feeders will need to be cleaned with some hot water and dried a few times during the season.

www.4LegsAndATail.com 11

Seppala with Team ( The Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, Nome, Alaska)

1925 Serum Run Participants Betty Bailey In one of the final great feats of dog sleds, twenty drivers and teams carried life-saving serum 674 miles (1,085 km) in 127 hours. Today, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race serves to commemorate the part the trail and its dog sleds played in the development of Alaska.

F

or more than 80 years, a statue of the famous husky, Balto, has stood proudly in New York's Central Park. The image is of a solitary sled dog, but the effort to rush a lifesaving serum to save the children of Nome from a deadly epidemic took the efforts of many.

It was late in the year 1924 and residents of the small city of Nome, in the U.S. Territory of Alaska, had settled in for the winter. Most of the 20,000 people who had come to seek their fortune in the gold rush were long gone. Still, its nearly 1,000 European settlers and about 450 Inuit natives made Nome the largest city in the northern part of the territory.

Nome was an outpost even in summer, but, by November, ships had to leave the harbor or risk becoming icebound on the frozen Baltic Sea until July. No roads have ever led to Nome and, back then, bush planes were still a thing of the future. The only way to get anything in or out of the city was through the mail route which, in winter, was traveled only by dogsled.

In December, shortly after the last ship had left for the year, a two-year-old Inuit child from a nearby village became ill. Nome’s doctor, Curtis Welsh, diagnosed it as tonsillitis, a disease that is not usually life threatening, but the child did not survive.

Throughout the rest of December, an unusually high number of illnesses were diag12 4 Legs & a Tail

nosed as tonsillitis and two more children died. It was late in January when a fourth child fell victim and, this time, the symptoms were obvious. Welsh discovered the true identity of the disease, diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an extremely contagious and potentially deadly disease that affects the tonsils, nose, throat or skin. The most likely victims are children under the age of 10. Welsh knew the situation was serious.

Six years before, a flu epidemic wiped out half of the native population of Nome and nearly one eighth of the native population of the Alaskan territory. Since diphtheria bacteria can live for several weeks outside the human body, this disease presented an even greater risk.

There was an antitoxin available which was used to treat diphtheria. Without it, the disease was usually fatal. Welsh’s supply of antitoxin had expired and the new shipment he ordered had not arrived before the port closed. The town sent word, by radio, that the people of Nome needed 1 million units of the antitoxin to stop an epidemic and save the children of Nome and the surrounding areas.

The closest antitoxin (300,000 doses) were 1,000 miles away and the options for transporting it were few. The only airplanes in Alaska were old WWI biplanes with open cockpits and water-cooled engines, which were not safe to fly in harsh weather. The best way to bring the much needed serum was by dogsled. The Board of Health decided to try a dogsled relay using two teams. One team would start in Nenana, which was as far as the serum could be sent by train. The other team would start in Nome. The two would meet in Nulato and the serum would be carried back to Nome. Twenty mushers and 150 dogs would travel day and night across the frozen Alaskan mail route, following rivers, crossing plateaus and navigating through forests.

Before the serum train arrived in Nenana, 20 more children were diagnosed with diphtheria and 50 more were at risk.

On January 27, the first musher, “Wild Bill” Shannon, met the 9 pm train to pick up the 20-pound package carrying the canister of serum. He covered the canister with canvas and fur and quickly took off with his team of 9 dogs toward his stop at Tolovana. The temperature was -50 degrees (Fahrenheit) and dropping. Shannon ran next to the sled to keep warm. When he found part of the trail destroyed by horses, he was forced to travel on the colder ice of the river. By the time he reached his destination, at 11 am, Shannon had developed hypothermia and parts of his face were black with frostbite.

Edgar Kallands was next in the relay.

He warmed the serum in the Tolovana roadhouse before heading out into the forest. According to reports, when Kallands arrived at his destination, Manley Hot Continued NEXT PAGE

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Springs, his hands were frozen in place on the sled’s handlebar. The roadhouse owner had to pour hot water over his hands to free them.

A famous musher, Leonhard Seppala, of Norway, was chosen to cover the most dangerous leg of the run, from Nome to Nulato, to intercept the serum. Seppala was a legend in the world of dogsled racing and had won the All-Alaska Sweepstakes three times. He had previously made the trip to Nulato in four days, breaking all records.

When Shannon and his team were leaving the train station in Nenana, on January 27, Seppala and his team took off from Nome, heading into an oncoming storm.

Unlike most mushers, Seppala used two lead dogs. One of them, Togo, was as wellknown as Seppala and praised for his intelligence, leadership and keen instincts.

The other, Fritz, was Togo’s half brother and equally respected for his good trail sense.

Newspaper headlines in the nation’s largest cities flashed updates on the crisis and the progress being made. People across the United States sat by their newly acquired radios, listening to the story unfold. They mourned as the disease claimed yet another life and cringed when gale force winds forced temperatures along the trail to -85 degrees (Fahrenheit).

Seppala and his team encountered those extreme winds as they traveled across the frozen Norton Sound toward Shaktoolik. Visibility was so poor, Seppala did not realize how far he had gone and nearly missed musher Henry Ivanoff.

Ivanoff's dogs had crossed paths with a reindeer and he was untangling his team when he saw Seppala getting ready to pass him. Ivanoff caught Seppala's attention and handed him the serum.

Seppala and his team headed back across the treacherous open ice of the Norton Sound. The solid sheet they had crossed a day earlier had broken up and cakes of ice were threatening to come loose.

The team ran close to the shore, where the ice was cracking and water spurted up through the holes. Togo navigated around the weak spots and several times rushed toward the shore to safety.

They had traveled four and a half days and covered 260 miles with less than five hours of rest when they reached an altitude of 5,000 feet crossing Little McKinley mountain. Three hours later, at the roadhouse in Golovin, Seppala passed the serum to musher Charlie Olsen. It was 3 pm on February 1.

The blizzard was growing stronger and Welch and the local health board put out an order to stop the relay until the storm passed, for fear of losing the serum. The lines of communication went dead, however, before the message could reach most of the mushers. Only the roadhouses at Solomon and Port Safety got word so the race to save the children continued.

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Togo was 12 years old at the time of the run.

use. The children of Nome were saved. A second serum relay (with the remaining serum), using some of the same mushers, arrived two weeks later.

President Calvin Coolidge gave letters of commendation to the mushers, and the U.S. Senate officially recognized their efforts. They also received $25 each from the Alaskan Territory and letters filled with praise from children.

The dogs, also, received their welldeserved honors. Several had perished in the run, from frostbite and exhaustion. A statue of Balto, by artist Frederick Roth, still stands in New York’s Central Park, after being unveiled in December of 1925.

Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen awarded Togo a gold medal.

Today, diphtheria is rare. It is also preventable, due to the efforts of health officials who have been immunizing children against the deadly threat of diphtheria for decades. The mushers and their dogs were true heroes as were the many others who used the event as a springboard for a campaign to inoculate people all over the world.

Olson’s leg of the trip was 25 miles long. When a gust of hurricane force wind blew his sled off the trail, he landed in a snow drift. Olson had to dig his way out and untangle his 7 dogs. He nearly lost his fingers to frostbite when he exposed his hands in order to put blankets on his team. At 7 pm he arrived

This story originally appeared on at the roadhouse in Bluff.

MyHero.com.

MY HERO is a non-profit With the snow swirling violently outeducational project that empowers side, Olson urged musher Gunnar Kaasen people of all ages to realize their to hold off until the weather subsided. The snow and winds did not cooperate. Kaasen potential to effect positive change in feared, if he waited too long, drifts would the world. make the trail impassible and, at 10 pm, he headed out to face the blizzard.

Kaasen was a colleague of Seppala’s from the racing days. His lead dog, Balto, was not as experienced as most, but Kaasen had strong faith in him. A dog’s sense of smell is more than 600 times as strong as a human’s and Balto kept his nose to the ground, following the scent of the trail. He led the team through a storm so blinding that Kaasen often had to guess at their location. At times, he could not even see the dogs closest to his sled.

He was two miles past Solomon before he realized he’d missed his stop. Soon after, a sudden gust of wind flipped the sled, burying Kaasen in a snow drift. While setting the sled upright, he realized the serum canister had been thrown from it. He crawled around in the dark, using his bare hands to search for the canister.

Despite frostbite on his hands, he found the lifesaving serum.

The roadhouse at Port Safety was dark when Kaasen arrived at 3 am. Musher Ed Rohn had gotten word the race was halted and was asleep. Kaasen didn’t go inside.

He knew it would take precious time to get another team of dogs ready and he was confident his team would make good time on the last 20 miles to Nome. At 5:30 in the morning, on February 2, Kassen and his team pulled onto Nome's Front Street with the serum. Not a single vial was broken. A few hours later it was thawed and ready for www.4LegsAndATail.com 13

To Heat or Not to Heat DJ Nelson - St. Johnsbury, VT

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emperature is something that isn’t discussed enough when it comes to keeping a freshwater aquarium, and looking at an aquarium thermometer can be confusing and/or misleading.

As we are getting into cooler temperatures I figured it would be a great time to address the temperature debate.

One would think this is a fairly straightforward concept, but it isn’t.

Many plastic or floating thermometers highlight in green the “safe” zone for temperature which can range from 70 to 80 degrees. This gives, especially a new aquarist, a false sense of proper temperature. Not all fish will do well in 80 degree water and not all fish will do well in 70 degree water.

Heaters are used not only to keep aquariums warm, but to help keep temperatures stable especially in Spring and Fall with season changes. When working with particular fish, adding a heater and/or deciding what the temperature should be will depend on what fish you are keeping or wanting to mix together. You may see a little difference in opinion on temperatures and some of that will depend on I think the best way to tackle this region. Any time you have questions your local pet store can assist you! is using categories: Goldfish - These are considered a cool water fish. They typically like it between 60 & 72 degrees. They can struggle with temperatures higher than 72 due to the decrease of oxygen in warmer water. The only time I would recommend a heater is if you are keeping them where the temperature fluctuates easily or frequently. Placing a heater in the aquarium set at 70 – 72 degrees will help stabilize the temperatures. Another option that isn’t as popular, more because of price point, is hooking up a chiller. A chiller will help keep the water on the cool side and more stable as well.

Tropical fish - This is a little more complex and can be broken down.

Live bearing fish (Molly, Swordtail, Platy, Guppy), Danios, White clouds, These fish do like cooler water, but not all care for it at 70 degrees. Guppies and White Clouds do best in temperatures 70 to 75 degrees and will thrive. Both are a bit more resistant to ICH and do well in situations with or without a heater, and are sometimes recommended in aquariums 5 gallons and smaller.

Danios, Mollies, Swordtails, and Platies like the temperature 75 degrees however they will do okay in 78 degree water. Due to Danios and Platies durable nature they sometimes are kept in smaller aquariums without a heater, but when mixing the fish in this paragraph with the likes of tetras, etc. I recommend having the temperature around 78 degrees.

Tetras, Barbs, Rasboras, Rainbowfish, Gourami, Loaches, South American

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Chiclids - These fish like warmer waters, 78 to 85 degrees. Believe it or not many tetras and gourami like it closer to 85 degrees. These fish are generally recommended in 10 gallon tanks and larger for multiple reason we won’t address in this article. Have people kept tetras and gourami in cooler temperatures?

Yes, however the chances of getting ICH increases significantly. (ICH, pronounced ICK, is a parasite that attacks the gills. Usually what is seen are the eggs that cover the fish looking like grains of salt and it is typically brought on by temperature f luctuations).

What size heater and what kind of Thermometer should you use?

Thermometer - I recommend the old standby (floating thermometer) or digital. You will get better and easier to read results. I would stay away from the LCD thermometers (these are usually stick on thermometers that go on the outside of the tank that usually come in a lot of aquarium kits) these don’t last as long, are difficult to read and not very accurate. If you buy a kit that has one, toss it and spend $2 to buy a reliable thermometer, it will be well worth it.

Heaters - There are several types and wattage of heaters. I recommend going with a submersible heater. With less issues than the type that hang off the back rim of the aquarium (which are usually cheap and the chance of them working well isn’t good). In the long run, spending more money on a submersible will save headaches. How warm you keep your home in the winter and the size of the tank determines the wattage. Check with your local pet store, they can help you out.

DJ Nelson has worked in the pet industry for almost two decades and is the owner of AquaRealm Aquarium & Pets in St. Johnsbury Vermont.

He works with Reptiles, Birds, Small Animals, Fresh/Saltwater fish, and Dog & Cat Nutrition. Since proper care is constantly changing, educating customers about their pets is the most important. AquarealmAquarium.com and Facebook Winter 2018

has been nothing but amazing.

He immediately adjusted to his new home with me and he truly saved me from my own anxiety.

He loves to play and snuggle, and nothing is better than coming home to him and experiencing true unconditional animal love.

I didn’t rescue him, he rescued me,” Lichtenwalner added.

Hoping to inspire others to give homes to traditionally less adoptable animals, Lichtenwalner started an Instagram for Otitis Molly & Otitis where he can show off his sweetness and unique look. The @ Kelli Bender @kbenderNYC adventuresofotitis account now has over 16,000 followers, who all adore watching the feline snuggle, snooze eet Otitis!

As you may have noticed, he is miss- and offer up the occasional sassy remark. ing a common cat part: a set of pointy, But Otitis and Lichtenwalner’s mission triangle ears. Unfortunately, Otitis had to raise awareness about special needs anito have his ears removed after develop- mal adoptions doesn’t end here. The pair ing Otitis externa, a condition that caused recently celebrated a successful Kickstarter the feline to develop large cysts on his ears campaign. With the funds, Lichtenwalner and her roommate, who are both speech and also gave Otitis his name. therapists, are creating a children’s book about Otitis, his journey and how his differences make him unique and beloved.

Through his story, Lichtenwalner hopes others will learn to embrace their differences as some of the most beautiful parts of who they are.

Cat Who Lost Both His Ears Is Winning Instagram Followers with His Huge Heart

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His previous owners did not treat the issue and, unable to afford the surgery to remove Otitis ears when it became untreatable, ultimately surrendered the pet. Feline Rescue Association of Baltimore stepped in to cover the sweet kitty’s surgery and work on finding him a forever home.

This is where Molly Lichtenwalner becomes part of the story. Over a year ago, the Baltimore native endured a serious car accident, which left her with severe anxiety. In March 2016, she went on Petfinder. com to look for a comforting companion to help her through these hard times, and in a few clicks found Otitis. She instantly new he was her destiny.

“I grew up on a farm and always had animals around me that gave me so much happiness. I helped train my parents’ deaf Old English Sheepdog, and when I came across Otitis, I just knew he was meant for me. I always wanted to adopt an animal that was older and had some special needs; the ones the least likely to find a home (unlike kittens),” Lichtenwalner told PEOPLE Pets.

The special needs cat, who has lost some of his hearing because of the surgery, has exceeded her expectations. “He Winter 2018

www.4LegsAndATail.com 15

Once The Teeth Are Clean Lets Keep Them That Way - Cats

Y ou just had you cat’s teeth X-rayed, treated with extractions or other procedures,

and fully cleaned. Now you would like a way to keep that mouth as healthy as possible.

Remember that plaque is the enemy. Plaque is formed every second of every day, is sticky, and will change from a soft coating on the teeth to a hard, brown calcified barrier (tartar or calculus) in a matter of days. Yikes! Don’t despair, there are effective ways to deal with Sandra L Waugh VMD, MS the problem.

First of all, not every animal product with dental claims are created equal. Unfortunately, unless there is a medical claim (“prevents gingivitis,” “cures periodontal disease”) regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there is little to no oversight of statements regarding dental value. The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) was created to address this problem. The VOHC awards its VOHC Accepted Seal only to products that decrease accumulation of plaque and/or calculus by at least 20% through a data review system. Unfortunately there are only 11 products for cats that have the VOHC seal so inevitably some of the products recommended here will not have the seal.

The most effective way to remove plaque is with a tooth brush. Brushing is a mechanical action that removes plaque. Brushing is the most effective means of removing plaque and remains the “gold standard”. However, unless trained as a kitten, many cats will not accept toothbrushing. Having your cat chew on something that will create a mechanical action can be an effective means of removing plaque from the chewing teeth. (Remember I started with a healthy mouth. If the mouth is painful and your cat avoids chewing with certain teeth then these products will not work well on those teeth.) I use and recommend the following products.

Products with a mechanical action that removes plaque Dental Care Diets.

Regular dry food shatters as it is chewed. Hill’s t/d™ has a fiber matrix within the kibble t hat hold s t he kibble together to scrub the teeth (VOHC seal for plaque and tartar)

Regular cat kibble

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1. With every bite,the fiber matrix scrubs the tooth surface to clean teeth and freshen breath.

2. Unique fiberalignment helps kibble stay in contact with the tooth surface right to the gumline.

The t/d™ kibble is considerable larger than regular kibble.

The kibbles are larger but not so dense as to prevent the tooth from entering the kibble. Cats like the t/d diet. It can be fed independently or in combinat ion w it h canned food. While many dogs seem to barely chew their food before swallowing, cats are inclined to carefully chew each individual kibble and get an excellent result from eating t/d™.

3.Kibble gently scrubs away plaque and tartar to clean teeth and promote healthy gums.

Feline Greenies (VOHC seal for tartar). My cats go crazy for Greenies. There are a variety of flavors available. These include Oven Roasted Chicken, Ocean Fish, Tempting Tuna, and Catnip Flavor to name a few. Each piece is only 1.39 calories and is “nutritionally complete and balanced for adult cats”. The suggested amount to be fed is on the back of the package.

Feline t/d™

Continued Next Page

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Products that control plaque in a non-mechanical way Water additives - Healthy Mouth™ is the only water additive to carry the VOHC seal. (VOHC seal for plaque). This is an all natural product including chlorophyll, so it turns the water green! It is extremely efficient at removing plaque and is best started directly after the teeth have been cleaned.

Sanos®: See my article in the Fall 2015 issue of 4 Legs & a Tail.

The polymers in this product form a film in the space between the gum and the tooth, hindering plaque attachment in the area where periodontal disease starts. Applied by the veterinarian after cleaning the teeth. Must be reapplied every 6 months for full efficacy. I really like this product in cats and small dogs and use it on my own pets.

Some products combine mechanical action with a plaque control product Dental Wipes: These are small pads that are wiped over the teeth and gums to remove plaque and to deposit plaque control products onto the teeth.

When working with cats the least amount of restraint you need will result in more cooperation from your pet. Here I am using my left had to support Reenie’s head but I am not gripping her head tightly. Cats do not respond well to force!

In the last issue of 4 Legs & A Tail I talked about products for keeping your dog’s teeth clean and healthy. Some of the products, such as the water additive and the dental wipes, can be used on both dogs and cats. Other products are cat or dog specific.

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Of course you can and really should use more than one product to keep the teeth clean and the mouth healthy. With all these great products available it is easier than ever to keep your cat’s teeth as clean as when s/he was a kitten. It still will be necessary to have professional dental cleanings done by your veterinarian.

If you keep the teeth clean it will take less time under anesthesia for your veterinarian to clean the teeth. This also means less extractions will need to be done and it may mean greater intervals between cleanings.

Dr. Waugh is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She also holds a Masters Degree from Washington State University of Veterinary Medicine and is owner of Windsor Veterinary & Dental Services. www.4LegsAndATail.com 17

Love Story: Extraordinary Girl + Amazing Cat T

his story is about a very unique friendship and loving bond between an extraordinary young girl and her therapy cat.

Before we delve into this heartwarming tale, stop for a moment and look at the painting below called ‘raining cats’. You might initially think it could be one of Monet’s works because of its soft impressionistic style.

Would you be surprised to find out that it was drawn by a 5-year old girl?

We certainly were! What an incredible talent!

The artist is Iris Grace Halmshaw, a 5-year-old British girl who is diagnosed with autism. Her muse is a gentle and loving Maine Coon cat named Thula. The two best friends are now inseparable.

As a result of her condition, Iris doesn’t speak much but through the love and encouragement of her parents, she has learned to express her emotions through painting instead. Her parents say that she draws much of her inspiration from the

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long hours she spends sitting outdoors, gazing at the beauty of nature.

Iris’ breathtaking paintings are sold to private art collectors around the world, and her family uses the money to pay for her therapy treatments, art supplies, and to raise awareness about autism.

Iris is home-educated and has been painting her astonishing Monet-style landscapes since she was three, when her mom (Arabella Carter-Johnson) devised art sessions to help her daughter’s concentration and speech.

Iris, like many with autism, experienced daily anxiety and was highly uncomfortable in social situations. Mornings were particularly difficult for Iris, so her mother thought that a nurturing animal companion might be helpful and calming.

Arabella said that she wasn’t advised to get a therapy animal, but when she researched autism, she found numerous stories about the wonderful effects that animals can have on autistic children.

Arabella said, “We took Iris to equine therapy but she didn’t seem very interested in horses at that time. Then I began to think about a therapy dog.”

“Iris and the dog didn’t get along – Iris hated being licked and the tail wagging, the hyperactivity of the dog would upset

her. So, for a while I gave up on the idea.” It was her fans online – mainly in America – who encouraged Arabella to look into getting a Maine Coon cat to keep Iris company and help her to open up further.

Iris’s parents bought Thula (a Maine Coon cat) for their daughter two years ago, and she has since started to speak – something doctors warned might never happen. When Iris met Thula, it was love at first meow. =^..^= Arabella said, “Thula has lowered Iris’ daily anxieties and keeps her calm, but equally has the effect of encouraging her to be more social.” “She has been at Iris’s side since she arrived and slept in her arms during her first night here. Thula’s constant presence and gentle nature is having a remarkable effect upon Iris.”

Thula will regularly sit beside Iris and mimic her movements.

Gifted girl and her therapy cat share an incredible bond!

Unlike most children of Iris’ age, she doesn’t chase, stroke or pick up the kitten constantly. Their relationship is based upon companionship. Thula is not trained to be a service/therapy cat, but since the family took her in at such a young age she has gotten used to many things ordinary cats might have a literal hissy-fit about.

For example, Thula regularly wears a harness, rides in the car, boat rides and even bike rides.

Maine Coons are not only very intelligent, but also one of the gentlest cat breeds. Iris went through a stage over the last year of hating baths and having her hair washed. Thula is so supportive of Iris that she will even make the ultimate sacrifice a cat can make — she’ll take a bath, allowing herself to get all wet, just to encourage Iris, who has a strong aversion to the bathtub, to do the same.

Iris loves being outside and one can see so much of nature in her paintings.

She will watch water, trees, wind, leaves, flowers, birds, clouds and is so interested in movement and how it changes things.

Thula and Iris do everything together, whether painting, just being in the garden, looking at books or joining the Continued Next Page

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Iris & Thula

family on canal boat trips, bike rides and walks on a leash.

According to Arabella, “When Iris was looking at her books; she would delicately feel Thula’s ears and her long whiskers, or hold her tail at the tip, casually twiddling with the fur as if it were her own.”

If Iris woke up at night, Thula was there to settle her. It was as though she instinctively knew what to do. She would bring Iris a small toy in her mouth and drop it beside her. Thula would then snuggle up beside her and purr, while Iris gently settled and fell back to sleep.

Are you curious to know where the name ‘Thula’ came from? We were too.

Turns out, it’s from one of Iris’ favorite songs – a traditional Zulu lullaby called Thula Baba.

Iris is not only a gifted painter, but is also very musical and has shown an affinity for music since she was a baby.

Arabella was quoted saying, “Music was the one thing that always calmed her. Iris is particularly into classical music at the moment and knows all of the orchestra instruments. She adores the violin.”

Thula continues to be a big influence in Iris’s acclaimed artwork which can fetch several thousand dollars per painting. Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher have shared Iris’s work on social media, Iris’s astonishing tale of talent and her special relationship with Thula is lovingly told by her mother in a book called ‘Iris Grace’ published by Penguin. For information, here’s the link: http:// hyperurl.co/IrisGrace This is one remarkable friendship! Our thanks to Arabella for providing images and allowing us to share her beautiful and talented daughter’s amazing story. OK, we admit it, we’re big are fans of Iris and Thula! We’d love to hear your stories of any remarkable therapy cats. For anyone interested in autism and cats, please read the post we did last year called “The Power of Cats with Autistic Children” at www.ThePurringtonPost.com Winter 2018

www.4LegsAndATail.com 19

Alternatively Speaking: Aging Gracefully Dr. Anne Carroll, DVM, CVA

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s anyone aging can tell you, it is much easier to feel young in the warm months of spring and summer when life is bursting forth in brilliant colors under sunny skies. But as autumn sets in, followed by the cold winter, it seems like energy is harder to find and achy joints hurt that much more. Our pets are no different, and in some ways this seasonal stress is worse for them than us. Difficulty getting outdoors on slippery ice or deep snow makes other problems like incontinence or mental changes more challenging for families to deal with.

Many accept their pets' problems as an unavoidable part of aging. As a society we expect “struggling, frail and sickly” as the normal geriatric condition. But getting old is not a disease in itself, and it does not have to be a long slow decline of physical ability or quality of life. So as we cozy up in our armchair by the fire, let's look at

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some of the options that exist to help our older companions remain comfortable and engaged seniors.

First, let's take a look at when our pets are considered “senior”. For people, age 65 is when AARP and Medicare often kick in. For dogs and cats, we have to factor in lifespan differences between large and smaller breeds, the early onset of problems in some purebreds, and hopefully the potential to have to manage aging complaints for more years in those that live longest. That is why most veterinarians start senior screening discussions by age seven. Screening includes an annual exam, discussion of diet, and often some blood work to check for any sign of early changes.

With advancing age, check-ups are often every six months instead of yearly because once your pet is ten or more, seeing the veterinarian once a year is like an 80 year old person going to the doctor every seven years – that's just a little too long to stay on top of things effectively.

So now you're at the veterinarian's office getting your dog's check-up. Your seven year old Labrador is bouncing about licking faces, and asking for one more of those yummy treats. Maybe she is a little stiff first getting up, but certainly does not seem old to you. What is your veterinarian possibly going to find, and why look if there is no problem you can see?

In younger years, the focus of health care is on immunizing, training, and establishing a healthy lifestyle to promote health.

With age, your veterinarian is looking more closely for changes in activity, behavior, or weight that can be risk factors or hints of actual problems to come.

Early screening can allow intervention to minimize, delay or sometimes avoid those problems in future years.

Of all the senior problems to screen for, arthritis definitely tops the list for large and small pets. Genetics, lifestyle and diet dictate the risk for joint injury early in life, but from there the degree of chronic inflammation determines the progression of disease and how much those joints hurt over time.

Therefore if we reduce the body's tendency to be inflamed, arthritis does not have to be crippling.

Merlin

In Chinese medicine, arthritis pain is often considered a “stasis” where circulation is reduced, and movement that stirs circulation makes you feel better.

In Western terms we say that tissues stuck in patterns of chronic inflammation have inadequate blood supply and oxygen. Either way, in the winter your body naturally moves circulation more inward to conserve heat loss from colder extremities, so joints naturally get less circulation, aggravating their already undernourished situation and making arthritis pain worse.

The holistic approach to many arthritis complaints is all about increasing circulation and decreasing inflammation.

Starting with diet, we minimize dry foods that are high in the processed starches that trigger inf lammation.

Instead we use fresh food options, such as dehydrated, home cooked or raw diets.

As a double benefit fresh food often helps regulate a healthier weight. Being more than 10% over your ideal body weight (that is just one pound for the average cat) means that fat is releasing factors into your body that promote inflammation. It is not just the extra weight on arthritic joints or the degree of pathology that makes them hurt more, it is this inflammatory effect.

Many people and pets rely on "aspirin-type" medications to reduce inflammation so they can do the things they enjoy. There is a place for these, but long term use trades future joint repair for less pain today, and that means the arthritis gets worse faster than if we did not rely on these drugs as much. Plantbased anti-inflammatories do not have this negative effect, but even better is to address the causes of inflammation so less intervention is needed.

Take Clare for instance, an 11 year old Irish Water Spaniel. She had arthritis after surgery on both knees. She needed to be restricted to leash exercise as she aged, since any running that she loved Continued Next Page

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Gracie

so much caused her to limp. Herbs to increase circulation to her knees worked well, but they did not agree with her in other ways. So we tried a switch to fresh food diet and now she can run with her much younger brother without a problem as long as she avoids the dry dog food. Herbs, acupuncture, chiropractic and laser therapy can improve inflammation, and do help many. Gentle regular exercise is another dual benefit lifestyle choice. It helps reduce weight while getting nourishing blood circulation to joints, tendons and muscles.

Nutritional supplements with glucosamine, or diets with bone broth, can also provide support for joints. Of course in later stages of disease, pain control is needed, and there are several drug choices that may help limit the use of aspirins and maintain joint function better, longer.

Another common age-related problem we see is urine incontinence, which often presents as bedwetting in female dogs.

The urinary sphincter that normally stays closed to hold urine in the bladder can become weaker in females as they age, so that with deep relaxation or sleep urine is allowed to leak out. Sometimes this happens in an otherwise normal dog, but often leaking is triggered by a medical issue that puts extra stress on the sphincter, like a bladder infection, or kidney or liver changes that result in more urine production, or medications that increase thirst.

Odessa was a 9 year old German Shepherd struggling with urine dripping. Her bottom was so raw and painful euthanasia had been recommended since none of the usual medications helped her incontinence, and no medical cause was found. We used fresh food diet to reduce her weight, along with herbs for incontinence. Her condition improved dramatically so she could enjoy another 2 ½ years with her family before it was her time to go.

Sometimes bathroom accidents are not a control issue, but are due to mental decline and forgetting basic housebreakWinter 2018

ing skills. Dogs can have Alzheimer's like people do, but we often see mental decline in the form of anxiety in our aging pets.

Milder fears seem to escalate in some animals as they age. Maybe it is the years of repeated experiences that worsens their fear response, but a reduced mental capacity does seem to make many aging dogs less able to cope with what used to be lesser fears.

Take Merlin for example. As he aged was so terrified by thunder that his owner was certain he would die of a heart attack. He was on supports for other age-related issues, but when this phobia became so debilitating we added a choline nutritional supplement and within months he barely noticed storms at all, and this greatly improved quality of life for him and his family. That was a pretty simple fix, but it is not uncommon to use other tools such as Chinese herbs to address imbalances that contribute to senior issues of fear, night time agitation, or mental cloudiness.

Arthritis, incontinence and mental changes are only a few of the issues your veterinarian would screen for in aging pets.

Dental disease is a silent stress on your pet's immune system, not to mention the unpleasantness of bad pet breath.

A good dental cleaning goes a long way, but caught early sometimes nutritional supports to strengthen oral tissues and promote bacteria that limit tartar will do the trick.

The list goes on - cataract development, organ changes, thyroid imbalances, even cancers all can be addressed with conventional and holistic supports to maximize function and quality of life as long as possible. Of course an ounce of prevention goes a long way to minimize these senior citizen problems, but even once they occur there are so many tools to minimize symptoms and improve quality of life. So don't accept symptoms as unavoidable just because your companion is older.

Maximize the value of your annual

exams by discussing prevention or intervention with your veterinarian, and keep your aging companions happily looking forward to their next Spring.

Dr. Anne Carroll is owner of the Chelsea Animal Hospital where she practices both conventional medicine and surgery as well as several alternative modalities including traditional Chinese acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Her associate Dr. Betty Jo Black brings classical homeopathy to the practice. For more information on alternative veterinary medicine visit their website at www.chelseaanimalhospital.com

www.4LegsAndATail.com 21

Opiate Addiction and the Hound Healer I

take the adoption process very seriously, some might say too much so. We have an on line application with questions that some have said are probing and frankly none of our concern. On many fronts, I differ with that thinking as my decision for an adoption to move forward or not is based on the answers to those questions. Coupled with personal and veterinary references, a decision is made which sets in motion a journey for a dog who has already endured too much, and has no say. I have to be as certain as is possible that the next home is happy, healthy and committed, not just in the moment but forever. The quality and remainder of that dogs life depends on it.

Vinny had been with us for months, too many months. He was our first big hound, and most likely our last. Vinny was dumped at a high kill shelter in SC where the dogs do not ever see the light of day. They leave with a rescue or they don’t leave alive. There are no public adoptions. Vinny is a stunning dog, handsome and quite regal. The trainer with whom we work, upon meeting Vinny gave him a solid and full handed pat on the side, smiled and said, “Now this is a dog!” I am certain that my return gaze was incredulous at the least and frankly baffled at best. Are we experiencing the same dog?

At 70+ pounds Vinny is striking. His snow white coat topped with hot fudge and butterscotch spots is short and sleek and a hand slides easily over it’s softness. Add to that soulful eyes and droopy ears and you have the perfect disguise behind which to hide the barking, kennel climbing, prey driven bundle that we felt we had failed.

We reached out to breed specific rescues and humane societies and networked the network out of this boy. I suspect that everyone we called, wrote, or prayed to had owned or rescued a hound and they were suddenly full to capacity and would get back to us. The return calls never came.

And so, when an application landed in my email box for Vinny, it had my rapt attention and then some. My elation was quickly tempered. The applicant was Justin. He was young, unemployed, lived with his mother was recovering from 4 traumatic brain injuries sustained in a near fatal car crash, and had no hound experience. To say that this did not look promising is akin to saying that Vinny would make a great pet for an elderly person. My hope sank.

However over the course of hours and frank conversations with the powers that be 22 4 Legs & a Tail

Dawna Pederzani about how hard we work and what a good dog Vinny really is under the layers of.... houndness, I felt prompted to call this boy.

Call it wishful thinking. Call it desperation.

Call it what you will but I could not shake the feeling that I had to speak with Justin.

And so I did. I thought that this call would put a fast period on the sentence that began and ended with, "no way".

Rather, it began a quite amazing journey with Justin and later his mother Kelly, of trust and love and flat out, laid open frankness about a day that changed their lives forever. It also answered the question of why Vinny? How did they envision this broken dog cementing them all back together, and was it fair to ask that of him?

I like depth and challenge and frankly any situation where someone is fully engaged with me toward an end goal. These folks were not skirting anything. In fact their commitment to making this horrible tragedy into something positive and honest and evolutionary was evident from my first question. As I read them the laundry list of behaviors regarding Vinny that I felt would surely send them running, what I heard was, “ok, ok, ok, anything else?” Anything else? How much do you need to scare you?

They were undaunted.

In many ways Justin was typical teen living day to day, testing the boundaries of parents and life and believing like most that his future was endless and guaranteed.

Through a circle of friends he began to dabble in drugs, first opiates, Oxycontin and the like and then crossing the line into Heroin, a line that is nearly impossible to see again let alone cross back over. It is the goalpost into hell and the road out would nearly take his life. Justin came from addiction which is oddly what set this day in motion. His dad, an alcoholic for most of his life was in the hospital ICU with his options being to lose a leg or his life. He had undergone several failed knee replacements and then taken a fall. A forth knee replacement was not in the cards.

His kidneys were failing and the decisions were limited and harsh. Kelly was with him when Justin walked in. All he heard was amputation or death. With that he stormed out of the hospital to find relief in the only way he knew, through drugs.

The day was September 7, 2015, Memorial Day weekend. Kelly was lying on her deck soaking in the day which was sunny and warm. She had left the hospital and the impending decisions regarding her husbands treatment behind for a brief

Vinny and Justin

respite, or so she thought. Suddenly she heard a siren, then quickly in succession another then many. At first she said that she thought about the possibilities, a failed surgery, an elder fall, a broken bone. She took a moment to wish well for the family that would be impacted by this moment in time and hope that the pain was minimal and fleeting.

Justin had gotten into his work vehicle.

He was a cable installer for a big company.

Since he does not remember much of the day, what was taken and when is unclear.

Heroin was found in the van. Justin apparently fell asleep or passed out at the wheel, exited the highway in the wrong lane and plowed at an estimated 40 MPH into a tree. He had no seat belt on and as such was thrown like a parcel around the cavernous interior of the van. His head penetrated the windshield. It took the Jaws of Life to extract him barely alive.

Justin was taken to the hospital and not expected to live. His identity was unknown as he carried no id and every bone in his face was broken. His chin was gone and he was unconscious.

The sound of the sirens came and went through Kelly’s mind as the day went on.

She had not heard from Justin since he left the hospital the night before. Then she began to try and find him. It seemed that he had vanished, which in a very real way, he had. Justin was in a coma where he would remain for months.

By evening Kelly was distraught. She called the local fire station to speak with Continued Next Page

Winter 2018

the paramedics about the accident. They knew Justin. Surely if it were him, they would know. They said that the man was a 33 year old male. Justin was 23 and surely they would have recognized him? After half the night and worried sick, Kelly went to the hospital with id and information that could help identify her son.

It was then that she realized that this bloated, broken and unconscious body on life support was in fact her son. She was told that if he survived, and that was a very faint “if”, she would not take home the same son that she knew the day prior.

Justin had been in rehab facilities at least 10 times over the years. He had attempted suicide 8 times. He would stay clean then slip and the dance continued with the only constant being the love and devotion of his family. And so how and why did this young man, a boy really, come to Vermont to find this dog? Justin’s Neuropsychologist said that he needed something for which to be responsible. He needed a purpose to get up every day and a reason to exercise and live. Something had to pull this boy out of the abyss and make him want to function.

Justin needed 38 plates to rebuild his face and ongoing physical therapy to learn everything; talking, walking, eating, writing and thinking. He had become a blank canvas upon which to write a new life. The question was, would anything make him want that life?

Justin’s brain sustained 4 Traumatic Brain Injuries in the collision. It simply did not perform on his command, or sometimes at all. In fact even the commands themselves were garbled.

His doctor told him that a dog would be perfect therapy. The caveat was that Justin was not allowed to have any help in finding the dog or navigating the process.

And so, there we are back at my desk and on the phone with Justin.

He saw Vinny on line and told his mother, “That’s my dog.” By this time they had met several dogs with whom there just was not a connection.

Justin filled out the application, endured my interview, (as did Kelly). I told them, “Vinny jumps on everyone, he pulls on the leash, if he gets lose he won’t come back, he can climb a house, he barks.....did I leave anything out? Kelly assured me that a trainer near their home had offered to work with any dog that Justin adopted for free. Now I must also add that Vinny had been accepted into the ProNature adoption program through Pet Food Warehouse.

In this program, the adoption fee is set at $400.00. If the rescue agrees to the reduced fee, ProNature pays the fee and supplies six months of food, and Pet Food Warehouse adds gift certificates an id tag and other adoption goodies.

When I shared this with Kelly she Winter 2018

burst into tears. Through her sobs she said, “This was just meant to happen, I am certain of it.” A date was set for mom and son to travel the 4 hours to Vermont.

It was a beautiful, sunny day close to the anniversary of the accident. Vinny was in the backyard loose so that we could gauge his reaction to Justin. The normal reaction would have been for him to run, fearing being caught.

As Justin approached Vinny, that dog dropped onto his back and just lay there.

This is where the Kleenex started flowing.

Vinny on his back! Justin looked up at his mom and said “I love him.” There were no words. None were needed. Palpable certainty is tough to argue with.

We had 30 minutes to get all the paperwork in order, drive to Pet Food Warehouse, get all the food and supplies and get them on the road.

It was a marathon shopping trip. As always, Pet Food Warehouse folks were beyond helpful. Shopping done and Vinny leaving imminent, Justin reached out to hug me. It was a true and solid hug as honest and real as every step of this journey had been thus far. Justin said, “You gave me the best day in my life since my accident.”

I could not speak choking back the emotion of this moment, this afternoon and beyond. Had I been able, I would have said to Justin and Kelly, Thank you for trusting us and sharing such a private and heart wrenching tragedy in your lives. Thank you for showing us hope for Vinny when we had nearly given up. Thank you for reminding us that there is a person for every dog, you just have to wait, and it could be a long wait. Thank you for breaking every criteria by which I look at an adoption application. We are all broken, most breaks are not visible to others, but breaks exist none the less. You took yours out for me to see and I am honored. Most importantly in this current crisis of addiction all over our country, thank you for shining a light on your journey through and beyond it.

Kelly reports that Justin is totally devoted to Vinny, he walks, feeds and grooms him. Vinny is now Buddy because Justin says that he is his best buddy for life. He spends every waking hour with Justin and sleeps with him.

I advised, the day of adoption that Justin crate Vinny when unsupervised.

In the moment he agreed, in fact promised. However, taken in by those soulful eyes that promise nothing but perfection, Justin decided that Buddy did not need to be crated when he was away from the house, and so left him out.

Suffice it to say that Buddy put his own spin on home decoration including no curtains in the windows, shredded pillows and why recycle when you have him?

The crate is back. Kelly also reports that although Justin is an addict, and always at

risk, that he has not used since adopting Buddy. This dog saved the boy as surely as the boy saved the dog.

So often in rescue we hear about how we save animals. This is a fuller story of how the they have the capacity save us and then some. We often have perceptions of how a dog “should be”. Truth is that they can save us just as they are. Justin’s struggles are for life, not only with addiction and depression, but with the capacity to function. His job is gone, his license is gone and his vision of his future being endless and guaranteed is gone. Kelly is clearly his rock. On that day of hearing the sirens and her wish for the pain of those involved to be minimal and fleeting, she had no idea that the wish was for her own son. Rather that day brought with it a life sentence of uncertainty of which she is acutely aware. Kelly sees the good that was always there in Justin. She sees the tempered youthfulness as good. She knows the statistics and chooses to take one day at a time, sometimes one hour. She also sees the joy in her sons eyes which had gone dark, when he interacts with Vinny.

“Vinny has brought him back to life and we thank you.” That for me is like being given a bag of gold then being thanked for taking it.

Dawna Pederzani is the Founder of Vermont English Bulldog Rescue and Bulldogs and Buddies.

www.4LegsAndATail.com 23

WORKING WITH MY PONY John R. Killacky

I

unhitch my Shetland and put her outside in a corral to cool down. As she grazes, I see in her the ancestral Mongolian ponies: compact muscularity, shaggy pelt, round belly, strong jaw, and deep-set eyes - plus her scrappy resiliency.

For six thousand years, horses adapted as a species. Once domesticated, they were essential to winning battles, opening trade routes, cultivating fields, heavy hauling, and transporting people. In 1900, there were more than 130,000 equines working in New York City alone – a far cry from the few carriage animals clopping through Central Park today.

Historically, horses were depicted in

24 4 Legs & a Tail

art as icons of nobility and military might, but perceptions change. Mythic no more, the Olympics and Triple Crown pursuits may remind the public of equestrian athleticism, but society now views our steeds primarily as playthings.

In Vermont, many kids enjoy summer pony camps and year-round lessons. The Green Mountain Horse Association has a full schedule of dressage, jumping, and driving competitions. There’s renewed interest in farming with horse-drawn equipment, and we see Morgans on leisurely drives with people in Sunday attire, occasional cross-country hunts, and of course, horses now retired grazing peacefully in pastures.

Despite diminished functionality, the equine population persists because of passionate bonds between creature and owner. Shakespeare aptly captures this in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” The sentiment is indeed true for me.

In eight years working with my pony, we forged a symbiotic partnership of trust, persistence, and achievement. Her job is to pull me in a cart, my job is to listen fully to her and provide for her well-being. Whinnies, nickers, neighs, snorts, and stomps let me know I still have much to learn.

I don’t often encounter other Shetland owners, but there’s a community of folks who drive Morgans, mini horses, and large drafts. We share tips at clinics, fairs, and stable visits. Trainers are important, but colleagues are essential for the daily tasks of animal care and maintaining equipment.

Most gratifying is the vivifying relationship with my pony. A successful drive has her legs dancing in a collected trot with mane flying as we cue off each other.

Afterward, she stands contentedly as I remove the tack. We both take delight in a job well done.

John R. Killacky is executive director of Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, VT. This commentary first aired on Vermont Public Radio.

Winter 2018

Winter 2018

www.4LegsAndATail.com 25

2018: The Year of the Dog A

ll those born between 2/16/181/04/19 (or during 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018), fall under the sign of the dog. The story goes that all the animals wanted to be a zodiac sign when the Jade Emperor decreed to select the twelve Chinese zodiac signs. According to the standard, however, only the animals helpful to human beings could be selected.

Therefore, all the animals came to the Jade Emperor to show their merits and prove that they were good assistants to human beings. Nevertheless, the origin of zodiac dog was related to the cat.

Legend goes that both the cat and the dog had a close relationship with humans. The cat thought the dog ate too much and slept in front of the door all day without any contribution while the dog thought the cat only ate the good food and did nothing but scare the rat all day. They argued and asked the Jade Emperor to decide which side was right.

The Jade Emperor asked the dog: “how much do you eat for a meal?” The dog honestly replied: “I watch the door and guard the house every day, and I eat a bowl of food for a meal.” Then, the Jade Emperor asked the cat: “what about

you?” On a sudden inspiration, the cat said: “I can chant scriptures and catch rat and I eat every meal an oil lamp of food for a meal.” The cat just wanted to tell the Jade Emperor tactfully that it not only ate an oil lamp of food, but also earned its own living by catching rat, so its contribution was bigger than the dog.

After listening to what the dog and the cat said, the Jade Emperor thought the cat eat less but did more and its contribution was bigger than the dog. The dog was very angry because the cat won it with a disgraceful lie.

Therefore, the dog abused and chased after the cat to bite it. The cat knew that it was in the wrong, so it kept running and dared not show up even in the home, hiding from place to place.

In selecting the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, however, the heavenly officers didn’t follow the Jade Emperor’s decree and they changed the rule: those first arrived animals would be the twelve Chinese zodiac signs.

The dog learned the news, so it came with the rooster to the Heavenly Palace when the cat was hiding away from it.

The rooster flew in front of the dog; the cat went out after the dog left and it learned that the dog had gone to the Heavenly Palace to participate in the competition of Chinese zodiac signs.

So, the cat ran to the Heavenly Palace in a hurry and ranked after the rooster.

Unexpectedly, the rat played a trick and hid in the ox’s horn, thus ranked first among the animal signs while the cat had no chance and was not selected*.

From then on, the cat hated the rat and killed rat whenever it found one.

Although the honest dog was selected successfully, it never forgave the cat. (* the cat is not on the list of Chinese zodiac animals but takes the place of the rabbit in the Vietnamese and Gurung Zodiacs)

Personality traits of those born during the Year of the Dog.

STRENGTHS

1. Simple, upright, straightforward, honest, modest, friendly, and make others feel reliable and safe.

2. Faithful to friends, go all out to do things, value morality and justice, compassionate, and would rather suffer losses than bother others.

3. Know black from white, dare to speak out from a sense of justice and hold the scales even, never make a concession for the right things they believe, never do the things violating the morality out of personal interest.

4. Having highly accurate intuition, and a strong predictive and judgment ability.

5. Quick off the mark, clever, quickminded, diligent, dedicated, loyal, conscientious and ambitious. Have great leadership ability, kindhearted, dedicatory, and prestigious.

WEAKNESSES

6. Hardly change mind once fall in love with someone.

1. Short-tempered, great emotional ups and downs, stubborn and like to display bravery.

2. Like to criticize others, theoryoriented but lack of action and judgment in reality.

3. Argumentative, suspicious, picky and tend to be blind.

4. Highly dependent, suffer from imaginary fears, and sometimes self-reclusive and silent inexplicably.

26 4 Legs & a Tail

Winter 2018

Marmaduke: The Story Kate Kelly © 2017 UFS/Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS

M

Brad entered Syracuse University under the GI bill.

The focus of his studies was marketing, but his love continued to be cartooning.

Brad kept thinking, drawing, and sending out cartoons. During this time, he made several sales to two of the bigger markets—Collier’s Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post.

After receiving his diploma, Brad Anderson knew he’d better take a “real job” until he was certain he could make it full time as a cartoonist. He worked in public relations and advertising for a Marmaduke Makes Readers Laugh time, but freelance sales continued. He Whether it’s Marmaduke trying to order and Barb decided that he could undertake from the ice cream truck or Marmaduke cartooning full-time. Grandpa’s Boy was taking up all the space on the family bed, his first strip, though he continued to sell the Andersons have maintained an unfail- single panels. offerings. Marmaduke is a very popular ing commitment to making the world a part of their Comics section. little brighter and more fun every day.

Marmaduke’s Real Family While Marmaduke is notable for many Barb and Brad Anderson began famreasons, one aspect of the cartoon that ily life in upstate New York, living near separates Marmaduke from other animal Niagara Falls. They were eventually to have comics is that Marmaduke is truly a dog. three sons and a daughter. In the early This lovable Great Dane needs no word 1960s, the Andersons moved to southern balloons. The Andersons—both father and California and settled in Escondido. son–have perfected the art of dog facial In a phone interview with Paul expressions and expressive bodily poses.

Anderson, he says that while they were One glance at the day’s panel, and any growing up, Marmaduke was just a part reader knows exactly what Marmaduke of the fabric of family life. He said what is thinking about. It’s sure to elicit a grin was different in those days was having a or even a laugh. dad at home.

How Marmaduke Came About Brad was always happy with his work Brad Anderson (1924-2015) grew up arrangement, and it was truly a family in Portland, New York. His father was an affair. Wife Barb took care of the business inventor and sold farm machinery. Brad end of things. She also helped with a part Creates Dog Character had exposure to what had been his father of the shading process that at that time and grandfather’s business, but his earliest When Anderson decided to create a dog had to be done by hand. cartoon, his first creation was a shaggy dog interest was in drawing. From a very young Brad Anderson traveled everywhere age, he had a pencil in his hand and was in cartoons he sold to a farm magazine. with a pen and notepad. Occasionally, the From this experience, he learned someoften sketching out ideas for cartoons. family would be in another car on their In high school, he contributed comics thing about animal-drawing. A short-haired Continued Next Page to the school paper, but he was also send- dog could be more expressive. He knew ing out cartoons to consumer magazines. any dogs in his future would not have long In 1939, when Brad was only 15, he sold hair. his first cartoon. The sale was to Flying The next dog was modeled after a goofy boxer his parents owned. “My father would Aces magazine.

As World War II loomed, Brad Anderson, sometimes put him in a necktie or put a like other young men his age, enlisted scarf on him. He didn’t seem to mind” in the military. He joined the Navy. He Brad Anderson told the Dallas Morning started as a machinist, but at only 19, he News in 1999. was assigned to be Acting Chief in charge But as Anderson further developed his of the engine room. His ship was in the character, he wanted an even bigger, goofier Pacific Theater where his unit saw a lot pet. He selected the Great Dane.

When he first sold a Marmaduke panel of action. in 1954, only eight newspapers carried it, After the War but the character grew in popularity. Today When he finished in the military, he there is no diminishing of interest. While returned and married his high school some newspapers have shed their comic sweetheart, Barbara. Together the two pages, Andrews McMeel Syndication, runs moved to Syracuse, New York, where an active and popular website with many Winter 2018 www.4LegsAndATail.com 27

armaduke made his first appearance in the newspaper comic pages in 1954. Since that time, Brad Anderson, who created the strip, and Paul Anderson, his son who joined the business in 2004, have never repeated a single panel. Despite a library of 63 years’ worth of daily panels and Sunday strips, readers are given brand new Marmaduke stories daily.

Marmaduke lives with the Winslow family, and all his dog capers involve his family, their neighbors, and anyone who happens into Marmaduke’s orbit.

way home. They would pass him pulled off to the side of the road…head down.

“We stopped a few times, but then we learned that he simply pulled out of traffic to capture something before the idea was lost,” says Paul.

One of his father’s friends once asked Brad, ‘Why don’t you say much?’” Paul says his father’s reply was “If I’m talking, then I’m not watching and listening.”

Follow Your Dreams As the children grew up, Paul Anderson says, “My father always believed we should each follow our own dreams. He was supportive of whatever we decided to do.”

Paul’s dream was to serve in the Air Force. He graduated from college and then joined the Air Force. He served for twenty years, leaving the service as a Lieutenant Colonel.

The Anderson Dogs So what dogs provided inspiration over the last 63 years?

Paul Anderson said that his family has always owned many pets, including cats and fish and chickens. When it came to dogs, they brought home dogs of all types— all of whom “helped” with the strip.

It wasn’t until everyone was grown that sister Christine decided it was time to add Great Danes. She owned several, but one named Marmaladee she gave to her parents.

Reportedly, Marmaladee did a good job of

being a Marmaduke kind of dog.

Paul has always kept dogs and now has a standard poodle who often provides material for him to work from.

Marmaduke and the Future In 1994 Brad and Barb moved to Texas to be closer to where their children and grandchildren lived. And Paul, too, came to Texas to be near family.

With four siblings, how did Paul Anderson become the one who joined the business to carry on the Marmaduke legacy?

“Dad loved the work. He never talked about retirement. Every morning he got up and went to his studio,” says Paul. “He was certainly not worrying about a succession plan.”

“The four of us talked, and one of my brothers said, ‘Paul, you’re the one of us who can do it.’”

Paul had the right combination of artistic talent combined with an accommodating personality where he could ease in without causing upset.

Discussing Marmaduke’s Future Paul continues: “I brought up the idea of my joining him and why. My dad’s first reaction was ‘Hmmm.’ He clearly hadn’t given it any thought.

“But after a bit, he decided, ‘why not?”

From there, Paul began his “apprenticeship” under his father. “I began with gag-writing, and moved more slowly into

the art of the illustrations.”

“One day we were going back through some of the old files, and I saw some of my first illustrations,” Paul continues. “I was horrified, and asked how he let them go through?”

His father very patiently answered, “Why you were just developing. I knew there was no need to stop you.”

“Throughout, he was the most wonderful, patient mentor,” said Paul.

Marmaduke Today Most cartoonists work several months ahead. Because Brad Anderson so loved his work, he kept creating, regardless of the date or what was due. Though Brad died over two years ago, Paul is still working off the new original comic strip panels that Brad outlined for the Sunday color strip before he died.

Paul creates all the daily panels from scratch. He uses a digital drawing tablet.

This permits him to still draw freehand, but some of the layering and shading can be done more quickly. And of course, delivery to the editor is eased by working digitally.

For both Brad and Paul, one of the true joys of Marmaduke’s fame is getting letters from readers. Most letters are from readers sharing stories of their own beloved pets.

“It’s always fun to receive them.”

But particularly during the days when children opened up the newspaper and spread out the comic pages on the floor, teachers would write saying that some of their students used Marmaduke to learn to read.

Many Awards and a Marmaduke Library Over the course of Marmaduke’s 63 years, the Andersons have received many awards. Brad was presented the National Cartoonists Society’s 1978 Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award, and in 2013, he received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award. There have been many other recognitions as well.

Brad Anderson’s family wanted the Marmaduke collection to be housed in a place where it would be accessible to cartoonists and researchers. They selected the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University.

The Joy of Marmaduke Paul said that his father used to tell people, “I am so fortunate I can do what I love and make a living at it.” From the joy in Paul’s voice as we talked about Marmaduke, I would say he feels the same way.

This article first appeared on the website, www.americacomesalive.com America Comes Alive publishes more stories about American dogs and other animals. Visit the website and sign up for “American Dogs” to receive the stores in your In Box. Or email Kate Kelly at kate@americacomesalive.com

28 4 Legs & a Tail

Winter 2018

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Northern VT & NH Winter 2018

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