Lowcountry Dog Magazine- Aug Sept 2018 by Lowcountry Dog Magazine

Issue No. 18 • AUG/SEPT 2018 • DIGITAL

Life of an Instagram Celebrity

Celebs Behaving... actually good!

ADOPTABLE DOGS!

A Tribute to Richard "Box" Bachschmidt

Meet the Pack PUBLISHER Brian Foster brian@lowcountrydog.com CHIEF CANINE OFFICER Peanut EDITORIAL COLUMNIST Alicia Williams AD SALES ASSISTANT Abbie Allen abbie@lowcountrydog.com SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT Izzy Selert STAFF WRITERS Julie Murray Kelly Glasson COPY EDITOR Chelsea Bradford PHOTOGRAPHER Southern Vintage Photography

We believe that our dogs are our best friends, and that’s why we need a reliable source to turn to for information on all things “dog” in our community. Our mission is to be the number one Charleston area resource for dog owners regarding regional dog-centric and dogwelcoming events, health & wellness information, dog training, trends, and local news. We also strive to be a mouthpiece to the public for various Lowcountry-based pet nonprofits, and we promote pet adoption and other responsible pet care practices. Founded in Charleston, South Carolina in 2005 as a print magazine, we re-launched in 2015 as an online publication. In 2016 we updated our website to continue our mission to be the best dog friendly resource in the Lowcountry.

RESCUE SPOTLIGHT PRODUCER Palmetto Coast Media WEB DEVELOPER & CONSULTANT Laura Olsen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JR Johnson Wolf Dr Meredith Jones Lauren Burke

Sniff Us out!

CONTENTS COVER STORY

GIA'S WORLD: LIFE OF AN INSTAGRAM CELEBRITY FEATURES PEANUT TIPS- DO DOGS

04 EXPERIENCE THE SAME

SLEEP CYCLES AS HUMANS? SIT, STAY, BEHAVE-HOW DO

06 YOU TALK TO YOUR PUP? AND WELLNESS10 HEALTH INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

14 PEACE, LOVE & REAL TALK 26 CELEBRITIES BEHAVING... ANIMAL ADVOCATE: 32 RICHARD 'BOX" BACHSCHMIDT RESCUE SPOTLIGHTS &

34 GO GREEN: ADOPTABLE DOGS

Celebrities Behaving... Page 26

Page 32

Do dogs experience the same sleep cycles 's t u n as humans? Pea s Tip

Like humans and other mammals, dogs progress through different stages of sleep. Also like us, dogs experience REM sleep.

The main difference between dog sleep and human sleep is how much time they spend in the different stages, as well as a dog’s tendency to sleep in bursts throughout the day. Dogs tend to experience sleep-wake cycles of 16 minutes asleep, 5 minutes awake – quite the contrast with our typical sleep-wake cycle of 7 to 9 hours asleep, 15 to 17 hours awake.

When dogs fall asleep, they enter deep sleep. Their breathing and heart rate slow while their blood pressure drops. About 10 minutes in, they enter REM sleep and dream like humans. You can often identify this stage because their eyes roll under their eyelids, and they may start twitching in their sleep as they dream of chasing after squirrels.

Since dogs are always on the alert to protect their pack from intruders, they’re able to wake more easily. It’s common for them to wake up before completing a full sleep-wake cycle, from deep to REM sleep. As a result, scientists estimate they need to sleep more often overall in order to get their sufficient amount of REM.

SOURCE: tuck.com/deep-sleep/

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Sit, Stay...Behave!

Written by JR Johnson Wolf, Lead Trainer of Charleston Dog Wizard

How do you

TALK to Your Pup?

As a dog-trainer for years now, I’ve noticed dog owners have a wide range of sounds and techniques used to communicate with their pups. From a high pitched nasal voice to coo-ing, clapping, and the forever useful “game-show/dolphin buzzer noise (annhe eeh ennhh eeen uunnnh!)” , dog owners make sounds to indicate a moment when a pup is making a moderate mistake. The point of this article is to help dog-owners better understand communication and the cues they are giving to their pup when they are not “speaking to them”. image by Pexels

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To begin this conversation, understand that pups are equally working animals as well as companion animals. It should also be noted that the distinction between these two labels is most evident when a pup is making a mistake OR when the family is showing their pup affection. Families will find themselves seamlessly alternating between imitating what their dog’s inner thoughts and “voice” must sound like with voice-impressions, praise and petting to yelling and raising their voice to get their pup to give the new houseguest some personal space or to stop chewing. The common household communicates with their pup from a place of companionship the majority of their day. This is only an issue when the parent switches tones/communication styles in an attempt to gain more compliance from the pup. The parent has spent 90% of the day treating the pup as an “equal and an independent being/roommate/humanchild” only to switch into a tone of authority and commands for a small amount of the day. The vast differences in the time of use between companion language and command language causes communication imbalances. That high imbalance is what creates the biggest obstacles for dog owners who are lacking structure and obedience in their pups.

Simply put, if your dog is accustomed to doing whatever they please, you are going to have a tougher time getting your pup into a working frame of mind and you shouldn’t be surprised that the pup is following their impulses. Instead, intentionally spread REAL working commands and scenarios throughout your dogs day. Sitting longer and longer durations for meals/treats is a just a start. This will invigorate and maintain the obedience bond that you share with your pup because they will come to expect your level of work and expectations rising to meet them. Make your day with your pup 50/50 (companion language vs work language) whenever possible. See you guys on the happy side of the leash!

Health

Integrative Medicine

Written by Dr. Meredith Jones, DVM Qi. Yin. Yang. Shen. Jing. Five Elements. Meridians. You might be thinking, “sounds like a completely different language” and you would actually be correct in your assumption. These are Chinese words used to describe different aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This form of medicine has been practiced for centuries on both human and animal patients. Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) is the ancient veterinary practice that uses a combination of acupuncture, herbal formulas, diet, and Tui-na (massage) to treat patients. Eastern medicine differentiates greatly from Western (modern) Medicine.

Wellness

Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Just like anything “new”, a lot of questions are often brought up in regards to its authenticity. This is a quick and very basic break down of TCVM. Eastern medicine is based on an ideology that the body (human or animal) is a smaller replica of an intricate and larger surrounding universe in which Qi plays a very important role. Qi can be defined as an essential life energy or life force that makes up the body and is necessary for any action or reaction both positive and negative. Without enough Qi, one cannot survive. The ideology of yin-yang is another component of TCVM. lowcountry dog 10

This is the thought that there is an equal and opposite force for all things; for example, light to dark, hot to cold, white to black. All these opposing forces mold and transform each other in order to keep a balance. TCVM divides life into five seasons: spring, summer, late summer, autumn and winter. The five seasons parallel the Five Elements which consist of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. As the world passes through the seasons, all life forms also pass through the individual seasons of life. Each season of life can be attributed to one of the Five Elements. Similarly, each season and element is associated with specific parts of the body. Everything in TCVM is very intricately and delicately intertwined; very little change affects something whether good or bad. For example, the summer season is associated with the Wood personality/element, and both are associated with the heart and Shen (mind). Western medicine uses more hypothetical deduction through the use of diagnostics (bloodwork, cytology, radiographs, etc) to make an appropriate diagnosis. Eastern medicine uses a more inductive method by looking at patterns and imbalances causing disease or discord in the body. Individual characteristics such as age, sex, energy levels, personality and environment are used in combination with the symptoms to help pinpoint a diagnosis. The animal as a whole is treated versus treating a symptom.

The word “holistic” sometimes has a negative stigma attached to it, but TCVM is a more natural way of treating disease. It looks at the animal as a whole and diagnoses the underlying cause of disease. Generally, chronic conditions can benefit more from the use of TCVM and it will usually help the animal more than it will do any harm. There are positives and negatives to both ways of practicing, however, WVM and TCVM compliment each other very successfully. TCVM is more natural and less invasive whereas WVM uses modern medicine and is more capable of isolating specific disease, bacteria or viruses and uses faster-acting, heavier hitting modern modalities. There are four different modalities that can be used with TCVM which include acupuncture, herbal medication, diet and Tui-na (Chinese massage). Acupuncture is the most common modality used currently and is very safe when practiced by a CVA (certified veterinary acupuncturist). The way the acupuncture works in regards to the TCVM ideology is very complicated. However, the basic science behind it is in the acupuncture needle, which causes a micro-trauma where it is placed. When there is an inciting force, or micro-trauma that causes an inflammatory response in the body, it in turn causes a release of afferent alpha fibers, increases serotonin release and increases beta-endorphin release.

In other words, this is a very efficient and natural response to pain which as a result provides relief. In combination with the other TCVM modalities, this can be a wonderful way to provide pain relief and treat chronic conditions. An “integrative veterinary clinic” is one that combines the use of WVM and TCVM. Eastern medicine maybe centuries old but is still relatively new to the Western world. As it has continued to grow, more studies are being completed that are showing its effectiveness by itself and in combination with Western medicine. Of course, there are still naysayers and those that label Eastern medicine as “voo-doo” and “quackery.”

At one point in time, there was probably the same thought about antibiotics! As Eastern medicine teaches, there is an equal and opposite force to everything. Western medicine and Eastern medicine ebb and flow together to complement and balance each other. This has only been a very tiny introduction to TCVM but hopefully it has provided a little more understanding about the practice. It is a very different way of practicing medicine, but when done right it can be extremely beneficial. If your fourlegged animal of any kind has a condition you have been treating for a while with only some success, why not give Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine a try?

Sources: 1) Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Fundamental Principles, 2nd Edition, by Husheng Xie, Vanessa Preast. 2) http://www.tcvm.com/About/WhatisTCVM.aspx

"Things I'm tired of hearing for 600, Alex!" PART TWO

If you can recall in the last issue, I wrote a list of common phrases within animal rescue that I, personally, absolutely despise. Well ladies and gentleman, here is part two of that list. Enjoy. “Does this dog bark?” Well, it certainly doesn’t meow. Why must this question be asked? It is because you possibly can’t be bothered by a “woof?” If that’s the case, please do not sign up to be a dog owner. Some dogs bark non-stop, some dogs bark when afraid, and some dogs bark when they’re playing. My point? Dogs bark. Other questions that I also put in this category include: “Does this dog shed?” and “Is this dog house trained?” Every kind of dog is going to leave some type of hair around your home and you can count on that almost every pup is going to have at least one accident indoors. The best thing to do is to have incredibly low expectations with your lowcountry dog 14

canine. That way, whenever something mediocre happens – it’ll be a great celebration and you’ll have the goodest boy or the goodest girl an owner could ask for. “I don’t want to spay/neuter my pet because I’m not spayed/neutered.” This is ignorance at its finest. People (ehem, mostly men) say this because they don’t want to have their man card revoked, like if they have their male dog altered, then they (men) must have their balls chopped off too. This makes sense, right? WRONG. Listen fellas, nobody in their right mind thinks this. I know, I know some male out there is throwing a fit because women aren’t addressed in this blurb. Just to be clear though, I’ve never heard a woman say anything remotely close to this. However, if there are women out there who think that it is their dog’s “natural duty” to be able to reproduce – please think again. There is nothing “natural” about

euthanizing animals due to overpopulation, and that’s what is going to happen, just because some human foolishly believes this egotistical nonsense. In fact, it is the healthiest option for your pet to be fixed (and if you don’t believe me, just Google it). This paragraph summed up: spay and neuter your animals. Thank you. “Praying!” I absolutely believe in the power of prayer. I am truly touched by those who keep us animal rescuers in their thoughts and send us positive vibes. Sometimes “I’ll pray for you” just isn’t enough. A Huffpost article I read the other day by Tyler Speegle puts it perfectly: “Prayer should always be part of the equation, but at times, it’s not the final solution. At times, God calls on us to do more than pray. He calls us to act.” These actions can be as simple as a donation, volunteering to foster, stepping up to transport, and/or helping out at an event. Please always pray for us, but do for us too! “I bought my dog from a responsible breeder.” I have a very radical opinion when it comes to this. Yes, I am antibreeder – no matter how “responsible” they may be. I know I’ve said this multiple times, but as long as there are animals being put down due to overcrowding, there is no such thing as “responsible” breeding. I understand people want a certain type of dog and blah blah blah, but that certain type of dog can be rescued. A dog is out there that “needs” you. Be patient, and you’ll be a hero.

“I don’t support kill shelters.” I understand that it may seem best to support a shelter that claims that they are “no kill,” but the truth of the matter is that ALL shelters are kill shelters. Some shelters may have a higher living rate than others, but at the end of the day, animals end up being euthanized for faults that are not their own. Besides, if we don’t support the animals inside of these kill shelters – how will any of them make it out? It’s important to help all animals, no matter the rescue/shelter – and it’s important for rescues/shelters to support one another. This isn’t a competition. We all have the same goal. Being deemed “kill” or “no kill” shouldn’t really matter, the animals inside need us and we need do what’s best for them. “What’s the breed?” When a dog available for adoption is clearly a mutt, please stop asking what kind of breed it is. I understand that you want to know what kind of DNA is behind the pup you’re adopting – but at the end of the day does it REALLY matter? It definitely shouldn’t. Stop using animals as a status symbol and start doing something for the better good. Adopting/rescuing a dog isn’t about you, it’s about them. Take him or her home, love them, make them feel safe, and you’ll realize how insignificant their breed is. That’s a wrap from me! I hope to be back next issue with new material – and not a part three of this list. XOXO

ENTER HERE

About the Cover Gia the Toy Poodle won our 2018 Cover Contest with over 1400 votes. Gia is quite the Instagram celebrity with over 14,000 followers. Her momager, Lauren, posts daily about Gia's adventures in downtown Charleston and trips around town. We thought it would be the perfect setting to do her photo shoot downtown at some of most iconic and scenic spots that Charleston has to offer!

Life of a Instagram Celebrity: @tinytoygia lowcountry dog Â 18

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2018 Cover Model Winner

Hi furiends! My name is Gia and I’m a four-pound black tiny toy poodle. I was born on February 23rd, 2017. My Gotcha Day is on April 25th, 2017. That is the most special day to me because that is the day when my hooman Mommy and Daddy came to get me! At first, they were told to go with another one of my more social siblings, but I came up to my Mommy and played with her like the lady had never seen. My Mommy and Daddy chose me out of the bunch that day and the rest is history! I’m now almost a year and a half old and wow, it’s already been one heck of a journey! I should’ve known something was up when my Mommy was dressing me up after a month of getting me home, hehe. I love wearing clothes and dressing up though, so it’s rare to catch me ‘nakey’. Photos by J Michael Walker

My Mommy started teaching me tricks when I came home too, besides playing dress up and going for our daily walkies and outings. During this time, she decided to start a YouTube channel for me called ‘Gia’s World’ created for dog lovers everywhere. The channel has videos such as DIY recipes and projects, life hacks, training and trick videos. The first video posted was me doing 18 tricks at 18 weeks old. After gaining over 1,000 subscribers, we decided to create an Instagram page for me: @tinytoygia. Our Instagram journey started on October 5th, 2017. Since then we have made over 14,000 furiends, and we wouldn’t trade them for the world! We had no idea when starting Instagram that we would be making true lifelong furiends to share each other’s special moments with! This platform has also given me the opportunity to pursue my modeling career. My dream is to travel the world for special shoots and to model for brands such as Ellen DeGeneres’ dog line and PetSmart. One thing is for sure, we wouldn’t be where we are or doing what we’re doing without all of our furiends love and support! There are not words to tell you how much you all mean to us, truly. We would also like to give a huge thank you to Lowcountry Dog for this pawmazing opportunity to grace your magazine and to Southern Vintage Photography for capturing these special moments!

Meet my momager! She’s my account manager, photographer, editor, creator, stylist and groomer, but most importantly she’s my loving Mommy. It’s safe to say we’re attached like glue and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Make sure to follow all of my adventures and join my paw patrol by following me: Instagram: @tinytoygia YouTube: Giaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Worldâ&#x20AC;?

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Written by Julie Murray

CELEBS BEHAVING ACTUALLY GOOD!

Most of the time, celebrities are in the news for their latest feuds, spending ridiculous amounts of money on a wedding that lasts 3 months or getting in trouble and buying their way out. Normally I would say celeb behavior is not something to emulate - unless you’re talking about the people I’m going to tell you about here! These people aren’t afraid of having an “imperfect” dog or standing up for a misunderstood breed.

Arbuckle the Cattle Dog had a rough start to life. He was found abandoned in a field and could barely walk. Because of an untreated thyroid disorder, he weighed 130 pounds when he should have weighed around 50 pounds. (!!) Thankfully, a local rescue saved him but he still had a long way to go and the journey to health was not going to be easy. Even after he lost the weight, he was going to need surgery for the pressure sores on his belly and would need daily medication for his thyroid disorder. Lucky for Arbuckle, comedian Jane Lynch saw him on social media and instantly knew she had to help him in spite of the hurdles she knew he would face in his journey to health. lowcountry dog 26

Arby now lives with Jane, her partner and their other rescues and is getting better by the day. When he first came to live with her, Arbuckle could barely walk three steps and was so depressed. Slowly, he began to lose weight due to a careful diet and controlled exercise. Now he is down almost 40 pounds, is happier than ever and can *almost* run like the wind! You can follow him on Instagram at @allaboutarbuckle to see his magical new life with his wonderful family. Another celeb who is known for her love of animals and rescuing is Kaley Cuoco from the Big Bang Theory. Kaley got seriously involved in animal rescue about 10 years ago when she found out that pit bulls were suffering from the dangerous stereotypes being spread by the media and uneducated members of the public. She realized how amazing pit bull type dogs were and shortly after that, advocating for them became one of her passions. When other celebrities were buying $4000 “designer” dogs, Kaley was adopting two pit bull mixes named Norman and Shirley, followed shortly after by a scruffy mutt named Ruby. She is putting her $1 million per episode salary to good use by supporting local rescues, giving homes to many “discarded” animals and lowcountry dog 26 donating to animal welfare

organizations. Last Christmas, she donated $200 for each animal that was adopted from a network of local shelters during the holiday season and partnered with Bark Box to promote her campaign.In a culture where marriages, designer clothes and commitments are disposable, Kaley is a shining example of using her celebrity for good and promoting loyalty, tolerance and giving to animals who would otherwise be overlooked for being old, imperfect or undesirable. While researching this article, I surprisingly found out that many celebrities take animal welfare in the movies very seriously as well. Betty White actually turned down a movie role one time when she found out there was going to be a scene where a puppy was tossed down a laundry chute. When footage was released showing a terrified German Shepherd being forced into water during the filming of A Dog’s Purpose, many celebs publicly voiced their opinions condemning cruelty to animals. And we’ve all seen those ads from PETA where movie and tv stars say they would rather go naked than wear fur. It may take a bit more digging around to find these kind of stories but it’s worth it - hearing about celebrities using their popularity to promote love and kindness to animals makes me believe there’s hope for our reality TV, pop culture obsessed society.

Animal Cruelty Happens Everyday

There is one

group who fights

for those who

SUPPORT have no voice...

valiantanimalrescue.org

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Written by Julie Murray

A Tribute to a Pawsome Guy Every now and then, you get to meet someone who is the definition of cool, fun, magnetic, rebellious and kind. It’s a one in a million chance but then again, Richard “Box” Bachschmidt was a one in a million guy. He was the voice of Charleston for almost 15 years on 105.5 The Bridge - as recognizable and as ingrained in our city as sweetgrass baskets and church steeples. Sadly, we lost Box in June and things will never be the same. In this issue,

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we pay tribute to Box and remember all the good times, rad music and general awesomeness he gave to this city. I first met Box when I worked at a local animal shelter and had to take a dog to the radio station for a short segment promoting the adoptable animal of the week. You could tell how much he loved animals the second I walked into the booth - he immediately got down on the floor and let the pup give him kisses. His face just lit up.

I don’t know if I could have thought of anything more adorable than a hardcore tatted up DJ melting like butter at the sight of a wiggly butt puppy. Box was a huge advocate for the rescue community and I could tell that he would have taken home each and every animal I brought in if he could. His relationship with the animal rescue community in Charleston was longstanding and well known. Not surprisingly, the second time he came into my life was when I ran into him at one of our adoption events earlier this year and introduced him to our LCDM publisher, Brian. That began a fast friendship and before I knew it, Box and Brian were making big plans for the future - events, radio spots and partnership ideas - all in their quest to help homeless animals. It’s not often you see two big burly dudes who love metal bands sitting around talking about their love and compassion for dogs - you could just see the ideas and sparks flying in the air! In typical kind fashion, Box agreed to emcee our annual May The Dogs Be With You event held at the Firefly Distillery and Deepwater Vineyard out on Wadmalaw Island.

The turnout was amazing, thanks in part to Box’s popularity and spreading the word to his fan base. That day, he seemed to be in heaven with all of the dogs surrounding him and many fans approached him for photos and to shake his hand. That was the last time I saw him and it is a truly great memory of a great guy. Box, we know you’re somewhere rockin’ out hard to Slayer while being cuddled by a massive pile of puppies. We miss you - thanks for all you did for our rescue community and for being an amazing point of light in our city’s history. xoxo Julie Murray Richard "Box" Bachschmidt 1974-2018

Most people reading this probably have a dog or two laying around on their sofas/beds/directly on their lap (in my case). You know the feeling of sleeping in and relaxing on the weekend and watching Netflix with your four-legged friends. If this is something you are looking for, you may not know it but a greyhound could be the couch potato of your dreams! I spoke with Dana Nutter, President of the Charleston chapter of Greyhound Pets of America (GPA), and she told me all about this gentle and loving breed. GPA is a national organization that was founded in 1987 to help racing greyhounds find homes after retirement. South Carolina has 2 chapters that place dogs in Columbia, and along the coast from North Carolina all the way down to Savannah. Their stance on the racing industry in general is very diplomatic and pragmatic. Dana said “National GPA and all of the chapters take a neutral stance on the racing industry [because] we would rather work with trainers/kennel workers/owners to get the hounds when they retire versus working against the racing industry...Our mission is to connect the retired racer with the most appropriate family.”

Learn more by clicking here

Izzy- B2TR

Brutus- B2TR sponsored by

Norton- B2TR

Roger- B2TR

Credence GPA

Detective GPA

Mickey- GPA

Tenderfoot- GPA

Hi Noon Dinero- GPA

Lichita- GPA

Tempo RInger- GPA

Tony- GPA

H.F. Help was founded in 1982 by two military veterans, Wes and Mary Collins. Wes served in the US Navy and fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Mary also served in the Navy as a Physical Therapy Nurse. They named the rescue after Major Harvey Fine, a German Shepard who saved the lives of Wes and his crew in Vietnam when he alerted them to an impending attack upon their Army Transport vessel. The bond between man and dog was so strong that Wes brought Maj. Fine back to Charleston with him after his last deployment at the U.S. Naval Station Sangley Point in the Republic of the Philippines. According to documentation found by volunteer Chris Maiden at the shelter, Maj. Fine traveled all the way from the Philippines to San Francisco, to Atlanta and finally ended up in Charleston where he was destined to become the inspiration for Wes and Mary’s rescue. H.F. Help’s mission is to rescue dogs from high-kill shelters that are on the euthanasia list. In some cases, these dogs may have only hours to live when H.F. Help comes in and saves them. Once they arrive at the shelter, the dogs can take comfort, knowing that they will never again have to worry about a place to live, food in their bellies or a roof over their head. Wes and Mary insisted that each dog could remain at the shelter until they were adopted and this is a practice that is carried on to this day.

Learn more by clicking here

Julep- CCR

Rojo- CCR