Volume 4 • Number 3
Summer 2015
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The Dog & Hound
Summer 2015
Summer 2015
P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 •
www.TheDogAndHound.com • Editor@TheDogAndHound.com
Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 4 • Number 3
T
here are many wonderful things about putting together The Dog & Hound. One is that the office is in a building on our farm, which means that we can bring the dogs with us to work every day. I think we have one of the most dog friendly offices anywhere. There is a dog bed under every desk, one by the door, and a few more scattered here and there. The dogs come and go as they please. Whenever we need a break, we take a walk with them. Sometimes we go down to the frog pond where they take a swim to cool off, or to fetch a stick. It’s relaxing to see them enjoying themselves in that wholehearted way dogs have. Another wonderful thing is that the paper gives us the excuse to meet so many interesting people who are doing impressive things with and for dogs. In this issue we have articles about a few of them. For instance, on Memorial Day weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with Matthew Kiener, a pilot who founded the nonprofit organization FlyPups, based in New Jersey. FlyPups has an admirable mission: rescue dogs by flying them from where they are not wanted to where they are. Matthew was at the Aiken Regional Airport to pick up a load of 21 Georgia and South Carolina puppies that were bound for Home for Good Dogs Rescue in his home state. I got to meet the puppies – all adorable, all discarded – and some of the people who saved them. These are people on the front lines of rescue efforts in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), people who go into the old-fashioned rural dog pounds to save what they can, or travel to remote houses in the countryside where people have moved away and left their pets behind. They have climbed into dumpsters to rescue puppies, and taken them out of the gutter. These rescuers, working dog-by-dog, are foot soldiers
Summer 2015
in the battle to improve animal welfare in this country. This is a movement that has surged ahead in some areas of the country, but lagged behind in others. The South is definitely an area that is behind. But, thanks to the efforts of people such as Willene Colvin from STARS (Save The Animals Rescue Society) in Augusta and Donna Bramblett, who is the president of Jenkins County Furever Friends in Millen, Georgia, there is hope that treatment and care of dogs in the CSRA will one day enter the 21st century. In a completely different vein, this issue gave me the chance to visit with the folks at Harrison K-9 Security Systems, which is based in Aiken. Harrison K-9 imports, trains and sells extraordinary German Shepherd personal protection dogs. The company has an international reputation and clientele, selling dogs to some of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industry (They have signed nondisclosure agreements, so they can’t tell you exactly who their clients are, but you can take a guess at a few of them, and they are big.) I have known about Harrison K-9 since 2011 when they made the national news after selling a champion dog for the staggering sum of $230,000. Most of the dogs aren’t anywhere close to that expensive, but they do typically cost more than the average car. We met a few of the dogs, and they are amazing: royally bred, impeccably trained, beautiful and well-cared for. They are most likely destined to live in mansions and fly in private planes. It was fascinating to get to know them and watch them work. We have a number of other articles for you, and we hope you enjoy them. We love making the Dog & Hound because we love dogs, whether they are South Carolina ditch dogs (we have a few of those) or German Shepherds from the best bloodlines (not yet!) The paper gives us the chance, the excuse and the space to tell all their stories. Hold onto the Summer issue and make it last – our publication schedule doesn’t call for another issue until our Fall edition in October. Until then, go have fun with your dogs. If you have a story, or know of one, don’t hesitate to drop us an email. We want to be your dog newspaper.
The Dog and Hound EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll ADVERTISING 803.643.9960 editor@thedogandhound.com PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll
Going Out Of Town? Don’t miss future issues of The Dog and Hound. We will send you a one year subscription (4 issues) for $14.00. Just send us a check or credit card number & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 editor@thedogandhound.com Or sign up on the web at www.TheDogandHound.com
About the Cover
Our cover shows Juna, a highly trained protection dog at Harrison K-9 in Aiken. Harrison K-9 specializes in importing and selling personal protection dogs to an international clientele. Read more about it on page 12. Photography by Gary Knoll
Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher
The Dog and Hound Policies: The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers, editors, or the policies of The Aiken Horse, LLC. The Dog and Hound is owned by The Aiken Horse, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
All contents Copyright 2015 The Dog and Hound
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Table of Contents 6
Dog News
8
Fun with Terriers
12 Harrison K-9 15 Breaking the Chain
Page 12
18 FlyPups to the Rescue 22 Dog Gone
Page 18
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Dog News by Pam Gleason
Clara Bark-on
A
iken’s Memorial Day parade is a rousing community event, attracting crowds of spectators to watch a procession of veterans’ groups, marching bands, politicians and their supporters, fire companies, local businesses and anyone else who enjoys being in the spotlight. This year’s parade included at least three local animal welfare groups, the Albrecht SPCA Center for Animal Welfare, FOTAS (Friends of the Animal Shelter) and PAWS (Palmetto Animal Welfare Services.) All three organizations had an impressive contingent of marchers, and they were unanimous in saying that the parade was an excellent public relations event for them, giving them the chance to spread information about spay and neuter, as well as to showcase adoptable animals. All three organizations have flagship vehicles decorated with custom artwork, which does a good job of making people stop and look. The Albrecht Center and FOTAS both have beautiful vans that enable them to transport animals to and from their facilities and to carry out various other tasks, all while promoting their activities around town. These vehicles led the organizations in the parade, adding to their presence and making it easier for volunteers to distribute educational materials and information. The vehicle that attracted the most attention was the blue ambulance driven by Joya DiStefano and her husband Michael. Joya is the founder of PAWS, and the parade marked the debut of “Clara Bark-on,” named in honor of Clara Barton, who was the founder of the Red Cross. Clara Bark-on is a genuine ambulance that was used in a small town in Georgia where it belonged to a family-run company. When that
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Clara Bark-on, the animal ambulance
family got out of the ambulance business, they sold the vehicle on eBay. Dennis and Barbara Murtha of Graniteville, S.C. bought it to turn into a mobile tool sharpening vehicle. After the Murthas got out of their business a few years later, they donated the ambulance to PAWS. Further donations enabled PAWS to do the necessary work to get the vehicle out on the street. Clara Bark-on is decorated with logos of the various programs that fall under the PAWS umbrella, as well as several that PAWS works with. There are also pawprints, slogans, animal welfare information and the logos of businesses that pitched in to help. PAWS is especially devoted to promoting spay and neuter in under served areas where people might have difficulty arranging any vet work at all. The organization regularly delivers animals to the low cost spay and neuter clinic at the Albrecht SPCA Center for Animal
Welfare to help control pet populations throughout Aiken County. They often transport the animals to and from the clinic as well as pay for their surgery. “What’s great about having an actual ambulance for this work is that she is a high profile vehicle, so she’s great for community events like parades, and for getting publicity,” says Joya. “The cargo space on the inside is large. The display space on the outside is huge, and the symbolism is magnificent. From a public relations and public service standpoint I couldn’t think of anything better than an ambulance, especially when you consider that we are using her to drive animals to the clinic for spay and neuter surgery. We are so grateful that the SPCA has a high volume spay and neuter clinic that can work with us.” Joya has another reason for choosing an older vehicle like Clara Bark-on for her organization. “I like rehabbing older vehicles like this because it allows a lot of people from around the community to make a contribution,” she says. “It’s a small investment in the charity and it is a very large goodwill opportunity for local businesses.” She points out that the PAWS motto is “Together we can save them all,” and that she is quite serious about getting the whole community involved in the cause. Plus, Clara Bark-on, which is available for appearances, is simply fun. “She’s perfect for any event that would like to have an animal welfare presence,” says Joya. “You just pull Clara Bark-on up and park her and you have lots of things to talk about.” For more information about PAWS, or to schedule the animal ambulance, visit www. paws4nokill.org.
Summer 2015
Woofstock
The fourth annual “Woofstock: Dogs, Cats and Music” festival came to the Aiken County Animal Shelter on May 2, and it was a rousing success, attracting many different businesses, lots of people from the community, and plenty of dogs. This year had a new feature: a series of races for Dachshunds called the Doxie Derby. There are a surprising number of people in the area who have “wiener dogs,” and the races were a main attraction in the morning. In addition to the races, there were also dog contests, including a best trick contest, a best kisser contest and a costume contest. For the kids, there were games and face-painting. At one point, a group of volunteers from FOTAS, which organized the event, broke out in a flash mob, dancing to the Abba song “Take a Chance on Me.” Each dancer held an adoptable puppy or danced with a dog on a leash – this was inspired by a YouTube video promoting animal adoption that went viral over the winter. In addition to the entertainment, there were educational displays and things to buy for people and dogs. The event raised money for the animals at the shelter, and it helped promote adoption. It seemed to have worked. While the festivities were going on outside the building, Annette Vanderwalt, the shelter’s
Summer 2015
adoption coordinator, was kept busy inside, adopting out 10 dogs and seven cats. Woofstock was an effective way to get people to come and visit the new shelter, at least for the day. FOTAS representatives say that summer, when many people have left town, is a slow time for volunteers and a big time for animal intake at the shelter. There is always a need for more people to come help walk dogs, socialize the cats and perform other duties. For more information, visit www. fotasaiken.org.
Benefits of Doggy Prozac
Separation anxiety is one of the most common and potentially devastating behavioral problems in dogs. Dogs who suffer from the syndrome become anxious, agitated and potentially destructive when they are left alone. Dogs with separation anxiety have been known to chew through walls, to jump out of third story windows and even to break out of crates, all of which can lead to injury and death. What is worse, the problem behavior is notoriously difficult to cure. Some dog owners give up on their dogs. Others give up on their social lives instead, afraid to leave their dogs alone for more than a few minutes. The best results in treating the disorder have come from administering Prozac, or another psychoactive medication in parallel with a behavior modification plan. Until recently, no one knew if this worked because the Prozac inhibits the destructive behavior, or if it actually resulted in improved mood. The new study, published this May in the peer-reviewed veterinary science journal BMC Veterinary Research, seems to have some answers. The researchers recruited dogs showing signs of separation anxiety, such as barking, howling and destroying property while alone. Then they used a behavioral test to determine if the dogs felt optimistic or pessimistic. In this test, dogs were taught that when a food bowl was placed in one location it contained food, but when placed in another location that it was empty. The bowl was then placed in
different locations that were not associated with the bowl being full or empty. If the dogs rushed over to the bowls expecting food, they were labeled optimistic. If their response to the bowls indicated that they did not expect to find food in them, they were labeled pessimistic. The dogs then went through a course of behavior modification combined with Prozac. At the end of this program, they took the “optimism” test again. The results of this study indicated that when dogs were treated for separation problems using both behavior modification and Prozac, they became more optimistic. As their mood improved so did their behavior. “For quite a while, I, like many others, have been concerned as to whether drugs such as Reconcile [the animal version of Prozac] simply inhibit the behavior and perhaps had no effect on the animal’s mood,” wrote Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioral Medicine at the University of Lincoln in England. “With the advent of new methods to assess animal welfare, we were able to answer this question and were pleased to see that, when the drug is used within normal therapeutic ranges, the dogs do indeed seem better. “However, it is important to emphasize that animals were treated with both the drug and a behavior modification program with both being essential for effective treatment. Using the drug does seem to bring about a rapid improvement in mood while the animal responds to the training program. The reality is, whether we like it or not, there are animals who are suffering and we need to take measures to both prevent the problem but also manage it as effectively as possible when it arises.” According to this research, it seems that people who do resort to giving their dogs Prozac shouldn’t feel too bad about it. The medication can be used as a tool to help manage destructive behavior and it makes dogs happier. Separation anxiety is stressful for everyone, not to mention dangerous for dogs and their environment. According to several previous studies, once a behavior modification program starts to work, dogs may be weaned from Prozac, leaving them confident, wellbehaved and drug free.
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Fun with Terriers
Dianne Lemmon’s Jack Russells
by Pam Gleason, Photography by Gary Knoll
F
or Dianne Lemmon, a farrier who lives in Wagener, S.C., Jack Russell Terriers are the greatest dogs on earth. She has had JRTs her entire adult life, and last year, she started taking them to terrier trials. In her first year on the circuit, she enjoyed extraordinary success, winning classes, championships and even national titles. She says that winning titles has been gratifying, but that her main purpose is to have fun with her dogs. “I saw my first Jack Russell at the Millbrook Combined Driving Trial in New York back in 1981, and I knew immediately that was the dog for me,” she says. “I was just really attracted to them. I love their energy and I love their intellect.” Over the years, Dianne has had a number of Jack Russells, which have been her close companions. Jacks are quite popular in the horse world: the scrappy terrier was developed in connection with foxhunting in England, and horse people today, whether they are foxhunters or not, tend to have an affinity for the breed. JRTs are right at home in the barn, and Dianne says her dogs have always gone with her when she travels to different stables to shoe horses. Many years ago, before she moved to Aiken, she got a taste of competing with her dog Nigel, with whom she participated in a few terrier trials. Although she didn’t delve into showing in a serious way, she did enjoy it. “I always had promised myself that I would do it again,” she says. “I had a dream of having a dog to really do trials with.” A few years ago, after one of her Jacks died, she began looking for a dog she could compete. She started by researching bloodlines, paying particular attention to what people said about a dog’s temperament. “I get tired of people telling me how bad JRTs are, because they are awesome,” she says. “They are just high energy and they need to have a job. I wanted to have a dog that could be an ambassador for the breed, so temperament was my number one consideration. My research led me to a sire named Little Eden Strut.” Little Eden Strut, who lives in New York, boasts a superb temperament, along with multiple titles in conformation as well as in performance events. Dianne did further research and found a top breeder in Canada, Shirley Buist, who had a planned litter by Little Eden Strut. She wrote to Shirley, explained who she was, what her experience was with the breed, and what she was looking for. “All the top breeders are very selective,” says Dianne. “They won’t sell a puppy to just anybody. They really want to see that their dogs are going to a permanent home. Breeders with the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America have a very strict code of ethics. If a buyer can’t keep a dog they bred, they have to take it back. It’s a contract that they sign.” Dianne earned the breeder’s approval, and in July of 2013, she had her puppy, a little male named Cairnbrae Dunstan. Cairnbrae is the name of the kennel where he was born. Dunstan is for St. Dunstan, who is the patron saint of blacksmiths, farriers and silversmiths. Jack Russell Terriers are primarily hunting dogs, bred to go into dens and flush out foxes and other quarry. Terrier trials include a variety of events that are based upon skills a terrier would need in the hunting field. There are classes you might see at a typical dog show – conformation, obedience, agility – as well as those that are specific to terriers. For instance, in Go-to-Ground, a terrier demonstrates his ability to hunt and work underground by locating and “working” a caged rat inside a wooden tunnel. (Dianne explains that the rat is totally protected and not injured: in this case “working” mostly entails barking, scratching at the cage, and staring.) In Trailing and Locating, the terrier is judged on his ability to track and locate a quarry above ground. In a Barn Hunt, a quarry (usually a rat in a cage) is hidden somewhere in a barn or simulated barn, and dogs are judged on how quickly they find it. Terrier trials also feature races, both on the flat and over hurdles, which
Summer 2015
Above: Dunstan, Dora and Tessie demonstrate their drive for Dianne. Left: Dunstan, a national champion, turns 2 years old this summer.
is known as steeplechasing— these tend to be the most popular events, drawing large entries and crowds of spectators. Many trials include classes for mixed breeds or other non JRTs, the only qualification being that the dogs must stand under 15 inches at the withers. Dianne started showing Dunstan when he was a puppy, and he was a star. By April 2014, he had won his first championship, the Sunshine State Puppy Go-To-Ground Championship in Florida. He was also the Carolina Jack Russell Terrier Club (CJTRC) Queen’s Cup Performance Champion in April, and the Overall Barn Hunt Champion at the Terrier Olympics in Tennessee in June. In October, Dianne took him to the 2014 JRTCA National Trial in Maryland where he was the Overall High Score Champion in Trailing and Locating. Finally, he was named the 2014 Laurel Gate Performance Champion and the 2014 CJTRC Puppy of the Year. “My only goal for my first national trial was to bring home a ribbon for a souvenir,” says Dianne. In 2015, Dunstan has continued his winning ways, chalking up championships and reserves in multiple divisions at the Gold Coast Terrier Network Open Trial in Florida, the Gulf Coast Terrier Club in Texas, and the JRT Club Spring Fever Trial in Maryland. Most recently, he won the Barn Hunt Stakes class at the Earthdogs Trial at Purina headquarters in Missouri, beating over 200 dogs. “I never expected to have a dog of this quality,” says Dianne. “I’m just blown away by it.” In addition to winning performance events, Dunstan has also won in conformation, competing against JRTs and in open terrier classes. Although Dunstan is the star of her show, he is just one of Dianne’s three JRTs, all of whom are competing and winning. Dianne also has Tessie, bred by Jeanne Thomas of the Why Worry Kennels in Aiken, and Dora Dirtdog, a JRT that Dianne adopted from the Union County Animal Shelter in Monroe, North Carolina in July 2014, with the help of Deborah Fulton. Tessie, who is 8, and Dora, who is 2, have both been successful in terrier trials and hunt tests. Dora has shown herself to be
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Dora waits at the mouth of the Go-to-Ground practice tunnel in Dianne’s backyard.
especially adept at hunting and is extremely fast. “I call Dora a repurposed Jack Russell,” says Dianne. “When I got her, she had no purpose, She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She had been adopted twice – her microchip and spay traced back to Charlotte, and she either got lost or got turned into the shelter in Monroe. She was there for almost a month. She’s a totally different dog now. She just needed to know what her purpose was, and now that she knows it, she loves it.” Dianne, who supports a number of rescue groups, including Carolina Russell Rescue, Russell Rescue Inc, Raintree Jack Russell Rescue and Georgia Jack Russell Rescue, says that Dora, like Dunstan, is an ambassador for the breed. She demonstrates that even rescued JRTs obtained from shelters can compete and win. As long as they are spayed or neutered, terriers do not have to have official papers to compete in performance events, so enthusiasts can participate with dogs they have
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rescued as well as with royally-bred specimens such as Dunstan. Dora’s story also provides a clear example of why Jacks need to be in the right home for them. An absolute gem for Dianne, she was discarded at least twice, most likely by people who got a puppy without understanding the breed. “Poor Dora. I hate to think of her being treated like a purse dog,” says Dianne. “She’s a hunting dog. It’s her nature.” Dianne says that she is having a wonderful time competing with her dogs, but that they are still primarily companions rather than show dogs. All three of them continue to come with her when she shoes horses. Depending on whose stable it is, they usually get to come out of the truck and stretch their legs. “I’ll let them out and they all run around for about five minutes, then they lie down and watch me,” she says. “Sometimes they do double duty in pest control: they are very good at removing mice and rats from people’s barns.” And her ultimate goal? “My ultimate goal is to have fun and let my dogs be who they are,” she says. “That’s what I like about the terrier trials. You can get very competitive, but whether they win or lose, the dog always has fun, and that’s the important thing. Everyone asks me what I do to train my dogs, and I say I just play with them. If this is what they want to do and this is who they are, that’s great. “I basically am going with what my dogs are and what they have become,” she continues. “If you would have told me that Dunstan would have a national championship before he was 2 years old, I wouldn’t have believed you. When we started going to the trials, it was just purely fun. He has turned out to be exceptional – he has exceeded everything I ever dreamed of. But we’re doing this because he wants to. If there is one message I would like to have out there, it’s that you have to understand who your dogs are and let them be true to their nature. They are like children that way. You have to let them be themselves.”
Summer 2015
Pet tested. Owner approved. New clients welcome.
Compassionate care when the going gets ruff. We give your beloved family members the tender, loving care we give our own pets.
126 Dominion Drive, Suite 1060 • Aiken, SC
(803) 226-0551 • www.hollowcreekvet.com Next to Mi Rancho off Whiskey Road | staff@hollowcreekvet.com
Monday-Friday 8am – 5:30pm Closed for lunch 12-1pm Saturday 8am – 12noon • Closed Sunday
Summer 2015
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Family Dog, Family Protector Harrison K-9 has the complete package
Above: Harrison K-9: Andrew Davis (trainer), Patrick Ashley (head trainer), Juna (pro Right, from top to bottom: Puppies follow Heather to go play; Patrick amd Juna al
by Pam Gleason, Photography by Gary Knoll
M
eet Juna, a gorgeous German Shepherd dog with what appears to be a split personality. At first encounter, she is sweet and loving, with confident body language and a happy dog smile. Friendly and gentle, she readily accepting pats from people she just met. She looks and acts like the perfect family dog. But this is not the whole story. She is also a powerful athlete, and she is supremely obedient. Patrick Ashley, the head trainer at Harrison K-9 Security Services, takes her out on a field to demonstrate her willingness to work. She heels, sits, lies down, stays and comes, obeying hand signals and quiet commands spoken in German. She doesn’t put a foot wrong. She is an angel. Then Andrew Davis, another trainer at the facility, approaches Patrick in an aggressive manner. Now, Juna undergoes a dramatic transformation. She starts barking and snapping,
moving in a tight circle around Patrick, warning this threatening man to keep away. When Andrew makes a sudden move, breaching an invisible safety zone around Patrick, Juna looks to her trainer, then lunges. Andrew is wearing a protective sleeve on his left arm, which he offers to the dog to bite. Juna latches on, holding fast. She doesn’t release until Patrick gives her the word. She is fierce and strong, a force to be reckoned with. She is a devil. And then, with that one word from Patrick, she is an angel again, letting go of Andrew’s arm and returning to her trainer’s side. She allows Andrew to come up and talk to Patrick, even to touch him. She bears no grudges, and has no desire to hurt anyone. Her attitude seems to be “it’s nothing personal; it’s just business.” “The control stays with the handler,” says November Holley, who is the president of
Harrison K-9. “It is never with the dog. You need a dog that will protect your family, but isn’t dangerous. We don’t sell dangerous dogs.” To prove this point, Andrew and Patrick do another demonstration. This time, Andrew acts aggressively and runs away. Patrick sends Juna after him, and she rushes out, leaps, and catches him on the left arm, refusing to let go until commanded to do so. Again, she is calm and businesslike, returning to heel as soon as her job is done. The two trainers act out the scenario again, except that this time, when Juna is about to bite, Patrick calls her to him. Instantly, she switches to angel mode, coming back to Patrick’s side as though nothing had happened. “I’ve worked with her to make her disciplined off leash,” says Patrick. It’s an outrageous understatement.
otection dog extraordinaire), November Holley (president), and Heather Arthurs (trainer) llow Andrew to approach; Juna goes on the defensive; Juna demonstrates her heeling
Security with Teeth
Harrison K-9 Security Services imports, trains and sells German Shepherd dogs for personal and family protection. Operating out of a 25-acre private compound off a dirt road in Aiken, South Carolina, the company has been in business for 40 years. When the dog trainer Harrison Prather founded it, he prepared dogs for military and police work. For the last two decades, however, the company has focused exclusively on personal protection dogs. Personal protection dogs accompany people as they go about their everyday lives, most of the time acting like family pets. If there is a threat, however, they leap into action, defending their owners against anyone who wants to do them harm. They might need to use the bite training that they have learned here, but most of the time,
their mere presence is a deterrent. Research from the Fraternal Order of Police, posted on the Harrison K-9 website, shows that security dogs are consistently at the top of the list when criminals are asked what factors might make them decide to leave a potential target alone. The dogs trained here can also track and locate missing children, search a home for intruders, foil a carjacker, or alert their families if there is unusual activity outside. They can act as companions, caretakers for children with disabilities, or bodyguards for celebrities or political leaders and their families. They are not police dogs or guard dogs or attack dogs. They are highly trained, highly socialized, goodnatured animals with the knowledge and ability to shield their owners from many different kinds of harm. They have also been trained following
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guidelines for service dogs, and can even bring you your cell phone or your car keys if you need them to. November explains that all of the dogs at Harrison K-9 are German Shepherds imported to this country when they are between 2 and 4 years old. They are hand-selected in Germany from dogs with the best bloodlines that have competed and won in stringent national Schutzhund competitions. “All of our dogs have titles from Germany,” says November. “Not every dog can make it to this level – they say maybe one in 1,000. When you get to the top level, and some of our dogs have, it’s maybe one in 10,000.” The dogs invariably grow up with a German family, so that, in addition to having working titles, they are already family dogs. When they arrive at Harrison K-9, they undergo extensive health, behavior, personality and training evaluation before they are put into a specialized program for three or more months. They learn bite work, self control and to respond to silent hand signals, English and German. Only then are they offered for sale. When they are sold, they often stay on at Harrison to learn specific skills they might need for their new family. Each dog comes with at least two days of training for the owner, which can happen at the Harrison K-9 compound, or in the client’s home. “We are known for our customer service,” says November. “We won’t leave until the client feels comfortable with the dog.” In addition to trained protection dogs, Harrison K-9 also breeds and sells puppies on a limited basis when they are sure there is a strong demand for them. There are two litters at the facility now, and almost all are spoken for. They will be going to clients around the country, as well as to local buyers in Aiken. “If you live nearby, you can come back here for training,” says November. “That way, if you can’t afford a finished dog, you can still have one that you raise yourself.
we have some that go to women that really need them – women who are being stalked or who have been victims of assault. Having a protection dog gives freedom and security to people who have been victims. I get a lot of calls for that.”
Who Needs Protection
Although the company tries to keep a relatively low profile, Harrison K-9 has an international reputation. Its clientele includes A-list actors and actresses, chart-topping performers on the music scene, professional athletes, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and “big people” in the government of some Central and South American countries. Everyone who works at the company signs a non-disclosure agreement, so no one is going to name names. However, if you see a celebrity with a German Shepherd, the likelihood is that the dog came out of the Harrison K-9 program. One celebrity who can be named is Glenn Beck, the television personality and radio host, who taped a glowing recommendation and testimonial that is posted on the Harrison K-9 website. Owners of Harrison K-9 graduates have two things in common. The first is that they have a need, real or perceived, for personal protection. The second is that they have a high discretionary income, because Harrison K-9 dogs do not come cheap. Dogs currently for sale on the website range from $42,000 to $110,000, with the average in the $40,000 to $50,000 range. The most expensive dog the company ever sold was Julia, a stunning female who went for $230,000 in 2011. Not surprisingly, this sale attracted media attention, with an article in the New York Times among other things. Harrison K-9 does not seek publicity, but publicity comes anyway. The company was featured recently in “Secret Lives of the Super Rich” shown on CNBC. A picture of November and VanDammne, one of the dogs in training, showed up on the big screen in Times Square this April as a promotion for the show. But even with the big price tags, November says that the company’s clientele is not limited to the super rich. “We have everything from people who don’t even need to look at the price to people who have saved up money their entire lives to get one of these dogs. Most of them are wealthy. They travel a lot, and have more than one home. I’d say 75% of them have their own airplane. About 90% of them have kids. Then
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The newest group of people shopping for protection dogs are horse people, particularly young women. Women competing on the horse show circuit – barrel racers or showjumping riders or cutting horse enthusiasts – often travel to the show grounds where they stay overnight in horse trailers with living quarters. Without a protection dog, they are by themselves and vulnerable. Having a dog with them changes the game. “We train an obedience routine from horseback,” says November. “This way the dog can actually escort the horse out of the arena so that the woman can work her horse and still have her protection dog with her. She doesn’t have to pay a bodyguard or have someone come to the show with her. The dog can stay right in the trailer with her. We had a client in Texas who called and said ‘I feel like I’m wasting my money. I pay a bodyguard to go with my daughter to the show, but when she goes to bed at night, the bodyguard has to stay in a hotel. He’s not going to stay overnight in the trailer with her, and I’m not going to let him, so she’s staying in the trailer alone.’ Now she has a dog instead. There’s a big trend of that. The dogs behave so well, and the girls would rather have a dog with them than have a strange man following them around all day.” Other typical clients are families who have young children, or children with disabilities. There are prominent families that have received kidnapping threats, so they get a dog that is trained to sleep outside the child’s room, guarding the doorway from any intruder. Then there are parents that are simply anxious. “One of their big concerns is ‘What if my 2-year-old gets out and I turn around and he’s gone?’ So we can train a dog to specialize in tracking and finding children,” continues November. “We have a special area in the woods that we don’t go into to keep it free from human scent, and we use that area to train child-tracking dogs.”
Continued on Page 20
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Breaking the Chain Fences 4 Fido
by Pam Gleason
O
n a cold morning this February, a group of about 20 volunteers assembled at a home in Aiken County. They came laden with tools and fencing materials and armed with a strong sense of purpose. That purpose was to build fences for a family whose four dogs had been living on chains. Over the next hours, some of the volunteers built the fences themselves. Others worked with the dogs and the family, showing
them new ways to communicate with one another. Still others provided refreshments and logistical support. Many hands make light work, so by noon the volunteers had completed their task. They constructed two separate fenced areas, about 20” by 25” apiece. They buried chicken wire under the ground to keep the dogs from digging out and they covered the perimeter with straw donated by Aiken Saddlery. They installed comfortable doghouses, again filled with straw for warmth and comfort. And then they unclasped the chains and let the dogs run free in their new homes. “The expressions of happiness on their faces were priceless,” says Jennifer Miller, who is the president of FOTAS (Friends of the Animal Shelter) Aiken, one of the organizations involved in the project. “It brought tears of joy to my eyes.” This fence building event was the first project in a joint venture between FOTAS and the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare in Aiken. Called Fences 4 Fido, the program aims to free dogs from chains in Aiken County, to reach out to dog owners who need help, and to
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establish a working partnership between the two animal welfare entities in order to improve conditions for Aiken’s animals. The second build is scheduled for this June, and more will follow in the future. Chrissey Miller, who is the director of development at the SPCA Albrecht Center was inspired to initiate a fence building program in Aiken after she saw a short video about a similar unchaining project in another part of the country. “It came across Facebook,” she says. “It had music that went along with it and it showed a very sad dog stuck on a chain, and then the whole process of the volunteers putting up the fence, beautifying the yard a little bit, putting up a dog house. As the music climaxes, the dog is let off its leash and starts running laps around the yard, jumping up and down. The dog looked so happy; and I thought, wow, we can do this. It’s something that will work here.” Because of various restrictions within city limits, a fence building initiative was best suited for areas out in rural Aiken County. Chrissey spoke to various organizations
she thought might be interested in helping. Then, at the end of a meeting about something else with Jennifer Miller and Joanna Sampson, who is the vice president of FOTAS, she mentioned the project, and both Jennifer and Joanna were eager to get started. Fences 4 Fido was born. Jennifer explains that candidates for the program are identified and recommended by Bobby Arthurs, who is the chief animal control officer for Aiken County. Bobby is out in the county every day responding to calls, and he knows which families need help, and which, most important, are willing to accept it. “We see a lot of folks that are in a bind,” he says. “They don’t have that much income, and you can tell that they love their animals and they don’t want to relinquish them; they don’t want anything bad to happen
Summer 2015
to their animals. Those people, if they were given some help, they would be willing to take the dogs off the chains, get them spayed and neutered, take better care of them.” On the other hand, there are some people in the county who were brought up with dogs on chains, and they don’t see any reason to change. “A lot of animals do live on chains and some people will not accept a fencing project because they want their dogs on a chain,” Bobby continues. “It’s a culture thing; they were raised up that way, and they convince themselves that the dog loves being on a chain. We have a good bit of that in Aiken County, not just dogs on chains, but dogs on heavy chains. To me, when you have a dog on a chain, it’s the start of a cruelty case for us.” Beyond simply unchaining these dogs, the Fences 4 Fido project provides an opportunity to reach out to people in the county, to provide spay and neuter services, vaccinations and humane education, and to foster the feeling that animal welfare advocates, and even animal control, are there to help, not to criticize or punish. “It’s a good way to connect with folks and let them know we are not all about enforcement and fines,” says Bobby. “If we can help, we will. We want to solve the problem. Even if I can take a Saturday and volunteer on my day off to go out and put in some fencing, I’d be glad to do it.” According to Chrissey, this type of program, almost more social work than animal advocacy, goes along with a new philosophy in
animal welfare that emphasizes compassion and empathy, not just for animals, but for their owners, even if those owners might seem less than responsible at first glance. “Our philosophy now is rather than taking people’s animals and wagging our fingers at them and scolding them, what we want to do is educate them and help them do what they need to do to make the situation better,” says Chrissey.
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“Our assumption in animal welfare has too often been that these people don’t care about their dogs, and that they don’t deserve to have a dog. But when you really look at the situation you realize it’s not always like that. A lot of these people with dogs on chains know better, but they just don’t have a better solution right now. One thing we understand now is that just because they don’t love their animals the way we would, doesn’t mean that they don’t love them as much as they possibly can.” Everyone who was involved in the first Fences 4 Fido project agrees that the project was a rousing success. Ann Kinney, the director of
enrichment at the SPCA Albrecht Center, was there to offer some dog training tips and to show the family how to teach their dogs to listen to them. The family was thrilled to have these new tools to help them communicate with their dogs. The dogs were overjoyed to have some freedom and a more comfortable life ahead. “I’ve been in touch with the homeowner since the build, and I really think it has made a big difference,” says Chrissey. “She was almost in shock the day of the build to see so many people show up and want to lend a hand to her and to her dogs. She was in tears a couple of times with overwhelming gratitude, amazed that someone cared. “For the immediate situation, this program is about getting some of these dogs off of their tethers. Over the long haul, I consider it to be more of an outreach program; we want to see people have a mind shift about how they think about animals, how they are protecting them and keeping them safe. In the long run, it’s about the dog human relationship.” Bobby Arthurs agrees. “You try to reach as many people as you can,” he says. “I am sure it’ll be an eye opener for many people when they see not only that their dog is happier off a chain, but that there are other things they can do too. Spay and neuter, heartworm prevention, flea control. It’s a good program, and we’ll always need help with donations and volunteers. The people who get the help should pitch in too. That’s what I’d like to see. You know what they say: if someone helps you pass it on. That’s how you pay it back, you pass it on.” (Learn more about Fences4Fido on the SPCA Albrecht Center website: www.LetLoveLive.org. Donate at https://www.crowdrise.com/ Fences4Fido. If you would like to volunteer, contact Shana Ryberg at 803-257-4977 or send an email to Chrissey Miller: development@ LetLoveLive.org.)
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t’s May 24, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and a small crowd has gathered on the tarmac at the Aiken Regional Airport in Aiken, S.C. They have cars, SUVs and dozens of crates full of puppies, all clustered around a sleek single engine airplane. The plane is a 1996 Piper Saratoga, owned by Matthew Kiener, the founder, chairman and
you factor in the cost of the food on Martha’s Vineyard and the fuel to get you there and back, it’s pretty expensive. It’s an excuse to go flying. Rescuing dogs is a better excuse – it’s the best excuse I can come up with. It’s just amazing.” Matthew knew on that first mission that flying dogs was what he wanted to do. By the time he had landed in New Jersey with his new puppy, he was determined to upgrade to a larger plane, and even named the puppy Piper, as a sort of a pledge to do it. When he got his new plane, he removed the passenger seats in the back to make room for travel crates. Thus equipped, he was ready to start transporting dogs in earnest, and there was no shortage of demand for his services. In 2013, he formally established FlyPups as a registered charity, in hopes of defraying some of the costs
“chief volunteer pilot” of FlyPups, a nonprofit organization based in Pottersville, New Jersey. Matthew flew down to Aiken the night before. This morning, he will return home with 21 rescued puppies, all bound for adoption through the group Home For Good Dogs, in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. “I started flying transports about four years ago,” explains Matthew. “I got started doing it because my friend was scheduled to do a transport for some puppies and his plane broke. At the time I had a smaller plane, a little two-seater Cessna Aerobat, so I didn’t think I would have room. But he said ‘It’s just puppies,’ and so I said ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ “My first flight was what we call a ‘mission gone bad,’ which is what happens when the pilot adopts one of the dogs,” he continues. “The puppies were running around the building and I went to the door to get some paperwork. One of the puppies followed me. I picked her up, and I was just joking, but I said ‘Do you want to come home with me?’ and she started licking my face. So I called home and told my wife I was bringing home a puppy. And she said ‘Seriously? That’s cool.” That first flight was a revelation for Matthew, who, like most pilots, loves to fly. “Pilots used to talk about the hundred dollar hamburger. I’m from New Jersey, so I can fly out to Martha’s Vineyard in about an hour and a half, have lunch and fly home. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a lot of fun. You take a friend or family with you and it’s a great time. But when
associated with doing transports. Although FlyPups is able to take donations, Matthew says that the entire cost of the fuel comes out of his own pocket. It is not inexpensive: a trip like the one he made to Aiken will run about $800 in fuel alone. But it is all worth it. Most of the dogs that travel by FlyPups, like the puppies this morning, are being transported from the overcrowded, puppy-filled South, to the North, where puppies are in great demand. They come from rescue groups or overcrowded shelters where they face euthanasia, and they fly to receiving adoption groups with long lists of approved adopters, or even to families that are awaiting them eagerly at the airport. Occasionally, Matthew will fly a trained service dog to a military veteran with PTSD or other challenges, a mission that he finds especially gratifying. “I love dogs and I love flying,” says Matthew. “You get to see the looks on the faces of the people that come to the airport to pick up the dogs, and you can’t buy that. My first dog, he’s 14 years old now, and he makes me smile probably 20 times a day. Multiply that by 14 years and that’s a
FlyPups to the Rescue
Rescued Puppies Fly to New Jersey by Pam Gleason
I
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lot of smiling. If I can help somebody else get that kind of enjoyment, I want to do it. Then when you get to transport dogs that are going to become veterans’ service dogs, you’re saving dogs and you’re helping vets. That’s a pretty cool day, don’t you think?” Out on the runway in Aiken, the volunteers transfer puppies from the crates they were transported in to the crates that Matthew brought with him. He has travel crates in four sizes, labeled from A to D, and the puppies are being assigned to containers that will fit them. This will be a full flight, with 21 puppies in all, and the crates must be loaded in a specific order. All of the puppies have been claimed by Home for Good, and are destined to find exceptional “forever homes” in the New Jersey and New York areas. They have come from counties throughout the Central Savannah River Area in South Carolina and Georgia, where, had they stayed, their future prospects could not have been much more bleak, especially this spring. “I’ve been in rescue since 2003, and I’ve never seen so many puppies
being thrown away as I have this year,” says Willene Colvin, who is the founder and president of Save the Animals Rescue Society (STARS) in Augusta, Ga. Willene has brought a number of puppies that she rescued from various places: shelters where they would have been killed for space; the sides of roads where they were found wandering; and even from dumpsters where they were discarded. “We’re only halfway through the puppy season. Last year was bad, but this year is going to be horrendous. It’s horrible.” Donna Bramblett, who is the president of Jenkins County Furever Friends in Millen, Georgia, has also come with a carload of puppies for the transport. She says that Jenkins County has no animal control, and
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so it is up to volunteer groups like hers to try to help dogs in need. Hers is a new rescue: she got her rescue license in February, and in two and a half months has already saved 242 dogs. These include a young Brittany Spaniel mix that she is putting on the plane. “He’s still a little skinny,” says Donna. “But he’s gained weight since we got him. The people who owned him, when they moved away, they just left him tied up. It happens a lot. Not long ago we got a call about that. We went to the house, but we were too late, They had left some dogs tied up outside and dogs and cats in the house. They were out in
the country and no one came by. By the time we got there they had all died.” She pauses to pet the dog, who is probably under a year old, with a sweet expression. “So we see a lot of heartbreak, and at the same time we see a lot of smiles,” she continues. “We save what we can.” It is not long before the plane is packed, Matthew is installed in the pilot’s seat and the doors are closed. The puppies, some of which had been whining and barking while they were transferred to the plane, fall mostly silent once inside. According to Matthew, they are usually asleep by the time the plane reaches altitude, and they mostly travel well with few upsets or accidents. In just four hours, they will land in New Jersey, ready to begin their new lives as cherished family members. The plane taxis down the runway. The rescuers and volunteers take pictures and videos with their cell phones, watching it lift into the air, make a wide loop, and then head north. Home For Good Dogs has its own home base in Aiken now, where six of the puppies on the flight have spent time getting healthy and ready for the trip. Debra Mayfield, who is the new kennel manager at the rescue, is there to see them off. “I’m a little sad to see some of them go,” she says. “You get so attached. They’re like your kids. But then, I can follow them and see all their updates on the Facebook page. You get them in the worst of conditions, and you take care of them, and then you get to see them go out and go have a happy new home. It’s very exciting.” For more information about FlyPups. visit www.flypups.org; for more about Home For Good Dogs; www.homeforgooddogsrescue.org.
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Harrison K-9, from page 15 Families with small children tend to be better off with female dogs, which are often protective of them. There are some dogs that are more attracted to children than others and some do especially well with children that have disabilities. “Children with disabilities have a different way of moving — children with Down Syndrome or autism tend to move erratically, and not all dogs accept that the same way,” explains November. “For some dogs this brings out a maternal instinct. We have one dog now, Asta, that we could have sold 100 times. But I’ve been holding onto her because her specialty lies in dealing with children. She really wants to take care of small children, and if it’s a child with special needs, she gets even more protective. It’s a natural instinct for her. To sell her to a regular family would be fine, but I am looking around to see if there is a client out there who has a child with autism or some other disability who might need her.” Other typical clients are celebrities, who often pose special problems. “All of these people have entourages that follow them around. We need to know how many people are typically in the group of followers, because we need to be sure to match them with a dog that can handle that,” says November. Then there are clients who are constantly in serious danger from political enemies or from criminal groups. “We had one client, a “big person” in Mexico. He had bodyguards, so I asked him why he needed a dog. ‘This dog is to protect me from my bodyguards,’ he said. ‘The dog stays in the office with me. If I take a shower, the dog is outside the shower door on the rug. My bodyguards can be bribed, but my dog can’t.”
The Protection Business
Although the prices are impressive, Harrison K-9, which keeps 45 to 50 dogs on the premises, does not lack for business – the company sold nine dogs in May, and is waiting for some new imports. It also tries to donate a dog somewhere it is needed on a regular basis. This year, the company gave one, Joker, to the Aiken County Sherriff ’s Department. Joker is currently learning drug detection work in Virginia and should debut on the streets of Aiken this summer. Another dog, Sego, is also destined for the sheriff ’s department. Sego, who appears to be a purebred European German Shepherd, was confiscated in a cruelty case earlier in the year and ended up at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. He was heartworm positive, and was saved by a group called The Heartbeat Goes On, which finds rescues for the shelter’s heartworm positive dogs. The Heartbeat program is jointly run by Mary Lou Seymour and November’s sister December Clark. Sego is currently in obedience training, and, if all goes well, will graduate to police work in the near future. November Holley says she has been working at Harrison K-9 since 1995. She started out as a trainer, then graduated to head trainer, vice president, and now president. She takes care of most of the day-to-day activities at the company, but speaks to Harrison Prather by phone every day. “I’ve been here 20 years,” she says. “It doesn’t seem that long, but they say if you love your job, time flies. And I love my job.” Although she and her family aren’t celebrities and they are not in any particular danger, she has two personal protection dogs at her home: one is in charge of the inside of the house, the other of the outside. The dogs alert her and her family if trespassers are fishing in the pond on their farm, or even if someone driving by throws an empty bottle on their lawn, “German Shepherds are so adaptable,” says November “They can do protection work; they can do therapy work; they can sit and watch Steel Magnolias with you if you want them to. They can let you know if someone is looking in your windows or is somewhere they shouldn’t be. Without a protection dog, you might never know. In all honesty, I don’t know how anybody lives without one.” For more information about Harrison K-9 Security Services, visit www. harrisonk9.com
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Classifieds ADOPTIONS/PUPPIES Trinity Farms Terriers: Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/dispositions guaranteed. Breeders of terriers for 30+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks. com & trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com. Albrecht Aiken SPCA. Dogs, puppies, cats and kittens for adoption. 199 Willow Run Road, Aiken. Hours of operation: Mon-
Sat. 11 am - 5 pm., Sat 10 am- 3 pm; Sun 1:30 pm - 6:30 pm. www. LetLoveLive.org 803.643.0564 Adopt a Shelter Dog or Cat from the Aiken County Animal Shelter. Many beautiful, healthy, friendly animals to choose from. 333 Wire Road, Aiken. See the pets at www. fotasaiken.org. 803.642.1537. Pointers! More than just bird dogs. Many beautiful purebred Pointers of all ages available for pets or for hunting. www.pointerrescue.org.
ANIMAL CARE Horses And Hounds Aiken. Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded and Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303. horsesandhoundsaiken@gmail.com. www.horsesandhoundsaiken.com Pet sitting, farm sitting, expert horse care. References available. Mary Jane Howell. 802.295.8294 TRAINING Palmetto Dog Club. Training classes, puppy socialization, obedience,
rally & agility. 803-262-9686. www. palmettodogclub.org.
Advertising in The Dog & Hound Classified ads are $25 for the first 30 words & 40 cents for every word thereafter. Photo Classifieds are $35; (limit 40 words) Business Cards: $70 per issue, or $300 a year (local business discount: $60 per issue or $220 per year)
Summer 2015
Editor@theDogandHound.com The Dog & Hound, P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover Call for AMEX Pay online: www.TheDogandHound.com Or Call us: 803.643.9960
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advertise in the Fall 2015 issue! Advertising deadline: September 18, 2015 Publication date: October 7, 2015
The Dog & Hound
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Dog Gone by Mike Ford
“You should take better care of your dog.” I look at the woman who has just spoken to me. She’s sitting in a chair in the local vet’s office. She appears to be in her 60s, with grey hair, tanned skin, and lips pressed into such a tight scowl that her lower face resembles a sealed sandwich bag. My oldest dog, Andy, is sitting on her lap. “Hey, buddy,” I say to Andy, who wags his tail. “Are you okay?” “I found him in a parking lot at the golf club,” the woman informs me. “He ran away when I tried to catch him, so I had to crawl under a car.” This doesn’t surprise me. Andy doesn’t like being told what to do, let alone being picked up. I can easily see him trotting away from the woman, growling as she called to him. He does the same thing to me when I tell him it’s time to come inside. I suppress a smile. The fact is, I’m enormously relieved to see him safe. Fifteen minutes earlier, I’d picked up the phone to hear a receptionist at the local vet say, “We have Andy here. He’s fine.” The thing is, I hadn’t even known he was missing. Frantically trying to get the house packed up for an imminent move, I’d been busy all morning carrying boxes upstairs and downstairs. I’d assumed all seven dogs were accounted for, particularly as there was no way out of the house or yard unless someone left a door or gate open. At first, I even thought that the woman calling must have the wrong Andy, or the wrong Mr. Ford. But she didn’t. Somehow, Andy had slipped out of the yard. He’d followed the perimeter of the golf course on which the house was situated, eventually ending up at the clubhouse over a mile away. It was there that the woman found him. “He was just about to run into traffic,” she tells me. “Everyone else had given up trying to catch him, but I wasn’t going to let him get hurt.” As I look at Andy, I think about how this could have ended very differently. He could have walked the other way, onto a busy road. Old and not in the best health, he could have succumbed to heat stroke or dehydration on what was a very hot Texas day. He could have never encountered this woman who bothered to dirty her pantsuit to help him, then take him to the nearest vet to have him scanned for a microchip since he wears no collar or tags. I’m immensely thankful that things did go his way. At the same time, I’m irritated at the woman for suggesting that I’ve done something wrong. She doesn’t know about the years of love. She doesn’t know that I recently stayed up for three nights in a row with Andy because his pancreatitis flared up. She has no idea that every night I wrap him in his favorite blanket, rub his ears, and tell him that he’s the most special boy in the universe. All she knows is that I misplaced him, and that I should be ashamed of myself.
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The irony is that I’ve been this woman. Many times. For years I’ve been a magnet for lost dogs. I come home and find them waiting on my porch. I have them come up to me on the street. I frequently see them while driving. I don’t know why. It’s just how it has always been. Two days before this incident with Andy, I’d returned a dog that I spotted while driving to the post office during a torrential thunderstorm. I had followed him for a long time as he ran through flooded streets. Finally, when he came to a stop on a corner, I opened my truck door, and he hopped in. When I delivered him, dripping wet and deliriously happy, to his people, they’d been unaware that he was gone. When they told me that he frequently runs away during storms, and that it was growing tiresome, my inclination was to tell them they should find him a guardian with more common sense. I’ve wanted to say similar things to the many people whose dogs I’ve found without collars, or whose tags had outdated information and required sleuthing on my part to reunite them. And yet here I am, looking at my collarless, tagless dog as he sits on someone else’s lap and she tells me that I should take better care of him. “Well,” I say as I reach down and pick Andy up. “Thank you for helping him.” I can tell she wants more. Tears, maybe, or possibly some kind of reward. At the very least, contrition. But I’m still annoyed with her for making assumptions about me. Also, I’m still thinking about how the situation could have ended badly, and I resent her for being Andy’s savior. Why, I wonder, couldn’t he have been rescued by somebody, well, a little bit nicer? I think, too, about the time a woman called the police after I rang her doorbell in an attempt to return her wayward pug, found running in the road. Seeing an unfamiliar, heavily tattooed man on her doorstep, she assumed I was up to no good. Even after having her mistake explained to her by the amused officers who arrived minutes later, she never so much as acknowledged that I’d prevented her dog from being squashed, glaring at me as she plucked him from my arms. I like to think that once the door was closed, she held him close, thankful to the stranger who brought him home, even if she couldn’t say so. In the end, I decide simply to be grateful. Andy is safe. And if the price of his safety is the disapproval of someone I don’t even know, it’s a small thing. “Thank you,” I say out loud. “Thank you for caring about a little dog enough to crawl under a car for him.” This time, I mean it. Michael Thomas Ford regularly updates the microchip information for all of his dogs. But they still don’t wear collars.
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