Cat love-a Purrrrrfect day at the shelter with the Downsy dude

Today we spent another afternoon at the shelter. Lewis  decided we would focus on the cats for now so we started in the kitten nursery. Our job was to coax the kittens to the front of the cage. We had toys and canned food on a tongue depressor as tools. Kittens who hide are rarely adopted so it is important to create a desire for human interaction. Today there were six cages of kittens with the youngest being 12 weeks. These are pretty big kittens and the bigger they get the less apt to become adopted they are. We had so much fun with the kittens (and them with us) that all the kittens were at the front of the cages by the time we were done. One smart kitten even learned how to give a high five in less than ten minutes.

As we were leaving that area a young couple came it and spotted two of the kittens still frolicking full of energy from our play session. Guess who went to their forever homes today.

Next we moved into the grown cat area. There are suites there were several cats are allowed to play in larger areas. Lewis loves the '"cat rooms" and spent a good deal of time in there just playing with the cats. I was summons to a cage by a small gray howler. She was clearly distressed. I opened the cage and she quickly climbed into my arms. For a few minutes she tried to climb all over me, even on my head. When she would calm down and just let me hold her I would slip her a cat treat. She very quickly adjusted her behavior to maximize her treat experience. She was so happy and grateful to be held that she started giving me hugs- literally put her paws around my neck and planted her cheek on mine. She settled into my arms and fell asleep purring like a maniac.

 Time and attention is such a simple gift to give to a needy animal. In return I had a per-fect afternoon and came home with cat love all over me.

Next post: Wait till you hear what I saw a pit bull do today, it will warm your heart

Animal behavior training with the Downsy dude

Yesterday Lewis and I went to our first animal behavior training at our local animal shelter. The goal of the program is to train volunteers to help train animals waiting for their forever homes. Experience has shown that well trained animals are more apt to be adopted and stay in there new adopted homes.

One example  of what we will be doing is taking  tongue depressor and placing cat food on the end of it to entice cats and kittens to get in the habit of coming to the front of their cages when they see people.

We will also be learning how to clicker train dogs. Clickers are used to reinforce desirable behaviors such as following a command or keeping all four paws on the ground. The clicker creates a universal sign for the dog that can be easily transferred to the new owner. Often the differences in voice pitches between trainer and new owner can confuse a dog and make it less likely to obey a command. The clicker eliminates that confusion.

Lewis preferred to work with cats yesterday so we spent most of our day teaching grown cats how to give a high five in exchange for a cat treat. Lewis seems to be a natural at this and has taught all four cats at home this trick. He has also taught one of our cats to fetch a ball. Yesterday he had pretty good luck with two cats learning this trick after just a few tries.

We ended our day with a visit to the kitten nursery where we were able to take two very frightened
 6-8 week old kittens and play with them in a visitation room. The goal was to get the kittens to associate humans with fun cuddles and play, rather than hunkering down and hiding in the back of their cages. So far we love the animal behavior training.

Animal behavior training

Lewis and I start our animal behavior training today. I am very excited as this marks an important cross road leading to our dream future. I will post later what we learn today

Dogs that bite

On another forum I frequent we had a discussion about dogs that bite. Should they be put down? Anyone with a pet knows that this is always a last resort. A few alternative suggestions would be to mildly sedated or use a muzzle if needed. Usually animals who bite do so out of fear, but sometimes it is a form of possession guarding. It can be a favorite toy, food or property.

If you have taken in a stray often there is no way to know the back ground  of the animal and there may have been a reason that the animal learned to bite. This is common in severely abused dogs as they have had to defend themselves from beatings and such. It may be a form of hording if your dog has gone hungry some time in its life.

Many of the large shelters have behavior specialist and often offer this service free of charge as an attempt to keep dogs in their homes and keep numbers down at the shelter. Before deciding to put your dog down if it bites consider at least one consult with a professional.

Volunteer training at the animal shelter

Yesterday Lewis and I went to the volunteer training at one of our local animal shelters. We will be providing enrichment activities to the animals waiting for their forever homes. We will also be involved with an animal behavior specialist who will teach us how to teach the animals things that will make them more desirable for adoption.

Lewis did really well with the exception of a bit of a sensory issue when several dogs would bark at once. He is very enthusiastic about spending every Wednesday afternoon with the animals. Wish us luck, this is the beginning of our new adventure and I am very excited about it!

Is your pet theraputic? Call for stories

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for supporting the blog and coming here everyday. Those of you who know me know that I am an animal lover and advocate. I would love to hear about you and your pet. I bet the other readers would too. If you would like to share a story please send it  to merdodson@yahoo.com
Also please feel free to write a comment on any stories you see here.

How has your pet been theraputic?

Sample consult involving a Down's syndrome teen and a new puppy

First let me say that I am a trained observer. When I am asked to consult, the first thing I do is look for natural strengths. Everyone has them, even the most severely impaired individuals. Once strengths are identified, goals are set that build on and use those strengths.

I was recently asked advise about how to integrate a new puppy into the lives of a very special family. There is a teen boy in the family who has Down's syndrome, ADHD, OCD, sensory issues and tourette's. His mother was looking for ideas of to involve him in the care of the new little fluffer. Mom was concerned that her son would not like the puppy.

After some conversation, I learned that the son, who I will call S, loves  to read. Aha! Books are a great tool when planning any type of intervention. Again, we look at natural tendencies and strengths. I recommended that mom make a trip to the library for books about the type of dog that would be joining the family. Next I asked her to make a simple  book about the new dog and S. I suggested that the teacher at school be asked to support S in bringing the book to school for show and tell. I also suggested that the teacher give daily positive feedback to S about the new dog and let natural conversation happen with S and his peers for a few minutes each day at school.

In addition, I suggested that mom look at the Nurtured Heart approach, which focuses on positive behaviors and fills the child's self esteem, as they are observed doing good things. An example of how this might look would be, when S shows kind behavior towards the puppy mom could say something like "wow S, you really are good at being a kind friend " then she would describe exactly what he did that was kind. "You remembered to use a gentle hand when petting. Thank you for being a gentle friend, it makes me feel very proud of you." The key to this approach is strong and frequent  attention focused  on positive moments.

This is a case study at the beginnings of the working stage for us to follow and I will post again, as things evolve. My plan over time will be to transfer the skills S learns befriending the new puppy to human friendship skills. This is an area that mom has shared as a challenge for S. I want to thank S's mom for allowing me to post about the family's adventure with a new puppy and a very special Down's syndrome young man. This is a great example of how pets can be used as an intervention for special needs kids.

Thanks for reading today. Here is a link to information about the Nurtured Heart approach:

http://difficultchild.com/

Walking Scotties

Recently my son and I were invited by my best friend, Teresa, to go for a walk with her and her 3 dogs. She has a pair of twin Scotties and a black spaniel. One Scottie is black and one is blond. The black one is know to be the easiest to manage on a leash so she was given to my Down's son for the walk. The spaniel is the most insecure of the group and also the most demanding. She can be very difficult to walk. About half way through our walk, my son volunteered to give a try to the spaniel as she was pulling and giving my friend a very hard time. Interesting, as soon as my son was handed the leash, the spaniel was a perfect angel.

My friend had become annoyed with her, and I am sure that she was picking up and reacting to that energy. My son, being the calmest most loving person I know, seemed to calm the little spaniel right down. It has been a few days now since the walk and my son is still talking about how much he loves that spaniel. They seemed to connect.

Starting in a few weeks my son and I will be volunteering at one of the local animal shelters. One of the things that will be an option for us is walking dogs on a trail they have out in back of the facility.
What a difference this will make in the lives of the dogs who are confined. Just another example of how Downsy dude is making this world a better one.

Thank you Teresa for the practice walk, it was lovely and affirming.

A special baby kitty for a special young man-right on time

When our rescue kitty, Bella, surprised us with kittens there were five total. The first three came quickly, and the last two many hours later. Number four was still born and had a deformed face. Number five was tiny but seemed ok. She was clearly the runt, and had some trouble finding mama's nipple.  Before her eyes were open I would find her lost and away from the others at  times. She was also the first kitten to be rejected by Bella when It came time to ween her kittens.

 We found adoptive homes for number one and two, but I knew I was in trouble when we named the remaining two kitties. One was my favorite, a cute little  calico girl who I named Patchouli. The other, much smaller kitten was named Daisy by my Down's syndrome son Lewis. Daisy is a tortoise shell calico and she loves to be held. If fact, it seemed like she would prefer to be held by Lewis over being with her mother. There was an almost instant bond between  Lewis and little Daisy.  She seemed a bit slow compared to Patchouli but she was my son's favorite. There was no way we could give up daisy or Patchouli.


Over the next two years, I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, and then a third occurrence. My son watched his mother, the only parent he has, wither  and weaken. He watched me loose my hair, and be as sick as a person can be. He wanted to help and would often make my bed and tenderly place books on it  for me to find. He also started taking responsibility for caring for the kitties. I was proud of him for stepping up, and was very grateful to have him there the help.

Many nights I would hear Lewis talking to Daisy in his room. He would talk about his worries, and tell her how much he loved her. He would  hold  her like she was a baby. She, all the while, purring and blinking sleepily. I often wondered how Lewis would have coped with my  illness if he did not have Daisy to love, hold and talk to. Not to mention the hours of laughter both the kittens have given us with their crazy cat antics.  Looking back, I realize that Bella brought in a very special gift by coming in pregnant. My good deed of taking her in was repaid by the gift of a cuddle friend for my son at a time when he needed it.

A special needs kitty, good karma, and an unexpected gift

Bella first appeared on the property in the summer of 2009 as a half grown kitten. She was Deaf, and her right eye turned in towards her nose. She was so skinny you could see her spine and she was very apprehensive of my presence. I nick named her Booger due to a black mark on her nose that went from one nostrils to her upper lip.

I would see her in the gardens but often she would not see me. Several times I startled her as she could not hear my approaching feet. I would put food out for her and then set several feet away to try and get a good look at her while she nervously gobbled down food. She had worms on her backside, so I decided to lace her meal with meds. She ate the plate of food as usual but after that day she disappeared. I was mortified and wondered if I had over medicated her or if she had experienced a bad reaction to the medicine.Over the next several months I spent a great deal of time wondering if she was OK and having dreadful thoughts about what might have become of her.
I could not forget Booger and her pathetic state.

Apparently she did not forget me either. Several months later near Christmas time, she appeared once again at my back slider door. The wind was howling and it was very cold outside. When she saw me looking at her she bolted away in fright. A few days later she returned again and looked in the window. I decided to go to the shed and get an old trash barrel, turn it on its side, and leave out for her for shelter. I put food and water out. The next morning the scrawny little beaten down kitty was contently sleeping in the barrel on a soft warm blanket. I put food and water out but each time I opened the slider she would run away in fright.

She seemed content to have a decent place to sleep she could call her own. I worried about her being out in the cold, but she would not come in, even when with coaxed with treats. January rolled around and Booger seemed to have made herself at home in the old barrel. Eventually she stopped bolting away every time I opened the door, I knew she had begun to trust me.

One very cold January morning I was on my way to work and heard something on the radio that made me turn back to the house. It was a pet advisory stating that it was 7 below zero and to be sure your dogs feet did not get frost bit while out side. I was mortified at the thought of Booger having been out side all night in that kind of cold. As I drove home I prayed that I would not find her frozen to death in the barrel.

When I arrived home and went to the back slider Booger was laying in the barrel motionless. Her food I had put out the night before had not been touched and her water was frozen solid. I picked up the half asleep little kitty and she did not resist. It was the first time she had let me touch her, and somehow she knew I was there to help. I carried her to the basement and made a makeshift bed for her, gave her a little snuggle and left for work. I had concerns about my young chemo Kitty Shaman being in the house with her. I was not sure how he would be with her and I was also concerned that she may have brought in disease. I shut the basement door and went to work.

I called the vet and she met me at the house that afternoon. She looked over the frightened little kitty and found her to be malnourished but in remarkably good health all things considered. With one exception. She had the worse case of ear mites I have ever seen. We removed swab after swab of black goo from her bright red infected ears. Once again she did not resist and seemed to know we were there to help. Over the next few weeks Booger lived in the basement grooming herself almost on stop. Soon I noticed that Booger would be waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs when I arrived home. She was hearing my feet on the floor above! She was not deaf after all, just had ears full of mite and a terrible infection that cleared up with treatment.

Once I knew booger was healthy, I started leaving the basement door open and she would sneak up to have a look around when things were very quiet. Any movement or sound would send her scurrying back to the basement. One day while tip toeing stealthily through the house, she decided to come and lay at my feet. What happened next was a surprise I was not prepared for.

As I looked at her I realized that she had become very pretty and was filling out nicely. I decided she needed a name that was more fitting to who she had become from being in a loving home. "Bella,
I will call you Bella, because you are so pretty" I said to her. I admired her pretty little face and fur, I noticed her belly seemed to be rolling. I ask myself, did her belly just move? I put my hand on her thinking perhaps she was having tummy trouble. Under my hand I felt the unmistakable movement of kittens. She gave birth 3 days later.

Please return to -the read about what happened next and the positive impact one special kitten has had on my son Lewis. A slow kitten for a Down Syndrome guy to love.

Endagered cheetah cubs

Here is a cute fix to start the year. Happy Day!

 http://www.happynews.com/news/1062011/eight-cheetah-cubs-conservation-success.htm