Indy the Pit Bull -- Hurt by a Sadistic Act Involving Fireworks -- Finds a Happy Ending

A vet tech who helped him recover from injuries sustained on July 4 offers him a new home.

Happy endings sometimes seem in short supply, especially in cases of animal abuse, so this one is very welcome. After months of treatment and recovery, a Pit Bull who made the news last year after someone strapped fireworks to his body and lit them, has found a new forever home.

Indy (short for Independence) was part of a particularly sadistic kind of Fourth of July  celebration last year. He was discovered in an alley in Van Nuys, California, on July 5, 2013, with more than half his body covered with third-degree burns. To this day, no one knows where Indy came from, or who tied fireworks to his body and legs. It's possible that we never will.

But we do know that this week, he went to a new home, adopted by one of the veterinary technicians who looked after him at the Westlake Village Animal Hospital. Jenny Mandel, who officially adopted Indy, wasn't working at the hospital when he first came in, but for months she has made a habit of coming to see him every morning when she came in. In November, she decided to adopt him.

"You can't not love a dog like that, so every day it was just more love, more love, and then finally he became a momma's boy. I became a doggy's girl," she told NBC.

It has been a very long and painful journey for Indy to get to his new home. NBC reports that his treatment involved "at least four skin grafts and surgeries."

The volunteers and staff who have cared for Indy during that time understand that journey better than anyone. Just after his recovery was announced in November, volunteer Allison Polumbus said, "It's really hard to see an animal in this kind of pain. We saw him without the bandages. It's horrific, it's gory, and you can't even imagine the pain he's in."

The scars from Indy's trauma are going to last for a long time, but everyone says that he has remained loving and affectionate the whole time. At his new home, at least he'll be assured of getting some of that love back.

I have to admit to a certain sentimental attachment to this story. I grew up in Westlake Village, where Indy has been recovering. It's an affluent suburb about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. I went to two high schools in the area and hated almost every minute I lived there. I was glad when I finally escaped to go to college in the 1990s, because I knew from an early age that I wouldn't get any happy endings there. I'm glad that I got out when I did, but I'm also glad that Indy, at least, found his happy ending in Westlake.

Via Life With Dogs and NBC

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Happy Thanksgiving to our RAGD pals!

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Keeping your green dog happy, healthy and safe during the 4th of July weekend!

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So Your Dog Looks Happy? Not So Fast -- Check His Eyebrows

A study reveals that the eyebrows (and the left ear) convey important dog emotions. No kidding.

You come home from a long day at work -- or just from a trip to the mailbox -- and there's your dog, wiggling and waggling like you're the best thing in the world and that everything is joy. All that carrying on means dog is happy to see you, right? 

Don't be so sure. Have you checked her eyebrows?

Apparently, the eyebrows are a window to a dog's emotions, or something like that, according to a study from the department of animal science at Azabu University in Sagamihara, Japan. 

Using high-speed cameras, the teams studied the facial expressions of dogs during the moments they were reunited with their owners or when meeting strangers for the first time, according to the Telegraph. The study placed 12 dogs in a room, with black curtains that swept back to reveal different things. The dogs had stickers on their faces, to help track movements with the cameras. What they found is shocking (sort of): 

A half-second after being reunited with their owners, dogs tended to move their left eyebrow up. When they met someone new, dogs moved their left ear back. When presented with something lame (nail clippers, anyone?), they moved their right ear. Nobel, anyone? 

According to Dr. Miho Nagasawa, "eyebrow movement might indicate a visible response whereby dogs attempted to look at their owners more intently,” which is a good thing. Your dog just wants to eat you all up. 

The researchers also found that "the subtle changes on different sides of their face are a reflection of activity in key parts of the brain that control emotions," according to the Telegraph. 

Sometimes, the results puzzled the researchers, as when a dog who sees his owner displays positive as well as negative cues. They marked that down as the dog being so happy to see his owner but so sad he's in a damn room with a partition and stickers all over his head. 

“One explanation for this result is that presentation of the owner elicited both negative and positive emotions," said Nagasawa. “A negative response might appear … perhaps because the dogs could not approach and touch their owners despite seeing them through the partitions."

One of the most important findings, however, was how damn cute and silly all these dogs look with stickers all over their faces. 

Via the Telegraph

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Happy 9th Birthday Brutus and Rufus

Its been awhile since I have posted anything about my crew so I thought I’d let you all know how things have been going.  Brutus, Rufus and Apollo celebrated their 9th birthdays in January. 9 is not a big milestone for a Labrador  but for a Saint Bernard its HUGE.  The average life span of a Saint Bernard is 8-10 years and I have been blessed to make it to the 9 year mark.  I’m hoping for a lot more time.  I ordered a big bone birthday cake from Three Dog Bakery Columbus and as always they made the most amazing cake for the boys.  When I called in and gave their names for the cake, the owner recognized them immediately.  She says… “OOOOH, I know them, the Saint Bernards” – totally made my day!

The boys enjoying their yummy cake! Rufus’s legs are so gross… he’s likes to groom himself, alot.  As he’s gotten older and a little arthritis has set in, keeping him clean and white is a challenge.  They both go to the groomer once a month for a bath and brush and I wash his legs in the tub once a week.  Of course he was due for a bath when I took his bday pictures.  Oh well, Saint Bernards are alot of work.  If you are considering getting one, please read – Is a St Bernard Right for you that I wrote a few months ago.

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Happy International Composting Awareness Week!

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Happy National Dog Day from Raise A Green Dog!

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Happy National Dog Day from Raise A Green Dog!

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Happy International Composting Awareness Week!

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Happy 8th Birthday Brutus and Rufus

Its so hard to believe the boys are now 8 year old seniors.  Although they are starting to slow down, they are still in pretty good shape.  They have very little grey on their faces, they still run around and wrestle with each other like pups.  They enjoy chewing bones and playing with their toys.

Their birthday marks the passage of time and reflection on all the good times I have had with them.  I try not to make it too big of a deal because I know that there won’t be many more birthdays for them.  The average life span (depending on what source you look at) is usually only 8-10 years.  It makes me sad that we get such a short time with our big guys compared to other breeds.  But I wouldn’t trade a single day with them for the world.  They have made me so happy and in the immortal words of Jerry Maguire… “You (Brutus and Rufus) complete me!”

Happy Birthday Boys!

I got their birthday cake from Three Dogs Bakery again.  Its a peanutbutter cake with peanutbutter cream cheese frosting and a “crowd” favorite.

  

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Bowing out on a happy note

August 29, 2011

Twyla is home. We picked her up at noon today. Her meds have been tweaked–more furosemide, as I expected–and some potassium supplements. She sees the cardiologist on Wednesday, and he may make further adjustments. Thank you all for your support and kind words, not just during this episode but all through Bella’s last years and recent death, and of course the happy times of Harper’s puppyhood and maturation into a smart, sweet young dog.

I have come to know many of you and consider you friends. I’ve learned a lot from and been entertained by the comments to my various posts and hope that you have in turn found them useful, thought-provoking or at least entertaining. I have just finished cutting and pasting all of my PetConnection posts since I began blogging here in 2007–more than 102,000 words–and it has been a fun journey down memory lane. I had forgotten a lot, and now I’m happy to have a record of so many of the things my dogs and I did, the topics that have interested me over the past four years, and even some of the trips I’ve taken.

My colleagues here on PetConnection and on the blogroll, some of whom I’ve known and respected for more than 20 years now, have been the best anyone could hope for. Their intelligence, passion, grace and writing ability have been an inspiration.

I hope we’ll all keep in touch via Facebook or Twitter, or maybe I’ll see you over on VetStreet. Happy trails!

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Video to Chill By: Very Happy Snowboarding Bulldogs

We were hoping to head to the Lake Tahoe area this long weekend and get in some skiing. My daughter had been looking forward to learning to snowboard, and it’s been a couple of years since we all hit the slopes. We’d take turns with Jake in the log cabin so he wouldn’t get lonely or go all termite on us.

But there’s been no snow for way too long, and the few slopes that are open will be crowded and have only manmade snow. So we’re foregoing it, as we did at Christmas. At least now that this video came my way I can live vicariously through these very happy snowboarding bulldogs. Go dogs, go!

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Groundbreaking Court Ruling Takes Dogs Beyond “Property” Status; Major Pet Industry Groups Not Happy

A Texas appeals court ruling has given dogs increased status over other forms of property. The dog in this photo may actually be worth more than the table he is sitting on now. (Photo from the Flickr photostream of geevee41)

A Texas appellate court has made the bold move of effectively taking dogs out of the “property” category and giving them increased legal status. It provides an updated reinterpretation of the law, which traditionally views pets as worth only their market value — like a table or a car.

The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth overturned a lower court’s ruling that a couple whose dog was wrongfully euthanized was entitled to damages for only the dog’s monetary worth. The new ruling allows for a dog’s true worth to be considered.

“Dogs are unconditionally devoted to their owners. Today, we interpret timeworn supreme court law in light of subsequent court law to acknowledge that the special value of ‘man’s best friend’ should be protected,” the Court’s opinion stated.

With the ruling, the owners of the dog, Avery, could be entitled to damages for “sentimental” or “intrinsic” value. Avery escaped from his yard and was brought to an animal shelter. They went to claim him, but didn’t have enough money, so they made arrangements to return when they had it. Despite a “hold for owner” tag on Avery’s cage, a shelter employee euthanized him days before his number was up. When the couple came back to pay for Avery’s fee, they got the terrible news.

Ironically, in some instances dogs have not been given the same value even as some forms of property. If someone destroys family heirlooms that are of great sentimental value, even though the heirlooms may be nearly financially worthless, damages can be awarded because of their sentimental value. The new court ruling, for which the appellate justices cited a 120-year-old Texas Supreme Court decision as precedent, gives pets at least the same value as other items that are of negligible monetary value but great intrinsic worth.

“Because of the special position pets hold in the family, we see no reason why existing law should not be interpreted to allow recovery in the loss of a pet at least to the same extent as other personal property,” Justice Lee Gabriel wrote.

The shelter worker who ended Avery’s life will appeal the decision. She will be in some pretty powerful company. Surprisingly — at least at first glance — some of the top pet-industry organizations in the nation are adamantly opposed to the court’s decision. The American Veterinary Medical Association (whose well-done newsletter article is the main source for my post), American Kennel Club, the Cat Fanciers’ Association, Animal Health Institute, American Pet Products Association, and Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council are among those who filed briefs asking the justices to reconsider.

These groups say they fear that the liability from “pain and suffering” claims would cause pet service fees to have to increase greatly and make veterinary care unaffordable for many people with pets.

“If this becomes the law of the land, it will lead to higher costs to own a pet, disproportionally hurting middle-class and low-income pet owners. Who will pay for those higher damage awards? The rest of us pet owners, of course,” said Adrian Hochstadt, AVMA assistant director of state legislative and regulatory affairs. “The obvious consequences will include fewer people being able to own pets and, unfortunately, more animal abandonment.”

Opponents say the verdict “isolates the Second Court of Texas in American jurisprudence and … violated Texas Supreme Court law.” Legal experts say the case will likely end up in Texas Supreme Court. It will be interesting to watch this unfold. I f the Supreme Court upholds the appeals court’s decision, what will the implications be across the nation and across animal law? Could it be the start of a sea change as to how dogs are considered and treated? Could it lead to stiffer punishments of those who abuse animals?

I was initially disillusioned when I learned that such major pet industry organizations were opposed to what seemed like something they’d support: that the value of a pet goes beyond its market worth. But they see this as opening the doors to all kinds of pricey lawsuits, so I guess I should not be surprised that they’ve come out swinging. I’m very interested in your thoughts on this, Dogsters. Also, if there are any legal experts out there who can weigh in, or who can offer some perspective on the case, I’d love to hear from you.

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Holiday Miracles: Dog Survives Blast, and Other Happy Tales

Diva

It was miracle enough that the Diaz family survived a huge explosion that wrecked their home Tuesday. A little boy, his dad, and grandparents were home when there apparently was a natural gas pipeline explosion at their home in Haltom City, Texas.

But when they found their beloved dog, Diva, hiding among the ruins the next day, they finally called it a true miracle. They took her to the veterinarian right away and were hugely relieved that she had no serious injuries.

“We’re just blessed — Christmas miracle, I guess,” Maggie Diaz told NBC-DFW. Check out the video below the illustration to see just how bad the damage was, and you’ll see how very lucky they all were. (If you can call it lucky when you lose your home.)

On your way down to the video, take a look at this Holiday Pet Miracles illustration. The Dogster Dog Blog is the very first place you’ll find this on the Internet! The good folks at eBay Classifieds thought we were a deserving bunch because we write about these types of story pretty frequently. They thought you’d enjoy seeing some of these happy tales in illustrated form. It would be fun to see a poster like this at veterinary clinics this time of year, wouldn’t it? Some people taking their pets there really do need a miracle.

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Happy Thanksgiving, Dogsters!

Dogster dogs Taro, Buster, and Milo, at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, CA. (Photo: Joy Wical)

Dogster reader Joy Wical was the winner of my book, The Dog Lover’s Companion to California, earlier this week in our giveaway of a few items. When I was getting her mailing information, she sent me this photo of her absolutely beautiful dogs, Taro, Buster, and Milo. She took this photo at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, CA. It screamed “A Dogster Thanksgiving”! So with her permission, I’m sharing it with my Dogster pals far and wide, and wishing you a good holiday. I’m grateful for many things, including all the wonderful, thoughtful, loyal readers of this blog. A toast to you and your dogs, from Jake and me (and Taro, Buster, and Milo)!

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Happy Howl ‘o Ween – Rufio Style

I have some very trick-alicious photos to treat you with.

 

My good friend Kathryn Dunlap is owned by the most photogenic and patient dog of all time.  Her boy, Rufio, is a one year old Neopolitan Mastiff (think fang from Harry Potter if you are not familiar with the breed) who’s taking the internet and greeting card business by storm.  He has his own line of hilariously creative greeting cards.  Check out his website – Rufio’s Rumblings.  He has his very own fan club on Facebook and has been a media sensation (tv and newspaper) in and around the Chicago area.  He is currently featured in a Halloween Hallmark greeting card his Gladiator candy defender costume. You can defend my candy any day.

How can I even compete with these costumes?  And Brutus and Rufus would never stand for clothing like that.  Hats, sure… full on costumes, never.  I think I’ve been bitten by that little green-eyed monster, Jealousy. Keep up the good work Rufio.  I think we are witnessing a huge star being born.

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Happy Howl ‘o Ween

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Less Ticks = Happy Dogs: Review and Giveaway Earth Heart's Buzz Guard!

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The Happy Dogs Bedtime Prayer

The Happy Dogs Bedtime Prayer

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
The queen-size bed is soft and deep.
I sleep right in the center groove,
My human being can hardly move.
I’ve trapped her legs,
She’s tucked in tight,
And here is where I shall pass the night.
No one disturbs me or dares intrude,
Till morning comes and I want food.
I sneak up slowly and it begins,
My nibbles on my human’s chin.
She wakes up slowly and smiles and shouts,
“You darling beast! Just cut it out!”
But mornings here and its time to play,
I always seem to get my way.
So thank you Lord, for giving me,
This human person that I see.
The one who holds me tight,
And shares her bed with me at night!”

~unknown

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Bowing out on a happy note

August 29, 2011

Twyla is home. We picked her up at noon today. Her meds have been tweaked–more furosemide, as I expected–and some potassium supplements. She sees the cardiologist on Wednesday, and he may make further adjustments. Thank you all for your support and kind words, not just during this episode but all through Bella’s last years and recent death, and of course the happy times of Harper’s puppyhood and maturation into a smart, sweet young dog.

I have come to know many of you and consider you friends. I’ve learned a lot from and been entertained by the comments to my various posts and hope that you have in turn found them useful, thought-provoking or at least entertaining. I have just finished cutting and pasting all of my PetConnection posts since I began blogging here in 2007–more than 102,000 words–and it has been a fun journey down memory lane. I had forgotten a lot, and now I’m happy to have a record of so many of the things my dogs and I did, the topics that have interested me over the past four years, and even some of the trips I’ve taken.

My colleagues here on PetConnection and on the blogroll, some of whom I’ve known and respected for more than 20 years now, have been the best anyone could hope for. Their intelligence, passion, grace and writing ability have been an inspiration.

I hope we’ll all keep in touch via Facebook or Twitter, or maybe I’ll see you over on VetStreet. Happy trails!

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