My dog is jealous

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by kchristieh in animals

My dog may be jealous of this pooch we saw recently, but he’s too short to drive anyway. Besides, I’ll have my hands full teaching my son to drive for the next few months.

Do not pity a shelter dog. Adopt one.

Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in advertising, animals

Shelter dogs aren’t broken.
They’ve simply experienced more life.
If they were human, we would call them wise.
They would be the ones with tales to tell, stories to write.
Do not pity a shelter dog.
Adopt one.

Pedigree’s “Heroes” commercial, part of its Adoption Drive.

Best commercial I’ve ever seen.

Don’t watch “The Cove” with your dog

Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in animals

Partway through the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove“, a diver sidles up to a wild dolphin and rubs its belly. When we saw this, our whole family said the dolphin reminded us of our dog, Ricky. So it’s no wonder that, when the movie got tense, our normally fearless dog freaked out and started trembling. He had good reason: the movie showed the violent methods used to capture dolphins for animal shows at parks such as SeaWorld. We also learned that the dolphins that weren’t “lucky” enough to be chosen would be killed and, despite the dangerously high levels of mercury in their bodies, sold as food for humans. I took Ricky to the living room to calm him down, but he cowered under the coffee table and kept looking back at the family room. Eventually I took him outside and let him run around until the movie ended. He was still shaking slightly when he went back inside, but when he realized the movie was over, he stopped.

When my teens summed up what happened during the movie when I was out of the room, by son said that the dolphin hunting was “like eating orange chicken with one chopstick. Poke, miss, poke, miss.” He’s an eloquent young man.

I’ve been to my fair share of dolphin and orca shows at SeaWorld, but now I’d feel guilty if I ever went again. In fact, I’d feel guilty giving SeaWorld any of my money. I hope that they and other sea life and animal parks improve the conditions of their capturing practices, and if they can’t keep an animal in a setting that approximates the animal’s natural habitat, that they don’t keep the animal in captivity. If you don’t agree, please watch “The Cove” and see if it changes your mind.

By the way, the night after we watched “The Cove”, Ricky started shaking soon after we started watching “24″. He finally calmed down when I turned him around so he wasn’t facing the tv. This is definitely a G-rated dog.

Here’s the trailer for “The Cove”:

My new friend, Goldie

Posted on 12. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

If you saw a stray dog with a collar walking up the street, what would you do?

Last week I was meeting with some clients when the doorbell rang. A man was standing at my door with my little dog in his arms. Unbeknownst to me, Ricky (pictured to the right) had dug under the fence and run down the street and into this man’s yard. Thankfully, Ricky’s very friendly and non-threatening, so the man felt comfortable picking him up. Ricky has no idea how dangerous the traffic on our street is, so I’m very grateful to the man for bringing him home.

I had the opportunity to pay the favor forward a few days ago. I was in a different part of town when I saw a medium-sized dog trotting up the street. I parked the car and called the dog over. I figured that if it came to me on its own, it was probably a friendly dog. I was right: she came over and willingly hopped into my car. (see the pictures to the right) When I checked her collar, I found out her name was Goldie and that she lived two blocks away, so I drove her home. No one was there, so I called the number on her tag. The man who answered said that I could find a tether in the backyard, so I retrieved it and used it as a leash to guide her home.

It only took a few extra minutes to help Goldie out, but I still feel good about helping her and her owner. I hope that the next time my dog gets out, someone does the same.

Doesn’t she look happy? I think she was hoping we’d go on more of an adventure.

I love how she has one ear up and one ear down.

Ashes to ashes, and now to my house

Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

Yesterday’s strong winds blew so much ash off the local mountains that the skies above La Canada looked like a storm was brewing. It’s good that there wasn’t a storm, as we’re not eager for the debris that is likely to flow down the canyons that were ravaged by the recent Station Fire, but it would be nice to have a little rain to wash away some of the ash that landed everywhere.

My dog wasn’t bothered by the ash. He just jumped right over it. Someday I’ll get a better action shot of him jumping like a gazelle. He does this every time he comes inside.

All of that blackness is ash and dust. It makes me wonder exactly what burned to cause it.

What would you do with a squirrel with a broken leg?

Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

I knew something was up when I called my little dog to come inside last night and I didn’t hear him. He has so much bling (aka tags) on his collar that I can usually hear him from across the yard. I grew worried, afraid that he’d escaped into the darkness. My son finally found him in the corner of the yard, with a young squirrel in his mouth. Thankfully, he dropped the squirrel and came running to me, so I put him inside and pondered what to do with the squirrel.

The squirrel was still alive, but it appeared to have a broken back leg. It limped about, and couldn’t climb a tree or a fence. We were in a hurry to go out, so I had to decide quickly. I figured I had two choices:

1. Kill the squirrel
2. Let the squirrel live until it died on its own

It was so cute. It looked like the picture on the right. I took an actual picture of it, but I don’t think you want to see it.

I let the squirrel live. My son used a shovel to cajole it into a long box we had in our garage, and we dumped the squirrel onto a bed of leaves in a neighbor’s yard that doesn’t have a dog. (and doesn’t read this blog) I didn’t want to leave it in our yard, for fear that my dog would find it and finish it off.

Maybe I should have whacked it with the shovel so that it wouldn’t suffer. I just couldn’t. Maybe I’m a wimp, or a softie, or just a naive product of suburbia.

It was sad.

15 Life Lessons I Learned From My Dog

Posted on 16. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

When my sweet dog Genevieve died just over a year ago, I cried for days. Ever since we’d adopted her over 11 years before, she’d been my constant companion. She was rarely more than five feet from my side, and she was my office mate who sat on the couch as I did all the work. She lived a good, long life – perhaps 16.5 years – but in the end an enlarged heart did her in. It was only fitting, because she captured everyone’s heart.

We honored Genevieve and the place she had in our hearts by adopting another dog within eight days. As I look back on it, I can’t believe we adopted another dog so quickly, but Genevieve left a big hole, and I wanted to try to fill it quickly. I went to five local animal shelters, and at each one I asked them to show me their friendliest small dog. Some of the dogs they showed me didn’t show much interest in being social, and at other shelters the workers and volunteers had so many animals on hand that they didn’t know enough about them to help me. Finally, at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society, several workers independently pointed to an adorable little guy whom I’d passed by the first time I saw him. They were right: he’s a love sponge, and a year ago today we brought him home with us. We named him Ricky, and he’s brought great joy to our family and to all who have met him. He’ll never replace Genevieve, but he honors her by filling in his own way the role that she played in our family.

Here’s what Ricky’s taught me in the last year:

1. Life goes on. I miss Genevieve dearly, but Ricky has helped me to focus on the present, not on the past.
2. Don’t judge someone by their looks. I thought I’d wind up adopting another terrier, but I’m very happy we brought Ricky home instead. I don’t know what breeds are mixed in him, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s on the inside.
3. If you show love, you’ll get love. I’ve never known a dog who licked as much as Ricky does. It makes you want to pet him all the time.
4. If you ask for love, you’ll get love. Ricky loves to lie on his back, look at us with pathetic eyes, and shake his legs until he gets a belly rub. He’s irresistible.
5. Be persistent. The more you chew on that toy, the more likely you’ll be to break it down. Also, see #4.
6. Everyone is a potential friend. Keep trying.
7. Lead a balanced life. There’s a time for belly rubs, a time for chasing squirrels, and a time for sleeping in the sun. All are important.
8. Life is a journey: enjoy the ride. Ricky loves to go for car rides, and gets upset when I don’t bring him along.
9. Express yourself. If you’re bugged by the fact that someone dares to walk on the sidewalk across the street, bark and let them know it.
10. Be true to yourself. Just because the neighbor dogs like to swim doesn’t mean you have to.
11. Appreciate the blessings of life. Anything beats being in a cage at the Humane Society for a month and a half.
12. Live each moment to the fullest. One of my greatest joys is seeing the extra-high leap that Ricky loves to take when he jumps up the stairs after playing in the backyard.
13. Being small has its advantages. If he weren’t so small, Ricky wouldn’t fit on my lap or under the bed.
14. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have fun. Even an old sock can provide great enjoyment.
15. Seize the opportunity when it’s available. As soon as the bedroom door opens, rush in to grab any socks that may be on the floor. (see #14)

Ricky is like a 9-year-old boy. He’s bright, sweet, energetic and playful all at once. He makes life exciting and rewarding, and we’re blessed to have him in our lives.

I wish Genevieve could meet him.

The puppy that can’t roll back over

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

This is cute, but I feel bad for the (non-)roly poly puppy. Maybe if the video continued for another 30 seconds and someone stepped in to help it would be a lesson on the value of good friends.

Cat or dog? You decide.

Posted on 13. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

It’s not surprising that a dog that

• Jumps like a cat
• Climbs trees like a cat
• Hates water as much as a cat, and
• Keeps himself as clean as a cat

also HUNTS like a cat.

Little Ricky was so proud of himself when he returned to the door with this bird in his mouth that his tail wagged too quickly for the camera.

No wonder he was so proud. It turns out he had THREE birds in his mouth, not one. That brings his total to five for this past month.

I’m sad that he’s decimating the bird population, but I don’t know what to do about it. I think he’s finding baby birds that have fallen out of their nests or he’s raiding nests built in bushes. Although he can climb one of our trees, he doesn’t get high enough to get a nest.

Hopefully the birds will figure out that they need safer places to make their nests next season.

Chasing Chihuahuas

Posted on 10. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

This evening my husband called us into the next room to show us a pack of dogs gathered outside the window. Two were Chihuahuas, and the other was a larger dog. We live on a busy street, so we ran outside to make sure the dogs didn’t get hurt.

Sure enough, I wound up having to stop traffic to save the life of a Chihuahua who decided to sit in the middle of the road. Eventually, the dogs all ran to a nearby backyard, and slipped through an open gate. I closed the gate, and crossed my fingers that this was their home. No one answered the door, and another neighbor swore under her breath that she didn’t care what happened to the #^$%%! dogs.

None of the dogs were wearing collars. This is inexcusable. Dogs can’t speak, so they need collars with tags to let people know who they belong to.

Then again, maybe the humans don’t care what happens to the dogs. I think that’s how our dog wound up at the Humane Society before we adopted him. They said he was wandering around the streets with no identification.

Their loss is our gain.

I LOVE the picture on the right from Daisy the Dog. I think our dog is mostly Basenji, but I think he has a lot of Chihuahua in him too. Today he came running back inside with a baby bird. I’ve never had a dog do that. Then again, they do call Basenjis the Cat of Dogs…

Dog moves bed to be near loved ones

Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

This evening my dog proved his intelligence and devotion by moving the colorful bed in the foreground off the brown bed in the background to be near us as we sat on the couch that he’s not allowed on.

In case you’re wondering, we had these two cushions for our old dog and kept the colorful one in the cage she liked to sleep in. The cage reminds this guy of the shelter he came from, so he refuses to go near it.

R.I.P. ReinChuck

Posted on 22. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, books, health, my life

My dog is still working on destroying the toys I bought from the post-Christmas clearance bin at Petco. This evening he finally made great progess on the ReinChuck. (or is it a WoodDeer?)

Isn’t it cute?

Uh-oh. Starting to see some innards on the outards…

Here’s what happens if you hold your finger over the flash. I like the night vision effect, as if I’ve found him doing this in the wild.

“Why are you holding my ReinChuck over your head?”

R.I.P. ReinChuck.  :(

“I’ll eat the brains tomorrow.”

Let’s hope he doesn’t eat the brains. I just read the chapter of that describes how eating squirrel brains can cause a form of mad cow disease.

I’m sure that if I grew up eating squirrel brains, I wouldn’t be bothered by this concept. But I didn’t, so I am. I can’t even imagine eating squirrels.

Clearly my dog can, however. I guess that’s why I haven’t seen a squirrel in our yard for a few months. They’re not stupid.

Car wreck, financial wreck, the joy of childhood and the love of a dog

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, economy, inspirational people, my life, parenting, shopping

While I was on my way to take my daughter’s car to the body shop today,

three people called me on my cellphone, but I was a good girl and didn’t pick up the phone. But when I stopped at the corner of Lake and Walnut in Pasadena, I took my camera out of my purse and snapped some pictures of the people protesting in front of IndyMac:

Later in the afternoon, my daughter and I had fun watching these delightful children in the fountain at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. They waited patiently for the water to come back up, and  would step on where the water had come out previously to get it to come, just like adults press elevator buttons over and over.

When the water finally came, they laughed and giggled with such delight that it took a cold or hurried soul not to stop and smile. I think Paseo Colorado management should pay kids to play there and make us all happy.

When I got home, my dog ran to the window to greet me.

It’s the little things that bring the most delight.

I won’t get any awards for dog training, but that’s ok

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life, shopping

As soon as I adopted my new dog last fall, I signed us up for dog training classes. He proved to be a quick study, and was putty in the hands of the wonderful, original Dog Whisperer, Paul Owens of Raise With Praise. He was ok with me, too, but he liked Paul’s chicken treats better.

It was hard to find time to train my dog at home, however. But we’ve managed to do pretty well on sit, stay and come. I’ve even got him trained to sit at the top of the stairs and wait until I ask him to come down. If I don’t do that, I might trip over him. He’s turned out to be my canine shadow, so I need to be careful.

My biggest breakthrough came a week ago, when I took delivery of a chair with sides from Staples. It prevents my dog from jumping on my back from the couch, or poking my thighs with his nose. He literally cried for 10 minutes when I got it, and for a few minutes each day for the next few days, but now he realizes that he can’t bother me while I work. I play with him about 20x more than I played with our old dog (see above picture) because he needs the attention. But I can’t play fetch and rub his belly 24/7.

Today’s Etsy Friday Find is the cool dog trainer lariat necklace to the right. The artist who designed it, BirdlandCreations, has lots of other witty and stylish jewelry.

I’m sure I could train my dog to jump through a hoop. He would have been a great circus dog. But he might not have as many belly rubs there.

Why do we treat dogs better than humans?

Posted on 19. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, non-profits, shopping, things that bug me

When Andy Bales‘ Facebook status said that the Union Rescue Mission urgently needed teen gifts for the last day of its Christmas Store, I kicked into high gear. As the mother of two teens, I’m a pro at shopping for that demographic. So I went on a major spending spree at Target and had fun choosing everything from basketballs to electronics to hooded sweatshirts. I headed down to Los Angeles’ Skid Row, and dropped off the goodies at the Union Rescue Mission loading dock.

On the way back, I passed through some of the worst of Skid Row. My heart broke. There were throngs of people spilling into the streets, including families with little kids. The streets were so thick with pigeons that I had to slow down to avoid hitting whole flocks. Then, just as I thought I was out of the bedlam, there was a body in the road. Dead? I don’t know. But traffic was stopped on the north side of Pershing Square as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I sat in my car, only feet away, hoping to see some sign of life. I saw none. It was all too much…I cried. I felt so foolish for crying. After all, I used to volunteer at Union Station in Pasadena. I’ve also updated the Outreach portion of our church website for years, and have read many stories about and seen many pictures of Skid Row. But this was way more than I expected.

I had one more errand to run: I wanted to drop off some extra dog supplies at the Pasadena Humane Society. After I made my donation, I walked around the facility. What a contrast to the hell on earth I’d just seen downtown. The dogs, sad as they were to be in pens, were many times better off than the humans I’d just seen 30 minutes before. They were kept in clean cages and were well-fed. Volunteers were going from cage to cage to cuddle them and let them know they were loved. There was only one pigeon.

I bet that many of the people on Skid Row would have been happy to trade places with these dogs.

What kind of society is this that we treat our fellow humans this way?

I’m glad that I brought the gifts down there today, but I feel like it’s just a drop in the bucket of what’s needed. I wish I could make more of an impact, and I wish that our society as a whole cared for the needy better.

PS – I had my camera with me, but I didn’t think it was respectful to take pictures. I looked for pictures on the internet that depicted scenes similar to what I saw today, but I couldn’t find any. There were tons of pictures of Skid Row, but none that were nearly as dramatic as what I saw. I checked Google Street View, and their cameras only show a minute fraction of the number of homeless I saw today. Go to the corner of 5th St. and San Julian St. in Los Angeles and see for yourself. Then do something.

Yes on Ate

Posted on 02. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

I was delighted to receive the “Yes on 8″ sign that I won from the Rattling the Kettle contest in yesterday’s mail. The possibilities of what to do with it were endless, but then my dog spoke up. He said that he’s all about love and acceptance, and wanted to help take care of the sign.

So he did.

Thanks, Ricky! And thank you, Dave, for a fun-filled evening of watching my dog destroy the “Yes on 8″ sign!

The Obamas should rescue a dog

Posted on 05. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, local news, my life, politics

Barack Obama promised his daughters that, win or lose, he’d get them a dog. Although Garrison Keilor may disagree, I think he should and will keep his promise.

This past summer, the American Kennel Club ran a “Presidential Pup” survey to see which dog people thought the Obamas should get. One of the Obama daughters has allergies, so the AKC narrowed the choices to the following breeds that are known to have hypoallergenic coats and stable, friendly dispositions: Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer, Bichon Frise, and Chinese Crested. The Poodle won, and the AKC has offered to help the Obamas choose a puppy or adult rescue dog.

I think a rescue dog would send a great message. There are far too many dogs and cats in need of good homes, especially in these difficult economic times. Locally, the Pasadena Humane Society installed two large trailers to house pets because they have about 33% more dogs and cats than they did a year ago.

Too bad their daughter has an allergy to some breeds, because it would be cool if the Obamas got a mixed-breed dog. We joke in our family that since we’re all such a mix of different races (esp. my husband and kids), it’s neat to have a dog that’s also a mix.

Either way, I’d recommend that the Obamas aim for the friendliest dog they can find. It’s easier to deal with annoying puppy behavior when the dog is full of love.

For everything there is a season and a place

Posted on 24. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, tv

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from the crematorium that took care of my dog’s body. It appeared that I needed to go in and pick up her ashes, so I set the GPS and headed over to the northeast edge of the San Fernando Valley.

You know a location is remote when you can’t even find it with a GPS. I passed the address twice before I finally realized that it was located through an unmarked opening in a fence right next to a junk car lot. The small, non-descript building was hidden behind old cars, and the people inside were surprised to see me. It turns out I’d misinterpreted the letter, and the ashes weren’t ready. But I paid, and got to choose a little box for them. They hand-delivered them to me the next week.

Why am I writing this post? Because here’s how B.J. Novak, writer and actor for “The Office,” describes where this amazing show is created:

“We work in an industrial cul-de-sac in a scary, God-forsaken corner of the valley,” he said.”It is across the street from what appears to be a lot where they strip cars for parts, which is guarded by a pit bull, and next to a bunch of crematoriums, where they cremate bodies. We’ve been in that unglamorous location since before anyone ever gave us a compliment on the street. It fosters a lot of humility.”

It must be near where I was. It was completely absurd. I can totally understand how the creative juices could flow there.

Stay tuned Thursday night, Sept. 25th, for the season premiere of “The Office“!

How I chose my new dog

Posted on 16. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, my life

I’ve never been much of a procrastinator, and I usually make pretty quick decisions. So when our dog passed away recently, I knew that for myself, the best way to honor her would be to get another dog. A new dog will never replace her, because she was one of a kind. I still can’t believe she’s gone.  :(

Last week I went to five animal shelters and looked at countless adoptable dogs online. I never realized how different each animal shelter could be. One shelter had mostly pit bulls and German shepards, and another no-kill shelter took in very adoptable dogs from county shelters.

We found our new dog at a county shelter. I asked each worker which dog they thought was the friendliest, and they unanimously chose the same dog. I had looked at a few other dogs first, but because of the high recommendation, I gave this little guy a second look. I was hooked, and today I brought him home. He’s very affectionate, and loves to follow us around. I think he’s around 3 years old, but I’m sure our vet will give us a better idea of that. He only weighs 15 pounds, and we think he might be part Basenji. He was neutered today, so he’s a little groggy, but he’s been very agreeable and has shown spurts of energy. He even appears to be housebroken. Yay!

This shelter was so full of dogs and cats, and it seemed like more were coming in than going out. It wasn’t the Sheraton of shelters, but I could tell that the people that worked there really cared about the animals, and it must really pain them when they run out of space to house the animals and have to decide which ones to put to sleep.

I wish every one of those animals could find a happy home!

My dog is gone

Posted on 08. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, health, my life

My dog’s health took a drastic turn for the worse this evening, and she could barely breathe. We took her to the emergency veterinary clinic, and they said that although they could try to make her more comfortable by keeping her there on an IV, they couldn’t actually make her better. Her heart was in bad shape. So, we made the difficult decision to put her down. I feel so bad about having to make that decision, but she was struggling so bad. Yesterday she was doing ok, so I got her groomed and bought 36 cans of dog food. At least she was clean and huggable today. I’ll give the dog food to my father-in-law’s dog.

I admit, I can’t stop crying. I miss her.

We got her 11.5 years ago from the Humane Society. She was somewhere between 3-5 years old then, so she lived a good, long life (at least the part after she arrived at our home). I’ve worked at home for the past 7.5 years, and she’s been at my side the whole time. I keep thinking I’ll look over at the couch and see her, but she’s not there. She was bright, loyal and complicated, and we loved her dearly. I’ve had a dog every day for the past 17.5 years, and I can’t imagine what it’ll be like to wake up tomorrow and not need to feed her.

This might sound weird, but as I held her when the vet administered the final injection, I felt her spirit leave the room. It was really strange. I don’t know. Anyway, I hope she gets to meet all her puppies who didn’t survive, and see her parents, and our old dog.

My daughter wants us to buy the DVD for “All Dogs Go To Heaven.” I will. I believe it.

When a big heart is actually a bad thing

Posted on 27. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, health, my life

When I adopted my sweet dog 11.5 years ago from the Humane Society, she was sick as a…dog. She had just given birth to a litter of puppies (none of whom survived), she had giardia and an inflamed uterus, and she was about 20% under her ideal weight. She was in really bad shape. But she captured our hearts, and we nursed her back to health. Until today, we thought she was the healthiest 15-16 year old dog in town.

We were wrong. She was having a hard time breathing today, so my daughter and I took her to the vet. The vet says that she has congestive heart failure, and an extremely large heart. She gave her an injection of Lasix, and sent us home with some pills. So far, the drugs are working, but it’s just a matter of time until they don’t.

We lost our last dog to cancer. It was a long and painful process, and since I thought I was going to make some substantial money from eToys at the time (I didn’t), I actually paid for her to have radiation. It bought her a few more months, but they weren’t very pleasant.

I’m not sure how much I should spend on this dog. I’ll cross each bridge when I come to it. I know the money could be better spent on humans in third-world countries, but I have an ethical obligation to take care of this wonderful creature who has showered us with so much love.

At least she’s not a chimpanzee actor.

Honoring our sweet little Steffi

Posted on 10. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, my life

I first learned about West Highland White Terriers when my parents gave me a dog sticker book for my 5th birthday. I decided I’d have a Westie some day, and at one point even said that I’d own a Westie farm when I grew up. I finally got a Westie puppy 17 years ago. We named her Steffi, and she was one of the sweetest, most patient dogs I’ve ever known. She was great with the kids, and was always willing to fetch a ball or run circles with our preschoolers around the hallways in our house. Unfortunately, she got cancer when she was nine, and despite aggressive treatments, died several months later.

Soon after that, I purchased the print and the matching frame below on a trip to Santa Fe. In case you can’t read it, it says “Our Lady of Sass: Westie Divina.” I thought it reflected Steffi’s energy and enthusiasm.

When we moved to our current house, we decided it fit perfectly into the nook in the hallway. We added her old dog tag and a few little statuettes, and before we knew it, it looked like a shrine. That’s not what we intended, since we’re not dog worshipers, but it is a nice way to remember a sweet dog.

We still miss her.

This post is dedicated to MotherPie, Janna G., and Mary R.H., who all lost dogs recently. And also to Debbie J., whose dog isn’t doing so well…

We’ll get used to it eventually

Posted on 24. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, my life, parenting

About a minute after I let the dog out this morning, she was sprayed by a skunk. She rushed back to the door, and I hustled her into the shower. She smelled more like chemicals – like the New Jersey of my youth, if I may – than skunk. Thankfully, the human shampoo in that shower, Thermasilk by Helene Curtis, did the trick. I even used the conditioner, so she’s nice and soft now.

Even so, our whole house stinks. I’ve been boiling white vinegar, spraying Lysol, and lighting candles to get rid of the smell. I think it’s working, but maybe I’m just used to the stench. I’ll find out when I go out in a little while and see how people react to me. I’d open the windows, but it’s cold and rainy/hailing today.

I fetched my daughter from school because she wanted to come home and take a shower. The kids in her first period class were appalled at the odor. Luckily, they didn’t realize it emanated from her. I wonder what my son’s classmates think? Maybe the Tag he sprayed on his jeans on the way to school did the trick.

To the right is a picture of our dog after her shower. Poor girl! She freaked out afterwards, and rubbed herself all over our carpets trying to dry off. She’s sound asleep now.

POSTSCRIPT: It’s not completely working. When I was out I even smelled myself, and Connie B. was honest enough to let me know that I do smell. When I returned home, the stench hit hard as soon as I opened the door. So, avoid direct contact with me today. Stick to email.Â

The Darfur Puppy vs. 21 Million Starving Africans

Posted on 10. May, 2007 by kchristieh in articles, international, my life, religion, things that bug me

Why are even caring, generous people more moved by the plight of one needy child than the despair of millions? Nicholas Kristof examines this question in today’s NYTimes column, “Save the Darfur Puppy.”

In one experiment, psychologists asked ordinary citizens to contribute $5 to alleviate hunger abroad. In one version, the money would go to a particular girl, Rokia, a 7-year-old in Mali; in another, to 21 million hungry Africans; in a third, to Rokia — but she was presented as a victim of a larger tapestry of global hunger.

Not surprisingly, people were less likely to give to anonymous millions than to Rokia. But they were also less willing to give in the third scenario, in which Rokia’s suffering was presented as part of a broader pattern.

This isn’t surprising to me. I admit that I’m more likely to respond to a personal funding request than to a global one. Clearly, I’m not alone:

“Our capacity to feel is limited,” Paul Slovic of the University of Oregon writes in a new journal article, “Psychic Numbing and Genocide,” which discusses these experiments. Professor Slovic argues that we cannot depend on the innate morality even of good people. Instead, he believes, we need to develop legal or political mechanisms to force our hands to confront genocide.

It’s wrong, but when I know who’s receiving my aid, perhaps I’m more trusting that my money will definitely make a difference. I know it’s irrational, and it bugs me. A corrollary would be when I buy a new skirt or something else I don’t really “need,” even though that money could make a much bigger difference in someone else’s life. Kristof continues,

Even the right animal evokes a similar sympathy. A dog stranded on a ship aroused so much pity that $48,000 in private money was spent trying to rescue it — and that was before the Coast Guard stepped in. And after I began visiting Darfur in 2004, I was flummoxed by the public’s passion to save a red-tailed hawk, Pale Male, that had been evicted from his nest on Fifth Avenue in New York City. A single homeless hawk aroused more indignation than two million homeless Sudanese.

Several years ago the beloved crossing guard at my kids’ elementary school lost his adult son. Thousands of dollars poured in to help him pay for funeral expenses, even though he never said he needed financial help. Yet, when high school kids try to get people motivated to donate money to help kids in Uganda, very little is raised. Kristof says that perhaps the best way to get President Bush to pay the proper attention to Darfur would be to represent its problems with a sad little puppy.

So maybe what we need isn’t better laws but more troubled consciences — pricked, perhaps, by a Darfur puppy with big eyes and floppy ears. Once we find such a soulful dog in peril, we should call ABC News. ABC’s news judgment can be assessed by the 11 minutes of evening news coverage it gave to Darfur’s genocide during all of last year — compared with 23 minutes for the false confession in the JonBenet Ramsey case.

If President Bush and the global public alike are unmoved by the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of fellow humans, maybe our last, best hope is that we can be galvanized by a puppy in distress.

He’s probably right. And I’m probably no better than anyone else in this regard. I think we all need to work on putting our compassion into action.

Sorry, but we have a terrier

Posted on 17. Apr, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, parenting

That’s our excuse for not having rodents as pets. However, I can see the value in having a hamster, mouse or guinea pig: it would allow my children to name something. Otherwise, I’ll wind up with grandchildren named Bosley, Fespucia and Tikitikitonzo.

Not that those are bad names, of course…they just don’t go with most last names.

Puppy Prozac, Animal Acepromazine

Posted on 11. Jan, 2007 by kchristieh in my life

We adopted our sweet dog soon after the great windstorms in January, 1997. Ever since then, she’s freaked out when it’s windy. She trembles, loses bladder control, and even though she hates the wind, she won’t come back inside when it’s windy. She even senses when wind is about to come…perhaps there’s a change in the air. (The picture at right shows her hiding under my desk during a recent windstorm.)

Last year I finally ran out of patience for it, so the doctor prescribed a sedative, Acepromazine, for it. We call it Puppy Prozac. It works like a charm, and we use it only when it’s windy. The whole family functions better when the dog is happy.

It turns out we’re not the only ones sedating our dogs. Today’s LA Times has a front page story titled, “Fido’s Little Helper.”

THEY are the new “Prozac Nation”: cats, dogs, birds, horses and an assortment of zoo animals whose behavior has been changed, whose anxieties and fears have been quelled and whose owners’ furniture has been spared by the use of antidepressants. Over the last decade, Prozac, Buspar, Amitriptyline, Clomicalm — clomipromine that is marketed expressly for dogs — and other drugs have been used to treat inappropriate, destructive and self-injuring behavior in animals.

It’s not a big nation yet. But “over the past five years, use has gone up quite a bit,” said veterinarian Richard Martin of the Brentwood Pet Clinic in West Los Angeles. Half a decade ago, no more than 1% of his patients were on antidepressants. Now, Martin estimates that 5% of the 8,000 cats and dogs seen at the clinic are taking drugs for their behavior.

Our dog’s medication isn’t very expensive. We just renewed the $10 prescription we got last summer. It’s very valuable to us, however.

I’m sure people reading this from a third-world country must think WE’RE nuts!!

It’s a sad day for puppies

Posted on 02. Aug, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, international

I won’t share the following news story with my sweet terrier: China kills 50,000 dogs in campaign against rabies. I guess everything in China is big, so it shouldn’t surprise me that they’d kill so many dogs to get rid of rabies. Why not give the dogs shots to prevent it?

Dogs being walked were seized from their owners and beaten to death on the spot, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported. Led by the county police chief, killing teams entered villages at night creating noise to get dogs barking, then beat the animals to death, the reports said.

Owners were offered 63 cents per animal to kill their own dogs before the teams were sent in, they said.

The killings were widely discussed on the Internet, with both legal scholars and animal rights activists criticizing them as crude and cold-blooded. The World Health Organization said more emphasis needed to be placed on rabies prevention.

The official newspaper Legal Daily blasted the killings as an ”extraordinarily crude, cold-blooded and lazy way for the government to deal with epidemic disease.”

I can’t even imagine…