Earlier this week, was the 4 year anniversary of the the arrival of the most gut-wrenching foster pup we have EVER had.
A little background - my husband and I, (and our son), have been involved in local Pit Bull rescue, for nearly a decade.
My family "specializes" in the hard cases.
The dogs who have loads of healing to do - physical, emotional, mental, social, or all of the above.
So, believe me when I say that we've seen some truly horrifying things.
But - nothing prepared me for what I would be faced with, after receiving a call from our rescue's president, four years ago - NOTHING!
My phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, it was the head of the rescue I was with at the time. I answer.
The voice on the other line sounded so sad. The caller said, "Patti - the shelter called - we've got a bad one. He is in REALLY rough shape. Can you guys take him?"
As is/was, my normal MO, I agreed without talking to my husband.
**I live by the mantra that I would much rather beg for forgiveness, than ask for permission.**
The caller said, "OK, I will send you his evaluation paperwork, and a couple photos. Prepare yourself - it is REALLY bad!"
I sat there, incessantly hitting the refresh button in my email, waiting for the details to hit my inbox.
After what seemed like 12 hours, (was in actuality, like 10 minutes), the email arrived.
I opened it...
and literally lost my fucking breath.
What I saw in those photos stole all the strength in my body. I felt like a puddle of Patti.
Before I read any of the evaluation information, I just sat, staring at the photos, and sobbed.
I cried out of sadness.
I cried out of fear.
I cried out of rage.
I cried like I hadn't cried in a LONG time.
In a nutshell -
A good Samaritan found this dog in a field, literally moments from death, and called animal control for emergency assistance.
Once the dog was at the shelter, they scanned for a microchip, and any shelter volunteer, or rescuer's worst fear came true - this was a dog that had been adopted out, from the very same shelter, the summer before.
At time of adoption, he was a stocky, healthy boy.
Now - he was completely unrecognizable.
It was abundantly clear that this sweet angel baby had been used as a bait dog in a dog fighting operation.
He was sickeningly emaciated.
He was covered in bite wounds.
His neck was literally quilted in scars from an unfathomable amount of previous punctures.
His teeth had been filed down.
He had two huge abscesses, one on each side of his neck.
His back legs had virtually zero muscle mass, and showed indications that they had possibly been tethered.
Even with all of that going on, volunteers at the shelter who cared for him, reported that he was still a super loving fellow.
How the fuck is that even possible???
Anyway - while logistics of getting this babe to me were being worked out, I set out on a quest to find THE perfect name for this sweet, sweet, soul.
It didn't take me long to pick it - Bodhi.
Bodhi is a Buddhist term that means, (loosely translated) - the enlightened one, who has now been liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth, whose karmic suffering is over, and since they are the purest of heart and soul, (free from hate & greed), they are destined for nirvana (heaven).
Tell me that isn't the most perfect name for this guy who had suffered so horribly...
Finally the day had come when Bodhi would arrive.
Even though I had seen photos of him, I was utterly taken aback when I first laid eyes on Bodhi.
I was horrified.
I was disgusted.
I was feeling VERY VERY stabby.
I was absolutely heartbroken.
I made a vow to Bodhi, in that very first moment together, that I would NEVER let anyone hurt him again.
That night I decided that I needed to use the gifts that God gave me, a strong mind, sharp tongue, and balls the size of China, to be Bodhi's voice.
To share his story.
To educate.
To encourage.
To advocate.
and...to honor all those innocent pups that weren't as "fortunate" as Bodhi.
#fuckmichaelvick
So - I created Bodhi his own Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where his supporters could keep tabs on him, but where I could also share his story in a very visible way - and in HIS voice!
This is the beginning part of Bodhi's story, from his perspective:
I was in an #animalshelter last year. The workers and volunteers there said I was a happy, go lucky guy. Whatever that means. All I know is that I wasn't sad, or scared, or hungry, and I was treated nice. One day I left the shelter with this lady; the humans called it my adoption day. Everyone was so excited, so it had to be a good thing right??
Not long after that, things changed, a lot. I was #scared. I was #confused. The humans were not like the nice ones I knew; they were #bad. I was hungry. It was loud. The bad people did this weird thing to my teeth. It hurt a lot, and they felt smaller, and flat. There were other dogs, and I wanted to be friends with them. I don't know why, but they didn't like me; they were mean. What did I do? Why did they want to hurt me? The bad people let the other dogs bite me - a lot. My throat. My neck. My head. My ears. My legs. They all hurt so so bad. I wanted it to stop. I was so scared. The dogs must have been really angry with me, because they hurt me over, and over and over. I was so hungry; my body was so weak. It felt like I was dying.
I think I was with the bad people for a very long time; I watched the seasons change a few times. Then one day, when I was too weak to move, when it hurt to breathe, the bad people took me outside. I was so excited. Were we going for a car ride? Were we going to see my family? I'm sure they missed me terribly. All of a sudden, the car stopped and the bad people threw me in an empty field, and left. I was all alone. I wanted to die. I thought I was dying. I was so scared. I couldn't move. Then I remembered all the nice people I knew. I wanted to see them again. I focused on my breathing. I knew that so long as I kept breathing, I would be ok.
Suddenly I felt a gentle touch. I opened my eyes and they darted around, trying to see who was there, who was touching me. A strange human was looking at me with big, sad eyes, and speaking to me gently. I wasn't scared anymore. The nice human picked me up. It hurt. My body was still so sore. My bones ached. My stomach was empty. But I wasn't scared. I just knew this person wasn't going to hurt me. I was right.
Next thing I know, I was back at the shelter. I looked for my friends; the nice people from before. I wanted to tell them all about what happened to me, how scared I had been. How hungry I was. How the people hurt me.
Oh my goodness - I found them. I found my friends! I was so excited. Why didn't they look excited? Why were they crying? Why were they rushing me around? Why were they talking so fast?
Next thing I know, I was back at the shelter. I looked for my friends; the nice people from before. I wanted to tell them all about what happened to me, how scared I had been. How hungry I was. How the people hurt me.
Oh my goodness - I found them. I found my friends! I was so excited. Why didn't they look excited? Why were they crying? Why were they rushing me around? Why were they talking so fast?
Then there was a super bright light. It hurt my eyes. A guy in a white coat appeared, and blocked to light. Then I went to sleep. When I woke up, I still hurt, but it was different. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was laying on some cozy blankets, and my friends were there. Now they were happy to see me. I heard them say words like #emaciated #baitdog #starvedalmosttodeath #dogfighting #notgoingtomakeit, and a bunch of words I'm not allowed to say. I didn't know what the words meant, but it didn't matter - I wasn't scared anymore.
Everyday I grew #stronger. Everyday I was less #hungry. The number of friends I had, got bigger and bigger. One day, not long after that, when I was feeling better, my friends said new words, #rescue #educateabull #kate #foster #patti. These new words sounded fun. I was excited to learn what they meant.
The next day, all of my friends were crying and telling me #goodbye. I was sorta confused, but I got lots of hugs, and smooches and treats. There were lots of #pictures taken. One of my friends put me in her car and we drive away, leaving the shelter in the rear view. My friend kept telling me how I was going to meet my #fostermom, and I was going to feel #loved #safe #happy and #neverbehurtagain. Whatever - I was busy eating all her treats.
Everyday I grew #stronger. Everyday I was less #hungry. The number of friends I had, got bigger and bigger. One day, not long after that, when I was feeling better, my friends said new words, #rescue #educateabull #kate #foster #patti. These new words sounded fun. I was excited to learn what they meant.
The next day, all of my friends were crying and telling me #goodbye. I was sorta confused, but I got lots of hugs, and smooches and treats. There were lots of #pictures taken. One of my friends put me in her car and we drive away, leaving the shelter in the rear view. My friend kept telling me how I was going to meet my #fostermom, and I was going to feel #loved #safe #happy and #neverbehurtagain. Whatever - I was busy eating all her treats.
We pulled into a parking lot and got out. I stretched really big and was happy to see houses, and a playground, and a church. All of the sudden, my friend was really excited; she said my fostermom was here. I looked around and saw a nice lady. I wigglebutted all the way to her. I wasn't scared. I felt safe. I was comfortable. Fostermom knelt down, and I sniffed her good; she smelled like other dogs and flowers. I like her. I smooched her. Then I jumped up into her truck so we could go #home.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of Bodhi's story!
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Want to be in the know about how you can easily start transitioning your puppo over to the "crunchy" side?
Want to learn more about how you can make the best, and most informed choices of SAFE products to use on/for your dog?
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As Americans, we love the 4th of July, and look forward to all the associated festivities; BBQs, friends, family, and...fireworks.
Our dogs are not nearly as excited about any of this.
Many dogs get frightened by loud noises - thunder, gunshots, and fireworks.
It is our responsibility to do everything in our power to alleviate our pup's anxiety in general, but especially when we can anticipate a bout of anxiety; such as the inevitable fireworks on the 4th of July.
**My top tips on helping you and your pup survive the 4th:
1) Keep your pup home -
You do know that a dog's hearing is exponentially more powerful/sensitive as ours right?
- Yes? Then why would you subject your dog to being auditorily tortured? Yep, I said it - tortured! I know how some of those boom booms hurt my ears, I can only imagine how my pups would feel.
2) Create a place for your dog to retreat to -
Ideally, a room located in the interior of the home, with dim lights, and calming music. Do a search on you tube for dog calming music. Have it playing in the background, at a volume where it is barely able to be heard by humans. You DO NOT want to blare it; that defeats the purpose.
If your dog is crate trained, you can put a bunch of comfy blankets in there, perhaps even one that you have used so your scent helps to soothe them as well. You can cover the crate with a blanket to help block out the light and noise, if that won't freak your pup out even more. If your pup is interested, you can give them a frozen stuffed Kong to enjoy too.
CAUTION - if you do give them a toy, Kong, etc, please keep checking on your pup to make sure they aren't destroying, and then ingesting, the thing you gave them.
3) Load up on exercise and enrichment before nightfall -
Take a vigorous walk/run, go on a long sniffari (decompression walk), do some enrichment activities (brain games), in the hours leading up to nightfall. This can help exhaust your pup, which in turn could decrease any anxiety, and anxiety induced behaviors.
4) Use calming products -
There are a bunch of things you can do/buy, to help soothe your pup's anxiety. A few such options are:
- Thundershirt - This is an item of clothing that fits snugly, and sort of mimics being held/snuggled.
- Pheromone products - D.A.P, Adaptil. These products release a pheromone similar to a mama dog's, which can soothe your pup.
- Essential Oils/CBD - I love this option, BUT keep in mind that not all essential oils, or CBD are created equal. Personally, I only use oils and CBD that come from Young Living. When I intentionally use EO's to help calm my doggos, I have multiple diffusers going, ALL DAY LONG. My favorite oils to diffuse for this purpose are: Peace & Calming, Stress Away, Frankincense, T-Away, Lavender, Trauma Life. I also rub a couple drops into my hands, and then massage my pups' ears, and head. DID YOU KNOW - there are emotional reflexology points on your pups head, and behind their ears? Peep this great blog post giving step by step how to perform an ear massage for your dog. I also use CBD oil when needed to give my pups any extra soothing they may need.
5) Supervised potty breaks -
Try to let your dog out to potty BEFORE the booms start. However, if they have to do their business while fireworks are happening, ensure that they are closely monitored, and better yet - tethered/leashed. I know dogs who have gotten spooked in their own yards, and easily scaled a 6+ foot fence. So, please err on the side of caution.
6) Update your contact info -
If your dog wears a collar, make sure that your contact information is visible, and current. If your pup is microchipped, I suggest you take a few minutes TODAY to verify that A) it was properly registered with the ID company B) your contact information is accurate.
PRO TIP - if you adopted your dog from a shelter or rescue organization, and they were microchipped prior to adoption, double check that the microchip registration has been transferred to you, and is not in the rescue group's, or shelter's name. If you are unsure which microchip company your dog's chip is from, no worries - use this to perform a microchip search. You just need your pet's microchip number. Don't know it? No biggie - check your paperwork from the rescue group, shelter, your veterinarian's office, or if all else fails, call your veterinarian; they likely have the number recorded in your pet's chart.
7) Be prepared -
Let's be honest, shit happens. Even the most diligent, well-prepared, and responsible dog owners have invariably had a dog get out of the yard, or get away from them. I know I have. Pfftt - one of my dogs, Tucker, was brought home by the police one time. Thankfully, the dispatcher that was on duty at the time, was a friend of ours, recognized Tucker, called us, and the kind officers gave him a lift home.
To best prepare for the worst case scenario, gather the following, beforehand:
- Proof of ownership. Dog license, breeder purchase, or adoption contract.
- Proof of current Rabies vaccination. If you cannot prove that your dog is up-to-date with their rabies vaccine, dog control may require you to provide it before they return your pup, and they can also force you to get your pup vaccinated, even if they technically already are; because you cannot prove it.
- Make note of the phone number for your local Animal (or Dog) Control officers, and find out what their protocol is when they find a dog at-large. Do the same for the surrounding towns. Locally, there are multiple animal shelters, and the municipality that picks up the dog, dictates what shelter the dog is taken to.
- Make note of the phone numbers to your local animal shelters. If your pup goes missing, give the shelter a call, and give a physical description, noting any special markings etc, that would help to identify your dog versus one that looks similar. The shelter staff should then be able to tell you if they have a dog that may be the one you are looking for, or not. Don't just call once and give up - call every.single.day. Dogs can travel pretty far in a short amount of time, and can find ingenious hiding places, especially if they are afraid.
- Have a current photo of your dog available to post on social media if they do go missing. Check for local missing/found pets groups on Facebook - they are SUPER helpful at spreading the word.
Wishing you all a safe, and Happy 4th of July!
Stay safe.
Be excellent to each other!
My sassy AF beagle, Roxy, is going to be 10 years old soon, and has, historically, given us a run for our damn money!
Roxy has lived with our super sweet, soon to be 12 year old Golden mix, Lilly, from the day she left her mom and litter-mates.
My son had originally named the puppy we were going to be bringing home, Cupcake; he and our friend's niece named every pup in the litter a snack food name. LOL Well, fast forward to the day we brought Cupcake home; the tiny little nugget pup was rowdy, bossy, sassy, and didn't take NO kinda shit. We pretty much instantly knew we needed to find a name a bit more fitting. So, after a few days of brainstorming, we settled on Roxy.
Life was pretty good for a few years, and then - all hell broke loose!
Roxy began to randomly attack Lilly.
For example...
Lilly, Roxy, myself, and my, at the time, ~7 year old son, were all snuggled up on the couch: Lilly on one end of the HUGE couch, Dylan and I in the middle, and Roxy on the other end. It was a wonderful evening of snuggs.
Then, Lilly got off the couch to get a drink, a toy, or something equally innocuous, and as she tried to get back up onto the couch, Roxy leapt over me, over Dylan, and started a fight with Lilly. My kid was right in the midst of these two lunatics, snapping,biting, and snarling at each other.
I threw Dylan out of the way, and broke up the fight; both girls struggling against my hold.
That was it, I was fed.the.fuck.up!
There was no rhyme or reason to any of the incidents.
*We took Roxy to the vet to get examined to make sure there wasn't a physical/medical reason for her lashing out.
- She was in perfect health.
*We tried tightening the reigns, and revoking certain "freedoms" Roxy had.
- It didn't work. I know, I know, don't laugh, it made sense to me at the time. OY
*We took away all the toys.
- Made no difference.
*I reached out to a dog trainer I knew.
- Praise Jesus, Pass the Butter - things started to look up.
The forward steps we made, were baby steps, but at least we were making some progress, right?!
A couple years later, totally unrelated to Roxy, we began using essential oils. We got ourselves a set of 11 oils, and a diffuser. Roxy would still occasionally have a fit for herself, or as we called it, Furious Roxy would come out, but they were far less frequent.
My son Dylan LOVED making up different combos for us to diffuse. Yes, sometimes this meant there were 11 different oils pumping outta the diffuser, all.at.the.same.time. #idonotrecommendthis LOL
Dylan's favorite was a blend called Peace & Calming - he diffused it erryday!
Well, after about a month or two, we realized that there had been precisely ZERO Furious Roxy sightings.
We also noticed that when Roxy sat on our laps, instead of her usual sort of quiver, sort of tremble, she was completely calm.
I tried to think of a way that Roxy could get benefits of the oils all the time, not just when we diffused it.
So, I did an experiment - I put a couple drops of Peace & Calming on the underside of her collar, and put it back on her.
HOLY BALLS you guys...
In the six years that it has been since we implemented the use of essential oils into our home, there have been less than five Furious Roxy sightings. WHOOP WHOOP!!
Now, please note, that in this time, I have also learned a CRAP TON about dog behavior, force-free training, behavior modification, etc, and have put my skills to use for ALL of my dogs.
BUT -
Peace & Calming soothed our savage beast, errrr. I mean our Furious Roxy!
Roxy is the reason I have like 80teen bottles of Peace & Calming hoarded. #notkidding
I am thankful for each of my pups, and for various things. To my Roxy, I am thankful that her brain loved essential oils, because as a result, I went all in - and have now been able to find ways to resolve my OWN fits of fury.
Need a jump start at getting your emotions in check?
Peep my guide of 3 ways to Spring Clean your Emotions, here.
