Body Building

When Clarisse first moved in with us, she was 9 lb 5 oz even with her overgrown hair. She scarfed her food down so fast she would get gassy. We suspect the sighted dogs in the previous home may have been eating her food before she had a chance to finish it. I was a little creeped out during the first days while petting her. Were all poodles this frail? I felt like we were going to hurt her from petting too hard. Her ribs stuck out some and her legs had no muscle to them. I remember struggling to maintain my composure the first time I saw her after her matted hair was shaved off as she just seemed too delicate, her legs too thin.

Over time, she has gotten less desperate when eating, often eating a little, then popping back by for a snack after a nap or a roll around outside. She has started running, hiking, swimming and gone on play dates. She has an astounding endurance that such a tiny figure would not suggest. Her body has grown strong. Her ribs don't stick out now. You can feel them if you press in, but there is no fat, just muscle, muscle everywhere. Her legs have incredible definition from all the hill runs she takes me on.

This week we took her to the vet. She has gained a whopping 1 lb 9 oz of pure muscle! We joke that she now has the body of a pitbull under her curls.

What a difference a little time makes! When you are considering adopting a rescue, especially one with special needs, you do have to consider what you can handle and what you can't. If you have small kids, a bite-risk isn't a good idea. If you have a lot of clutter and stairs, a blind dog may not be a good fit (although I am surprised at how well some blind dogs navigate stairs). However, do know that the dog you see at the beginning is not the dog you'll have in the end. The frail dog may end up loving to run. The socially awkward dog may become a social butterfly. The anxious dog may become an adventure hound. Your love can be transformational.

Clarisse Gives Back

Clarisse is an amazing creature. She survived much pain, torture, loneliness and neglect and now she has an amazing life filled with love, kindness and adventure. But she was a lucky one. The reality is that is she had not been giving birth to "worthless" litters, she would likely still be there. There are many dogs who aren't so lucky. They may be left in cages as breeding stock for many years with no positive interaction. They may be matted or sick but still function for reproduction, so they stay in the mills. They may not survive to see life outside the mill or may not ever adjust to the world outside a cage. They may be put down when an owner is given the diagnosis of "blind" or "deaf" or "needing amputation". We wanted to give back, to help dogs who have the chance to start a new life and to honor those dogs who won't get the chance.

Clarisse sporting her new bows that match
her leash and harness set.

We found an exciting event: the second annual Councilman Ted Berry's 5K Rescue Dog Walk Run. Councilman Berry was sued after passing an ordinance to ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in city limits. As a response, he organized a walk/run to raise funds and supplies for a local rescue group: Speak for the Unspoken. This amazing group works primarily with disabled dogs (although they won't turn away dogs in need) and a large majority of the dogs come from puppy mills.

Wait, little girl! It hasn't started yet!

They do a lot of work with double merle puppies. Merle is a quite striking color pattern that sells for more than "regular" colored dog. There aren't health issues associated with the color pattern as long as a merle dog is bred to a non-merle dog. Unscrupulous breeders will breed two merle dogs together even though 25% will be double merles who are at high likelihood of being blind, deaf or both. These dogs often come to tragic end, but with care and patience many can have epic lives (remember that smell is a dog's primary sense and the power of touch allows great communication between dog and owner).

We were totally excited to be a part of an event to support this group and came laden with dog food and toys to donate. There were so many donations that after they got all they needed for the rescue, they were able to donate a truck load to the local food pantry (I used to work for the foodbank and can attest that this is a huge need. Many end up going to pantries because of an unexpected crisis, but there are fewer resources for getting pet food than for human food during a food crisis. Ask your local pantry if they accept pet food donations; some even accept opened bags, which is great when your picky eater decides that the salmon flavor of their regular food is absolutely not okay).

Rare moment of stillness

It wasn't a timed race, which was good for us. Shortly after we took off at the start, Clarisse running for all she was worth, she got happy. She ran over into the grass, plopped down and started rolling in the grass and happy sneezing! I was too overcome with laughter to stop her. 

It was hotter than we anticipated. For this reason, I did carry her for part of the event. She likes to run for a few miles in temperate weather and she doesn't often walk slowly. Whenever she started to slow down, I picked her up and carried her for awhile, then put her down when we were in shade or she was well rested. I likely let her run less than she could have handled (and probably liked!), but when it comes to the heat, I'd rather err on the side of caution since heat exhaustion turns into heat stroke way too fast. At the end of the event, she was still happy-go-lucky and was bouncing around when we stopped at the pet store on the way home. She even tried to climb a bin of pigs ears, so she got a chew to bring home.

First 5k under our belts!

For those who are interested in reading more about Speak for the Unspoken, visit  https://www.speakfortheunspoken.com/

There you can Donate, Volunteer or even Adopt your new bestie. Speak for the Unspoken does do out-of-state adoptions as long as you are able to drive to the foster location to meet the dog and transport them home. You can also follow them on Facebook. I really can't say enough about how much I respect this rescue organization and the work they do to help beautiful dogs like Clarisse find their fur-ever homes.

#impairedwhocares

The Nose Knows

One day, we took a trip out of town. Clarisse' daddy is an actor and was shooting a new TV pilot. Clarisse and I dropped him off on set a little early. When we left, he was standing and talking to some guys outside the location.

Several hours later, when he was wrapping up, we came back and parked the car. I took her walking around the neighborhood. She was trotting along with her nose in the air until we got to the spot where he had been standing. She stopped, dropped her nose to the ground and followed his movement around the lot.

In a busy street in the city, she was able to find where he had stood for a few minutes several hours before. This is so encouraging as it shows just how strong her nose is (or says something about his feet, but we are going to keep this positive).

Nova shares some staggering facts in an article in 2012:
* Dogs' noses are 10,000 - 100,000 times as acute as ours.

* "If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well."

* If we can smell a teaspoon of sugar in our coffee, they can smell a teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic-sized pools' worth of water.

* They have up to 300,000,000 olfactory receptors (compared to our rather pathetic 5,000,000).

* When dogs exhale, they expel air through slits on the side of their nose and are able to continue bringing fresh air in while exhaling, allowing them to inhale/smell continuously for up to 40 seconds.

* Dogs can wiggle their nostrils independently. 

It is so amazing that her adorable nose is so darned perceptive.

The Disappointment

When you think the car has stopped because we are going to the park...

When you realize Daddy is just getting gas...

My Poodle is So Punk...

My poodle is so punk she went outside on this beautiful spring day and peed right on a flower.

Miss Fancy Pants

She knows she is a dog of the aristocracy.

It's Adventure Time!

Clarisse has certainly come a long way.

For the first few weeks, she was a bit nervous about new things. When we would go someplace new, she would shake like a leaf. Now, she is a confident little thing and is always up for an adventure.

Last week, we decided to take her out for a walk at the park one chilly, but not frigid day. She had been cooped up too much previously as it was just too cold to take her on long walks through the neighborhood. Now, when we do a quick walk around the neighborhood, I just put her harness on, but if we are going to be out longer and it is chilly, I put her coat on over it. She was nervous on the way to the park, but once we got there, she was ecstatic. She took off running and sniffing all the things. She had a wonderful time. She met a couple dogs, smelled lots of brand new smells and enjoyed jogging with us a little.

The next time we decided to head to a metropark, I put her harness on and as soon as I put her coat on, she exploded with energy. Unfortunately, I still had to get my coat on, and she kept "looking" up at me and pacing in front of the front door. She got desperate and tried to open the door herself (While she has learned how to open her crate door by herself, I am thankful she can't open the exterior doors on her own). Once I opened it, she ran to the car and turned to wait for me to get there so we could go. She jumped up and down the whole way to the park.

When we got there, she ran and ran and ran. She wanted to meet everyone. She ran for a good amount of the time. We always let her dictate how long we are out. When she gets tired, she will turn around. If we are on an out-and-back, we head back. If we are doing a loop and are at least halfway through, I turn her back around, but like getting that feedback. She ended up taking us for 3 miles which was the longest she has gone so far. When I was petting her today, I realized that she is building a bit of muscle in her little legs. I am so excited to see her growing more and more healthy in every way.

She has worked through her anxiety and has figured out that she is totally competent to handle anything that life throws her, as long as we are with her. I have rarely seen such unbridled joy as this little blind pup exhibits throughout her daily life. Everything (except when we have to go to bed or I have to leave for work) is the best thing that has ever happened.

Tax Tip from Clarisse

The solution to tax season stress is a poodle on your lap. You won't accomplish anything, but at least you won't be stressed!

That Feeling When...

That feeling when you realize you bought your dog a coat that brings out the color of her cataract....

Easter egg hunt

Today we took Clarisse on an Easter egg hunt put on by a local dog rescue that specializes in puppy mill rescues. We were excited to get a fun outing, give her some good socialization, walked away with some nice treats and, most importantly, support a cause we care about. It was $7.50 well spent for a family outing.

She was totally overwhelmed at first. The check in was at a pet store and it was packed. She shook badly, so I held her for a moment. In those instances, I always aim to keep her in the situation but keep my voice calm and laugh and talk with her as much as possible. I don't want her to think that every time she feels scared there is a reason to be. I want her to learn to trust me fully. That I will tell her "stop" when she must stop, "no" when there is danger and "careful" when she needs to act with caution. However, I want her to see that sometimes she is going to be scared, but that if I am okay, she won't get hurt.


By the time we checked in and got our goody bag and route map, she was ready to go. We walked at her pace, letting her sniff the air or the bushes as needed. She met lots of dogs over the course of the day and overall did well, even if she was rude and didn't return sniffs sometimes. There was a group of women with their poodles that walked along with us for awhile. One of their boys was quite taken with Clarisse and would drag his mama over to her whenever he possibly could. She wasn't used to that attention and would run into my arms. Poor baby.

We talked with a lot of people about blind dogs. We met a store owner whose dog is starting to go blind. I shared some tips with her and recommended the book Living With Blind Dogs. So many people are devastated when their dog loses his/her sight, so I love helping people get resources lined up ahead of time to make the transition as easy as possible.

By the end of the journey, she was more comfortable meeting other dogs and was super excited when she found the treat-giving people. We had walked a full circle around the downtown. At the start, we had walked up the ramp into the backside of the pet store, then out the front door to do the walk. When we were finishing, we walked along the side of the building towards the back where we parked. When she hit the area that she had stood before walking up the ramp, she sniffed around a lot. Even with all those dogs and people walking across that spot, and her super nose could still pick up the scent of her own feet.

When we got back to the car, she passed out. When she woke up, she went crazy and we wrestled around a little. I love putting her in new scenarios where she can learn that the novel is not the scary, that new things can be good things and that she is always going to have a good life with us.

Play Time!

Clarisse came to us as a rescue from a puppy mill. She is 4.5 years old and was blinded at the puppy mill. She was obviously never given toys there. When we got her, our attempts at giving her toys were met with complete disinterest. She had no concept of toys or playing with them. She can't see them, but even when we would put them up to her nose to sniff or to make noise. She was terrified of the squeaks. We didn't give up. Hubs in particular spent a lot of time investing in her.

As of this week, she is playing with toys and loving it. Here are some of the ways we taught a blind dog how to play with toys.

1. Hubby got her a little dental chew toy. He put it in her food dish so that she would find it. She bit onto it, but left it. He kept putting it back there so she knew that it was permissible to chew on. The next day, he found the toy down the hall. He put it back in the dish. The next morning it was in the living room, so she had been carrying it around. A couple days later, it had been chewed away.

2. While sitting on the floor near her, hubby rolled a ball slowly by her. She listened to it and batted it with her paw. Later, he saw her batting it around the floor with her nose. She didn't bite on it because it squeaks, but played with it for a bit.

3. My dear friend gave us a toy rat that she rubbed on her dog in the hopes that they'll be friends. When I brought it home, Clarisse was super interested in it, sniffing it and pushing it around on the floor. Later we found it by her bed. She hasn't shown interest in other stuffed toys yet, although I keep a couple in her crate.

4. She and I wrestle around a lot. We do this game where I pet her like crazy and she gets mouthy. She play-nips my hands without hurting. She will play-nip, then I pull my hand away and she pauses, waiting to see where my hand with go next and then pounces. Sometimes she does this thing where she clacks her teeth right next to my finger and runs all down my finger and thumb kind of like the cartoons of someone eating an ear of corn. It is ridiculous. It is a great way to involve touch in our play since she can't see. Engaging as many senses as possible seems to help her be happier and get more energy out. One day I got a pig ear out while we played. Towards the end, when she would open her mouth getting ready to pounce on my hand again, I would put the pig ear in her mouth. I did that a few times each play session for a few days. Finally, she started chewing on it.

Now, she is adorable. She tosses blankets over the pig ear and then sniffs around "hunting" for it. She tracks it from different directions for quite awhile before she "catches her prey" and chews on it. She gets so happy when she smells it.

As a cute anecdote: The first night that she actually chewed on the pig ear, a little while later we were in the other room talking and she walked in. Hubby picked her up for snuggles then exclaimed that he smelled something burning. He ran around the house trying to figure out what was going on. He came back to report that it was worst in the living room (where she had been playing), but he couldn't find the source. Then he exclaimed that it was bad here too! The pig ear had been smoked and her stinky breath had made him think our house was on fire!

It is so heartwarming to watch her learn how to be the dog she was meant to be. Some puppy mill rescues, other abused dogs or blind dogs may not have an easy time learning to play, but it is worth the effort. For insecure dogs, excessive praise whenever they make notice of the toy or play with it at all can go a long way to help them know that they aren't doing anything wrong. For blind dogs, the same goes double as blindness can cause severe insecurity. Also for blind dogs, the stinkier the better and toys that make noise when they are moving or even while still are a great way to let them know where they are while engaging in those other super-sensitive senses.

I had been worried that we had missed "the window" and she wouldn't learn. I never should have doubted those poodle smarts. Neural pathways can still be forged even in older dogs. Work with your dog, try different techniques. Observe their behavior and then try to think about why they may be acting the way they are. Work with their brains to form new habits and abilities. It is worth the effort.