The Hex Files

THIS IS A REPOST OF WHAT I POSTED ELSEWHERE. If anyone can help, knows someone who can help, please do. This all came to light last night, and people are scrambling to find out the truth, and what we can do about it.

I am involved with dog rescue here in Alabama. Many of the different rescues, shelters and other organizations are frantically trying to reunite pets lost from the tornadoes with their families. The usual time restrictions in shelters have been lifted in order to allow families to get themselves together and come get their pet. We’ve been transporting shelter animals (those who were there prior to the storms) to other rescues in other states to make room for all the displaced pets.

And now it comes to light that the SPCA of CT has taken a bunch of animals from Alabama, without going through the proper channels. None of the rescue organizations were involved with this. It was in the news: http://nhregister.com/articles/2011/05/04/news/doc4dc1ec32cbe56550488426.txt

Notice, they don’t say that these animals were already in shelters. Maybe some of them were already homeless, but in all probability, they were someone’s beloved pet.

So now, of course, there is a shitstorm going on to find out WHERE they got these dogs and WHO they belong to.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/CT-SPCA-Rescues-Animals-from-Tornado-Devastation-121312074.html?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150254942540873_16707503_10150257889415873

What right do these people have to take our dogs? Why didn’t they just take the homeless dogs already in shelters so we can make room for the tornado victims? I’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that they thought they were doing the right thing, but now anyone who tries to get in contact with them is deleted off their Facebook page; hung up upon; no replies.

Yeah. I’m angry. If I’d lost my dogs through in a disaster only to find they were across the country, I’d sue the pants off them. The same thing happened after hurricane Katrina, and the owners sued and won.

And even more disturbing news. http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/jul/25/dog-adoptions-delayed-after-committee-flags-concer/

If you're so inclined, spread the word. This has to STOP

Sometimes I wonder about myself. I've been working with dogs for years, and while I don't consider myself an expert, I thought I knew enough to be able to identify and correct behavior issues. So why did it take me so long to figure it out?

Some pit bull owners say that dog parks are bad places for pits. I disagree, preferring to allow each dog to make that decision. Navarre was not a dog park dog, so we never went except with Holly and then only if no one else was there. I knew my dog and his issues and didn't put him in situations where there could be trouble. Joker's personality is the exact opposite of Navarre's. He's overly friendly where Navarre was standoffish. They expressed their insecurities differently: Joker is a licker, always looking to reinforce that you like him. Navarre either got aggressive or cowered behind me. Joker likes other dogs, and wants to play with them; Navarre wasn't dog-friendly except for a very select group.

So, I take Joker to the dog park. Harley loves to play on the agility equipment (who knew? I thought it would be Joker who'd be more interested in an activity like that), and will run around with the other dogs until there's a tackle and then she backs off. Joker plays with anybody. And that's where the problem started. He was fine if a wrestling match started from a standing position. He was fine when he was being chased. The problem started when he was part of the pack chasing another dog. When the tackle finally happened, Joker would go after the dog when it was down.

I'd watch carefully to identify if his body language changed, but it didn't. There was no aggression, excitement, but not aggression. It didn't matter if the chasee was a smaller or larger dog, he'd still go in for the "kill" (not really trying to kill, but that over-zealous tackle-bite. I'd separate him, give him a few minutes to get himself under control and he'd go back to playing nice. While driving home from the store yesterday, it occurred to me what he was doing:

His prey drive had kicked in. *smacks forehead*

He has a high prey drive; we've been working with him to get him to at least tolerate our cat's presence without chasing her. Everything at the park would be fine until he was doing the chasing, then there would be a rumble. Big dog, small dog, doesn't matter...he gets overexcited and treats the dog like prey.

Well, now that I have identified the issue, I can work on it. He will be muzzled at the dog park while I try to figure out how to distract him and get him out of that headspace. He may grow out of it, or learn how to control his own reactions. He may not...but now that I know what it is and can thwart any problems from his end, he can still play and socialize.

Of course, being muzzled means he can't defend himself if another dog attack HIM, but I won't let that happen. I've waded into a rumble and pulled him out of it, been bitten by another dog for my trouble. But I consider it part of being a responsible dog owner of any breed, but even more so of a bully breed. I have to be MORE responsible and proactive because even owners of Rottweilers or Dobermans and other "scary" breeds will fault the pit bull. It's all part of owning one of the most maligned and misunderstood dog breeds. And since Joker really is a good boy, a friendly dog and loves to play, I'm not going to deny him the opportunity to play and socialize...I'll just be able to keep him from being a dumbass.

wild_heart asked for puppy pictures, here's a picture taken of worn out pups. We're all a bit worn out from yesterday...

I love these guys, I really do but DAMN I miss Navarre. He was my source of sanity most days. When I needed to rest, he rested with me. When I was more active, he played with me. I do think we made a mistake adopting these two so quickly after Navarre's death - I didn't give myself time to grieve. But, I don't think I'd have done very well without them either -- it would be extremely lonely here during the week. Plus, we HAD to get Joker out of the pound before he was euthanized. So all in all, I have my bitches but I love these puppies.

House training is the hardest part. We've taken up all the rugs since I'd rather mop up wet spots on the wood floors than have to keep steam cleaning them. Joker can hold it, he's certainly old enough to do so. Even if he doesn't have to go, when we take them out, he'll squeeze out a few drops. Harley, on the other hand, can't hold it. She's learning to go to the door when she needs to go, but if we don't see her go down the hall, we don't know. She'll also forget and piddle wherever she is if she's playing. So, the work continues...we put a hanging bell on the door and I hope to be able to teach them to touch it when they're at the door so we know to take them out.

Oh, and Harley doesn't really like to go out in the rain. So, she'll go into the sun porch to do her business. It's outside, right? (Sort of). *sigh*

On a positive note: Both pups are learning "Sit" and "Come". Harley is pretty smart for a little one, she got "Sit" even before Joker did. Until I decipher which dog needs what commands reinforced, they can be trained together. The only ones I'll need to do separately will be "Heel" and "Stay". "Stay" is a tough one to teach, since puppies are so easily distracted. But for the most part, they are both doing well.

Joker needs education about his licking. He licks EVERYONE and EVERYWHERE. I've somewhat managed to get it across that I don't want him to lick me continuously...but that's another behavior that will take time to correct. He's slowly coming to realize that he's not going to starve, but he still gets into scavenger mode. He's counter-surfed and table-surfed already, so that's another issue to tackle.

Harley is too young to have any major issues, except bite inhibition. Joker can take a lot of punishment, but I'm sure at some point, he's going to set her straight. Even when he does correct her she just goes back for more. She's learning to be more careful with us, though. AND, she's lost two teeth!! It's so cute...she has holes where her little front teeth once were. Hehe.

When they're playing, you'd swear they were out to kill each other but now that Harley isn't quite so tiny, Joker can play a bit rougher with her. He still overdoes it on occasion, but so far so good.

They both play fetch. It's hysterical to see them running down the hall for the ball and now without the rugs, they don't have any way to stop their momentum. Lots of sliding around...

Suffice it to say, I'm exhausted. These guys keep me on my toes all day. I only get to rest when they're napping, and they often sleep when I'm not sleepy. They're not *quite* as unhappy in their crates as they used to be, but I got a battery for the no-bark collar, just in case (spray, not shock). I asked the neighbors if they heard the dogs and they said no, but...I can hear them outside so I doubt the neighbors were being truthful.

So pretty much, my life is puppy, puppy and more puppy. And pee. Lots of cleaning up pee. I can't WAIT until Harley is potty-trained. I'm just thankful that I'm home to take care of it. For the life of me, I can't remember how I got 'Beau and Navarre trained, it was so long ago. Then again, they were crated for large parts of the day while I was at work...maybe I need to crate them more...hmmmm...

Finally, the two are crated and sleeping after a couple of hours of insanity. Harlequin is trying to attach herself to Joker's neck...and he's so tolerant. He's extremely good-natured, all he wants to do is give us kisses. Thankfully, he's big enough to get up on the couch to escape the onslaught of Harley. I'm amazed at how easily he's adapting, in just a couple of hours. A lot of him reminds me of Navarre, so there have been some happy-sad tears for all of us.

I think this will be good, if crazy for a while. Our place is big enough for the two of them, and having to train and socialize them will force me to be more active. Navarre was content to just lie around with me all day. Having Fibro will mean I'll be aching and tired, but I NEED to move and be more active than I've been. Heck, I'm aching and tired anyway, so it won't be much of a change.

We couldn't get Joker to sit still long enough for a picture, but Will caught a video of the two of them jumping on AJ, Liana's friend.

We had a decent holiday, all things considered. Everyone got what they wanted under the tree. I still managed to cook a couple of nice meals. Life goes on...

It's so hard, though. I expect to see him on the couch, or in the bed. Last night, I walked into my bedroom and my robe was lying on the bed. In the dark, it looked like Navarre. My heart leaped into my throat and then I realized he wasn't here. I am so ANGRY. I'm angry because I KNEW there was something wrong in his brain and it wasn't treated. Logically, I know that if it was a brain tumor, or an aneurysm or a series of strokes, it couldn't be treated. Even if surgery was an option, I'd not have put him through that.

I'm trying so hard to put my last glimpse of him out of my mind, and see him as he usually was. I don't want to remember that screaming, absent, flailing mess that I saw. I want to remember him as the goofy snugglebug that yelled at us if we were out past his curfew (which was whatever he decided it was). I want to remember his sleepy face, as he'd look at me from under the covers.

We're already considering adopting another dog. It's not going against his memory to adopt so soon...he'd want us to take in another homeless and scared pibble. To be honest, I NEED to have someone to lavish my attention on when Will and Liana are at school and work. I can't be here by myself all day long.

It just...doesn't make sense. He was so healthy. Even in the throes of his illness, the vets were amazed at what great shape he was in for an older dog. He wasn't even 7 years old, and looked like he was 3. It feels as if the animals I bond closest to are taken away from me halfway into their life cycle. Pan was 8 when he died. Navarre was 6. Am I doomed to lose my loves early? It certainly feels like that.

Argh. Enough of this rambling.

We took him to the vet on Thursday, and his blood work isn't back yet. The vet is thinking a possible tick-borne illness, and thankfully took half the payment and let me defer the other half until I get paid. I have my doubts that it's tick-borne, unless we completely missed seeing a tick on Navarre. With his short-short hair and constant petting, I'd have seen one.

We had to take him to the emergency vet yesterday because he had a seizure. He's been having these weird episodes where he just yelps out for no reason. He's been disoriented and lethargic; then he'll just be sitting or lying...not doing anything and then screams out. I thought it was pain, but other than the yipping, he's not displaying a pain response. Then, when I took him out for a walk -- the big one hit. He went over to one of his regular toileting spots and yipped out. Then, he started screaming and his leg went out from under him, he tried to stand up and then went completely down. He was on the ground, screaming and twitching and then as soon as it started, it ended and he pulled me home. He had a couple of smaller episodes where he just yelps out, and seems like he doesn't know where he is or who we are.

The ER vet isn't sure what to make of it. She said it could be encephalitis or meningitis, or a brain tumor. Dogs Navarre's age don't develop epilepsy unless something is wrong. They wanted to keep him overnight to monitor and see if he had another seizure, but I couldn't see spending the money if it didn't happen. Plus, I used to work with epilepsy patients, so I know how to monitor a seizure (when I'm not panicking and hysterical). So, we got a prescription for antibiotics, just in case, and brought him home. I have my camera set to video so we can record it and show it to the vet. I'll be calling the regular vet on Monday and hope his blood results are in.

Personally, my gut feeling is he has a tumor or something. It's definitely neurological, and it's progressing every day. As often as my gut feelings are right...

We're all stressed, scared and sad. We feel so helpless. Navarre has been healthy and strong his entire life and it's like he's gone from being 6 years old to 16 overnight. I'm trying to be strong, but it's so hard. Navarre and I are so attached, and he's really had an effect on this entire family. Even Will, who grew up with Maltese, adores him and is starting to turn to the "dark side", i.e., pit bull lover.

So right now, we're still in a holding pattern, waiting to hear on the blood results. Next step will probably be X-rays. I'm preparing myself for the worst, but hoping for the best.

This sucks.

I've been working with Navarre to contain his aggressive tendencies toward other dogs. I've been using the command "leave it" when he sees another dog and wants to confront them. You can tell that he's struggling to contain himself by the shaking of his body, but he remains calm and quiet. It's a slow process, but we're making good strides.

He even keep himself together when seeing his nemesis, Harley the Standard Poodle, while we were sitting on the patio.

He's a good boy and he got treats for his good behavior. Next step, he'll be muzzled and allowed to meet the dogs upstairs.

Time, care and patience is what it takes to train and keep a dog like Navarre. I only wish other people (you know who I'm talking about) would do the same.