Zeb's Magic / Spay - Neuter Project / ?Trained? ?Off Leash?

by Lorraine May, Executive Director and Head Trainer

The Misha May Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dog and cat rescue

mutts in safe homes always

http://www.mishamayfoundation.org/

mishamayfoundation@gmail.com

PO Box 151166Lakewood, CO 80215-1166

303-239-0382

Zeb’s Magic

Zeb is magical. Everyone who knows him knows that. He saved a little dog today, September 10, and I helped him.

Each day when I take a walk in the park my most important decision is which dog to take with me. This morning I had a very strong sense that it was Zeb. So I listened to my intuition.

Zeb is an 11 year old neutered male Golden Retriever that found me while wandering in the mountains at 1.5 years old. He had come right through his electric fence (in the mountains where we had bears, coyotes and mountains lions) thank goodness, instead of ending up as lunch. His family gave him to me. Truly though, he seemed sent by Misha (the black lab mix namesake of The Misha May Foundation) – I was having a hard time without her.

As we entered the park, I saw a little black dog running around, sometimes in the park, sometimes in the street. I decided to investigate, of course. There were other people around but I find that even dog lovers aren’t sure what to do, how to get the dog, or what to do with him once they have him.

As we approached, I could see he was not going to come to me. He didn’t flee, but he stayed out of reach. Because he was small and calm, appeared healthy and friendly, I decided to see if Zeb would be a more benign ambassador. I had no sooner stepped a little farther away, than the little guy approached Zeb and they became fast friends.

Then there was humping – by the little guy. Uh-oh, not neutered. Here is probably one key to his wandering. The others, I found out later, were a broken fence and a marking habit which relegated him to being an outside dog.

Although there was no collar or ID, through detective work, I eventually located the owner the same day. He was grateful for my care and was open to finding a solution to keeping the little guy safe. 1) of course, fix the fence 2) purchase Velcro ‘nappies for dogs’ which cause the dog to urinate on himself – not as pleasant as marking 3) neuter.

Neutering helps with both marking and wandering. When I suggested low cost possibilities, he was surprised that his own vet had not referred him to Planned Pethood Plus at 4170 Tennyson Street, Denver, 80212, 303-433-3291 or MaxFund Animal Wellness Center at 1000 Inca Street, Denver, 80204, 303-595-0532.

My personal belief is that in order to stop pet overpopulation, spaying and neutering need to be FREE for EVERYONE’S pets. WHY ISN’T IT?

Please help us with our project by sending the following to mishamayfoundation@gmail.com:
1) What low cost spay / neuter services are you aware of – please send the complete name, address and contact information of vet; weight and age of dog or cat, cost of spay or neuter surgery.
2) What did your dog's surgery cost - please send the complete name, address and contact information of vet; weight and age of dog or cat, cost of spay or neuter surgery.

Note to Owner with dog off leash in a park that is not an off leash park: Your dog is NOT trained off leash if he chases geese. AND allowing him to be off leash untrained, reinforces his experience of ‘I’m off leash and you can’t get me’.

He's Not My Dog / Congrats to Owner

by Lorraine May, Executive Director and Head Trainer
The Misha May Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dog and cat rescue
mutts in safe homes always
www.mishamayfoundation.org
mishamayfoundation@gmail.com
PO Box 151166
Lakewood, CO 80215-1166
303-239-0382

“He’s Not My Dog!”

I stood up for a medium sized black mutt this morning, September 9, 2010, at 8:30 am in a city park. In doing so, I tried to accomplish three things: 1) let the dog know someone cared about him 2) let the woman know that people witnessed her actions and 3) inform the woman that there are better methods.

As I was taking my walk, I heard shouting in what is normally a very quiet park. It was a dark haired woman roughly shaking this black dog by his choke collar, causing his front legs to leave the ground repeatedly and his rear end to jerk around.

I was compelled to respond since her actions could not only hurt his neck and stress him, but his experiences, therefore his associations, with the park, walking on a leash, dogs and people could become extremely negative. Each successive walk could include increasing amounts of stress, followed by punishment.

I wasn’t the only person upset. It was very evident that others nearby were affected as well since they moved away from her and gave her plenty of space.

I breathed calmly and deeply, softened my belly, and held my focus of sharing helpful information, as they approached, now walking quickly. I said matter-of-factly and calmly, “You know, I teach a class that includes other kinds of training techniques so you don’t have to do that.” She replied that he wasn’t her dog or her responsibility anyway. “But, you are walking him, so he is now.” Well”, she said, “he shouldn’t be around other dogs and I don’t have to worry about that.” And she quickly exited the park.

She chose to walk him in the park where there are, of course, OTHER DOGS. Then she punished him for not knowing how to act around other dogs. She did not teach him anything, except, to worry when dogs are around and to expect rough treatment from her.

If anyone is training, walking or pet sitting your dogs, please find out what they do when you aren’t looking. Ask them how they help your dog cope with difficult situations. Do they punish or do they teach?

Congrats to Owner: lone male black lab wandering in O’Kane Park with no visible ID. I don’t know what caused this dog to stray, but the owner’s appearance in her car remedied the situation before I could even get back to my car to get a leash. Good work!

Rainey at Misha May's Understanding Dogs class, Pet Station, Denver

Bach Flower Essences - are they effective?

by Lorraine May, MA

For decades the Bach Flower Essences have been used alone, and in conjunction with other treatments, to heal. Yet, you will still hear people express doubt about their efficacy. Some people simply will not use anything but traditional approaches, and that is certainly their choice. But others have tried BFR and have been disappointed. I would like to point out some common misunderstandings that I have become aware of.

I will focus mainly on the use of Rescue Remedy, the five essence combination used for emergency situations, because it is the most widely known. An emergency situation, by the way, can be anything you deem one - from a car crash to fear of public speaking. The traumatic physiology of your body is present, whether you are mentally judging it as irrational or not! RR works exceptionally well along with the other appropriate emergency treatments one may require.

One problem area is with the dose. The information is generally shared in this way: ‘The standard dose for Rescue Remedy is four drops. Put it directly on your tongue, put it in a beverage, put in your dog’s water.’ Simple, isn‘t it? Yes, but this is only partial information. Four drops of RR can, and should, be repeated every 10 minutes or until a change is seen. The vibrations of the plant essences need ample time and dosage to harmoniously influence the body’s energy, thus raising the vibration and reinstating calm.

Usually, the subject will clearly demonstrate the exact amount of time and dosage necessary! For example, when I found a finch, stunned by a car and left in the highway, I held her in a paper towel, administering one drop of RR (for small animals) every now and again for about 20 minutes. With each drop, she responded by swallowing and moving a little more. I kept administering one drop over and over again to her beak, until finally she stood up, looked at me, and flew off to the top of a tree.

In contrast, a baby robin I found recently, needed two days of RR, before alerting me that it was her time to fly again. Initially, she received RR straight from the stock bottle, and then diluted in water, along with a safe place to rest away from curious cats, dogs, foxes, coyotes, etc. She flew first onto my finger and then a fair distance away, hopefully to join her family and fully recover from her fall into my yard.

Additional treatment was required following the appropriate use of Rescue Remedy, in the case of a beautiful black Lab completely down with bloat. I constantly administered RR directly into her mouth while waiting for a stretcher. She regained strength and focus before her successful surgery, communicating to me with her knowing and grateful eyes.

Another common misunderstanding is that RR will be a panacea for whatever ails. Too often, people stop before investigating the other 38 individual essences, each of which has a specific focus and vibratory effect, as well as a powerful indication for underlying issues and long standing problems. Relying solely upon RR will inevitably bring disappointment.

My final success story is a small snake (I have many who live under my deck) who had the misfortune of being slightly puppy-handled by one of my foster dogs in our yard. After carrying the snake to a safe spot, I realized that he wasn’t moving at all. Was this his defense or had he expired? I ran for my RR. I administered drops near his mouth and along his body, not really sure what was the best approach. Still, he did not give any sign of being alive. I left him to recover after I had done all I could. When I returned a short time later to check on him, he had crawled away, hopefully to sun another day.

For a Flower Essence class or consultation, email mishamayfoundation@gmail.com.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know

I highly recommend reading Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz. Her approach is from the perspective of a dog lover as well as a scientist. Unlike the many authors who present inaccurate guesses about what is going on with our best friends, Horowitz provides personal experience backed up with scientific understandings.

Pumpernickel, her canine soul mate, is all dog and all best friend to her human. You can't help loving her vicariously, and being grateful that Horowitz knew her so well and presented her so respectfully and lovingly, yet honestly. They seemed to understand each other as well as any two beings of different species could.

Some of her most interesting chapter titles include From the Dog's Point of Nose, Unwolfy, Whimpers, growls, squeaks and chuckles, What a dog knows, and It either fits in the mouth or it's too big for the mouth.

Horowitz's writing style is invitingly informative. Besides shedding light on the human-canine bond, and educating us about canine senses, she entertainingly explains concepts such as attention seeking, theory of mind, telling time and reading us.

I came away from this book loving dogs more, if that is possible, and taking them less for granted. There are so many reasons why they are our best friend; this book provides scientific evidence along with celebration.

Tell Discovery you won't watch Sarah Palin, wolf killer

Tell Discovery, You Betcha, We Won't Watch Until Sarah Palin Is Gone!

The number to call is 571-262-4899 to ask Discovery to reject the Sarah Palin, wolf killer, program.

A Discovery Channel representative returned my call expressing their acknowledgement of my objections to Sarah Palin. She mentioned that my polite message was appreciated. They are not so moved by the many nasty ones they are receiving.

Here's a petition I got in an email through defenders of wildlife.. has already gotten like 60,000 since I signed this morning. Graphic photos - I hold my breath, try not to see them, and sign. secure.defenders.org

Tell Discovery that Sarah Palin, wolf killer, is not someone you would watch!

Tell Discovery, You Betcha, We Won't Watch Until Sarah Palin Is Gone!

The number to call is 571-262-4899 to ask Discovery to reject the Sarah Palin, wolf killer, program.

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113351438674998

A Discovery Channel representative returned my call expressing their acknowledgement of my objections to Sarah Palin. She mentioned that my polite message was appreciated. They are not so moved by the many nasty ones they are receiving.