Philly in the house

Philly is a shy and sweet dog who is one of our feral dogs here. With her reddish golden long fur coat,high forehead and pointed ears she looks a lot like a fox. I have been working with her for a while and she has progressed from hand feeding to being able to be walked. Once I get a feral dog to the stage where I can walk them the next step I take is to put them into the house for total immersion training.This allows them to get comfortable with me and other dogs so they can be adopted into a loving home. Philly has now taken that step. She was a little overwhelmed at the sudden change at first. Over the last few days she is starting to relax into her new role.
First I introduced her to my pack starting with Wong the lower dog in my pack once I am assured that they get along fine then I introduce the Alpha Gwena.Both of them are really good with other dogs and don't mind sharing their home with newcomers. Gwena loves to play one of the first thing she like to do with the new dogs is to take their leash and walk them so they know who is in charge besides me. I have learned it is better to let the dog approach me at there own pace. Most of the dogs I work with are good with the other dogs but not sure of humans. I let the trust build by letting them watch me interact with my pack. The also learn to come to me this way. I am always around when the dogs interact to check any aggression if I have to go away I keep them apart. Last night Philly slept at the foot of my bed curled up with Wong. Today while I was petting Wong Phillyy came up to me sniffed my hand and let me pet her. My heat soared at this one her frist steps to becoming a compaion dog. Over the next couple of months as she learns to trust me and other humans I will start to work with her on basic training. Of course my dogs will help show her the ropes, after that she will be ready for a lovinig forever home of her own.

Feral Dogs

Some of my greatest rewards and challenges come from working with the feral dogs here. About half of the dogs here are feral. Most of them were rescued from hurricane Katrina. Some had homes before the hurricane and reverted to feral after the owners left. Other were strays that had little to no contact with humans. There are five basic strategies that that we use to help re socialize them. Each case is different and requires adaption to each dogs behavior. 1. Food as the main training tool, we require the dogs to earn there food by socializing. Ex. hand feeding them to get them to associate humans with food. 1b. Gently pushing there boundaries once they learn a new behavior. Ex. Once they hand feed we then touch train to get them used to thinking and petting 2. Spending time with them often, there are two types of time the first is where we try to engage the feral dogs by interaction using treats, other social dogs, play etc. The other type is just being in there pen with them while reading or other actives to get them used to and curious about humans. 3 We use social well trained dogs to interact with and serve as role models to the feral dogs . 4. Getting them used to the sight and feel of a leash, this can be a long process depending on the dog's prior experience with one. 5. Once the dog is walking and interacting with us we take them in the main house where they learn to live and get used to humans again. Since I have been working here I have had the pleasure of watching these dogs transform from shy creatures to friendly tail wagging dogs. Some are well on there way to new homes where they will be loved and cared for others are just learning to trust us enough to eat with us in there pens. Whatever the case I learn from them as much as they learn from me. On a latter post I'll talk more about each feral and how they are progressing.

A Typical Day

I thought I share with you a typical day here at Tara's Babies. Dawn is cold this time of year. I arise and light my heater, and am greeted by the fluffy ball of doggy energy that is my Chow, Wong Chong. Gwena stirs slowly on the bed to my left after some snuggling I let them out and start my morning prayers and mediation. After this is done with a clear mind, I leash up my pack and head to the ranch house for a good cup of strong coffee. On the way I am greeted by various barks and howls as I pass the dog compound. Fully caffeinated I head out to the dog yard. Here once again I am greeted by friendly barks and wagging tails as I start my morning chores. Sometimes if I head out before the other volunteers I am greeted by the sight of Hailey wagging her tail. Normally this feral pit mix rescued from Hurricane Katrina is very scared of people and will bark aggressively at them. Over my time here her and I have come to a truce and she has learned to partly trust me. So when I am by myself she will respond happily to my presence. When she gets freaked out by anthor person usually a reassuring word from me will stop her barking. I grab the water hose and start to fill their pails with fresh water after this is done and the poop is all cleaned from the pens the real fun begins. Walking time, the dogs are full of energy ready to sniff run and romp either underneath the tall Sycamores that line Gordon Creek or along the road side. Entering their cage I tell them to sit while I get on the leash. Then sit them again before we leave the compound, then heeling them to my left we are off once past the bustle of the compound I relax my hold on them and let them explore more freely. We usually walk about 7 dogs each in the morning. Once this is done we take some time to eat. Then do odd cores until lunch time. Then when the sun is high overhead the air warm and the birds are singing in the oaks we head back out to train and socialize the dogs. Our walkers we take into the old coral and let them romp and teaching them to come sit and stay. Our friendly dogs are allowed to play together under supervision at this time. Then we go into the pens with the feral dogs to get them used to interacting with us. Most days I take either Gwena or Wong with me. This is their work time they play and socialize with the ferals while I am in the cage. Usually this allows me to get closer and even sometimes touch the feral dogs which seem to trust me more when I interact with my pack. Next it is dinner time for all the dogs. I take my pack back home and feed them. Then go out to prepare the food for all the dogs. We feed the walkers first making them earn their food by sitting. For the ferals we go into their cages and hand feed them,this is one of the main tools we have to help socialize them. After everyone one is done and clean up is done. I grab my dog pack and head off into the woods and hills for our evening family time. Then supper for me then a bath a good book followed by mediation before turning in for the night. I am tried at the end of the day mostly but always happy about being able to help and work with these wonderful dogs.

Pit Bull Ambassdor: Gwena's tale

Here at the sanctuary we have quite a few pit bull and pit bull mixes that were rescued from hurricane Katrina. These high energy and lovable dogs have a bad rap as breed due to unfortunate occurrences between ill trained and aggressive pit bulls and humans. I believe that most of these incidents occur due to the negligence of the pit bulls primary care giver. I believe that as a pit bull caregiver/owner that it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about the breed and their special needs and to ensure that our dogs get the proper training exercise and care they need. Though Pit bulls were breed to fight other dogs and have some natural aggression towards other animals and the tendency to get caught in "battle rage", with proper training and socialization they can learn to co exist with other dogs. This best started when they are young.
Case in point is my pit bull companion Gwena. Rescued as a puppy from Hurricane Katrina, she is a golden red nose pit bull with cute pointed upright ears. Naturally playful with other dogs she has an alpha type personality though she is not normally aggressive to other dogs. Because of her personality and high energy it was and is crucial for me to establish myself as pack leader with clear boundaries. She is highly intelligent and eager to learn as is most pit bulls are . Pit bulls and other high energy breeds need plenty of exercise, mental stimulation, and training. Giving them a job helps this breed to channel their energy. After lots of training and socialization with other friendly dogs,I decided to give Gwena the job as ambassador dog to the feral dogs we have here. What that means is that through interaction with Gwena and I the feral dogs learn by example to behave as a pack and respond to care and training from their human caregivers. Gwena and I have had a lot of success with this process most notably with a feral chow who bonded with us so much he became one of our pack. (see Wong Chong's story on this blog) . I take many special steps to ensure that this process is safe for all and to check and stop any aggression between the dogs. Gwena may be a special pit bull but I believe that through proper training and care pit bulls can learn to co exist with other dogs. In closing I urge all pit bull caregiver/owners and those considering a pit bull as part of their life to educate themselves about the breed and to ensure that their dogs get the proper training exercise and care they need.

Wong Chong

About half of the dogs here are feral or strays. Thur loving care training and patience we are able to help these dogs re socialize with humans and one day find them a home. This is the story of one such dog that touched my heart and found a home with me. Wong Chong is a golden cream colored rough haired Chow Chow.With his long shaggy coat,short muzzle and small pointed ears he looks more like a lion and teddy bear cross than your typical dog. Wong Chong was a victim of Hurricane Katrina. Like the waters risen by natures fury his past is dark and murky. Left by his human companions to fend for himself he did turning feral in the process. Living in the now of survival he hunted and scavenged to stay alive. Rescued by animal rescuers he was crated and flown thousands of miles away from the world he had known. Eventually arriving here at the sanctuary by cattle car. Here he was fed, loved ,and cared for and so began his slow journey back into the world of a companion animal. Shy and leery of his handlers, unsure of our intentions at first he would bark at you and hide when you came in the pen. Slowly he came around to being able to be hand fed though he still wouldn't accept physical attention like petting. 10 months passed and the summer monsoons came down in full force here in Dakini Valley . The hot and humid weather provided the perfect breeding ground for stable flies. Wong Chong proved a favorite fest for these insect vampires, soon his ear tips and nose were raw and bloodied. One day the vet and I decided to treat his ears instead of using the dog pole we usually use on the ferals we used a leash to restrain him. To our surprise with very little chasing he allowed us to put a leash on him and even allowed to pet and massage him after we were done . At about the same time I started introducing him to Gwena my companion dog, whose job is to help socialize the dogs. At first she was a little intimated of this fuzzy ball of doggy energy that would ponce at her from the roof of his dog house. For Wong how ever it was a case of love at first sight. He even offered her one of his favorite chew toys to break the ice . After about three visits Gwena warmed to him and they began to play and chase each other until they both collapsed with tails wagging and tongues dripping. Emboldened by this success I started to leash train him. After a small hesitation his part he really got into it. My guess was that it was like riding a bike to him it all came back. Soon he was walking to heel better than some of the dogs we walk everyday. As part of our training program we take dogs into the ranch house with us. This allows the dogs to get used to humans and their ways.Slowly he overcame his shyness and blossomed into a friendly and ever curious dog. One day watching him play with Gwena I realized that not only had this canine Teddy bear won her heart he had won mine and truly had become one of our pack.

Khen

I wanted to start this blog with the story of our newest dog here at the sanctuary. His name is Khen. Khen a large all white Lethal Aussie lab mix is mostly blind and deaf. He was abandoned on private property bordering on National forest land. The locals that found him a first took him to the local humane society where they were told that the only option for a blind dog was euthanasia. Having big hearts and not wishing to send him to that fate they asked a neighbor who had heard of us if they thought we could take him. Towards sunset after a trying day at work for me a red pick up pulled into our driveway not getting many visitors out here I was curious. I was greeted by a young man and his father who quickly filled me in on the details and asked if we had room for a dog. My answer was yes we could and we quickly created room for him. I was greeted by a very frightened and wounded dog. He had gotten into a fight with another dog and had wounds all over his body including a large infected one on his neck. We worked into the night, gladly giving first aid water and food to him. Once fed and a little more comfortable he relaxed and showed his true lovable self. After many belly pats and words of love and praise to him , weary but elated at having helped save his life and provide him with a safe place we turned in for the night. Khen slept exhausted from his ordeal. The next morning we found out though blind he was a very good escape artist. Afraid of being left alone and frightend by the barks of all the other dogs in the compound he managed to escape 6 times the first day. Realizing that this fellow needed the special care that an indoor home could provide. I deiced to introduce him to my pack of dogs, Gwena my lovable female pit and Wong Chong my once feral chow. I will tell you Wong and Gwenas' stories on a latter posting. After seeing that he was non -aggressive I deiced to foster him until we can find him a loving home. Since them he has fit rather well into my pack after a few minor scuffles with Wong. This lovable boy is looking for a loving and understanding home where he can get the care and love he needs if you are interested please contact the Tara's Babies web site for further info.The website is www.tarasbabies.org