Reason?

Well, if this blog is anything to go by, lots of people are interesting in learning what it takes to become a professional dog trainer so it appears to be quite the popular question around these here parts.

Extract:

The best way to become a dog trainer is to observe how people are trained by the best trainers and to do some yourself.

Dog training courses will help you consider things like plans, structures,

You also need to decide WHAT exactly you want to do and how to achieve it.

Dog training is less about dogs and more about people, training dogs is simple, demonstrating to others the best methods to employ for the required results is not quite so straightforward as few attendees have dog training as their sole agenda when they come to classes.

Read in full…

If you’re looking for a job working with animals – check this out.

The practice of tail docking to remove most of the tail to prevent this type of injury in dogs was banned in Britain in 2007, although some exemptions apply for specific breeds of working dog.

Among the 138,212 dogs seen by vets at the 52 practices during the study period, 281 were treated for a tail injury – a rate of 0.23%, adjusted for sampling.

The owners of 224 of these injured dogs, as well as a random sample of 799 owners whose dogs had not been treated for tail injury were sent a questionnaire on dog tail injuries and docking.

Only 97 of the owners whose dogs needed treatment and 227 of those whose dogs had not been injured replied.

But their responses indicated that around one in three tail injuries (36%; 35 cases) had occurred at home as a result of the dog knocking its tail against a wall, kennel wall or other household object.

A further 17.5% (17 cases) were sustained outdoors, while 14.4% (14 cases) were caused by the tail being caught in a door. In 15 (15.5%) other causes were cited; and in 16 (16.5%), the cause was unknown. Almost half of the injuries (44%) were recurrent.

This article is an ‘editor’s pick’ feature and is exclusive to members of the K9 Magazine Premier Club.
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I am constantly amazed and impressed by the dog.

He is capable of incredible acts, many of which we still don’t understand.

So it was a delight to come across an item today – which I am thrilled to bring to your attention – which delves deeper in to the dog, the amazing dog.

From the New York Times:

The matter of what exactly goes on in the mind of a dog is a tricky one, and until recently much of the research on canine intelligence has been met with large doses of skepticism. But over the last several years a growing body of evidence, culled from small scientific studies of dogs’ abilities to do things like detect cancer or seizures, solve complex problems (complex for a dog, anyway), and learn language suggests that they may know more than we thought they did.

Their apparent ability to tune in to the needs of psychiatric patients, turning on lights for trauma victims afraid of the dark, reminding their owners to take medication and interrupting behaviors like suicide attempts and self-mutilation, for example, has lately attracted the attention of researchers.

In September, the Army announced that it would spend $300,000 to study the impact of pairing psychiatric service dogs like Jet with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder. Both the House and Senate have recently passed bills that would finance the training and placement of these dogs with veterans.

Hungarian researchers reported in a study last year that a guide dog for a blind and epileptic person became anxious before its master suffered a seizure and was taught to bark and lick the owner’s face and upper arm when it detected an onset, three to five minutes before the seizure.

It is still somewhat mysterious how exactly dogs detect seizures, whether it’s by picking up on behavioral changes or smelling something awry, but several small studies have shown that a powerful sense of smell can detect lung and other types of cancer, as the dogs sniff out odors emitted by the disease.

READ THE FULL ITEM =>

I would like to take this opportunity to pose some theoretical questions about where we might be headed with regard to things we still don’t know about the dog.

Is it outside the realms of possibility that dog owners will eventually be able to train their OWN dogs how to detect and signal for the presence of cancer or other disease?

I mean, we know dogs can detect cancer. We know they have that skill, the only missing link in the chain is having owners who are as skilled as the people who train cancer detection dogs. But let’s say that we eventually become competent at such techniques, then why not?

Is it impossible to consider that dogs may be able to recognise and signal impending natural disasters over and above those few dogs who are currently trained to do so today?

Imagine if a nation of dog owners were the barometer for impending hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis and beyond? Impossible? I don’t believe so. The wisdom of crowds would have even more of an impact of that crowd was made of thousands or millions of dogs who are all signalling the same thing.

Is it science fiction to assume that we may be able to have dogs that live double the length of time they are today?

Why not? Our medical knowledge is making us live much longer, veterinary advances are similarly rapid. In theory, this one should be a given. And I for one will be delighted. The ONLY downside to dogs…..they’re here and gone much, much too fast.

Will canine cloning become the norm?

It’s started already. Owners may become more enthralled with the (mistaken) idea that they can recreate their much loved pet. Of course, unless that pet is given an identical up bringing, exposure to situations and scenarios and basically allowed to re-trace the life steps of the dogs he/she is being cloned upon, this will never happen.

K9 Magazine members: access our ‘Dogs: The Future’ special digital report >>

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A good query. So good in fact, we decided to write up a short article explaining the benefits, costs and advantages of understanding the various aspects of a pet insurance policy, with specific emphasis on lifelong pet insurance cover.

K9 Magazine’s article explains:

The costs of veterinary treatment are rising all the time as the science of veterinary medicine advances and it is common for courses of treatment to run into thousands of pounds.  When dogs get older, the chances that they will actually require treatment (and therefore need to claim on the pet insurance policy increases).

Read the article in full: Lifetime pet insurance cover.

Puppy farmers breed dogs with the sole aim of lining their pockets. They don’t breed dogs with the sole aim of improving their breed and producing healthy, functional dogs – which should be the ONLY reason to EVER breed a single litter of dogs. Period.

Puppy farmers have been registering their dogs with the Kennel Club. The Kennel Club knows this.

Kennel Club registration, you see, adds ‘value’ and can raise the price a breeder may charge for their stock. It also leads the public in to thinking they are buying quality. That’s why they do it, see. The puppy farmer wants Kennel Club paperwork in order to present a credible façade or, believe you me, they would NOT be spending the extra money on doing it – profit margins are crucial to the commercial dog producers and dealers.

The Kennel Club has acknowledged that high volume breeders use its registry. Take a look:

Dr Sampson advised that Bill Lambert, the Accredited Breeder Scheme advisor, does inspect and completes around 50 visits per year. All breeders (mostly who own multiple breeds) who breed more than 10 litters per year have been visited and some removed from the list.

The above comes from a breed council meeting held just last year. Re-read it if you like.

All breeders – mostly who own multiple breeds – who breed more than 10 litters per year.

Let’s give the quote some context. The above response is cited in the minutes from the meeting in relation to the following:

The question was raised concerning checks on breeders premises and whether any Accredited Breeders had been taken off the list for non compliance.

Now, this is a nice hypothetical for you: If you heard about a breeder producing LESS than 10 litters per year, let’s say, oh I don’t know, maybe NINE litters? Who also owned ‘multiple breeds’ – what would you think they might be labelled as? A ‘high volume’ dog breeder?

Let’s move on. I have another hypothetical question for you.

You run a dog breed registry.

You don’t like puppy farmers. Oh no. You do NOT like puppy farmers. Or, for the benefit of clarity, let’s call them ‘high volume dog breeders’.

You don’t want these high volume dog breeders (OK, puppy farmers! Let’s call them what they are shall we?) to sully the name and reputation of your breed registry.

How do you prevent them from doing this?

A) You impose limits on individual breeders, dictating that  no more than 5 litters may be registered from the same breeder and/or premises in any given year.

B) You also insist that you will not accept a single registration without a veterinary certificate validating the health and condition of the dam along with appropriate breed health screening paperwork.

or

C) You don’t do any of that, but set up a SEPARATE scheme so you can still continue to take registrations from those high volume breeders who don’t health screen their stock…. but can act like you HAVE made a leap of progress by telling people to use your ‘accredited’ breeders instead?

We have an accredited breeder scheme, we have a breed registry – one contains puppy farmers and plenty of breeders that don’t adhere to basic health screening standards and one contains breeders who might be producing 9 litters or more per year but who fall under the category of being ‘accredited’. Both breeders can register their puppies with the Kennel Club. Both get Kennel Club registration paperwork and their registrations are endorsed with the Kennel Club seal of approval and, ultimately, the Kennel Club banks the cheques from both.

So, a simple question:

If you had that kind of a set up and you REALLY wanted to no longer allow a SINGLE puppy farmer to register their puppies with you and sully your name, cause damage by association to the GOOD breeders on your registry and PROFIT from the suffering of commercially bred dogs – why wouldn’t you make this simple move:

SHUT DOWN the registry and ONLY operate the accredited breeder scheme?

Seriously. Why would you not do that?

Yes, there’s a LOT of money in that breed registry. More money, in fact, than pours in to the accredited breeder scheme. But if YOU were going to stand on a soap box and lecture people about the horrors of puppy farming, wouldn’t YOU try to make DAMN sure you weren’t still cashing the cheques from some of the very people whom you are warning the public about? Wouldn’t you feel a bit ‘funny’ wagging your finger at the public preaching about puppy farmers when you’ve got some seriously high volume breeders using your own registry and sending their cash your way?

The Kennel Club have issued a press release today that states:

The Kennel Club and Thepet.net co-founders, TV vet Marc Abraham and social media guru Andrew Seel, want people to know the truth about where badly-bred puppies come from and help them choose a happy and healthy puppy bred by a reputable breeder, rather than a sick or diseased farmed one.

Kennel Club Veterinary Advisor and TV vet, Marc Abraham, said: “I am treating more and more puppies that have come from puppy farms than ever before.

“Puppy buyers often don’t know how to spot the signs of an irresponsible breeder and so continue to unwittingly line the puppy farmers’ pockets, fueling this cruel trade.

“It is imperative that prospective puppy buyers buy from a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder and that they sign the Kennel Club’s petition to get the principles and standards of this Scheme made mandatory for all breeders. These breeders love and care for their puppies, agree to follow certain standards and agree to allow a Kennel Club inspector access to their premises. Here are my top tips for choosing a puppy:

1.      For a pedigree puppy always contact the Kennel Club first for their list of reliable and reputable Kennel Club Accredited Breeders.
2.      Ask to see the puppy’s mother, who should always be with the pups.
3.      Always see the puppy in its breeding environment and ask to look at the kenneling conditions, particularly if they were not raised within the breeder’s house. If you suspect the conditions are not right, then do not buy the puppy.
4.      Be suspicious of any breeder selling more than one or at most two breeds.
5.      Be prepared to be put on a waiting list – a healthy puppy is well-worth waiting for.
6.      Ask if you can return the puppy if things don’t work out. Responsible breeders will always say yes.
7.      Never buy a puppy because you feel like you’re rescuing it. You’ll only be making space available for another poorly pup to fill.
8.      Consider alternatives to buying a pedigree puppy like getting a rescue dog or pup, and remember that every breed of dog has its own breed rescue society.”

People can sign the Kennel Club’s petition, which asks the government to enforce a mandatory set of standards for all breeders, based on those already followed by Kennel Club Accredited Breeders and that put the puppies’ health and welfare first and foremost.

OK.

Some sage words there. No doubt.

But let’s dig, shall we?

Be suspicious of any breeder selling more than one or at most two breeds.

Really?

30 seconds.

30 seconds is all it took me to find Kennel Club Accredited breeders who breed more than two breeds. I did a quick search on the Kennel Club website for Accredited Breeders and within just a few clicks I located accredited breeders who bred more than two different breeds.

So, I’m confused.

I should be “suspicious” of these (accredited) breeders yet….

“It is imperative that prospective puppy buyers buy from a Kennel Club Accredited Breeder”

I must reiterate, it took me less than 30 seconds to find Kennel Club accredited breeders who breed more than two breeds.

And here’s the thing, I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever in accepting that a quality breeder can happen to breed more than two different breeds and a horrendous breeder may produce just one litter in their entire lives. The point is that there is confusion, muddied communication/advice and, ultimately, rampant hypocrisy at play.

How can we be expected to listen to a lecture on the horrors of puppy farming when it is coming from an organisation that accepts the cheques of the very people it is seeking to warn us about?

Most right minded people want puppy farming to become a thing of the past. I am absolutely certain that the Kennel Club would like it that way too. But, fact is, the Kennel Club is running a two tiered system which means they ARE enabling puppy farmers to operate under a veil of implied credibility. If you cash the cheque yet have the means to set the standard rather than take a ‘do as we say, not as we do’ approach, then some questions need to be asked.

But let’s remember this. Let’s focus on it. Let’s draw attention to it. Let’s ask it, out loud:

If the Kennel Club believes in its Accredited Breeder Scheme so much. If the Kennel Club believes ALL breeders should comply to the standards of the Accredited Breeder Scheme, then why don’t they simply do away with their flawed registry and ONLY operate the Accredited Breeder Scheme?

Surely if they want to be taken seriously on an issue like puppy farming and their commitment to eradicating sub standard breeding practices, they could take a giant step toward that goal by NOT allowing those very breeders who they publicly condemn to register their puppies with the Kennel Club and tacitly give those breeders the credibility they so clearly crave?

Let’s wind the clock back to February of this year  when Caroline Kisko of the Kennel Club informed Dog World newspaper that they (The KC) would not insist on operating the standards of the Accredited Breeder Scheme on a wholesale basis across all of the breeders who register puppies with the Kennel Club unless it applied to ‘all dogs’.

The question was put to Ms Kisko that all breeding dogs be subject to compulsory health screening. Here is her (verbatim) response:

Well, that to us is, is one of those things that if everybody joins something like the Accredited Breeders’ Scheme, and I’m not saying it has to be a Kennel Club’s one, but if everybody follows the requirements of something like the breeders’ scheme, then you would have that in the palm of your hand, but we, the Kennel Club is not going to go down that route for every Kennel Club registered dog as long as it’s not a requirement for other dogs, because all that’ll happen is that you’ll have the bar set at one level for Kennel Club registered dogs and the bar set way down low, in other words probably non existent for all the other dogs, and that’s actually completely unfair on both Kennel Club registered dogs and people buying dogs because… ok, you can say, well, that way we’ll know that those are the crème de la crème. What about all the other dogs? Do we not care about how they’re bred? Of course we do, and because of that, the Kennel Club will hold out against this idea that you can set one set of criteria for Kennel Club registered dogs and a different set for other dogs.

This is bizarre thinking.

Imagine if The Telegraph newspaper informed its readers that it would not insist on strict, high quality editorial standards unless all other newspapers agreed to follow exactly the same, over and above those minimum requirements according to the laws of the land? “We’ll only adhere to the same editorial standards as The Beano unless we’re forced to do otherwise”. No. It doesn’t work that way. Why would an organisation not set its own standards as high as it possibly could rather than simply ask to be judged against the lowest common standards expected of every other Tom, Dick and Harry?

By worrying about ‘every other dog’ the Kennel Club continues to allow sub-par breeders to thrive. I believe they know it, too.

The Kennel Club knowingly operates its very own two tier system:

1) The Accredited Breeder scheme – which it implores you to acknowledge as the best, most foolproof method of buying a quality puppy

2) The Kennel Club registry, which contains puppies registered by commercial/high volume breeders (you know, PUPPY FARMERS!).

What lies at the heart of these obvious double standards?

You decide.

But please, focus on the issue of puppy farming and give your full, unequivocal support to Puppy Farm Awareness Day via these superb groups:

• Puppy Love
• Hope UK
• Puppy Alert

I guarantee this: NONE of those organisations are cashing cheques from puppy farmers. They don’t operate double standards and they are in a position to give you sound, clear advice on how you can help to fight the cruel trade of the commercial dog dealers.

Susan Brinkmann was born in Southampton in 1963 but moved to the Netherlands when she was eight years old. Even as a child, she was always busy with pencils and crayons, trying to visualize on paper the things she saw. Her preference for highly detailed techniques resulted in life-like portraits. A great love for animals, dogs in particular, has been a continual source of inspiration. After graduating from the Academy of Arts, she continued to improve her technique, and today receives growing appreciation and fame for her, mostly commissioned, portraits.

This masterclass report will teach you how to draw a dog by using the image below, and the process by which it was created, as a basis to teach the skills required to become a real Arty Animal!

In this mini art-course, I shall try to explain which steps I take when creating an animal portrait. In order to master the technique that I use, it helps if you are a little skilled in drawing with pencils.

If you’re not particularly skilled with a pencil, well, if you are a patient person willing to practice a bit, why not give it a shot?! The main thing is to enjoy yourself and learn something in the process!

[private_Premier]Although I like to work with various materials, I usually choose coloured pencils when creating animal portraits, because they allow me to produce the finest detail. Moreover, I find pencils ideal for capturing the texture of an animal’s fur. I draw thousands of tiny little lines, almost as if every single hair is displayed.

Of course, you can use any kind of material you like. The main thing is, that you feel comfortable using it. But if you wish to create a drawing with a very life-like effect, you might like to give coloured pencils a try. I prefer a fairly hard type of pencil, like water colour pencils. In my opinion, softer pencils don’t allow the same degree of detail in texture.

Personally, I like to work from photographs. This way I can accept commissions from all over the world, and as long as the quality of the photograph is good, it is a very practical method. The dog can be photographed in its home environment, where it is relaxed and happy.

STEP 1
Select a really good photograph of your pet. If the quality of the photograph is bad, there is no way your drawing is going to turn out well.

Determine the size of your drawing. Whether you decide to make a small drawing or a larger one, again, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with it.

Now you are ready to begin. The sheet of white paper will most probably be staring back at you, and you’ll be wondering how on earth to draw that first line.

Tip: Let me give you a tip that will shock many art teachers (by the way, I do have an art teaching degree!). If your photograph is large enough, hold it against a window, cover it with your sheet of paper and just indicate the most important lines very lightly: mark the position of the eyes, nose, ears, and the jaw line, etc.

Beginning is often the most difficult and frustrating part for inexperienced artists and determining proportions is really difficult. So you have my blessing. But…don’t give in to the temptation to take it too far: it is merely meant to help you get started!

STEP 2
Now it is important that you get a ‘grip’ on the image. Take your time to understand what you are drawing. Study your photograph carefully and try to distinguish the various shades you see. Sometimes it helps to forget that you are drawing an object, person or animal, try to focus on the colours and shapes you see!

Instead of using just one shade of brown, gray or black, buy yourself a variety of pencils in these colours. You will find that there are, for instance, reddish browns and yellowish browns. For the beagle portrayed on these pages, I used six different shades of brown, three shades of gray, a light blue and a black pencil.

If your dog is brown, choose a light brown pencil to begin with and apply a first ‘layer’ of lines in this shade. Then select a second shade for your next ‘layer’, and so forth.

TIP: Go from light to dark. Carefully indicate where the darker sections are, using a dark grey pencil.

STEP 3
Build your picture up slowly and carefully, never with haste! If you are feeling rushed, stressed or nervous, stop immediately and continue drawing when you are feeling more relaxed. The moment you start working too quickly, the lines you draw will become too harsh and your drawing will lose its delicate and detailed quality. Stay ‘in control’!

TIP: Don’t expect miracles to happen overnight! The three ‘P’s in this course are Patience, Practice and Pleasure!

STEP 4
Very slowly, continue to add colours and contrast. Now that your drawing is advancing and the most important parts are in place, you may also begin to apply a little more pressure with your pencils.

TIP: Select a photograph in which the eyes are clearly visible. The result will be more appealing.

STEP 5
Use your black pencil sparingly; maybe even leaving it until last. Apply only a few black accents, like the darkest parts of the pupils (these may be a deep black), and nose.
You will see that it was worth waiting for: now your portrait is really coming to life!

Download full illustrated report to accompany this feature – >

[/private_Premier]

Susan Brinkmann
Tel. 0031 402439956 or 0031 645736970
Web site: www.kallistart.nl
Email: info@kallistart.nl

Definition: A typical photobomb is when somebody jumps into the background of what was supposed to be a nice picture, usually sporting a funny look on their face–thus ruining the photo.

OK, so does anyone really think dogs are immune from such high-jinks? Ever met a dog who ISN’T prepared to photobomb? No? Well let’s meet the top photobombing canines shall we….Before we continue, you remember the time when this was a serious magazine don’t you? No? Ah well, neither do we. Let’s get on with the bombs.

1: Hard to say who’s actually doing the bombing here. Angry dog or willy waving dog? You decide.

2: You’ve heard of bomb detection dogs, right? Well here’s a bombing dope detection dog. When your dog thinks you look like a dork, it’s time to have a real think about life.

3: Text book dog bombing. Rude and oblivious. Cracking.

4: Bomb dog number 4 seems to be plotting something pretty dastardly.

5: A classic, classic bomb.

6: Slight twist on the theme, dog’s photo is bombed by a cat.

7: Franter is – apparently – the official mascot dog of Manchester Utd football club according to an Old Trafford spokesman called ‘Fred’. Whatever, here he is offering England’s football supremo Fabio Capello his tactical words of wisdom. Capello obviously rates him. Top bombing Franter, top bombing.

The right stimulation

Cats are born hunters, but sometimes for their own safety they need to be kept indoors. Keep yours entertained by giving it toys to chase – a tin-foil ball will do – and providing a climbing tower or cardboard box with holes cut out for it to climb in and out of. Also try hiding part of your cat’s daily dry food allowance in different places for it to track down. And make sure you provide a scratching post to keep its claws healthy – a coir doormat securely fixed in an upright position is perfect. For more tips on feline behaviour, check out the cat care leaflets on the Cats Protection website, cats.org.uk.

If you have to leave your dog for extended periods, Dogs Trust recommends providing it with a selection of challenging chews and toys. Interactive toys that can be filled with part of your dog’s daily food ration, which it has to work hard to reach, are particularly good for encouraging your dog’s natural scavenging and problem-solving instincts. Also try giving it toys it can roll around the floor, or create a scent-trail game by hiding dry treats for it to sniff out. For more ways to keep your dog occupied, download the ‘Beating Boredom’ leaflet at dogstrust.org.uk.

Finally, make sure your pets have hygienic toileting facilities and check to remove hazards that won’t leave you making a claim on your pet insurance. The advice from Cats Protection is that anything you would keep out of the reach of children should be kept away from pets too.

Dealing with separation

‘Cats are not pack animals, so separation anxiety is not normally such an issue as it is with dogs,’ says Companion Animal Behaviour Counsellor Pippa Hutchison, of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.

With dogs, the key to avoiding problems is to prepare them gradually. ‘Over a period of time, get them used to being on their own – in the next room to you, for example,’ she says. Play down the transition with fuss-free goodbyes and returns, and consider leaving your dog with a familiar-smelling old T-shirt and the radio or TV on in the background for comfort.

Before you leave, make sure your dog has had a good run around and a small meal, so it will feel ready to settle down.

If your cat or dog is having problems adjusting to being on its own, it may need professional help. Try the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (apbc.org.uk) – although it’s best to consult your vet first: ‘We insist on owners seeing their vet first, to rule out any clinical illnesses,’ says Pippa.

For more about behavioural problems and beating boredom, visit cats.org.uk and dogstrust.org.uk.

Away from home

‘Do an overnight trial several weeks before you actually go away,’ says Pippa Hutchison, ‘so their first experience won’t be too long or stressful.’ She also recommends that you take an old, unwashed T-shirt that smells familiar to them.

Make sure the cattery/kennel has a list of your pet’s particular likes and dislikes. Take along their regular food, so there isn’t a change in diet.

Look out for the warning signs

Dogs
• Destructive behaviour, such as excessive chewing.
• Doesn’t eat when you’re away.
• Signs that it has been drooling a lot.
• Complaints from the neighbours that it has been howling.

Cats
• Toileting outside the litter tray.
• Signs of self-mutilation, such as over-grooming, which can lead to bald patches.
• Becoming more withdrawn.

(Originally published on Money Matters Thu, 15 Jul 2010)

Rosie is the poodle. She is no more than 10 pounds, has black curly fur with strands of gray, and cloudy, cataract-filled eyes. Rosie hates other dogs but enjoys the company of people, especially those who coo over her. When we brought her home 14 years ago, I remember the Vet saying, “Do not baby her- or she will think just that”. We made a mistake. That dog thinks that she is a child. I mean, what did the Vet expect us to do with our first dog that pranced around the house in that endearing way that only little dogs can?

To us, she was something that needed to be taken care of. And we did that exceptionally well. She has been very sweet all of these years, fulfilling her duties as the family pet. She sits on the sofa as if it’s her thrown, with complete awareness that she is the Alpha in the Family. She is totally harmless except for the occasional snapping of her teeth if we bother her during moments of eating and sleeping, but it’s too late to change that habit now.

We take full responsibility for giving her control, but love her nonetheless. I will always care about Rosie for being my first dog, a great dog. However, 12 years later, when my brother brought home Colbie, the Pitbull, I was enlightened. Colbie is white with tan fur splashed along her muscular back and around both piercing gray eyes. She is rock solid, playful, and can often be seen with a wagging tail and a huge smile, showcasing her gorgeously sharp teeth. I am embarrassed to admit that for years I never understood why someone would own a dog like a Pitbull when you could have a stereotypically “cute” dog that elicits reactions such as “aww” from those who come into contact with it instead of “ahhh”. I was initially frightened at the idea of having a Pitbull.

One Internet search of the word Pitbull and the first picture that appears is a photo of a dog that is about to attack the camera (look for yourself and you’ll see what I mean). Then there are the dog-fighting stories, the images of dogs with chains, and a physical appearance that I wouldn’t initially describe as adorable. That being said, I welcomed Colbie with an open mind. I will never forget when Colbie was about 5 months old and slept in my bed while I was visiting my family.

She woke up in the middle of the night and walked all over my legs until I awoke. There she was, just standing there in the dark, gazing at me with those big eyes. I remember thinking, “What the heck is she going to do? Attack me?” She did not attack me. To my surprise, she slowly walked up to my face and gently laid herself down on the pillow by my head, trying to get as close to me a she could, in the sweetest of ways. I fell in love right there. Two years later, Colbie continues to intrigue me. When I say “Go Home!” she walks diligently into her cage, although accompanied with a pout.

When I need to take something out of her mouth, she gently opens her razor sharp teeth, releasing whatever it is she has without a fight. When I am eating, she never begs for food. And when I walk through the door, she wraps her front legs around me in a hug, and proceeds to sit and cuddle in my lap (thinking that she weighs only 10 pounds). While she has these incredible traits, she comes with some challenges as well. She is full of energy and when I try to walk her, she tries to walk me. Another challenge with Colbie is managing the reactions from others.

Let’s just say that she does not receive the babying and cooing that Rosie so willingly accepts. When it comes to getting along with others, Colbie has a strong desire to get to know other people and dogs. However, due to her outward appearance, many detest her before they even get to know her. Recently, Colbie ran out of the house as she saw someone walking a small dog. When the neighbor saw Colbie playfully running around, she shouted, “Get a hold of your dog. That Thing is going to kill somebody”. That event showed me that

1) My neighbor is not too friendly and

2) While Colbie is capable of physically taking care of herself and our family, as guard-like dogs should, she needs us to protect her as well.

She needs someone to stand in her corner when others are erroneously judging her. Colbie is the type of dog that makes you grow, teaching you life lessons not expected to come from an animal. When you say the word Pitbull, everyone has an idea that comes to mind. But I have found more. What I see is the most loving, loyal, humorous and patient pet. She has layers to her. She challenges every preconceived notion about the breed, proving to everyone she meets the value of the cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover”. There is depth to that.

It’s something that I have always looked for in people, but didn’t realize until recently that you could also look for in dogs. While I am fully aware that her demeanor could change instantaneously, and she could demonstrate the dangerous behaviors sometimes found in Pitbulls, I hope that she doesn’t change. I am always cautious of that possibility, however, I have to trust that she will remain true to herself. Isn’t that how it goes with any relationship, whether dog or human? Primarily, above all else, you have to have trust. As both Rosie and Colbie sit side by side at my parent’s house, I see how this translates into relationships with people.

You can have the partner that you think is sweet and adorable, whom you like to take care of. And that’s fine. On the other hand, you can have the protector, the guard dog, who contrastingly tries to take care of you. And that is fine as well. Or, if you’re lucky, you can have both. A Colbie. A best friend. Someone that leans on you just as much as you lean on them. Someone who makes you laugh, who might bother you at times for being themselves, but who you simultaneously love for it. Someone who you always discover new things about, who adores you for who you are, and who enables you to grow. I choose that.

Manager Lisa Graham said: "Georgie received a lot of interest but when people found out she had both male and female organs they backed away."  Now Georgie has had her male organs removed they are hoping to re-home her.

Read the full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11522483

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