Off Leash Hike

I know this post is long overdue! I'm having so much fun here, sometimes I'm just too tired to blog about it when I get home.

Last week I had the opportunity to go on an off leash hike with the other interns and a trainer. At least that's what I expected. One of the trainers showed up in what looked like a clown car... she climbed out and all of these dogs started piling out of the truck - they were honking the horn and falling over each other. It was seriously cute. And one by one cars pulled up, adding more and more people and dogs to the tally. By the time we were lined up ready to hit the trail, there were over 20 dogs and about 15 people.

Bauble was my responsibility for the walk! He's the sweetest shar-pei mix if anyone's in the market for one. ;)

We started the hike with most of the dogs on leash, and Whitney, one of the Best Friends trainers, would instruct each of us when it was okay to unleash our dogs. One by one the dogs ran off to investigate and see who else was along for the hike. It was so wild to see the dogs greet each other and then run off into the brush to investigate.

The scenery was so beautiful! It was a surreal experience to be walking along this trail looking at the red mountains off in the distance. I felt like I'd stepped onto a National Geographic set!

As we were walking, I loved the way that the dogs would run and play, but would always come back to check in (I'm sure it helped that most of us had pockets full of treats!) Looking around, I realized that these dogs were getting to do what most pets don't - they were being dogs. They were running, playing, barking, sniffing, and loving every minute of it!

They even managed to find a deer hoof. Ick.

That said, everyone was very well behaved, as you can see!

More Dogtown!

So now that I'm finished with rotating around each of the areas, I get to spend a lot more time in Dogtown! I just love seeing how the dogs are treated at the sanctuary - each dog is an individual who's needs are carefully considered by the caregivers and trainers. Dogtown is separated into small buildings, most of them are octagons - and each building has a small team of caregivers assigned. The most impressive part about this model is that it allows the caregivers to really get to know the dogs in their care, and gives the dog a few people to bond with. Every day is an adventure - I've met some clown dogs, some shy dogs, some escape artists, even some feral dogs. I've also met some of the Vicktory dogs. Here's Squeaker, one of the Vick dogs. She's a sweetheart, and it's so heart-wrenching to wonder what she's been through. But it doesn't seem to have dampened her spirit, she's a sweet girl who has a lot of admirers at the sanctuary.

Each of us had to pick a project dog to work with as part of the internship. The trainers provided a list of dogs who need a little extra one on one time, for a variety of reasons. Some are nervous, some have endless energy, each has their own quirks and issues (don't we all?). And all of them need a little extra time to learn some basic rules that will help them become more adoptable. I took one look at the list and saw the only name I needed to see: T-BOY! This dog is fascinating - he's stubborn, high energy, sweet, non-aggressive towards people or other dogs, and is totally confident. Not to mention that he's absolutely adorable! He's just the kind of dog I want to work with. So here goes nothing! We'll attend classes taught by Dogtown trainers, and we'll have scheduled one on one time with our project dog. This is why I'm here!

Piggy Paradise!

Piggy Paradise is definitely one of my favorite areas of the sanctuary. I love the way that the pigs squeal when they know that breakfast is being prepared, and they way that Jeff & Hogan have become accustomed to belly rubs after their meals. These pigs are really living the good life! But it wasn't always that way.

Babe's a good example of that. Babe's previous guardian (for lack of a better term) provided no shade for Babe for several years, and as a result his pink skin is scarred and he's just now beginning to grow hair back, after several years at Best Friends. Babe hasn't let his experiences make him bitter, though. He's happy with the daily belly rubs and popcorn provided by his caregivers. And he certainly appreciates his cozy pig house. On cold mornings, it's hard to get him out!

Another guy who really knows how to have a good time is Jeff! Jeff and his buddy Hogan share a pen, but they're separated at meal times to prevent fights. Jeff is such a harmless guy that he's let out of his pen to have his meals, and the caregivers come back for him after all the other pigs are fed. What's funny is that when Jeff is done eating, he's been known to go wandering down the road. I guess he figures that either a volunteer will come along with some popcorn, or he'll manage to sneak down to the fruit trees along the road that leads to Piggy Paradise. Either way, it's not a bad deal!

These pigs are so well cared for! Their meals are carefully measured - plenty of delicious fresh greens, vegetables, and pellets. There's a waiting list of volunteers ready to give them belly rubs or muck their pens (aka: poop scoop. which is surprisingly easy to do in the pig pens - these guys pretty much potty train themselves! Each pig picks a small area for their bathroom, and sticks to it). They get daily walks, led by volunteers carrying buckets of air popped popcorn or shredded wheat. But I'm sure they'd rather have a home with a family. Most of the pigs at the sanctuary were horribly abused in their previous lives, and some of them still have the scars to prove it - emotionally and physically. Some of them came from hoarding situations, where hundreds of pigs were crammed into a few acres of land. They're all very lucky to have found their way to Best Friends. So am I.

Meow!

I walked into Benton house and was surrounded by beautiful little furry faces and meows. These cats looked downright cozy! Everywhere you look you see cat beds, climbing trees, windowsills made comfy with towels or fleece throws. There are tiny cat houses and plenty of cat toys.

Some of the healthy, some are sick, some are paralyzed, and all of them are loved. My first task was to watch over little Kermit, who's having trouble keeping on weight and doesn't always want to eat. It was my job to make sure the other cats didn't steal her food.

After breakfast, all of the bowls have to be cleaned, some of the cats need to be bathed, and cleaning begins. Having never been involved with shelter cats, I had no idea the level of effort needed to keep Benton house sparkling clean. Floors are swept and mopped daily, walls are wiped, windows washed, litter boxes are dumped, scrubbed with bleach & water, then refilled. After all of that's done, it's time for lunch time feedings and more bowls to clean. It's a massive effort to keep a house that contains 94 cats immaculate!

It's not all hard work, sometimes there's a lull in the day and there's time to relax and read a book. (The story of Best Friends, of course). And the kitties love to crawl up in your lap to keep you

company!

Horse Haven

How cute is this goat? She's got star potential! Horse Haven at Best Friends includes an assortment of horses, mules, donkeys, goats, and sheep. My job was to help care for them - which consisted mainly of cleaning up after them, if you know what I mean.

For some reason, I just couldn't stop taking pictures of this pretty girl. She just seemed to be posing for me!

I spent most of the day with another Best Friends intern named Ashley, and I never realized how many goofy farm animal stories I have. I spent most of the morning telling Ashley stories that began with the words, "And this one time, at our farm house...." The poor girl is probably praying that she'll never get paired up with me again!

Lucky for me and Ashley, this sweet goat was nothing like the ornery goat we had when I was a kid. That darned goat (Rocky, or Rockhead) would head butt you right into the side of the barn! I think it was how he entertained himself.

After our morning poop scooping duties were done, we got to ride on the feed truck.

I felt like a kid on a hay ride!

Here I am with a volunteer, and Ashley,

getting ready to head

out to feed the horses.

Riding on the feed truck is one of the best ways to see the lower canyon - it's really beautiful in the morning, and a little chilly. I could've used another layer that morning, but it was well worth it.

After the hay ride, we had to give the goats fresh water and muck the goat pens (muck = poop scoop). It's not a hard job, really. Except that the little balls fall through the muck rake. And I'm not sure that I'll ever look at blueberries the same. It was certainly one of those moments when I was thankful that I'm not an OCD type. You'd make yourself nuts trying to clean all of it up! And I think our presence made the goats a little nervous, because when we entered the pens they seemed to all eliminate at the same time! Or maybe they're just doing that continuously. Imagine the joy of walking into an enclosure where 4 nervous goats are giving you the evil eye and either making yellow puddles or dropping blueberries. Good times. Ashley and I worked fast so we could get to the Parelli demonstration with the horse trainers.

The Parelli method is really impressive. It involves building a relationship between the handler and the horse, so that the handler isn't always using physical methods or threatening to use physical methods to get the desired behavior. We watched one of the trainers take Cowboy through the "7 games" - all things that a horse can do, like step back and to the side, but wouldn't normally do on cue. Cowboy was a show off that day - it was really impressive to see how hard that horse would work for a few cookies.

See the horse trailer in the background? Before the demo, Cowboy walked right into it and helped himself to some cookies that were stashed in there. Loading a horse into a trailer can be a seriously stressful event, and a horse walking into a trailer on his own is not the norm!

I really loved my day at Horse Haven. It brought back a lot of old memories. Happy memories of our farmhouse, where my sister Patty had the magic touch with all of the horses, and where one of my favorite times of the day was at sunset when we'd hear our horses running through the fields. I thought of the time that a horse ran off with me when I was trail riding with Patty, and she said I looked like a little jockey when that horse jumped a fence and ran all the way back to the barn with me on his back. And of course, the times when I've been bitten, and my sister was bucked off of Champ. So many memories. Poor Ashley had to hear about a lot of them. By the afternoon I tried to tone it down a little, so I wouldn't drive her absolutely nuts. I don't know why she never sits next to me at lunch now. ;)

Dogs! Dogs! Dogs!

Day 2: I helped prepare breakfast for all the pups in Angel's Lodges, then went with Larry to deliver the goods. When we made the rounds, I noticed a sweet, energetic girl named Tina, and thought she'd be fun to walk. Wow! That girl has some energy! But she's a good girl, and extra extra sweet. It was a beautiful day for a hike through the canyon, and I even stopped to take a few pics along the way. I even managed to upload a few pics to Facebook. (It's so unusual to get cell phone coverage in the canyon!).

Next, I thought I'd take Tina's neighbor, Hera for a walk. We got off to a rough start because she wanted to decide which way we'd go, and you know that I finally gave in and let her. Once we got going, we had a nice walk... until she decided that she was done. This girl is obstinate! She wouldn't budge!

I finally had to ask one of the staff if they'd help me get her back, and we lured her about 100 feet with a bag of some extra tasty treats. Then she figured out what we were up to and refused to fall for it. I might've waited her out if I'd had some water and my chapstick with me! We ended up having to get a ride in a golf cart from one of the staff! This girl knows how to get what she wants!

While I was waiting for miss Hera to get her move on, I got a little toasty and decided to tie my jacket around my waist. I guess I didn't realize my phone as in the pocket... next dog to walk - little Coconut. I bent down to put a leash on Coconut, and dipped my brand new iPhone right into his bucket of drinking water!!! Is there anyone else who could lose a phone like this? It's tragic. So here I am, in the middle of no-Apple-store land, without a functional iPhone. Can someone please remind me that nobody was hurt, and no lives were lost?

I did finish my day on a high note, though. I got to pay a visit to a Stray Rescue favorite - Goober! Now known as Goose. He thoroughly enjoyed the cookies that his aunts Gail & Donna sent for him.

Dogtown!

Parrots are cool, rabbits are cuddly, but nothing compares to the love of a dog! They give us their entire heart & souls and ask for nothing more than a little food and a lot of attention. I drove into the sanctuary on Friday excited to finally be spending the day at Dogtown. I wasn't disappointed. I got to spend time at the Dog Park, where each dog is given time weekly to run and play in a different area than their runs. They're also given many opportunities for walks/hikes, and even overnight sleepovers with volunteers. They're given top quality food and the best medical care available. It's inspiring to see how these dogs are treated. This is what every shelter should aspire to be (okay, technically, every shelter should aspire to be closed -- because there would be no more homeless pets. But this is second best).

Minnie! When you enter Conrad's Corner, you'll be greeted by Minnie, the companion of a Dogtown employee. She's beautiful and sleek and grey. She's so elegant, I think she should be renamed Jackie O.

Minnie is such a funny girl, she just wants to curl up and nap. When I pulled her bed out so I could sweep, she looked at me like she was really being put out. So she wandered outside and waited patiently on the doorstep, waiting to be invited back in. What a girl!

The first task of the day was to walk Bagara, a 9 year old feral girl who's very afraid. She wouldn't let me get close enough to put the leash on her, so John hooked her up for me. Then we went on a nice, leisurely stroll.

Next, I took Lola & Dakota to the dog park. It's a nice, big park, and these two only used a small section of space. I sat on a bench and let them play and wondered how big the park is... while I daydreamed about how fun it would be to see the dog park on a hot summer day, when the pool is cool & inviting. I think Lola was on the same page...

Then I brought Bella & Trappy for their turn at the dog park. As their caregiver John walked with us to the park, he explained that Trappy is an escape artist, and shouldn't leave my sight. If given a chance, he'll jump the fence and take off. Then John left me and the dogs on our own. No pressure or anything!

That's when I learned how big the park is.

Trappy proceeded to patrol the perimeter of the park at a pretty good clip, keeping one eye on me at all times. I followed him, then realized that was making him go faster, so I had to bob & weave to keep him interested in me - running circles around trees and shrubs. I must have looked like a nut! It was getting warm, and running through the desert sand isn't easy, so I was really hoping that our time at the park wouldn't be a series of laps! But that little joker ran back to the front of the park -- the area where John said he'd jump if given the chance, and acted all nonchalant. Just when I started to relax, I saw him crouch down in preparation to jump the fence! I grabbed his lead and prevented the escape. After that, he calmed down. Whew! Not on my watch, little buddy.

Lunch time! This is serious business at Best Friends - top quality dry food, supplements for one dog, meds for another, maybe some calming pheremones for a nervous pooch. It was fascinating, but not nearly as fascinating as the feeding process itself. Open the door to the run, and typically one dog will run out into the run, and the other will stay inside. They know that's what they're supposed to do, and they know they're supposed to sit for their meals. All of them do. Maybe it's only for a split second, or maybe it's until you've sat the bowl down, but all of them make an attempt. It really speaks to the consistency of the employees and volunteers.

Lunch for me brought another nice surprise. Just as we were finishing, and getting ready to head off to a meeting, a woman approached and asked if we minded if she join us. We invited her to sit and learned that she was Charity Rennie, one of the founders of Best Friends! She said that before the sanctuary was started, she'd become unhappy with the way the world was going, and wanted to do something for someone besides herself. It was inspiring to hear her talk about the early days, when they had no money for anything - they built the lunch room that we were sitting in with their own hands, and did it mostly with donated materials. She talked about the struggle to acquire the lower canyon, where the welcome center and horses are kept. And she told us about the point in time when they needed to decide whether they would stay small, or continue to grow. (Grow! was the decision). She's charming and easy to talk to, and it's a conversation I'll always remember.

Later in the afternoon, I rode with one of the employees down to the HR office to pick up a couple of dogs who spend time in the HR office so they can socialize. We walked into the HR office and found an employee laying on the floor spooning TBoy, a healthy brown pit bull. I sat down on the floor, and within seconds, TBoy crawled up in my lap. It just melted my heart. We drove TBoy and Esther back to their runs, and I finished up the day with a short clicker training session with Bagara, where I clicked and treated her for getting close to me. After a few minutes, she was comfortable enough to let me hook her up and take her for a short walk.

What a way to end the day!