Dog Bless You: 2014

Another one!!!!

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

There was this strange little mutt sitting on the side of our plot road - we saw her on and off for I don't know how long, a week or month, I cannot tell you. I ignored it with all my heart, reusing to look closer or stop. Then Pio called me; "Take that dog some food, it's starving to death." Oh joy. Here we go.

I took the little scrap some food, and blame it all on him. She was starving and very very scared; so I put food in all the cars and whenever we drove past, if she was there we would try feed her and get her into the car. We pottered about with it for two weeks; I managed to touch her but didn't feel like grabbing her and scaring the wits out of her, as well as maybe being bitten. On this went; then Pio grabbed her and got her into the car.

He got her up here, we locked the dogs inside, and let her out of the car. We had food and water ready, but the little mite freaked and hit the road, straight through the electric fence and charged the 4 kilometers all the way back down the road to her little roadside stop where she sat day in and day out. I chased her in the car with food and she almost came back to me and then decided not to and headed off like her tail was on fire again. So we gave up again and put the food back in the car for the next time we saw her.

Then, on Sunday the 26th of January, Joani phoned me and said she had the brat in her car and was on her way up the hill. I left the dogs to it this time, and instead closed up the house and got the food out. My dogs of course mobbed her and she wet herself in terror all over Joani's back seat, but I dragged her out and took her inside on her own. I gave her some food and she wolfed it. She was terrified and trying to hide and then to follow me as I fed her polony to get her to relax and realise that no one was going to hurt her.

When she eventually relaxed slightly, we let Bear in; well, we all know what the bully is like, and he huffed and puffed and made sure she knew he was the boss, like the typical arrogant male that he is. She was terrified. Kita just growled at her, and I think it was more jealousy than anything else. Coda was the direct opposite; he was so taken with her that he wouldn't leave her alone, but it was all happiness and excitement. The little mutt hid by the fireplace, and I sat in front of her whilst all the dogs sniffed and growled and snapped and huffed and puffed at each other.

When they all settled and we thought she wasn't going to run away anymore, I left her alone and sat on the couch watching TV - and this was when Coda stepped in like the little knight in shining armour that he is and lay in front of her, keeping Bear and Kita away. She lay behind him and they both slept; it was really too cute.

At first she chased the cats; horror of horrors. I didn't want to go through that again and so said I would take her to SPCA, but of course didn't have the heart. So we watched her carefully, and it turned out that she seemed to only chase Zazu when he shot past her going a million miles an hour - for whatever reason as he really is the laziest cat on the planet. Otherwise, she looked and sniffed and did nothing.

She then seemed to develop a fierce attachment to me and still to now, she is very rarely away from me. Then, I had to go to work with Frankie and drove off down the road. As I stopped for a bright green boomslang that slithered across the road in front of me, the little rat caught up with me. She had obviously discarded the bone I had given her and darted through the electric fence to be with me; she got in the car and came with me to Frankie.

When I had to leave her alone with Pio, he said that she chunked the entire time I was gone, and only yesterday after she got hit by the electric fence in front of him, did she not chase me and stayed inside with him, not crying either for a change. Whether that will be a permanent thing or whether tomorrow when I leave her she will cry again, I do not know.

This very odd attachment stretches to not being in the same room with me; she will follow me wherever I go even if it is just from the lounge to kitchen. At night she cries because I am trying to break her attachment and having her sleep in the lounge whilst I am in the bedroom. This is hardly a big gap, but she cries. When she does sleep in the room, she gets up throughout the night and will jump up on the bed next to me, make sure I am still there and then go back to her bed.

On our first walk, Pio said that she would run away and I shouldn't take her. I said OK, and off I went. She fought him off and charged after me; so she came with. She didn't leave my side. Running away was clearly not even a thought in her little mind - she was so thrilled, it was actually very sweet. She was so happy and kept dashing back to me to make sure I was still there and hadn't disappeared. When walking her with Pio the next day, I went and hid in the bush (yes, I know, small things and small minds) and watched to see what she did. When she realised I wasn't there she looked for me, ignored Pio and wouldn't walk on with him, searched for me and chunked. When I came out from behind the bush, she went hysterical.

So yes, we are working on breaking her crazy attachment to me. She still goes nuts when I leave, and climbs out the house window to look for me in the garden, but at least doesn't go through the fence after it shocked her lol. She sniffs and hunts, but is settling down. She walks with us every evening and doesn't run away - of course not pfffft! Who would after half starving to death and then getting fed Hills every day! And at night when she is in the lounge she still cries to get to me, but it is hopefully slowing down. She plays with the other dogs and Bear of course bullies the hell out of her, but she must fight her own battles there. When it gets too much she hides behind me - total pissy!

So this our 4th brat, and the second Dog Bless You rescue. Unless I get funding, I can't afford any more!! She is a sweetie though - just really not at all good-looking poor mutt!

Read User's Comments(0)

Coda - The never ending saga ...

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

I am heart broken. Whilst I was away in December, Coda started eating his tail. I got back, and found a big angry welt on his tail. Well, at that point it was small. So off we went to the vet after trying to treat it with salt water and it now working. A hot spot, Dr Beggs said, which could have been caused by the stress of me not being there or any million other things - who knows what goes on in his quirky little head. So we were back on the antibiotics and cortisone.

Left - his face that hasn't quite healed properly.

Cortisone relieves the crazy itching; so whilst he was on that he left his tail alone and it started to heal. The moment that it stopped he started again. I thought I should leave it until the antibiotics were finished to see how it developed, and also that the vets bills are getting insane. Well - then it just went crazy and he has lost a lot of fur on his tail and eaten the little welt into a rather large one.

Right - his paws that have never cleared up 100% either. We thought that it was because his skin was so badly damaged that it was just taking longer to come tight.

Off we went to the vet yesterday afternoon. The demodex is back - it is alive on his front paw and his tail and most likely his face, as that has never healed as well as the rest of his body. I am confused by everything that I have been told and what I have read up about demodex, but what I can figure out is that it is an immune system problem. So either the animals are born with it, or it gets transferred from the mother, and if their immune system isn't strong enough they can't fight it off and it starts eating them - literally. The eating of their flesh drives them so crazy that they chew and pull their fur out, lick and go crazy and this will continue until for example, he eats his tail to the bone.

I almost cried as Dr Beggs and I sat on the floor in his consult room. After five months, his system is caving in and he gets sick each time we dip. He gets miserable and hides or runs away when he sees the bucket and gloves come out. It is so taxing for him, and then the incontinence also can't carry on. My poor baby has had such a tough time and now there's no end in sight.

Left - his tail that he has started stripping raw.

I don't know if it's been caused by me being more lax with the dipping than I was; maybe I didn't soak his tail to the skin properly - but then I definitely would have soaked his front legs. I feel like I have let him down and am just so depressed about it, and I feel so desperately sorry for my boy, who has turned into such an angel.

Saskia says it is a catch 22 situation; he needs his immune system to fight these bugs and the cortisone wears that down, although it stops the itching which in turn stops the chewing and biting. So now that his immune system is struggling to cope with the continued dipping and meds, the bugs are fighting their way back. He just isn't strong enough to get through it.

Right - His tail that he has eaten into a sore. He cries if you touch it and it gets infected at the drop of a hat. It is now crusting and going black.

Our plan of action to continue forward is a prolonged period of cortisone and antibiotics again, and then I also bought an immune booster - eco-immune or something, which he has to have three times a day. Then we will continue dipping IF his tail has dried up and isn't so raw and bleeding as it is now by Sunday, which is our dipping day. We are back to see Dr Beggs on Tuesday next week, and in the meantime he is going to research some spot-on thing that apparently works for demodex, or is noted in some countries as working, but not in others. If he thinks it looks hopeful, we will use that in addition to the dipping with Ectodex to see if we can get a stronger combination together to help him through this somehow.

It is just so sad - he is so happy and full of life, and comes to have cuddles each morning, and listens so well - he doesn't deserve to have such a difficult life and to be in pain all the time. I am very down about it all, and we can just pray and hope that something works and we can cure him eventually, otherwise we will be forced to dip his entire life. Here's hoping that we can make his life normal again!

Read User's Comments(0)

Coda - Part Two

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

The little monster - every time I think he has improved and he has decided to finally pay attention to me he takes off like a bat out of hell and I don't see him for an hour! Aaarrgghhh! So to continue Coda's story - I let him go every day, with Kita and Bear who walk with me, so obediently, whilst Coda tore off through the bush like a psycho. They always looked at me with a face that said; "Why can't we go with ..." and they actually still do, to this day.

So we went, and there was minor improvement every few weeks when he would decide to walk with me for a whole five minutes, instead of tearing off like he had a rocket up his butt. Then he would decide to come when I called one day, and ignore me flatly for another two weeks. I remember that we had to go to Von Bach on the 14th of September to see friends, and as I didn't trust leaving him alone, I asked his Mum to take him for the day. She did so, and when we got back that night he was so upset that he cried all night again - he loved her so much!

I said to our lovely vet, Dr Beggs, one day, that I just couldn't do it any more - I had had Coda for three months and was still getting no recognition from him - no love, no affection, no interest at all. It was like he just wanted away from us and to run until he dropped dead. It was so upsetting - we probably all have a secret wish to do something well and have that wonderful recognition and love in return for what you have done, and when it doesn't happen it hurts a little.

And so the struggle continued - there was on day that he greeted me like he loved me - the 17th of September - and never again. I broke out in horrendous rashes with every dip, that sometimes lasted for a week; they would fade the day before I had to dip him again! The stealing, ignoring, and running away continued. We couldn't leave him alone in case he killed a cat, as with the renovations going on we had nowhere to lock him. We also couldn't drive in and out of our house without calling the other and asking for him to be held so he didn't run away - that one day that we forgot he would gap it like he had hell hounds after him.

In a month of getting him, on the 27th of September, Dr Beggs told me that 80% of the bugs were dead - what a huge relief. I could see the improvement, his fur was growing back a little, and he greeted me like he liked me sometimes. I also thought that if 80% of them had died so quickly we were on our way to a fast recovery and by Christmas we would be done and could move on.

By the 25th of October, all the mites were dead but still on his skin - so although they are not living, they're THERE and you have to continue dipping until there are NONE on him at all, not even a dried up dead skeleton of a vile mite that eats animals alive. Then you dip for another month.

We went back in November - still dead bugs. We also moved out to the plot in November, thinking that we were doing a wonderful thing by moving to a lovely twenty-five hectares where they could roam free and have fun and not have to worry about cars, people, or anything. Well, of course Bear and his hunting threw that into a bit of a spin, and he even dragged Coda along with him once, but luckily Coda is a more gentle soul and on his mad roaming runs that he takes he doesn't kill things.

Settling in was difficult for me, and heaven for the dogs. There is a million smells and things to follow and look at and chase - Coda was in his element. Still, every time we opened the gate he would belt out and disappear. The first three times when he escaped me and disappeared, I was worried enough to belt after him through the bush frantically in shorts and plakkies and in the dusk as the sun set, panicking that he was going to get eaten by the resident leopard or gored by a gemsbok or tackled by a pig. At that point porcupines hadn't even registered in my brain! Then I said to hell with that and let him go - and the little s.h.1.t always came back! In an hour he would be lying in front of the gate, panting and happy. He would charge inside and run for the water bowl, avoiding me as he got scolded.

Eventually, I gave up scolding and smacking. My theory behind that is that we had dogs when I was younger that roamed, and on getting hidings they became nervous wrecks but it didn't stop the hunting and roaming. So Pio said that he would scold, as it annoyed him and he worried about the mutt, and I said it was pointless and I would instead love and cuddle him. Hmmm ....

In the middle of all of this, I had dipped him and a few hours later noticed that he was incontinent and leaking all over wherever he was lying or standing - it just dripped out of him. I spoke to Saskia again, and she said there is no way at all that the dip could have caused it - Ectodex doesn't have that effect and it must be something else causing it. I thought OK, no problem, and when it didn't happen again I forgot about it.

We went back to the vet in December - still dead bugs. Then I wen away to Swakop for a week and a half, and his dipping say fell on a day I wasn't there. Pio said he had dipped for me when I asked, and on we went. When I got back on the 2nd of January, I found Coda had started eating his tail - a lovely big hole in it with no fur on. I felt like banging mine and his head against a wall.

I spoke to Sas, who said yes it's a hot spot, salt water it and see how it goes. It got worse, so off we went to Dr Beggs, who put him on another three weeks of antibiotics and cortisone - a smaller dose than he originally given in the beginning. He said to put a sock over his tail so that he stopped chewing it and that it didn't aggravate the wound. The cortisone and antibiotics helped dry it up nicely, and he ALMOST stopped chewing it. The moment that he came off of them, he started chewing again and has now stripped off the hair on the other side - time to go back to the vet. Either it's the demodex that has somehow flared up on his tail randomly, as Dr Beggs said that it's an unlikely place to have them, or he just can't see to get over the itch. We are due back at the vet this week for another skin scraping and check up.

BUT, on the bright side and with only occasionally a little lapse, Coda has finally turned into the angel that we wanted him to become. He loves us and will come for cuddles on his own; he races into the house in the mornings and will dash through the house like a lunatic - on and off the beds and couches, and if I'm lucky he wills tay in bed with me for half an hour and cuddle. He comes when I call - well OK, sometimes - but the best of it all, is that every evening he walks WITH us. He goes a little way on ahead and is out of sight, but by the time we turn to head home, he comes racing up behind us and stays with us all the way home. At the fate he charges off down the hill on the other side to have a sniff, and then comes back before we close the gate. This has now been happening for a month; although, just as I am sure we have won the war he takes off this morning and had a half hour wander. He was back quickly though.

Even in spite of that there is such wonderful improvement in him; his coat is shining and there are still only a few marks on his face and front legs - and of course his tail. He shows love and happiness when he sees us, he dances for his dinner every evening, and he walks with me and off the lead.

So although we are still fighting the demodex five months later, I have finally realized that the rewards I wanted so badly are there in front of me and have finally happened. I love the little monster - although I must say Nala doesn't, she hates his guts and still walks on eggs around him. I don't think she will ever recover, but there was no way I was dropping him at the SPCA or putting him down. Maybe that is the wrong decision for my cats, but we are working to give them their space and time apart and hoping that it will work eventually.

For now Coda is part of the pack and our family, and we love him to bits.

Read User's Comments(0)

Coda (kins)

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

Coda is a Husky. He is the nephew of Bear, my first Husky, the son of Bear's sister Maya, and Rusky is the Father. Sadly, Rusky was stolen from his home some time ago and has never been found - a heart breaking story of the dog theft here in Namibia.

Coda belonged to a wonderful friend, who sadly wasn't able to keep him with her in Windhoek, and he stayed in Marienthal with her family. Coda developed Demodex mange when he was quite young, and it sadly never cleared up, so he would go through phases of almost recovering and looking good again and then it would break out and he would scratch himself to pieces again.

Here are some photos of when I found him in Marienthal, whilst visiting with him. He had been on his own for a while with no one to dip him, and the Demodex had flared up again. He was full of sores, scratching himself until he bled, and some wounds had gotten infected and were oozing pus. As you can see, the poor thing was a mess and very depressed. He was sore, irritated and itching, bleeding and infected. It was poisoning his system and causing him to be very depressed and miserable all round. He had almost no fur left on his face and front legs, and open

wounds where he had scratched and chewed himself raw. He wouldn't come to me and had very little interest in humans at all, as I think he was being driven mad by the pain and itching. I spoke seriously to his owner, and said that she must make the decision to either put him down or give him to me, but either way he couldn't keep on living in the state he was in, as she wasn't able to look after him and keep him with her. Together, we made the decision to let me take him and bring him to Windhoek with me.

The trip back to Windhoek was hysterical - four people, luggage and a dog squashed in a Polo doing 160 down the highway whilst I prayed for my life! And everyone else's of course, but they seemed used to it. I am not used to either small cars or going that fast! :-) And so Coda was the first dog that we took on. We got him back to Windhoek, and he tried to eat Nala as one of the first things that he did! Horrified, he got a big hiding and cowered away from us like he was beaten which made us feel terrible, but had to be done as my cats are my children too.

So we were left alone. Coda had no issues with Bear or Kita and generally ignored them, although they were madly interested in him and wouldn't leave HIM alone. I made an appointment with the vet and took him over almost immediately as they had an opening - this was before we knew that he had Demodex. Dr Beggs looked at him, did a skin scraping, and said it was the Demodex. What a relief - not contagious to my dogs, treatable and he would soon be healthy! We had to dip with Ectodex once a week, and put him on a three week course of antibiotics and cortisone and de-

wormed him. Off we went home, happier and thinking that our solution wasn't that far off really. This was on the 30th of August 2013.

Then, we went to bed with bated breath and hoped for the best - that he wouldn't eat a cat and that everyone would survive the night and there would be no issues. At first he cried for ages, and then slept next to my bed. We washed him that first Saturday morning with normal shampoo, just to clean him up as he was filthy and full of muck and blood. Dr Beggs wanted to give the

antibiotics and cortisone to start working before we started dipping with the Ectodex, as its quite strong. So the bath was first, and we waited for the meds to start working, as he bit and scratched himself constantly until he bled. I was almost in tears watching him constantly go crazy from the itching and pain. He adopted my couch as his bed, and got blood all over it constantly as his wounds leaked everywhere. He was a mess.

We fell into a routine - I didn't leave him alone as he chased cats when he could, and we watched him closely. He cried every night for the first week when we went to bed. During the day he was fine and there was no crying, but at night he chunked like a baby for his friends in Marienthal. It was heart-breaking, but luckily after a week it stopped and he settled into his new home.

Walking him was another story - rather a funny one. As I walked Kita and Bear every morning at around 5:30 to 6am, I had to carry on doing so. The first morning, he was on his couch and ignored me, so I skipped off without him quite

happily. I wanted him to settle in properly and develop some trust in me before taking him out to be walked in the bush as his previous Mum said he would run away as fast as he possibly could and he could not be trusted off lead. I have never walked my dogs on lead, so I was rather dreading this while story. On the second morning, he had clearly wised up and I found him waiting at the gate of the house - I had no choice, so out came the lead and collar and off we went, praying for the best. He howled in excitement the entire 7 kilometers to where we walked - over-joyed at being out of the house.

Well, it was a nightmare. He pulled, I pulled back. He fought me, I fought back. He took off running and hit the end of the lead so hard that it ripped my shoulder out and into my neck, and I had an instant blinding headache and pins and needles down my arm into my fingers for two days. On another day he jumped out the car window and on reflex I grabbed the rope - he smacked into the side of the car and I rope burnt my entire hand. Every day was hell - the pulling, hurting me, fighting me. I would get angry and upset, and he would get worse. I would lose it and give him a smack - he would cower like an abused pup and I would cry in heart break at the fact that I had even gotten annoyed enough to smack the poor kiddo. This went on and on - and we almost developed a routine - I would walk him on a long rope with the end around my waist, looped around itself and the slack in my hand, so when he started running I could anchor myself and his weight wouldn't instead hit into my hips instead of my arms and neck (I broke my neck when I was sixteen so it's a problem!) and so the fight would go.

He ran away when we opened the gate and would have to be chased through the streets, whilst we prayed no one would catch him, steal him, or that he would be hit by a car. He stole food off the counters, chased cats, ignored me totally, and then the real tragedy happened: we came home after being out for an hour to find blood all over the couch. He had bitten Nala in the face - my tiny, gentle cat that was terrified of everything in the world. It took us ages to find her and then to get her off the roof where she had been hiding. Off to the vet we went - luckily they think that he jaw was just fractured and they stitched her face up. She ate soft food and hid in the bedroom for weeks - it took months for her jaw to heal and hid on the roof permanently - my heart broke for her.

We decided to give Coda to a new home as I couldn't cope with the pain that Nala was going through and didn't want to subject her to a life of terror and hiding when she had been my first baby ever in Namibia. We put up notices everywhere, but now even five months later, I have had one call from someone that originally thought I had pit bulls for sale, so I assume he was in the dog-fighting circles, and would never give a dog to a person like that, no matter how distraught I was. There was one other lady that called and wanted him to breed with her dog, but as I don't agree with breeding Huskies when no one knows how to look after them, I said no. He's also been neutered, so that fixed that problem.

I gave up on the walking after he bit Nala. I couldn't cope with being hurt every day, and after he bit my baby I didn't see him in the same golden glow that I had before - I was devastated that I had done that to my little kitty. I let him out the car and watched him disappear - my theory was that if he runs, so be it. If he gets hit by a car on the main road or shot by a farmer, that's just the way it was going to have to be. I couldn't cope any more and that was that.

He ran like he had never run before - a bat out of hell tearing through the bush and gone in a split second. I walked Bear and Kita and prayed for the best. We got back to the car, and sat and waited. Bear went wandering again, and Kita stayed with me. Eventually, half an hour later he came back, panting and foaming, and jumped in the bakkie with a big happy smile. We went home. The next day, the same thing. He ran until he was so exhausted he was quivering and he panted for the next three hours on the tiled floor. He ran himself almost to death every day - he would disappear and I would sit in the car waiting

and praying he would survive. There were days

when he would disappear for so long I thought I would never see him again - and I would get surprisingly upset about it after all the drama he had caused in my life.

That's enough for today - more tomorrow about the first Dog Bless You rescue!

Read User's Comments(0)

Introduction to the Dog Bless You pack

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

At this moment, our pack numbers seven. Allow me to introduce them to you.

The cats are as follows:

Lucifer; rescued from SPCA as I walked in to look for a kitten for a friend of mine and couldn't leave him there. He was a tiny ball of nothingness that had been abused on the beach by kids. I took him home, and originally we thought he was female and named him Lillith. On closer inspection by the vet, we discovered he was male and changed his name to Lucifer as he was a little hell-cat. Unfortunately, Luci has lost aggressive attitude, and his wonderful blue eyes are soft and gentle. He became "Luci" instead and is a wonderful little mite that bites your toes in the mornings when he wants affection. He is very timid and doesn't show himself to many people.

Nala is the first cat that we ever adopted, the day after I landed here from the UK. She was at the Cat Protection Society in Windhoek, and was so beautifully fluffy with the most enormous ears on the planet, and we just loved her immediately. She is the one that dislikes all humans and other animals, even her own cats that she has grown up with - everyone apart from Kita. She adores Kita and plagues her daily and wants nothing more than to cuddle with her, as you can see in this picture to the right. She is never happier than when she is cuddled up to her Kita and purring her head off. She is terrified of everything in the world, and spends her days now hiding on or under the deck. The bedroom window stays open permanently for her so she can come and go as she pleases. She is a very tiny little thing and has real issues - we are sure she is dumb, deaf, blind, or just all three. She falls off things and walks into things all the time, poor mite.

Zazu is our third cat, and we took him the same day that we picked Nala from the CPS, as he was such a retard I knew no one else would take him so I couldn't leave him there. He is an ugly monster of a cat with a personality like no other - he is a very special boy. He is hugely fat, loud, and obsessed with food. He steals, trips you up constantly, screams like a demon, and never gives anyone any peace. He doesn't give a damn what dog is walking through the house or if they try bite him - as long as there is food around he's there! He sleeps on me at night, and if it's too hot, he reaches out a paw and touches me. He's an angel. With a very big mouth.

I had wanted a Husky forever, and took Bear as a four-week old puppy when we were living in Swakopmund. I don't agree with taking pups so young, but I was told that unless I came to fetch him they would courier him to me. So I went to fetch him. He was so tiny he fitted in one hand! He is my special child, and I love him more than words. He is arrogant, forceful, bossy, dominant and tries to take me out as Alpha all the time. He is a terrible hunter, and has killed a sheep and taken on goats and cows and God knows what else. He is a terror, but you will never find a better behaved Husky (for the first three weeks after a big hiding anyway!) We have a bond that I on't think I will ever be able to replace, and he makes me smile and laugh every day. He bites me when I try brush him, fights when I bath him, runs away when he finds something to chase and his dominance over every other animal gives me grey hairs! But he is my first Husky and I will love him always and with all my heart!

Beautiful Kita we took on as a four-month old puppy. When the Akita's were first born, I said to Pio "I want one." He said "No, I want a bull terrier if we're going to get another dog." I just love puppies, so I hunted for a pup for him and couldn't find one for love or money. All those months later, there were still Akita's available and we went to look at them. We took bear with as he had to decide who he wanted to live with as well - it was a buddy for him. Kita was our first love of the two pups that were left and we took her home, to Bear's disgust at the time. Now, they are inseparable and don't go anywhere without the other. Kita is insecure and scared without her Bear and looks for him constantly when we walk. She is a rather large mutt, weighing in at 38 kg's at the moment, and is a great big cuddle-bug. She doesn't like new people and growls at everyone - her aggression and protective instincts are getting worse daily - but with us she is the most wonderful and lovable dog we have ever had. She woo's like an owl and talks constantly! Our Fatty-Boo!

Coda is the first rescue of Dog Bless You, and you will find his entire back-story posted next. I am still working on that and will do it in two parts as we have a very long story with him. In spite of all the trouble he has given us, the nightmares, the tears, the heartbreak and the anger, Coda has turned into a wonderful boy. He in gentle and unlike Bear, doesn't exert dominance over everything that moves. He welcomes new animals happily and easily, and he was also the first dog that Kita liked and accepted immediately with no issues. HE is affectionate, and has a personality that I would liken to a joker. He storms through the house, jumps onto the bed, goes crazy and kicks and squirms then bolts off to jump over all the couches and generally go crazy. Sometimes he just stays for cuddles and then he REALLY cuddles. He also seemed to take to the latest rescue (news still to come) with a fiercely protective instinct and guarded her for hours, keeping Bear and Kita away from her. It was amazingly warm-hearted of him.

This is the pack (before Coda) all on my bed. Nala, Zazu, Luci (just hiding behind Kita but you can see the little white spot showing), Kita and Bear all on my bed enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning. I love that all my animals were safe and secure enough to all sleep together and to enjoy it - even Zazu was cuddling with Kita in this picture, and my big girl allows it. Bear doesn't. Ever. So this is the original pack, before rescues and Huskies with problems registered on my radar, and before Dog Bless You was born. Now, it's a new year and time to begin new things, and with the way things have gone lately, it seems that it is becoming a reality without me

pushing it. It is now time to register a charity and to get the whole project off the ground - slowly but surely. We don't rush things in Africa. Why do today what you can do tomorrow ...

Read User's Comments(0)

The Beginning of Dog Bless You

Posted by Rhoda Jones |

I created this blog over a year ago, with the view to one day being able to start a Husky rescue centre here in Windhoek, as people seem to struggle with the concept of Huskies and how they must be managed.

A Husky is not an easy dog to manage - they are strong-willed, arrogant, working dogs and can get aggressive and destructive if they're bored. If they're happy, however, they are the most wonderful dogs on the planet and have so much character and love in them.

Not everyone is lucky enough to be in my situation where I am often at home as that is where I work, and I also MAKE the time to walk my dogs daily, to play with them, to brush them, to bath, treat, take them to the vet, and do everything that must be done to keep a dog happy and healthy. They cost a fortune - but I will gladly give up everything for them. It doesn't matter how busy I am - my dogs get walked six times a week at around 6:30pm every evening - and the reward that I get from being able to do some exercise, breathe some fresh air, and simply watch them going crazy with enthusiasm and running for the love of running is a reward that no matter my mood, I smile and am happy.

So Dog Bless You was born out of pity for the Huskies that I see here that are locked in yards, that don't get walked daily when they are so terribly bored, and aren't looked after or have medical problems due to in-breeding and other issues. I remember it took me ages to decide on a name, and I probably poached a name from someone else on the internet, but I loved it and chose it. My dogs are a blessing to me, and should be to everyone that owns one.

Most importantly, and what I remember every day, is the Ten Commandments:

1. My life is likely to last only ten to fifteen years.

Any separation from you will be painful -

Remember that before you get me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.

3. Please your trust in me - it is crucial to my well-being.

4. Do not be angry at me for long and do not lock me up as punishment.

5. You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends.

I have only YOU.

6. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words,

I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.

7. Be aware of how you treat me, I will never forget.

8. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that could easily hurt you,

But I choose not to bite you because I love you.

9. Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy,

Ask yourself if something might be bothering me.

Perhaps I am not getting the right food, or I have been out too long,

or my heart is getting old and weak.

10. Take care of me when I get old;

You too will grow old. Go with me on difficult journeys.

Never say "I cannot bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence."

Everything is easier for me if you are there, even my death.

Remember that I love you.

This is so true. I see how they greet me when I get home, and know that they missed me. When I ask them something that they don't want to do, there IS always something that scares them or that they don't like (or, in Bear's case, he's hunting and just doesn't give a damn about me). When I do give up the fight and trust that they will come back, learn to love me, trust me back, or whatever the situation is, I have seen immediate results from that simple action which has taught me that they trusted me long before I trusted them. They forgive so quickly, how can we stay angry? They do have us and love us unconditionally - I hate being away from my kids. I talk to them all the time and I will get a slow wag of the tail from Bear, a woo from Kita, the occasional happy hop from Coda, and a never-ending stare from Cady ... And they don't forget, ever. Bear has bitten me when he got a hiding - proof that he could break my arm if he wants to. But he chooses to be gentle when warning me that he doesn't want to be smacked or that he hates being brushed and I should rather bugger off and leave him alone. Dogs have moods and issues as well and these should always be taken into account - they just might not UNDERSTAND what you want from them. They might be sick. They might be feeling under the weather - just like we do.

And yes - take care of them when they get old. I can say no more on that one, as hard as it is. Dogs are a blessing - angels walking on earth. They are selfless, loving, kind, forget quickly and love even after you hit them. We could learn so much from the animals that walk around us.

On a happier note, after all this time, I will finally start updating the blog on the progress with our first two rescues, Coda and Cady. I will look into registering a charity as they're eating me out of house and home, and post photos of how they love their walks - off lead! They are two happy stories that have amazed me in little ways every day.

Here's to Dog Bless You! May you always have such a blessing in your life!

Read User's Comments(0)

Dog Bless You

About Me

Archives

Another one!!!!

Coda - The never ending saga ...

Coda - Part Two

Coda (kins)

Introduction to the Dog Bless You pack

The Beginning of Dog Bless You