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Guess what?  I have a new little brother!  Guess what else? He isn’t that little….Hee Hee…he is actually a huge red and white Siberian husky.  I can’t believe I finally have a little brother.   My humans rescued Rudy from a life where he was chained day and night, and had minimal doggie interactions.  The people that had him tried to give him a good home but they didn’t understand how terrible it is for a dog to be chained, especially a one as social as a husky.  So Momma got brave and decided to stop at the people’s house and ask them about Rudy.  They said they took him from some other people who were unable to keep him.  They did have a dog house, feeder and huge water bucket for him and but he was too much for them and was put on a chain. The people who had him also said they knew they didn’t have the time or means to really give him a good home.  The man’s wife and daughter wanted to find Rudy a better home, so, when Momma and Daddy asked the people if they could find Rudy a good home the people said yes.  (I must say Momma was very scared to do this and was so thankful it went well. I mean, his noggin is huge!)

Anyway, Daddy took Rudy to our vet the next day for a checkup and he got a clean bill of health.  He also got his shots and some interceptor.  The vet said Rudy is about a year and a half old and weighed 60 lbs.  He climbed in the vet tech’s lap and let her take blood and check his ears and teeth.  Rudy had terrible fly bites on the tips of his ears which Momma scrubbed with anti bacterial soap and medicated powder every day. The vet said the fly bites caused a fungus to grow there and the foot powder helped clear it up.

Rudy is very playful and likes to run…well I guess you would know this because he is a husky and they’re sprinters.  Daddy takes Rudy for a run every morning.  He does great with on a halti…figured it out immediately…. It took me way longer to realize a halti was a good thing.

Rudy didn’t eat much at first…maybe because he was figuring things out.  He does love to chew on bones, kongs, and rawhides (all supervised of course).  Momma is teaching him to take treats gently, and he loves the lamb and rice treats we get for training.  Rudy rides well in the car and knows “sit”… “down” is a bit harder, but Momma is working on that one.

Rudy loves to play!  He does the “boot scoot boogie” around the back yard at full speed with a bone or toy in his mouth…he is way too fast for me (he’s actually too fast for anyone).

Now for how he interacts with us.  When he first came to be part of our pack he wasn’t neutered, so he wanted to mount us all.  That wasn’t fun at all.  Our humans didn’t let him do this, but until he was neutered that was just what a boy dog will do.  He plays well with Zannie, who is the most social of our pack.  Besa, the Border Collie didn’t like him playing with me or Zannie, so she got in trouble once when Rudy told her “no” by scruffing her with his mouth… can’t say I blame him as she can be a pest.  As for me, well being a neutered boy I was not sure what to do with Rudy…he is pretty cool, but I haven’t been left unsupervised with him just yet…soon though.  Momma is just kinda protective that way.

Our humans don’t think Rudy had much socialization for most of his life, but in spite of this he has done great while he has been with us.  He is learning he doesn’t have to protect his toys, but who wouldn’t after not having much to call his own for most of his life.

Momma’s main concern is that Rudy should never be chained again and that he comes to realize that his forever home is with us.  Guess her hands are really full now!

God Bless you!

Kooper

Hey everybody! Here are a couple of cool videos of me and my Momma. Check’em out and enjoy!

Kooper

Momma was gone for a few days and once she woke me up (using
a gentle touch on the shoulder) look how happy I was! (~6.8Mb) It took me a few seconds to realize it was Momma cause I smelled all the different places she had just been on her journey home. But, once I realized it was her I got all wiggly!





Here’s a video showing how my touch command for
“speak” works. (~4.3Mb) The command is two taps on both of my shoulders at the same time. When I feel this command I know I am supposed to speak and tell Momma all about my adventures. I have a really loud bark and have fun speaking for my humans.



My latest adventure is being selected for the ‘Happy Endings’ section of Dog Fancy magazine (I’ll post a link when it’s up on their site).  Daddy wrote and submitted an article to the magazine about my story.  I didn’t help write this article like I do the journal entries, but I think Daddy did a great job.  A couple of years ago he wrote this whole big long thing humans call a dissertation…or something like that.  The people he works with call him Dr., so I guess he is really good at writing lots of things.

Anyway, I was so excited when my humans told me that Dog Fancy was going to feature my story in their Happy Endings section.  I love my humans very much and admire them for rescuing me. I know it was tough for Momma when they first adopted me.  Sometimes she didn’t know how to communicate with me so she would sit on the floor crying.  I would come and nuzzle her and lick the tears off her face…. they taste good…. kinda salty.

My humans enjoy reading Dog Fancy magazine.  It has lots of great articles about all kinds of dogs, how to take care them, and all the fun things humans and dogs can do together.  Maybe us dogs should publish a magazine called “Human Fancy”.  Might be kinda fun.  We could share ideas with each other on how to train humans to give us lots of treats, take us for long walks multiple times a day, get us groomed at the salon, and even how to sleep on the very edge of the bed so we can have the middle all to ourselves.

So, if you haven’t read Dog Fancy you should check it out. You can buy it at your local bookstore and/or pet store, and even your local library should have it.

Enjoy,

Kooper

I thought I would share with you some of my favorite things in the whole wide world.  First of all, I love toys, lots of toys.  I guess that’s the way it is with us boys.  Or so Momma says… Anytime I can I bring toys, or babies, to Momma or Daddy I do. Some times I think it’s fun to bring them every last toy in the toy basket. ‘m still not sure if the humans enjoy this as mush as us dogs, but oh well, it sure is fun! I also have lots of fun playing tug, and finding the babies when they get tossed just a few feet away from me.  In my journal entry on ‘fetch‘ I write about how Momma taught me how to fetch based on scent.  I use this cool technique to find the babies when we are playing.

Click the above image to watch me play fetch (~2Mb)

Sometimes I will take a toy to Sombra or Zannie.  But they don’t play with babies much anymore.  This is actually OK with me because I get them all to myself!

I have a cool mallard duck, a really fun sneaky snake, a big ole red lobster, a squeaky turtle (even thought I can’t hear it), and a chubby mouse that is actually a tennis ball inside a baby that looks like a chubby mouse. I know this cause I dissected the previous chubby mouse… a purple tennis ball for guts?

That reminds me, when I was a puppy my humans bought me a huge moose.  It was almost as big as me.  I played with that moose for along time until there was nothing left but its legs.  Momma finally threw out the legs.  She has a hard time doing that though because she thinks of all the fun that I had with a baby, and it makes her sad to through a baby away.  I don’t mind though because that means I get NEW babies to play with! And who doesn’t love NEW BABIES!

In case you’ve never noticed, I also love my couch…sometimes I let Momma and Daddy sit on it with me… hee hee!  I also love my casita (little house).  This is where Sombra, Zannie, and I sleep during the day when our humans are at work.  But, the thing that I love the most is my bed.  It is a huge, king sized bed with lots of fluffy pillows (my human’s think that is their bed, but little do they know…).  I enjoying snuggling in it at night.  There is a nice window by the bed that brings in a breeze at night that lets me know if any critters are outside the window.

Click the above image to watch me play with Mamma’s hair clip (~6.8Mb)

Here are some pictures to show you some of my favorite things…

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I hope you have lots of favorite things in your life.

Kooper

My big sister Kailua crossed the rainbow bridge last summer. It was one of the toughest times in my human mom’s life.  Kailua had blessed Momma’s life for 13 years.  It was really tough for her to loose a dear companion.

One of the hardest things about loving dogs is that humans have such a long life expectancy compared to ours.  Some humans are blessed with many dogs in their life, and each time one crosses the rainbow bridge they have such gut wrenching pain from loss and sorrow, while at the same time celebrating the wonderful time they shared with their beloved friend.

One great website that Momma found was pet-loss.net.  This site had lots of links and resources for pet owners who have lost a beloved animal.  I think the one thing that I learned through this whole process is how precious life is.  Humans often live in the past or worry about the future.  Because us dogs are here only for a little while, we live in the moment and relish life!

It has taken a long time for me to convince Momma to write this journal entry for Kailua.  I don’t feel Momma cry as often as she used to, but she does ever now and then.  She and Daddy had Kailua cremated.  Daddy took some of Kailua’s ashes back to Flagstaff last summer to spread on Campbell Mesa.  This was one of Kailua’s favorite placed to go hiking.  She loved to sniff the air and all the wonderful old yellow pines, grama grass, and wild flowers.  My humans plan on spreading the majority of Kailua’s ashes at the Ranch this summer.

If you have been blessed with a dog in your life I am happy for you.  If you have never had the opportunity to love or be loved by a dog, I wish that opportunity may sometime walk through your door.

Peace and love,

Kooper

In April, my humans and my little sister (Zane) and I participated in a 5K primarily benefiting the CSU Vet Hospital. Some friends of my humans joined us and even brought along their dog, Taku. Let me tell you, there were a whole lot of dogs there. My nose was working overtime! We had quite a bit of fun during the event. The money raised will help humans who have an inured animal and can’t afford all of their care, or the CSU hospital’s Companion Care Fund. The money will also go towards a scholarship for a needy vet student next year. Who knows, they may even see one of my pack…

I think it is wonderful there are so many caring humans who want to help other humans take care of their companion animals. I know my humans care deeply for me and my siblings because we are their companions… well actually our humans are our companions and we love them deeply too. I have even begun to hang out with Momma on the couch… I discussed it with the girls and none of us ever thought the day would come when one of us could become such a great couch potato… hee hee. That would be me!

Oops, I got distracted thinking about snoozing on the couch… back to the Fast and the Furriest. There were all kinds of dogs there, and even a duck that rode in a wagon… I think that was cheating, but he was cute anyway. Maybe Kai will ride in a wagon next year. Anyway, there were Aussies, Labs, Poodles, Great Pyrenees, Great Danes, and Dalmatians just to name a few. There was even one of those hairless dogs, but I hear it looked more like a rat!

One exciting moment came at the end of the walk, when my old buddy, Kevin, from Second Chance Center for Animals, said “Hi”! My humans and I were so excited to visit with an old friend from Arizona. Kevin will begin Vet School here in the fall and I know he will make an awesome vet. Daddy took some photos of Kevin, his dog, and even Momma and me.

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I haven’t been a patient at the CSU vet school, but Kai and Zane have gone for acupuncture. Zane has epilepsy and the acupuncture helps keep the seizures under control. Kai received acupuncture for her arthritis. Both Zane and Kai went to Dr. Narda Robinson for their treatments, and they say she’s great! Narda really helped Kai manage the pain from her arthritis, and Zane’s seizures are almost under control now using a combination of acupuncture and medication.

Narda is an amazing vet and is well known around the country for her work in alternative therapies. She has even been involved in developing cutting edge technology used to teach students acupuncture through the production of an acupuncture patient simulator with the CSU College of Engineering. She is also working on an interactive, anatomically-based atlas of canine acupuncture points based on highly-detailed dissections (yuck?), in conjunction with the neurosciences faculty at CSU. I think it’s kind of cool!

At the end of our wonderful day, after walking the 5K, visiting with old friends, and making new friends, we are all tuckered out and ready for a nap. And now as I doze off for my afternoon nap I wish you all the best.

Take care,

Kooper

Hi everybody….guess what? I have a new little sister! Well, she actually isn’t so little. Her name is Zane Grey, but we all call her Zannie cause she is ZANNIE. She has pretty merle spots on her face that look like she put on make-up, Egyptian style. She is 9 months old, deaf, and weighs 38 pounds which makes her the littlest one of the pack, but she is also the spunkiest.

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It took me a little while to get used to Zane. She likes to stick her nose in my face, and well, I just don’t see her coming so it surprises me. I am finally getting used to her nose coming out of no where. And when she does, I do my best to put her entire head in my mouth – someone has to teach her who the boss is…

Zane also likes to play a little rougher than Sombra and Kai. She wants to heel me all the time… but I can’t blame her. We herding dogs just love to get everyone by the heels. Well, my humans have been working with Zane and she is learning to play differently with me. It is a more gentle type of play, mainly focused on staying in one place and not running around the yard all crazy. That’s the kind play Zane does with Sombra, and they seem to get along really well.

Zane has been a member of our pack for about three months now. She sleeps in her kennel and during the day hangs out with the rest of us in our big back yard. Momma has been busy with the move and all, but I finally convinced her to upload this journal entry and photos to my webpage…yippee!!

So a little more about Zane….She is originally from Texas. She spent some time with the Amazing Aussies in Phoenix. That’s where we found her. A really good friend of my humans brought Zane all the way from Flagstaff up to Fort Collins….what a wonderful friend my humans have.

Our humans are teaching Zane American Sign Language. She is learning hand signals for sit, down, stay, come, play, no, stop, move, ok, play, and many others. She is even learning the first letter of my name, as well as a sign for Sombra and Kailua. Our humans think she would be a really good therapy dog for people who are deaf. I think so too as she loves people and enjoys spending time with all our friends.

Master has been teaching Zane to play fetch in the yard. She is really fast and runs like a rabbit when she goes after the ball, but she doesn’t like the Frisbee as much. We think she would be really good at agility. After Zane learns all the commands and bonds with Momma and Daddy, then she will be ready for some agility training. I wish I could do agility, but it would be too hard as I am blind, but I can still cheer her on in training and competitions.

Now that Zane has been in our pack for a while, she and I lay around together. She is fun to snuggle and snooze with. We also play every chance we get. I don’t think Momma and Daddy like it sometimes because we play by the couch and disturb them when they are reading or watching TV. But, I’m Kooper and how can they resist!

I am really happy now that I have a little sister. Stay warm and be happy.

Kooper

Wow, what a grand new adventure I am off on. We have moved from Arizona to Colorado. My humans both have new jobs in Colorado, and they decided to move the family (my sisters and me) up there. I realized that things might be different, or even difficult, but adventures are always fun. At first, I was sad to leave all my friends in Arizona, but then I realized that they could all come visit me and I have an opportunity to make even more friends.

So the movers came and packed up all of our stuff. At first, I was a little unsure. But the movers were real nice. They even kept an eye on me and made sure I didn’t run into boxes and furniture. Being the teenager I am, I only got in the way a little bit…hee hee!

Once the movers had packed everything, and put it on their big truck, they took it away. Except for my toys and chew bones. My mom kept those out for me so I would have a few things that were familiar. On the way to our new home in Colorado, we went to Mom’s parents’ ranch. I like going there very much, because of the all the smells and yummy things to taste. We only spent a little while there, and then we were off again. Boy, humans sure do spend a lot of time in their cars.

Let me tell you all about my new house. It took me about two weeks to map the house and the back yard. The back yard has lots and lots of grass and space for me to run around. My human mom noticed that I race full speed across the grass and stop just in time before I run into one of the fences. I had grass at our old house, but there is way more at the new house. The new house also has a basement, but my humans put a pet door on the stairs that go down there, so I don’t get down there much. My master has carried me down there a couple of times, but I don’t know my way around down there as well, so I don’t know if I like it.

Also, during this move my humans discovered one of my tricks for mapping the house. Outside I use the grass, bark and gravel boundaries to help me. And inside, well here is the trick….I use the rugs and runners my mom has on the floors. She finally figured this out because the last night we were in the old house in Arizona there were no rugs or runners any where on the floors. So, I kept bumping into the walls and doorways much to my Humans’ worry. But, they figured it out and spent a little extra time guiding me around the house so I would figure out where I was without the rugs or runners on the floor.

At the new house I once again used the rugs to help me map the inside of the house. It is a little hard in the bedrooms because there is only carpet but I am learning the spacing on that so I have figured out when to turn to go through a door or around a bed. Kinda cool huh?!

Another thing that was a big change were the window wells. My humans ordered grate covers that go over the window wells so I don’t fall in. They are made from metal and my big sisters and I can actually walk on them, although I don’t like to because I think it feels funny to have air coming up from below my paws. It would be really scary to fall down one of these window wells because I could really get hurt. So, if any of you ever get a dog that is blind be sure places they can fall into or through are covered up and are safe.

My new neighborhood has lots of things that I go crazy for… children! There are kids everywhere and they pet me and scratch my back and neck. I like children, and never knew what I was missing without them around in Arizona. In fact, I like children so much, I get really excited and try to jump on them. My mom says that this is a bad thing and hopes that my being around lots of kids will help break me of this bad habit. We’ll see, I am an ‘Aussie’ after all!

Well, I have more new friends to make and places to explore with my humans. I hope everyone enjoys the summer and comes to visit us.

Kooper

This fall my mom enrolled me in an obedience class at PetSmart. The class was for beginners and was made up of eight sessions. Our instructor Kat was so super fantastic I now call her sensei. There were five other dogs in my class: Abbey a Yorkie mix, Apollo a Golden Retriever, Dannie a Welsh terrier, Kopi a Sheltie mix, and Patches an Australian Shepard. I had so much fun getting to know my classmates and their humans.

Kat taught the class many different types of commands along with basics for good dog behavior. Although I knew most of the commands already it was fun to learn them again. My mom and Kat figured out ways to modify the commands so I could understand. There were only a couple that they could not modify for my special needs.

Some of the commands we learned in class were: sit, stay, down, come, wait, settle, and take it. Sit is two taps on my butt, stay is a hand flat on my chest, down is two taps between my shoulder blades, wait is a cupped hand around my nose and mouth, settle is a hand on my hip, and take it is when my mom has a treat in her hand and she opens it up after I have stopped sniffing for the treat.

Graduation day was the best because I got to wear the coat my grandma sewed for me. It was red corduroy with a black collar. She hand stitched my name on the collar and ‘will work for treats’ on both sides. My mom figured out that I really like treats and will do just about anything for them. My mom also stitched my Canine Good Citizen (CGC) badge that I earned this summer onto my coat. I like walking around in my coat because it looks good on me and all the cute girl dogs think I am very handsome in it.

My master could not make my class because he was traveling, but my foster dad Roger made it. I was so happy he was there. He loved on me when I was all done. I love it when we visit with Roger, because I get away with jumping, mouthing, nibbling, and licking him. Mom lets me get away with it cause I don’t get to visit with Roger very often.

Below are a bunch of cool photos from our graduation day. I hope to take the intermediate class that is coming up soon.

Take care. Kooper

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I thought I would share a little about the Second Chance Center for Animals with everyone. I spent two months here with my foster dad who works at this wonderful facility. My foster family at Second Chance loved me and helped me through a very difficult adjustment in my life. Every once and a while, my momma will take me by to visit with my foster family and friends.

When we go there I remember everyone by smell and get all wiggly and so very happy to be near them. Momma says that I don’t greet other people like I greet the staff at Second Chance. She noticed that I get extra excited and want to be in their arms when I smell them, especially my foster parents.

The first time my momma met me was in the Education room at Second Chance. I was chewing on a bone that was almost as big as me. I was dragging it around the room and didn’t want anyone to mess with me. Momma saw me and fell in love with me at first sight – ya know how those women can be when there is a cute guy around.

My daddy then visited with me the next couple of days when he came out to volunteer at Second Chance. He and my foster dad visited a lot about me and my special needs. Momma and Daddy decided to write a letter expressing their desire to adopt me. They were ecstatic when they were told that they would be my ‘Forever Family’ and I was home to stay. I have to say I am very happy and love my family very much. Although my momma does get pretty upset with me when I chew up her plants or dig in her gardens.

So, let me tell you a little about Second Chance, the compassionate work they do, and all the neat programs they have. First they have a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic with surgical and treatment facilities for low-cost spay/neuter surgeries. There is a shelter and adoption program for dogs, cats, and small mammals. And, of course there are education programs, and workshops for pets and their humans.

Second Chance is the headquarters for Plateauland Mobile Veterinary Clinic. I am partial to this special clinic because I came to Second Chance through the mobile clinic. Plateauland Mobile Veterinary Clinic operates on the Navajo Nation. Second Chance is currently the only sanctioned organization allowed to operate on Native American lands. They offer spay, neuter, medications, vaccinations, and the Navajo Nation Puppy Program.

Another really neat program is the New Hope Program which is based on Hope who was one of the Center’s first success stories. Hope was in bad shape when she came in, and her amazing story was actually featured in the July 2006 issue of Dog Fancy. The New Hope Program offers vets from other clinics in town the option to refer their clients who need surgery or expensive treatments to Second Chance. Second Chance will provide the necessary surgery or treatments at a lower cost and work with the clients on a discounted rate and payment plan. The second part of the New Hope Program is a needs based program for humans who can not afford tests, vaccinations, or even complicated surgery.

The Lonely Heart’s Club is for adoptable animals that have been at Second Chance longer than three months and for Prime Time Pets, or animals over five years old. These programs offer reduced adoption fees for anyone interested in adopting one of these wonderful animals.  Education programs, dog walks, the Women’s Expo, and many other neat programs all make Second Chance a super fantastic facility for all sorts of critters in Northern Arizona. The staff, volunteers, and of course donors are also vital components of the successful programs and the continued success of adopting and caring for animals that need good care, love, and Forever Homes.

So, if you live in Northern Arizona and are considering providing a good home to a less fortunate animal, Second Chance should be one of your stops in the search. Good luck and I hope you find a wonderful animal to add to your family, and that you have many happy years of love, friendship, and fun with them.

Kooper