Black Pearl Dogs

There was a wonderful Dog Art Show in Long Beach, California this past weekend.  (a video and blog will post later this week - I'm still downloading and editing footage)

It was a great dog event presented by Who's Your Doggie k9 Services with proceeds benefiting a local dog rescue, Animal Match Rescue.  I was speaking to Lynda Montgomery, a representative from Animal Match Rescue, about her rescue efforts and I learned that black dogs were the often the most difficult to re-home.  I wasn't really aware that there is certain prejudice when adopting black coloured dogs including both cross breeds and pedigrees but after researching a bit online tonight I guess there does exist prejudice even in choosing rescue dogs.   

"Black Pearl Dogs" are an eloquent name given to these beauties in rescue.  I just wanted to do my little bit this moment and mention Black Pearl Dogs.  Check out this wonderful blog and this website which highlights the plight of black dogs in rescue.

I love attending Dog events as I meet the most fascinating people supporting our four legged friends.  I'll tell you more about that soon.

Until next dog blog

Heidi

Why we should look into using more dogs for airport and transport safety

In TSA's own words from their website:


"The TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is an effective, flexible tool used to detect explosives and deter terrorism in aviation, mass transit and cargo environments. Our teams are a mobile form of explosive detection that can be utilized in all areas of the transportation environment. There are hundreds of teams deployed nationwide based on current threats and a risk analysis. They can be deployed anywhere in the transportation system in minutes and are extremely accurate."


So my question is why aren't we using more dogs in airports across the country to detect explosives and terrorism?  


We trust our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to use trained dogs in war.   Why not use more dogs here within our airports?  


Wouldn't it be great to walk into a major US airport and see 10-15 dogs lined up ready to sniff suitcases and people?  Like a row of happy four legged, tail-wagging soldiers ready for action.


FACT:  Dogs have nearly 220 million smell-sensitive cells over an area about the size of a pocket handkerchief (compared to 5 million over an area the size of a postage stamp for humans).  Again 220 MILLION vs. 5 MILLION.  Aren't we missing the trick here in getting dogs to help us doing what they love?  Dogs enjoy the work and they are hard working.  Working dogs perform for obtaining simple pleasures in their life such as tennis balls, kongs, tugs and pats on the head.  


How much do these new TSA machines cost anyway?  Are they 100% effective?  I realise that people will argue that dogs aren't always 100% effective (true, but like people dogs can have an off day for reasons we don't know) but I know in a lot of cases of canine research dogs have been consistently successful in feats that we as humans could never compete.


Here are just some of the stories which I have found over the years demonstrating how amazing dogs are:


Dogs sniffing out mold in houses
Dogs sniffing out bladder and prostrate cancer (in controlled laboratories)
Dogs alerting diabetes patients of low insulin
Dogs sniffing out skin cancer (documented cases in the UK and US)
Dogs sniffing out rare explosives
Dogs sniffing out bedbugs
Dogs sniffing out endangered plants and animals in conservation around the world


Dogs do amazing things and they are the only domesticated animal that can work side by side with us in conditions in which we choose for them.


Let's not only get the conversation going on using more dogs for detection within TSA (not necessarily replacing all machines with dogs but adding dogs as a vital support tool).  


I believe if we were to use working sniffing dogs for TSA airport detection, we could encourage the following:


1.) Employment for people to train and look after TSA dogs (creating jobs not machines)
2.) Promote responsible breeders who are promoting healthy function rather than looks
3.) Rescue and train US shelter dogs (both pedigree and crossbreeds)
4.) Ease stress of travellers by using non-invasive forms of detection such as detection dogs


I have had the fortunate opportunity to meet some incredible bomb and detection dogs throughout Europe and in the US.  Most handlers have shared with me their perception on how a trained detection dog in their area of work helps to ease the minds of passengers in a busy transport area.  Dog handlers also shared with me that often their dog brings a smile to a busy commuter.




Travel safe.


Heidi

Annie, a Musical with a dog difference

It's the Hard Knock Life for some dogs ...

But not the rescue dogs lucky enough to star in the reprised musical Annie.

I had the opportunity to see Annie the musical at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, CA.  It was a first class production on the same par as a Broadway or London production.  It was my first time visiting the famed Carpenter Music Center (dedicated in memory of Karen Carpenter from her brother Richard Carpenter).  I am also an alum of Cal State Long Beach so it was a real treat to see Annie, my favorite musical at my alma mater.

Most people know the story of little orphan Annie - an orphan who had a street dog named Sandy and was later adopted by a billionaire named Oliver Warbucks.  It’s a story that resonated first in comic strip character, then radio and finally a successful Broadway production which began its successful run in 1977. 

I had my first trip to New York City when I was a child accompanied by my mom.  We went to visit my brother who was working in NYC at the time.  He took us to many Broadway musicals that week but the one I remember most was Annie.  Annie a little orphan who had the heart to rescue a street dog melted my heart then and it still melts. 

What made this musical outing such a treat was the opportunity to see some amazing rescue dogs star in this current production.  Mikey who plays Sandy the dog was discovered in a Connecticut shelter.  Mikey along with the other dogs who have played Sandy throughout the years have all been rescued by William Berloni Theatrical Animals.  I had the opportunity to meet Mikey and Mikey’s actor/handler, Brian Michael Hoffman, backstage for a quick interview.  I’ll be providing this interview to an outlet soon.  

It was another first for me to see a dog on the information table at intermission but this was no accident.  William Berloni Theatrical Animals request that a local dog shelter is on hand to support rescue at every performance along with a real shelter dog available for adoption.  Cookie who was featured in a walk-in part in the first half of Annie was then given an opportunity for an intimate meet-n-greet to potential adoptees.  It was fantastic to learn that through the three week run of Annie three dogs were adopted from City of Long Beach animal shelter including Cookie seen here (she had two applicants the night I visited).  Now that might not be a huge deal to some but the thought that three dogs were spared death this past month made my heart sing.

More information about the Long Beach animal shelter can be found online under City of Long Beach.  There are many other dogs like Cookie ready to be given a second chance just like Sandy in Annie.  Let’s hope the sun comes out tomorrow for some other great dogs in need of a forever home.

Heidi

The Dog Reporter©

LA Super Adoption Event at La Brea Tar Pits November 7th, 2010

Sunday, November 7th, 2010 was Best Friends LA Super Adoption Event in Los Angeles.  The event took place at the famous La Brea Tar Pits park located in Mid-Wilshire area.

I went to share my support and take some photos of the sweet adoptable dogs that were available for adoption.  There were around 30 various dog rescues including mixed mutts and pedigree dog rescues and about 8 LA shelters all representing about 700 dogs that needed forever homes.

I walked around the event to meet some of the rescues and chat with some of the volunteers to find if dogs were getting homes from the event.  I had some positive responses but most volunteers felt that there were just not enough people at the event who were taking home dogs.  What I learned from these hard working volunteers and why this event was so crucial to some of these LA dogs on display was that all the dogs who were brought from the Los Angeles shelters are the dogs on death row.  There are just too many dogs in the poorly under funded LA shelter system and the average hold for dogs that are healthy, spayed and neutered are usually 72 hours (possibly 3 or 4 days if they are lucky) before they are put down.  I can only say that I felt powerless, emotional and again dumbstruck to how and why we have so many dogs in the US without homes.

It was a nice size event well publicised with some great sponsors supporting the event on site including various  pet food companies, magazines, non-profit organisations and various doggy loving goods and services vendors.  I met some really inspiring and amazing people that are out there "doin' it for the dogs."  I want to specifically mention two new companies which really deserve some paw fives for donating proceeds from their sales to dog rescue and betterment of dogs.

Freaky Dog People are a new company with a positive ethos bringing dog peeps together through fun products.  I particularly love the FDP tees they have for sale on their website (I was lucky to finally get one) They are made from soft brushed cotton and bring a bit of cool to dog lovin' peeps with some unique graphics.  You won't find anything like these dog tees anywhere else.  FDP donated $5 from every tee sale at the event to Best Friends dog rescue which I thought was very generous.  (Thank you Leanne!)

I also met  Christy from Toki Poki Pet Trading cards.  Christy and her dog Toki created Toki Poki which are more than just unique pet trading cards of your own pet.  It's a social network, lost and found network and tool to fundraise for dog rescues.

You can check out my photos from the event on my Flickr page.

On a happy note I did see a couple of people leaving the event with an adopted dog.  I spoke to a nice lady who had a lovely border collie cross whom she adopted at LA Super and both the dog and the lady looked quite happy to have found each other.  She had specifically gone to the LA dog adoption event to find a Border Collie cross.  There are always good people in the world and always good dogs to go with them.

x

Heidi

Best Dog Commercials in America

I saw this advert for the first time (although I don't think it's very new).  It is now one of my favourite dog adverts.  I love the sentiment and the execution of the advert connecting Americana with our love of dogs.

If you're a dog person like me than you may notice or look out for the great commercials with dogs. Dogs are big business and becoming even bigger business in North America and Europe.   Our canine friends are now being used in all sorts of advertising mediums throughout fashion, music, TV, film and basically any content selling products or services that hit emotional cords to dog people.

I give Chevrolet a big thumbs up to this advert for the sentiment.  Chevy definitely hit my emotional dog cord.

I just want to end this little blog post by suggesting to all Chevy pickup truck owners to drive their dog safely throughout America and use a crate if you need to transport your dog on the freeway or highways of America in the back of your truck - or better yet put your buddy in the front passenger seat...

Enjoy putting the Chevy to the levy with your pooch x
Heidi

Nuns and Dogs

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit some cloistered nuns and their dogs in Tehachapi, California.  Yes, nuns and dogs.  My mom is a big fan of the Norbertine Sisters, the first order of Norbertine Sisters in California.  The sisters live in a very small monastery in a remote part of the California desert mountains called Tehachapi (which is a Native American word for windy mountains).  Tehachapi sits over 5000 feet above sea level so it was definitely a climb for my little jeep up those windy mountains.  Tehachapi is known in California for being the four seasons town as it is one of the few places in Southern California that truly receives all four seasons of weather.

My mom has been wanting me to go out with her and visit the Norbertine sisters for a long time but alas, I have always been in London or traveling in some other remote part of the world.  This past weekend was an opportunity to do a little road trip with my mom and to visit Mother Mary Augustine and her fellow sisters out in Tehachapi.  Road trip?  I’m always game for a road trip especially when there are working dogs to see.

We left my mom’s house around 6am and we took the toll roads and back highways to take in the beautiful California desert scenery to our destination.  We passed Riverside, Norco, Pinon Hills, Lancaster, Palmdale, Mohave desert and finally reached Tehachapi in a few hours or so.

When we arrived outside the monastery gates the wind was blowing briskly through all the tall oaks and trees surrounding this idyllic location.  The leaves were gorgeous shades of gold, amber, red and brown glistening in the early sunshine.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  I popped out of my jeep to take a few photos and then I saw one of the Pyrenean Mountain dogs (or Great Pyrenees as we call them in North America) running down to greet us.

This was one of the dogs that my mom had been telling me about for sometime.  Milo was out overseeing the volunteers who came to the monastery to assist the sisters with the larger property work such as rebuilding some fences and larger tractor work.  Milo came straight to me and greeted me with a kiss on the hand.  He was so sweet and gentle.  I tried to snap a few photos of him in front of the priory sign but he was more interested in getting in a good scratch then sitting quietly to get his picture taken.

We proceeded to drive up the hill and as we arrived in the little parking lot in front of the gift shop another very large white dog popped his head over the fence and proceeded to greet us with a big smile and wagging tail.  This was Herman, the other Pyrenean Mountain dog.

I had heard so much through my mom about the Norbertine Sisters and their working dogs.  Herman is a pedigree Pyrenean Mountain dog and Milo is Pyrenean Mountain dog crossed with a Hungarian Kuvasz.  I also had the opportunity to meet two other dogs which graced the monastery property.   Toby was one of the other dogs who is a black lab and chow cross.  They are not only proper working dogs doing their function - protecting the Sisters’ livestock and animals from predators such as coyotes - they are also rescue dogs.

The Norbertine sisters have been living in Tehachapi for about 10 years and they strive to live their lives 100% sustainable.  They do hope to eventually raise enough money to build a church along with a retreat house in future.  I had the opportunity to speak to Mother Mary Augustine and Sister Mary Oda who introduced me to their dogs.  They shared with me how much they value their dogs in helping protect their livestock which is key to their livelihoods.  These nuns dedicate their entire lives to prayer and helping other people in the world.  They pray eight hours a day and work in between their prayer and meditation to keep their lives self-sustaining.  No wonder the dogs come in handy.

How do they sustain their humble existence?  Along with the Catholic items for sale in their shop ranging from prayer books to rosaries is a wonderful selection of organic food items which help keep the Sisters going.  They sell homemade organic jellies and jams, delicious almond biscotti, honey, cheeses and eggs along with homemade soaps, lotions and lip balm in their little shop. 

Handcrafted cards of the Pyrenean Mountain dogs, Herman and Milo, are also available to buy alongside other beautiful cards from the monastery.

  

All these items are for sale in their little shop which is open between the hours 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily, or by appointment.  They have a very strict schedule so best to call or email before you make the long trek to buy any cheese or visit with the dogs.

You can find out more about the Norbertine Sisters online if you google, Norbertine Sisters.  Here is their website:   http://norbertinesisters.org/ website.  The Sisters take prayer requests by phone, email or write to them.

God Bless - and Dog Bless!

Heidi

Hooray for dogs in Missouri! Yes on Prop B wins!

Is there a puppy breeding problem in the US?  Yes, I think so.

Sadly not every litter of puppies for sale in the US hail from a loving family home environment from knowledgeable breeders.  After campaigning against puppy farms in the UK the last few years, I came back to California to only find great numbers of designer puppies and unknown bred dogs being sold online and in pet shops located in high end malls.   It's been a surreal experience for me added with a bit of (dog) culture shock at times.  The HSUS estimates 30% of dogs in US shelters are pedigrees with a growing number of designer dogs on the rise.  It is estimated that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in the US every year alone.  Yes, millions.  I'm sadly aware of the staggering number of unwanted pets which are euthanized every year in LA county alone: 70-80,000 dogs and cats.   Yeah, I think there is a puppy breeding problem in the US.

Why are so many dogs being euthanized every year in the US?

Simply not enough homes for  the amount of dogs being born every year.

Why Prop B in Missouri was important to all dogs in the US

I am a news junkie and therefore a voracious reader about world news and politics so needless to say that the past month I have been engrossed with all the politics taking place across America.  It was a very big voting day today in the US - a lot of passionate people out there raising their voice in opposition, support or simply frustration with their vote.  

Today was a chance for people in Missouri to raise their voice and speak out against inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills and thankfully their voice was heard http://yesonpropb.com  We still have a long way to go in America in banning puppy mills altogether but this was a huge win for dogs.  I hope we are not only starting a new page for dogs in America by winning this landmark measure with Prop B in Missouri, but writing a new chapter for the rights of our four legged companions in the land of abundance (aka USA).  Dogs have become so important in our lives even considering them to be family member therefore I would like to get the ball rolling for their next chapter in our shared future together.

Here are my suggestions for the ballot in 2012:

• Eliminate all factory farming dog breeding across the US - no more puppy mills
• National ban on pet stores selling puppies *only allowing pet stores to promote dog rescue, spay & neuter programs and informational days on good breeding practices by responsible breeders
• Hold any US organisation or person(s)  who knowingly make revenue from puppy mill pedigree registration accountable
• Hold any person(s) who knowingly create false pedigree papers from puppy mill dogs accountable
• Microchip all dogs

I don't understand why anyone would trust buying a puppy online or from a place where you couldn't see where and how your puppy was raised. I mean if you were going to spend $500-1500 on a new mobile phone or digital camera wouldn't you want to make sure it was coming from a reliable seller? Quality product? Legit? Working? Legal? Comes with a 30-day return policy?  I sometimes have doubt that Amazon will get my book order right.  So why would someone want to buy a real living and breathing puppy with the click of a button online and have a puppy shipped to their door from Missouri or Texas from unseen conditions of breeding and travel?  The world is a strange place but no stranger than the politics that make our country tick.

Whether you voted Democrat or Republican, Independent or checked off that None at All box, remember dogs are the glue that's holding our great country together.  It's what's holding US together.

Let's share some mutual respect with our dogs by standing up to cruel and inhumane treatment throughout the US.  Get your new senator or congress person to support a national ban on ALL puppy mills.  It doesn't matter what party you support or which kind of dog you favour.  American pedigrees and mutts all deserve our guardianship don't you think?

Our dogs could offer a lot of practical advice to some of our incoming politicians such as working together in a pack, keeping the eye on the prize and working for that biscuit.

Have a great week everyone.

In dog we trust
Heidi

Hiking with dogs in the Hollywood Hills

Hi folks!  It's been a very long time since I've blogged.  Various reasons for slacking but I have learned that you can't beat yourself up for the 'shoulds' in life (e.g. I should have done this, I should have done that, I should do this now...)  Just get back on the horse and try to live in the moment.  Here is my moment.  I've been in LA  working on my dog projects  e.g. book and TV show.  It's a competitive business and tough climate but I have always been optimistic that my ideas about promoting positive dog stories will somehow come to fruition.  I've been writing but not in the public domain lately.  I don't profess to know a lot or have all the solutions to everyday living but what I do know is that dogs are certainly the key to my peace of mind and the solution to de-stress LA living (yes, Los Angeles is stressful)

How to de-stress your life if you live in a busy city like Los Angeles:   Take your dog for a good hike!  Exercise is key to living a good healthy life as well as keeping your dog fit and active.  Today another volunteer and myself had the extreme pleasure of taking two lovely dogs from Friends for Pets dog rescue for a hike.   Levi, a boisterous, young and fun male Weimaraner and Georgia a very sweet and docile Weimaraner/Black Lab mix.  Nothing is better than getting out and exercising your dog (or a rescue dog) in the California sunshine.  We experienced lovely extensive views of LA nestled in California nature.  These were two very lucky dogs to get a break from the hustle and bustle of the kennel at Friends for Pets and to enjoy not only a car ride but a nice long hike where there was lots of sniffing and marking on trees and bushes.  The dogs cooled off in the horse water trough (although Levi thought it was a dog jacuzzi)

Two lucky dogs who enjoyed a lovely hike in the Hollywood Hills but I was the lucky dog for getting the privilege of walking a beautiful dog in need of a forever home.

If you are interested in either dog please contact Friends for Pets www.friendsforpets.org

I can vouch for Georgia (aka Georgie Porgie)  she is a real sweetie and will be a great dog for someone wanting to take her hiking on a regular basis.  Dogs are awesome.

After 50 years, Lake Forest kindergarten teacher says goodbye | hudson, years, angelina - News - The Orange County Register

After 50 years, Lake Forest kindergarten teacher says goodbye | hudson, years, angelina - News - The Orange County Register

Little Venice boat dogs

DSC_0241
Originally uploaded by thedogreporter

Celebrating the May Day Canal Boat festival in Little Venice, Maida Vale, London May 2nd.

Cute Westies enjoying the ride