I worked with a dog years ago, a little buff-colored foxy thing, who had been rescued from abominable conditions. She'd spent years tied up in a barn, expected to pump out puppies for a daily feeding of kibble and a bowl of nasty, green water. And yet, she sashayed into my office like she'd been raised in heaven. She trotted into my office and came over right away to say hello. She loved people and got along well with other dogs. Her owners brought her in because they needed help with house training, not because she had any other behavioral problems. Soon after, I met a retriever mix who had been raised from puppyhood in a wonderful family. He had everything going for him. Good genes. Well socialized. An enriched environment. And yet, after being attacked by another dog (no injuries, Read More
Archives for 2015
Fall Photos
A light post today, while I work on a content-rich one for next week (following up on last week's post about trauma and dogs). After deciding to post only photos today I struggled to come up with some interesting photos that I've never taken. I've been photographing the dogs and the farm for seven years now, and there are just so many photos of dogs, hay in the barn and flowers that one can take. Or so I was thinking. But then I remembered my Contemplative Photography class, and its inspiration to see the world in new ways. I decided to come up with a theme, like "texture" or "color" and go look for it with my camera in hand. "Edges." That's what I came up with. Edges... the boundary line between one thing and another provides a wonderful contrast, and thoughts about where Read More
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
Justin was a six-year old boy who had spent five years, from age one to age six, in a kennel. His caretaker was not intentionally cruel, but was cognitively challenged, and had no idea how to raise a child. He felt it was best to care for him as he did his dogs. Justin and the dogs were fed, given shelter, let out of their kennels on a daily basis and give occasional moments of care and compassion. The rest of the day they were on their own. Child psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, met Justin after he'd been rescued and hospitalized. Justin's behavior was so disruptive--it included shrieking and throwing feces--that he was eventually kept in a crib with iron bars and a plywood cover. Perry remarked that the child was basically living in a dog crate. Again. In The Boy Who Was Read More
Photos from Spain
Yup, well, Spain really IS wonderful. We first went to Barcelona, and wandered the narrow streets and alleys off La Rambla. La Rambla is a wide 'market' street full of touristy knick knacks and an infinite number of tourists to buy them. That sounds a bit harsh, but I'm just not a fan of crowded, noisy places, so take that with a grain of salt. But the small streets and open plazas around it were great fun. What was also wonderful was the food market on La Rambla. Admittedly, it too was crowded, but hey, it had food, which was not just tasty, it was gorgeous. This is all marzipan (I think...), but the market was full of fruit, meat (especially pork) and other delectable edibles. Even better was a day trip to the Costa Brava, where we hiked five or six miles along the coast. It was Read More
In Spain? Hope So!
Well, it's Sunday September 13th, and if our plans worked out, we just arrived in Spain. We are supposed to fly into Madrid early in the morning, and then take the fast train to Barcelona for a few days of vacationing. All the folks we know who have returned from Spain rave about the food, so I pretty much envision Jim and I eating our way from one side of Barcelona to another. (Note to Andy, my personal trainer: Do not read the above sentences, and do not ask me if I did my exercises while I was gone.) Thanks to Wikipedia for this photograph of Placa Reial in Barcelona. Maybe Jim and I are strolling here as you read this? On Friday the 18th we return to Madrid, and on Saturday evening I'll be giving a talk about our relationship with dogs, and the Spanish version of Love Has No Read More
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