Pet Pals....

Pet Pals at Tryon Estates: L. to R. Dana Mayer and Champ ( ME!), BJ Vare and Diva, Katie Malone and Ziggy, Trudy Sloan and Pepe', Jim Vare and Daisy

Pet Pals is a group of folks and their dogs ( Dogs rock!) from this area that have undergone testing and training to be able to go to nursing homes, retirement centers, schools, hospitals, and camps....or anywhere folks are that would enjoy a visit. We are organized and insured by Therapy Dogs International which is a national group that provides support, guidelines, and insurance for these type of groups.

We go on visits many places in the community and most the folks seem to enjoy our being there.
Of course, there is always a party pooper somewhere! And I am OK with the fact that not everyone can appreciate us for who we are and what we do. But the majority of folks seem to really enjoy our visits and I think I can vouch for the other doggies, when I say, that we have a job and we take it seriously!

Katie Malone is responsible for starting the Pet Pals here in the area and she is the trainer. She has really done a fine job of orgainizing and looking after all the picky little details.....and I love her dog, Ziggy!

We have to go through an initial test which mainly consists of making sure a dog would make a good therapy dog. Obviously, if your dog bites or growls, then they will fail! We have to be calm enough not to knock folks down or hurt them. We are tested around wheelchairs and walkers as we have to be able to go up to folks many times that are in either of these. Some of the dogs are smaller and can be placed in the lap of folks and they really seem to enjoy holding these dogs. Needless to say, my butt is too big to get in their lap and I could probably seriously hurt some one if I were to try.

One time at White Oak Estates, there was a lady who was bedridden and she wanted so very badly to touch me....so I started climbing in the bed with her.....Needless to say, this was not my best idea! I guess some of us just will never make it as lap dogs!

We are also tested around other dogs to make sure there are no "incidents" while visiting. This is a big No-No as well. And we are tested around strangers to see how we react to them in a setting such as an assisted living. Laurelwoods has been very helpful in letting us use their facility to train.

We need more dogs and handlers! There are just not enough of us to go around and it is such a rewarding job! There were a whole bunch of really cute doggies in our last training session and I want to see them. Please have your owners bring you to one of our visiting sessions! We have so many places to visit so you can pick and choose your times and places....

And if you have a dog that you think might qualify as a Therapy Dog and make some one's day, please consider taking the test and training with them. Katie will be having another training session in January and if you think you have what it takes, please have your person call Katie @
864-415-5804.

I know it may not seem like much compared to dog bones and toys, but I always get thanked for coming, usually by several folks. The last time I was visiting, a lady called several of us back over and said that "she thanked us from the bottom of her heart for coming".

So you see....YOU can make a difference!

Woof!

CHAMP

Michael Vick....What Were You Thinking?

There has been more than enough in the news and on TV lately about Michael Vick.

Now that he has made a plea bargain to dogfighting and other crimes, I would like to share my thoughts on this matter as several folks have asked me my feelings on this subject.

Michael Vick had everything, or so it seemed.....he went from winner of the Heisman Trophy to being the highest paid NFL football player (and oh, he was so exciting to watch!). He had endorsements by several big companies which paid him quite a bit more than his NFL salary. He had fame, good looks, and many fans, especially children, who thought he was "simply the best".

Boy, did all this disappear fast.....

Dogfighting, cockfighting, and any other sport that involves animals fighting to their deaths so that folks can watch is just downright cruel and inhumane. I do not see how anyone can even watch it. It is also against the law in all 50 states and a felony in 48 states. There have been many excuses made for Mr. Vick's behavior. The fact that he was from the South and that this was part of his heritage is horse-hooey, and immaturity means nothing -- everyone is immature at some point in their lives, but that certainly doesn't mean that they are cruel. And all the other excuses -- that his mom was only 13 whn she had him, that he went from rags to riches, none of this amounts to a hill of beans. It is never anyone's right to cause pain and suffering to another being for pleasure. Nohting makes this right and nothing ever will. There is simply no excuse for it. NONE!

I am not sure that Michael Vick will ever be able to play football in the NFL again. It is possible that he has ruined his football career for good. It seems a high price to pay, but he made choices all along the way that led him down this path. He chose to treat animals as nothing more than players in his games. As they say, not all people who torture animals turn out to be serial killers, but ALL serial killers started out torturing animals. And everyone knows that the abuse of animals and the abuse of humans are closely linked. I hope that Michael Vick seeks and receives the help he needs.

In my very humble opinion, it is NEVER OK to be cruel to animals or ANY other living creature.

Be kind!

CHAMP

Too HOT to TROT!

These last couple of weeks have been so VERY hot and I know everyone is feeling the heat because personally, I have found them to be a little grumpy. I have become addicted to air conditioning and only venture out in the early morning and late evening when it is a little cooler.

I was going to go to Tryon Estates last week for a visit and because it was 106 degrees, my Mom nixed that plan. So instead, I stayed home and sulked...and found other ways to amuse myself...such as ripping up rolls of toilet paper...a bored dog can be a BAD dog!

That reminds me of the time we were visiting at Tryon Estates in the Special Care Unit and a lady came out of her room with a roll of toilet paper and was leaving a trail everywhere she went so there was toilet paper everywhere...down the hall, etc. She had a huge grin on her face and just seemed to be really enjoying the moment. I know I certainly enjoyed it and felt an immediate kinship to this sweet lady, something along the lines of "partners in crime"!

During this extremely hot time of the year pets need a little extra care to help them get through these last "DOG DAYS" of summer. Cats, dogs and ALL animals need fresh water at all times....they need some sort of shelter...even a tarp will work to provide some shade from the relentless sun. If you have them clipped, please leave a little hair to protect them from sunburn....even if you leave a quarter inch or so of hair, this will help protect their skin.

The asphalt gets very hot during these days so please watch out for your doggie's pads if you take them for a walk in the heat. In this kind of weather, their pads can be very badly burned! Also, please remember that it only takes a few minutes in a hot car for an animal to die from the heat, so PLEASE do not leave your pets in a hot car!!!

And if you REALLY want to spoil your animals, you can invest in them a swimming pool, like the ones the children use. I think this would be the ultimate life for a dog, but then "how would I know"???!

Please send any comments to me at my blog at the Tryon Daily Bulletin website.....www.tryondailybulletin.com or of course, right here!
or if you happen to get a swimming pool, please write to invite me over to use it as I do not a swimming pool of my own....WHINE!

Woof!

CHAMP

Not PYR-fect!

A Day at Camp.......



Over the past few weeks, I have gone to the FENCE Day Camp a couple of times with my buddy, Wreck (shown here in the picture with some of the campers). He is the one really working!  We were there as part of the Humane Education Program for the Foothills Humane Society. The campers were very well behaved and had on the coolest t-shirts that they had made at camp.....in fact,  IF I was going to wear a shirt, I would have tried to beg one off of them! They looked like they were really enjoying their time at camp.

We discussed what pets need, and also asked the campers to help us name some of the animals at the shelter. And did we ever get some cool names!!! A couple of my favorites were Humfree, Beep, and Old Red Chaser! And of course, several campers thought that the best names were Champ and Wreck (and I have to agree)!  This will be a big help to the shelter staff when they go to choose names for the animals, since they have a  lot of animals to name, and sometimes I wonder just where they come up with some of those names! (Ha ha, just kidding, guys!)

One of the little girls at camp asked me a question about whether they could neuter other animals.  I wasn't sure where she was going with this question, but I knew she was going somewhere!  As it turned out, she wanted to know if mice could be neutered!
I did not answer her correctly, but having since done some research, I have learned that YES, indeed, mice can be neutered, although it is not recommended.  So to that curious camper -- thank you for an excellent question! I do apologize for my ignorance on this matter, but I love learning new things (and sharing them) so keep asking these great questions!

I appreciate the comments I have been getting on my blog. One
self-described unruly dog by the name of Jumping Jack Flash wrote in to say he had a problem with "jumping up" on people. (This is one of the few bad habits I do NOT happen to have, which is a good thing since I could be described as large-and-in-charge!) There is some excellent advice which may be found on the web at the following address:
www.petexpertise.com/dog_problems/jumpingarticle.htm.

Unfortunately, because most folks are all too human, we dogs tend to get more attention when we jump up rather than when we are nice, quiet dogs, so the best thing one can do is to get your owner to cue you to "sit" when you jump up, and then expect them to praise you lavishly for sitting. So Jack, I guess you will just have to train your owner!

Seriously, I have really enjoyed your comments and questions, so please keep sending them to me. You can go to the Tryon Daily Bulletin
website and find my blog under the blog headings or you can go there directly Champ's Tryon Bulletin Blog
and of course, as always, you may comment directly to me here on this blog!

As always, thanks for listening, and remember to spay and neuter your pets (and other appropriate family members)!

Woof!

CHAMP

Naughty Dawg!

Check it out! Pets Place

The judges over at Pets Place picked me as the first place winner in the Naughty Dawg Photo Contest! I cannot believe that they think I would be a "naughty dog"!!!

It was just a little toilet paper...what's a fellow to do for fun? LOL

Champ

Independence Day

Whenever one reads about the breed characteristics for the Great Pyrenees dog (MY breed!), usually the first or second word that comes to mind is "INDEPENDENT". It is true, we are a very independent breed and I am certainly no exception to the rule. I think for myself, which may or may not be a good thing. This is a very useful trait for dogs that are working unattended all day protecting their flocks, as we have to be able to think for ourselves and not rely on a human to tell us what, where, when, etc.

I was so independent and unruly a few weeks back that I ran past my human companion and darted out the gate while she was attempting to put on my leash. Normally I am much more of a gentleman than this. Despite the fact that she hollered, "Champ, come!" I turned and looked and headed down the drive at a full gallop. (Yes, dogs can gallop!) Eventually I was retreived as I was followed in the car, but my independent streak could have been a dangerous one as there are many dangers to dogs (and cats) who roam around freely.

So much for my brief adventure!

Many pets are as adventurous, independent and unruly as I am, and others have all sorts of different problems. I thought that if these pets, or their human companions, wanted to write in to me in care of my Tryon Daily Bulletin blog (champstdbblog.blogspot.com), perhaps I could use my canine wisdom and give some -- ahem -- advice that might be helpful or at the very least, send you to a good resource. Just leave me any questions in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them.

Last week I went to White Oak and we were all laughing because I can tell a kitchen staff member a MILE away! I tend to follow them on the chance that I might get something good to eat. PLEASE!!! I am also going to see the children at the FENCE Day Camp a couple of times in the next few weeks for the Humane Education Program. I am very excited about this and the fact that another Therapy Dog is going with me named Wreck. One can only imagine where his name originated......

I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth. Please make sure your pets are in a secure place if they are afraid of loud noises.....we all know there are many loud noises in celebration of our INDEPENDENCE.

In closing I would like to add this final line from a poem called "We are Great Pyrenees". Unfortunately it appears to be anonymously written.

"We are Great Pyrenees....We are not for everyone"
"We are true friends and loving companions"
"We will guard your backside and kiss your face"
"But NOT the other way around."



CHAMP