"Pawty" Time: Reading Therapy Dogs Celebrated by Columbine Elementary

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

Columbine Elementary Canine Reading Program had their end of year "pawty" for the dogs and handlers yesterday. The kids made chocolate chip cookies for we humans and dog cookies to thank the working dogs, too. And whoops! The first thing Maddie did when she walked in the room was grab a HUGE chocolate chip cookie from the platter! I had my hand in her mouth digging it out in no time! Luckily, I retrieved most of it.

I know I don't act like a therapy dog ... but I make them smile and play!

She was all over the place with excitement -- not at all the behavior you might expect from a therapy dog -- a reading program therapy dog no less! The kids took turns taking her leash and walking her in circles around the room, and Maddie complied so readily. It was such a joy watching the children's joy with the dogs, and vice versa. I realized that much more was happening here than helping kids to read. This program is also a form of humane education. The young children watch the handlers with our dogs and without words realize the dogs are so valuable and precious to us. They take in our bonds and form their own with the dogs. They play, love, learn compassion and the joy of dog. And they will grow up and hopefully always hold these memories in their hearts, of love and compassion for animals.  May they transfer it to people, too.

We hugged good-bye until next year. Some we won't see as they move away or go on to Middle School...

Happy Birthday, Maddie Girl

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

You, my girl, are truly a joy ...

You NEVER stop smiling.  You make people on the trail laugh when you circle them and drop a stick at their feet, hoping they'll throw it for you. You bring happiness to us, to the kids at the juvenile center, the kids in the reading program at Columbine Elementary, and to everyone you meet.

Your tail never stops wagging and that earned you my nickname for you of "Thumpy." You brighten my life, Maddie Girl. I treasure our morning cuddles in bed, your greeting when I walk in the door, the way you lick my tears when I cry.

 I love you with all my heart.

You, Tom and I know our little secret of how your 5-5-05 birthday connects back to Maggie :)

Thank you for coming into our lives, Baby Angel. Happy 6th Birthday, Maddie, and may there be so very many more!

It Was "Just" a Pitbull ...

Can We As a Therapy Dog Team Change That Perception?

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

Last week when Maddie, my therapy dog and I made our weekly visit to the juvenile center, I had intended to talk to the kids about animal cruelty. However, when we arrived and there was only 1 teen there, I thought about saving this talk for a larger group. But for some reason I decided to go ahead and talk about what constitutes animal cruelty, what an individual can do about it, and the link between animal and human abuse.

I asked a question I'd never asked before. "Have you ever witnessed animal cruelty? At home? On TV? By a friend?"

Dustin, a caseworker, with Maddie

"Yes," came the surprising answer back. Surprising because of his rapid forthrightness with his response. "I've seen a relative hit his pit bull. But it was just a pit bull. I've hit a pit bull, too. But I would never hit a dog like that one," he said, motioning to Maddie.

Maddie and me: We talk first and then the kids play with her

First, I had to keep my mouth from dropping in order to respond and not blow all rapport with this young man.

"What do you mean, just a pit bull? Hitting an animal to punish him/her is not OK," I said.

"But it's a pitbull," he said. "They're different." He made some reference to himself doing something wrong, and said if punishment wasn't OK then he shouldn't be in the juvenile center. Then I talked about the importance of drawing boundaries and having consequences for both humans and dogs -- as opposed to striking any being. I could see he was still dubious, and likely brainwashed by his relative or others with a mind set that pit bulls are fighting dogs or mean and need to be "put in their place."

Ms. Maddie paying attention to "Mom"

"You're not buying this, are you?" I asked him.

"I'm listening," he said.

Maddie and Nick, another caseworker (he really loves her!)

"Did you know animal cruelty is against the law in Colorado?"

"I don't pay much attention to the laws," he quipped.

"Hmm. Do you suppose that's why you're in here?" I was amazed at his response!

He smiled and shrugged. As he began playing with Maddie, I talked about the stereotype so many people have re: pit bulls; how it was humans who bred fighting genes into the breed and try to make them mean; and how at the turn of the century they were the family dog.

Barb, juvenile center supervisor, with Maddie

I do find it interesting that while some part of this young man believed that pit bulls somehow deserved to be hit to control them, where other breeds do not, he did clearly recognize it as cruelty given his immediate response to my first question. Did Maddie and I make a difference in this teen's thinking about animal cruelty and pit bulls? I'll probably never know. I can only hope we planted a seed.

Maddie Expands Her Therapy Dog Duties and Spreads Her Joy

Posted By Dawn Kairns, Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

 Many of you know our dog, Maddie, is a therapy dog at the County Juvenile Center where we visit the kids each week. A few weeks ago, Maddie and I tried something new. We made a therapy dog visit to my grandson's preschool. What fun this was! My husband,Tom, joined us on this one. They were having "career week," where parents came and talked to the kids about different jobs (have kids advanced since I was that age?) -- so I talked about what a volunteer is and types of animal-related volunteer jobs. And Maddie let them know all the different important jobs that dogs do for humans, like her current job as a therapy dog, service dogs, search and rescue dogs, etc.

We walked around the circle so all the children could meet and pet Maddie, except for those with allergies, who sat back from the circle so we wouldn't stop there. A great time was had by all of us! As we were leaving, one little girl said, "we had fun, did you?" Precious!

Maddie is expanding her therapeutic circle in other ways, too. In addition to her every day interaction with people she touches, who comment as they did with Maggie about how happy she is, we visited a children's reading program at Columbine Elementary School in Boulder last week. I'd never considered a reading program before as I thought Maddie was way too high energy for such a "sedentary" job. 

Well, she was a bit off the wall in my book, but the kids loved her and so did the teachers. I credit Lisa, the special education teacher and program initiator, and her relaxed, fun, flexible attitude with seeing Maddie as very workable.

"Can we read with you?", asked two of the children hopefully as soon as we walked into the room. Of course, they wanted to read with the new dog in class!

There were 3 dog/handler teams that day for the children to read to. The kids came over in pairs and each one read a page to Maddie and me. After 10 minutes, each pair switched and moved on to another therapy dog/guardian team.

"Can she come lay in the middle of us," asked one child when Maddie was lying on one side of me. I love that young children will just ask for what they want!

"I'm afraid of dogs," Eileen calmly smiled at me as Maddie placed her head on her lap while she read. I never would have read it in her body language. I moved Maddie to a more comfortable distance for her. "I like them here, just not too close to me," she said. Once again, refreshing honesty! I learned that before the reading program began Eileen was terrified of dogs. What a long way she has come!

"Can we have a card?" asked the children each time a pair finished reading with us. Lisa saw my puzzled look and showed me the cards with the other dog's photos, birthdays, and "Paws to Listen" written on the card. A canine business card! She explained to the kids that this was my first day and I didn't have a card yet.

"We'd love to have you both. She did great!" smiled Lisa. "We really need dogs for the program.

"I love her energy!" said one of the other teachers. "I hope you come back."

 "J.J. was off the wall when he first started," his handler/guardian told me. "Maddie did fine!"

Needless to say, we felt so welcome and it was a joyous atmosphere. Oh yes, we'll be back! Today, in fact. We are going to finish out this school year as a reading program therapy dog team, which is part of Longmont Humane Society's Paws to Listen Program.

(All photos are from our visit to my grandson's preschool, and not from Columbine Elementary's Paws to Listen Reading Program).

Maddie's New Therapy Dog Job Takes a Back Seat

Our 1st picture of Maddie, 11 months

"Oh, you can just see that she walks around with a smile on her face ..."

"You can just tell that she is a happy dog -- she exudes joy!"

That is my Maddie folks are commenting about. For those of you who have read my book, MAGGIE the dog who changed my life, it's a bit of a déjà vu of what many said about Maggie, right? I feel so blessed to have had these two incredible black Labrador's in our lives who bring joy not only to us, but to everyone who met/meets them.

Enjoying a pig's ear at the Brewing Market

Awhile back I mentioned that Maddie was soon likely to have more of a humane education job in addition to her work at the juvenile center. Unfortunately, the humane educator at our local humane society who was planning to implement a pilot program in the Boulder schools left her position while we were away in Chile. Prior to that we had been discussing the possibility of Maddie being the "pilot" dog, and I the pilot guest speaker for humane education in the schools.

At this time, however, the shelter tells me, they have no plans to take humane education into the schools. Instead, they will continue their on site humane education camps for kids in the summer. So what was that, anyway, that their employee was discussing with me? Was my humane educator "friend" going rogue, without the shelters knowledge? I don't know, but I think she had a great idea. I was sad to see her go.

"I LOVE snowfields!"

So I guess in the meantime Maddie will just have to keep being a therapy dog to those she sees every day, along with, of course, the juvenile center teens.

Until her next job comes along ...

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns 

Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog:      Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog 
Twitter:  ww.twitter.com/themaggiebook

Maddie's Joy: From the Streets of Denver to Teaching Troubled Teens

It began in March, 2006. Our Golden Retriever, Chloe, had passed on December 5, 2005; my mother on January 7, 2006. My mother-in-law and our dear friend who was our best man had also just left this world. I was in shock. After our black lab, Maggie, died we'd waited a year before we adopted 11 year old Chloe. Now, life seemed to be getting shorter, and waiting seemed like a waste of time both for Tom and I, and for the dogs who needed loving homes.

I sat at my computer and searched the Denver Dumb Friend's League website. It took me to the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter site -- and there she was. Her name was one I never figured out: "Pita Cruz." What on earth did that mean? That would have to change! She was 10 months old. What a precious face!

When Tom and I first met her, she acted as though she'd been waiting for us all along. She leaped for joy in her kennel, licked us through the gate, and her tail went nonstop. When we walked her past the other kennels to go to the meet room, dogs growled and snarled at her as she walked by, and charged her through their gates. Our new girl to be sniffed under their gates and wagged, not phased in the least. When I called her "Maddie," she looked into my face, responding immediately. Her new name fit -- she responded to it like that's who she was all along.

We began training right away. Maddie's intelligence was clear. But our first months together proved quite challenging. Coming to us when we had a treat or a ball was one thing, but seeing a deer and chasing it was much more fun and rewarding in her eyes. Maddie was a runner, very independent, and not yet bonded to us. She'd been out on the streets of Denver -- she new the ropes of getting around. If something drew her fancy, that's the direction she went. She always found her way back home, but I was getting close to the end of my rope. Still heavily dealing with the grief of my mom's death, I thought we'd made a mistake adopting Maddie when we did -- that I didn't have the resources to work with such a high energy, headstrong dog.

But that day came when she had the temptation to run, or to respond to our "come." I could see her mental struggle -- looking in the direction she wanted to run and explore, then looking back at us. And she turned and ran towards us! We were ecstatic and lavished endless praise and pets upon Maddie.

At age two I took Maddie to take the Canine Good Citizen's Test, thinking she might become a therapy dog. When we walked in a few moments late and she strutted into the room in her Maddie manner, it brought some of the other dogs up from their "downs." The instructor's dog began barking at her. I think we were doomed from that moment on.

I was actually quite impressed with how well Maddie did on almost all of the commands. One woman looked at me after a time and said, "Dogs rarely pass this the first time they take it. This is my third time." Hmmm.
 
For the last exercise the 2 instructors dressed in very strange clothing and big hats. One walked in a very strange manner using a walker, the other walked in an odd gait and then sat in a wheelchair.

"Oh, this will not fly," I thought to myself. My Maddie had some weird fears and if someone or something looks strange or out of place to her, her fear bark is a given. It took about 10 seconds for Maddie to erupt ... The other dogs followed suite.

"OK, we're cooked," I told myself. Then the trainers began calling us in one at a time. I was last since I came in last. I began smiling to myself. "I get it. She's not a therapy dog! That's just not who she is!" Not officially, anyway. But like Maggie did, she makes people smile every day, just by who she is. Maddie literally dances with joy through life. When someone sees her simply jump out of the car, they grin ear to ear.

"She's so happy!" they say.

Ah, that she is! When we were in South Texas and Maddie pulled a piece of grass out by the roots and tossed it to me to play with since I didn't have a ball or stick for her to retrieve, I knew she was creative and very adaptable. When we sit at the same Brewing Market where Maggie and I used to sit at, with her leash attached to my chair leg, Maddie doesn't let that restriction stop her from play. I see her scouring the cement with her eyes.

"Ah-ha! There's a dead leaf!" I see her thinking just before she pounces on it and delivers it to my lap, or that of another patron.

Out on the trail, she greets everyone she meets by dropping a stick or pine cone at their feet, and staring at it like a zealot.

"You want to play, I know you do!" she is saying. And of course, they usually do.

Well, guess what? At age 4 Maddie became a therapy dog, and she DID pass the Canine Good Citizen's test.She visits the kids at the Boulder Juvenile Center weekly where we share various humane education topics. And I've heard a rumor that Maddie's reach in humane education is about to extend further. But more on that later as it unfolds -- it is still in the planning stage. Needless to say, this girl who was picked up by animal control on the streets of Denver, wild in her own way, malnourished and infested with worms, has come a long, long way!

Posted By:
Dawn Kairns 
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog:      Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog 
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/themaggiebook

"They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." -- Author Unknown

 
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Is Humane Education For Kids the Answer to Preventing Animal Abuse?

Last week when my therapy dog, Maddie and I visited the juvenile center, I added something new to my usual humane education talk: I brought in my counseling background and talked to the kids about finding the unconscious positive intention behind their "criminal" behavior. We went on to discuss separating their positive intention from negative behavior; to find a beneficial way to meet that positive intent so they can let go of the behavior that isn't working so well for them or society. As Maddie and I continue our weekly therapy visits to the juvenile center, I can't help but think that widepread humane education programs in schools could really help kids understand the value of kindness to and love for animals; that humane education programs might help decrease the rising incidence of animal cruelty among children. 

Then I read this post today on the Care 2 blog, and realized we are on the same page regarding humane education: 

The Answer to Preventing Animal Abuse: Humane Education?  

posted on the Care 2 blog by Megan Drake

"We seem to constantly hear about animal abuse in the news.

Philadelphia just reported of a young, female pit bull found hanged on a playground.  In Baltimore there seems to be an epidemic of animal abuse amongst the youth, which includes a puppy beaten to death, another dog pelted with stones and yet another set on fire -- just this year alone.

With all the animal abuse happening in the world, there might just be a solution -- humane education.  Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia provides a Humane Education Program to fifth graders at John Wister Elementary School. CNKP is a group of Philadelphia citizens, led by Garrett Elwood, who have organized with the goal of making Philadelphia a no-kill city by 2018.

One of the many stops along the road to achieving that goal is to educate Philadelphia's youth about kindness toward animals. CNKP reports "Many incidents of animal abuse and neglect occur simply because of ignorance. We feel that our children could make better decisions for the future if only given the proper information on which to base their decisions."

The CNKP Humane Education Program is provided free of charge.  Once per month, for the entire school year, Claire Tillman, Program Director, visits fifth graders at John Wister Elementary School.   

Teaching Goals include ..." Read the full story here on Care 2 

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns  

Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life

Website: www.dawnkairns.com 
Blog: Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog  

Twitter: themaggiebook

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Wit's End ... a True Story

Normally I blog about animals, dogs in particular. But I have recently begun working as a Therapy Dog team with Maddie, our adopted black lab, in a juvenile center. For those of you who have read my book, MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love, you know that I, too, dealt with a troubled teen stepson who had an alcohol addiction. Author Sue Scheff offers advice for helping your troubled teen in her book, Wit's End, described below. It seems appropriate to share given my current therapy dog work with Maddie and high risk teens. Hopefully it can help those of you struggling with your own potential high risk teen before they end up in a juvenile center. Of course, sometimes we seem to be at our "wit's end" and nothing we do seems to help. Let a mom who has been there share her resources & her story with you:

Author: Sue Scheff

Available from
HCIBooks.com

Plain Talk and Straight Answers for Parents of Troubled Teens

Wit's End is the shockingly gripping story of how Sue Scheff, a parent of a formerly troubled teen, turned her mistakes—and her relationship with her daughter—around. This highly practical and prescriptive book calls upon Scheff's personal experiences with finding help for her daughter. It includes the same advice that Scheff offers parents through her internationally recognized organization Parents' Universal Resource Experts (P.U.R.E.)—an advocacy group that draws parents together and helps them find ways to protect their children from destructive influences by educating them about the issues their family faces and creating a safe environment to revive familial bonds.

Using the same criteria P.U.R.E. uses to research residential treatment centers and other teen-help programs around the world, Wit's End provides positive, prescriptive help for families who want to put their children on the road to a safe, healthy, happy, and independent adulthood.

Wit's End is a much-needed guide—written by a parent who has been there—that helps parents navigate the choices and methods available to them and their child. It serves as an action plan that empowers parents—and their children—toward healing.

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog: Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog Twitter: www.twitter.com/themaggiebook

Become a fan on Facebook of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

2009 Indie Book Awards Finalist
DWAA 2008 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award Finalist

Therapy Dog Sessions Create Immense Opportunity

In my post last week I promised I would share more detail about the time Maddie and I spent with the kids at the juvenile center during Maddie's therapy dog work, and what else I get to do with the kids at the center. Here's what I'm so excited about ...

Not only do we get to visit and interact with the kids therapeutically (of course I'm not sure who gets the most therapeutic benefit -- Maddie, the kids, or me), I get to teach kids about dogs. Both last Wednesday and today my teaching centered on positive reinforcement dog training, and educating them on what puppy mills are. This is a dream opportunity, to be able to incorporate humane education topics along with my therapy dog work with Maddie ... to introduce love, respect, and positive treatment of dogs/animals to a group of high risk teens and hopefully make a difference both for the kids and animals they have contact with in the future. What an honor!

When I defined positive reinforcement training and gave some examples, one of the teens asked, "But how does positive reinforcement/rewarding good behavior work with juveniles -- don't you have to use other ways, too?"

I can see these folks are going to keep me on my toes! "Positive reinforcement doesn't mean there aren't consequences," I explained. I gave an example of a less than charming behavior of Maddie's when we first adopted her, where she grabbed anything that contained a tennis ball, whether it was a human hand or a flinger. One day at the dog park an innocent man was standing and talking to another person. His ball flinger rested on his left arm while he held it with his right hand. Maddie suddenly launched through the air and attached her mouth to the ball end of the flinger. After apologizing profusely to the man, I removed Maddie from the dog park.

"So the consequence was simply that Maddie didn't get to do something she enjoyed doing. There is no actual punishment, or telling her she's a bad dog," I said. The boy nodded and smiled. I sensed he really got it.

I later explained how in puppy mills dogs are stacked in cages, often with chicken wire floors that they never stepped out of. I shared that these dogs often never saw the light of day, were bred repeatedly, usually did not receive needed health care, and were disposed of when no longer needed. With the exception a couple of the teens who had an idea what a puppy mill was, the others were clearly surprised when I described the conditions and how the dogs are treated.

"So when you buy a dog from a pet store, the cute puppy in the window, you're actually supporting puppy mills," I told them.

Some of the kids looked a bit stunned, so I let that register for a moment. Then I made the distinction between puppy mills and responsible, reputable breeders. We talked about dog adoption, and how you can get just about any purebred dog from a breed rescue group.

"But what about the cute puppy in the pet store?" asked one of the boys. "It's not their fault they came from a puppy mill, and they need rescued too."

"That's a good point," I responded. I just want you to know that if you buy that puppy in the window that your money is supporting puppy mills. And often those pups from the mills end up with health problems."

And doesn't he make an excellent point? What is the answer to that one? It isn't the pup's fault, and they do need rescued! I think the answer lies in prevention and getting those pet stores to either close or adopt out rescued dogs instead, so the puppy doesn't end up there in the first place. Then puppy mills will have fewer outlets to sell puppies to.

"Why are puppy mills legal? I mean, how can they be?" asked another of the boys.

How do you explain that one? "Great question," I tell them. "Animal advocates are working to legislate changes, like reducing the number of dogs a facility can have, but the needed changes are slow."

"Why is something like dog fighting illegal but being locked in a cage 24/7 not illegal? They're both hurting the dog," comments another.

"Great point," I tell him. "I wish I could answer that one." I like these kids. So does Maddie. After each one tossed her toy for her, I gave them a verbal post-quiz for what we had covered. Their positive reinforcement for right answers? Jolly Rancher candies. Although I was a bit embarrassed by how many times I reached into Maddie's treat bag to give them a treat rather than the candy bag! Whoops!

I was moved by their attention and interest in our humane education topics. I thought these kids raised some great questions. What do you think? If you have responses to some of their questions I'd love to hear them.

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog: Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog Twitter: www.twitter.com/themaggiebook

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The Joy of Dog

I woke up yesterday morning in a funk. I recognized the familiar feeling that I get when I let myself get out of balance. Too much computer time. Okay, sure, it's necessary for an author, I know. But, I am a "hands on" person and need a strong dose of real life interaction each day, with people and animals, to balance my cyber life. I got that dose beautifully yesterday thanks to Maddie, my rescued black lab. Of course given that it was December 9, the day looked nothing this summer mountain photo with Maddie!

You see, it was Maddie's first official day of work as a therapy dog at the juvenile center. She got the nod of approval last week from administration and met briefly with the kids. I'll share more detail in a future blog post about the hour Maddie spent with the kids, and what else I get to do with the kids at the center that I'm excited about. For now, suffice it to say she brought smiles to all eight of them as she engaged and played with each one.

When we finished and walked out into the parking lot, I was almost on a high. What happened to my funk? As Maddie dove headfirst into the snow next to the parking lot, submerged herself, rolled joyfully and kicked her feet out with snow flying in every direction, I laughed out loud. I realized just then that I'd been smiling from the moment I walked into the juvenile center over an hour earlier. Hmmm. So that's where the funk went-- transformed once again by the magic of DOG, this black bundle of joy-- my Maddie. Just as she transformed the kids inside and brought them into the present moment, even if only briefly. Maggie, my black lab soulmate I wrote my book about, was the first dog to teach me this lesson of living in the now...the first dog to bring elation and playfulness to my life each day. How blessed are we to have these angels to remind us, to help us out of our bad moods by reminding us to stay present and find the joy right before our eyes?

Our next stop was the Mt. Sanitas Valley Trail, where Maggie and I took numerous hikes together during her lifetime. Once off leash, Maddie flashed ahead, again buried her entire body in the snow, then tucked her butt in the same way that Maggie used to do her tail-tuck- and-run. Maddie has somehow mastered doing it much more vertically, though, which I find hysterically funny! Yep, still smiling... Her joy has now become mine. Thank you, Baby Soul (one of my pet names for Ms. Maddie).

Then came a young black lab pup walking towards us with her person (7 months I learned seconds later). He spotted Maddie, and dashed towards her. "Hey, you're one of me!" Maddie seemed to agree with Oscar as they chased each other as fast as they could. Still smiling. How is it possible that a down mood can be replaced by an inner glee so quickly, simply by osmosis from Maddie's joy, and the joy of other dogs? Oscar and his guardian moved on.

We walked onward, then turned to come back down the trail. Maddie found a stick and her pride and joy grew-- I could see it in the way her prance shifted. We met up with the next dog/guardian couple. This pup grabbed Maddie's stick and clearly wanted Maddie to chase her. This little brindle eventually took off with Maddie stick as Maddie watched on, and took it in for a moment that her prized possession had been "stolen." No problem. Within seconds Maddie found a 4 1/2 foot dead pine tree limb. Yes, I said 4 1/2 feet! Head and tail raised, she strutted with it down the trail. Right then I realized that no, I hadn't been smiling. I'd been grinning ear to ear pretty much from the time we entered the juvenile center.

Not only did Maddie's joy transform my "funk" into delight, she also reminded me of the law of abundance. Lose your stick? No problem. There's always more where that came from. Can we lose our attachment to the things in our lives that readily and move on to "bigger & better" things as Maddie so easily did?

What has your dog taught you about joy and abundance lately? Or has he/she tried to get your attention, to teach you, to transform you, but you forgot to listen? I'd love to hear your stories ...

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE the dog who changed my life A Story of Love

Website: www.dawnkairns.com

Blog: Dawn Kairns and Maggie the Dog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/themaggiebook

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Rescue Work Doesn't Stop With the Dogs...

Yesterday, Maddie and I walked the beach on South Padre Island where Maggie and I once walked. Maddie's joy and love for life as she played ball and ran into the ocean was palpable. That's when I saw it--a little brown blob floundering on the sand. It was a bird but I didn't know what kind. A baby, who could not yet fly. Then Maddie saw it, too, her labrador genes driving her towards it, trying to decide if it was more important to go after than her ball. When the baby bird (a "greeb" I later learned) grabbed my pant leg with it's beak and webbed feet in panic at the same time I emphasized "leave it!" to Maddie, my girl surprised me by backing off and giving the bird in trouble a respectful distance, but kept watching curiously.

We hurried back to the condo, grabbed a bucket, towel, Tom (my husband), and our truck, and headed to the beach access closest to the bird. Still there, surrounded by seagulls. Were they waiting for the inevitable? I wasn't sure, but wasn't going to chance it, either. My fisty little rescue was grabbing at the towel and wildly craning its' neck when the bird must have decided the bucket was a safe haven--it crawled in and I placed the towel over the bucket. The baby calmed immediately, even when we took off in the car (Maddie stayed in the back seat politely as if she had no idea we had that baby bird so close). Off we went over the bridge to Port Isabel. I knew where to take the bird this time since I had rescued a bird last year on the road while out on my bike.

Inside the Sealife Center, a man greeted us as he looked at the bucket. "Do you have a bird?" he asked, his eyes exuding hope. "I'm the bird man!" He suggested the baby just needed to grow and needed a safe place with the right food and water. He was confident it would be fine. Ahh.

Off we drove to the Laguna Madre Humane Society to sign up for walking dogs, a bit late due to our bird detour. It's a small shelter with very few staff and volunteers, so they count on tourists on South Padre to come walk their dogs. Many of the dogs live outside with shelter due to their cramped space inside. 2 dogs greeted us at the fence. But we're too late--it's closed for the day. We'll be back...

We pass the Boys and Girls Club and sign up to volunteer for their Christmas party. The manager takes an interest in Maddie and is considering letting her come spend time with the high energy children--she'll let us know. That will be great, since Maddie "failed" her first Canine Good Citizen's test due to over-exuberance, which meant she couldn't yet enter the Therapy Dog programs through the Humane Society of Boulder Valley! Maybe she'll get a stab at being a therapy dog after all down here in Texas with kids whose energy levels match hers.

posted by Dawn Kairns
www.dawnkairns.com