More about Chip & How to get your dog to stop pulling.

  Thanks to your generous donations, Chip went back to the vet for much needed Xrays of chest and Hip.  Turns out the hip looks fine and is just sore from being in a small metal crate while he was in Florida Kill Shelter and then vet down south.  *sigh?!*…. His lungs do not show signs of pneumonia… perhaps asthma from poor living conditions.  The meds that have to be applied to his skin appear to sting him when applied.. but they are necessary. He’s already been in Lorin’s whirlpool for Epsom salt and oil bath.   Here he is this morning, chewing on a donated nylabone.  She has beds in each room because he is still so emaciated he cannot comfortably lie on a hard floor.

So… How to get your dog to stop pulling when you go for a walk?    As you all know, Ben is a dane, which translates to BIG FREIGHT TRAIN pulling on little old me when we go for walks.  I hate choke collars, especially on a dane with very little coat hair.  Traditional harnesses tend to make them pull against it, hence more strain on the walker.  But THIS harness.. the Easy Walker… works like a charm.  I mean, there is NO pulling. None.  And.. it’s extremely humane. Nothing tugs at or pulls on the dog.  Something about the way it’s designed (actually clipped to the leash on the front chest portion of the rig) gives the dog the feeling that he CAN’T pull, so he doesn’t. Or something like that.   Ben has not pulled on me once since I started using this harness and it doesn’t seem to phase him at all to have it on.  It’s not tight, fully adjustable, and comes in different sizes. I got it at a feed & grain store.  ( I am not being paid to advertise this… it’s just a really good product so I don’t mind spreading the word. )

I think this might be upside down. 

Snaps at the front…
  No pulling. It’s amazing how it works.
This is the Parmelee Trail at Parmelee Farm.

  

All photos today brought to you by my iPhone
Steve Jobs, you were an amazing man. The World will miss you.  

Update on Chip, AKA Yoda…..

  I went over to Lorin’s house and spent some time with Chip tonight…. he’s holding his own, showing more energy and for the first time since he arrived, wanted to PLAY!!….  The Vet says he’s not out of the woods yet but now has more than a fighting chance, and so he needs the stamina to withstand the Ivermectin treatments he will need to beat the mange.

 To say Chip is a love is an understatement.  This pup (approx. 6 months according to his teeth) is so gentle, so loving, so… ZEN-like… it’s astounding after all he’s been through.  He seems wise beyond his age,too… YODA comes to mind…and I think that should be his name. He even looks like Yoda, although we hope for that to change.  Chip, aka Yoda, is so clearly grateful for his new lease on life. He soaks up every bit of love you give him and returns it in spades. He already understands come, sit, and goes potty outside. 

 THANK YOU to all of you out there who have “chipped-in” to help this little guy.  It makes my heart sing to think we know each other only through the blogworld, but have come to know each other enough to trust and care and contribute.  It means the world to me, my cup truly runneth over.

 
Chip/Yoda will need continued medical care.
Once he is declared healthy, we will be looking for a home
for this wonderful boy.
His personality can’t be beat – with dogs, children, people.
We think he is a yellow lab/retriever mix.
To contribute even a few dollars to his care… go here…
If you are interested in adopting Chip once he is healthy
or know of someone who might, send along
this information.
Inquires sent to lorin@godogdays.org

Lucky, he is.
Grateful, I am…
for the generosity you have shown Chip.
It’s awesome, what we accomplish together.
If only that seed would blow through the world population
and germinate profusely.