Travelin’ Dog

This article first appeared in the 2017 Summer edition of Maine Dog Magazine.

Captain’s Log: Travelin’ Dog

Vacationland garnered widespread attention in March when Maine Representative, Jim Handy, proposed a bill mandating all dogs should be physically restrained in moving vehicles. He later decided to pull the bill, but not before it brought up an interesting national discussion. Another area of my job is blogging with veterinarian extraordinaire, Dr. Sip Siperstein, for Car Talk (yes, THAT Car Talk). Together, we tackle some of the more interesting aspects of pet travel. Some of the pieces are fluffy and silly, but when something like this comes across our desks, we take these on, too.

In every aspect of my job as a professional dog trainer from working hands on with dogs to writing about them, safety is my number one concern. My biggest pet peeve (pun completely intended) is observing dogs in the laps of drivers in a moving vehicle. My veterinarian friends all have stories to tell about dogs that have fallen out of the window at speed. These injuries include broken bones, smashed skulls, eyes falling out of the socket, and skin rubbed completely off of the body, exposing muscle, tendons, and even bones. Some of these dogs go through several costly, painful surgeries and many others do not survive. 

Additionally, if the airbag is deployed due to an accident, little Fifi will likely be crossing the Rainbow Bridge. These cases are incredibly sad considering they are almost always prevented by making sure the dog is not sticking his head out of the window and not sitting in the driver’s seat. So while I think the bill is a great one to suggest given these terribly gruesome and potentially fatal outcomes, there are some other considerations to weigh.

Maine still has many farmers who use working dogs to protect livestock from coyotes and other predators. These dogs often look like 100 pound polar bears (Kuvasz, and Great Pyrenees). They are raised from puppy-hood with the sheep they guard. When a coyote or other predator threatens the flock, the guarding dog comes out of hiding with her teeth bared, and typically wins. These dogs, while incredibly social with their sheep, are often not known for their flexibility regarding changing environment, new people, and new experiences which makes situations of restraining these dogs by way of seat belt or crate to go to the veterinarian a much more challenging and stressful event. I’d personally suggest that during the socialization period, these dogs are acclimated slowly to crates, harnesses and travel, but because their job is to live with and protect the flock, that can be tricky.

The other big hurdle that I can’t seem to shake relates to the safety of the harnesses and crates that dogs would presumably have to use to get from point A to point B. Until very recently, independent studies on the efficacy and safety of pet travel gear didn’t exist. Every harness, crate, and restraint system sold was tested by the company that created the device, which in short, meant there was no standard of safety. The company could throw a piece of lettuce at the device and suggest the harness stood up to “rigorous testing,” stamp it as “safe,” and sell it to you. That is, until the Center for Pet Safety came along with some eye opening crash tests in 2013.

The Center for Pet Safety (CenterForPetSafety.org) is the first independent group to test restraint systems against a standard. They teamed up with Maine’s State commuting vehicle maker, Subaru, to test harnesses and crates in real crash tests. These crash tests were conducted in the same facilities used to test car seats for kids and seat belts. The dummy dogs used in these tests were weighted like, and looked like, common pet dogs. This was by design so when the tests were running, people didn’t see a fake dog cruising through the air - people saw a real likeness of a dog cruising through the air.

When Dr. Sip and I saw the videos of the crash tests, each of us watching on opposite coasts of the US, the line went silent. We saw dogs in harnesses that were labeled as “safe” fly through the air when the straps failed, and through where the windshield would be at 30mph. There was a dachshund that sailed through the belted-in mesh dog crate as if there was nothing more protecting the dog than a sheet of printer paper. The solid crates dented and collapsed, no doubt causing injury or death to the animal trapped inside.

What was particularly heartbreaking was just a few months before, Dr. Sip and I had recommended all pets be restrained in either a harness or a crate when traveling to cut down on distracted driving, and then the Center for Pet Safety results came across our desks and we just wanted to cry. Recommending pets are confined or restrained is certainly something we would love to do, except there are only a few tools on the market that meet independent safety standards, and the ones that are actually safe are cost prohibitive. The ones that don’t meet the standards give an owner a sense of false sense of security and likely won’t keep Fido safe in an accident.

My feeling on this whole thing, and I know not everyone will agree, is that we can at least make sure that dogs don’t have their heads out the windows while we are driving. Rocks and debris that can crack your windshield can cause significant damage to a dog’s eye, nose, or face if hit. Very few things are more distracting than a dog spurting blood and howling in pain while your eyes are supposed to be on the road. If a dog were to fall out of the car at speeds, fatalities are likely. If an accident were to occur and the dog is in the front seat when an airbag is deployed, the dog will not likely survive. I also feel if a dog that can be safely restrained to reduce distracted driving, this can minimize the risk of an accident to begin with. These are all things we can all do to really keep our dogs safe.

Where we get into murky waters is if a dog is more stressed out by the restraints which can lead to an increase in distracted driving, or if the equipment doesn’t work in an accident. After purchasing a safe harness for Captain, he twisted and turned so much he got himself stuck in a way my husband and I couldn’t fix on I 95. The equipment needs to be better. This is where companies can come in to aid this process. Currently, the only harness on the Center for Pet Safety approved list is the Sleepypod ClickIt Harness, but others are stepping up to the plate. Companies like Kurgo had changed the design of their harness to meet the rigors of crash tests in their own testing trials, but have not yet been tested by the independent group (as of this writing in 2017). For the record, only three crates met the safety requirements set by the Center for Pet Safety but they did not test other crates that could potentially pass independent tests.

●     Gunner Kennels G1 Intermediatewith 8’ Tie Downs

●     Pet Ego Forma Frame Jet SetCarrier with latch connection

●     Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed with handilock

I wanted to see a bill that would result in safer travel for our four-legged companions. Stories of dogs that are thrown from the car during an accident, resulting in that dog being hit by another car, or missing for weeks on end if they are found at all, are incredibly heart breaking. Stories from my veterinarian friends of dogs falling out of the car window, an event that could be completely prevented if the dog didn’t have access to the down window or was not sitting in a driver’s lap are emotionally crushing. The ultimate emotional wound striking the owner of a dog in surgery while they recount, “but it was his favorite thing to have his head out the window.” These actions often come from a place of joy and love. We love our dogs and want them to be happy, so we let them ride on our laps or sniff the breeze as it whirrrrrrs by their olfactory organ at 55 mph on Rt 1. We never want anything to happen to our pets, our precious cargo, but at the same time, I can’t in good conscience state that all dogs need to be restrained in a car, at least, not until the equipment is affordable and safe for all four-legged passengers. While I’m glad the bill was proposed to start a conversation, I don’t think we can legislate something like this right now, though if cops wanted to ticket people with dogs on their laps or heads out of the windows as “distracted driving”I’d be 100% in favor.

Companies are catching up, costs are coming down, and cars are even starting to consider our pets as passengers with special Fido Features. While we are getting there, we are not there yet. I’m with the American Veterinary Association on this one - I highly recommend at least preventing distracted driving by restraining a dog in a moving vehicle. Don’t play, feed, or try to train your dog while you are operating a car. If possible, make sure pets are traveling in the back seat, away from airbags. If you can afford to swing for the $500 Gunner Kennel, by all means, go for it. If you cannot afford that or drive a Honda Fit, do the best you can with the tools you have to keep your pet as safe as you possibly can by preventing accidents from the minute the key is turned. Lastly, do yourself a favor, and see a science based, positive reinforcement trainer to help your pet acclimate to a restraint system if you think you’ll ever need to transport your dog anywhere, including the veterinarian. A veterinarian who will hopefully be seeing Sparky for an annual visit and not for any of the injuries in this article.

Melissa McCue-McGrath, CPDT-KA is one-half of the FIDO Blogging Team at Car Talk Plaza. She is also the co-Training Director at New England Dog Training Club and the author of ‘Considerations for the City Dog.”

Oh Irony, You Saucy Minx

Last October, I wrote a piece for CCPDT (Council for Certified Professional Dog Trainers). The piece started out as a rebuke of media reports calling Cesar Milan a "behaviorist," which is murky territory. With each share of the sensational story, the headline, "Dog Behaviorist Investigated in Pig Attack," and variations on that theme were shared to millions of readers.

Click bait, for realz.

My issue went beyond the dog attacking a pig in a terribly set up "rehabilitation" exercise that resulted in injury to the pig - though make no mistake. I had a huge problem with this aspect, too. 

My issue was with the term behaviorist being used to describe a television personality who, as far as I can tell by checking his website and other social platforms, has never taken a class in animal behavior. This seemed ethically wrong on so many levels.

Not one reporter, media outlet or blog share seemed to dive down on who an animal behaviorist actually is or what they do. 

With that backdrop, I wrote a piece targeted to dog trainers commenting from a dog trainer's perspective on how it's unethical for us to use the term "behaviorist" unless we actually are, and since the lingo is really murky even within related fields of animal behavior, we should just stop. I then went on to define terminology we come across in our field as a guideline for dog trainers and called it a day.

The post, targeted to dog trainers, was shared among dog trainers with much more support and enthusiasm than I expected. I really was prepared for a lot of blowback from dog trainers. That never came. 

What did come was something I didn't expect.

The animal behavior community was pissed.

At first, I didn't see it.

I was on their side!
I'm helping!

Dr. Suzanne Hetts, a highly respected actual applied animal behaviorist and co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, wrote a response piece and sent it out to the behavior community. She then alerted me in a very short email telling me about it. I immediately felt a crushing wave of anxiety. I read it. I was so mad. "I'm helping! I'm on your side!" kept going through my head as I read the piece that at the time I read as a personal attack. As time went on, I just felt crappy.

It turns out there is a big lesson to learn here. "Helping" isn't helpful when there is a failure to first seek out how (or if!) a party wants or needs help. I was doing my best to define something that I understood in my world, but not on a bigger scale. While animal behaviorists were not my target audience - the piece was written for a dog training newsletter, this population saw it.



And they were justifiably displeased.

I immediately emailed Suzanne after she sent out her very public response.

I was embarrassed, hurt, but still quite defensive of my original piece. She was hurt, and stood by what she wrote, too. We sent emails back and forth for a few days but it was clear as the water was settling we could find common ground. I'm not going to speak for her, that's her story to tell if she wants to, but we were able to start an actual dialogue and it was incredible.

This was a great lesson in how good intentions do not trump actual communication. Had I just taken an extra few minutes or days to reach out to animal behaviorists, I would have written something different. 

But I didn't. 

Suzanne then volunteered to do something that caught me off guard, almost as much as her response piece, particularly given the political climate of the last 7 months. Something she didn't have to do. She went above and beyond.

"Let's do this together." 

And we did.

It took us, no joke, 5 months to write the piece we ended up co-penning. We were invited to publish it in the same newsletter my original post was printed. I learned a ton, and I think she did, too. Plus, I feel that by doing this together, we were able to do something that hasn't really been done yet. We found common ground without being "resource guardy."

I learned that veterinarians can not call themselves specialists unless they are board-certified in the specialty - and that includes behavior. Yet, dog trainers and any ol' Tom, Dick or Harry can say "I'm a behavior specialist" without any credentials to back it up.

Seems a bit unfair.

Additionally, the broad brush of "all animal behaviorists work with pet animals" is wildly inaccurate. Many observe wild behavior, some work in zoos, and some work with pet animals. The field is huge. While some animal behaviorists do work with pets, including veterinary behaviorists (veterinarians who are board-certified in animal behavior), it's a fallacy that all do.

I now see why applied animal behaviorists are so upset! 

Perhaps an indication this is not the animal behaviorist you are looking for:
He gives you this photo and says: "Here's my resume. I'm here to teach your dog to stop humping your slippers."

Suzanne gave me an opportunity to explain what we dog trainers are up against, too, and I felt like she heard every word. First, there is a media and entertainment industry that promotes "behaviorists" who have no background, so in order to compete in that market, we have a population who have adopted the word in a way to be heard above the noise. We have people who email, call and text us, pleading for help - they need a behaviorist to help them with a jumping dog. A trainer for a biting dog. A behavioralist (not a word in dog training) for an 8-week-old puppy. The public is confused on these terms. We are also dealing with individuals hanging out their shingles without an ounce of dog training experience and have to compete with them, too. We are trying to meet clients and students where they are, but we have no Merriam-Webster definitions to give them. (Which is why some of us, myself included, tried to clarify these terms, but are met with blow-back. Justifiably.)

What Suzanne and I discovered, through communication and really taking a moment to see things from a different perspective, is that we really need animal behaviorists to take the lead on defining those terms so we can all lead with more clarity.

It's not on people like me to define terms at an industry, even if there is a vacuum and a great need. It's just not my place. And I get that now. I can't turn this boat around.

Cop: Turn around
Me: Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round.
Cop: Turn around!
Me: Every..
*gets tased*
— Jeff (@usermcuserface) May 5, 2017

It would have been so easy to just write a response to her response on this blog, put it out there for the Internet to see, dig my heels, "defend myself" (whatever that means!) and defend what I wrote. I actually started something to that effect in a moment of anger 9 months ago. In writing this piece, I discovered it, and deleted it a few minutes ago. I was mad. I was angry. I didn't even open the draft because I just knew it would be bad.

Been there.

So instead of yelling via the Internet, I read what she wrote in her piece, in her emails back and forth, and I realized the irony of my original piece. "Guys, language matters and we aren't doing anyone any favors by not fully understanding the language we are using." I was using wrong language left and right and that was perfectly clear once Suzanne and I started to talk.

Oh, Irony, you saucy minx.

#Irony

It was important to listen. Critical.
Not listen to counter-attack.
Just...listen.

It's not easy to say "I'm sorry." Especially when intentions are good.

I had no intention of defining Dr. Hett's profession AT her, but that's exactly what I did. It doesn't matter what my intention was - it's how it was received.

In the same way someone "intending" to say hi to a shy dog is not permission to come into that dog's space.

How catcalling might seem like it's intended as a compliment, but it's not.

I get that now.

We have both been working incredibly hard in our industries to combat inaccurate language and terminology while trying to help the animals we love. As our industries continue to evolve and overlap in some ways, it's important to remember that these industries will continue evolving and there will be conflict.

It's how we deal with it as individuals.

Thanks to the power of the Internet we were able to take a breather, listen to each other and really write something that could be a game-changer.

We found common ground and ran with it.

This is that piece.

While Suzanne took the lead on a lot of it, given that she is an applied animal behaviorist and our writing styles are totally different, we created something meaningful. There is a lot of give and take in here. I even got in a Car Talk joke which honestly, was more important to me than I realized at the time. This really is our piece. Together. Collaboration in the face of something that could have devolved into something messy, angry, and regrettable on my end.

It might not be an earth-shattering read for those not in this industry, but the journey was more meaningful. In all honestly, there is no single piece of work that I'm more proud of to have my name attached to in any way.

So, if you read this, Dr. Hetts. Thank you.

#BSLisBS Part 2: Therein Lies The Rub

I've written before on the absurdity of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and why BSL is BS. It hit home for us last year when we had Cinderella, a 65 pound "pit bull" for 48 hours before our landlords decided we couldn't have a pit bull type dog on the premises.

Cinderella is now living with three kids, one of which is autistic. She is doing wonderful work helping her live life to the fullest, which is really what this dog needed to do.

And while Cinderella didn't work out for us, she really got the best possible gig and is living a fantastic life. While we were angry, heartbroken and all of the things you would expect having to turn a dog into a shelter for doing nothing wrong, and having to explain the word "discrimination" to our three year old daughter, we understood. Our next dog would not be a pit because at the end of the day, the landlords make the rules and though we are adults, we have to abide by those rules.

Our search got much harder, but after several months of looking, we brought home Captain Love in December of last year from New England Brittany Rescue.

(Best guess? Beagle/Pointer?)

And herein lies the rub regarding BSL and why I think it's utter BS.  

Any dog with a slightly blockier head can be considered a pit bull by people who know Jack about dogs.

Even if that dog is Captain Love.

Today, our landlords had a home inspector come in. Captain jumped at the door. Aislyn was trying to open the door, so my focus was on Ace, not the dog. When the inspector and landlords girlfriend came into the apartment, I didn't have full control of Cap. He jumped. I put a leash on him (after he slipped his collar!), got him working, and moved him to an open area of the apartment. I got his focus back in less than 30 seconds, which is more than I can say for my preschooler who was jumping all over the landlord's girlfriend and inspector.

They were here for 5 minutes. They left. I did apologize for his overexcitement, but she said it was fine. I don't like my dog jumping, but I handled it in an appropriate manner - as appropriate as one can when someone is coming into your house with a key.

Six hours later, I got texts from my landlord asking if Captain Love was a pit bull. This affects his insurance (which I'm aware of). The inspector told our landlord that the dog "looked like a pit bull and was terribly managed." Frankly, Aislyn was managed poorly, and the dog - after the initial jumping at the door, was totally fine and attentive. From her vantage point though? Yes, I could see that she would think as someone who doesn't know dogs might think that this is a literal shit show.

The last hour has been an anxiety provoking experience where I'm having flashbacks to taking a perfectly sound dog to a shelter, mixed with google searches of "where to find a cheap RV in a hurry?" because there is no way on earth that we are giving up this dog.

It's hard enough to be in the dog world and educate people about who is qualified to help with dog behavior. It's harder still when home inspectors are suddenly dog breed enthusiasts, and landlords can technically evict you for having any dog that "looks like a pit."

The slippery slope of people seeing what they want to see in dogs can affect people in a society where BSL is a real-life thing. Anyone, ANYONE who *thinks* a dog looks like something can say something that has real-life consequences to families who love their dogs. It's happening RIGHT NOW to Dan Tillery, a performer in Michigan who has had two veterinarians say his newly adopted dog is an American Bull Dog - but the cops think that he's a pit bull, and therefore, they can remove the dog or slap fines until the dog is out of the jurisdiction.

I stand with Dan and Diggy. #BSLisBS

It's been awkward since the first time our dog had to get relinquished by no fault of her own last July. Feelings were hurt and things were awkward going forward, which is not how I hoped to remember this place or the people we rent from. They are lovely people - truly. Yet one thing that hits an emotional chord can really affect relationships and it's going to be just plain weird, awkward and uncomfortable now. Particularly when my vocation is working with dogs and people all day long, and to not be trusted to follow the rules set by our landlords (because with that distrust, it seems like we are sneaking out to get a secret pit bull) is really, really, really insulting.

Even if Captain Love, or Diggy was part pit, it shouldn't matter. Even if either dog was full pit, it shouldn't matter. As stated before, personality should matter - we all have stories of getting bit by dogs that were XY or Z breed. (Mine is husky.  A friend's is Basset hound. Others still are pit bulls. My vet friends all have a demon retriever story in their arsenal.) But even if you take that part of the argument away and say we are not discussing what is, and what is not, a pit bull ----

---Today I had to have a conversation with someone who controls my living space about the block-headedness of my pointer/beagle mix and was nervous about it because I know how people see dogs who have skulls that are a 1/4" bigger than a goldendoodle's. Today I feared my husband and I would be packing up this week with our kid, dog, two cats and we'd figure it out later. That panic is now gone (landlord said "no, we're good.") but what happens the next time? Every time he walks by our front door, he's going to look in at the jumping "pit bull" and question it.

Every time.

With Captain jumping at the inspector, our landlord is now positively reinforced for telling us that pit bulls can't be here because if that pit wasn't managed properly and bit the inspector, he'd get sued. That pit bull "would have bit" and therefore, he's likely thinking he's saved himself from getting sued.

(Suffice it to say, someone would absolutely be sued if any of our dogs bit an inspector or anyone on the premises: it would happen if it was Captain Love, Cinderella or Sadie-Jane. It would have been much more likely with fluffy Sadie with a stranger coming into our home and her doggie-dementia than the other two canine residents. Zeppelin would have slept through it.)

I wonder if the inspector would have said a word if my Golden retriever jumped up to say hi while I had my back turned to wrangle my 3-year-old? If she was afraid he was a pit bull, her guard would have been up and she'd be more likely to say something - which is really the case for anyone who has a 35-70 pound, short haired, stocky dog with a block head. And for that:

#BSLisBS.

-Melissa McCue-McGrath, CPDT-KA
Author, Considerations for the City Dog

Take A Step Back

A terrible incident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo over the weekend. A young boy got through the enclosure and dropped 12' into the Gorilla World exhibit. We've all seen the video and I'm not going to sensationalize this event by posting it here. I will say that the full video is really hard to watch as a mother and as someone who works with animals every day.

As with any tragedy involving animals and humans, particularly young children, emotional responses run strong. It appears everyone has turned to the Internet and social media to arm chair quarterback what should have happened. There are petitions on both "sides" (though I hesitate to use that term because this is way more complex than a black & white issue). Some petitions are calling for criminal charges to be filed against the parents of the child who got through this enclosure and involve child protective services.

Some petitions are looking to shut down the zoo's exhibit, or the zoo itself.

Harambe (credit: Cincinnati Zoo website)

It's too easy to just yell and scream when something goes wrong. It's easy to think we know all the facts.

We really just don't.

The aftermath, though not nearly as global, reminds me of the Save Neville petitions from last year. This was a case that I reference in many of my presentations because of the perfect intersection between the animal and human worlds, and what happens when we just jump into the fray without knowing the full story.

The quick and dirty that was passed around Facebook:

A Change.org petition states that a family with a young child was looking to adopt a dog. They entered a pen with Neville and “other dogs” that were playing. The staff advised the family not to put the child on the ground, but they did anyway and when the toddler grabbed Neville, Neville bit the youngster in the face. As a result of that single bite wound Neville is court ordered to be euthanized.

The facts of the case that were absent, not discussed, or not fully understood by well-intending individuals included how many dogs were in the pen, and some huge educational gaps on the part of the shelter in how people meet their potential dog. The internet sent petitions calling for protective services to be called on the "negligent" parents, and others called for the shelter to get shut down. If you break it apart, it's really another case of not having all the facts. Once all the facts were presented, it turned out there was a much more to suss out, and a much more rational solution. (More on the Neville Case, go here.)

I think the bigger take away here is stop and take a step back. I think we would all do better to listen to the experts, consider there are two families (a zoological family and a family with a small child) who are grieving. We should stop with the online petitions unless there is a full appreciation of every intricacy as to what happened, which includes listening to zoologists and animal behaviorists (people who have earned a PhD in animal behavior). 

Petitions and yelling will not bring back Harambe. Petitions and yelling will not undo the heavy burden of guilt and second-thinking that the family has undoubtedly been dealing with since this incident knowing their child could have died, their child was in danger, and an endangered gorilla is now dead - and now the internet backlash calling for Child Protective Services or shutting down the zoo.

This incident comes at a moment when every week the morning news mentions "tourists approach rare animal and animal is killed," or "person is killed by wild animal while trying to get a selfie."

It is  time for us to look at how we engage with animals.

There have been dozens of news pieces just this year on people walking up to wild animals - a baby dolphin died because people wanted to take a selfie.

A baby bison died when tourists thought the calf looked "cold" and they put it in the back of their truck.

There are many, many more stories just like this, from 2016 alone.

We have to pay attention around animals. We have to respect their right to be on this planet just as much as we are, and if we aren't fully absorbed in the moment and think about the consequences of our actions or inactions, animals or people can die.

This is just as true for dogs, bison, dolphins and 400 pound endangered gorillas. We have to do better.

If the zoo didn't act in the way they did, this boy would likely have died.

As heart breaking as this is, it still could have been much, much worse had the two female gorillas not been called out of the enclosure by quick thinking staff that have taken the time over the years to prepare as much as possible for something like this.

This could have been much, much worse if the child died, too.

This could have been much, much worse if the boy's mother jumped in after her son.

If the parents removed the boy from the exhibit, he might not have gone in the enclosure...but how many of you have had the experience of watching a 3 or 4 year old child? It's HARD. They are fast. They are small. I've had Aislyn disappear on me for a few seconds (which seemed like minutes) and I had my eyes on her as we were walking through a mall. It doesn't take much for an accident to happen, even if you do everything right.

I'm not here to judge the parents - and I'm not here to judge the zoo's actions. Most of you know my stance: let the pros do what they need to do in an emergency. I'm a dog trainer, not a zoologist. I trust Jack Hannah, Jane Goodall, and Thane Maynard in this case as it relates to animals they understand. I would not trust them if they were explaining how to make the perfect pizza sauce - I'd look to someone who is an expert. 

Well, maybe an expert without anger management issues.

I also trust that if there are any safety protocols the Cincinnati Zoo (or other zoos) can employ after this incident, they will do it if it doesn't negatively impact the quality of life of the resident animals. Lastly, I trust that the family involved has learned a great deal and they don't need petitions calling for child protective services. Mom didn't toss her baby into the gorilla pen. It's a wake up call for all of us to be aware of ourselves, our kids, and the animals around us.

I think that we all need to take a step back, and figure out how we can live with animals in the wild, and in captivity, in a respectful manner and take this down a notch so we can have a respectful discussion.

-M3


As with any blog posts that might trigger significant emotional response, I will delete any and all comments that are not conducive to the conversation. I will not allow this to be a place to blame anyone involved in this case. It's a tragic story and these are real people, real animals and real employees. This is a safe place. Any name calling, blaming, threats or other comments will be immediately deleted. For those involved in this incident, I'm truly sorry for your experience and I hope some good can come of this event going forward. -M3

Notably Missing From The Cesar Millan Investigation "Reporting"

There is a post going around my Facebook feed (which is admittedly 85% dog

folk) documenting an investigation of animal cruelty against Cesar Millan. He filmed a dog with a known history of killing pigs, and let it into a pen with pigs. One of the pigs suffered an injury to it's ear

(Reporting varies, stating the ear was "nipped and bled," all the way through to "bit a chunk of the ear off". I can't find a reputable source on  severity of the pig's injury.)

In all the reporting of this story, there is one thing that absolutely has to be addressed that's gone on for far too long. This is the thing that would perhaps quell some of the discussion of if Mr. Millan is "abusing animals" or if he's "God's gift to canine kind." The one thing that needs to be addressed is this:

Any and all reporting on Cesar Millan needs to stop referring to him as a

"self-taught behaviorist".

In the dog industry, a behaviorist is someone who:

• Has received a certification from a science based group, usually after presenting 1500+ hours of dog behavior documentation and taking a lengthy exam going over stress signals, medication, anatomy, physiology, tools, and teaching ability.

OR

• Has a PhD in an animal related field (like zoology)

OR

• Is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who is accredited as a veterinary behaviorist through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.  There are only around 75 certified behaviorists through the ACVB, and Mr. Millan's name is not on the list.

The news outlets reporting on this really need to ask questions and educate the public about the following:

• What is a behaviorist?
• How do I find a reputable one?

By explaining what a behaviorist does and who a behaviorist is, we can avoid the tired argument of if Cesar helps dogs or not. Instead of a really emotional argument based on ambiguity, there are terms that should be defined in the reporting, and that might help clear some things up regarding Mr. Millan.

In short, Mr. Millan can call himself a behaviorist.

I can call myself an astronaut.

Neither are true.

This post should help you figure out how to find reputable help for behavior related issues.

And here is a link to Considerations for the City Dog- a book that dedicates an entire chapter explaining the differences of these professionals.

In short, if you are looking for behavior help, look for credentials and know what your behavior professional had to do before earning the  "Behavior Consultant", "Applied Animal Behaviorist" or "Veterinary Behaviorist" title before hiring. Do your due diligence for your dog's sake. If someone calls himself or herself a behaviorist, ask what they did to earn the title, and who gave them the credentials.

Good luck,

-M3

Ho, Ho, No!

We've all heard that pets don't make the best gifts for the holidays. Slate has a fantastic article on the matter.

Veterinarians, dog trainers, behaviorists, shelter employees and rescue groups never advise dogs as Christmas gifts because many of them end up in the shelters 3-6 months later when they are adolescent dogs. Many of them also come from breeders-of-ill-repute (puppy mills). Good breeders never produce puppies for Christmas Morning.

Shelters and reputable breeders are our biggest word-of-mouth against Christmas puppies and educating against the practice, and providing alternatives.

So why on EARTH is a Maine shelter delivering puppies to homes on Christmas morning?!?

I'm really sad to see the Coastal Humane Society of Maine get on the Christmas Puppy bandwagon - they will even deliver the puppies to the door on Christmas morning. They are looking for drivers to deliver the dogs (many of which just had a traumatic transport from the South to Maine) to people's homes on Christmas morning. Some of which might end up back in the shelter in June. 

Yes, it looks good on paper: kids wake up and see a new dog, and it's really exciting for everyone, until the puppy needs training classes, or eats all the new toys the kids just opened. 

After the excitement of the holidays are over, many Christmas pets go back to the shelter. 

If someone is committing to bringing a dog home, keeping it in a shelter for an extra week so a family can be surprised by the dog seems really unfair to the dog frown emoticon

I see what they are trying to do - but I think this is a huge miss. 

Alternatives?

• Instead, the shelter should put a program together to prevent dogs coming back to their shelter
• Encourage families to come and volunteer their time socializing the puppies (or go down to the shelter as a family unit later in the day)
• Have a local artist paint holiday ornaments of the dogs in the shelter, and the money for the ornaments can go back to support the shelter. 
• Related: The ornament could be a "we will get a dog in the new year, but we are all going to meet the dog" placeholder present.
• Buy a round of dog training classes and give that as a gift - then in the weeks after the holidays, the family can go meet dogs from reputable sources. 
• Can't have a dog but want one? Donate to your local shelter. 
• Not sure if your kids would be responsible enough for a dog? Go as a family to walk dogs at the shelter once a week. If they aren't into it after a month, then you've dodged a bullet (and helped some dogs get some exercise!) If they continue to look forward to dog walking day, you can consider foster-to-adopt through the shelter. 

Regardless, if you are considering getting a pet, don't use Christmas as an excuse. You can prep the family on Christmas and build excitement by buying classes or a promissory note for your dog-to-be, but from dog trainers, shelter employees and rescue advocates everywhere - please:

 Exnay on the Ristmas Cay Uppy Pay.

 Lastly, you can always do this, instead:

Remember #HandsOnFirst. 

Happy holidays,

 -M3

Why I Won't Sign The "Save Neville" Petition

There is a post circulating like CRAZY on Facebook. It’s called “Save Neville.” The Change.org petition states that a family with a young child was looking to adopt a dog. They entered a pen with Neville and “other dogs” that were playing. The staff advised the family not to put the child on the ground, but they did anyway and when the toddler grabbed Neville, Neville bit the youngster in the face. As a result of that single bite wound Neville is court ordered to be euthanized.

Upon hearing that story, I’d sign that petition! This dog is misunderstood. His face is so cute! It seems to be one bite. This dog might not be placed with kids in the home, but surely this is a dog worth saving, right? I mean, the parents clearly didn’t listen and the responsibility is on them...right?

Here is a great lesson in making sure you have all the facts before jumping on a Change.org bandwagon, especially if it seems like the petition is one-sided.

According to a news piece on this story, there were up to five dogs in the pen with Neville and they were all playing. As a professional, I read that as “jazzed up.” The shelter said they told the family not to put the child down (citing common sense) but the family denies being told. This part is he-said-she-said and can’t be proven unless the surveillance camera (which is part of the case) can point to the staff saying, “Hey, don’t put your kid on the ground.” When the 2-year-old reached up to “hug” Neville after hugging and shaking the dog previously, the dog turned and bit the child in the face which resulted in 16 stitches at a local hospital.

The photo of the child’s wounds was notably absent from the petition.

That does not sound like a single bite wound, though maybe it is? It *could* be a quick bite to the delicate skin where 8 top teeth met 8 bottom teeth resulting in 16 stitches (or something like that.) It could also be 3 teeth grabbing and shaking the toddler which would scale significantly higher on the Dunbar Bite Scale.

What is the Dunbar Bite Scale? If you call a professional like me into your home if your dog nips, bites, or wounds another party (person or dog), the scale I use to quantify those bites is the Dunbar Bite Scale. If you scroll down through the linked article, there are great cartoons that aren’t too graphic that illustrate perfectly how I scale a bite from Level 1 (air snap/ dog bit and “missed”) to Level 6 (death to the victim). There are only 6 levels, but they are quantifiable and can tell us a lot. How riled up was the dog? Given the severity of the bite, was the dog reacting to stimuli (a kid grabbing him?) or “looking for trouble” (charging and attacking the victim). Dogs don’t tend to start biting at level 3, 4 or 5...so the higher up the bite scale tends to indicate a bite history. This bite scale is really important in my line of work and professionals like me work hard to get this information out there. I think every bite needs to be quantified and an appropriate plan should be in place. All of this is dependent on the stress of the dog and the bite level of previous bites.

DrSophiaYin.com : Available as a free download among other fantastic resources.

I feel if we can change the way we talk about dog bites, we can stop victim blaming and stop our knee-jerk reaction to the poor dog who just didn’t know any better. I’m not saying I don’t sympathize with the situation, or want to save the dog - but this type of banter needs to stop:

 

“The parents should have known better.”

“The kid shouldn’t have hugged the dog.”

“Yes, the kid got 16 stitches, but he won’t likely have permanent damage.”

“I’ll take Neville. Say he ran away and give him to me.”

“The parents should have been bitten.”
"Euthanize the parents, not Neville." "The parents brought this upon themselves. I have no respect for them."

These are all, sadly, comments taken directly from the Change.org petition. It’s hear- breaking. This happens every time there is a dog put on doggie death row, but we have to change the way we talk about and handle dog bites and ethical rescue/adoption in this country if we really want to save these dogs.

Again, I’m not saying this dog is dangerous. I don’t have all the facts - and that’s why I’m not weighing in on if he should have a stay of execution. Some dogs are dangerous. Some dogs should not be homed. Sometimes it’s the people, but sometimes it IS the dog. Sometimes it’s the environment. Sometimes it’s poor placement from the shelters. And sometimes it’s the people. All the people. Including the shelter employees. We need to stop saying “there are no bad dogs, only bad people” because that isn’t fair to the 2-year-old kid in this case who has to deal with stitches and maybe long-term fear of dogs. Yes, there were people in this case who made this worse, but canine genetics might have also played a part in this case, and the dog might not have been ok with kids. That’s not for me to say because (again) I haven’t met this dog or seen the file. It is, however, food for thought. There is much more here than an online petition.

In this case, I see several failures and teachable moments:

• On the part of the parents who put a kid in a pen with multiple dogs, but maybe they didn’t know better - and knowing that “hugging” dogs is bad is just now getting iton the zeitgeist. Not everyone knows this, so that’s not fair to put on the parents. We are all still learning. Also, not every person is a dog expert, and we’re learning more every day. Yet, if they ignored shelter staff, then this is on them, too.
• On the part of the shelter for having a family with a young child meet more than one dog in a pen.
• On the part of the shelter for not knowing subtle stress signals in dogs if any were given, or likely triggers in dogs (for instance: 5 dogs zipping around and a toddler reaching for one of them).
• On the part of the shelter for not immediately intervening when the toddler moved towards Neville. The parents might not be experts, but the shelter staff should know better...but maybe they don’t. Again, we are all still learning, and many shelters don’t have access to the tools they need. Their good intentions are there, and needed to save dogs, but they need more tools to make better decisions when introducing families to pets.
• On the part of the shelter for not removing the family if an employee did say, “Hey, I don’t advise you putting your child on the ground.” That would be a great time to reassess the situation if there were warnings about putting the toddler on the ground. Maybe then pick a suitable match and bring the family into a single room to meet the dog - a room with a poster on “how not to say hi to dogs.”

Here’s the take away: Victim blaming is never...let me repeat, never, ok. The way I see it, everyone “failed” but that doesn’t mean it’s the time to victim blame. I see gaping holes in education and safety protocol. It’s time to look at this event and say, “Hey, we need to do better and we can’t let this happen again.” How do we do that?

• The way to truly save Neville is to have a Certified Behavior Consultant, Applied Animal Behaviorist who works with dogs or a Veterinary Behaviorist assess the dog. They might say that he needs to be euthanized, or they might say he just can't be in a home with kids or loud noises.Regardless, someone with the, knowledge, experience and authority to make this sort of call should be involved. Qualified professionals should have a bigger say as to what happens to Neville than a mob on an online petition . These findings should be presented to the court.
• There needs to be a management plan and a behavior plan in place if he is saved.
• The shelter needs to look over their policies of how families meet dogs (and maybe provide education to their shelter staff, volunteers and community about how to interact with dogs safely.)
• They need to learn about, and teach, stress signals in dogs.
• Investigate using a behavior assessment protocol, like Matchup II and employ programs like Open Paw to make each shelter an educational hub for human/dog safety.
• The shelter needs to be ok if this dog gets euthanized. They also need to make sure they take the proper steps to make sure this never happens again.
• The shelter can ask a qualified, certified animal behaviorist (someone with a PhD in the field and a certification stating they have completed a program in animal science - not just any ol’ person who says they are a behaviorist. They need to back up their profession with actual credentials) to come in and work with them on proper assessment practices and how to manage the dogs and the people who want to adopt these dogs safely.

This dog still might get euthanized, or he might not, but public outcry should not be the thing that saves Neville. Using this as a teachable moment for all parties involved and to start programs in local schools (like Doggone Safe) to teach kids and parents about safe interactions with dogs is a fantastic place to start. Additionally, the Family Paws website and everything at
Living with Kids and Dogs is useful for all parents, even if you don't have dogs. Your kid might come in contact with dogs on walks, or get chased by a dog off leash - the information in these websites is invaluable and can prepare families for the unexpected.

This shelter should take the lead, learn about safe practices, and make sure they are on the hook if Neville bites again - because if they place this dog and he has another incident where someone gets seriously hurt, the shelter who stands by this dog needs to have some accountability.

-M3

----- Update!!! Neville was eventually placed in a home and evaluated by an orthopedic veterinarian who discovered he had a case of hip dysplasia. This could have been a contributing factor, or even the primary factor, in biting this young boy. That said, even with his medical condition, preventative measures would have gone a long way in ensuring Neville wasn't in a position where he needed to protect himself, and the young boy wouldn't have been in a position where he needed 16 stitches.

I love rescue. Every pet we have in our home is adopted and that will be the most likely case case for the rest of our days. With that said, it's imporant to note that everything listed above can certainly help change rescue from a place of simply moving animals into homes that may or may not be appropriate for a particular pet, but change the conversation to one of taking responsible measures to prevent another Neville situation from happening again. Remember, I'm not there, so I don't know first-hand how many, if any of the steps above have been adopted by the shelter to prevent these things from occuring again.

Neville was instead court ordered to register as a dangerous dog, which doesn't really mean much. Registering as a dangerous dog means different things through the country so while this looks like a lot was done, the onus after all of this is still put on Neville. The very thing this rescue was trying to prevent with a court case was to, yes, save his life, but also a major part of their argument was that this wasn't Neville's fault. I still firmly believe after all these years that in order to truly save Neville and dogs like him, steps need to be taken at the facility levely. If a case like Neville occurs at a facility and steps aren't taken to properly introduce kids and dogs, or if steps are not taken to educate the volunteers and staff to prevent this occurance from happening again, then the onus is solidly on the rescue in future cases. *Due to hateful language in the comments section, the comments might have to get shut down. That said, I have reported comments that call me an asshole, or call the parents terrible things. I won't stand for it and will report all comments that are hateful and not helpful to the conversation. If they continue the post will remain up but comments will be disabled. We are all adults, so keep it civil. We can agree to disagree, but any and all personal attacks will be removed and reported immediately. I find it telling that the comments removed were exactly the speech I'm aiming to change. Clearly, there is more work to do.*