I had a serious "Jack Attack"!

Could he be any sweeter?  Nope!

Saturday I had my first official session with Jack.  Yes, we met at the shelter last week and I worked with him but I still consider this one our first.

Jack is settling in his new foster home quite nicely.  Gone is the timid boy I met last week.  He is 100% puppy, full of kisses and all "wiggly butt".

The big plan for the day was to get Jack fitted into a TTouch Step-In Harness and a double ended leash.  We decided to let Jack select the color of his harness and I spread them all out on the floor.  Although at first he thought he wanted Navy Blue he quickly returned it for the Bright Blue.  Not only is Jack ultra precious he has a fantastic sense of color and fashion.

After fitting him in his harness his foster parents and I took him outside and practice using the Super Balance Leash.  We practiced "let's go!" & "and wait".   Jack caught on quickly.  Since he has had such serious trauma to his head and face it is safe to assume that his neck has had trauma as well.  I don't want Jack doing any pulling that will irritate his neck.  The harness is perfect for him.

I was so happy to see that Jack's eye is getting better.  The swelling is going down a bit and you can actually see his eye now.  The abscess is draining and getting smaller.  Jack will be having a full medical evaluation on Thursday, August 12.  As bad as his eye and the abscess are what really concerns me is his leg.

The angle of Jack's left leg is NOT because of how he is sitting.

My concern is that Jack is going to be a really big dog.  I'm not a Vet but I have to wonder how this badly healed leg is going to handle all the growth to come.  How will the bone grow?  How will it support his weight?  What about all the calcium build up on the inside of that leg?  These things concern me.  Right now we don't know if the Shelter will recommend and provide surgery to fix his leg.  We will know more Thursday if the Vet recommends surgery to fix it and if the shelter has the funds to do it.

With all that this little boy has been through, and the incredible attitude of love he has, it is my hope he will receive everything he needs to make up for what has happened to him.

Please keep Jack in your thoughts and prayers as very important medical decisions are made that will impact the rest of his life.

Lookie what I got!!!

Nicole is awesome!  She just sent me these pics of Jack and Darla.  No point posting tomorrow what can be posted tonight!

I'm not sure if it is my imagination or if it is all of the "distance" work that has been offered up to Jack but I swear his face looks quite a bit better than it did yesterday.  We have people from all over the world that are doing distance TTouch, CranioSacral Therapy, Theta Healing, Thought Field Therapy and Emotion Code Therapy on Jack.  Not to mention all the prayers that are being said for him.

When I first heard about how sweet Darla is being with him my first thoughts were "Jack has a girlfriend"...but I think what Jack has is a Momma!

Such a good girl isn't even competing for his bone.

All babies need a bit of a nap after playing and having a snack.  Jack is no different.  He and Darla snuggle in for sweet dreams of happy days!

Thank you to Nicole and Dale for opening their hearts and home to this very special boy.

Update on little Jack!

Nicole is the Kennel Manager at the shelter and also the short-term foster mom for Jack.  Yesterday she promised to keep me updated on how he is doing.  Bless her heart she has kept her word  :-)

Turns out Jack is a totally different dog now that he is at her house.  He loves her Boxer x Pit girl, Darla and Darla is pretty fond of Jack too.  She is letting him jump on her and even pull on her lips like puppies will do!

All signs of Jacks shyness are gone.  He is eating and drinking, running and playing, even going potty outside like a big boy.  Dogs usually do much better after leaving a shelter environment but this little guy is just exceptional in every way.

Nicole will be sending me pictures tomorrow and I'll ask if I can share them here.  Jack has a fan club that reaches 'round the world thanks to all of you that read my blog and my entire TTouch family.

More good news!  I heard from my friend Steph.  She will be doing the longer term foster for Jack once he has his surgery and has given me the green light to continue working with him then too.   As soon as Nicole and Jack are ready I'll bring over all my harnesses and we will pick one out that is just his color!

We are all pulling for Jack to make a complete recovery, mentally and physically.  I'd say we are well on our way!

A Very Emotional Day

I'll be the first to admit that most times I'm pretty much of a Pollyanna and very rarely feel down, or blue.  Today is one of those days where I'm an emotional roller coaster.  As always I see the silver lining, it's just my nature but I also have a heavy heart.

Last night as I looked through the photos of dogs at the shelter and was trying to see if anyone "reached out to me"....one did.  I saw this face and immediately started paving the way to work with this dog.

This is Jack.  He is a 3 month old Pit Bull puppy. In Jack's short life he has seen more violence than anyone ever should. Here is a list of the issues he has:

• Fractured skull
• Old, improperly healed fracture to his front right leg
• Left eye pushed back into his head
• Huge Abscess on his face under his eye
• Scars that appear that the left side of his face was all but removed
• Countless old scars

Please keep in mind he is a baby.  He is only THREE MONTHS OLD!  My heart aches for what he has been through.  There is speculation that he was used as a bait dog.  With a fractured scull and no bite marks to the top of the head I have to wonder if there is a "human" element to this violence as well.  Come to think of it there is a human element in using a puppy as a bait dog too but you know what I mean.


Today I put all that out of my head and spent an hour and a half hanging out with Jack.  He is comfortable and happy in his huge dog crate but he doesn't want to come out at all.  So with the upper half of my body in his crate I did TTouch on his little body and told him how special and wonderful he is.  I promised that no one would ever hurt him again and that he is loved by many.  This happy puppy responded to my play bows with lots of kisses.  In some respects he is no different than any other puppy.

The pictures I took of Jack are very poor.  My beloved Nikon is feeling sick and was not my trusty companion today.  Add to that the fact that Jack won't come out of his crate and go outside with me and he is housed in a darkened area of the shelter - this is the best I can do.

You can see the lump on the left side of his face and that is the abscess.

Nicole, one of the medical staff, will be taking him home with her and keeping him a few days.  Early next week he will be evaluated and at minimum will have his left eye removed and the abscess dealt with.  As you can see from the paws he will be a BIG boy when he grows up.  I don't know that they plan to re-break the leg and fix it but you can see it is a mess.

Nicole will be fostering Jack after his surgery and as agreed to have me work with him and assist in his recovery.  I'll be approaching another shelter friend of mine that will be doing long term foster for him and see if I can continue working with him after he moves to her.

Jack will need help learning to trust.  He needs his self confidence built up and his fears put to rest.  Jack will need to learn to balance that big 'ol body he will be growing and TTouch can help with all of this.

I have visions of this beautiful boy walking the labyrinth, stepping over the poles of the star, walking the balance beam and weaving through cones - all with a smile on his face.




Please send your warm wishes and prayers for his speedy and complete recovery - physically and emotionally.

This loving, precious, amazing, adorable little boy deserves all the good this world has to offer.

Today I also learned that little Pinky, the frightened dog I worked with a couple weeks ago was lost to a Parvo outbreak at the shelter.  Rest in Peace little one.  You no longer have to be afraid of anything.







Before you start to think that volunteering at the shelter is a big downer I have to share that a very special boy, Charlie, started his new life with a family that loves him today!

Not every day at the shelter is a walk in the park.  Sometimes there is anger, rage or painful tears.  But the Pollyanna in me always sees the bigger picture.

• Jack is surrounded by people that love him and will take care of him.  He will see more tenderness than ever before.  He will grow to be happy and healthy in body and spirit.  Someone will be very blessed to welcome him into their lives
• Little Pinky is at peace and no longer afraid of the world
• Charlie has a home
• And I will find someone to fix my dear friend, Nikon