The Princess

Camelot, Cami, or you can just call me "The Princess"

I love working with all animals. In fact I've not met a dog or cat I haven't liked along this journey of mine. Maybe it is because of the tough road we have traveled with Sammi and Marley's backs that I have an extra special spot in my heart for those with physical difficulties.

Tellington TTouch is no substitute for veterinary care but it can be quite complimentary to it. A supportive and comforting care to go along with what the Doctor orders.

Focusing on this special place in my heart my desire was to bring in more cases that have physical pain, those recovering from injury or surgery or issues that impair their mobility. The other day I started giving this some serious thought followed by an action plan. I asked myself what breed may fall into this category. Although there are many the Dachshund immediately popped into my mind and I ran a Google search of rescue groups in my area.

2nd Chance Dachshund Rescue of San Diego - www.2ndchancedoxie.com/ - caught my eye. 2nd Chance Dachshund Rescue is very special. They are local out of San Diego and only take 4 or 5 dogs at a time. The reason is they provide exceptional natural care. The dogs are fed the highest quality diet and an array of supplements. They are raised naturally without chemicals. They are given the best of care for mind and body. I sent them an email of introduction and an offer to assist any Doxies that may benefit from spending time with me. In a matter of hours I had a reply. They had such a dog. A little girl named Camelot, or Cami, or Princess as people tend to call her.

Saturday morning, bright and early, I met Cami and her "Mom", Cathleen.


Cami was born with a spine that has a 45 degree angle to it! As bad as this sounds Cami's spine doesn't slow this little girl down one bit. The big problem is that she has been diagnosed with an auto immune disease called Immune Medicated Polyarthritis that is requiring her to have some pretty nasty medicine. She has also had some painful episodes and some lameness. To read more about this disease please click on this link:
www.fecava.org/files/ejcap/678.pdf

There is something else she has that I'm going to talk about for a moment. This is something that did not have to happen to her. There is a breeding practice called Color Dilution where mutated genes are matched to produce unnatural colors. Beautiful unnatural colors, in fact.

So, what the heck is wrong with making these pretty colors?

The biggest problem is that by 2-3 years old the dog will begin to get bacterial infections (folliculitis) and require antibiotics. That will work for a time. The hair will begin to fall out and this alopecia will spread. The skin in the effected areas tends to be scaly and be at risk for sunburn and extreme cold temperatures.

Breeding a purebred dog should be done for the betterment of the breed. This practice is not in the dogs best interest and needs to stop.

Back to my visit with Cami.

Cami shares her home with two other Doxies, Carlee and Cooper. Rumor has it that Cooper tends to have some nervous tics to him and is particular as to which women he trusts in his life. Carlee is as cute and affectionate as can be.

It is nice when I have multiple dogs to work with at a time because Tellington TTouch is all about moments and not minutes. The pause between the work is as important as the touches and gives the brain an opportunity to process what has just happened. So, having multiple dogs to work with provides these pauses naturally.

I have a tiny little body wrap that was perfect for Cami. She has tried a Thundershirt before but because of her hump it was not as comfortable as it is for other dogs. The wrap was perfect as we could avoid it all together.

I did short bursts of touches on Cami because this little girl is a bundle of energy and had other things to do~ A Princess' work is never done.

Cooper was a delight. Far more shy and calm than his sisters but he was not too shy to crawl up on my lap and get his fair share. While Cooper melted into my lap Carlee squeezed in for her turn.

One thing I noticed about these long nose dogs is they had no problem letting me know what they liked and where they wanted it. If I took the touches to the back end they would use those long noses to lift up my hand and flip it up toward their heads! All three did this and being a momma to "no nose" Frenchie boyz I got a smile from it.

Cami would look on and even "nose" the other Doxies when I worked on them but it was beneath her to come over to me so I'd reach out to her. It was an enjoyable juggling act.

Holding an intention of what you want to see in Tellington TTouch is very important. My intention for Cami is to help her through her treatment. When her body is in pain or swelling we can do Snail Tail or Raccoon Touches. Wraps can comfort her and generally help her feel better.

By the end of my visit all three dogs were relaxed and I hear had quite the late morning nap.

I look forward to seeing these special little ones next week.