Can you help me help them?

Did you know that Escondido Humane Society has 617 animals in their care? Some are housed in the shelter and some are in private foster care homes but either way that is a LOT of mouths to feed and needs to care for.

TouchNpaws will be walking in the Paws In The Park Walk-a-Thon to benefit the wonderful animals of Escondido Humane Society on March 27.  This Walk-a-Thon is critical to the shelter’s survival as so much of their daily operating expenses are funded through this walk.

Last year friends and family helped me raise $1,300 for the animals at Escondido Humane Society. Together I believe we should have no problem raising more!  I am asking for your help, donations and company matches again this year. 

How can you help?

• You can join Team TouchNpaws by clicking on the link and and start your own fundraising page, collect donations and walk with us in person or be a "Virtual Walker".

• You can start a “catch all” jar and stash your loose change and spare bills in there and turn them in as a tax deductible donation.

• Speaking of “Taxes” - There are 9 days left to make a nice donation for the animals and have it count toward your 2010 taxes!



Thank you for supporting us!



How can you make a donation?

Visit my fundraising page! 

CLICK here!

No amount is too small or too LARGE

 

Can we count on your support?

Twinkie and Krystal

A few days ago I was asked to work with a dog named Twinkie.  Twinkie is at the shelter and has not yet passed her behavior test so she can move into the adoptions area.  It would seem that she does not care for any one to get near her mouth.

Twinkie

Friday night I stopped by to introduce myself to Twinkie and to get a feel for where we would need to begin on Saturday morning.  I had made several different plans on what I might do to gain Twinkie's trust and get her to allow me to do some gentle touches on the outside of her muzzle.

When I met Twinkie she was very friendly.  I did a few basic introductory touches as I offered her treats.  Never did she show any signs of discomfort.  It was only a matter of minutes before I stroked her muzzle with the back of my hand.  Twinkie was fine with this.  We alternated play with TTouch.  We'd do some TTouches and then play.  Then we'd play some more and do some TTouches.   Twinkie wasn't the least bit concerned when I lifted her flew and stroked the inside of her lip area.  I was able to do circle TTouches on her gums, even if she had a toy or treat in her mouth!  No sign of protecting her mouth at all.

I didn't have any clicker equipment with me but I used my word marker "yep" to do some very basic clicker training with her.  We worked on "Sit" and "Look At Me" quite a bit.  What a smart girl she is.

Saturday I spent an hour with her doing more TTouches as she crawled onto my lap and cuddled with me as I worked on her.  Knowing how well she responded to my modified clicker training the night before I came prepared!  We worked on "Sit", "Stay", "Look At Me", "Touch", "Come" and even loose leash walking.  Again I was able to do any mouth work on her that I wanted to.

One of the most fun things we did was work on "Sit" and "Stay" while I threw her stuffed Hedge Hog for her.  Then she would run and retrieve it for me.  When Twinkie would return with her stuffy I was able to take it from her without any protest.  She would willingly trade the toy for a treat or allow me to gently remove it from her.  Of course she wanted something in return so I'd always offer her a treat or some TTouches.  Either were fine with Miss Twinkie.


My guess is she should be moving to Adoptions very soon!  She is going to make someone a wonderful companion.

Krystal the Beauty

Krystal is another dog I was asked to see if I could help.  Isn't she a beauty?

Owieeeee baby!

Turns out this lovely little girl has a horrendous case of Demodex Mange!  Demodex is not contagious but it sure can get pretty raw and sore.  Knowing how painful the lesions can be I decided to do distance TTouches on her back end.  With my hand a couple inches over her sore area I did TTouches that would help reduce pain and inflammation.

Sandy, a friend from French Bulldog Rescue Network has had wonderful results with a specific home cooked diet that has worked miracles on Demodex dogs.

While at my training in Portland in November there was a dog with very bad Demodex.  One of the students, that later adopted the dog, made a strong chamomile tea and when it cooled used it as a compress for the sore and inf lammed skin.  I shared both of these tips with the shelter to see what might be incorporated into her routine and speed up her healing.

Poor Krystal was turning to her back end and chewing on the open sores.  Obviously they itch and hurt but allowing her to do this will only hamper her healing.  I recommended a soft donut type collar for her so it could prevent her from chewing without the rough edge of an Elizabethan Collar roughing her up every time she turned her head that way.

This particular shelter has very dedicated volunteers and one would her her collar right away.

I've been told that as bad as Krystal looks in this photo she was far worse upon intake a week or two ago.  Demodex is an amazing malady for a dog to have.  Mites that are normally on the skin get out of control in stressful situations and eating the skin results in these sores.  I have seen dogs with horrible Demodex that is so bad you really aren't 100% even what breed they are.  Recovery with the right treatment and care can be swift and very dramatic.  Let's hope this is the result we see for darling Krystal.

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today our Marley was paralyzed and in tremendous pain.  This very minute last year Steve and I were frantic waiting for the call that he made it through his surgery.....we still had another hour and a half to wait.

It is amazing that the pain and emotions are still so close to the surface.  Even with the wonderful outcome we have had it is still very emotional to look back on it.




A huge Thank You to his Neuro Surgeon Dr. Tammy Stevenson who was able to clean out all the debris that blew into his spinal cord. 

To his Rehab Veterinarian Dr. Clair Sosna for her physical therapy and nutrition counseling. 

And to Linda Tellington Jones for giving me the ability to help my boy walk again. 

And the biggest Thank You to God for answering our prayers and giving us our boy back the same way he was.  It has been a heck of a journey.

Marley is the same happy, fun loving boy he always was.  He runs, plays and jumps (giving me a heart attack) - I doubt he even remembers the ordeal.  Steve and I will never forget and we tear up just watching him chase a tennis ball at times

Exciting Times

With folks in the holiday spirit and engaging in the hustle and bustle of the season things have been a bit quiet on the blog.

That does not mean things aren't happnin' here at TouchNpaws.  My Tellington TTouch training is about to wrap up.  We are holding a 6-day training session here in San Diego in February, 2011 and this will be my final group of classes. 

TTouch has ignited a fire within me and there are other modalities to embrace and learn.  First on the list is Aromatherapy and Essential Oils.  Because I feel this will be a fantastic fit with the Tellington TTouch work I've enrolled in a Certification Program to become an Advanced Aromatherapist.  This training will leave me skilled in helping both animals and their people...well that is if I ever get this Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology figured out  :-)  I feel like I'm studying to be a Veterinarian!

When March rolls around I'll be putting the Aromatherapy training on a back burner for a month and a half while I concentrate on Reiki.

My vision is to help sick, injured and hospice animals and their people.  Tellington TTouch, Aromatherapy and Reiki will be a wonderful foundation.

Of course other modalities are waiting for me as soon as I finish the next two.

At this time of Thanksgiving I can't help but be thankful for Linda Tellington-Jones and her marvelous gift of TTouch.  Because of her and her work I've found the reason I was born.

Tellington TTouch 6-Day Training Comes to San Diego!

Those of you that have been reading my blog - Thank You!  You have seen example after example of what this wonderful, gentle method can do for our animal friends...and ourselves.

February 2011 will be a very exciting month.  Tellington TTouch 6-Day Training, taught by Kathy Cascade, will be coming to San Diego Humane Society February 19-24! 

Tellington TTouch can help in cases of

*  Car Sickness

*  Conditions Associated With Aging

*  Provide Supportive and Comfort Care During Illness, Injury and to Hospice Patients

*  Excessive Barking and Chewing

*  Leash Pulling

*  Jumping Up

*  Aggressive Behavior

*  Extreme Fear and Shyness

*  Resistance to Grooming

*  Excitability and Nervousness

San Diego's winters are very mild and there is so much to do here.  I hope some of you will head this way to either continue working on your certification or just come for a visit and learn more to help your animal friends in 6 days than you ever imagined.

I'm super excited about the training behing held in San Diego for a couple reasons.  Most importantly I've wanted Marley and Pierre to be able to enjoy the benefits of spending some time in a TTouch Session.  Now they can!

Finally, I will be graduating in my home town and my very supportive husband, Steve, will be able to watch me get my final certificate.  I hope you will consider attending and maybe discover a new passion in your life, like I did.

Pleae contact the office at http://www.ttouch.com/ to register....contact me directly if I can answer any questions for you or if you would like me to send you a flyer.

Busy day!

It has been awhile since I've had an opportunity to get to the shelter.  Today was the day!  Oh, and I also had 2 private appointments on the books as well.

Molly, the Adorable

Meet Buster.  

He is a precious Rottie/Pit mix puppy.  He is a "Singleton" meaning he has no siblings.  One problem we see with singletons is they don't learn bit inhibition very well.  That is where we are with Buster.  He has been too mouthy with some and has reportedly growled over food.  Not a good thing in a shelter environment.  Even though he is only 8 weeks old there is little tolerance for a mouthy and pushy puppy.

Buster and I had a great time doing TTouch, playing and some clicker training.  Because he has some concerns related to food I held a treat closed in my hand and clicked and treated as soon as he backed away from pawing, or licking my hand.

Please say a prayer and think good thoughts for Buster and I as we work together to improve his manners and give him a sense of security.  He needs to make progress quickly before it is too late for him.


Then there is Molly.

Almost a month ago I saw this picture of Molly and was dying to work with her.  I asked around but nothing came of it.  I continued to look at her picture on the website and send TTouches her way.  Well today I finally got to meet this little one.

I don't know how old Molly is but she is just a baby pittie girl.  Molly was hit by a car and has much of the same neurological issues as Aurora.  Just like Aurora she spins to the left.

Molly was amazing as soon as I put a body wrap on her.  All of a sudden she was walking straighter and with purpose.  She still spun a bit but not even close to what she had done prior.  We spent an hour doing TTouch, playing, more TTouch, cuddling and more TTouch.  I just adore this little girl.

Next I worked with a dog named Ned.  Ned's "parents" are so giving to dogs in need that when I heard their boy Ned had a bum leg I wanted to see if there was something TTouch could do to help. 

We did some touches, belly lifts and practiced the balance lead so Ned won't pull so much causing more stress and damage to his leg. 

Pete and Jennifer were surprised that Ned would take treats from me.  He never takes treats from other people.  Because of the way TTouch builds trust and reduces stress I wasn't very surprised at all  :-)

Back from Portland!

Buster!

 

TTouch Training in Portland was so much more than I dared to dream.  So many loose ends were tied up for me and I'm feeling renewed and ready to hit the ground running!

Edie Jane and Spirit Dog, Barney

Edie Jane was our instructor and simply fabulous!!!  No two ways about it.  I love the way Edie Jane is so detailed and helps really refine our technique and understand the reasons we choose to use specific tools. 

Lauren McCall did a fantastic demo on a Bunny Rabbit.  Bunnies are so delicate within their digestive system and sensitivities to heat that I'm amaze the rabbits I had as a kid even survived! 

Here Lauren is putting a body wrap on this little bunny.

My new friend Chuck and I worked on Mr. Whiskers.  He was adopted out before we had a chance to work with him a second time.  Yeah, Mr Whiskers!!!



Client day is always a favorite of mine.  I was thrilled to find out my client was a 7 year old American Bulldog x Pit Bull.  Buster has severe arthritis and luxating patellas. Turns out he is quite fearful in public.  That was the main concern we addressed.

First time Buster lays down in a public place

On the first day of class we all selected a dog we wanted to visit several times during the week.  I picked Bella, part of a bonded pair.  As my new friend Brigid and I stood before the dogs I selected Bella because of her strong resemblance to Alfie.  Oh my was she a handful the first day. 

Bella, the Beautiful

Bella is strongly bonded to her friend, Buddy.  Bella also is very "forward" on a leash....in other words she dang near ripped my arms off  :-)

The second time I saw her was during a visit with my friend, Dennis.  Dennis did a full observation of any tension patterns she may have had and this time she was much more at ease and would even leave Buddy for a short time to investigate something and come back.  Very nice!

Love Buddy's freckles

Finally on the last day I put her in a body wrap and a harness and took her outside without Buddy.  Through some more advanced leash work, and a few helpers, we helped Bella find her balance!  She was walking beautifully in a configuration we call a Homing Pigeon.  This has been a technique I've struggled with since day one.....not any more.  Thanks to the beautiful Bella I've got it!

When the final class was over I paid them a visit in an interaction area.  I thanked both of them for all they had taught me.  A woman in Adoptions told me that a very nice lady spent time with them and placed a hold on them.  I do hope this lovely pair of dogs finds their forever home soon!

Wishing you well, little Bella