GrouchyPuppy® Blog | Dog Lovers Source

Our True Companion

 

Rescued German Shepherd training to help people as therapy dog

Via HPE.com

HIGH POINT — A dog that once had a hard life is on his way to becoming an animal that can help others.

Annette Braetzkus, who has been rescuing dogs all her life, rescued Roscoe in February. “He had been tied to a tree with no food, shelter or water,” she said. “He needed a home to get out of the cold.” With food and medications, Roscoe recovered fairly quickly.

But the black German Shepherd, now about a year old, was a little different. “He was so sweet, we thought he could be a therapy dog,” said Braetzkus, a former nurse. “He has been evaluated and has the personality for therapy.”

The next step was training.  Roscoe has finished one round of training with veteran trainer Jim Hodges of Winston-Salem. “Roscoe’s disposition is wonderful,” Hodges said. “He has a loving and caring nature. Not all rescued dogs make good therapy dogs. He’ll be a great therapy dog, but he is not quite ready yet.”

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Sweet Senior Dog of the Week: Samantha

Soft coat? Check. Big radar ears perfect for scratching? Check! Available for adoption? That's a giant yes so keep reading...

Meet sultry silky Samantha, this week's senior sweetie from Muttville in San Francisco. Given our love for Cleo, you know we'd be partial to this face. We know this lovely girl would do her best to be your best friend and faithful companion because from our years with Cleo, that's how shepherds roll...

Every Sunday we share a new adorable dog from local hero Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, then highlight the cutie throughout the week across our GrouchyPuppy network. We hope you'll help us spread the word of the availability of these senior dogs, and when you meet your own love match, adopt one. 

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Meet Samantha, from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue

Samantha is a gorgeous German Shepherd who was used as a breeding machine. In fact, when she arrived at the animal shelter, after being found wandering the streets in Oakland, her nipples were still swollen from having pups. Samantha is calm and gentle, gets along great with other animals and was even great at the vet's when getting her blood drawn! Samantha is about 7 years old. Her back end is weak and she is somewhat shy but she is OK with walks and loves pets and attention.

She is so beautiful, with her big brown soulful eyes. Samantha deserves all the good things in life and a family to love! That’s what her dreams are made of . . .

Samantha: http://www.muttville.org/mutt/samantha-1585

Dogs help kids get excited about reading

Via Ottowa Citizen

OTTAWA — Ten-year-old Golden Retriever Lia is a good listener with a seeming infinite capacity for cuddles and colourful picture books with short words.

This makes Lia an ideal READ dog — as in Reading Education Assistance Dog.

Eight-year-old Nathanael Schoenhals is in French immersion at Agincourt Road Public School and his mom Kristen was concerned that he was losing his ability to read English.

Put Nathanael and Lia together and you’ve got an informal reading class away from classroom and peer pressures where kids, often intimidated by their own reading difficulties, clam up.

“It helps me feel like I’ve got a friend to read to,” said Nathanael, who has had several sessions with Lia and other dogs since last fall. “It helps me learn.”

Read the full story

Man's Best Friends Loyal and True

 

 

In-Training Service Dogs Walk in College Graduation Before Final Training

Via USA Today

OXFORD, Ohio -- More than 3,200 potential graduates will be recognized at Miami University's commencement exercises Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.

They will be joined by two four-legged companions who also are taking their final steps before entering the real world.

The dogs, Boeing and Banshee, spent the last semester with four Miami students, who will be getting their diplomas. The dogs are part of a campus program geared toward socializing the dogs that is offered at Miami, as well as Cedarville University, the University of Kentucky, Ohio State University, Wittenberg University and Wright State University.

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Fido Funny: Dog does his business

 

 

Welcome to San Francisco

San Francisco (via www.lifeanddog.com)

From The Magazine | Sharon Castellanos Photo by Kira Stackhouse (page 1 of 2)   There are hidden treasures all over San Francisco that suggest why we have more dogs than children within the city limits, and why Tony Bennett left his heart here. One of my favorite outings with my dog is walking through…

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Nobody is more patient with my mood swings than my dog

 

 

 

San Francisco SPCA 3rd Annual Whole Enchihuahua May 18th!

It's the Whole Enchihuahua!

Saturday May 18, 2013

12:00pm until 3:00pm

Dolores Park (Dolores Street @ 19th Street)

Join the San Francisco SPCA for the third annual Whole Enchihuahua! This fun-filled afternoon in Dolores Park includes a doggie costume contest (registration is noon - 1pm, contest starts at 2pm), live music, food trucks, children's activities, an exciting dog training course, Ask-A-Vet booth, Ask-A-Trainer booth, free dental checks for dogs, pet-related vendors, and adoptable dogs and cat from the SF SPCA and our rescue partners.

This event is designed to raise awareness about Chihuahuas, which represent a disproportionately large and growing percentage of dogs in Bay Area shelters.

Details at: www.sfspca.org/twe2013

Photos from last year: www.7x7.com/thewholeenchihuahua2012_photos

 

AHA says pets may lower your heart disease risk

Via Today

They’re happy to see you when you get home, love you unconditionally and make you get up from the couch to take a walk. And there’s a growing body of evidence that pets can lower your risk of heart disease, too, the American Heart Association says.

The group says there’s now enough evidence that pets are heart-healthy to justify an official statement summing up the evidence.

“The most data and the best data were on dog ownership,” said Dr. Glenn Levine of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, who led the committee that wrote the statement. “In no way are we discounting or dissing cats or other pets,” Levine added hastily.

The committee went through all the evidence linking pet ownership with lowered risk of heart disease. There’s plenty of it:

• Dog owners exercise more than people who don’t have dogs and they’re 54 percent more likely to get recommended levels of daily exercise.
• Stroking a pet can lower your blood pressure. Several studies show pet owners in general have lower blood pressure than people without pets.
• Pet owners can handle stress better -- even when their pets aren’t around.

Read the full story

San Francisco SPCA Annual Dog Day on the Bay Sunday June 2

Sunday June 2, 2013 Experience the 9^th annual Dog Day on the Bay – the only dog friendly brunch cruise in the Bay Area! A full buffet of human foods and free-flowing champagne is included, as is a buffet of fresh doggie treats and water bars throughout the boat.

For details and tickets

CRUISE INCLUDES

• Two Hour Yacht Cruise
• Gourmet Brunch Buffet
• “Bow Wow Buffet” and Water Bars for Dogs
• Free-flowing Champagne, Bottomless Mimosas, Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, Coffee, Tea and Water
• One 5x7 Boarding Photo
• Scenic San Francisco Bay views
• DJ Entertainment
• Doggie relief area "poop deck"
• Raffle prizes and more!

One dog per person, all dogs must be on leash. Please see guidelines for more information. Proceeds are donated to the San Francisco SPCA. For more information on the SPCA, please visit www.sfspca.org.

Pepper the wonderful service dog saves a life

"She's a wonderful dog. I don't think I'd be as happy if it wasn't for Pep. She's my best friend."

Via This is Derbyshire

A DOG given to a young disabled man to help him with everyday household tasks has ended up saving his life – more than once.

Pepper was brought in to support 27-year-old Ross Durkin, who is paralysed from the chest down.

But as well as fetching Ross the post, grabbing him the phone and helping him get undressed, Pepper has trained herself to raise the alarm when he suffers one of his life-threatening seizures.

Ross, who sleeps downstairs at his Duffield home, has a seizure at least once each month and, if it happens in the middle of the night, he is in danger of choking, biting off his tongue or falling out of bed.

Pepper immediately runs upstairs, which is normally out-of-bounds for her, to alert Ross's mum, Ruth, or sister Alicia. They quickly give Ross medication which brings his condition under control, before he can suffer harm.

Ross said: "Pepper is a really clever dog. She's saved my life so many times."

Read the full sweet story

Puppy Eyes Reflect Love

Source: www.grouchypuppy.com via Sharon on Pinterest

 

 

This is how I'll always see my dog Cleo, reflecting the love she sees coming from my eyes. By now she'd been with us four years and she had fully embraced my devotion and commitement to her. This photo is from 2009 during a moment when we had just returned to pick her up from a visit with Team Cleo.

She is telling us that she had a good time but that she was ready to go home. We happily complied.

 

Sweet Senior Dog of the Week: Unsinkable Molly Brown

It's Mother's Day, the perfect day to begin a new weekly series called Sweet Senior Dogs. We're partnering with local success story Muttville Senior Dog Rescue with the idea of using our GrouchyPuppy network to bring greater awareness of sweet adoptable senior dogs.

We met these amazing people with big hearts three years ago, and have been huge supporters ever since. With my own dog Cleo clearly in her golden years, I am even more empathetic to Muttville's mission. My understanding of the human animal bond is also the reason I am involved in Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS). How could I not do my part to help find the perfect new forever home for a sweet senior dog?

Starting with Miss Molly here, expect to see a senior sweetie every Sunday then highlighted throughout the week across our GrouchyPuppy network. We hope you'll help us spread the word of the availability of these senior dogs, and when you meet your own love match, adopt one. 

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Strength in Second Chances: The “Unsinkable” Molly Brown

At Muttville, it’s never too late for a second chance. And thank goodness for that, because sweet Molly Brown is looking for a loving home to call her own. This little lady has earned the compassion of everyone at Muttville with her story of unwavering hope and optimism. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Molly Brown, but her truly “unsinkable” spirit has overcome the odds - all she needs now is a loving home to make her happy ending complete!

At 12 years old, Molly Brown lost her best doggie friend in the world. Then,  she was abandoned by the only family she had ever known, living in an isolated garage without love or attention. That’s when Muttville stepped in to help this sweet girl.