Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Colorado, Divide Creek Animal Hospital, July 4th, aggression, agitation, alaskan malamute, canine compulsive disorder, clomipramine, crazy bitch, dog behavior, dog fight, dog story, dogland, dogs, fear, firecrackers, fireworks, lake powell, obsession, rehabilitation, tibbetts
Even though nothing bad happened when Venus snuck out of the garage and barked at that guy, we didn’t ignore her behavior. With CCD any change in behavior can indicate the dog is out of balance – in this case Venus. Then we look for reasons why she might be out of balance.
On Tuesday evening before her escape, Tod had put the camper on the pickup because he needed to take it in for some minor repairs. But Venus and Zeus didn’t know that. All they know is camper on the pickup means we’re going somewhere. We assumed Venus snuck out so she could be closer to the camper just in case we were leaving soon.
We were getting ready to go to Lake Powell. But the dogs had to wait a whole week before the trip actually happened. During that week she definitely fixated on the camper. But that’s what the whole “practice, practice, practice” thing is all about, which Dr. Pearce and I had discussed in May. Venus has to learn to cope with the summer activities and changes in routine. In contrast Zeus acted more cheerful. I could tell he was excited about the camper being on the pickup but he was content to wait.
We left for Lake Powell on Tuesday, June 16. Our granddaughter, Hailey came along so Venus rode in the camper and Zeus sat in the backseat with Hailey. Venus has ridden in the camper many times but she acted more anxious about it than she needed to be. We have a 2-way thermometer to monitor temperature in the camper, which was in the low 70s so she was fine.
For the most part, the trip went well for Venus and Zeus. They’ve been to Lake Powell many times. They enjoy boating, swimming, and camping. The weather wasn’t as hot as usual, high 80s during the day and low 60s at night, which was very comfortable for them. To get to the boat the dogs have a long walk out onto 2 busy docks past other boats, people, and dogs coming and going. I walked them on leashes with one hand they were so calm.
Yet we did notice behavior patterns in Venus that seemed a little off.
On Wednesday, we took the boat out to a favorite spot we call Zeus’s Cove. For 2 hours, Venus obsessed about the lizards in the rocks. She hunted them relentlessly. No matter how many times we distracted her, she always went back to the lizards. She barely swam. She just chased lizards.
This is what Zeus did while Venus chased lizards.
Venus didn’t stand still long enough to shoot photos of her.
She has always chased lizards at Lake Powell and Moab. But we’ve always been able to distract her. This time it was harder to distract her.
The next day she was so exhausted from chasing lizards the day before she only chased lizards for about an hour, then she passed out on the boat under the dashboard where it was too dark to take pictures.
Our boat isn’t very big so it’s pretty close quarters for 2 adults, 1 child, and 2 big dogs. But they were well-behaved on the boat.
On the boat ride back to the marina I noticed Venus staring at Zeus. I distracted her and she moved away and ignored him.
Back at the campground, a group of teen boys ran foot races on the road past our campsite. Venus was tied but she went nuts barking and jumping. She was really agitated and didn’t calm down until they stopped running.
After supper she passed out from exhaustion before sunset. Shortly after dark, a man who was setting up camp across the road from us walked into our campsite without a flashlight and started asking questions about the campground in a loud voice. He startled the three of us so of course he startled the dogs. Venus woke up out of dead sleep and freaked. She didn’t attack the man or go near him, she just went nuts again barking. I took her inside the camper but it took awhile to calm her down. Eventually she fell asleep.
On the trip back home she was too exhausted to be agitated about riding in the camper. I thought about her mood swings and wondered whether she had fun or if she had simply worn herself out.
On Saturday at Dogland she seemed normal but I noticed that Lucy, the black Lab, and Honey, the Cocker Spaniel, avoided her.
At 7:30 pm that evening, someone in the neighborhood exploded a string of firecrackers. Both dogs were in the house. As I have mentioned, Zeus hates fireworks. He stood abruptly and fled downstairs. I walked calmly to the kitchen to fetch the PetCalm. More firecrackers exploded. Zeus, still agitated, came back upstairs and walked over to his water dish in the kitchen. Venus was lying about 3 feet away from him. In less than 10 seconds she jumped up and grabbed him by the neck, above his spiked collar. Tod was right there and called her off mid-strike but she didn’t listen. I filled a pitcher with water and dumped it on her head. She let go.
As Tod separated them, Zeus went after Venus. He was totally pissed. He bit her on the cheek. Tod separated them again. The whole thing lasted about 90 seconds. Neither Tod or I were bitten. Zeus has a bite on his neck and Venus has a bite on her cheek.
We’ve been keeping them separated since, except when we go to Dogland or take them for leashed walks. We put Zeus on PetCalm twice a day to get us through fireworks season.
On Monday, I took Venus to the vet. Dr. Pearce is on vacation this week, so we saw Dr. Langegger. He is familiar with Venus’s case and I brought him up to date on her mood swings that culminated in her aggression toward Zeus.
We discussed and agonized over whether to increase her Clomipramine dosage to 100 mg twice a day without consulting Dr. Pearce. Eventually we came to the conclusion it’s what we must do to get her through the summer.
Each unusual behavior by itself is probably no cause for concern. But all together they form a pattern of unbalanced energy. Her aggression toward Zeus showed us that she’s losing control.
Last Saturday was not the first time Zeus has been freaked out by loud noises since Venus has been on the Clomipramine. We’ve dealt with fireworks on New Years and Cinco de Mayo, countless thunderstorms, gunshots, and engines backfiring. In all those situations, Venus did not attack Zeus. Sometimes we ordered her to ignore him, sometimes she ignored him on her own, and sometimes she even helped him calm down.
Dr. Langegger doesn’t think the mood swings and aggression necessarily mean her CCD is progressing. More likely her behavior indicates she’s not coping well with the changes in her routine that summer brings. She’s feeling a loss of control. She’s out of balance. And summer’s just getting started. And fireworks season is upon us. And Zeus hates fireworks. And his fear makes Venus fearful, too.
If the PetCalm doesn’t show signs of helping Zeus by Monday, Dr. Langegger wants us to consider putting him on 25 mg of Clomipramine to get him through the next few weeks, then take him off. He wants me to call Dr. Pearce on Monday and let her know how both dogs are doing.
Initially Tod and I felt sad about this setback. Venus was doing so well on the lower dose, we were disappointed that we had to increase it. But she has to learn to cope with change. In order for her to practice calm, balanced energy, her mind has to be able to focus. With every disease there are setbacks. Ten years ago we were dealing with our Malamute, Apollo’s osteosarcoma. We encountered a steady stream of setbacks. By comparison, this is nothing.
Besides we don’t have time to dwell on our own feelings. We’re back to upstairs dog and downstairs dog, and Chinese fire drill with dogs. The important thing is to keep Venus moving forward. The increased dose has begun to balance out her highs and lows. We’re beginning to see sustained calm energy from her again.
Wednesday night we heard a few firecrackers. Zeus was upstairs, Venus downstairs. The gate was shut. Zeus reacted by perking up his satellite dish ears, and looking alarmed. But he was lying down and didn’t get up. I ignored him and he calmed down. Venus didn’t react at all.
About an hour later we heard a huge bang, which we think was a car accident a few blocks away because sirens followed. Venus was upstairs, Zeus downstairs, gate shut. Venus reacted to the bang. She looked alarmed and stood up. “Everything’s okay,” I told her. “Lie down.” She did. I didn’t check on Zeus because we don’t like to overreact to loud noises. He didn’t come upstairs to the gate so we assumed he heard it, felt fearful, then calmed down.
BTW, it’s been a really strange week. Busy. Stressful. But I just wanted to say that my cats don’t fight or exhibit any nervous energy like Venus. They all love each other. They are so mellow. The contrast just blows my mind sometimes …
I will post regular updates through fireworks season as we restore calm, balanced energy to our pack.
Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.
Filed under: adopt a cat month, animal shelter, cats, crazy, himalayans, persians
Most people know me as a dog lover. Once upon a time I was known as the Crazy Cat Lady. For 16 years, I bred and raised Himalayans and Persians. At one point I had 15 cats and kittens. I closed my cattery 9 years ago for many reasons. I got into breeding purebred cats to perpetuate the Himalayan and Persian breeds and promote good health. As much as I loved raising these gorgeous creatures, the high cost of advertising combined with the increasing difficulty of finding good homes for the kittens affected my decision. My favorite part was having kittens around all the time. I do miss the kittens.
In honor of Adopt a Cat Month I decided to share photos of my very own stunning cat crew.
Aurora is a bluecream tortoiseshell point. At 14 years old, she pretty much runs the place. She’s quite bossy but very affectionate. Aurora is the only cat who will greet visitors. The others run and hide. Aurora’s claim to fame is that she can swat birds out of air, even hummingbirds — much to my horror!
Yoda is 10 years old. Our only male. He is a lilac point, which means his points are actually pale red. A curious characteristic of the lilac point is the coat tends to change color. F’rinstance when he’s really cold he looks pure white. When the sunlight hits him just right he glows pink. I’ve never been able to capture the pink on film though. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Yoda’s favorite place to hang loose is on our back deck. It’s a second story deck with no stairs, just treetops. It’s a lot like a tree house. We feed birds and he supervises the whole operation. Except Yoda’s way too laid back to kill birds. He’d much rather eat flowers. He prefers pansies and roses. The upper deck is a perfect spot for the cats. They can be outdoors and watch birds, but they can never escape. Himalayans aren’t into climbing trees.
This is my sweet little Polly, a bluecream point. She recently turned 9 years old but she’s still our forever kitten. She looks and acts as playful as a kitten. Her favorite toys are small fuzzy balls. She carries them around and stashes them in every room. She follows me wherever I go. She hangs out with me in my office and will do just about anything for Whiskas Temptations. She has no bad habits. She is my perfect little kitty.
Echo is 8 years old, and so named because she is practically a clone of her mother Aurora, therefore she is also a bluecream tortie point. Echo is our fraidy cat. As a kitten she used to like to weave in and out of the stairway banister. One day when she was only 12 weeks old, I turned on the Salad Shooter and didn’t know she was playing on the banister. It scared the crap out her. She jumped and fell to the first floor. She hollered a lot then seemed okay. I took her to the vet and they kept her overnite for observation and ran a few tests. She checked out okay but she has never been the same since. She’s afraid of everything and everyone, except the other cats. Moments after taking this photo, she bolted into the bedroom and hid under the bed. We have a chair in our bedroom we call the petting chair because it’s the only chair where Echo will allow us to pet her. Our bedroom is her favorite hiding place, when she’s not out on the deck. Although during the past 6 months or so she has been spending more and more time outside the bedroom and cozying up to us on a more regular basis. I’m pretty sure she has a screw loose somewhere but we love her anyway.
Three of these cats were born in my home, except Yoda, and raised by me. Yoda came from Starseekers (used to be located in Bailey, CO, now NH) when he was 9 weeks old.
If you are interested in adopting a Persian or Himalayan check out these organizations:
Flat Faced Friends Rescue (Colorado)
Persian and Himalayan Cat Rescue
Please remember that Persians and Himalayans are INDOOR CATS ONLY.
Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Silt, canine compulsive disorder, crazy bitch, dog story, dogs, gene duran, harassment, investigation, rehabilitation, tibbetts, town ordinances, vicious attack
Early Wednesday morning, June 10, Tod opened the garage door and took out the garbage. Unbeknownst to him, Venus snuck out. Just before 7:00 am we heard her barking. When Tod went outside he saw Venus in the middle of the street barking at a young man dressed in a long black jacket and black cap as he walked by. She had scared him and he stopped, which caused her to bark louder because she sensed his fear. Tod called to her and she retreated. He apologized to the young man who grumbled en español and walked on.
Venus was about 15-20 feet away from the guy. She didn’t bite him. She didn’t touch him. She barked at him. I witnessed the whole thing from my bedroom window.
At 8:00 am we took Venus and Zeus to Dogland. Afterward I dropped Tod at the office and picked up my grandkids, Hailey and Bodi. When I arrived home with the 2 dogs and 2 kids just before 9:00 am, there was a police car parked in front.
“She didn’t …” I muttered to myself.
“What’d you say?” Hailey asked.
“Oh look. The policeman’s here. Wonder what that’s all aboot.” I laughed.
As I unloaded dogs and kids, Officer Befuddle came to the door. I greeted him cheerfully.
“Did your yellow Lab get out this morning by any chance?” he asked politely.
I laughed. “Yeah. She snuck out when Tod took out the garbage. She barked at a guy walking by. She scared him. Tod was on it right away and apologized to the guy.”
He grinned and let out a sigh. “Okay. I’m just following up on a complaint about a vicious dog attack. It wasn’t that guy who complained. It was someone who said they witnessed a vicious dog attack.”
Oh yes. She did.
“So she didn’t bite anyone or anything like that?” he asked.
“Oh no.” I laughed again. “She just barked. She scared him. That’s understandable. But nothing happened.”
Officer Befuddle thanked me and went on his merry way.
“She didn’t,” Tod said when I called him.
“It must have been Mrs. Bully cuz it happened right in front of their house. The Officer said it was a witness who complained,” I said.
“I think Mr. Bully had already left for work,” Tod added.
Looks like the Bullys are up to their old tricks again. School’s been out a couple weeks so Mrs. Bully and the boys are home all day. Like toxic fracking chemicals their negative energy seeps through the neighborhood. How can people live like that day in and day out? Maybe they’re just bored and have nothing better to do than pick on us old people across the street.
In some respects this comes as no surprise. It’s a pattern. They’re always waiting for us to screw up. Like dog poo we stepped in it. Seems they’ve graduated from barking dog complaints to – say what? Vicious dog attack? Oh please. Now where would they come up with the notion that Venus is a vicious dog?
I recalled an interesting phone conversation I had with the Town Attorney Gene Duran on March 2. I had called him to request that the Town revise the barking dog ordinance to include a warning provision, require at least 2 witnesses, and address the issue of provocation.
While we were discussing my recommendations Mr. Duran said, “You should also know that the vicious dog ordinance is out of date and needs to be addressed. I will be looking at that also, along with several other ordinances that need updating.”
Here’s what Silt Municipal Code says about vicious dogs:
6.04.200 Vicious dogs–Slaying of certain dogs.
A. If any dog bites, attacks, snaps at, or tears the clothing in an attempt to bite any person or persons, on public or private property, without provocation, or kills or injures any domestic animal, and that fact is reported to the chief of police or a member of the police department and is proven in municipal court, that dog shall be deemed and declared by the municipal court to be a vicious animal.
B. Such animal shall be confined to the premises of the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller of the dog, and if the dog is off of the property of the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller of the dog on a required leash, it shall also be muzzled with a muzzle of sufficient strength to prevent its biting any person or domestic animal.
C. Any such vicious dog that is found un-muzzled and running at large may be seized and killed without notice to the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller.
D. If any vicious, dangerous, fierce, or infected dog running at large cannot be safely caught and impounded, such dog may be slain by any police officer.
(Ord. 19-02 § 1 (part): Ord. 5, Series of 1989 (part); Ord. 14, Series of 1979 (part): Ord. 36 § 13, 1963)
The 2 ordinances Mr. Duran and I discussed have yet to be updated or revised but I understand too well how slowly the wheels of government turn. Moreover it was what he said and how he said it that hit me after I hung up. Why did Duran specifically mention the vicious dog ordinance? Why didn’t he just say several of the animal ordinances in general? Why did he say “you should know”? Was he trying to tell me something? Had someone brought the vicious dog ordinance to his attention for a reason?
The Bullys had made it clear during mediation last year that they wanted us to get rid of Venus. Have they been reading my Crazy Bitch series? Were they thinking of using my blog against me to go after someone I love? Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.
Some of the incidents during Venus’s meltdown which I described in the Crazy Bitch series could be interpreted as falling into the category of 6.04.200.A. However before, during, and after her meltdown, Venus was undergoing veterinary care from Dr. Cheryl Pearce at Divide Creek Animal Hospital. None of those incidents were reported to the police. In addition we have documented evidence that Venus was harassed and provoked by the Bullys and by police officers. And all of that is in the past.
On the morning of June 10 nothing happened. At least nothing that remotely resembles what’s described in the vicious dog ordinance. Venus escaped. Venus barked at a guy. Venus retreated on verbal command. End of story. To call that a “vicious dog attack” is a joke. But we already know no one in that family has a sense of humor.
This is no joke.
I’ll go out on a limb here. Let’s say that Duran was giving me a warning – sort of a heads up – that Mr. Bully was poking around in the vicious dog ordinance looking for a bone to pick with us over Venus’s meltdown. Let’s say Bully was told that the ordinance would only apply to a current incident and would require a victim or witness complaint. Let’s say Bully’s been lying in the weeds waiting for any little thing so he can blow it up into a big thing, then use the police department to harass us – again.
The only vicious attack that happened on Wednesday came from the Bullys.
Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.
Filed under: CARE, CLAWS, Colorado, June, Rifle, Silt, adopt a cat month, animal shelter, cats, kittens
Spring means lots of new cats and kittens arriving at animal shelters daily. That’s why June is known as Adopt a Cat Month at animal shelters across the country.
Here are the Top 10 reasons why cats make such good pets:
#10 – Cats will keep you entertained with their playful antics.
# 9 – Cats are very affectionate and love to cuddle with you.
# 8 – Having a cat can reduce your blood pressure and prevent heart disease.
# 7 – Cats are very clean — they bathe themselves!
# 6 – Cats are independent and can be left alone while you are at work.
# 5 – Cats do not need to be housebroken — using the litter box comes naturally to them.
# 4 – Cats do not need a lot of space. They are perfect pets for apartments and smaller homes.
# 3 – Taking care of a cat can help teach a child responsibility and humane values.
# 2 – Cats get plenty of exercise living indoors. Just 15 minutes of playtime each day will satisfy a cat.
And the #1 reason why you should adopt a cat in June –
Approximately 4 million homeless cats end up in animal shelters every year in the United States. By adopting, you’ll be saving a life.
For more tips on cat care and adopting a cat visit the American Humane Association’s Cat Care section.
Local shelters have plenty of cats and kitten to choose from.
The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter have over 50 cats and kittens available for adoption. Who can resist these adorable faces?
Check out the kittens at Rifle Animal Shelter.
If you’re looking for a purebred this cutie pie is an adorable Siamese.
Click here to see more cats and kittens at The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter.
CARE (Colorado Animal Rescue) in Glenwood Springs also has lots of cats and kittens ready for adoption.
Consider adopting an older cat like Tarzan. He’s a hugger and a lap cat. He’s also a special needs kitty. He has FIV so he can only be placed in a home without other cats.
Cassidy is an exotic looking 2-year old Siamese mix. She’s shy and sensitive and in need of someone to coax her out of her tortoise shell.
Click here to see more cats and kittens at CARE.
CLAWS (The Cats League and Assistance of the Western Slope) has opened a new permanent shelter to provide housing and services to abandoned tame cats, because “Cats’ Lives Are Worth Saving.” The new facility is located at 2214 Sanford Drive, Grand Junction, CO. Read more about the new facility here.
They are showing one beautiful black and white Manx named Katie at Petfinder.
To inquire about more available cats and kittens visit the CLAWS website.
Go to Petfinder to find about availability of cats and kittens in your area. Just enter your zip code.
Read more tips on cat adoption, including How to Throw a Kitten Shower. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
