It feels good to be back in the saddle again here at Talk2theAnimals! We’ve been down for a major renovation and facelift and now we are up and running. I hope you enjoy the new look and take time to explore the blog.  I invite you to leave any comments you may have in the comment section.

Meanwhile, many things have been occurring for myself and Talk2theAnimals.

In the early part of October, it was time to put my almost 17 year old perpetual puppy, Teddy, down. Teddy lived a long and happy life, and my dog Emmie and I have since been learning to integrate his absence into our lives.

And Max has been helping us.

Meet Max – a 4 year old part Black Lab/Staffordshire cross.  Max was found wandering the streets in one of the suburbs north of the Twin Cities.  When he was returned to his person, the person decided not to keep Max.  So Max went to one of the humane societies.

The humane society cared for Max to the best they were able. But he needs LOTS of exercise and they simply did not have the means to give him what he needed.  The result was Max became depressed and people passed him by. Nobody wanted to adopt a depressed dog.

So Max was in the shelter for approximately six weeks.  Somehow Midwest Animal Rescue Services (MARS) found out about Max, pulled him out of the shelter and put him under their care.  With MARS, Max got to go into foster care.

I found out about Max through an email one of my friends sent, who knew I was beginning the search for a new dog. I called MARS, filled out the adoption form and had the home inspection.  Then Emmie and I went to meet Max, Emmie approved of him and the rest is history.

I imagine you would not be surprised to hear that Max is a very laid back, talkative dog.  So much so that he has his own FaceBook Fan Page: IamMaxRoper.  Coming from a shelter, Max wants to help other dogs who are looking for homes, and he’s passionate about spreading the truth about how great black dogs are! Apparently in the shelter Max heard of ‘black dog syndrome‘ and he now has taken it upon himself to single pawedly put a stop to that. You can help him by becoming a fan on his IamMaxRoper fan page!

It is good to be back.  I’m looking forward to reconnecting with you.  Until tomorrow,

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here.  Dog pals, I got big news to share with ya!  Do ya know my pal Luc? He’s one cool dude, here’s his picture…

…Hey!  How come he has a nice car bed and I don’t????  Oh, that’s right, I’m the co-pilot and I have to stand up so people can see how handsome I am.

Anyway, Luc’s mom and the cool folks over at Stunt Puppy made a map.  And you know what, dog pals?  It shows places here in the Twin Cities that like dogs!  Yes-sirree-pup.  It shows restaurants and dog parks!  Now me and Emmie and Luc, we think that’s pretty special.  It doesn’t show mine and Emmie’s dog park, but Mom said she would add it.

View Dog Parks and Dog-friendly Dining in a larger map

So dog pals, tell your humans to add YOUR favorite dog friendly places.  You’ll be doing us all a favor!

I hear the treat jar!  See ya dog pals!

Over & out,

Teddy

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I can’t help wondering if something like this was the inspiration for Elvis’ song “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog.”  Enjoy!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Here are a couple of events coming up at Talk2theAnimals.  Mark your calendar so you too can share in the fun!

Talk2theAnimals at ScoopyPoo’s DogHaus

Calling all dogs & dog lovers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area! Janet will be Talking2theDogs at ScoopPoo’s DogHaus.  Sign up for a 15 minute individual time slot!  If you have never been exposed to animal communication, this is a great way to experience it.  Animal communication helps people help their pets by understanding their pet’s point of view.  Here’s the scoop:

When: Monday, May 4, 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: 4402-1/2 France Ave in Edina
Contact: Sonja at 952-224-5007 to RSVP
Website: ScoopyPoo’s DogHaus

Talk2theAnimals May Wisdom Behind the Whiskers Forum

It’s time for the monthly Talk2theAnimals Q&A Wisdom Behind the Whiskers Forum!  Join us on Wednesday, May 6, 7:00 PM CST, for a free TeleConference where you will get your questions about animal communication answered.  This is an exciting forum as the direction and topics of the forum are determined by you!

Here’s how it works:

• Email your question about animal communication with “T2TA WBW Forum” as the subject line.
• After I’ve received your email, I will send you the call in information.

Sample questions include:

• How did you become an animal communicator?
• Why would anyone want to talk to animals?
• Can you talk to any animal?
• How does animal communication work?

The only cost to you is the cost of the call.  As a participant, you will receive a free audio recording of the file, an excellent addition to your animal communication library!

I look forward to talking with you Wednesday, May 6 at the Talk2theAnimals May Wisdom Behind the Whiskers Forum.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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One Nation Under Dog by Michael Schaffer is a great study of 21st Century pet owners, including everything from pet spas, trainers, and even anti-depressants.  The focus is primarily on Schaffer’s family and his dog Murphy, but he also focuses on dogs in general and the way their humans pamper them.

One Nation Under Dog is often very funny and a great read, especially if you have your own somewhat ridiculous dog experiences yourself.  Click here or the icon above to get more information or to buy the book.

This is Emmie, the main character in the Chicken Carcass Caper.  The other morning I was cooking breakfast, left the room for less than five minutes, and heard the sounds of dropping and crunching. By the time I returned, the kitchen had turned into a crime scene.  The garbage container had been knocked over & the chicken carcass I had thrown in the previous evening was missing.  Emmie was eating the last of it.

Dogs and chicken bones don’t mix.  Cooked chicken bones are especially dangerous as they are dry and can splinter into small, sharp pieces and puncture the dog’s digestive system.  At 8:00 AM sharp I was on the phone with the vet.  She recommended that I feed Emmie white bread, it’s bland and would “pad” her system.  I was also told to monitor her for the next couple of days: if she had blood in her stools, diarrhea, vomiting or became listless I was to bring her in immediately.  Luckily, everything is OK.

At the Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota luncheon, I was fortunate to sit at the same table as Lynne Willeke, a trainer at Bark Busters.  I told Lynn about Emmie’s chicken carcass caper, then asked if she had any tips to stop that from happening in the future.  Our conversation evolved and Lynn agreed to appear on Talk2theAnimals Blog as a guest blogger.  Below are her tips and ideas on dogs and trash containers. Thanks Lynne, for sharing your wisdom at Talk2theAnimals!

Training Tips by Lynne Willeke

Does your pooch love to dig for buried treasure in your trash containers?  Then you are not alone in this problem!  Try one or more of these helpful hints to solve the issue.

One of the easiest solutions is management and prevention.  Invest in a container that Fido can’t open.  Put the bathroom waste bin in an cupboard.

Maybe Sammie is bored.  Try using mind stimulation toys like the Buster Cube, a Kong or the Canine Genius.   Or play hide and seek with people, toys or treats.  Does he get enough exercise?

Maybe Bella hasn’t ever been asked to follow any household rules.  Teach her some basic guidelines like sit and wait for dinner, good greeting behaviors, wait before going out the door.  This can help her respect what is desirable behavior in the household, plus engage her mind.

The problem is that every time your dog succeeds in getting that tissue or the chicken bones from dinner, he gets rewarded with his success.  Not only does he get rewarded, sometimes he may ingest something downright dangerous to him. Every time he gets rewarded, he is encouraged to go searching again.

How to deal with Bouncer’s trash digging straight on:

• Try to catch him in the act, verbally correct the behavior and redirect him to a better choice.  But some dogs are so sneaky!
• Spray bitter apple on a paper towel and place inside, on top of the trash. If he starts to dig, he will get an unpleasant taste.  Hint, this will have more effect if he has had a chance to lick bitter apple off your hand previously. He’ll remember he didn’t like it!
• If you have a covered trash container that has a lid Bouncer can open, try placing a ring of keys or some chain-something that will fall off and make noise when he goes digging.  Many dogs will find this surprising and unpleasant enough to stay away.  You will need to repeat this more than once.

Don’t forget to encourage and praise your pooch when he is making good choices!

Lynne can be found on FaceBook and at BarkBusters. Click here to see her bio page at BarkBusters.  Contact Lynne about your dog training questions!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Everyone of course knows the story of Harry the Dirty Dog.  Harry doesn’t want to take a bath, so he buries his scrubbing brush in the backyard and heads out of the yard, eventually getting so dirty that he becomes a black dog with white spots.  By the time he comes back home, his family doesn’t even recognize him.  But he digs out his brush and pleads with them for a bath–you can figure out what happens next.  We all read it as a child or had it read to us.  It’s a great story that teaches us all about what happens when we rebel against our families–it eventually comes back to us.  It ultimately teaches children to just behave and take a bath!

This is one of my favorite children’s books, and of course it also involves animals!  Click on the picture of the book above to get more information or to buy the book, or click here.  It’s a wonderful story for the kids in your life!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Welcome to Talk2theAnimals Animal Communication Practice Friday, a place to make interspecies friends while practicing your animal communication skills!

Before we get started, I have some questions for you:

1. How is it going for you? What are you discovering about your intuitive skills during this process?
2. Are you finding any commonalities about how you receive the information from different animals?
3. What is your strongest point when you Talk2theAnimals?
4. Are you discovering anything about yourself as you Talk2theAnimals?
5. Are you having fun? I hope so!

If you’re a first time visitor, click here to see what we’ve been doing in the past, and click here for some instructions on communicating with animals.

Today we’re talking with humanity’s best friend, Dog.  If you have a dog of your own, you may want to check in with her/him and have a conversation.  Remember to ask Dog if it’s OK to have a conversation, then thank Dog when you’re finished.  Be open to going with the flow in the conversation, just as you would with a person.  These questions are guidelines only, and Dog may have something to share with you that’s not within the confines of the questions.

Questions for Dog:

1. How did dogs get the reputation for being humanity’s best friend?
2. The culture of dogs in the US has changed immensely in the past years – going from animals in the back yard to living the quality life of organic foods, having pet insurance, being dressed up and being carried around in pooch purses.  What are your thoughts about that?
3. What do dogs reflect back to humans about ourselves?
4. What’s a good day like for you?
5. Anything else you’d like to say?

Tell Dog thanks after you have finished your conversation.  Remember to leave your comments here on the blog and to share what it was like for you to talk with humanity’s best friend!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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Hey Ho, Teddy here! I’m so excited! We have nice weather here in MN and Mom’s been taking me and Emmie to our dog park on a very regular basis!  We love our dog park!

There was a first timer dog pal at the park the other day, so me and Emmie, most especially me, showed him the ropes.  He said his mom and dad were new to dog parks and they didn’t know what to look for in a dog park.  So me and Emmie, most especially me, told him what to tell his folks to look for in a dog park.  From a dog’s point of view, that is.

Here’s the list we came up with:

• Our dog park has a 2 gate entry system so some of us quick dog pals don’t escape accidentally (on purpose!).  And because our dog park is close to a busy highway, those two gates doubly ensure our safety.
• Make sure the park is fenced in, so we dog pals don’t need our leashes. Some dogs, like Emmie, like to run and run and run.  The fence keeps us dog pals safely enclosed, while still letting us stretch our legs and run.  Mom says our fence is 4 foot high, which makes it difficult for most dog pals to jump over it.
• It’s nice to have a special area for small dogs or puppies.  That way the little dog pals don’t get run over or accidentally hurt when we big dog pals are running around.
• Plenty of garbage cans and bags so our humans can pick up the poop after us dog pals.  That keeps the park clean for everyone!
• Hey, from this dog pal’s point of view, the more dog pals, the more fun! But not all dog pals feel the same way about that as I do.  Our dog park has lots of natural hills and valleys so if a dog pal doesn’t want to be with a bunch of other dogs, she can go a little distance away and feel safe.
• A combination of paths and forest, sun and shade.  Me, I like to stay on the paths, because I meet more dog pals there and Emmie likes to chase the squirrels in the forest.  Our dog park has a nice combination of both.
• Enough space so us dog pals don’t feel crowded.  It’s when us dog pals feel trapped and we have no place to escape to that trouble can begin. Our dog park is pretty big, it’s 18 acres! Lots of room to run and play in!
• Access to water for us dog pals.  When we get to playing, we need to be refreshed with water! Our dog park has a fountain at the front entry and people leave bowls of waters around the park for us dog pals.  I even drink out of the mud puddles, HA!

Mom said there are some considerations that humans look for, like a nice parking area, water, areas to sit and watch us dog pals, paths to walk on, but I’m only including that to humor her.

So dog pals, if you got any questions about dog parks, just let me know.  I’m the expert in these kind of things!

I’m off for dinner now.  This is Teddy,

Over & Out!

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I just finished reading David Wroblewski’s first novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Edgar, only child of a family that raises and trains a fictitious breed of dogs, is born mute.  He communicates with his parents and the dogs through sign and body language.  Through tragic and unexpected turns of events, Edgar winds up leaving his home and living in the backwoods with three of the dogs who follow him.

A superficial description of this book would be that it’s a story about a boy and his dog.  It’s so much more than that.  I finished the book wanting to know what happened next,  after the story concluded.

According to Amazon reviews, people either liked the book or they did not.  This is a book each person must read for themselves and decide.  To purchase the book, or find out more about it, click here.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

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