Bond Unbroken

Since the weather has cooled considerably, Kodiak and I have been spending a great deal of time sitting on the deck, usually in the early morning after our walk and in the evening after a bit of play in the backyard.

Two nights ago, we were in the backyard, playing with his giant tennis ball when the sound of breaking glass startled both of us. A new neighbor bought the house two doors down from us and has been cleaning out the home, throwing things into an industrial dumpster in their driveway, so I knew that's where the sound came from, but because a line of old Pine trees obscures our view of that house, Kodiak was scared, unable to locate the cause of the noise. He wanted to go up on the deck, so I unhooked him and we went up to the front of the deck.

I brought my folding chair out on the deck and sat down, as he curled up between my feet. We sit out on the deck and watch, photograph, the sparrows that visit our bird feeder, so we enjoy many hours of relaxing time together in the fresh air.

Suddenly, there it was again... the sound of metal and breaking glass. Kodiak rose and went to the storm door, he wanted inside in the worst kind of way. He whined and grunted at me until I went to the door and let him go inside.

Once he was inside, he sat down and looked back out at me with quite the inquisitive look on his face, as if to ask, "Aren't you coming too?" I reassured him I would be right there, he could still see and hear me through the screen and I sat back down.

I hadn't been seated for more than a minute or so, before I heard him whining, grunting at me, like he does when you're not paying enough attention to him. He was standing at the door, his face against the screen, his tail wagging, so I went to the door and opened it, telling him to come back outside.

He bounced out the door and as I let it close behind him, he stood up on his hind feet, wrapping his front paws around my arm and pushed me down into my chair, where he rested on my lap with his elbows. He licked my face and glasses until I couldn't see clearly... I gave him a big hug.

When he put his feet down on the deck again, he immediately went back to the storm door, turned and sat down, so handsome and alert, looked at me and started to whine again. When I made eye contact with him he looked at the storm door, then back at me again.

My son was now standing in the doorway. He looked at me and said, "He wants you to come inside." I told him I knew that, but I wasn't ready yet. He continued, "He wants to be where you are, but he wants you to be inside, you should come inside. He doesn't think it's safe out there."

I knew he was right. Kodiak is very protective, wants to be with me all the time, doesn't want so much as a screen to be between us, or he cries. He'd detected a threat, the loud sounds he couldn't locate and wanted to be inside, but wanted to be with me, wanted me to go inside where he felt we would be safe.

So, I packed up my chair and camera (which I always have with me these days) and we went inside. Once I had put my things away, Kodiak led the way to my recliner, waited for me to sit down, then put his paws up on my belly and licked my face, before settling at my feet, where he let out a big sigh, before putting his chin on the floor and closing his eyes.

All was right in our world again.

He Just Knows

Yesterday, my son's service provider was coming to take him out to do some personal shopping. I had put together a list, with the help of my son, of the items he needed to buy, the brands and scents he uses and prefers.

Before she arrived, I handed him the list to put in his waist-pack, but he put his money and the list on the couch cushion instead.

When his 'Habilitation Aide' arrived, she sat on the loveseat across the room from where I and my son were sitting. When my son got up to collect the rest of the things he needed from his room, Kodiak stood and went to the couch, where he carefully picked up the list and walked across the room to my son's 'Hab Aide' and handed it to her.

She thanked him and sat there with her mouth hanging open, in awe of him, as no one asked him to do that, no one told him what to get or to whom he should take it. When she looked at me puzzled, he used his nose to push it at her, as if to say 'you're supposed to read it.'

The only thing she could say was "He's amazing. You're such an amazing dog." She puzzled over how he knew what to do. I told her I stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago. He just seems to know.

Typically, he brings things to me that he retrieves off the floor, as I've trained him to be my service dog and pick things up for me. Occasionally, I'll ask him to get something from someone else or take something to someone else, but in this instance, he knew the list was for the 'Hab Aide', how he knew that is a mystery.

He is such an incredible dog, his intelligence and intuitiveness are sometimes unbelievable. Other people who don't know him as well are stunned by the things he does, but I'm at a point where nothing surprises me about Kodiak anymore.

"I'm right here, are you okay?"

Recently, I've started experiencing a great deal of pain in my left hip and groin. I've found that I have to be careful how I sit, that my hips are aligned and I can't allow my left leg to 'turn out' because when I try to draw it back to center or to stand up, it feels like my hip joint is slightly dislocated. I can hardly put any weight on it at all.

Earlier this week, when I was getting up from my chair, so I could use the bathroom, the pain was so intense, I actually made some noise, groaned, as I stood. It nearly brought tears to my eyes.

My husband was sitting three feet from me, but didn't offer to assist me, as I couldn't put weight on my leg. When I cried out, Kodiak got down off the loveseat and ran across the room to me, his ears up, eyes alert, ready, if I needed him, as if to say, "I'm right here, are you okay?"

My husband said, "She's alright buddy, it's okay." Kodiak stayed by my side, watching, keenly aware that I was not okay.

My feelings were a little hurt, that my husband wasn't as concerned as Kodiak was. I said to him, "I could use a little help. It's pretty bad that Kodiak recognizes that, but you don't." He shot back with, "I don't see what I could help with." To which I replied, "You could give me your arm for support so I don't have to try to put so much weight on my bad leg."

He did get out of his chair and let me lean on him, so I could make it to the bathroom. He told me he didn't know what to do, that I like to try to do things myself, so he never knows whether to offer or not, so he waits to be asked. I guess I can see where he's coming from, sort of a lose/lose situation for him... if he offers to help he risks offending me (causing me to feel as if he thinks I can't do for myself) and if he doesn't offer to help he risks hurting my feelings and appearing to be oblivious to my pain and struggles.

Kodiak led the way to the bathroom, where he curled up on the floor outside the bathroom doorway, keeping his eyes fixed on me, until I was ready to leave the bathroom, then he escorted me to the bed, where I changed clothes and he then took me back out to my recliner, where he waited for me to sit down, then he pressed against me and curled up at my feet.

We are so 'in-tune' it sometimes boggles my mind... he knows me, knows when I'm feeling good and knows when I'm in pain and his moods change as mine do. He is an incredible companion.

Early Morning Walks

Since sometime in June, North Central PA has been experiencing above normal temperatures and staggering humidity. We have endured sustained temperatures in the 90's and even consecutive days with triple digit temps, days with humidity in the 90% range, all of which are highly uncommon for this region of the country.

This makes it terribly difficult for me to be outside, as I have asthma and become short of breath, feeling as if the heat and humidity are sucking the air right out of my lungs. It is equally as hard on Kodiak, since Huskies have a double coat and can be easily overcome by heat.

Making sure "Kodi" gets plenty of exercise can be hard in the Summer time, when it's so hot. He often has to be coaxed just to go outside to do his 'business', as he's burnt his feet on the wooden deck floor and doesn't want to be exposed to the direct sunlight for very long, his black coat heating up quickly.

Evenings can be terribly humid, even more so than the day time, so evening romps through the backyard with a favorite toy are far and few between in the heat of Summer.

I've started setting the alarm for 6 a.m. I get up, go to the bathroom, get dressed, gear up "Kodi" and we try to get outside by 6:30 - 6:45 a.m.

On most days it's still foggy when we leave the house, some days everything is damp and dewy with the sun having just come up over the highway. Sometimes it's actually cool enough for me to need a jacket. "Kodi" is comfortable, I'm comfortable and there are very few people out so early in the morning that we seldom encounter anyone, we don't have to worry about little kids at all and there aren't many people walking their dogs at that time of day either. Traffic is at a minimum, so crossing streets is a lot easier than waiting until late morning or the evening.

It's been especially nice because we get to see a lot of nature's creatures and we can take the time to stop and 'literally' smell the flowers.

There have been mornings when "Kodi" has enjoyed the fluttering of butterflies around his head; tried to pounce grasshoppers who've hopped in front of him; stood on the dike and taken long sniffs of the breeze carrying the scent of a Loon and her babies to his nose; heard and watched a flock of Canada Geese fly overhead. We've followed the whistles of Cardinals in an effort to photograph them and watched as objects appeared through the fog, as it has lifted and burnt off. We've admired the soft pinks and purples of the sky as a backdrop to the lighted lampposts along the street and enjoyed the 'cooing' of morning doves perched above us on the power lines.

This morning, though the sun was already out, it was chilly. I put on a thermal zip jacket before leaving home and everything was covered with dew. It truly smelled and felt like Autumn, a time both "Kodi" and I are keenly looking forward to, when we can walk without care for the temperature, can enjoy the squirrels playing among fallen leaves and admire the beautiful colors of Fall. The onset of "Husky Weather", as we refer to Autumn and Winter.

New Friends

A few months ago Kodi's friends Molly and Maggie moved away. He had been enjoying playtime at the fence with Molly, as she would bounce up and down the length of the fence with him, barking and playing happily.

Kodi always seemed to be in better spirits, happier, more contented, after spending time with Molly. When she wasn't on the other side of the fence any longer, Kodi would sit at the fence and look for her, sometimes crying for her, calling her to the fence.

When new neighbors moved in, so did new playmates for Kodi. A black Newfoundland/Retriever named "Lela" and a Rottweiler/Mastiff puppy named "Demon". Unfortunately, Demon passed away when he was about 7 months old.

A month later, "Moe" moved in, an 8 month old English Mastiff. Moe and Kodi have become friends, playing daily at the fence, each sitting on their side of the fence, watching and waiting for the other to come out to play. They run and bounce up and down the fence, taking time to sniff and visit with one another.

Occasionally Lela gets involved in the play and an excited romp takes place between the three of them.

I really enjoy watching them play, they all seem to look forward to their time together at the fence. Kodi even takes his toys over to the fence and drops them there, as if to suggest he's sharing with his friends.

It's so relaxing, watching them, so carefree, so playful.

Protector

Since Kodiak was a young puppy, he's demonstrated an ability to sense whether someone is a 'threat' or not. If he doesn't trust someone, he barks, won't get close to them, won't let them get close to me. He makes quite a production until the individual is out of the house.

I've seen him do this in the past with three individuals. The first was a 'technician' for the provider who was to service my power chair. The man couldn't come into the house without Kodiak just losing his mind, barking, snapping at the man, being keen to stay between the man and I. He even barked and howled when the man touched my power chair. He simply didn't trust him.

The second individual was the owner of the business that was to be servicing my power chair. He had come into our home several times and made threatening statements, issued ultimatums and was really very verbally abusive. Kodiak really had no tolerance for this man whatsoever.

My niece's husband is another individual that Kodiak does not react well to. He tries to nip him and in fact, did bite the back of his jeans (though he didn't get a hold of any skin), as he chases him when he's walking away from Kodiak.

Kodiak seems to be able to sense when people aren't being genuine.

Tuesday night, an old friend of ours came to visit for a little bit. Kodiak greeted him as he does all strangers, barking and howling, snorting and trying to scare him. We told him to come in and sit down and ignore Kodiak, that he would stop making noise in short order, as soon as he no longer detected a 'threat'.

Our friend sat down, we all had some pizza. Our friend offered Kodiak some pizza, which he hesitantly accepted. He seemed to be more comfortable, the longer he was in the house sitting on the couch.

When our friend stood and approached me, to show me something on his laptop, Kodiak got up and hurried to get between us. He stood between us until our friend took a step back, at which time Kodiak lay down on and between my feet. He stayed in that position until I handed the laptop to my husband and our friend was again sitting on the couch.

He behaved himself, staying ever alert, but quiet, until our friend got up to leave, then he walked him to the door.

My husband said he was comforted to know that when he's not here, Kodiak would protect me, get between me and an intruder or someone untrustworthy.

I'm learning to follow his lead and trust his instincts more and more. His judgments about different people's character have been justified.

Kodiak Lesson: De-Stressing 101

My pets have, over the years, taught me invaluable lessons about life, happiness, joy and love, but Kodiak has taught me the value of de-stressing and how to do it.

Step # 1:

Be good to yourself, if you’re tired, not sleeping well, feeling exhausted, treat yourself to a well deserved nap. Even a short nap can help you feel better.

Step # 2:

If you’re able to, get outside, spend some time in the sunshine. Close your eyes and just soak up the vitamins, feel the warmth on your face. Take a deep breath and just ‘be’.

Step # 3:

Get some exercise. Getting up and getting moving is a great way to release pent up energy, release frustration.

Step # 4:

Find a distraction, something quiet, listen to some music, take a moment to enjoy something creative, take notice of birds, kids, people outside your window.

Step # 5:

Talk to or spend time with a friend. Have a cup of tea, go for a walk, go shopping, or just spend quiet time together.

Step # 6:

Sing or scream at the top of your lungs! Just belt one out! You’ll be surprised by how good it’ll make you feel!

Step # 7:

If all else fails, treat yourself to something special, a roll in the grass, a hot bubble bath, a special dessert.

"Molly" Moved

"Molly", the Giant Schnauzer/English Springer Spaniel mix who lived adjacent to Kodi's backyard for the past year has moved away.

He spent a lot of time running up and down the length of the fence that separated them, playing with her. She was the sole canine socialization Kodi got to experience regularly, as he felt comfortable with her, seeing as how she was on the other side of the fence, he didn't have to fear being attacked and she was a puppy, so she was always in the mood to 'play'.

"Molly" broke our hearts whenever we were in the backyard with Kodi. She would watch us playing with him, clapping our hands and calling out to him, chasing him around the yard, as she spent all day, nearly every day, in her backyard without so much as a toy to amuse herself.

We often wondered if she were able to speak to us, if she would ask why her human family didn't play with her, why they provided her with no toys, why they left her outside all day and most of the evening until late at night in the bitter cold of Winter and the horrendous heat and humidity of Summer, while Kodi was always accompanied by his humans, provided with no less than 13 toys to keep him busy, enjoyed interaction multiple times a day on a daily basis.

Many of "Molly's" neighbors talked about reporting her family for neglect, as they provided no dog house or adequate shelter for her or the older female Beagle who lives with Molly. They allowed her to get into the trash and chew on tin cans and plastic soda bottles, often her only toys and source of amusement. Neighbors talked about reporting, but didn't want to cause upset in the neighborhood, didn't want to fight with the neighbor or have to fear some sort of retaliation.

Now, we understand "Molly" will be living with her family in a 'country' setting. We don't know if she will have a fenced in yard, if she will have a dog house or a place to escape the cold and heat. We don't know if she'll have toys to play with or fresh water to drink.

Being in the position of disagreeing with the way she was cared for, but having to live next door to her family was difficult, but the neighbors who discussed reporting her family for neglect should have done so, as now she will be living in a more remote setting where others may not be aware of how little is provided for her.

Kodi isn't sure what to think about why "Molly" isn't outside, why when he calls to her she doesn't bound down off the back stairs like she used to and meet him at the fence. He looks for her, calls to her and sits patiently waiting to see her again. It will be a hard adjustment to make, reaching the understanding that she's not there anymore. It will be hard for all of us to adjust.

Winter Reminder

With the onset of winter it's worth remembering that we need to provide extra care for our canine and feline companions.

Whether your dog or cat lives outdoors or goes out to exercise and toilet we must be aware that dropping temperatures pose a risk to our furry family members. Just because they wear fur coats doesn't mean they are immune to the effects of cold weather.

Dogs and cats can experience hypothermia and frost bite. The most susceptible parts of the body are the tips of the ears, the tail and the pads on their feet.

Small breeds and breeds with short hair can be quickly overcome, as can very young or aged dogs, by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

The best way to prevent injury or death as a result of cold weather is to keep your pets indoors whenever possible. If you're unable to have your pets indoors, providing a dog house or sheltered area with some sort of bedding where they are protected from the elements is necessary for the health and well-being of your pet.

Signs to look for include shivering, ice on body or limbs, stiffness, bright red color of effected tissues, followed by a pale color, and finally black discoloration and sloughing off of skin. Foot care is vital during the winter, as ice accumulated between the toes can cause irritation and various ice melt products can cause blisters on the pads of the feet.

Please remember that our furry companions depend on us to provide adequate care and a safe environment.

A good rule of thumb is, if it's too cold for us to be outside for a prolonged period of time then it's too cold for our pets to be outside. When we bring a pet into our home they become a part of the family and should be treated as such.