United by Compassion: Rainbow Bridge Can Wait Animal Rescue and Adoption

Here I am once again reflecting on the past couple of years. Why? Well, Eddie and I are in our last days in OK before we embark on our new adventure in Germany. Life in the military is hard. There are long days and months of separation and the feeling of sadness when leaving great friends behind. I always get choked up about saying ‘see you later’ because I never know when the next time I’ll see all my good friends I spent the last couple of years getting to know. I spend as much time as I can soaking in the moments before me, Jack and Bernie board our flight to Frankfurt and meet up with my husband. Bittersweet.

The other tug at my heart strings is leaving a wonderful animal rescue, Rainbow Bridge Can Wait. I can remember the evening when I first spoke with Carol Skinner on the phone about a German Shepherd we discussed me evaluating. Carol’s involvement in animal rescue continues strong after decades doing different facets of animal rescue with the culmination of her starting a non-profit Rainbow Bridge Can Wait Animal Rescue and Adoption. She is a powerhouse. Carol will defend and protect any animal abused and neglected with everything she’s got. On the opposite side of the same coin, her compassionate heart softens her and keeps her humanness tangible. Everything she’s seen and experienced, her ability in remaining compassionate about animals is extraordinary. You see, when helpers, like Carol are inundated with tragedy and sadness over and over again, its a challenge not to have compassion fatigue set in and become overwhelmed by it. I know Carol isn’t superhuman and she does get affected, she has a team of mostly women who lift her and each other up. They volunteer their time and energy in ensuring the animal companions in the rescue care are taken care of and matched with a family. The positive relationships the volunteers have with one another is tremendous. They, together make it happen. They are committed in ensuring vet appointments get made, dogs are transported to and from said vet appointments or to new furever homes. The volunteers assist with adoption events are coordinated and all the dogs available for adoption get to the event and have an opportunity for a new family. The foster families caring for some of the dogs in the program are also a vital component. They are responsible for helping the new dogs in the program have a warm place to stay and have a sense of a home life which many didn’t have before coming into the program.

I’m grateful Carol kept an open mind with me, a Lawton newbie and a little green around the edges with starting my own dog training business. I wanted to offer training services for animals in a shelter setting. I said before, RBCW has fosters for some of the dogs. There are still plenty of dogs at the rescue in Carnegie. They too need attention and care. For me, I spent my time at the rescue working with Zack, the German Shepherd Carol and I initially discussed. He started off reactive and on the defense. As we got to know each other, we became friends. He’s come such a long way, Zack accepted April another RBCW volunteer. Zack still remains conflicted with new people, but its so reassuring he’s able to get to know unfamiliar people and accept them. I’m proud of the work we put into building this relationship and this experience has definitely shaped and solidified my training style. I also had the opportunity in assisting new adopters in having a smooth transition with their new furry companion. This has been rewarding for me seeing the change of perspective.

Rainbow Bridge Can Wait Animal Rescue and Adoption are always needing more volunteers. The time spent with this rescue will change your heart and keep you grounded in the goodness in the world when things outside are hectic and chaotic. The love from a dog is enduring and knows no limits. Spending however much time you can with RBCW or any rescue near you will leave you changed. Consider donating your time in supporting, volunteering or advocating for the defenseless animals in your community, you’ll be so grateful you did. My heart is full and my gratitude for Carol and the rest of the RBCW team and supporters overflows. Much Love.

Meeting People Isn’t Easy: My Experiences Raising a Reactive Male Pit Bull

I have a special guest author, Lauren Piro sharing her story about her beloved canine companion, Bodhi. I first met Lauren in early 2000’s when we both worked at a mental health treatment facility for adolescent girls outside Baltimore, MD. Lauren worked as a music therapist and helped hundreds of girls cope with their mental health and traumatic personal experiences. She is well versed in understanding behavior and behavior modification with people, but also utilized this knowledge in transforming Bodhi.

Lauren is now self employed as a successful massage therapist in Washington, DC.

I am excited she is willing to share her personal story and sharing a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of working with and finding the hope in living with a reactive dog.

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By guest author Lauren Piro

Therapeutic Massage by Lauren Piro

laurenpiromassage@gmail.com

Bodhi and I found each other when he was just three months old. He was a male pit bull who had been neglected and mistreated by his breeder, and was then fostered by a friend before he came to live with me permanently when he was four months old. As a result, he already had a host of attachment and behavioral issues.

Lauren and Bodhi when they first became a family

One of the biggest was his insecurity, which manifested as him trying to dominate every situation. Whenever I sat down to relax, he would run back and forth throughout the apartment, and come at me while growling and lunging. Yelling ‘no’ and trying to discipline him only fueled his fury. Ignoring didn’t work. Crate training was also a non-starter. He proved a master escape artist, sometimes injuring himself in the process. When I reinforced the crate with heavy locks he ate through the plastic tray, the carpet, and the padding all the way to the concrete floor. I knew that I needed to take a more creative approach that addressed his unique needs.

My general approach to working with Bodhi incorporated obedience training, positive reinforcement, and nonverbal cues. Thankfully, he is very obedient, so it was easy to train him in the basics. Seeing him learn new skills so easily also helped me recognize that he really does want to be a good dog!

The first thing I worked with him on was loose leash walking. With Bodhi’s dominance issues, the structured walk was that much more important, and I made sure for him to walk behind or next to me so he sees me as his pack leader. I also used a gentle leader, which leads with his nose instead of from his neck, and makes him much easier to control.

Minimizing Bodhi’s anxiety took a lot of extra effort and time, even with simple tasks. For example, when taking him outside, he had to sit calmly before I would leash him. This alone could take several minutes. Once outside we worked on sitting calmly on the porch before the walk began. Since we live in a city, we used the command ‘wait’ at the end of the walkway to let other people and dogs walk by first, and show Bodhi where he stands in the pecking order. If he started to walk in front of me, get excited, or lose focus, we simply stopped until he sat and calmed down.

Meeting new people has always been a challenge for Bodhi. After several unsuccessful attempts at bringing him out on a leash to meet friends, I employed a different technique that has been really successful with friends who are dog lovers and willing to take the time to get to know him. When I have company, Bodhi stays in the back bedroom until he stops barking and calms down. Then I instruct my friends to completely ignore him. Using the ‘no talk, no touch, no eye contact’ rule as well as ensuring my friends stay seated, I can let him out freely. He usually runs around a little, whines a bit, and sniffs everyone. Once he settles down, I let my guests give him treats, while still avoiding eye contact. After that he’s usually ready to be pet and make friends.

Of course things still aren’t perfect and they never will be. He still has stranger danger when we’re out on walks. He still has to be sedated to be treated by the vet. And I still spend a lot of time reassuring him with phrases like ‘it’s okay,’ ‘you’re ok,’ ‘everything’s fine,’ ‘be easy.’ As long as he doesn’t perceive any direct ‘threats,’ he’s pretty responsive to that now and I can easily refocus him with gentle nudges and commands.

Lauren and Bodhi enjoying time together recently.

We’ve definitely had our rewards and challenges over the years, but knowing such a troubled dog hasn’t had to be put down, hasn’t hurt anyone, and has made marked improvements over our five years (and counting) together is a big win in my book!

Guess What Time It Is?

PCS Time! What does PCS mean? Well, let me share with you. Its a time of major transition and this time it means moving to a new country. As many readers of my blog know, my husband is active duty military and his job requires frequent moves like every 2-3 year moves. This frequent transition is hard not only on Eddie and I, but also on our Bears, Jack and Bernie. I think Jack is more used to it than Bernie. Whenever I take stuff off the walls or pull out boxes, Bernie goes back to his old ways and hides under the bed. He’s sensitive and his change in behavior makes me pause and recognize it’s a challenging time. I love my family and I strive in finding ways I can make the move a bit easier.

Fortunately for us humans, we are moving to Germany. Eddie I were there almost 10 years ago and are excited about doing all the traveling we weren’t able to accomplish together the first time. We’re ready for Germany 2.0. Unfortunately, the Bears aren’t aware of the major change they will go through too. Jack and Bernie aren’t consoled or reassured with words of compassion and strength. They are reassured by us through sticking to our routine of daily walks and enrichment activities (practicing obedience cues and play time). Jack became more settled as we remained consistent with our training and setting up situations our home where his separation anxiety doesn’t get triggered and he’s actually overcome with time. Bernie was insecure and timid, but as established ourselves as a family unit, Bernie became more confident with adapting to changes which occurred for short periods of time like my hours at work went over my usual time, we stayed out late with some friends or didn’t get a chance for our walkies because of the weather being terrible for several days in a row. Now, like when we moved from El Paso, TX to Lawton, OK, Bernie senses major change is coming and he’s hiding under the bed like he did when we first adopted him. He’s also whining when we come home from being gone for any length of time. We are once again finding our selves ignoring Bernie for longer periods of time when we arrive and leaving more things for them to do when we leave. I took advantage of all the progress we made by thinking and assuming they “got this”. Bernie makes me pause and realize he’s having a hard time and its our job in helping him feel comfortable again.

All I know and I’m proud of is not considering anything else than taking Jack and Bernie with us to Germany. The military and military families do get a bad wrap because they are notorious for high turnover of their pets because of a move or deployment. I get it. Its overwhelming for families to also think about and plan for their pets too. It takes time, brain power and extra money in moving your pets, especially overseas moves. I’m here to tell you, it can be done with some planning, saving and research. Our personal experience, Eddie and I’ve moved 3 times with our pets. We’ve moved back to the states from Germany with Jack Bear and moved to Oklahoma with both Bears and now to do the same with our move to Germany. Now, things are a bit different. I have to fly separately because of zero pet space on his flight and wait to get picked up in Frankfurt. I’m totally comfortable with me, Jack and Bernie traveling without Eddie. I know we’ll get this done. I did my research and found flying United will be the most comfortable and affordable way for us to move. My advice, is ask questions and call or email companies about what they can offer. Save money during your time at the next duty station and even consider setting up a pet savings account for their move. All of these things will make you, your dog’s family ready for the next transition.

Now, I just want to be there. Germany or Bust 2017!!