Previous Animal Updates: February 2, 2009
Seeing red
In our last update, we honored the winter season by checking in with some of our residents with white coats. Now, as the heart warms in anticipation of Valentines Day and the coming spring, we celebrate some of Home for Life's fabulous redheads!
Simon takes center stage
Simon visits one of his fans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
Simon is a tall lanky two-and-a-half year old red Doberman with gentle eyes and uncut ears. He was surrendered to Home for Life® by his veterinarian; his owners had given him up because of incontinence caused by a birth defect. Despite these humble beginnings, Simon has become something of a star at Home for Life®.
Simon and Cesar Millan
His new career began in our Renaissance Program, where Simon was certified as a therapy dog. The touching story of Simon's education and the bond he developed with his trainer from Boys Totem Town School was featured in our Summer 2007 newsletter. Next on Simon's media tour was a photo session with Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan to promote the 1st Annual Dog Days at MOA event and Fall Gala in 2007.
As a certified therapy dog, Simon now is a regular participant in the Sit*Stay*Heal program, where he visits veterans who are receiving treatment in the Polytrauma Unit of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The soldiers enjoy meeting Simon and he is always ready to extend a helping paw of support and camaraderie.
Several soldiers remember Simon and ask for him between visits. One patient, who had been non-verbal as a result of a head injury, finally spoke a few words upon meeting Simon, and according to the VA staff, he continues to ask for Simon between visits. Simon's good work landed him a spot in the January issue of the VA Medical Center's employee newsletter.
When he is not doing outreach work or posing for photos, Simon resides at the sanctuary with Faith, a deaf albino Dalmatian and Stella, a tall Sheepdog cross. A dog still needs friends, and Faith and Stella are happy to keep Simon grounded.
The retiring reds
Not all dogs revel in human attention to the degree that Simon does. Some would rather busy themselves with daily life at the sanctuary, and that's just fine with us. Despite their retiring natures, these dogs are nonetheless sweet and fascinating creatures. Since they rarely find themselves in the spotlight, we thought we'd provide a brief glimpse into their quiet lives.
Megan smiles for HFL Executive Director Lisa LaVerdiere.
Megan is one of the few Home for Life® residents who enjoys the brisk weather we have had this winter. She loves the fresh snowfalls and can be found lounging on the hammock out in her dog, completely blanketed with snowflakes. She even declines sitting under her canopy, let alone going into her heated and spacious dog house. Perhaps extending anthropomorphism too far, we insist that she come inside if the mercury drops below 20° F. Although she finds the indoors too warm, she contents herself by chewing on a rawhide bone.
Megan remains a strong and energetic dog, even as the years add gray to her face. To see her and remember that she was barely out of puppyhood when she came to us must be like a parent feels when seeing their youngest child go gray! Megan is now nearly 10 years old and was one of the first dogs admitted to Home for Life®.
She has never wanted to live with other dogs and is actually quite aggressive with them, intimidating even the biggest male dogs that we have introduced her to. Megan is one dog who does not believe in Cesar Millan's "power of the pack," unless that pack consists of Megan and herself.
Although Megan prefers to live alone, she loves the attention of people and knows how to smile for the camera when someone wants to take her photo.
Like Megan, Skya is another intense redhead who is getting on in years. She acts as one of the "greeter dogs" in our main dog building. We still witness moments of unbridled energy in Skya, mostly when another dog walks by. Spying the interloper through the large glass windows, Skya springs to life from her slumber. She then proceeds to demonstrate, using the couch and pillows, what she would like to do to the passing dog. The result is fluff and stuffing everywhere! Between these histrionic displays, Skya is a veritable couch potato, blissfully sleeping away long hours on one of the very couches she has just nearly destroyed.
A favorite photo of Skya in a pensive moment
Skya is now deaf, but seems to have recovered from a small stroke that temporarily left her partially paralyzed on one side. Somehow, her brain compensated and she returned to normal.
Skya is quite content with other dogs and lives peacefully with Missy, Chako, and two beautiful Dobermans — the stately 10-year old Mikko and the petite Justine, a deaf female who just came to us from Doberman Rescue in Pennsylvania. Skya has always had close girlfriends among our female dogs and enjoys the company of any dog who is not on the other side of her glass window. She is also a certified therapy dog who is popular with volunteers and the clients she visits through our Pet Peace Corps.
Like Megan, Carlie came to us many years ago as a puppy. She remains diminutive, so she always seems young to us. In fact, Carlie is now a middle aged dog. She was born with cerebral palsy, and in the last few years she started having seizures that we control with medication.
Carlie awaits her next treat.
A strange fact about Carlie: she actually enjoys taking her medicine! Even more of a "foodie" than most dogs, Carlie gets to take her pills in a lunch meat sandwich or canned food meatball. She loves all treats and is quite adept at protecting her treat bones from her roommates.
Carlie had a hard time finding a dog group that accepted her here at the sanctuary. We tried placing her with the small dogs, but she did not like their often manic energy level and barking. Bigger dogs left her intimidated. She finally found a home with a group of "misfits" led by the wonderful wire-haired pointer Wyley, and his lieutenant, the Red Setter Ernie. These kind and gentle dogs allow no monkey business in their society, and they insist that all members of their household be accepted no matter what their challenges. In addition to Wyley and Ernie, Carlie's roommates include Tiger, Ben, and Crystal the pistol, a redheaded Boston Terrier.
Carlie's special friend in the group is Ben, a small German Shepherd mix who was left blind by a beating he experienced as a puppy. In spite of her own vulnerability, Carlie seems to recognize that Ben is even more vulnerable. She often cuddles up with him in a motherly and protective manner. The two sleep together on a soft cushion, and Carlie makes sure that Ben finds his way inside at night.