Search!

When I first brought home Ziggy, I quickly realized he wasn't a "normal" dog.  Sure, he did normal dog things, like barking and chewing and playing with toys.  But he didn't want affection or petting, and the only thing he cared about was food.  He didn't bond with people or other dogs, and didn't want them around unless they were willing to provide the one thing he cared about - food!  We've never really figured out what makes Ziggy the way he is.  With a lot of hard work we've taught Ziggy to accept petting and attention, but he still only tolerates it in hopes of getting rewarded with food.  It's made him basically unadoptable as a pet dog, but it also makes him a very motivated dog when it comes to working.  Recently I've tried to channel that motivation into a new goal - to become a certified Search and Rescue dog! 

 

About five months ago I joined CSARA, a local search and rescue group.  I recently earned my SarTech II certification, and now I've started to focus on training Ziggy to be a cadaver dog.  This is a video of a recent training session: 

 

 

There are three main types of Search and Rescue dogs.  Two of those - Air Scent and Trailing - search for living people.  The third type of dog searches for human remains.  This is an important part of Search and Rescue since it can assist law enforcement in investigations and provide loved ones with closure.  It is also the type that is most appropriate for Ziggy since he is deaf and not that big a fan of living people. 

Becoming certified as an HRD (human remains detection) dog is a long process that involves a lot of training.  We've only started, and have a very long way to go.  Ziggy will have to learn to detect sources that are buried or elevated, and he will have to learn to ignore all distractions along the way.  Although he may never reach the goal of being certified, we are having fun learning together.  Eventually I hope to adopt a dog specifically for Search and Rescue, and the time spent practicing with Ziggy will help me train a future dog.  Ziggy doesn't understand anything about certifications or tests - he just knows that if I give him the sign for Search, it means it is time for a fun game where when he wins, he gets his favorite thing - food! 

My Foster Dogs Have Issues (and so do I)

Right now I have seven foster dogs, and each one has a different issue. In fact, I believe I can fully discuss any dog behavior problem and potential solutions based just on my experiences with these seven dogs. I’m not saying I will fix the issue, of course. Just that I’ve identified the issues and am fully aware of them. And that I’m hoping these dogs get adopted quickly so their new families can work on these issues and I can go save another dog with issues and identify those issues in order to match that dog up to a family who is willing and able to work on those issues. But until they’re adopted I will do my best to work on their issues in order to make them more adoptable. So I can go save more dogs with issues and work on those issues. It's a vicious cycle, but I keep telling myself this makes me a better trainer. But since these dogs usually get adopted before their issues are fully resolved, it’s possible I’m fooling myself. Either way, I have seven foster dogs with issues and lots of opportunity to learn from them.

A great resource for dog owners and foster parents is the ASPCA Virtual Pet Behaviorist. They cover a wide array of issues which I may actually be experiencing all at once!

The first area of behavior they cover is aggression issues. This includes things like aggression, mounting behavior, and predatory behavior. I’ve memorized several of the articles in this section, like the one on mouthing and play biting, thanks to Ziggy the Adoptable Dog. My current foster dog with aggression issues is Gucci. He feels threatened by dogs who are bigger than him, and he handles this by barking, lunging at them, and showing other aggressive behaviors. He also often mounts dogs that are larger than him and humps them to show them he is tough. This could be because he was given the name Gucci by someone before I got him and he’s been trying to stop the other dogs from laughing at him. Whatever the reason, it’s a problem that caused him to leave two different foster homes and end up at my house (The House of the Misfit Dogs) so he could learn to get along with dogs who are larger than him. Now to be fair, his second foster home was willing to keep him and work with him, but I fell in love with him and volunteered to take him. We could perhaps adopt out Gucci as an only pet and warn the owners to keep him away from dogs that are bigger than he is. Except that Gucci only weighs four and a half pounds, so every dog is bigger than he is. And once he learned that big dogs are not so scary, he actually enjoys playing with them. So now Gucci the Maltipoo is running around my house with all the other dogs, including two sixty-pound pit bulls (they’re only thirteen times bigger than he is), and doing well most of the time.

 Occasionally he gets back into his bad habits of barking and attacking other dogs, or humping other dogs, and he gets a time-out in order to calm down and remember that big dogs are his friends and he is not the one in charge. He’s doing great and I wish every behavior problem was so easy to fix!

Gucci



 The second section of their website deals with general behavior issues such as digging, chewing, jumping up, and escaping from the yard. Several of my foster dogs have these issues. Pandora, my newest foster dog, is a deaf Boxer. With her issues, I think she deserves a post of her own, but for now, I will just say that although she only weighs around 45 pounds, she can jump over a fence without a problem. This includes four foot wire fences, five foot concrete fences, and six foot wood privacy fences. My solution to this is to try to move her to a foster home who walks her dogs because she doesn’t have a fence. If that doesn’t work, I’ll settle for taking her out on leash and/or using a tie-out at home and entering her in dog agility classes where she can use her athletic abilities for good instead of evil.





Jet is another foster dog who has some general behavior issues. She is actually a very good dog, except no one ever taught her that body-slamming is not the best – or the only – way to get attention. She is only a year old and she just loves to jump. We’re following the article’s advice and working on her not jumping up on people. Again, I could very well have another agility champion in the making!

 

Jet



 The third section of their website deals with vocal issues like barking, howling and whining. I'm fortunate that I live in the middle of nowhere and have no close neighbors to complain of the barking, howling and whining. Most of my dogs are usually quiet, but right now I have a little Chihuahua named Blondie who is very fearful. She deals with her fear by barking loudly whenever she hears people, or thinks she hears people. I'm trying to find her a home with a hermit in the mountains who never has visitors.



Blondie

The next section of their website deals with chasing issues, like cars and kids and cats. I will soon be memorizing these articles because Pandora wants to chase everything. I also have one brave cat who lives with me in the House of Misfit Dogs, and he is often subject to dogs who like to chase cats. For the most part I don’t try to train this “prey drive” out of them if it’s just cats and not excessive – it is easier to place them into a home without cats. My cat has several places he can go that is a “cat only” zone away from the dogs. But yesterday my foster dog Eeyore (deaf pit bull) was out in the front yard on a tie-out while I searched the grounds for my missing car keys (again). He saw a cat and took off after it. There was nothing I could do since I was too far to reach him plus he’s deaf and couldn’t hear me, so I just had to watch in horror as he ran full-speed after the cat, until he reached the end of the tie-out. At that point he flipped up into the air, did a somersault, and landed on his back. At the same time, the wooden banister support for the front porch steps came crashing down (that’s where the other end of the tie-out had been attached). Eeyore got up immediately, looked for the cat who had disappeared, and then looked back at me like “Did you see that?!” and came running back to me with a big smile. He seemed to think it was great fun, but we won’t be doing that again!

Eeyore



Eating issues is the next section, and that sounds like an easy section. But it includes things like counter-surfing and food guarding. Eeyore is another poster-child for this section. He does both! And I have to say, teaching a deaf dog not to counter-surf is a huge hassle, because you can’t yell or clap your hands to get their attention when they’re searching the counters for food. You actually have to get up off of the couch where you were comfortably surrounded by loving affectionate dogs and go to the kitchen counter to get the dog’s attention and give them the hand sign for off and redirect them to something else. In the meantime the affectionate dogs were startled by you scrambling up off of the couch and immediately go into overdrive mode (what?! What’s wrong?! Why are you moving?! What am I missing?! Let me run around in circles and bark and get all wound up because you moved!!!) Untrained deaf dogs are not conducive to a quiet evening at home.



Fear issues are next, and these are some of the hardest for me to work with. Both Blondie the Chihuahua and Annie the Beagle mix are afraid of strangers, and the only way to get them over that is to have them meet lots of strangers in a positive way so they learn that strangers aren’t so scary. Since I am busy with work and live so far from civilization, I don’t have the chance to work with them during the week. That means adoption events or sometimes other events on weekends are their only chance to learn to get over their fear of strangers. Separation anxiety also falls into this fear category, and I’ve been learning a lot about this problem thanks to Eeyore. I even bought a book and had a professional trainer work with Eeyore to get him started on the right track. He’s now sleeping in his crate at night with me in the next room, and staying there for short periods of time when I’m home without going crazy. Progress is slow but so rewarding to watch him learn that he can be in a crate and away from my side without the world coming to an end.



Annie B.



The final section of the website deals with house-training issues. Some dogs are easier to house-train than others. Apparently Basset Hound mixes named Gus are one of the most difficult to house-train. I blame this mostly on the fact that he is really good at looking innocent and sneaking away when no one is looking so it’s very hard to catch him in the act. One of the articles teaches you how to train your dog to ring bells in order to let you know when they need to go out. The great people at Poochie-Pets sent me some PoochieBells to try out and I absolutely love them. The dogs use them all the time to tell me if they want to go out, and the new dogs seem to pick up on how it works from the fosters that have been there awhile, so I don’t even have to train anyone how to use them. Basically they all learn that the bells must ring before the door will open, so if they ring the bell, that makes me open the door. Even the deaf dogs have figured it out, although they can’t hear the noise, they know that nosing at the bells makes me open the door. These bells were sent to me back in January to review, and since I am an awful blogger who never got around to reviewing them, the dogs have had eight months to do their best to destroy the bells, and I fully expected them to not last more than a month or two. Eight months later the PoochieBells are still in excellent shape and appear that they will last forever! If you’re looking for an option to bell-train your dog, definitely check them out.

Gus

That completes the list of my current foster dogs and their current issues. Although I am sure there are dog issues out there that I haven't yet encountered (although none come to mind), at the moment I’m getting a lot of practice with a wide variety of issues! On the plus side, all of my recent fosters that didn't have issues have been adopted, like Sadie the deaf Catahoula Leopard Dog and Brittany the Anatolian Shepherd mix and Pablo the deaf Boxer/American Bulldog mix and Kiwi the Chihuahua mix and Leah and Leo the Chihuahua puppies and even Joey the diaper-wearing Chihuahua (who does have issues). Even Ziggy the dog with more issues than any dog in the known universe has gone to a foster-to-adopt home and so far hasn't been returned! So there is a lot to celebrate, and hopefully more adoptions coming soon!

Wordless Wednesday: Ziggy

Why Didn't Someone Save This Dog?? The Answer...

Today my Facebook page was covered with pictures of this dog:

Dog #251018

Dog #251018 was found as a stray and held by a Good Samaritan for three days, then after getting into a fight with another dog in the home, was turned into the local animal control facility.  A plea quickly went out to local rescue groups to find someone to pull her.  Various people offered to donate to any rescue that pulled her to help with her vet fees, and she ended up with over $100 in sponsorship money.  Her picture was shared over 220 times and more and more people begged someone to please save this dog. 

Today there was even someone who offered to keep the dog until the end of June when she moves out of state, and someone else offered to board the dog if a foster home had not been found by then. However the dog could only be released from the shelter if a certified rescue took her.  And in spite of everyone's best efforts and good intentions, still no rescue had stepped up for this dog by the deadline, and she will now be euthanized. 

At this point, many people begin looking for someone to blame.  Why won't the shelter keep this dog longer?  Why won't any rescues step up?  The vetting cost is covered and there is a temporary foster home, so why will no rescue put their name on this dog and take responsibility for it?  Whose fault is it??

Dog #251018

Do we blame the shelter - an animal control facility who is not known for giving dogs any more time than required by law to find a home?  If the shelter gave her until Saturday could a rescue be found by then?  It's possible.  But if they waited until Saturday and still no rescue stepped up, should they give her another week?  And what should they do with the dogs who come in between now and Saturday?  If all the cages are full, where do they go with the new dogs? 

What about the dozens of rescues who routinely pull from this shelter?  Why did none of them step up?  There were so many people willing to help this dog, so the rescues didn't have to find funds for vetting or a foster home or anything - they just had to be willing to put their name on the dog to have her pulled and save her life!

As one of those rescuers who saw the pleas and still said no, I'd like to tell you why.  When the dog is only days or hours from being euthanized, everyone wants to save her life.  But then the excitement dies down, another dog comes along, and all of a sudden everyone is clamoring for someone to save that dog.  In the meantime, the first dog is sitting in a shelter or a foster home, waiting patiently to be adopted.  And waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  Several of my foster dogs, such as Juno and Annie B, were pulled from this same animal control facility (I don't always say no!)  They also had sponsorship money and people begging a rescue to save them.  So now they're saved, but because of their issues, they haven't been adopted.  They take months or years to find permanent homes, and in the meantime that takes away foster home space from more adoptable dogs that could be saved. 

Dog #251018 was a dog-aggressive pit bull mix.  She was not going to be easy to adopt out.  In fact, I have been fostering a dog similar to this one for over three years and still haven't been able to find him a home.  Ziggy now lives in my basement, with minimal human interaction, because I can't trust him around the other foster dogs I have upstairs.  In spite of years of training, earning his Canine Good Citizen certification, attending adoption events, being featured in magazines and new shows, and being shared all over the Internet, he still does not have a home.  I am not being picky with who adopts him (far from it), but very few people are willing and able to adopt a dog-aggressive pit bull, and there are so many of them out there already that finding a home for one - especially one that is already "in a foster home" - is very difficult. 



Ziggy the Adoptable Dog

 There's one more reason that we stay away from dogs who have a foster home offer from someone that hasn't fostered dogs before.  Many people see a sad picture of a dog and feel an instant desire to help.  That same desire is quickly overcome by frustration when the dog comes into their home as a foster and they realize the dog isn't house-trained, loves to eat couches, and picks fights with their own dogs.  The majority of time a temp foster steps up to take a dog they feel sorry for, within a week they will be contacting the rescue saying they can no longer foster that dog.  And then the rescue who took responsibility for the dog once again has a difficult-to-place dog and nowhere for her to go.  This is why we urge people who want to save a dog to foster a dog that is already in our rescue.  Then we can tell them more about what the dog is like, and if they find out that the frustrations of taking in an untrained rescue dog outweigh their desire to help, we also have a place for that rescue dog to go back to.  The rescue I volunteer with has many wonderful foster homes who take in these difficult-to-place dogs (like the foster home who has Juno right now) and they make it possible for the dogs to live.  Unfortunately we don't have enough foster homes like them to be able to save dog #251018. 

Do you wonder why the animal control facility would only release dog #251018 to a rescue group instead of an adopter?  Two weeks ago we were at an adoption event and a young girl showed up.  She had a cute black Husky mix with her that had been about to be put down at another animal control facility near the one where dog #251018 came from.  She saved the dog's life, but when she got the dog home, her parents said she couldn't keep him.  The animal control facility had not had the dog spayed or neutered, so we took in the dog, got him neutered, heartworm tested, microchipped, and all those other things responsible rescue groups do before adopting out dogs.  Then we found him a home with a wonderful family who was prepared to add a dog to their life.  He was one of the lucky ones, but so many others don't have that luck.  They either end up at another animal control facility (or back where they started) and end up being euthanized, or they are given away and never get any medical care or a home where they are properly cared for.  They may end up with owners who aren't responsible and the dog may injure another animal or a human, or the dog may be sold to research or used as a bait dog in a dog-fighting ring.  There are a lot of bad things that can happen to dogs, and if a shelter takes a high-risk dog like dog #251018 and gives her away to anyone who wants to save her, she'll more likely end up suffering more before being killed. 

So if it's not the rescue group's fault for not saving her and it's not the shelter's fault, who do we blame?  Sometimes I'm tempted to blame all the people who say "someone should do something!" but don't do anything themselves, but truthfully it isn't their fault either.  And in fact most people DO do something, whether it is fostering, volunteering at a shelter or rescue group, or donating.  They are the solution to the problem.  So who does that leave? 

Do we blame the owner because they didn't care enough about this girl to go looking for her when she got lost? Or maybe they dumped her, figuring someone would find her and give her a good home. Did they know she'd end up sitting scared and alone in a shelter and then be killed? Did they care?

I don't like to blame anyone without knowing the full story - and in almost every case, we don't know the full story - so I'm going to choose not to blame anyone, and instead to focus on finding a home for Ziggy, and all the other dogs that also need homes.  I hope you will join me in saving dogs whatever way you can.

Ziggy and The Kong Contest

So I saw this contest online to submit a picture with your dog and their classic Kong toy, and they could win a Kong prize package.  I love Kong products - they are great at keeping the dogs busy, and I don't think I could have survived fostering Ziggy if he didn't have a steady supply of Kongs.  So I searched through all my pictures of Ziggy to see if I had any of him chewing on a Kong.  I couldn't find any, so I thought I'd just take a new picture.  No problem, right?  It started with me in the kitchen grabbing a stuffed Kong out of the freezer.  Ziggy looked on hopefully. 

Then I gave him the Kong and he ran to his favorite spot - the living room couch - to chew on it.  I tried a picture but it was too dark.  So I made the mistake of taking the Kong away in order to get Ziggy outside where there was better lighting. 

Ziggy immediately jumped up on me trying to get his Kong back.  I didn't drop the Kong, but sadly I dropped my camera instead.  My next picture of Ziggy came out like this:

After messing around with the camera settings for awhile, I finally got it working again, and was able to take a few more pictures.  Then I had to decide which one to submit into the contest. 

Option 1 - Scrunched-nose Ziggy

I like the way his nose is all wrinkled as he tries to shove his entire mouth into the Kong opening.

Option 2 - Eyes-Closed Enjoyment Ziggy

When Ziggy really enjoys something, he closes his eyes!

Option 3 - Don't Steal My Kong!

Did I mention that Ziggy has a problem with sharing?

In the end, I went with an old picture of Ziggy with his Kong Wobbler. 



While it may not make people want to adopt Ziggy (unless you like a dog demolition expert), it does accurately reflect who Ziggy is, and will hopefully help him win more Kongs to keep him busy and keep my floors safe! 

The contest ends on Sunday May 12th, so if you'd like, you can vote here.  Or adopt Ziggy here!

Antlers!

Since Ziggy and many of the other dogs I foster love to chew, I am always looking for long-lasting chew bones to keep them busy.  So when I heard about a company that sold deer antlers, I decided to check it out.  I've purchased deer and elk antlers from various pet supply stores before, and for the most part the dogs all like them.  They last a very long time and are safe and don't stain carpets or smell bad like some other chewables.  The only downside is the price - antlers can be expensive.  So when I saw the prices at Indiana Antler Supply, I really thought they were too good to be true.  But I went ahead and ordered a deer antler and an elk antler, and I was even more impressed when I received them.  The customer service was great, and the antlers were gigantic.

Ziggy offered to help demonstrate the product. 

And then Juno offered too.  Unfortunately Juno was recently neutered and is wearing the Cone of Shame, so his picture didn't turn out so well. 

All the dogs enjoy chewing on these antlers, and so far the deer antler seems to be preferred three to one over the elk antler. 

I didn't receive any free product or payment for sharing these with you, I just think they're great for dogs that like to chew, and wanted to let you know too!  You can find out more at Indiana Antler Supply. 

And now, a message from Ziggy. 

For those of you who don't speak "dog", he is clearly communicating that he would like you to adopt him.  Please.   

Guest Post From Ziggy

Hi! I’m Ziggy the Adoptable Dog. I have been living here with my foster mom for a few years now, and we’ve both worked very hard during that time. My foster mom has tried to find me a home, and I have tried to find things to eat. Overall, it’s clear that I’ve been much more successful than she has. She has done things like taking me to training, teaching me tricks, and helping me with my website and Facebook page. So far I’ve only been adopted once and that only lasted three weeks. While she was working so hard to find me a home, I’ve been busy finding things to eat. My foster mom claims that I have food allergies and can only eat potatoes and ducks. So I’ve had to work hard to find other items to supplement my diet. I’ve learned to enjoy a wide variety of foods like bananas, no-chew spray, and sticks. I pray for food every chance I get, and my prayers are almost always answered. I also have made some friends that take pity on me and send me food whenever they can. One of these friends, a dog named Blueberry, had her human mom send me a care package. I think that’s what they call it when you’re stuck in foster care with a very limited amount of food to eat.


Blueberry and her mom Stephanie mailed me a box, and I couldn’t wait to eat it!

Yep, it doesn’t taste too bad!

But then my foster mom said if I opened the box, I could find stuff inside!

Helloooooo? Anything in here????

Foster mom calls these “peanuts” but they sure don’t smell like peanuts!

Oh boy, oh boy, my own chew bone!

And a Bumble! I think I’ll name him Blueberry!

AND a box of Pumpkin treats!  I’ll eat these all right now!

I also got a Frisbee and a ball and a nice card! It was such a great care package. I wonder if Blueberry’s mom wants to adopt me.

Catching Up

Between the holidays and recovering from a cold, I have fallen way behind. So here's a quick update on everyone, and going forward I will do my best to keep up with new pictures and stories!

When I last posted, I had ten dogs at my house. As of right now, I still have ten, but not the same ten! I still have Lacey and her five puppies, now named Nike (chocolate female), Puma (smallest black female), Buster Brown (black male), Teva (yellow female), and Avia (largest black female). The puppies continue to be brilliant and extremely advanced for their age of less than five weeks old! They already have distinct personalities. Nike is the most vocal and demanding - she's like the big sister to the rest. Puma is the quiet one, content to sit back and watch what is going on. Buster Brown is the sweet one who is the most affectionate of the bunch. Teva is the adorable one who likes to be in the middle of whatever is going on, and Avia is the hungry one who is always first to the food bowl! The pups are growing quickly and new pictures will be coming soon.

Ziggy is still at my house. He's almost completely destroyed his bachelor pad, including destuffing the dog bed, finding and eating several dewormer pills (20 times the dose he should have had - of course it had no effect on him), and managing to burn out every lightbulb except one. I'm not sure how he pulled that last one off, but I'm sure it was something he did. He received a wonderful Christmas gift from Blueberry's human, and I'll tell you all about it as soon as I download the pictures off of my camera.

Lucky the deaf dog is also still at my house. He actually went out on a trial adoption. It lasted a week, which is seven days longer than I expected. He was returned for wanting to eat the bird, among other things. Poor Lucky isn't having the best luck. Fortunately the bird was uninjured.

Allie the extremely energetic Akita mix was also adopted. She's currently on day 5 of the trial period. This is 5 days longer than I expected! If there is any dog out there that needs a home (besides Ziggy), Allie is the one. So I am praying that this trial adoption works out... and I'm considering changing my phone number just to be sure. Just kidding.

Natasha the extremely-obsessed-with-me Poodle mix also is out on a trial adoption. She has a lot better chance of success, but being that she's in a home where I don't live, there's no guarantee. This is the dog that has gone to two different homes for at least three weeks each, then come back to me and never even looked back at her previous caretaker. And yet if I take two steps away from her at an adoption event, she goes nuts. It's kind of scary.

On the other hand, Libby the deaf JRT sees me at an adoption event and looks right through me.  She's still at another foster home, where her foster mom reports she gets the same treatment.  This does not make it easy for Libby to get adopted since she ignores anyone and everyone equally, but at least it makes me feel better that it isn't just me that she treats this way.  And it sort of balances out Natasha's behavior. 

Trooper the Black Lab I found on the side of the road is back at my house now too.  He's recovered from his broken spine due to being hit by a car, and he is now available for adoption.  Trooper is a good dog and gets along with everyone except Lucky, so currently I have to keep Ziggy, Lucky, and Trooper apart from each other at all times. 

The only other dog that Trooper didn't get along with was another deaf white dog named Ozzie.  I temporarily fostered him for a few days, and Trooper and Ozzie became mortal enemies during this time.  Ozzie is a Westie mix we think, and he's the cutest little dog who is a typical terrier and willing to take on dogs three times his size.  He is now back in his original foster home and I have to admit I miss the little guy!  He is available for adoption and hopefully will find a forever home soon! 

I also have another male foster dog named Jax.  Jax was adopted out as a puppy and recently returned because he didn't do well with children.  Since Ozzie also didn't like Jax, Jax came to my house instead of going back to his original foster home.  I really like Jax - he's friendly and well-behaved and happy and easygoing and smart.  He gets along with all the other dogs too.  I'm going to take his picture one of these days and get him up on the website so he can get adopted.  Sometime soon. 

As if these five adults and five puppies weren't enough, I recently received some sad news that two of my previous foster dogs are being returned.  The first is Nosey, the blind Beagle puppy I fostered in October.  The family who adopted him have to move out of state into an apartment that doesn't allow dogs, so Nosey, now named Radar, will be coming back to me sometime soon.  The other return is Bogey, the very shy dog.  He has been in a foster-to-adopt situation for two months but the foster family finally decided that another dog would be a better fit for their home. So Bogey returns on Saturday.  In an ironic twist, I just realized that the same blog post where I introduced Bogey last February, I also announced Allie's original adoption.  Now I'm announcing Bogey's return and Allie's second potential adoption almost one year after that original post. 

If you've managed to read this far, thanks for hanging in there, and I promise to provide shorter posts in the future, along with more pictures.  You're welcome. 

Ziggy's DNA Results Are Here!

I received an e-mail informing me that Ziggy’s DNA test results are available. I expected to find that Ziggy was mostly a mutt. I expected him to be part American Staffordshire Terrier, Dalmatian, or Pointer, with several “unidentifiable” results thrown in for good measure. I was wrong.

I read the results with growing disbelief. The DNA results indicated that Ziggy was a product of two purebred dogs. One of them, I’m assuming his mother, was a purebred American Staffordshire Terrier. No real surprise there, and now Ziggy can truthfully claim to be a “pit bull” mix. But the other parent? His father? It’s just too embarrassing to share.

I’m sure Ziggy would like to keep this a secret, but since we already announced he was taking a DNA test, I will have to tell you. According to his DNA test, Ziggy’s other parent was a Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie.

Once I stopped laughing, I immediately e-mailed the company to ask them to verify the results. After all, a union between an AmStaff and a Yorkie is not only unlikely, but Ziggy of course looks nothing like a Yorkie. Yet the results are clear – 50% of Ziggy’s DNA matches that of a Yorkshire Terrier. And in fact unions between AmStaffs and Yorkies have been known to occur. Yes, the little dog with a big personality – the one often accused of having Small Dog Syndrome – is most likely Ziggy’s father.

Some people think canine DNA tests are inaccurate, and while they are not 100% foolproof, after a lot of research it appears they are most often correct when a dog is a hybrid of two purebred dogs. So as much as I hate to say it, I have to admit it’s possible that Ziggy really is 50% Yorkie. Until I look at him. Then I start laughing all over again.

So what do these results mean? Well, first of all I told Ziggy not to be so embarrassed. There are plenty of famous AmStaff/Yorkie mixes out there. Okay, maybe not. But maybe he can be the first! Plus, being half Yorkie means he is a designer hybrid. I am going to start calling him a Yorkiestaff. I made that up myself! He did not seem amused. But Yorkies are a very popular breed, so I’m quite sure this will help him get adopted. Who wouldn’t want to adopt the most famous Yorkiestaff in the world??



Ziggy's DNA

I figured it out. The DNA results are not back yet, but I think I know what they’re going to say. Here’s what made me realize it. All Paws recently took in a young dog with an attitude similar to Ziggy’s. He can be pushy and thinks that he always should have his own way. He will probably never be able to be adopted out to a family with young kids. He will need a dog savvy owner who will be able to set boundaries and rules and enforce them. As I talked to someone about this dog, I started to say “he is a stereotypical Chihuahua with small dog syndrome”. And then I realized. Ziggy has small dog syndrome. Ziggy must be part Chihuahua.


Rascal (related to Ziggy!?)

Suddenly it all made sense. The reason Ziggy is possessive of food and toys and other items was due to small dog syndrome. The reason he took on adult dogs that were much bigger than him even when he was a four month old puppy – again, small dog syndrome. The reason he is pushy and demanding – small dog syndrome. So I did some research on small dog syndrome. And I read about how small dogs get small dog syndrome because of their owners. When their owners allow them to sleep on the bed and jump on people and bark at other dogs, they are reinforcing this idea that the small dog is in charge. And when owners show affection without making the dogs work for it, they are setting the dogs up to be demanding and pushy.



Ziggy - part Chihuahua?

 Sometimes people assume that I am the reason Ziggy is the way he is. After all, it’s easy to blame the owner when a dog is misbehaving or has some sort of issue. The owner was too harsh, or the owner was too lax in enforcing rules, or the owner never spent time with the dog, or the owner babied the dog when the dog was afraid, thus making the dog more afraid. There is some truth to this in most cases – owners are generally the ones guiding or reinforcing every choice a dog makes. However I’ve fostered, trained, and worked with over a hundred dogs in addition to Ziggy, and not one of them has had Small Dog Syndrome. Not even the Chihuahuas that I have fostered. So it’s something special about Ziggy. And although I’d like to find an explanation for his behavior, I’m not sure that’s going to happen. Because I never let him sleep on the bed (he would have eaten it). I never gave him table scraps, or shared my food, but that didn’t stop him from begging and trying to steal it out of my hands. I never gave him unwarranted affection (I tried, but he doesn’t like to be touched). I never even carried him around or let him sit on my lap. He has been given rules to follow, and received consequences for misbehavior, since he was a pup. So what caused his Small Dog Syndrome? Then I read this wonderful post from The Charming Chi. And I realized that there probably isn’t a thing such as Small Dog Syndrome after all. And sadly this puts an end to my theory that Ziggy is part Chihauhua.  His DNA results should be arriving in the next week or two, and then I won't have to come up with these theories anymore. Stay tuned!

Ziggy and Dogtoberfest

I took Ziggy to an event called Dogtoberfest on Saturday.  There were many fun events, including a dog parade with dogs in costume.  Since Ziggy refuses to dress up, I had to be creative with his costume.  And since I'm not creative, I ended up just putting black circles all over him and calling him a Dalmatian.

"What ARE these black spots all over me?"

"Hey, I look just like that Dalmatian over there!"

Many people thought he did not have a costume at all, because the black spots blended in to his fur so well.  I used ink from a child's stamp pad, so it is non-toxic and washable.  And I'm going to give him a bath and wash those spots off... any day now.  

"Ziggy, you look nothing like me!"

Since Ziggy doesn't like other dogs getting in his space, we stayed a short distance from the others while we waited for the parade to start.  Ziggy quickly found something to occupy his attention.

"Construction workers!  I bet they need my assistance!!"

While Ziggy supervised the construction workers, I took some pictures of some of the other dogs in costume.

The first place winners of the costume contest had a decorated wagon for a dog with an adorable outfit, and a real parrot with her own costume - she was wearing a tiny parrot bikini.

This sweet guy may not have had a costume, but he had a lot of fun anyway!

Once the parade started, Ziggy did really well even being surrounded by other dogs.  Of course, being Ziggy, he did have to make a few stops along the route...

"Let me just sniff over here!"

"I'll just even off the edges right here."

However we eventually made it to the end of the parade, and enjoyed the other festivities.  In addition to the costume contest, they had several other contests such as Ugliest Dog, Prettiest Eyes, and Best Trick.  Can you guess which one Ziggy entered?

If you guessed the Best Trick contest, you're correct!  Ziggy was one of several dogs showing off their best trick.  He did his praying trick where he prayed to get adopted, and although that prayer hasn't come true yet, he did win 1st place in the contest!  He won some very nice prizes, and made some new friends as well. It was a fun day, and we had a great time. 

The Reason Ziggy is being DNA Tested

You may wonder why, after all this time, I’ve decided to give Ziggy a DNA test. The reason is because I’ve exhausted all other efforts to get Ziggy adopted. He’s gone through as much training as I can possibly give him, he’s been advertised everywhere, including on TV, and now I seem to have run out of ways to get him noticed. At least until the DNA results come back. Then, everything will change. Suddenly Ziggy will no longer be just a pit bull mix. He’ll have a whole new adoption listing, with a scientifically accurate breed result! The possibilities are endless! Here are just a few possible results that would greatly benefit Ziggy’s chances of finding a home:


A) If Ziggy has any poodle in him at all, I will be able to call him a Ziggypoo and tell everyone he’s hypoallergenic and a designer breed. That’s sure to get him adopted!

B) People love rare dogs, so if Ziggy has any DNA from a rare breed such as a Black Russian Terrier or an Xoloitzcuintle, people will want to adopt him immediately!

C) Another option is if he turns out to be 100% Weimaraner. At that point I will be able to transfer him to a Weimaraner rescue and let them find him a home.

There are so many ways that this DNA test will help Ziggy get adopted, that I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. Of course there’s always the slim chance that the results will come back showing that Ziggy is officially a pit bull mix – but really, how likely is that? Even the experts have their doubts. At a recent fundraiser I was able to introduce Ziggy to the St. Louis area’s leading pit bull rescuer. She doesn’t think Ziggy is a pit bull (American Staffordshire Terrier or American Pit Bull Terrier). That could be because she has heard enough Ziggy stories to know how he acts nothing like a pit bull. In fact, if we guessed his breed based solely on his personality, a pit bull would be somewhere at the bottom of the list. Here are some excerpts from the breed temperament descriptions of four purebred dogs. Which ones sound most like Ziggy to you?

Dog type A: This is not like your average domesticated dog and is not recommended as a house pet for most people. If properly socialized, it can be tame enough to tolerate the handling of humans.

Dog type B: They are busy, bold, inquisitive and stubborn, but they also love to monkey around, being playful and mischievous. A lively, sharp-witted dog that is courageous and confident….he does best with a family who has a very good sense of humor.

Dog type C: This is a good-natured, amusing, extremely loyal and affectionate family pet that is good with children and adults. Almost always obedient, it is always eager to please its master.

Dog type D: This dog has a good sense of humor. It is sensitive, independent, intelligent, skillful, tough on itself, and energetic. A robust, persistent, and powerful dog, it is willing to take on virtually any game animal.

The breed names that fit these descriptions can be found at the end of this post. Suffice it to say that Ziggy’s appearance does NOT fit his behavior. Nonetheless, people tend to seek out dogs to adopt based on how they look, not how they act. So I can only hope that the DNA test finds genes in Ziggy from a breed that more closely fits his behavior, and then perhaps he can find an adopter who will appreciate him for who he really is -- an independent, persistent, bold, mischievous dog with a good sense of humor, and tame enough to tolerate the handling of humans – sometimes.



Answers:
A) New Guinea Singing Dog
B) Affenpinscher
C) American Pit Bull Terrier
D) Karelian Bear Dog

Ziggy's DNA Test

I just submitted a DNA test for Ziggy to find out what breed(s) he may be.  As you may remember, I tried to figure out Ziggy’s breed once before, based on the fact that he has a curly tail.  However, now that we’re taking a more scientific approach to this question, I’ve been thinking about what the results will tell us.  

The DNA test company says that there are two good reasons to take a DNA test.  First, it will help you predict inherited characteristics.  I believe that means we may finally have an answer for why Ziggy is so food-obsessed.  I did some research to determine which breeds are most obsessed with food.  Front-runners included Labs, Beagles, Pugs, and every other breed currently known to mankind.  So if the DNA test verifies that Ziggy is a dog, that will most likely explain his food obsession.
 
The other reason to test your dog is to identify their genetic background.  I've thought a lot about this, and I feel confident that the DNA test will show Ziggy is related to at least one of the following dogs:

Spuds MacKenzie promoted beer in several beer commercials.  

Ziggy has been known to promote beer any chance he gets. 


Marley, from the book and movie entitled Marley & Me, is described as a high-strung, boisterous, and somewhat uncontrolled dog. He is strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to be active, and often destructive of property (but completely without malice).

DITTO

Michael, a deaf pit bull who was once in a high kill shelter, was rescued and is now the star of a show in Reno.  In the show, Michael plays an irascible reprobate who has no interest at all in pleasing his owner.

Ziggy, who is also a deaf dog rescued from a high kill shelter, has apparently been practicing for this role his entire life. 

Pete, who was President Theodore Roosevelt’s Boston Bull Terrier, bit so many people that he was exiled from the White House.  

 Ziggy, an avid shopper, was for several months exiled from PetSmart adoption events due to his high level of stress caused by being surrounded by food and not allowed to eat it all (he has since redeemed himself and is allowed to attend events again). 

Snoopy, the much loved Beagle from Peanuts, is described as “wildly imaginative, supremely confident, and a canine master of disguise."

Ziggy is also supremely confident, wildly imaginative, and a canine master of disguise!


It’ll be a few weeks until we have the DNA results, so for now I’ll continue my research so I can be prepared for whatever we find out. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, when I share the reason behind the DNA test.