Precious Pets Vol 1 Issue 6

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In this issue...

4 A Love Affair....

In Memory

Dolphin Therapy PHOTO BY SIERRA VAN BIELLO

WESTMOUNT • HAMPSTEAD • CÔTE ST-LUC

6

11

The year to come looks promising indeed

A

s I reflect upon the year gone by, I realize that starting this paper was probably the most significant thing I did in 2013. I left a stale full-time job for a new one, I closed a 3-year old paper that wasn’t going anywhere, I lost a significant amount of weight, I joined a gym again (a gym I am actually going to, not just paying lip service to) and I did other things that were memorable, including some that were regrettable. But I also became smitten with the concept of starting a paper devoted to pets and animals in general.

And THAT, dear readers, has been a real eye opener to say the least.

Many of you, most of you, in fact, have pets. At this time, I do not. My modestly-sized living quarters will allow me to host maybe a rabbit and, in fact, that is what I may bring into my home-sweet-home in the coming months. But because I do not have a dog or cat presently, I have not thought about these animals on a regular basis. Precious Pets has forced me, albeit quite willingly and with increasing happiness, to think about them a whole lot more. And I have come to appreciate how these little beings have enhanced our world

a whole lot more, as well.

To those of you who are foster parents to dogs and cats – and, indeed, pets of every variety – my kudos to you. You are generous, loving individuals and I would be proud to know each and every one of you personally. To you and to those of you who have loved and lost pets, this paper is for you. We are here for you and I ask you to please avail yourselves of our services. If you have an animal you wish to pay homage to, kindly send me a picture and brief description, including age, breed and a few words about what makes him or her special. To those of you who have lost a pet and wish to have an obit published, we can help you there, too. There is a small cost involved for that, but it is minimal. To those looking to adopt a pet, to put one up for adoption or to help search for a lost animal, Precious Pets is THE place to come. Stop by and peruse our pages… you never know what you will find as you turn them.

To all of you, thanks for reading as we look forward to a Happy and Healthy 2014, pets and their people alike. We would not be here without you!

Barking Bram with Bram D. Eisenthal No more preventable animal tragedies We here at Precious Pets share in the tragedy that occurred at the West Island kennel fire over the holidays. A stunning 18 animal lives were snuffed out and it is apparent that, while this was not a willful act on behalf of the kennel owner, there must be better government controls

in place in order to prevent this from occurring again. We call on the Government of Quebec to start taking animal lives more seriously, because they sure aren’t doing much in this area now. Language laws do nothing to prevent kennels from going up in flames and neither does reasonable accommodation! More in this issue of Precious Pets…

MTL DOGS 5150 NAMUR (AU SUD DE/SOUTH OF JEAN TALON, COIN/CORNER MOUNTAIN SIGHTS) DETAILS AU / DETAILS AT:

514 858-7297 • info@mtldogs.com

Precious Pets The ultimate monthly paper for pets and their owners

Precious Pets is a publication of Precious Pets Media Group Inc. Copyright 2014.

Precious Pets does not accept responsibility for errors, misprints or inaccuracies published within. The opinions and statements of our columnists are not presumed to be the opinions and statements of Precious Pets Group Inc.

VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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OUR CONTACT INFORMATION:

ADVERTISING AND CLASSIFIEDS: ............................................... 438 E-MAIL: ..... info@preciouspetscanada.com EDITORIAL: .............. 514

www.preciouspets.ca

821-6769 975-7745

MAILING ADDRESS: .................. P.O. Box 66521, Cavendish Mall, Côte Saint-Luc, QC H4W 3J6 PUBLISHER AND EDITOR: ..................................................... BRAM D. EISENTHAL SALES MANAGER: .................................................................... TINA DI SALVIA CREATIVE DESIGN: ................................................................... MARK LEHBERG PROOF READER / EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: ........................... ELYSYA SCERBO-PASTA ONTARIO DIRECTOR & DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA: ......................... JANET BOIANGIU

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

When a yawn isn’t just a yawn E Dogged very time I’d take Artie somewhere in the car -- the vet, the store, the park, anywhere -- he’d always yawn through the whole ride.

He’d look out the window and yawn.

He’d lie down and yawn.

He’d sit up again and yawn. Yawn, yawn, yawn. Maybe he expected this drive to be an amusement park ride?

Boring driving is SAFE driving, buddy!

He was always good on car rides -he didn’t throw up or bark or anything -- but he yawned a lot. I quickly realized that he wasn’t tired. No, he was stressed. He also yawned a lot while we were in the waiting room at the vet’s office (he’d also bark his face

off there, but that’s a whole other Artie-ism). So, I put two and two together (that’s math, folks) and it added up to these being stressful situations for him.

A dog’s yawning, although you may think it’s from boredom or from being tired, is sometimes something completely different. Dogs often yawn as a calming signal when they’re stressed out, frustrated, or excited. When a dog is feeling stressed, a yawn may also be accompanied by flattened ears, squinting eyes, or tensed muscles. When in the presence of another dog that your dog doesn’t know, and your dog (or the other dog) yawns, it might be

Pursuits with Dawn Mirsky

a sign that the yawner isn’t comfortable around the other pup, so take heed. Pay attention, too, when your dog yawns in the presence of a new person. Your pup may not be 100 percent at ease with this person, yet.

And sometimes, when your pup has

had a few hours of active romping at the dog park and is now burrowed under his blankie at home, a yawn really IS just a yawn and he just wants a nap. Artie just yawned. It’s nap time for both of us. And now he’s snoring. Sigh… men!

Communicating with your companion W Pet e spend many wonderful times with our four-legged friends, some of them active, some mellow. There is nothing more fulfilling than being in sync – sharing, caring and communicating.

Every guardian, however, has to admit that there are times when our companion exhibits undesirable behaviour and that we are mystified by what’s causing it. Fortunately, the solution is not that complicated and comes directly from our innate intuitive abilities. We just need to re-learn how to communicate on a subtle level.

There are several ways to connect. One can: Send and receive emotional and physical feelings; tune in telepathically; or receive visual images. When you receive a feeling intuitively, you get a sense of the emotion the animal is experiencing or the pain it is feeling. When you connect telepathically, you can mentally hear words or phrases. And when using your intuition to send a visual image to your companion, you in turn can see an image sent to you.

There are a number of books available on the subject of Animal Communication, but you can start by trying the following two simple exercises: 1/ Spend two weeks talking and sending thoughts to your companion as though it can understand you perfectly. During this period be sure to change any outdated beliefs you may have about animal emotions.

Animals have the capacity to experience the same emotional intensity that we do.

2/ Pick a regular time to talk to your animal about specific issues be-

tween you or about what is generally going on in your life. Speak in earnest as though you were talking to a human equal. Ask for your companion’s advice and cooperation. At the end of your talk, close your eyes and ask if your animal has any questions.

You may be surprised to find that one immediately pops into your mind.

Animals are so sensitive that it doesn’t take much to effect change.

So give it a try and see how different life can be with a little intuitive communication.

Barbara Etcovitch is a Classical Homeopath, Interfaith Minister, freelance writer and lecturer. She has a BA from Sir George Williams University, a MA in Literature from the University of Ottawa, and a diploma in Classical Homeopathy from the School of Homeopathy in Devon, England. She was ordained by the All Faiths Seminary International in New

Healer

with Barbara Etcovitch

York City in 2004. She offers naming and funeral services for animals, grief counselling for guardians and includes the treatment of animals in her homeopathic practices in Quebec and Ontario. Her services are available worldwide via Skype.

(ED. NOTE: The concept of being a Pet Whisperer is gaining much momentum in recent years, as well as attracting ridicule. I say ‘why not give it a try?’ Humans are surely far, far

from the best example of what our Creator managed to cobble together... of that I am amply certain. It is really possible that animals were put here as true companions for humans, as we journey to Valhalla. They should therefore be treated as we hope to be treated ourselves, not as slaves, or decorative objects, or punching bags. Ask your pets what they think about this and the answer may surprise you).

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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Love affair with dogs grows with each pet – albeit reluctantly at first

by Bram D. Eisenthal, Photos by Sierra Van Biello For Precious Pets

W

hen she was a child, Montreal real estate agent Anita Benabou Rozenblat was never raised with pets. “I always loved animals, but my parents just knew that they would be the ones saddled with the responsibility, not me,” she confessed to me when gifted young photographer Sierra Van Biello and I were at her residence setting up a canine photo shoot. “But after having two daughters as an adult, they convinced me that if I were to buy them a dog (or two, and now three), they’d promise to walk them, feed them and do everything else. I was convinced.”

But, as with all children, school, friends and after-school-activities (homework included) find a way of struggling to the top of the Daily Chore List. “Clearly, after purchasing

two miniature poodles (siblings from the same litter: one male, one female) the walking and feeding didn’t last long,” she further confessed.

Actually after just one week, Anita’s husband had a new chore, which meant he’d be the Superintendent of Dogs and handle all the jobs this entailed.

Three years later, Anita’s daughter Brittney Rozenblat, who works with her mom as a broker, surprised the family with yet another dog. “Brittney convinced me that she purchased Henri because he stole her heart one day and it didn’t take long until both dogs and my entire family fell in love with an animal all over again.”

Truly, I noticed, having three dogs at home, Anita seemed to be enjoying the love and peace this has brought into her home. The dogs are a joy to be around and I learned how true it is that poodles are smart, as Sierra and I struggled with the angst and angles needed to take a superb

cover shot. I had encountered these dogs before, but I really got to know them during the hour or so we were there shooting. “My three dogs all have a special personality,” Anita told me. “I love them all and would never ever give them up!”

She described each dog for us: “Brody is the beige poodle and he’s more of a relaxed personality, is very loyal and loves kids. Cookie is my ‘dumb blonde,’ always spaced out, neither here nor there. The one special thing I’ve noticed is that Cookie knows if and when someone is afraid of her (although, really, who could be afraid of a cute poodle?) - she’ll immediately lay on her back and show you that she’s harmless.

“Henri is ‘Speedy Gonzales’… this dog flies. Walking him in the snow is like watching a deer. This dog is naturally high on life. The part that amazes me most about having these three dogs is that once the doorbell rings, all three start to either bark

or go into a symphony of vocals. It sounds eerily human.” I am ashamed to admit it, but the barking was actually a turn-off for me when I would visit Anita to discuss her ads: She has always been an ardent supporter of my papers and I have had cause to visit with her often to discuss our work together. But after the dogs settle down and get to know you, they are very charming and cute to be around. Now, after this photo shoot, I was smitten with them.

Both Anita’s daughters love to dress the dogs up, whether in time for Halloween outings or for garden parties and you’ll always find accessories like a Burberry bow tie or a pink tutu on one of them. Of course, with her background in fashion design and marketing, one would expect nothing less from Anita’s dogs.

“We’re one big happy family!” the proud dog owner said, with a winning smile.

NEXT ISSUE FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 28 DEADLINE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 info@preciouspets.ca Back step - Henri (Bichon/Yorkie mix), Middle step - Cookie (teacup poodle – sister), Front step - Brody (teacup poodle – brother)

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PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

JUST CALL ME DR. W

Pet weight loss just became easier (by Dr. Wybranowski, B.SC. DVM CCRT)

A

recent five year study completed by the American Veterinary Medical Association shows there is a dramatic increase in pet obesity. They warn that obesity decreases the life span, the quality of life and introduces a high risk of obesity-related disease. Top among these are: Arthritis; bladder disease; thyroid disease; liver disease; ACL ruptures (torn knee ligaments); spinal disk disease; diabetes; heart failure; kidney disease; high blood pressure and gall bladder disease.

What’s even more surprising is that the study showed that the majority of owners of overweight pets believed their pets were of average weight. They needed to be told by their veterinarian that their pet was in fact overweight.

Managing obesity is never easy but now we have new exciting tools!

Please read on…

1. Deciding how much a pet was overweight used to be difficult. Today, however, with just a common tailor’s tape, we can now take certain measurements of the pet’s body and enter these into a software program along with age, sex, breed and weight data, in order to calculate what the ideal body weight should be. It basically extrapolates how much soft tissue is appropriate for this size of bone-skeletal-body structure. This no longer becomes someone’s opinion but scientific data. This method is 98 percent accurate.

2. Another breakthrough in managing obesity was provided by Hill’s Pet Nutrition. They developed the Metabolic Diet, and by using natural ingredients like coconuts, tomatoes, carrots, peas, etc., they have been able to turn on the genes responsible for burning fat. They studied the genome of cats and dogs and found that obese pets have different gene expression from lean pets. All pets had the same genes, but in obese pets some of these were dormant (they were not being expressed), while others were active. By introducing nutrients that differ from those in natural foods, they could turn on or off the expression of some genes.

They identified which genes were active in fit pets and figured out how to turn these on.

They even proved scientifically that once a pet goes on the Metabolic Diet he not only loses weight but that he also changes his gene expression to that of a fit pet. The expected weight loss is 0.5-1 percent per week! This diet is truly remarkable and its principles are being studied by human medicine, as it is of great interest to us humans as well.

We have had a lot of success with

this Metabolic Diet. Check out some of our patients…

Toby was a 130-lb male crossbreed boxer who needed to lose weight.

Check him out now, after only two months on Metabolic Diet. He lost 11

pounds!

If you are not sure if your pet is overweight, please bring him in to Animal 911, we will assess him, weigh him, take a careful history of his present diet (if you can bring his bag of food, all the better) and

how much he is fed per day. We will also take his morphometric measurements and with all that we will be able to calculate his ideal body weight and start his weight loss program right away!

Dr. Wybranowski and Willow

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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Candlelight vigil at Hudson’s Global:

by Bram D. Eisenthal - For Precious Pets

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trator of Facebook group Community Connections St. Lazare, Hudson, Rigaud and Vaudreuil-Dorion were also key in organizing the service.

The fledgling West Island branch of the SPCA was also on hand to educate the public about their work.

Guy said that the service was a natural response to a terribly chapter in Quebec, held “to honour the 18 lives that were tragically lost in a local kennel fire and to show our support for those families who are grieving.

“As a dog and animal lover I naturally feel deep sorrow for the senseless and devastating loss of so many lives, as well as compassion and sympathy for those families who are grieving. They did not just lose pets, they lost family members. I wanted those who are grieving to know that as a community we care about what happened, we care about the precious lives lost and we care about them.”

Guy was “overwhelmed” by the amount of people who turned out for the service. “It was a beautiful example of a community being joined together by their love and compassion for animals and humans alike,” she added. “But Quebec has a long way to go when it comes to the im-

PHOTOS: BRAM D. EISENTHAL

any pet owners already know that this last winter holiday season was anything but festive or happy for the families of 18 deceased pets. The pets died, mainly from smoke inhalation, in the accidental blaze that destroyed the Family K-9 Kennel on Montreal’s West Island recently, owner Nick Zevgolis having gone out for dinner, leaving the business unsupervised when it caught fire.

With the animals gone, leaving their human companions behind to grieve, the pet community pulled together on the evening of January 16, 2014, as Craig Garbos of the Global - Pitou Minou et Compagnons location in Hudson-Ste. Lazare hosted a moving candle-lighting ceremony in memory of the victims of the tragedy.

Organized by pet lover/companion Caroline Guy, the service was attended by an estimated 40 community members, many of whom brought their dogs. Father Roland Demers, of St. Thomas d’Aquin Catholic Church in Hudson, Quebec, was on hand to deliver prayers to the pets and their families, while Gerdy Gouron of Gerdy’s Rescues and Adoptions, Averil Robinson of Pet Friends Funeral Arrangements and Cremation Services and Shirley Hunt, adminis-

Global’s resident cockatiel Dusty, is seriously cute and smart but NOT for sale! plementation of strict laws with harsh penalties if laws regarding animal welfare are ignored. I can only hope that in light of this devastating tragedy governments will realize the necessity and urgency to put proper standards and regulations in place to secure the safety and well being of ‘All Creatures Great and Small.’

One particularly moving moment occurred when Father Demers read aloud a poem that is fast becoming

Father Roland Demers led a short-but-moving spiritual service in memory of the deceased animals

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PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

a rallying cry for the animal welfare movement, I Call You Dog. The poem is reprinted in its entirety on the next page.

The partners and staff of Precious Pets share in the sorrow of the families who lost animals in this tragic fire and send their condolences to the families and to pet lovers everywhere. In memory of these blessed creatures:

PHOTO: JIM DUFF

Service for pets that perished in kennel fire I Call You Dog (author unknown) When God made the Earth and sky, flowers and the trees, He then made all the animals, the birds and the bees.

When His work was finished, not one was quite the same.

He said, “I’ll walk this earth of mine and give you all a name.”

And so He travelled land and sea, and everywhere He went, a little creature followed him until its strength was spent.

When all were named upon the Earth and in the sky and sea, the little creature said, “Dear Lord, there’s not one left for me.”

The Father smiled and softly said, “I’ve left you till the end.

I’ll turn my own name back to front and call you ‘dog,’ my friend.”

Dogs, even Irish Wolfhounds, were quite at home as they paid homage to lost friends

Caroline Guy with opening remarks, accompanied by Father Demers Kids just love their pets

The devoted crew at the spanking new West Island SPCA: (l-r) Remi Brazeau; Tracy Basserden; Pierre Bourbonnai. They can be reached at 514-566-5678. More to come about them in the next issue of Precious Pets.

Local legend Gerdy Gouron talks with Precious Pets about the area’s pet scene. More on her website at http://www.gerdysrescue.org/

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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In memory of, in honour of and because we love our

Precious Pets

Ricky

A Promise for Jude

Six-year old Shih Tzu Ricky “is so special because he’s nice, he never gets mad and he never growls at anyone” beams owner Charlotte, a teen residing in Montreal’s West End. Sounds like a loving bundle of fur to us!

by Marina Dib

God is gentle, God is good.

My first Dog, I named her Jude.

No knick-knack, paddy-whack, Don`t give that Dog a bone…

Judi preferred an Ice-cream cone!

If there was lightning, if there was thunder, She`d find a bed she would hide under…

And because I am as loyal as she, I`d crawl there to keep Judi company.

Judi Julep was soft and tender, And, one fine day, I did defend her From the attack of a cruel neighbour…

I got her back and I did save her!

So now I`m into Animal Rights…

I am NEVER giving up the fight!

So don`t do them wrong because, you betcha I am a Scorpio and I`m gonna getcha!

Choco

Choco is a 3-year old Chocolate Poodle from South Korea, of all places!

We welcome the Korean peninsula to Precious Pets and we promise to toast you the first time we wolf down fire-breathing kimchi in 2014.

© 2013 Marina Dib

Chanel

7-month old Chanel is a Teacup Poodle that hails from Vancouver and was brought over by plane at great expense by Tammy, Jacques and daughters Sarah and Zoe, because they could not find a breeder of these dogs in Eastern Canada.

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PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

A Father, a Daughter and a Dog (A true story by Catherine Moore)

“

Watch out! You nearly broadsided that car!,” my father yelled at me. “Can’t you do anything right?”

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn’t prepared for another battle.

“I saw the car, Dad. Please don’t yell at me when I’m driving.” My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.

Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had revelled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered gruelling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn’t lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn’t do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his 67th birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing.

At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky. He survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor’s orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone..

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.

Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick.

We began to bicker and argue.

Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counselling appointments for us. At the close of

each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad’s troubled mind.

But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered in vain.

Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, “I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article.”

I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had proved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odour of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens Each contained five to seven dogs. Longhaired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world’s aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.

Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of grey. His hip bones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. “Can you tell me about him?” The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement.

“He’s a funny one. Appeared out of

nowhere and sat in front of the gate.

We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him.

That was two weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.” He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. “You mean you’re going to kill him?”

“Ma’am,” he said gently, “that’s our policy. We don’t have room for every unclaimed dog.”

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. “I’ll take him,” I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch....

“Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!” I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. “If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don’t want it.” Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. “You’d better get used to him, Dad. He’s staying!”

Dad ignored me. “Did you hear me, Dad ?” I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duellists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad’s lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad’s bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends.

Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne ‘s cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night.. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father’s room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad’s bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag /rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favourite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad’s peace of mind.

The morning of Dad’s funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy.

It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life.

And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

“I’ve often thanked God for sending that angel,” he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: The sympathetic voice that had just read the right article; Cheyenne’s unexpected appearance at the animal shelter; His calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father; And the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

Life is too short for drama or petty things. So laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly. Live while you are alive. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.

God answers our prayers in His time, not ours. May you always have love to share, health to spare and friends who care.

(ED. NOTE: Amen to that!)

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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Puzzles

A Dash of...

Pepper

will be back with us in the February issue. As is the case with many contributors and readers, they took the month off, hence this smaller issue of Precious Pets.

SUDOKU 7

SUDOKU 8

SOLUTIONS FROM LAST MONTH

Pictured: A very laid-back Pepper on vacation in “Greypentigny,” as he calls it.

Photo: Donna Deskin SUDOKU 5

SUDOKU 6

ALL ARE WELCOME TO

Paws&Pray

at Christ Church, Beaurepaire, 455 Church Street, Beaconsfield, Quebec, H9W3S6 514-697-2204 christchurch@qc.aibn.com www.christchurchbeaurepaire.com

Many dogs and their human guardians have been enjoying worship at Christ Church at our monthly

Paws &Pray SERVICES

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2ND, 2014 •1 P.M. (and 1ST SUNDAYS IN MARCH, APRIL & MAY) Paws&Pray services are offered in collaboration with the Companion Animal Adoption Centres of Quebec (caacQ), a non-profit umbrella organization whose members are dedicated to animal rescue & welfare.

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PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

Animals taught me a lot about my own behaviour

H

ello there, my name is Meira Frankl and let me start off by thanking everyone for welcoming me to the Precious Pets family! It is an honour to be here, sharing my passion, my love and my interest in dogs, dog training and dog behaviour with all of you.

Like many other dog professionals, I always had dogs growing up. I was a very fortunate youngster in that my parents always fostered a great love for animals in all of us, from a very young age. We had dogs, cats, ferrets, parrots, rodents, ponies, you name it, and my parents even had some exotic wild animals in the home from time to time. I was also very lucky to spend a few years living on the family stable as a child as well.

The stories I could tell!

My first dog training experience

came to me when I was around 7 or 8-years old. I taught our Malamute, Satan, how to sit on my glasses on the ground, so I could get a new pair.

I mean, he broke them, so it wasn’t my fault, right? Turns out that my mother saw me through the window and the new replacement glasses I got were no prettier than the ones I had Satan squish. None too pleased at being found out, I left the idea of getting my dog to do things for me on the back burner until I got older.

There is much more to this story though, so I do plan on filling you in on the rest of how I grew up and fell in love with dog behaviour, but I will have to keep this my little secret until the next publication date.

Suffice to mention that I am now a Positive Reinforcement Trainer. I guess you could say that I am really

Dog Trainer with Meira Frankl a crossover trainer, because I used to train using the ‘Old School’ methods of Dominance Training and Pack Theory (with choke and prong collars) ... but, thankfully, science has enabled us to evolve when it comes to helping our four legged friends learn new behaviours, or how to help them stop unwanted behaviours. I’m proud to say that I have learned how our dogs learn best, with long-lasting results.

Until next time, Happy Training!

Meira Frankl is a dog trainer with Perfect Pet Training and also writes for the Montreal Dog Blog. She is owned by two dogs, two cats and two sons. She is pictured above with one of her dogs, Bullet, her rescued Staffordshire Terrier. You can reach her at 514-209-0271.

ATARA STOLOVITSKY AND FAMILY:

Journey into dolphin-assisted therapy

By Erica Tencer ur journey started last March when the therapy was presented to me as an option for Atara, who has Down Syndrome. Dolphin Aid Canada and its president, Sheila Botton, walked us through the whole process, gave us support and remained on hand as a lifeline. Within the next eight months, money was raised that made the trip a possibility.

The therapy is expensive, so the process was an investment of time and belief, assisted by a group of wonderful volunteers.

Me, Atara, Tova (her sister) and her father left in November for the therapy. Generally I’d say it was life changing, an eye-opening and amazing experience. I learned the difference between a vacation and a trip. It was definitely a trip.

Atara met her therapist (a psychologist) and intern (speech therapist) after Jon and I had talked about Atara. Culminating their first meeting, Atara was introduced to Bonnie (dolphin) by Paul (therapist), who connected and formed a quick bond. A teenaged human female apparently offered something special to a young mother/dolphin. Atara initially - hesitantly - got into the water, straight into Paul’s waiting arms.

By the next day, Paul had become Atara and Bonnie’s facilitator. Atara quickly got into the water to be with her new dolphin friend. For half an hour before every swim, the humans worked on behaviour and speech.

What they worked on was later brought to the water. Often, Bonnie proved to be a distraction for Atara, who had to focus on the behaviour therapy they constantly worked

O

upon. For 45 minutes in the water, some of it working on the platform, the new friends worked and played.

Atara marked her 18th birthday there and it was celebrated with gusto. Everyone was so happy.

During this mesmerizing two weeks, Jon and I participated in two workshops. One was about dolphins - their history, who they are and facts about their reproductive cycle. The girl who gave the talk really seemed to enjoy talking about the latter. The other workshop was given by Paul.

It was about behaviour. Tova was asked to participate in their Sibling Program. In a very teenaged fashion, she “sort of” participated. As the

sibling, they allowed her on the platform for one session. Generally, we watched from a covered area about 30 feet away, which proved to be the ultimate place to be bored. We sat on boulders, shaded from the sun, bathed in the sea breeze and surf.

Not bad, actually.

It’s hard to sum up what Atara came out of the experience with.

There were so many little things, some having everything to do with behaviour and speech and some being things that seemingly have nothing to do with Bonnie or the therapies. It was a holistic experience, after all.

But none of us – especially Atara

- will ever forget it. Of that I am certain.That... and the knowledge that a dolphin is not just any old fish.

PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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PRECIOUS PETS • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014 • www.preciouspets.ca

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