Squidbits

All dogs go to heaven

The love of a great pet is an awesome thing, and Jack, our chocolate Labrador, was an amazing pet, friend, companion, and faithful family member.  He died today, just two weeks shy of his 13th birthday.

Anyone who has lost a loved one knows the heartbreak our little family is going through right now. It is never easy to watch someone you love die. With pets, we are faced with watching them die, possibly in pain, or help them die peacefully through euthanasia. It is such a dilemma because you want to hang on as long as you can - it is a selfish longing because you can see the suffering in their eyes, the humiliation whenever they defecate in the house or worse, on themselves, and the withering of their body as it shuts down.

Around 5:50pm today we decided that we would put him down tomorrow morning. Well, he must have been listening to that conversation with the vet, because around 6:05pm he took his last breath. It was terrible having to watch him die, but I am really glad he was at home with us and the rest of the fur kids. I am sure he is looking down on us thinking what an awesome life he had as a Gell dog.

The first time we met Jack was when we drove out to the breeders' farm in Brazoria County. We were a little early so they hadn't had time to tire him out. When this big brown thing (11 mos old) came bolting out of his kennel, slobbering EVERYWHERE, a look of horror came across my face and a look of joy and love across Charlie's. Apparently this hunting school drop-out dog was meant to be ours, and we had a great time with Bayou Jack (his official name). He's been all the way around the world - literally. He had a maid in KL just to take care of him when we were out of town and a ranch in Texas just so he could swim and run around. Life couldn't have been better.

Most of my friends and family know Jack, so if you have a special story you'd like to tell about him, feel free to post a comment. He was a really, really great dog.

Photo: Jack in Kuala Lumpur (and happy as a clam). Taken 2003.

Desnaking the dogs

My dogs got desnaked today.  Something tells me those of you not from Texas or those of you who do not hunt have no idea what I am talking about.  So, let me explain.

Dogs like to stick their noses in everything, which is dangerous if that "thing" happens to have fangs and deadly venom.  So someone got the bright idea to teach dogs to stay clear of snakes.  We are headed with the dogs to West Texas at the end of the month, so I took them to be desnaked to lessen their chances of being bitten.  This is how it works:

Step 1:  Teach the dog to avoid the snake when it sees or smells one.  The snake handlers have snakes with the venom glands removed.  The dog is walked towards a coiled up snake with no rattle (could use a Copperhead or a Rattle Snake).  As soon as the dog starts to both sniff and eye the snake, the dog gets pounded with a shock from a training collar (set on its highest setting).  You then try to bring the dog closer to the snake again, and hopefully it avoids it.  You do this upwind and downwind so that you get the sight and sound test.

Step 2:  Teach the dog to stay clear of a snake when it hears one.  OK, so at this point the dog is like "what is going on?"  But after about 30 seconds resumes his laissez faire attitude.  You take the dog close to a rattlesnake that has its rattle tail.  It is jiggling away, so the intrigued dog goes in to investigate.  POW!  Shocked again.

Step 3:  The true test.  Now you as the owner come in to test (or is it torture??) the dog.  You have the dog on one side of the snake (with the dog handler) and you on the other side, and you do something that the dog does not want you to do:  You say "COME!".  If the dog has learned its lesson, it will walk in a huge arc away from the snake to get to you.

Pete was properly put in his place during Steps 1 and 2 today.  Jack was too in Step 1, but remembered his past desnaking and once he realized what the rattle was backed up to avoid the snake (and only got a small shock).

Both of my dogs passed the Step 3 test with flying colors today.  Good boys!

Top image:  the original Gell dog - Jack (12 years old).  Photo taken in June, 2007.

Bottom image:  version 2.0 - Pete (2 years old).  Photo taken in June, 2007.