Tuesday, May 17, 2016

I'm going to need a new dog. I think I broke mine!

Okay, broken might seem to be a bit of an exaggeration but, well, read on.

I'm in Las Vegas visiting my mom and of course Rambo is along for the journey.

My mom has lived in the same apartment complex for over 20 years now.  About five years ago a handful of feral cats moved into the complex, no doubt spurred on by some well meaning cat lover who put some food out for them. The city and the apartment management have refused to do anything about the problem and now there are easily 25 cats that call the complex home. 

It is normal to go out to my mom's car in the morning and see kitty paw prints on the hood and windshield. It's not uncommon to see groups of them sleeping on the hood of a car in winter or hiding underneath a car in the summet to escape the desert sun. One time a guy came out and counted 20 cats on top of his car! He has the photo to prove it too.

Enter Rambo. 


There is always someone bigger and badder but the bigger and badder don't mess with me!

He was pretty good when he saw a single cat. His ears perked up and he gave the cat the eye but easily moved on when he was told to "leave it."

Then came two cats. 

This caused Rambo to stop in his tracks and go into full radar lock mode. He kept his cool even with a little excited doggy dance. Still, with hardly any urging, he left the cats behind and we went on our merry way.

This afternoon the word must have spread in the local feline populace and six or seven cats were waiting in ambush for Rambo's afternoon walk.

I don't think Rambo has ever seen that many cats at once. There mere presence wasn't an issue. It was when they decided to scatter in six different directions (including "up") that was about all Rambo could handle. The sight of all those little critters scurrying every which way hit Rambo right in the prey drive! Wearing only his collar, as opposed to his Halti, he dug in with those powerful haunches of his and just about took me lawn surfing. He was hell bent on chasing these cats, never mind that he was going to drag my face through the grass in the process!

Once I regained my footing and control of my dog, I realised that this might be a problem. This was later confirmed during an evening walk when he turned to me and said, " be very, very quiet. I'm hunting cats!" 

Of course he didn't say anything but actions can be louder than words and his actions said it all. My well trained, well behaved service dog just became a hunting dog. Ugh. His head was darting back and forth and he started peering uner every parked car we passed. Great, just what I don't need is a distracted service dog.  

Using my wits and relying on my own training, i had to figure a way to counter this new but unwanted behavior.  He now has a new command added to his vocabulary. When he ducks his head under a car to look for a kitty to chase he not only gets a "leave it" command but he gets a "no hunting" admonition along with pulling his head up followed by immediate positive reinforcement with a treat.

So far this evening that approach seems to be working to curb the hunting behavior. I can't really fault him too much since he has never been faced with so many quick moving targets at once. It still worries me but I suspect that once he is removed from this environment it won't be a real problem anymore.

On the other hand I bet I could make a few bucks from the residents of the apartment complex if they were willing to pay to get rid of their feral cat problem once and for all.  All I have to do is let Rambo off his leash and I guarantee every one of those cats will go over the wall, never to return.

But then I really would need a new dog!

Monday, May 16, 2016

Support a Portland Designer & Make Your Dog Safer at Night!!!

 Kickstarter Alert!

I'm always looking for new and innovative ways to keep Rambo safe, healthy and entertained.  An excellent source for finding new and interesting items of all sorts is Kickstarter.  As I've noted before, I scour the site regularly looking for the next great thing to come along. I am, admittedly, a tech junkie but I aways put creative dog campaigns first in line for my pledged dollars. 

When I find a project that interests me and it comes from a person or company in my home state of Oregon I will usually jump on it. In this case the project is in Portland. For me it can't get any more local than that!

Allow me to introduce the Rufflective Packable Rain Jacket designed by Elton King.


This isn't your typical dog rain coat. Elton's coat is made with Lumitech Area Reflective Fabric.

So?

So, unlike every other dog coat that promises reflective properties and tries to get by with reflective piping or patches, this entire raincoat lights up when light hits it!

Never mind that it's a packable, comes in different colors and even has human accessories, it's a major night dog safety coat! 


Rambo is as black as the night and all but disappears after dark. I am constantly trying different night safety items so he can be seen. I've used flashing LED collars, flashing tags and another coat that had an LED strip built in that gave up the ghost after its first encounter with a Portland rain storm.

Needless to say, I'm excited about this coat!  Raining or not, this coat will be worn every night.

Please take a look at the campaign on Kickstarter by following this link: Rufflective Packable Rain Jacket and give your support by pledging for a coat or  twelve.


Don't wait too long before getting in on this campaign as it has only 21 more days to go and it's already 120% funded which means it's a go-ahead campaign and retail prices after the campaign are going to be higher.

Enough from me. Take it away, Elton!




This post is not sponsored by Rufflective, Elton King or Kickstarter and I receive no incentives for others purchasing items by clicking through the links on this page. I just really like this project!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Please. Watch. Listen. Learn!

I keep a running log of the stupid and intrusive things do when people see Rambo and I together in public.  Service dog handlers and trainers won't be surprised by any of it but I'm certain that others have a few things to learn when it comes to dealing with a service dog team in public.  This is even more important for a veteran with a PTSD dog.

Someday I'll organize and publish my own list of stupid people tricks but for now I think this video says an awful lot!