SUPERPOWER DOGS: A movie about Man's Greatest Hero!

Cosmic Pictures is creating a 3D IMAX movie about the real heroes in our lives:  our dogs!

According to their announcement on Prefundia, "SUPERPOWER DOGS is an epic 3D live action movie for IMAX® and giant screen theaters about amazing dogs who fight crime, save lives and make our world a better place. Produced in association with the California Science Center, SUPERPOWER DOGS...will showcase the heroic accomplishments of search and rescue, therapy and medical detection dogs and the science behind their extraordinary abilities in a way that people have never experienced or understood. Our goal is to deepen people’s appreciation for these remarkable animals, celebrate the profound bond between us, and build a stronger foundation of support for working dogs around the world."

Pretty cool, huh?!?

Cosmic Pictures is going to crowd fund the movie on Indiegogo in the very near future.  Their campaign isn't live yet but if you go to their Prefundia page and enter your email address they will let you know when the campaign launches.  Then, if you are so inclined, you can pitch in a few bucks to help make a move that will really bring awareness to the average folk about dogs, their behaviors and, most importantly, the jobs they do for us.

Dogs have been by Man's side for 15,000 years.  We've genetically developed over 400 pure breeds from the mighty wolf.  Most of those breeds were developed to fit a certain need for our ancestors.  From guard dogs to shepherds to rat killers, dogs have helped man survive through the ages.  Hopefully this movie will be the fitting tribute they deserve.

Cosmic Pictures will donate 20% of the film’s profits, and the profit of their upcoming Indiegogo campaign, to working dog organizations.

Take a minute and go check out their Prefundia page.  While you're there, be sure to sign up for their Indiegogo campaign launch.  It would be awesome if everyone would pitch in but if you sign up you aren't under any obligation for anything and you can keep track of the movie's progress and launch date.  You can also follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (see the poster below).

I already ordered Rambo's Superdog outfit for opening night!  Then again, he doesn't need a cape for me to know that he's my hero!

An Open Letter to the Woman Who Thinks I Abuse My Dog

First off, I must apologize for giving you the impression that I was abusing my dog.  I appreciate your concern.

On that same note, shame on you for not having the mental fortitude and courage of person to speak to me directly.  I could have cleared things up right on the spot instead of having to take the time out of my day to explain it here.  I suppose it is easier to go behind my back after sufficient time to embellish the perceived horror and complain to someone who also has better things to do than make phone calls to me to tell me someone didn't have the fortitude to approach me in light of such perceived heinous cruelty.

I wouldn't normally bother worrying about the opinions of someone who is obviously ignorant to the facts but you tarnished my reputation and upset me to the point of tears. 

Rambo and I have been together for roughly 22 months.  You saw us together for maybe two minutes. So you jumped to a conclusion based on observing us only  0.000002% of the total time this dog and I have been together.  That is an awfully small sampling size of information by which to pass judgement.

My point is, you don't know me and you don't know my dog.  You know nothing of our backgrounds and apparently you didn't take into account the fact that I was in a VA hospital and maybe there was a whole lot more going on in my day besides my dog getting out of control that I had to contend with.

Rambo and I have formed a strong bond and I assure you that this dog is far from being abused.  He is pampered, spoiled, loved on and tended to with all the love and attention that I can give him.  In return he gives me the same.  When we are at home he is almost constantly near me.  If he is not sitting at my feet, he is curled up next to me with his head on my lap.  This dog sleeps with his head on my chest when he isn't curled up, pushing his body up against mine.  Rambo has the best preventative health care plan and veterinary insurance that money can buy.  He is fed nothing but high quality dog foods and treats.  He has a plethora of toys that we regularly use together.    He is equipped with every canine safety device I can find.  He has a safety harness tethered into my car's seat belt system so we're both protected in case of a crash. He has three pairs of boots (complete with boot liners), three coats (one down coat for the cold, a cooling coat for summer and a rain coat), a floatation vest, a GPS tracker, LED collars and the list goes on.  There is nothing that leaves this dog wanting.

Rambo is a very unique dog.  I'm sure anyone can say that about their dog but Rambo truly does have some traits that are unique for a dog in his position.  The most important thing to consider is that, before Joy brought Rambo into her training program, he was rescued from an unfortunate situation where he was abused and neglected as a puppy.  This has left some very deep and lasting scars on his psyche.  It affects him in a profound manner to this very day.  When I brought Rambo home it became very clear that he was deathly afraid when an adult male human raised his voice in his direction.  This very thing happened on Rambo's first day in his new home.  He tried to snatch a bit of my dinner that I had left on a plate next to my chair.  When I saw him going after the plate I simply gave him a sharp, "Rambo, No!"  Instead of just getting down, which he does now just fine, he ran to the front door and cowered, his eyes darting back and forth, searching for an escape from what he thought was the physical punishment to follow.  That absolutely broke my heart.  I got on the floor and called him over to me.  He literally crawled across the floor expecting me to hit him.  When I put my arms around him and told him it was okay I saw this dogs entire body relax.  He stood up and started wagging his tail and he looked genuinely relieved that he avoided any physical punishment.  

From that day on I have been very cognizant of how he reacts to me and I purposely work towards stopping that behavior whenever it arises.  Over time Rambo has grown and matured.  He no longer goes off like a fire alarm when someone knocks at the door.  Instead he gives one bark and goes to the door, as he has been taught, to let me know someone is there.  Now, if I raise my voice, instead of running away, he comes to me and gets right in my face to calm me down.

As well as anyone, I wholly understand what it is like to live through life-changing traumatic events.  It has tortured my soul for years and my life was empty until Rambo came along and helped me live again.  I know the fear and panic he feels when a situation triggers the ever lingering open wounds of past trauma.  I know what it is to go into a blind rage and lose all control (something Rambo never lets happen anymore!).  I know that there is little that can bring me out of that dark place where I have no choice but to scream at the ghosts and demons to chase them away.  It is a terrifying place to go to and it is hard to come back from without someone being persistent in their endeavor to bring me back down into reality.

I have seen this same rage and loss of control in Rambo too many times.  I am certain that he was not only abused by human hands but that there were other dogs that, if they did not physically attack him, frightened him sufficiently that he carries an uncontrollable fear of unfamiliar dogs with him to this day. 

I don't know exactly what you saw or think you saw at the VA hospital but what Joy described to me didn't fit the facts that I remember from that day.  For one, Rambo never barked in my presence while at the hospital.  I do know that he barked after we were separated, calling for me as I have seen him do before but I was nowhere near him.

I know what I saw and what I did in response was not in any way out of line when the totality of circumstances is taken into account.  This is, by the way, where you failed to get the whole picture before drawing illogical conclusions.

Twice that day Rambo encountered other dogs rather unexpectedly.  Usually, if I can get in front of his behavior, he will mark the dog and we will proceed as quickly as we can away from the other dog and that will be the end of it.

When I can't remove Rambo from the other dog and he perceives the other dog to be a threat, he can and will become entirely uncontrollable.  He becomes so frightened of the other dog that the only thing he can do is try to aggressively chase the other dog away.  When he gets into this mode I can see the fear and the loss of control in his eyes.  I can feel him using every muscle in his body to direct his efforts at challenging the other dog.  It is hard for me to see him get like this because I can empathise.  I can also intellectualize my fears but Rambo doesn't have that luxury.  All he has left is to act in the only way he knows how.  Unfortunately, that is wholly inappropriate behavior for a service dog and he only gets away with it because I take immediate action to curb the behavior.  This is not an easy task, I assure you.

Rambo is 85 solid pounds of fit, healthy and strong young adult male dog.  He can easily overpower me when he wants to and has done so on more than just a few occasions.  I have had to deal from the onset with his behavioral problems when around strange dogs.  Joy and her staff have even worked with me to help train him out of this behavior.  Much of the time the techniques that they taught me will work.  Things such as distracting him with treats or a rubber ball often work but only if I see the other dog first and manage to get Rambo distracted well before he spots the other dog.  If he sees the other dog first, particularly if the dog is very close, all bets are off.  Believe me, I've faced the embarrassment of trying to shove a treat in my dogs mouth only to have him spit it out and continue on his mission to chase the other dog away.  I've looked foolish more than once with an out of control dog in one hand and an rubber ball in the other with the dog not even acknowledging the ball.  I've found myself more than once in a helpless panic as my violently pulling dog has shaken himself free from his Halti with only an eighth of an inch strip of cloth keeping him from breaking free and causing who knows what kind of damage.  That little piece of cloth holding him to his leash is not the least bit reassuring as I've seen this dog break loose from a metal chain leash without even missing a step.  This leaves me little choice but to grab the dog by the collar and/or vest and physically drag him away from the other dog.

Keep in mind that this sort of behavior is quick to draw a crowd and I can feel the stare of a thousand pair of eyes as they burn holes through me.  I can hear the thoughts of an otherwise silent crowd wondering why my service dog is behaving like a crazed animal.  The entire situation is bad for both of us.

When this sort of behavior occurs, I have very little choice but to be physical with my dog.  He is very difficult to get under control given his strength and the driving force of his deep seated fears.  If that is what you saw then I understand why you thought he was being abused.  My actions were, in fact, totally necessary to keep my dog under control.  What may have looked like a dog under control to you was not what was happening.  You couldn't feel him still pulling against his Halti over and over.  You couldn't see his eyes that were straining in their sockets to look back at the other dog.  You had no idea how this dog can go from a down to yanking at his leash to get away.  I do know, however, exactly what this dog is capable of and I have to work very hard to keep him under control in this situation.

To make matters worse, the VA hospital is the last place on earth I need my service dog to misbehave.  It is bad enough that I have to get my care from a federal institution that is busy putting up more barriers to service dogs than is reasonable, I don't need them banishing my dog because he is going crazy in a public space in VA grounds.  There is a whole lot more at stake for me than worrying about whether you think the effort it takes to keep my dog under control is what you consider proper.  If you have read this with an open mind then you should now know that your assessment of the situation was incorrect and that your lack of courage to speak up to me directly has put me on the spot as a bad dog parent which is entirely untrue.

Under almost any other conditions, Rambo is exemplary in his behavior and tenor.  I have the utmost confidence in his ability to follow commands and to understand my various forms of communication.  He is, bar none, the most well behaved house dog I have ever known.  He never chews on anything that isn't specifically given to him for that purpose.  He doesn't ever get up on the counters without being told to do so, he rarely barks (and is the reason I acutely remember when he does so) and he never makes any sort of mess.  The only disagreement we have is who the neck pillow shaped like a giant dog bone belongs to and who the bed actually belongs to.  Other than that, we get along together in perfect harmony.  Neither one of us are ever lacking in attention from the other.  We are so tuned in to each others moods and feelings that often there are no words needed.  I think there is nothing cuter than Rambo after a day's adventure, waiting at the foot of my bed and encouraging me to hurry up for our afternoon nap.  He knows my routines better than I do and has bought into everything I do.

Rambo is well trained beyond the tasks required of him from Assistance Dogs International (ADI).  On command, Rambo will search the entire house for me which is very useful when I come home to find the door ajar (which has happened).  He retrieves my medicine on command.  He can turn on and off the lights.  He can wave bye-bye.  He can retrieve each one of his toys by name.  In fact, I've documented over 60 words or commands that Rambo understands.  There are certainly many more words and non-verbal cues that he understands that I have either not noted or he is using without my awareness.  My point being, I could not train this dog in so many tasks without providing him with a positive, happy, even fun environment in which to learn.  A mistreated doesn't respond like Rambo does.  Rambo is a happy, loving dog who has an unfortunate traumatic past which we are both still learning to live through.  There is no easy or quick fix to overcome PTSD.  It is a constant learning experience, one that is often overwhelming and deeply affects those around us.

Feel free to respond here openly and honestly.  The damage you've sown has already been reaped.  You can't make me feel any worse, I assure you.


UPDATE:  Yes, I heard you yesterday at the VA hospital.  That was extremely rude of you to walk by me and say "poor dog."  Next time I will NOT keep my civility and I WILL call you out in front of everybody.  Bitch.