Calvin (dog on left) recently started to lick Ralph’s (dog on right) ear. Just the right ear. The first time he did, it was at night. It was just after we went on a long walk. Both dogs were lying down on their pads/bed and both were in their post-walk panting/smiling mode — you know, the excitement stage after the walk, followed by the inevitable crash and sleep phase.

Then, out of nowhere, Calvin started to lick Ralph’s ear. He did it mostly on the outside but a little inside. He did it for awhile, for a few minutes or so. Ralph seemed to like it. He certainly didn’t move away. Calvin kept panting as he did it so he seemed to enjoy it, too. Calvin had never done this before. At first I thought, well, they’re brothers and they’re older now and maybe this is a sign of long overdue affection?

I did some research and ear-licking business is not uncommon. Some say it’s from wolf pack days when wolves who had a low position in the pack would lick the ears of those in higher positions as a sign of deference.

Others confirmed my theory-that it’s a way to express affection. I read accounts of not only dogs licking other dogs ears but dogs licking cats ears, etc.

A theory less espoused was that the licking could be a sign of ear mites. A trip to the vet was advised.

All I know is that Calvin has licked Ralph’s ear a couple of times since the first time. Calvin pants and smiles as he does it and so does Ralph. My only conclusion is that they don’t express affection for each other much and this is the way they do it when they do.

Another woman handled this fear differently than I might. This woman wrote in her will that she wanted her dog put down if anything happened to her. When the woman died and the conditions of the will were about to be set in motion, it caused an uproar and inspired the head of the San Francisco SPCA to save the dog and helped to ensure that dogs would not suffer this fate.  Sido’s owner did us all a favor and inspired the concept of no-kill shelters. Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/06/22/petscol062210.DTL

A woman was riding her bike on a trail at Albany Bulb. We had both stopped to watch as dog walkers separated 2 labs who were fighting over a thrown stick. Talk turned to adoption stories. My 3 dogs are rescues; I adopted 2 as 10-year olds. I have a soft heart for seniors. How could anyone give up dogs they had for 10 years?  Not sure about the details.

The woman on the bike told me that she adopted her dog from Milo, a dog rescue place, because the child in the family wanted a puppy instead of an adult dog. Her adoptee was sweet and shy who didn’t like to be in the sun too long. She sat under shade as we talked and you could see that some of her skin was exposed. A gentle dog but not rambunctious like a puppy.

The saving grace here is that the woman on the bike loved her adoptee and told me that the dog was fond of her. So, happy ending.

I wonder, though, about parents who would allow their child to turn in a dog that way. I just think that when you adopt, you stick with the dog; you don’t turn it in for something “better.”  But maybe that’s just me.

Jake jumps into my bed at around 6 am every morning. I hear him approach, pause, launch and boom, there  he is, on the bed, anticipating the morning walk in the dog park.

Jake loves to go in the car. Whenever I start to put on my shoes or pick up my keys, he’s waiting in front of the door. Sometimes if I have the car in back to wash it, I let him sit in it and I can’t get in out.

Jake loves the water and will lay into a dime-sized puddle if that’s all there is. He doesn’t swim much; he tends to just lay in the water and that seems to delight people. It does me, too.

Jake has enormous feet. OK. So his feet aren’t his personality. But it’s a part of him. When he walks around late at night, he makes a “thud, thud, thud” noise.

Jake likes to chase poodles. Sometimes people are OK with that, sometimes not.

Jake loves to run and play with Gus, a German shorthair.

Jake sleeps in his favorite chair with his head hanging over the side.

Jake talks, though he has a limited vocabulary. He says “hrrr, hrrr..” early in the morning and I think it means, “I am ready to go on my walk now. Could you speed it up?” Or a plaintive “hhmm?” “hhmm?” which is a variation of “hrrr.”

When I call Jake to come, he doesn’t just walk over or take his time. He bounds toward me.

Among other things…

Jake at Tilden

When you have a German Shepherd, people respond in two ways; either with fond remembrance – “I had a German Shepherd named Max when I was growing up and he was the best dog ever.” Or with fear. “Could you please keep your dog away from mine? He was attacked by a German Shepherd awhile ago and he’s been scared of them ever since.” This type of reaction happens more times than I can count. It’s hard not to take it personally. Jake is gentle and sweet. But if you’re used to small dogs or maybe had a bad experience with a German Shepherd, I guess I can understand.

I had a chance to change someone’s mind about fearing a German Shepherd recently. But I missed the opportunity. Here’s what happened:

I was walking my 3 dogs at Pt. Isabel on a Sunday afternoon. As usual, there were a lot of people around and more kids that there are during the week. A mother was walking toward us with a child on either side, on one side a girl, and a younger child, a boy, on the other side. The boy was already clinging to his mother as they walked toward us. He clearly was not enjoying the experience. They didn’t have a dog and it’s unusual for people to be at this park unless they have one.

As the family got closer, the boy clung even more tightly to his mother. Jake, my Shepherd, who is friendly and likes kids, walked toward him and the boy pulled back, fearful, and said to his mother, “That’s a police dog.” This was code for “that dog is trained to hurt people.” The mother pulled his son in closer and walked by.

I had my chance right then to tell them that not all German Shepherds are trained to attack if given the command. Some are just pets and are friendly, smart, joyful, loyal and loving. I would need to do this by not preaching or trying to persuade the fearful that my dog won’t hurt them. But just smiling and stating, to ask them to consider if this could be true. If a person is genuinely afraid of dogs, you can’t change their minds in one encounter. People or kids don’t seem to ever fear my lab mixes but a German Shepherd, it’s a harder sell sometimes.

I watched as he walked away, the dog following him obediently, as they both headed toward a woman who was waiting for them. As he got closer to her, he said to me, “I’m sorry, ma’m.” It didn’t make me feel any better. I’d rather he would have hugged the dog and apologized for being impatient. I really can’t stand people being cruel in any way to an animal and whenever things like this happen, it sticks with me for quite awhile. If I had kept a cooler head, I could have told him that dogs are more likely to come if they know they’ll be treated with kindness than cruelty.

The worse part is that this wasn’t the first time I’ve seen and responded to someone being cruel to their dog and I usually get the same response as I got from this guy. I don’t get it. Dogs ask so little and give us so much. They want nothing more than to please if they “misbehave,” can we be forgiving and teach them? I guess it’s easier for some to strike out.

I look forward to a day when “being treated like an animal” means the opposite of what it means now – animals treated with kindness and dignity not cruelty.

I started talking to her and she asked how long I had Jake and where did I adopt him, the usual dog conversations. As we talked, I realized that she was Pam, the woman who had rescued Jake (then Habib) from a shelter near Fresno. She took care of his vet care and made sure that he had a good foster home until he was adopted. I had exchanged emails with her when she posted his adoption picture but had never met her until now. Obviously, Jake hadn’t forgotten her and his gratitude was evident in the way he followed her and wanted to be with her.

We talked about what a great dog he is, especially considering how rough his life must have been growing up. Jake is a gentle, well-socialized dog whose owners may not have had the money to feed him well. I assured her that he had a good life now, she gave him plenty of hugs and attention and then Pam went on her way.

As she walked the other way, Jake kept watching her until she was too far away to be seen. There was something so poignant in his watching her. He remembered her and didn’t forget her kindness. There’s no other explanation. I won’t forget either.

In July, I adopted a new dog named Jake.

I meet a lot of dogs. I see I go to the dog park every day and see the regulars. Like most regulars, I know the dogs’ names but often not the owners. When I’m just walking around, at a minimum, I smile at every dog I see. It’s a natural response. But if there’s time and the situation is right, I try to find out the dog’s name, to pet it, call it “sweetie”, and usually the owner will tell me a story.

“He was a stray and I tried to find a home for him. But I ended up keeping him. Now it’s 9 years later and I can’t imagine my life without him.”

“My neighbor kept this dog tied up all day. I couldn’t bear it. When I asked about it, it turned out that the boyfriend didn’t want a dog around. So I adopted her.”

Just this morning when I was walking my dogs at the dog park, I saw a woman with a dog who looked exactly like Sasha, my dear dog who died in Sept. The dog’s name was Rudy. He was a stray and his owner found him on a freeway in LA.

In my own case, I adopted 2 senior dogs, brothers, from a shelter 2 years ago. Their owner, who had them both for 10 years, surrendered them. Great dogs.

The dog in the picture is Bear. He’s a dog I met in San Rafael, CA. Bear was left homeless after a flood in Ross. His owner gave him daily walked and love ensued. The man (notice that I didn’t catch his name) proclaimed great affection for Bear and couldn’t imagine life without him.

Every dog has a history. Over the years, I’ve heard countless stories of abandonment and abuse, adoption and love.

But then I heard an interview with Joshua Leeds, co-author of Through a Dog’s Ear. He said imagine what it would be like if you were left alone in a room with the TV on and you couldn’t change the station or the sound level. Add to that the fact that the sounds from the TV or radio may be sounds that your dog doesn’t have a reference to and can’t process and you may find that you’re not doing your dog a favor after all.

However, Leeds says that his research shows that there is music that seems to be universally soothing and (of course) he has a CD to sell with that music on it. There’s plenty of research and sound samples on his web site to try out if you’re skeptical.

More on dogs and sound-If your dog pants loud and long, it could be laughing and this sound has a soothing effect on other dogs. Read more in Sound of Dog’s ‘Laugh’ Soothes Other Pooches. You don’t have to convince me. When one of my dogs pants, I am immediately soothed and calmed.