Dad! What's a Hurricane?!

This will be the first storm weathered by the Pittie Trio!  While Dad was busy trying to get the generator running and Mommy was buying food and whatnot, the girls were in the crates getting some nap time.  Mostly because we were all busy scurrying about and some because Pop (my dad) was there and we were working on the generator.  But, alas, no generator.  That will teach me to leave gas in the tank for a long time.  A new carburetor is in order, I think.  So, we have plenty of canned food, dry food and dog food so what else could we ask for?  Oh yeah, beer!  But Daddy has to work all weekend so he couldn't drink the beer anyway.  

We're all talking about Hurricane Irene when Nea comes up and says, "Daddy, what's a hurricane?"  "Well Nea, it's a big storm that has a lot of wind and rain and it lasts for a long time." Nea looked worried.  "What's wrong, Nea?"  "I'm scared, Daddy!  The wind could blow the house away!"  "No, Nee Nee, we're going to be okay" I said.  "Well, what about the rain?  It could wash us down the hill!  I'm scared, Daddy!"  "Nea, we're going to be okay.  This house has been here for 120 years and it's still standing.  We'll be fine."  Nea still looked worried and her tail was tucked almost under her stomach.  "Nee Nee, what's wrong, Baby?"  "I'm still scared, Daddy!"  With that, she crawled into my lap and she was shaking.  Of all three of my Deaffies I believe Nea to be the strongest and the most brave but I guess that's when she can see the danger.  Remember, the storm still hasn't made landfall and is, at least, 12 hours away from us.  I think she can feel the storm's approach and maybe the drop in pressure.  Maybe she senses the way we're all running about buying and fixing things.

Nea couldn't get any closer to me unless she was in my shirt and she still looked worried!  "Nea, what's wrong?"  "Daddy, I'm still scared.  What if something happens?  What if we get hurt?  Who's going to take care of you and Mommy if Pickles, Piglet or me get hurt?"  What am I supposed to say to her at this point?  Mommy and I will be at work in large buildings so we're pretty safe but what about them?  The house will be fine.  All of the windows are shut, the patio furniture has been put away and there is plenty of food.  "Well, Nee Nee, I know that you will be okay!  I've been through hurricanes before and it's really going to be okay.  If I didn't think you guys would be safe then I would have just packed up and left.  That's why Matt, Liz and the Brown Dogs are coming up. They weren't safe in Norfolk because the hurricane is coming right through there!"  Wow" said Nea!  "I guess I never thought of that.  You and Mommy wouldn't let anything hurt us."  "No, Nea, we wouldn't.  I told you that when I brought you home from the shelter.  That's why we drove all the way to New Jersey to get you.  We didn't want you to be alone anymore and we wanted to love you!  I wouldn't let anything happen to ANY of you!"  "Okay, Daddy" Nea said.  "I know you love me but I'm still scared."  "Nea, please don't be scared.  If you're scared, you're not able to react; you're frozen with fear.  I want you to be frightened.  If you're frightened, you can still act.  You can help watch the Brown Dogs and help with Piglet and Pickles.  Do you understand?"  "I think I do" said Nea.  "It's okay to be frightened but not scared because I can still protect people and help out.  I can do it, Daddy!  I know I can!"  "I know you can too, Nea!"  And with that, Nea was up and playing.  I could tell that she was still nervous but she was playing with everyone else.

"Daddy!  What's a hurricane?" asked Piglet and Pickles.  "Well, girls, it's a big storm with lots of wind and rain.  Why?"  "We heard you talking to Nea about it but then we heard everything was going to be okay!"  "It will be girls.  We'll be okay!"  "Okay, Daddy!"  And off they went.  Pickles and Piglet are just wired different.  They don't seem to get nervous like Nea but if everyone was the same, wouldn't life be boring?

If you're reading this, I hope you've battened your hatches!

Introducing Piglet!

That's right, folks!  You may have seen it on Facebook first but here a some information on Piglet who is the newest member of The Deaf Dog family!

So when did this happen, you ask?  Well, just two nights ago but let me back up a bit. Donna came to me one day and said, "I want to get dogs for our dogs!"  I was wondering what kind of dog would go good with a Pittie but we decide on looking at some French Bulldogs.  I know, Piglet is not a Frenchie but I'm getting there.  I contacted someone on the Yahoo Deaf Dog Network and asked if they knew anyone that had any deaf Frenchies and within a couple of hours, I received an email from a woman in Colorado that had one!  A few days later we talked and she said deaf Frenchies are pretty rare as the breeders do not breed a known deaf female and if there is a deaf pup, that female is fixed but they do not put the puppy down if it is deaf.  The pups are sold for a few hundred dollars (far below the going price from a reputable dealer) when they are discovered.  [On a side note, it seems that these breeders are not a asshatish about deaf puppies as the Dalmation Club of America that says that deaf pups are to be put down.  The last sentence on the deafness position page says, "With the enormous supply of unwanted dogs in this country, there is no need to preserve dogs with problems such as deafness."  Please see Dalmatian Club of America's position on deaf dogs for further information.  Don't get me started here as I'll have another entry about them later.]  Anyway, she said she would keep an ear out for any.  Another email exchange with a breeder ended up in the same way with kind of "I don't have any as I fix the ones that breed a deaf pup but I'll keep my ear out".  Okay, so no big deal there.

We were looking again through www.petfinder.com to see what other deaffies might be out there when we came across Bully Paws (a Pit Bull rescue out of Fredericksburg, VA) who had several!  One was Betty who looked very sweet and sounded great but was about six years old and we thought that might be a little too old for Pickles and Nea as they're just over a year.  The other was Polly.  Polly was found in King William County just wondering the road and was taken to the animal shelter who has a policy of not adopting Pit Bull or Pit Bull types back into the county but rescues were welcome to take them so Bully Paws came in and took her out.  She's been in foster care for about four months and was reported to be a happy-go-lucky silly girl!  Well that will fit right in with Pickles who is the same way!  Polly came over to our house on Tuesday for a visit and home inspection but as you can see, she's not going anywhere.

Polly came into the yard and after some sniffing and walking around everyone was ready to go and that's when playing started.  They all were jumping around, chasing each other and just having fun!  Nea spent some time asserting her dominance over Polly but all in all everything went really well.  I was surprised.  Not because I thought anything would happen but when you add another dog you don't know what might happen. After a while there came a "can we keep her!?  Can we keep her!?" from the porch.  I know what you're thinking, "isn't that sweet that the kids want to keep her".  And this is indeed sweet but the person that was saying all of this was DONNA!  Well I know that there's no use in arguing with her so Piglet stayed the night but I knew she was never going to leave.  We went to PetsMart and bought some things she would need (crate, treats and whatnot).  Donna bought her and the Pickles and Nea a toy and they all got a new stuffed animal from Target (which Pickles and Nea have already destroyed)!  Piglet is a good name for this girl as she topped the scales at 64 pounds!  On the Bully Paws sight, they said she was 35 pounds so she gained a few pounds and has some mange but those are problems that are easily fixed.

Piglet's first night went pretty well with no fights but plenty of playing then everyone got a good night's sleep.

Welcome to our family Piglet!  I know you'll love it here!

An Adventure at the River

So, today we went to the Pony Pasture to see if the doggies wanted to swim.  I'm pretty sure that Pickles likes the water and to swim but Nea.........not so much.  We went to the Pony Pasture late in the evening and there were a fair amount of people there which surprised me.  Out of the car and down to the river we went.  First, were walked along the gravel path and down to a little clearing then into the water.  Nea jumped right in then stood there!  I think she really didn't know what she was doing and when she figured it out she froze.  But then, she walked around a bit and seemed to enjoy herself............until..........she stepped in a hole and had to swim for it and she was a pretty good swimmer!  She was a natural!  The only problem is that I was scared that Nea wouldn't swim and I went to get her and I almost fell in!  I was up to my knees and that wasn't a problem but then I almost fell.  The water felt great but I had my phone in my pocket and since I'm not independently wealthy, I decided I didn't want to drown my phone!

We got out and walked further down the patch to another clearing and got in the water again but this time, no one fell in.  As we were leaving, along came a Schnauzer NOT on his lead!  Nea did fine with him but where was the owner?  Well, apparently, around the bend of the trail.  We walked along then the owner called the Schnauzer and he went away.  Remember that we were in a city park and there is an ordinance that says all dogs will be on a leash at all times.  Hmmm........

Walking down the path further, Nea and Pickles saw the lightning bugs.  "Dad!  What's that!?" Nea said.  "Those are lightning bugs, Nea.  Their butts flash with that greenish light"  "Dad" Pickles yelled, "they're freaking me out!"  "It's okay, guys.  There's nothing to be afraid of" I said.  "Okay, Daddy."  We walked a bit further and when we turned back, they saw the deer!  "Dad!!  What's that!?  It looks like a big, tall dog!"  "Pickles, that's a deer.!"  "Oh" said Pickles, "that scared me!"  "Dad!  There are those lightning butts again!"  "Nea, they're not lightning butts, they're lightning bugs!" I said.  "Well, whoever named them, named them wrong!" Nea said.  "I'll make a note of that, Nea."  "Hey, Dad?  Does my butt light up when I'm not looking at it?  You know, like those lightning butts?"  "No, Nea, you're butt does not light up!"  Wow!  The stuff that those guys think is just too funny!

We continued on and the rest of the walk was uneventful as there were no more deer and Nea knew what lightning bugs were and was secure that her butt didn't light up!  We headed back to the car and on home.  Those guys had a great time at the park and they like to ride in the car so a good day was had by all!

Sorry Polar. We Failed You.

As you can guess, Polar did not make it through her ordeal.  She was killed by Chesterfield County last week after a "thorough" investigation.  Uh huh.  The outcome in this case was a forgone conclusion and there was no way to change it but I had to try.

I say Polar was killed because she was.  By all public accounts, this incident was a tragic, unfortunate accident.  Even the medical examiner said the death of the child was accidental but that didn't matter.  In their press release, the Chesterfield County Police Department said that Polar was euthanized but let's consider the word "euthanasia" for a moment, shall we?  Wikipedia defines it as:

[Animal euthanasia (from the Greek meaning "good death")] is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, esp. a painful, disease or condition.  Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress. Euthanasia is distinct from animal slaughter and pest control, which are performed for purposes other than an act of mercy, although in some cases the killing procedure is the same.  In domesticated animals, this process is commonly referred to by euphemisms such as "lay down", "put down", "put to sleep", "destroyed", or "put out of its/his/her misery".

I don't know if anyone knows, because I didn't until later, that Polar had hip dysplasia and had one hip corrected. She was in pain and on pain medication for the other hip. There was no indication that Polar was in enough pain or discomfort that she should have been "put down". This was revealed just a few days before Polar was killed. Again, I say killed and that is what I mean. Polar did not meet the conditions that would would have led to her being put down humanely. So let's consider, for a moment, why she was "put down". Was she put down because she was vicious? Well, according to the Virginia Code Polar did meet the definition of a vicious dog. This section says that if a companion animal causes the death of a human then it is vicious and should be put down and that a judge orders the animal to be put down. Okay, that's the code and I see the Commonwealth's point but let's consider a few facts. One, there is no evidence that the child was mauled. The child suffered one bite to the head that caused cerebral edema that caused death. [Note: Only in passing am I going to mention that the child was taken to Chippenham Medical Center and not the area's level one trauma center, VCU Medical Center.] Two, there is no evidence that this matter was ever taken before a judge for a hearing so the judge could decide whether or not Polar should be put down. For those of you that may not know, there is such a thing as "case law" in the Commonwealth. The judge, after hearing all of the facts, could have decided that Polar was a dangerous dog which is a lesser degree of dangerous animal and all of the provisions of that code section could have been followed and Polar could have lived her life in a caring and loving home. Three, there was no evidence that Polar ever bit a person before this incident. In the human criminal court system, a person's criminal history or lack thereof, is considered before sentence is imposed. Polar did not have this luxury. Polar had no one to speak for her in front of a judge because the case didn't get there. I would like to believe that if a judge heard the case, there may have been a different outcome. At the very least, there would have been an "independent trier of the facts" to hear the merits of both sides.

A good friend explained to me that if you owned a dog you could take that animal, healthy or not, to a vet and have the animal put down! Companion animals are property and can be disposed of at any time. Herein lies another problem...Polar's owners signed her over to Chesterfield County and based on my previous sentence, you can see the problem. Since Chesterfield County owned Polar, they could put her down at any time WITHOUT having to take the case in front of a judge. But you would like to think that since Polar was such a high profile case, the County would have taken the case in front of a judge thereby adding legitimacy in their decision to put her down but there is no evidence that they did that and if they did, there was no court date made public so that anyone with a dissenting opinion could have been heard.

We had a deaf dog rescue willing to sponsor us as a foster, under their insurance, for Polar. This agency contacted Chesterfield Police and Animal Control and told them that but it made no difference. Hundreds of emails and snail mails were sent but that made no difference. Hundreds of phone calls were made and that made no difference and I begin to wonder...what would have made a difference?

I'm sorry Polar but the very human race that worked so hard to save you in the first place let you down this time. Please wait for us at Rainbow Bridge where we'll meet and play for all time.

Saving Polar

Okay, there has been a lot of information out there about Polar and the efforts to save her and I've been bad about blogging about it.  First of all, to all 1300  or so friends on the Save Polar Facebook page:  Thank you so much for your support and efforts to save Polar.  People have written the governor, attorney general, police chief, sheriff, animal control and everyone in between in efforts to save her.  Others have made phone calls, most that went unanswered or the response is "it is still under investigation" which is okay.

On July 1, 2011, Donna made the Save Polar Facebook page and in five hours we had six friends.  While all of this was going on I was at work and Donna (my wife and not the other one) told me she set up this Facebook page to save Polar.  She was in tears on the phone and said, "please don't let them put her down!  She doesn't deserve this!  You have to fix this!"  Now, I have been a police officer more than half of my life and I operate in crisis mode.  I don't do too well in day-to-day stuff like going to the store, paying bills and whatnot but I'm extremely effective in crisis mode and THIS was crisis mode!  And besides, I cannot stand to see my wife cry.  If you know Donna, you know she doesn't cry so when she does, I take notice.  When I got home that night, I started to cross post the "Save Polar" Facebook page on every deaf dog, pitbull rescue and any other dog Facebook page I could find!  And everything took off!  Monday was a holiday and on Tuesday I spoke to a friend who was able to get in contact with WRIC and an interview was set up.  Catherine Hawley, from WRIC 8, interviewed Donna (although she didn't like it) at our house and that story aired on Tuesday night.   I then got emails from Lisa of AngelDogs, based out of California, who spays/neuters dogs and is starting a rescue for deaffies and Katrina from D2Care who rescues deaffies and offers support to deaf dog owners.  I know the Great Architect has sent these two women to me and Polar!

Later in the week, a friend (Donna Armstrong) said, "hey!  Let's have a candlelight vigil for Polar."  As much as I didn't want to do this, I knew we needed to do it.  Starting on Tuesday and going through Thursday evening, just before the vigil, we knew that Polar was going to be put down on Friday even though I was told by Chesterfield Animal Control that nothing would happen until Friday, July 15.  As you can imagine, I was really pissed, hurt, mad and whatever other emotion you want to assign to my feelings.  How dare they put her down!  At this time, there was no information from the medical examiner and the police were not talking about the investigation.  There is no way I could let this happen!  Lisa and Katrina invited me to the deaf dog Yahoo group and they posted all of this information on that group and then posted it everywhere!  At the vigil I was interviewed by Yvette Yeon of NBC12 and Angela Pellerano of WTVR 6 and the interviews went well.  Angela told me that night that Chesterfield had postponed the PTS (put to sleep) date to an unknown date.  As you can imagine, I was beside myself with joy and was in tears.  During the vigil, I read the below story:

Did you see me today? As you rushed past to the kennel with the five darling little pups - seven people already there, rescues lined up to save - Did you see me today? Did you see my eyes filled with hurt and torture - ten years of neglect and pain fro...m my life in the back yard, on a chain... Did you see me today? Did you hear the cries my heart made? Three days ago was my tenth birthday and almost ten years ago I was in that same kennel you rushed to today. I was a darling little puppy that everyone wanted... that got too big, too fast...and was sent to live on a chain in the backyard - too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer, barely a kind word spoken... I begged for attention that never came,got tossed food most days, begged for just a drink of water on too hot days, my throat parched and hurting. My dirty matted coat my only protection from the heat and cold, rain and snow ALWAYS NEEDING No one saw me then either. Then I got too messy, my cries for attention too loud ... I just got too damn old. No one saw me, and they brought me here to die. That kennel you rushed to had six puppies then... They dropped me off and took one from there to fill my spot on that rusty chain in the backyard, And I wonder... who is worse off - me or him? I still have so much love in my heart, so much to share... Did you see me today? For a brief moment you stopped, and I thought our eyes met. Was the smell of helpless death too strong for you, my pleas for help too loud? Did you see me today? Will you go home, close your eyes in slumber and recall the haunting look I gave... Will you recall what was not seen today? With the sunrise will you rush back to see? I will not be here then. Today, when the doors are locked I will never be seen again... Did you see me today?

There was not a dry eye in the group!  I found this story when I found Pickles and I cried.  Now, for all of you calling me names that I won't post here, if I hear it from your mouth, I will beat you until there is only goo left!  Since then, this whole thing as exploded!  Polar has had three news stories on local channels and two national.

Maddie, our Mastiff, brought Pickles and Nea to us and I can feel her leaning against me (Mastiffs like to lean on people) when I get tired or feel like I'm ready to give up.  I know Maddie is standing at Rainbow Bridge and is so proud.

As of today, we have 1398 fans and the page is growing every day!  The most important thing is that Polar is safe for now but we can't give up yet.  We need to keep the pressure on everyone and every agency that can make a difference.  We really want Polar to live with us but as long as she's safe, I really don't care where she lives.  All of this has come from one single statement made by Donna:  "You have to fix this!"

Save Polar

Polar is an American Bulldog mix that is deaf and lives in Chesterfield County, VA.,  On Wednesday, June 30, 2011, a family, including a six month old child, from Washington State were visiting other family members where Polar lived.  From the news accounts, it was lunch time and the six month old child was left on the floor while the adults went into the kitchen.  Polar made a "noise" and when the family returned to the room, the baby had blood on it.  The child later died at a local hospital.  My heart aches for the family of the child and my prayers and thoughts are with them as they grieve.  But, as a deaf dog advocate, my thoughts now turn to Polar.  What will become of her?  At this time, she is in the care of Chesterfield County Animal Control and her fate is uncertain.  I'm sure there is a certain portion of the population that wants to put Polar to sleep and they have a right to their opinion.  I have spent the last 24 years with the police department and eight years in the United States Air Force defending opinions that I did not like or agree with so they can say what they want.  The owners have already surrendered her and I can completely understand why they would do that and I will defend their decision as well.  I believe Polar needs to be given another chance!  From a report on WRIC Polar came form a line of abusive homes and was thought to have found her forever home with her family.  But now, who knows what will happen to Polar.  

I have discussed the matter with my wife, Donna, and if it is at all possible, we would like to adopt Polar.  If you're reading this, you already know we have two Deaffies so we know how to care for them.  We have the time and patience it would take to take on this task.

Please support us as we try to adopt Polar or at least keep them from putting her to sleep.

As you can see, she is beautiful!  Don't let her last days be in a cold shelter with no one that loves her!

Company

We had company over the weekend in the form of two little fuzzballs, Ace and Koda!  They were Golden Retriever mixes that belong to my son's fiance, Liz.  At first I was worried because we were going to have four dogs in the house and two were puppies and they could hear but, as it turned out, there was no need for worry.

The pups arrived in the early afternoon and Pickles and Nea were sleeping (it was time for their afternoon nap).  We had the pups in the kitchen and got Pickles up from her nap first.  Pickles came to the kitchen, saw the pups and was very happy.  She sniffed them and started to play with them right away!  Nea came next and, seeing the pups, was happy.  They were all smelling each other and it was going pretty good so we all went outside.  This is when the fun began!

The were jumping on each other and having a great time!  No one got mad, there was no growling or teeth showing; just a lot of kisses and playing.  They chased each other around the yard and just had a good time.  The pups were holding their own with Pickles and Nea who were being very gentle.  It seemed as if Pickles and Nea knew the pups couldn't play rough so they didn't.

The pups were very well behaved and only went potty in the house a couple of times which was really good.  They all ate dinner at the same time, in different places, and then played some more before bed.  Pickles and Nea went to bed at their usual time but the pups stayed up late, as appears to be the usual for them.  Everyone slept good that night!

Saturday morning, Pickles got up before the pups and was looking for them but they were still asleep and it was quite funny.  Pickles didn't eat much breakfast because she was looking all about for the pups so Nea got some extra breakfast!

The pups left later that night, after Zach's graduation.  All in all, everyone was well behaved and had a great time!