TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter
By loving and understanding animals, perhaps we humans shall come to understand each other.
Dr. Louis J. Camuti
=========================================================================
September 2008
=========================================================================
Published monthly for subscribers to the Talking-To-Animals Newsletter
By Charlene Boyd
http://www.talk-to-animals.com
To view past issues of Talking-To-Animals, please visit our newsletter archive.
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FRIENDS
=========================================================================
In this edition:
1. Welcome to our September Newsletter
2. Featured Article - Everyday Families
3. Oogy - A Dog and a half
4. Announcing My New Blog
5. Poem: Adopting Older Dogs - One By One
6. From the Bookshelf
7. The Tail End
=========================================================================
1. WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 2008 EDITION OF TALKING-TO-ANIMALS
delightful as mine, a nicely paced blend of friends, family, outdoor activities and of course, pets! I have
a new project that I am really excited about. Perhaps the concept is not new to you, and to tell the truth,
it is not new to me either, but to do one IS new to me. I am talking about a blog as well as my monthly
newsletter. Certain issues or concerns from clients and readers keep popping up and ultimately I decided
that a blog would be the best to address these issues and concerns from all of you.
A blog is interactive in nature and I sincerely hope that many of you share your thoughts and feelings about
topics that are shared. This month the main article will be about everyday families, a lovely poem about
senior pets, and a very special book. There will be a few other tidbits too, so I hope you can make some
time to read and enjoy the September issue of Talking To Animals!
Charlene
===========================================================================
2. FEATURED ARTICLE: EVERYDAY FAMILIES
initially miss. Please let me explain; I have a really wonderful family! As a wife, mother and grandmother I
can sit back and say to myself, "good job, Charlene, well done." The children and grandchildren are a
source of great pride and happiness. They bring so much love and sense of continuity into our lives. They
all live within a 30 min. drive from us, but they have very busy lives with their own families and their activities.
We really don't get to see them and spend as much time with them as we would like to. As an aside, I really
think it is much harder to be a parent these days compared to when our children were growing up. Much is
expected; time is a scarce commodity for most.
vacations and times spent making future memories. As I was talking eith my husband the other week,
lamenting how things are so very different for us, I quickly realized that I still had a family that needed me
on a daily basis. That was my everyday family! My everyday family these days consists of one husband,
three dogs, one cat, five koi and three water turtles. We both work from home so we spend a lot of time all
together. On nice days, we sit out on the patio and eat lunch. Even the cat comes out a begs along with
the dogs! He is the consumate beggar, even more proficient than the dogs who are no slouches. We take
pieces of finely chopped fresh fruit or cooked vegetables and feed the koi. Talk about Pavlov's dogs! As
soon as they see us, they swim over to the corner to eagerly and noisily eat out of our fingers.
I am aware of in the morning, tails thumping against the bed or jumping up to give us slurpy kisses. What a
great way to start a day for an animal lover. Most of my day is punctuated by walking the dogs, brushing the
cat(not his favorite thing) filling the bird feeders....all these tasks are accomplished by an entourage of four-footed
helpers. Wherever we are, they are there with us or close by. It brings me great pleasure to know that they are all
happy, healthy and well cared for. For me, it is truly heaven on earth.
in every sense of the word, and I am repaid in ways that never cease to amaze me.Who or what makes up your
everyday family? My life these days is rich and full, thanks in part, in being able to expand the definition of family
to include my loving "everyday family." I can only hope that you, too, have an everyday family that brings meaning,
purpose and contentment to your daily life. As the old adage goes, you can never have too much love in your life.
I completely concur!
Charlene
==========================================================================
3. OOGY - A DOG AND A HALF
When Oogy was four months old and weighed thirty five pounds, he was tied to a stake and
used as bait for a Pit Bull. The left side of his face from just behind his eye was torn off, including
his ear. He was bitten so hard a piece of his jaw bone was crushed. Afterward, he was thrown
into a cage and left to bleed to death.
I am not a religious man, but I can only conclude that at that moment God turned around and
paid attention. The police raided the facility, found Oogy, and took him to Ardmore Animal Hospital ,
where Dr.Bianco stitched him up and saved him.
This coincided with the last weekend of life for our cat, Buzzy, who was 14 at the time. My sons
and I had taken Buzzy to AAH for his last visit. The staff had gathered Buzzy in when out comes
this pup that looked like nothing more than a gargoyle. He covered us with kisses. The boys and
I fell instantly in love with him.
Life goes out one door and in another. 'This is one of the happiest dogs I've ever met,'Dr. Bianco said.
'I can't imagine what he'd be like if half his face hadn't been ripped off.' Then, Dr. B said, 'I am not
going to tell you the things this dog has been through.' Dr. B's assistant, Diane, took Oogy into
her home for several weeks to foster him and make sure he was safe and to crate-train him.
Once Oogy came into our house, for my sons, then 12, it was like having a little brother. Whatever
they did and wherever they went, there was Oogy. Oogy had to get involved in whatever the lads were
doing. He became known as The Third Twin.
Dr. B thought Oogy was a Pit or Pit-mix and would get to be about 45 pounds. By the time of his first
checkup, Oogy weighed 70 pounds. When we walked in the door for the visit, one of the women who
works at AAH exclaimed, 'That's a Dogo!' I asked, 'What's a Dogo?' She said, 'I'm not sure.' We went
online and learned that the Dogo Argentina is bred in Argentina to hunt mountain lion and boar. Oogy
can run about 30 miles an hour, all four legs off the ground like a Greyhound. His leg muscles are so
strong that, when he sits, his butt is a half-inch off the ground. Dogos hunt in packs. Dogos hurl
themselves against their prey and swarm it. Oogy has a neck like a fire hydrant to protect him when
he closes on his prey. He is built like a Pit Bull on steroids, with white fur as soft as butter and black
freckles. Fully grown, Oogy is 85 pounds of solid muscle, but he does not know this and sits on us.
He absolutely craves physical contact. He is full of kisses and chuffs like a steam engine when he is
happy. He has a heart as big as all outdoors. One of the traits of the breed is that they fully accept
anyone their family does. It is not unusual to come home and find three teenagers on the floor playing
a video game and Oogy sprawled across their laps like some living boa.
Oogy hated the crate, and would bark and bark whenever we put him in. This puzzled me because I
had been told by people with crate-trained dogs that their pets love the crate and feel secure in its confines.
When Oogy was about eight months old, we hired a trainer who also happened to be an animal
'whisperer'. We introduced her to Oogy and she sat on the floor for a full five minutes talking to him.
We could not hear a word she said. When the trainer lifted her head, her eyes were brimming with tears.
'Oogy want you to know' she said 'how much he appreciates the love and respect you have shown him.'
Then she asked about his routine. I started by showing her where he slept in the crate. She said immediately,
'You have to get him out of that box.' 'Why?' 'Because he associates being in a box with having his ear
ripped off.' It was a smack-myself-in-the-forehead moment. Oogy never went back in.
Given what Oogy endured and what he is bred for, people are constantly astonished that he loves animals
and people as much as he does. Walking with Oogy is like walking with a mayoral candidate. He has to
meet everyone. A number of people we encountered in the neighborhood early-on told me they were afraid
of Oogy because when they would walk or jog by the house, Oogy would bark at them and trot parallel to
them, and given his size and looks they were intimidated. But everyone falls in love with Oogy. By the
end of their initial encounter they are rubbing, petting, even kissing him on the nose. Oogy kisses them
back. Because of the way he looks, when people meet him for the first time, they almost always ask if
he is safe. I tell them, 'Well, he has licked two people to death!' For the first year and a half of his life,
part of Oogy's face was normal and the other part looked like a burn victim's. People who saw him in
passing could not grasp the duality. As Oogy grew, the scar tissue spread. He could not close his left
eye, so it wept constantly; his lip was pulled up and back. Dr. B said Oogy was in constant pain. So,
in January 2005, Dr. B. rebuilt Oogy's face. When all the scar tissue was removed, there was a hole in
Oogy's head the size of a softball. After removing the scar tissue, Dr. B took grafts and pulled the flaps
together and sewed Oogy back up. Now Oogy has a hairline scar, but other than that looks just like any
normal one-eared dog.
An essential part of this story is the fact that AAH has never taken a dime in payment for anything they
have done for Oogy. I never asked them for such an arrangement. When I went to pay the first bill I was
told, 'Oogy's a no-pay.' I never asked why this is. Oogy is their dog. We are just lucky enough to look
after him.
Because some of his jaw bone was removed in the initial surgery, some of Oogy's lower left lip droops
and is a repository for dust and dirt. It is second nature to us to pull the detritus off his lip when we sit
next to him. One day I told my sons that when they tell their children about Oogy, they will remember
this routine act of kindness. I think that, on some level, every day we try to atone for what happened to
him.
Last summer Oogy had ACL surgery; his body ultimately rejected the steel plates and developed an
infection, so his leg had to be opened up a second time and the plates removed. When I went to pick
him up following the second surgery, the Technician who brought Oogy out said, 'This is a great dog,
I really love him.' I said, 'Yep, we're lucky to have him.' The Tech looked at me and said, 'No, you don't
understand. I see hundreds of dogs each week, and every once in a while there is a special one. And
you have him.' When I related that story to Dr. B he said, 'But we already knew that.'
Oogy's name is a derivative. The first day I was told we could adopt him I was thinking, 'This is one ugly
dog.' But we couldn't call him 'Ugly.' Then I went to a variation of that from my youth, 'Oogly,' and his
name followed immediately. Two years after we named him, we learned that Oogy is the name of the
Ghost Dog in the film, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas.' This is not inappropriate.
On a recent Saturday afternoon Oogy was curled up on the couch asleep, his head in my lap, and I
was thinking about his life is now as opposed to the way his life had been before. Would he have
sensed he was dying? Was he conscious when the police put him on a rubber sheet and took him
to the Ardmore Animal Hospital ? Oogy went to sleep in a world of terror and searing pain and awoke
surrounded by angels in white coats who were kind to him, who stroked him gently and talked softly
to him. Instead of people who baited and beat and kicked him, he was surrounded with healing mercies.
I realized then that Oogy probably did not know he had not died and gone to heaven. So I told him.
I said, 'Listen, pal. It only gets better after this.'
This incredible dog now lives on the Main Line with his adoptive family, Larry and Jennifer
and their twin sons, Noah and Dan. Noah and Dan are pictured here in the above photograph
with Oogy. Main Line Animal Rescue would like to thank Larry, Oogy's proud father, for sharing
his story and helping us educate people to the horrors of dog fighting.
===========================================================================
4. MY NEW BLOG: Living, Communicating and Transitioning With Our Senior Pets
One of the reasons I want to do a blog is that I want it to be a way of sharing information with my clients,
pet professionals and others who work with or love pets like I do. Primarily the blog will focus on animal
communication, senior pets (both cats and dogs) and issues involving losing a pet through illness or death.
I'll send out a special announcement when it is up (I anticipate it will be later this week) and welcome
your suggestions on what you would like to see me write about and any comments you might have.
Stay tuned!
=============================================================================
5. POEM: ADOPTING OLDER DOGS
ONE BY ONE ...
One by One, they pass by my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old man, arthritic and sore,
It seems I am not wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
A place that was warm, and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong,
I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head,
Can't justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
The younger dogs get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
You saw my face, and I finally had hope.
You saw through the gray, and the legs bent with age,
And felt I still had life beyond this cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,
You love me so dearly, you want me to know.
I may have lived most of my life with another,
But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give,
To you, my dear person, as long as I live.
I may be with you for a week, or for years,
We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave, I know you will
cry and your heart, it will grieve.
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all who will hear,
Of the person who made my last days so dear.
- - - - - - - - Author Unknown
========================================================================================
VetLocator.com is the web's largest directory of Pet Professionals anywhere. Here you can find an easy to
use directory of Veterinarians, a Holistic Pet Health Directory and an Other Pet Professionals Directory.
For another great newsletter, sign up for VetLocator's Pet Owner News. Each month you'll receive quick
and easy-to-read information on pet health news, great pet tips and heartwarming stories along with
pet remedies will make you and your pet smile.
Visit them at www.vetlocator.com
=============================================================================
6. FROM THE BOOKSHELF: "THE HEALING POWER OF PETS" BY DR. MARTY BECKER
chance that maybe there are others of you who are like me, I will tell you that he is one of the authors of
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Now that rings a bell, right? I was in Border's last week and I came
across his book, The Healing Power of Pets. Once I started to thumb through it, I knew I would buy it! It is a
thoughtful book, but it also has a great sense of humor and much wisdom. How could you not like a book
that has a chapter entitled, Chronic Pain: Take Two Pets and Call Me in the Morning? The book is divided
into three parts, the Healing Power of Pets, The Pet Prescription and Deepening the Bond. This is a saga that
Dr. Becker personally experienced, so it rings with authenticity and much wisdom. This is a powerful book
that closely examines the spiritual aspects of owning and loving a pet. I don't need to tell you that owning
and loving a pet is a win-win for everyone!
amazed that it goes literally around the world through being forwarded by loyal readers, clients and
friends.
I hope you were informed or inspired by something in the newsletter. The more I work with
animals and their people, the more I learn of our special relationships with these magnificent beings.
What would our world and our lives be like if we did not have these special healers and gentle spirits
living with us day by day? Right now many animals in our country are in peril through no fault of theirs.
As an awesome force, Mother Nature is without parallel, however the hurricane season is upon us
with animals and people being displaced. First we had Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Ike;
we have learned so much from these tragedies. We've learned that animals and people are much
better off being kept together or at least close to each other so they can keep that special bond,
even under difficult times for all. Another tragedy for animals is the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Both
people and animals are in dire straits. Can you imagine having to find new housing and then learn
that you can't take your pet? These people do not have any other options than to take them to a shelter
and hope that they will find a new home. Adoption rates are way down at public shelters now. I've talked
to shelter and rescue workers who tell me that there literally is no more room at the inn. Overcrowding is
rampant, not by choice but by the combination of reduction in shelter personnel; many are city or county
workers and when budget cuts are made, they are out of a job. Gang cages where 6-8 dogs are housed
in space for two are common. Not a good thing at all.
animals are loved and safe, thanks to you and your love. Now it is time to "pay it forward" for other animals.
Here are some links that you can donate to:
Charlene
==========================================================================
TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter, talk-to-animals.com and Charlene Boyd, Animal
Communicator are trademarks of Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator, Coto de Caza, California,
USA Phone877-907-1741.
Copyright 2005, Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator. You are welcome to forward this entire
newsletter to friends. Please visit my website for articles you may publish and share freely!
--> http://www.talk-to-animals.com/aandr.htm
This newsletter is sent to subscribers only. If you have somehow received this unexpectedly and
would prefer not to, please use the instant removal link below or email your request to
-->unsubscribe@talk-to-animals.com
=========================================================================
To find out more about animal communication and to visit our newsletter archive, please go to our
website at www.talk-to-animals.com. To contact Charlene regarding a lost animal, animal behavior
problems or the death of your pet, email her at charlene@talk-to-animals or call 877-907-1741.
=========================================================================