Ottawa K9 School

I recently got stopped by a lady who wanted to know what kind of dog I had. She then said she thought it was a “Huckleberry”. Now, I’ve met a LOT of dogs in my life, and have read a LOT about different breeds, but have never heard of the Huckleberry.

Perplexed, I came home and did a quick internet search… The closest thing I came to the Huckleberry breed is the fictitious hound invented by Hanna Barbera. I’m sure this lady`s heart wasn`t set on getting a blue dog that wears a nice hat that was once part of a cartoon series (“and stuff like that there”).

Hanna Barbera`s Huckleberry Hound doesn`t even look like a recognizable breed, or does it? Perhaps the “Huckleberry” breed is what we say to designate dogs that have a Southern Drawl, a sweet disposition and can perform a wide variety of tasks?

Perhaps I’m way off track, and the Huckleberry dog has everything to do with Huckleberry Finn?

I found a Huckleberry Hounds Dog Sport Association, a few dogs named Huckleberry and a few Huckleberry Dog blogs, but no breed called Huckleberry.

What the huck!

I recently realized that Everest is quite the licker!  Last week we had young children in our home, and Everest went from one to the other, licking faces, hands and knees. Though the children giggled and said they liked getting doggy kisses, Everest was not kissing them! Au contraire, he has associated children with sticky yummy hands and faces and had hit jackpot with 3 young ones to lick!

When I come home, Everest is anxious to have the chance to sniff and lick my face. This is a polite greeting, and in a dog`s world it is a sign of respect. He is not an exuberant ,  knock-you-down kind of licker. I could just as well offer him my hand to lick, but I’ve come to appreciate our “nice to see you again” greeting, licks and all.

Licking is not always a sign of submission, but is also a form of communication. When the alarm goes off in the morning and I don`t move, he will eventually, and discreetly lick my elbow once or twice then wait for me to open my eyes. His message:  With all due respect, please Wake Up.

Where there`s a dog, there`s usually a sniff and a lick.You either like being licked or you don`t. Maybe you love it, maybe you tolerate it, maybe you have taught your dog not to do it and replaced it with another, just as meaningful ritual.

Many years ago, before I made dogs my profession and vocation, I was looking for ways to be more involved with my canine friends. Walking them at the Humane Society and borrowing neighbours’ dogs to have more dogs around,  just wasn`t enough. So, why not foster?

My boyfriend at the time, whose dad (let`s call him Edward) was also a volunteer at the humane society, thought this idea was unwise. Edward had inside information on how fostering was an impossible task. I clearly remember him saying “you DON`T want to do that!”.  So I left it at that. In hindsight, his advice was good because I wasn`t ready for the challenge, as I was living on my own and had many other commitments.

Fast forward almost a decade and here I am, a Foster Mom. It`s not been easy!  Our 1st foster dog was adopted and then returned. He is a real cutie, but a LOT of dog! A decade ago, this dog would have taken over my home and I would be ripping out my hair.  Now, this challenging, independent-minded boy is thriving (and still up for adoption).

Our second foster dog, Simon, arrived emaciated, and unbeknownst to us, had cancer. He passed away 3 weeks after we got him. In the 2 months Matt and I have been fostering, we have shed many tears. But it`s also been very rewarding. Because of Simon, I have a newfound respect for older dogs. Because of Simon, I would love to one day adopt a Dobie/Hound mix (which I may not have considered before).  Simon taught us that no matter what is going on in your life, you still have energy for a smile and time to go for a walk to smell the roses. 

 Everest (middle) is just a little too tired to be productive during training. (Yup, the weekend was that rough!)

As a demo dog, I often count on him to show students what I expect of them. However, sometimes it is best to let an exhausted dog catch up on his beauty sleep.

And why not use him as a distraction for the other dogs !  Here Stanley is learning to walk by and ignore Everest.

Matt and I added (just for the weekend) 2 guest dogs and a 12 week old puppy to our clan. Our normally peaceful household turned into a bit of a circus, I must admit.  Looking back at everything that went wrong, I can say with confidence that we only have ourselves to blame.

So, the next time your white carpet is covered with muddy paw prints, remember just who was the silly human who let the dogs in with dirty paws in the first place?  

And when your puppy has another one of her ”accidents” in the house and you think it`s because she won`t pee outdoors when it rains? Instead of renaming her ”Princess”, remind yourself that she`s a puppy and can be taught that she can pee outside, rain or shine! She just needs extra encouragement. And yes, it`s hard when it`s 3am, I know!

Oh, and when PuppyKins chews your good pair of sunglasses, she`s not being bad. Oh no!!!  Nope, not a bad puppy.  Have you already forgotten that there`s a puppy in the house, or do you need a few more reminders ?

My favourite, is when after working hard at making a nice meal (and filling the house with the tempting and delectable odor of steak), you look forward to sitting down to have a well deserved dinner. However, for some unknown reason you will soon regret, you briefly  leave the steaks unattended. Although you can trust your dog not to take it, or to drop it on command, you have already forgotten that there`s a food motivated lab and a food possessive foster dog in your midst. You then dare get really mad at the guest dogs (who are most unwelcome at the point in time), and feel downright insulted when they look you right in the eyes and swallow the steak whole. One gulp.  

The dogs are gone home now, and peace has returned. Thank goodness. Next time, I’m sure we won`t make the same mistakes.  

Oh, Matt says there won`t be a “next time” 

Everest finds a patch of sun to take his mid-afternoon nap in.  With a puppy and 2 dogs to play with at home, he is too tired to make it though the Agility Training class. 

This morning, I woke up to Shelby`s “in my face” dog breath.  Shelby is with us for the weekend, and weekend or not, 6am is the time to get up, apparently. Our foster dog Tuscan, on the other hand, preferred to jump up, run across the bed (while stepping on all our sensitive parts), jump down and start again. 

This ridiculous Wake Up the Humans Routine lasted 15 minutes, until I reluctantly realized that it was time to get up, or clean up the mess they would leave us if we slept in a bit longer.  Before getting out of bed, however, I told my husband that our dog Everest, who was still sleeping on his bed, would be right by my side as soon as I put my feet on the ground. 

I didn`t have to use words to tell him it was time to go. He may act like an aloof goof, but he`s very attentive and aware of what`s going on.

Which brings me to my observation:  we talk too darn much.  Why are we always talking to our dogs, asking, pleading at times, cajoling, having downright conversations with them to make them understand something.  Why is it that when you open the treat jar, the dog is right there. Did you even say anything?  Why is it that when you grab the dog`s leash, woop! there he is!  Dogs pay attention more than we realize.

We talk too darn much.