The Purposeful Pooch

12/10/2023

Labs & Longhorns...

05/10/2023

Elk crossing?! Its already an interesting morning-- can't wait to see what the day brings!

04/10/2023

I just love this story

“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.” - D. H. Lawrence

My heart sank... Within 24 hours of removing the illegal leg hold trap from this young fox’s leg, it became obvious his foot could not be saved.

Despite no bones being broken, the blood flow did not return to the foot. The tissue was beginning to die…

The decision of what to do next was not made lightly. We sought advice from many experienced parties. The better part of yesterday was spent on the phone, writing emails and getting as much information as possible to make a decision about what to do and to get the proper permissions to do it.

I know he would likely not tolerate permanent placement, as he is old enough to know he is supposed to be free and fears people. He either needed to be humanely euthanized to end his suffering or go into emergency surgery for an amputation.

But would this be fair to him? Could he live a good life despite being down a leg? We know that domestic animals often do just fine, despite amputations, but how do wild animals fair?

It’s not a simple answer. It depends largely on the animal and which leg it is. There are articles that suggest that quadrupeds (four legged animals), frequently adapt well to three legs, in the wild.

“The natural world is filled with examples of three-legged deer, lions, tigers, and other animals that thrive in the wild, even without human intervention.” - National Geographic

We ended up deciding on the surgery and it was determined that the entire leg would need to be removed, as leaving a stump would not benefit him in any way and was more likely to cause him problems in the future.

We are very fortunate to work with dedicated wildlife rehabilitator and veterinarian, Dr. Leef. She has experience doing amputations and was comfortable taking on the task of the emergency surgery he would need. He was rushed in for surgery yesterday and the team at Heal Veterinary Clinic did an incredible job. We are so grateful for them. 🙏❤️🙏

He came back to the rescue for close observation through the night. We kept him in an incubator to keep him warm and comfortable. At 3 am, he made it clear he wanted to get out. I opened the door to the incubator and stepped back. I gave him run of the rehab room to observe him. I wanted to see how mobile he was.

I was blown away by how well he is already moving around. He has quickly, and seemingly effortlessly, found a way to balance himself. I read that long tails are very helpful as a counter balance for three legged animals. Maybe a fox’s tail makes the transition that much easier.

He didn’t appear sad. He didn’t even look tired. He was wide awake and clearly on a mission. He didn’t seem to even notice the missing leg. He paced the room and sniffed around. Turns out he was very hungry.

No one told him he is supposed to be upset about this. No one explained to him that this situation wasn’t fair. No one informed him that his life was supposed to be easier than this.

Watching him this morning, I am very optimistic about a successful rehabilitation. I don’t get the feeling he really cares about how things were supposed to be. He seems focused on moving on with today and what lies ahead.

I feel like we could all learn a lot from him. He’s inspired me already.

29/09/2023

Some auto repairs and last minute things - Phoenix & I knocked out the first half of the day!

28/09/2023

Pretty Pretty Mary 🖤🐾

28/09/2023

Ohhh Phoenix !! FiFi just doing some basics ...

24/09/2023

Road Dawgzzz! VMF girls Phoenix & Mary are on their first extended road trip! Putting our foundations to the test - and adding more exposure and experience via travel to their resumes ❤️🤍💙

22/09/2023

Meet DeeJay!!

DeeJay is a sweet fun loving 8 month old male Labrador-- he was bred by Kristie Battin of Turn Key Ridge Labradors and has a lovely easy going happy go lucky temperament! His lines have produced many a service dog and delightful companion. He has basic foundations of companion obedience, beginning relaxation techniques and is well socialized. Limited Registration Only

20/09/2023

This is very important information for all dog owners and trainers-- be mindful when it comes to exercise and while the physical is important-- mental and emotional flexibility and wellness are critical and should always be the priority 🐾❤️

As your dog retrieves the first...second...third...maybe fifth or sixth ball, his muscles start to tire and soon they reach overload, where they no longer can fully control and support your dog's movements. Now, when your dog does those amazing athletic maneuvers to snag the ball, soft tissues like the cranial cruciate ligament, iliopsoas muscle and tendon, and the muscles and ligaments that support the vertebrae are overstretching. Minor tears are occurring. Now the ball is thrown 10, 12 times or more and ultimately your dog lies down, exhausted.

That period between when your dog's muscles are in overload, and when your dog lies down exhausted, is the injury zone (Figure 1). But remember, with all that adrenaline, your dog doesn't feel the injuries happening, so you have no idea that the tissues are being used beyond their capacity.

When this game is repeated day after day, month after month, the small tissue tears become large ones, and suddenly it becomes evident that your dog is in pain and has an injury. Of course, it hasn't been sudden at all-what seemed sudden is just the final result of repeated stress and strain until the tissues gave way.

Chris Zink DVM
Discovering Your Dog

08/09/2023

Huge shout out to all of you who have loved and supported me -- you know who you are 🖤❤️🐾

04/09/2023

So this cat was a non-negotiated add-on that came with this ranch -- Hazel has ran her up a tree many times -- with some half hearted rewards and relaxation training-- this is where we are today! Half hearted meaning I didn't have to try too hard and just worked in rewards & relaxation techniques when it was convenient-- Hazel is my dog so is often last in line on the training list!

04/09/2023

Mornings on the ranch...

01/09/2023

29/08/2023

Interspecies meet up -- my what big horns you have!!

29/08/2023

New Bulls on the Block!

27/08/2023

Horse therapy... just being near such a magnificent being can heal the heart & quiet the mind...

26/08/2023

Snapshots ...

25/08/2023

Life is what happens when you're making other plans... trainin', ranchin and livin it up on the TPP Ranch!!

17/08/2023

Lots of fun days here at TPP including a wonderful visit from our friends Vanir McNabs!!

06/08/2023

06/08/2023

06/08/2023

Miss Mary is so much fun and thriving in the Purposeful Pooch Puppy Program!

06/08/2023

The Purposeful Pooch Pavilion is coming together!! Feeling blessed and grateful 🐕❤️

03/08/2023

30/07/2023

Keeping it cool at the Purposeful Pooch
beat the heat this beautiful Sunday and God bless you all 🙏🏼😊

28/07/2023

We can't say enough great things about Sooner Than Later and the wonderful work they do!! Thank You for being a critical component in creating our puppy playground!! 🐾🐾

25/07/2023

I just wanted to share this beautiful post and spread some awareness about DPFL — an amazing shelter program that has had a profound impact on a nationwide scale!

A year ago today our DPFL family was rocked when we lost our brother and teammate, Willan Sadler. Today feels like both a crippling reminder that we can no longer hear his bellows, be healed by his hugs, and learn from his innate ability to communicate with dogs, and a celebration of making it through this past year how he would have wanted us to.

Thanks to so many of you, we have been able to establish The Willan Fund, which has already provided scholarships to nearly a dozen animal welfare staff and volunteers (and counting!). We miss him daily, and wish we could share with him our big plans for the coming year-to expand the Willan Fund to give more complete mentorship to Canine Enrichment Coordinators, so that they can pick up where Willan left off in changing the world for the underdogs.

Thank you-to all of you who have supported our team-the kind words, stories, hugs, gentle understanding and cheerleading to keep going have carried us-we are truly fortunate to have this extended family that reminds us of Willan's tenderness, relentlessness, and ginormous impact. www.dogsplayingforlife.com/thewillanfund

20/07/2023

The phases of a Behavioral Down ... Miss Millie

10/07/2023

True the GSD really would like this cat to be a chew toy-- as a result of relaxation and rewards based training -- True has changed her mind about the cat...not sure they will be BFFs but no cats will be chew toys around here!

09/07/2023

Emotional Flexibility via rewards & relaxation 🖤🐾

08/07/2023

Purposeful Pooches ...

06/09/2022

The Behavioral Down... a very simple but hugely powerful exercise, from the Training Between The Ears training system. True relaxation is often the most difficult skill to teach ANY dog especially high drive working dogs -- Ive even been told that its not possible with "real working dogs" and I obviously disagree 😏... Relaxation is NOT a command, and often confused with calm or boredom-- Authentic relaxation is a skill to be taught to the dog through free behavior and ultimately the dogs choice-- when this is achieved the dogs brain literally changes and it becomes a part of their emotional wellness which translates into EVERYTHING they do -- from laser focus in the field as opposed to frenetic haphazard unproductive behavior or a level of well being in the home so they can be a true and safe part of the family 🐾❤️

Miss Josie here is a beautiful chocolate British Field Dog -- with an energy level of super HIGH-- as in a few days ago I couldn't touch her without an absolute explosion of adrenalized excitement! So my in kennel go to of Opportunistic Conditioned Relaxation/ Conditioned Relaxation was not a great option -- so here we are doing a Behavior al Down (in the middle of a working kennel) which by design teaches the dog to find relaxation on its own! Dogs are barking, Ryan's training, music is blasting -- Josie is RELAXING!!

06/09/2022

Much to my delight -- Animatronics are officially in season!! One of the many ways we build up environmental nerves and resilience!

06/09/2022

While Grain Driver Labradors has been the priority lately -- The Purposeful Puppy Program is alive and thriving and has become an integral component of the Grain Driver curriculum for both the GDL breeding program and our more savvy clients that want a professional head start for their working dogs! We have also taken on a beautiful little McNab from Vanir McNabs in Arizona:)

03/09/2022

TPP is quite busy over at Grain Driver Labradors!

Getting to know Ransom!
As the new crew settles in and begins the journey of the GDL Field Dog Curriculum-- an integral piece of their success is creating emotional stability and wellness when they are NOT in the field- my preliminary start is I enter each dogs kennel and sit with them and let them take the initiative towards ANY interaction based upon the dogs comfort level and desires -- not mine! Once we are acquainted I begin proven relaxation techniques starting with a process of combined Conditioned Relaxation and Opportunistic Conditioned Relaxation. Again this is totally and completely driven by the dogs comfort level -- Why is this so important? Because if a high drive dog has no ability to relax their ability to focus and apply that power becomes frenetic and wasted on unproductive behavior -- in addition, the learning process can become a much tougher road strife with conflict ... All beings (dogs, cats, people, rats etc) Learn and retain at a much higher rate when they are in a state of emotional wellness and optimism ... Ransom here is a quick study and thoroughly enjoyed this process 😉

12/08/2022

Errands, Coffee stop and training-- all in one morning -- multiple spots, handler switch offs -- Hazel is excellent per usual 🖤🐾🇨🇱⚜️💜

01/08/2022

A HUGE thank you to DFW for supporting - Hazel & I had a fantastic training day and dry run 👍 🙏🏼🐾

13/05/2022

Various maintenance with Miss Hazel of -- such a good girl!

18/04/2022

Just a sneak peak into our puppy program and curriculum — while we have not made an official announcement just yet, behind the scenes, Ryan Morton of Grain Driver Labs and Lisamarie Warne (me) have been very busy collaborating, creating and meshing our skillsets! Fun and exciting stuff for us, our clients and especially the DOGS!!