How often do I get the opportunity to unabashedly BRAG?! Not too often, so Iโll make the best of it: In June, I was thrilled to learn that the Chicago Tribune named WDJ to its annual list of โ50 Best Magazinesโ in the U.S. And, they ranked us at #11, just after Consumer Reports and just before Time. I still feel tingly!
Iโm immensely grateful for the recognition and attention, and hopeful that the exposure might help more dog owners find their way to WDJ โ and all the humane, effective, and even potentially lifesaving health and training tips provided by our expert contributors. Thank you, Chicago!
Fortunately, I was quickly brought back to earth by the very stuff WDJ is rooted in: dog problems that needed solving. This came in a couple of forms: a big red one and a smaller yellow one.
I sort of kidnapped Cody, a Lab-mix who belongs to a friendโs family. The family, I learned, was in the middle of an emotional debate over the young dogโs fate, with the dad threatening to send Cody to the pound and the mom and kids clamoring for clemency. I offered to take Cody home for an evaluation and some training โ really, a cooling-off period for the combatants.
It turns out, Iโm siding with mom and the kids. Cody is a lovely, sweet boy in desperate need of direction and approval. Heโs learning a lot, and thriving on all the attention and company โ and itโs going to be really hard to send him home.
He does have some behavior issues to sort out. Not surprisingly, heโs suspicious and wary of men. He expresses his anxiousness in their presence by putting all his hair straight up and growling in a most fearsome manner โ while shrinking and ducking away in fear. So, daily, Iโm practicing the counter-conditioning and desensitization program described by Pat Miller on page 13 of this issue. We go out looking for men, and I toss Cody treats as they walk by. Quite a thrill for a married woman!
Then Hannah, my brotherโs dog, came to stay for a week while my brother went on vacation with his girlfriend. Hannahโs arrival was not a surprise, but the intense skunk smell she was wrapped in sure was. It was a surprise, too, to Keithโs new girl-friend, who rode in the car with Hannah for the hourโs drive between Keithโs picking her up at the airport and their arrival at my house.
Why didnโt he warn us? My brother has NO sense of smell โ none.
Well, it was a good opportunity for me to test some commercial skunk odor removers (results in this issue). And, as it turned out, it was a good โgood sportโ test of the girlfriend, too. She didnโt say a word to him about Hannahโs stench โ and she did smell it. She passes, with flying colors!
-Nancy Kerns
