Tamar’s Blog

Moms, babies, and dogs- how can they all fit together?

October 11th, 2008

Hi there dog lovers, I was asked to go and see an 8 year old Bulldog named Gordi. A married couple, Eric and Mandi, rescued him 4 years ago when he was 4 years old. They now have a 1 year old baby boy, and to make long story short, they have problems with Gordi.

The new nanny who Gordi had spent much time with, sat next to him on the couch and leaned over to kiss him. Gordi lunged at her and bit her lip. Hospital, stitches, and a major new concern… Eric, unwisely, decided to show Mandi that the dog is OK, and put the baby right next to the dog. When the baby threw a little toy at the dog from behind, the dog turn his head back and snapped.

So that’s when I was called in… Fun, huh? One of the most common mistakes I see is that people wait till AFTER the fact to address the new changes that will come to be when the family dynamic goes from 3 (husband, wife, dog) to 4 or 5 (with nanny).

That was a bit more complicated. Just the fact that no one had made the dog feel over the last 4 years that he could relax because he has competent leadership, made Gordi feel that he needs to run their household. And boy, that stressed him out. When I first saw Gordi, I was struck with how intense he was. It looked like he could use a good massage to relax his body a bit.

Another interesting element was uncovered when Mandi (who was scared and therefore wasn’t happy to give the dog a chance) told me that she read a while ago about a dog who killed the family’s newborn when the nursing mom gave him a treat at the same time she nursed the baby… but, something like that is sooo rare, and there are many more stories about dogs who protect and save babies! Why doe the mind always will remember the crazy stories more vividly? For how the session went and concluded, please go to http://www.momlogic.com/2008/09/when_your_pet_attacks.php and http://www.momlogic.com/2008/10/dogs_and_children_tips_from_an.php

Please share with me your thoughts, stories, and of course pictures of your dogs. Keep loving your dog!

Smiles, Tamar

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Tamar’s Blog!

September 24th, 2008

“Please join me in becoming an advocate for love!” – from The Loved Dog

Hi there,

Welcome to my first blog!

It is no coincidence that the release of my first blog coincides with the release of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, the new Disney movie. Animal lovers across the nation are worried about the consequences that will come from the October 3^rd release of this film.

Chihuahuas are already the second most popular breed at local sheltersJust like the aftermath of “101 Dalmations”, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is sure to result in the increase of this tiny breed, many of which will no doubt be surrendered to shelters, once people realized that their little Chihuahuas are more work that they thought…

So I carved out time to meet with 8 marketing and PR executives at Disney with the hope that they would take the lead and give back to the Chihuahuas (who are involuntarily helping Disney make money during this tough economic time)… You see, they were kind enough to arrange a private screening for me and I was happy to see that the movie’s message is actually better than I expected! For one, it gives the message that Chihuahuas are NOT fashion accessories, and the other wonderful message is to give rescue dogs a chance as they are so loving, smart, and eternally grateful…

I was happy to discover (by chance) that the lead star, Papi, is a rescue dog from a shelter! I suggested to Disney to use their PR machine to share with the public Papi’s message: “I was a shelter dog and look at me now- I’m a movie star!!! Go find your own star at your local shelter!”

This message would have been great for Disney and great for the breed. But guess what, they had zero interest in doing anything at all, other than a benign message at the end of the movie stating, “every pet deserves a loving home… please adopt when possible”…

I find it not that different from the tobacco tycoons who paste a little warning on the side of a cigarette box. I felt like Disney was doing the bare minimum.

I was sad and drained afterwards.

But you can help… please spread the message to everyone you know: do not buy a dog from a pet store- ever! Oprah’s recent exposé on pet stores and the puppy mills that supply them will show you a hundred reasons why. When you’re ready to get a pet, adopt from your local shelter or reputable rescue group. Think long and hard before you adopt an animal, as it is a life long commitment (like any other family member), and also do sufficient research on the breed instead of just falling in love with the look (how many relationship you know that didn’t work out because it was based on looks and nothing else?) I have found out that many people think Chihuahuas are perfect for kids because they’re so small. However, Chihuahuas can be quite difficult dogs with a tendency to be temperamental and snippy (you would be too if all day long somebody picked you up, ignored your brain, and generally treated you like a toy…). They are often not the best match for a home with children at all.

I wish that Disney would have taken me up on these ideas so that they could have leveraged this opportunity to educate people and benefit animals, not to mention this would have made Disney look so good in the process…!Well, there’s always Marley and Me…

Please email me your thought, photos of your dog, and share with me why your dog is “A Loved Dog”.

Keep loving your dog!

Smiles,

Tamar

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Hello world!

November 23rd, 2005

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Tamar’s Blog

Moms, babies, and dogs- how can they all fit together?

Tamar’s Blog!

Hello world!

Pages

Archives

Categories

Blogroll

Meta