Happy Halloween from SeniorPooch

The Batman is elusive. The Batman is just. The Batman's will is stronger than mine.

Twenty minutes of wrestling with Rusty to wear his Halloween costume, I threw in the towel. At one point he accidentally got one of his legs in the Dark Knight's pants, but he like Batman, he wasn't interested in taking pictures in costume.  Since the cape and cowl   didn't fit me, we compromised and he wore the ears.

Make sure to keep your candies away from your Batman (or Wonder Woman or Lady Bug) as chocolate isn't good for dogs, yet they always find a way to track it down even when placed up on a table.

Did anyone else (attempt to) dress their dog up this Halloween. This was my first attempt, but I'll be back.

How One Couple Made a Difference for Two Elder Dogs and Vice Versa

Leslie Lee is a fantastic writer of equally fantastic tales of fiction.  However there's nothing fake about the following article that she wrote for the Marin Independent Journal called:

Tails of Marin: Older Dogs Have Much to Offer

For me, this highlights how much life older dogs can share with us from the perspective of one couple, who through some strange twists of fate, took on two elder dogs in a short time span.  This post points out a couple of benefits of adopting older dogs that we'll delve into deeper in future posts of the Benefits series.

If this post made you smile, I'd encourage you take a look at the Marin Humane Society and if you have an extra dollar or five to give at the end of the week consider making a donation.

Top Eight Tips for Putting a New Face on Old Dog Adoption Ads

All dogs, no matter how old, deserve a warm place to live and someone who can share their golden years. I found my two most recent canine companions on the Internet and cringe when I think of how tough it must have been before we were able to search for them online.

If you're creating an ad for an adoptable senior dog, consider this list help your friend put their best paw forward:

Making a Difference in the Lives of Homeless Pets in the Bay Area: San Jose Animal Advocates

Melissa and one of her inspirations
behind  SJAA, Newbie

I had the good fortune to reconnect with Melissa Lisbon, principle co-founder of the San Jose Animal Advocates (SJAA), whose goal is to support local Bay Area shelters and rescue groups.  Melissa and I have known each other for years, so when it became apparent that we both doing something about our passion for pet-related issues, I had to talk with her about what she has been up to:

SP: What's SJAA's mission and how long have you been around? 
ML: We are an advocacy group which helps promote the efforts of our local animal rescue groups and local shelter through community events, fundraisers and other promotional venues.  San Jose Animal Advocates was established back in March 2010.

SP: What was your inspiration for the group?  

Getting our walk on

Watch out, world.  Here we come!

Party like a rock star

Party responsibly

Today would have been Boo Boo's fourth birthday with me. He was a good soldier, but the battle to bring awareness to how great senior dogs are goes on.

October Adoption Update

The first few months have been very good to SeniorPooch.com and I'd like to thank those of you who have contributed to postings that are on the site. 

I'm happy to report that two of Senior Pooch Adoption's alumni have moved on to new homes:

Bear, a 9 year old German Shepherd in the San Diego North Region Shelter is now resting easily in his forever home. Kudos to his new parents for reaching out to this handsome guy.

Girl, who was living at the Pasadena Shelter until recently, was pulled by a rescue organization that is now fostering her. Technically she's still available, but it's great to hear that she's getting the attention that she deserves until she finds her forever home. If you're the rescue organization fostering her and you'd like to keep her up on the site, let me know.

If you or someone you know is trying to get their old canine companion adopted or fostered, don't hesitate to click on the Contact Us link above and pop me out a note. The number of folks who are checking out the site is steadily picking up, and wouldn't it be cool to help get your pal adopted more quickly? Of course, I don't charge anything for posting, and if you need help writing a description, I'm happy to help. I also cross promote the postings here on a variety of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to help spread the word.

Keep those cards and letters coming folks and thanks again for helping to get the word out about the site.

World's smartest dog

Originally posted on JeffNarucki.com, December 8. 2009

Captain Canine

Writers can spend a lifetime looking for their muse.  That inspiration, which makes them want to get up and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.  I’m lucky in that I’ve never had that problem.  My biggest issue is being focused.  I can sit and crank out short stories all day and all night, the challenge: being able to string together enough consecutive hours for it to make a difference.

Two years ago, that’s exactly where I was.  I had plenty of great* ideas, but I was all over the place.  It was one particular story that I was working on that helped me round the bend.  It was a horror story about a faithful canine companion, his family, and a horde of zombies.  The research was pretty light considering that I had always been a dog owner.  Around the same time I started talking with folks about my writing “hobby.”

Every writer needs a muse

Sometimes muses provide more practical support

Senior Pooch Benefit 2: There's plenty of room between a rock and a hard place

Most of your older dogs are just going to be happy with a nice quiet place to sleep and the security knowing that you're going to always be there. You don't want a dog that's zipping through the house like a mad man anyway, and lucky for you older dogs have figured out by this time that slow and steady is the way to go.

I'll caveat this by saying that most senior dogs are going to require a place to live with at least two rooms.

Why two?

Supper time and the battle of the bulge

But I only ate twice today (not including that rabbit)

Rusty continues to fight the battle of the bulge, but I think we've gained the upper hand.  Several weeks ago he was back down a couple of pounds, and it looks like he lost another pound or two since.

Our secret: Carrots.

Three out of every four times I would have given him treats, instead of giving him biscuits, I reach for the carrots. When we started, he wasn't interested, and would take the carrots and drop them out of reach. A little positive reinforcement (and cutting out the treats altogether for a week), and he's very happy to take a carrot to his favorite snack spot.

A special shout out to Leslie Lee, who pointed out how much her dogs like crunching on carrots and apples.