Life With Dogs

Friday, 1 May 2020

Sleepy Police Pup Naps Through His Entire Swearing-In Ceremony

The Bristol Police Department recently added an adorable pup to their team to help reduce stress around the community. Though everyone was so thrilled to welcome their new arrival, one ceremony attendee just couldn’t keep their eyes open!

The 12-week-old Chocolate Lab puppy named Brody was so excited about his police pup debut that he woke up extra early to prepare for his big day! Though he was looking forward to meeting each and every one of his new police partners, his tiring day resulted in him sleeping through his entire swearing-in ceremony.

Though Brody may have slept through his big debut, the citizens of Bristol still welcomed him into their community with open arms. In the weeks following his public nap, he was already getting to work and offering some much-needed support around town.

Brody is the Bristol Police Department’s first therapy and comfort dog in training. Once he has completed his training program he will be a huge source of happiness around town, and will make appearances at establishments that need his help the most. Brody and his handler will offer their assistance at local schools, libraries, senior centers, and any community event once gatherings are safe again!

Though current social distancing measures make it more challenging for Brody to receive the socialization he needs, his arrival couldn’t have come at a better time. Brody has been able to put a smile on the faces of those still working each day at the Police Department, making this time seem a bit less stressful for those on the front lines.

“People are really stressed, especially in law enforcement. Just by walking in the police department with Brody, people immediately smile, they immediately get into a better place. They want to pet him, want to hug him and it’s just a really good thing.” – Officer Medeiros

Since the swearing-in, Brody has already made a huge impact around town. Brody has greeted residents at a local senior center through the window, assisted in security checks around the city, and has even been the star of a read-along video that parents can show their kids during the quarantine.

It’s no doubt that Brody will be a wonderful addition to the Bristol Police Force, and will continue to bring joy during this difficult time. If you would like to keep up with Brody and the BPD’s adventures, you can follow his journey here!

Keep up the good work Brody!

H/T: thedodo.com
Image Source: BPDK9Brody/Insta

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‘Young And The Restless’ Star Lauralee Bell Says Goodbye To Beloved Pup

No matter how much you try to prepare yourself for it, saying goodbye to your dog is excruciating. For this reason, a post from actress Lauralee Bell really resonated with thousands of dog parents this week. She revealed on Instagram that she recently said goodbye to her beloved dog Couver. The star, not unlike any of us would be, is devastated by her loss.

Bell plays Christine Blair Williams on long-running soap opera The Young And The Restless. She took to her Instagram to share her thoughts on the late Couver, alongside a selfie of the two of them enjoying some sun.

“I know you’re not supposed to have a favorite furry child but Couver was our favorite which made yesterday one of the hardest days for our family.”

Bell famously adores dogs, and had three Labs (two boys and one girl.) She posts about her pups frequently. Couver was the eldest of the three.

“He was a dog that would see you walking toward a couch or the bed and adjust to make sure there was room for you. Just a kind soul who loved taking on so many roles. So Couver, thank you for being a pillow, a shoulder to cry on, a dress up partner, a teacher to the younger dogs, a buddy, the face we’d get excited to see every time we’d come home and truly such an important member to our tight knit group.”

Bell admitted that losing Couver was much harder than she imagined.

“I knew it would be hard but it was 10 times worse. That’s credit to you for being the best! Our hearts ache but you’ll be in them always.”

Hopefully, Couver’s two doggie siblings can provide the grieving family with some comfort.

One of the hardest parts about grieving for a lost pet is the perception that this loss is lesser than a human’s. Research actually supports the idea that losing a dog can be even harder to cope with. As Bell’s post indicated, our dogs are important members of our family.

If you or a loved one is suffering the loss of a dog, there are resources available to you in your grief. You can also memorialize your lost pup while helping dogs currently living in shelters. Most importantly, remember that deeply grieving a dog is okay!

Rest in peace sweet Couver.

H/T: SoapHUB
Featured Image: @lauralee_bell/Instagram

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Adorable Guide Dogs Host Zoom Call

If you’ve been working from home during the COVID-19 quarantine, it’s likely that you’ve had more than enough Zoom calls. Every time your company schedules another Zoom meeting, it might be difficult to look forward to it.

However, Guide Dogs Australia recently hosted a Zoom meeting that any dog lover would be thrilled to attend. That’s because the meeting was hosted by several adorable guide dogs, including a 3-week-old puppy! Having a meeting with other humans might be boring, but when a bunch of dogs are involved, everything changes for the better.

Guide Dogs Australia decided to host a Zoom call in honor of Guide Dog Day on April 29th. Usually, they host a fun charity event for this special day, but this year, they had to adjust their plans. Social distancing caused them to rethink how they were going to celebrate.

So, the staff realized it was much safer to do a Zoom call. The purpose of the call was to introduce some of the incredible dogs and educate others about the work they do. In other words, it was an adorable way to spend your lunch break. They encouraged everyone who was interested to join them for this special event.

A Zoom Meeting with Puppies!

The Zoom meeting consisted of 7 adorable guide dogs and of course, their humans. Over 1,200 people hopped onto the call to see these remarkable dogs. Plus, they were able to learn some exciting information about what Guide Dogs Australia is all about.

The highlight of the meeting was the newest member of the team. He is a 3-week-old puppy named Zoom, after the program. Zoom is the cutest little thing, and he behaves so well in front of the camera. In the meeting, they explained that he is extra special because he was the only puppy in his litter. Most of the guide dog litters end up with about 5 to 9 puppies.

As the staff introduced all their dogs, they also explained the story behind each pup. Not every dog with Guide Dogs Australia is capable of becoming a guide dog, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help out in other ways.

One Lab named Willow had feet that were too sensitive to walk on strange surfaces like gravel, so she couldn’t perform regular guide dog duties. Instead, she found a loving home with one of the staff members, where she is now an ambassador for guide dogs. All guide dogs that don’t qualify get another career path like Willow did. Many of the dogs are trained to be therapy dogs instead.

This Zoom call was an amazing way for all dog lovers to learn about the importance of guide dogs. And, of course, it was a great way to meet all the lovable working dogs. If you missed the call, don’t worry! The organization posted the recorded version of the meeting on their Facebook page for everyone to enjoy.

You Can Watch the Zoom Meeting Here:

Zoom Puppy Meeting

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Zoom to celebrate International Guide Dog Day! We loved introducing you to our pups and members of our Guide Dogs Community, and most of all, little 3-week-old puppy, Zoom.As some of you weren’t able to make it or missed parts, here is a recording of the whole session for you to enjoy. Now, it's over to you! Should we do another Zoom session? Let us know in the comments 🐶[Video description: A recording of the Zoom Puppy Meeting with 7 members of the Guide Dogs community on the call with their dogs]

Posted by Guide Dogs Australia on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

H/T: countryliving.com
Featured Image: Screenshots, @GuideDogsAustralia/Facebook

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Dog Groomers Are Some Of The First Back In Business As COVID-19 Closures Lift

Dog groomers in various states are now allowed to start seeing clients. Governors are reopening certain types of businesses in calculated geographical areas of their states. This lifting of closures is a welcome change for these small business owners as well as those that have shaggy dogs, badly in need of some grooming. But things are definitely different than they were before. Groomers must put extra precautions in place to protect themselves and their clients, human and canine alike.

Image The Fluffy Puppy Pet Salon/Facebook

A New Normal is Established

Bethany English, groomer and owner of Fluffy Puppy Salon in Indianapolis, has a full schedule, but with fewer clients than she normally sees on a given day. Why? Social distancing rules apply inside the grooming salon. She is calling this their “new normal.” Instead of three groomers at the shop she can only have two at a time. The space is not large enough to maintain CDC-recommended distances with three people working at a time.

She also installed a plastic shower curtain as a barrier between her clients and groomers when dogs are being dropped off. She told Fox59 while laughing, “It’s a classy shower curtain. It’s much different than the chatty atmosphere that we had before, and the connections that we made with our clients. We love our clients, and this is very different. It’s an actual separation from them.”

Changes in Procedures to Ensure Safety

There are other changes in procedure in place at Fluffy Puppy Salon. To avoid any human-to-human contact, all booking and fee transactions are being handled online. Due to the size of her space, only one client at a time is allowed to enter the salon for drop-offs and pick-ups. The client has to put their own dog into a sanitized kennel upon entering the shop.

The groomer then takes the dog from the kennel to a bath bay where they are washed. Before COVID-19, washing would be put off until the other services, like nail or hair trimming, were performed. Not anymore. Dogs are cleaned first due to the risk of the virus living on animal fur. English told FOX59, “Once [the dogs] are in there, we take them in the back, and give them a bath. None of the dogs are to be worked on without a bath. So, no walk-in services anymore.”

Appointment Schedules Getting Fully Booked

Many dog parents have taken to grooming their own dogs at home during the stay-at-home orders. Others didn’t dare take a pair of clippers to their pet’s coat. Those whose dogs have matted fur or long nails are flocking to salons with gratitude. Gavin Hardy of GG’s Pet Salon had just opened his salon in Phoenix, AZ before he was forced to temporarily shut the doors. The salon was a welcome addition to the local business scene and he was flooded with bookings right away.

Shutting the doors of his fledgling salon was a horrifying prospect and he is thrilled to be back in business. He started rebooking COVID-19-canceled appointments earlier this week and is being inundated with requests for new bookings from new and existing clients. He said, “After rescheduling everyone that previously had an appointment in April that had to be canceled, we are filling up this week but still have some weekend appointments available.”

By all accounts, we all have a long way to go before this pandemic is truly behind us. Seeing some small businesses re-open gives us renewed hope that we are heading in the right direction!

H/T fox59.com
Featured Image Courtesy GG’s Pet Salon

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Man Wants Life-Saving Surgery For His Dog, Girlfriend Says No

Being dog moms and dads, we hold the responsibility to make sure our furbabies are cared for at all times. After all, that’s what they are: babies. They are like children to so many of us. It’s often hard to fathom how anyone could think otherwise. When our dogs get sick or injured, naturally we all want to do whatever we can to help them. We also understand that our time with them is never enough and there will come a day when we wish for their cold-nosed kisses and muddy pawprints on our freshly mopped floors.

What Would You Do?

Put yourself in this scenario: Your young, healthy pup was diagnosed with an early stage of skin cancer. The good news is that it’s entirely treatable and your dog will have a good quality of life afterward. More trips to the dog park, more years of snuggles on the couch, plenty more games of fetch. The bad news? Treatment costs $10,000. So… would you follow through with treatment?

$10,000 is a lot of money, especially right now when the world is in turmoil and job loss is at a remarkably high rate. One Reddit user is in this exact predicament. He took to a subreddit r/AmItheAsshole recently and presented this exact scenario, with one catch. The poster is all in on spending his rainy day fund to treat his dog’s cancer but his girlfriend is staunchly against it.

A Bitter Girlfriend And A Devoted Dog Dad

Summer is only 4-years-old and she means the world to her dad. But, the girlfriend of Summer’s dad is angry that he wants to spend that much money. You see, the girlfriend is currently out of work and the couple lives together. She feels that the money should be saved for when they get married and have children.

She has a point, but can you really put a price on love? Would she hesitate to spend $10,000 on a human to have life-saving surgery? There was a bit more to her negative feelings. Here’s what Summer’s dad said:

“When I told her about the money and that I was going to pay for the surgery, she was upset because 1. She didn’t know about the account and 2. I’d be spending so much money when she’s out of a job and struggling. She moved in with me a few months ago and doesn’t have to pay rent.”

Summer’s dad followed-up with his original post and suggested that his girlfriend would be giving him an ultimatum. He said he will, without a doubt, choose Summer’s health over his girlfriend if he has to.

Well done, daddy-o!

What are your thoughts? Would you do the same?

h/t: reddit.com

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Pitties Who Bonded In Shelter Find A “Together Forever” Home

Cynics will deny it, but I bet many people out there still believe in the power of love at first sight. Or in this case, love at first sight/sniff. This is the love story of two dogs who met under less than ideal circumstances, but it bonded them for life.

Agatha and Jukebox, two Pit Bulls, both spent a long time at Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona. Even though they came in separately, they would go on to stick together for life. Kristen Hassen-Auerbach, director of animal services at the animal center told The Dodo their amazing friendship began during a playgroup session.

“Typically when a bonded pair of dogs come in the shelter, they’ve spent their whole life together. But with these two, they didn’t know each other. They met in a playgroup one day and from the second they laid eyes on each other they became inseparable.”

These two dogs fell head over heels for each other right away. Physical touch definitely seems to be Agatha and Jukebox’s love language, because they insist on sleeping in the same bed.

“There’s plenty of space for them to stretch out but they share that tiny little bed together and that’s how they prefer it.”

Since the PACC takes in thousands of animals every year, the meeting (and immediate befriending) of these two dogs is a true miracle.

Becoming Inseparable

According to Nikki Reck, public information officer for Pima Animal Care Center, the two besties were later allowed to share a kennel.

“You walk by their kennel and they’re always doing one of 20 cute things. They’re either laying upside down on their backs together, or one of them is licking the other one.”

It thrills Hassen-Auerbach that Agatha and Jukebox found love in a hopeless place. The fact that these two pups had each other to lean on made shelter life more bearable.

“Despite the fact that they are living this life of confinement, which is super stressful on most dogs, they take so much comfort in each other’s presence.”

Naturally, seeing how close these two got meant the shelter couldn’t have them adopted separately. They posted photos of the dogs cuddling, hoping someone would see and want to take both home.

“Typically we don’t say ‘these two have to be adopted together’ because that makes it take longer for them to find a home. But with these two, we just can’t bring ourselves to split them up, so we’re hoping against hope that we can find a home for them together because the two of them are meant to be.”

As it turns out, a family out there was more than willing to maintain this precious bond.

A Bond To Last Two Lifetimes

Due in part to their viral hugging picture shared on PACC’s Facebook and in part to their plain old cuteness, Jukebox and Agatha were adopted together! That means they’ll never spend a day without one another again. They’ll also never spend another day living in an animal shelter!

Sorry cynics, but this story simply has to be evidence for fate.

H/T: The Dodo
Featured Image: @PimaAnimalCareCenter/Facebook

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Dog Jumps For Joy When He Recognizes Himself On TV

Some dogs are fascinated by things on the TV while others don’t recognize it at all. For Bronn the Labradoodle, the TV is exciting, especially when he’s on it. A few days ago, Bronn’s mom, Angela Labat, took a cute video of him playing with his human baby brother named Liam.

WWL-TV thought the video was so cute that they decided to air it on their news channel. They expected it to warm the hearts of all the people watching, but they didn’t realize how much Bronn would appreciate it too.

In the original video, Labat captured a heartwarming moment between Bronn and Liam. Liam is crawling on the floor right next to the giant dog. Bronn seems to think Liam’s stance means he wants to play, so the Labradoodle happily bounces around the tiny human. He occasionally stops to lick his brother or bark at him. The poor pup is probably wondering why the small child isn’t playing in return.

Throughout the entire exchange, Liam laughs like crazy. He clearly loves Bronn’s silly attitude. His adorable laugh only makes Bronn want to play even more, so it’s an endless cycle of Bronn jumping and Liam laughing. The video goes on for about a minute and a half. It’s clear that the two of them adore each other, and it’s been that way for Liam’s whole life.

WWL-TV decided that this adorable video was the perfect way to bring joy during this confusing time. So, they shared it online and on the news. However, they had no idea that a follow-up video would be even cuter.

Watch the First Video Here:

I'd be selfish to not share this! The love of a boy and his dog! 💙🐾*To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com

Posted by Angela Lally Labat on Sunday, April 26, 2020

After the first video aired on TV, Labat’s family gathered around to watch. They were so excited to see Bronn and Liam’s first moment in the spotlight. When the video finally came on, they were thrilled. But no one was more excited than Bronn.

When Bronn’s video came on, he bolted toward the TV to get a better look. Sure enough, that was him on the screen! He couldn’t believe his eyes. As soon as he recognized himself, he began jumping up and down to celebrate.

For the entire time that the video was on the TV, Bronn continued bouncing up and down. He kept barking as he jumped as if to say, ‘Hey, look! That’s me!’. Then, when the video came to an end and Bronn was no longer being shown, he settled down and went back to his normal routine. Clearly, the pup’s dream was to be a famous actor and now his goals had been achieved.

Of course, the news channel couldn’t deny that the second video was even better than the first. So, they aired Bronn on TV yet again to show his adorable reaction to his TV premier. These two videos are the perfect distractions from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and Bronn definitely agrees!

Watch the Second Video Here:

I think it's safe to say that Bronn likes seeing himself and his baby brother on the big screen! 😂🤣*To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com

Posted by Angela Lally Labat on Monday, April 27, 2020

H/T: wwltv.com
Featured Image: Screenshots, Angela Lally Labat Facebook

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