I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU

You know the old human adage, “Walk a mile in my shoes”? There’s something to be said for doing so. Case in point, a senior aged neighbor was appalled when she heard her grand-children being impatient and rude to her elderly friends who were helping to set up a community garage sale. It upset her so much that she forced her grandchildren to spend the rest of the day wearing sunglasses with Vaseline smeared on the lenses, to wear a painfully tight brace on one leg to eliminate their ability to bend one knee and to put earplugs in their ears. They had to do their homework with the glasses on, clean out her attic (which required going up and down stairs with a knee in a brace) and run her garage sale with limited hearing as they interacted with buyers. After a day of this torture, the kids not only treated their grandparents better, they treated all seniors better. It occurred to me that it might benefit adult humans to experience something similar in order to understand what it’s like to be an abandoned dog or cat.

I double dog dare my human readers (yes, I have cat and canine readers too) to spend one day on the street living the life of an abandoned animal.  – Walking a mile in our paws, so to speak. This means, no coat to keep you warm (just one set of clothes), no food unless you can beg another human to give it to you or dig it out of the trash. (No talking or writing signs for help.) You are not allowed inside buildings and will have to rest on the cold ground; water will have to be obtained from the gutter when you can find it at all. And when you are unspeakably exhausted and hungry, you must dodge traffic, ill treatment from other humans, the pain of injuries and illness that will not be tended to, all while dodging the canine cops. If you do this, I’ll bet my next bone you would treat all animals better. Further, I bet you’ll get involved in helping save the nearly 6-plus million animals entering shelters in the US streets every year. (Source: Humane Society US)

Find a quiet place. Take 10 full minutes of private time. (Set an alarm if you like.) Close your eyes. Imagine a full day in the life of an abandoned animal. Pick a noisy, busy city street to start off your journey or an abandoned field in a rough area of your town.  Start walking.  Paw step by paw step, imagine this life. – The life that was mine.

Here’s my lesson of the week: take my dare. Afterwards, email info@creaturecauses.com and request a copy of Creature Causes eZine. Read it. Select one project that serves the needs of abandoned animals and contribute to it in some way every year (funds, time, supplies) for the rest of your life. And then, dare another human to do the same thing.

INSIDE-OUT REVOLUTION

Humans are a funny breed. They use their one (genie) wish to get rich; their one-year’s resolution to get thin and then do nothing to help achieve and/or sustain either objective. In truth, everyone knows (even a dog) that real objectives are achieved when you ask for and pursue what you want from the inside out.

If you are fat and want to be fit, you need to determine why you overeat or eat too much of the wrong things; why you sit on a couch instead of taking your slug self to the gym or walking your dog for an hour every day. This is an internal issue and my keen observation of humans in America is that when they address the inside, they get what they want on the outside.  Success!

I can back up my claim.  Jet, my foster mom who rescued me from the streets of Texas, has a friend named Schwartz who coaches executives. Schwartz has his humans take a specially guarded profiling assessment called CORE. The results are so revealing that he is almost clairvoyant, as he can clearly see what makes these humans tick. Apparently CORE not only identifies the personality of a human, it also measures their emotional intelligence (EQ) level. Coming from the streets and having witnessed the ungodly treatment of other dogs, it seems to me the emotional intelligence of a lot of humans is lower than the bones I bury in the backyard.

But I digress…

With scientific accuracy of 95%, this CORE profile can measure a person’s EQ. As Schwartz likes to quote some guy named Daniel Goleman, “EQ is the most important indicator of a person’s success. On average, close to 85 percent of a top executives success in leadership is attributable to emotional intelligence.” No other element or combination of elements has ever proven more predictive of long-term success. 

Since emotional intelligence is a human’s ability to handle themselves well and to relate to, and interact with other humans in an effective manner, it would appear that any human can have a smart (high IQ) and still do a lot of stupid things due to a low EQ.

My lesson of the week: humans don’t need a genie in a bottle, a winning lottery ticket or a new year’s resolution to get what they want. They need a healthy EQ, giving them the ability to handle themselves (their work habits, their communication habits, their drinking habits, their eating habits…) well. It’s getting what you want by addressing human foibles from the inside, out. Since EQ, more so than IQ, can significantly improve in an adult human, it stands to reason few humans have any real excuse for not being successful. Of course, humans never fix what they don’t first, own. Try a New Year’s ‘Revolution’ on January 1, 2013, going after what you want on the outside by first dealing with what you are on the inside. You’ll find success and treat your animal friends better too.

LETTER FROM A FAN

Dear Parker:  I’m a nibbler. I like nibbling on electrical cords, dad’s shoes, toys, couch corners, sticks…  It annoys my human a lot and I get water sprayed at me for not nibbling on the ‘right’ things sometimes but nothing serious comes of it until now.  Yesterday, I was nibbling on a lovely plant sitting next to a brightly lit up tree in the house. (How nice of my humans to bring me a tree in the house to pee on). When I got caught, my human nearly tore me a new one. (I’m not sure what that means but it’s what he said he was going to do to me if I kept chewing on the plant and it sounded serious.)  What is the big deal about nibbling on the little red, pointy plant?  - Your fan, Doodle

Dear Doodle:

My guess is that you were nibbling on holly or mistletoe. Humans tend to put these plants, as well as poinsettias, around their home this time of year to celebrate something called Christmas. Poinsettias are toxic but seldom poisonous to animals; whereas lilies, holly and mistletoe berries can be poisonous to critters. (See photos.) I think that says it all. Try nibbling on a cowhide treat; otherwise, you won’t see your first new year.  – Hoping your listening out there.  Parker

THE ZOMBIES

A dog knows.  We can see it in their eyes, smell their dead spirit. A dog knows when a human has gone zombie.

My dog pals and I were watching an episode of Pit Bulls and Parolees one night. (Great show by the way.) It was the show where the leader of the human pack hires a new parolee just released from a New Orleans prison.  One of his arms didn’t work.  The parolee had gotten hurt while in prison. The after effect was that the nerve endings in his left arm were damaged leaving his arm much like a zombie’s persona: present but not functioning. It’s there but feels nothing; it’s alive, but dead.  So it is with the human heart after it suffers a profound loss. The human is left with a heart still beating in the chest – physically alive – but emotionally dead. 

Humans don’t understand how to deal with these zombie humans. The human heart, in this situation, is not like a lizard’s tail that grows back when it is released to ensure the creature escapes the clutches of a bird. These zombies are more like people who fall into a freezing lake and live to tell about it even though they had been under water 18 minutes. The frigid waters place the body in cold storage, so to speak, slowing the heart so the brain doesn’t suffer the effects of oxygen deprivation. Hurt humans are kind of the same way.

Dogs see zombie humans and know they are suffering from heartbreak. We know these humans have a heart beating in their chest but don’t have the capacity to use it in a way that expresses love in a normal fashion. Many dogs, me included, have survived great suffering on the street. We remember the bad of the past but live in the present, so we grieve but tend to get beyond the hurt faster. Humans not only remember bad things but also tend to take up residence with them. This is when they walk around like zombies.

Why, you may ask, would I bring up such a sad topic during the holidays? - Because humans, as bright as you may be, tend to do the dumbest things for the heartbroken. Counseling, pills, funny movies may help but they don’t help the heart heal. A dog is one of the best gifts you can give the walking dead. A puppy under the Christmas tree is not just about a cute gift for a kid; we are more than chicken soup for the spirit. Dogs, even older ones, heal the human heart. We connect with zombies in a way that makes it easier for them to grieve the past while also letting go of it.

So here’s my lesson for the week: Instead of thinking that a puppy from Santa is only a good idea for children, go to the kill shelter near your home and pick up a dog for the zombies in your life. These may be a senior citizen whose mate has passed, a neighbor whose best friend just moved away, a newly retired neighbor adjusting to being home alone all day.  The adjustment and shock of these times can make the heart hard.  A dog keeps the heart soft. Go! Today! Take these people to your local kill shelter and help them find their zombie slayer. You save a dog; a dog saves a human and the zombies stay away for the holiday.

LETTER FROM A FAN

Hey Parker:  

My name is Tuxedo because my coloring makes me look like I’m wearing a monkey suit.  I’m a cat and not inclined to be all mushy about nice humans, but ever since my owner abandoned me, it’s made me a little humble. I live in a field (see photo) along with numerous dogs dumped (by their owners) in the same area. One of the dogs left in our field is pregnant. (See photo of “Ranger”.) It’s lonely but we get by. Groups of people around the Dallas area are trying to help us. Would you please recognize them in your blog? Maybe your human readers will get the hint and adopt us. Thanks to…

• Denise Victor for leaving food and water each day

• Ducky Bob’s for donating some wood for a temporary shelter, Bud Vore for building the shelter; Gary Stacy (of AspenMark)

  for donating the shingles for the shelter. (See photo of Bud the builder.) Up until now, we’ve been sleeping on an old

  mattress without cover from rain, sleet, cold or heat. Until you find us homes, we have our new shelter to hide in.

• Pam Duffy and Tony Boich for delivering the shelter the day before a terrible cold front came in to our area

• Patti Watts for the warm, dry, clean pads and blankets in the shelter

All of us need a home (hint, hint) but it’s nice to know that until we get one, there is a place where we are more comfortable.

- Tuxedo

Dear Tuxedo:

Despite the fact that some humans are scumbag enough to dump dogs and cats like you and your pals on the streets, it is nice to know that others care enough to make it easier for you to survive. Thanks to all the humans trying to help. Now readers, let’s find homes for my abandoned buddies. If you can help with food, vet bills, foster or permanent homes for any of these poor dogs and Tuxedo, please contact my foster mom – Jet Parker at 214-677-6727 or email her, jet@platinumrainmakers.com.

THE HAWK & THE ENTREPRENEUR

Most of you are regular readers now so you know I write this weekly dog blog to enlighten humans (not dogs). I got the idea from my foster mom, Jet.  She writes a teaching newspaper for business leaders/CEOs. Recently, after viewing a slow motion video of a GosHawk, a magnificent bird of prey (see photo), I realized it would provide a sensational lesson for entrepreneurs who want to survive this tough economy.

The video (see link below) records the maneuvers this bird is capable of taking in order to reach her prey. Her human would lure the bird with ‘prey’ but the hawk, with a wingspan of 40” plus, had to get through a very, narrow hole to reach it. The human changed the size of the hole for the bird, making it smaller. He changed the shape of the hole. No matter the increasing difficulty, the GosHawk transformed, adjusted, adapted to reach her goal.

Please view the video right now until the end.  It’s only 2 minutes, 30 seconds long.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/2CFckjfP-1E

Having viewed the video, you now realize the hawk, as the voice over points out, was able to turn any difficulty to her advantage to reach her prey. She tucked in, adjusted her tail, lowered her head and applied combinations of these maneuvers to mold her body into the shape needed to get through the shrinking hole and changing environment.

So here’s my lesson for the week: Animals in general make good teachers for humans if they are paying attention. This particular creature certainly provides a job-dropping experience for humans and a career-altering lesson for entrepreneurs. You can survive just about any situation; transform your company structure to deal with any change to reach your prospect (prey). Consider what you need to do today to ensure how successfully your enterprise soars in the future.

LETTER FROM A FAN

Dear Parker:

I don’t really have a question so much as a request. I was found in an empty church, abandoned with an old collar around my neck. What a relief to get food and clean water. My rescuers named me ‘Church’ and gave me a great home. My request is that you have your human readers check the collars on their dogs and cats on a regular basis to adjust the size. My collar was imbedded in my skin it was so tight.

Dear Church:

First, it is so good to hear you were rescued. - Looks like God is (literally) looking out for you. You are correct in wanting to warn humans about checking the collar size of their pets on a regular basis. Young dogs and cats outgrow their collars; older animals often gain weight with age. Some medicines that sick pets have to take for an illness will make them swell.  Humans! Check your pet’s collar on a regular basis to make sure the size is correct to ensure not only the safety but also the comfort of your best friend.  – Your pal, Parker