Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

Small update: show dog heat stroke deaths

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Thanks to Di for this update. Mary Wild’s arraignment was scheduled for yesterday, August 12. According to the Jefferson County public court records, Ms. Wild waived formal arraignment and criminal setting scheduled for September 15.

Contact information for the Jefferson County prosecutor’s office is still available at Kinship Circle. Help make sure that this crime is punished with the maximum penalty allowable.

Links to earlier posts on this topic (some contain links to news stories if you are just now hearing about this):
Killer heat: don’t let it get you and yours
Update: show dog heat stroke deaths
Update: more on show dog heat stroke deaths

(NaBloPoMo | August ’09: 13 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 201 of 274)

Are you smarter than a two-year-old?

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This article on dog intelligence has been floating around for a couple of days now. According to Freya and Axel, the part where Professor Stanley Coren and team put the Rottweiler in ninth place on their list of the ten most intelligent breeds, has got to be totally wrong, since Rottweilers are obviously the smartest dogs on the planet and maybe in the universe. I happen to agree with them, but we are admittedly somewhat biased.

I’m not exactly shocked at too many of the findings. The fact that most dogs can understand as much language and math as a two-year-old human child is not surprising at all. Ask most dog owners how many nicknames their dogs have and respond to, and how many toys and people the dog can identify by name. Add to that the commands that even barely-trained dogs know, like sit and down, and that’s already a lot of words out of the 165 to 250 words, signs and signals that most dogs are supposedly able to understand.

This amused me, though: “A survey of more than 200 dog obedience judges in the US and Canada has also helped to reveal the most intelligent breeds.” It’s a good thing that an expanded version of the article linked does go on to mention that there is a difference between intelligence and trainability. My dogs are very intelligent, but I can’t say they’ve been particularly easy to train. Not for me, anyway. Maybe I’m the one that is not smarter than a two-year-old!

This statement, though, is something I’ve seen so many times:
“[Dogs] can also deliberately deceive, which is something that young children only start developing later in their life.”

When our first two Rottweilers, Heidi and Oscar, would be given treats at the same time, Oscar would usually finish his first. If it was a large treat, like a rawhide bone or a large biscuit, he’d finish well before Heidi. One day, he was watching Heidi still enjoying her treat. He got up and ran to the back door and barked a couple of times. We, and Heidi, of course assumed that Oscar wanted a potty break, so we all got up and headed to the door. Oscar ran back around to where Heidi had left her treat and grabbed it. And that was all he wanted. He was able to fool Heidi on several other occasions with this trick, but eventually she did catch on.

And this is probably more misdirection than deception, but every one of our dogs, past and present, has used the trick of parading some item back and forth and making it seem super happy fun to try and get a more coveted toy away from one of the others. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Intelligence, instinct, deception, whatever. It’s still fun to watch.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’09: 11 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 199 of 274)

Update: more on show dog heat stroke deaths

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I am still getting a fair amount of traffic from those looking for updates on Mary Wild, the Missouri dog handler who left eight show dogs in a cargo van overnight, causing the heat-related deaths of seven of those dogs. Previous posts with links to news stories are at:

Killer heat: don’t let it get you and yours
Update: show dog heat stroke deaths

Di left a comment today reminding us that there is still time to write to Jefferson County’s prosecuting attorney to ask that a plea bargain not be allowed. Ms. Wild has been charged with eight counts of animal cruelty, and arraignment is on August 12.

Di also left a link to Kinship Circle’s post on the subject, where you will find all of the contact information and a sample letter should you need help gathering your thoughts.

From some recent articles in The Dog Press, it would appear that the Jefferson County prosecutor’s office is taking this case quite seriously, but it is a sad fact that in general, it’s rare for animal cruelty cases to get the maximum sentences available. Put in your two cents if you feel, as I do, that your opinion might make a difference. And read the articles from The Dog Press:

Dog Handler Charged
Mary Wild Kills 8 Dogs

Even if you do not think this has anything to do with you because you don’t send your dogs out with a handler, or you don’t show dogs at all, please read at least the portions of the posts and articles that talk about heat stroke. Remember it’s August and the possibility of heat stroke should be a concern to us all. It’s not only show dogs in the so-called care of an irresponsible handler that are at risk. There have been deaths or illnesses reported this summer to police dogs (and you would think K9 handlers, like show handlers, would have more concern and consideration than the average person), pets… and children. Stay cool, everyone.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’09: 5 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 193 of 274)

A mysterious disappearance

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On Monday, we had a baby cardinal sighting. It was quite brief and it was not possible to determine much, including the age of the little one. And now it seems that we have had a mysterious disappearance sometime in the last 24 hours.

We haven’t seen much of the male cardinal, but the female has been to the nest every day. Today, however, she was not sighted at all. Since the nest was unattended and neither parent was seen or heard nearby, Dan got in close to quickly stick a cameraphone above the nest and get a photo:

Two eggs, no babies. Hopefully the baby we saw was older than we originally thought and was ready to leave the nest. In trying to find out more information about cardinal nesting habits and cardinal babies, I found estimates of anywhere from 7 to 15 days before the young ones leave the nest. I did not think the cardinals had been there that long, but I don’t know for sure.

The eggs are supposedly laid one each on consecutive days, so I’m not sure why (at least) one hatched and the others did not. I’m guessing these eggs are not viable since we haven’t seen the female cardinal for a whole day. Either that, or something happened to her. We do have the occasional predatory bird in the area, and of course a fair number of cats whose owners let them roam outdoors.

It’s sad to think that something might have happened to them, but that would be part of the circle of life. I just hope it had nothing to do with the overzealous bush trimming last week, but I have a feeling that is probably the cause of those two eggs not being viable.

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 23 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 180 of 274)

Not all dogs are black and tan?

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I took the day off and we went to visit Dan’s sister Linda, her husband Casey, and their millions of dogs. That would actually be two Pit Bulls, three resident Border Collies and one foster Border Collie. And by we, I mean Dan and me, because adding two Rottweilers into that mix would have been just way too much dog for comfort!

Dan and I failed miserably at being fosters for our breed rescue by adopting our foster rather than preparing her for a forever home with someone else. She was an older Rottweiler, maybe five years old when found as a stray abandoned on the north side of Chicago. Missy ended up being one of the best dogs we ever had. Love you and miss you, Miffers, and we’re counting on seeing you again at the Rainbow Bridge one day.

Linda and Casey have been fostering Toby for about three months now. He is a sweet middle-aged gentleman and is the perfect example of why potential adopters should consider an older dog. Toby has wonderful house manners, is past all the annoying puppy behavior stuff, and knows how to live as part of a family. There is in fact at least one potentially suitable home that agrees, but just in case, I’m posting Toby’s page at Midwest Border Collie Rescue for everyone to see. UPDATE: Toby has been adopted!

If you’re at a time and place in your life where you’re able to support your favorite breed’s rescue with donations of either money or time, I hope you will!

(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 21 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 178 of 274)