CHOPPER THE BIKER DOG

 Everyone is familiar with the 5yo Certified Therapy Dog who rides his Harley-Davidson motorcycle into the hearts of us all. Whether it be charity events, parades or his visits to nursing homes, hospitals, hospices and private residences, Chopper puts a smile on the face of everybody he meets.

Mark Shaffer, Chopper’s owner and Dad, placed him on a bike when he was only 3mos old and the rest is history. Starting with toys that could be operated with a remote control, the finished product is a custom-made bike that a fan from Florida designed to resemble Mark’s bike.

Chopper’s first appearance was a Toys For Tots Motorcycle Ride in 2009. He participates in good causes in the San Diego area. Every Christmas Chopper visits Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California bringing much joy to the delighted kids. This year he will be riding his motorcycle in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Chopper’s mission is to always create a positive experience for those involved.

At home Chopper can be found walking the treadmill, exploring the outdoors or just hanging out with his Dad. It’s not unusual for the pair to enjoy a motorcycle ride on a nice California day.

At this time all travel expenses are paid by Mark and their trips are limited to Southern California. It would take Sponsors and funding to allow them to bring their special message to other parts of the country. Chopper and Mark would thoroughly love that opportunity. Any ideas or suggestions on how to accomplish that would be welcome at Chopper The Biker Dog

SERGEANT STUBBY

 Sergeant Stubby was the most decorated war dog of WWI and the only dog nominated for rank & promoted to Sergeant thru combat. He served 18 months in 17 battles on the Western Front in France. The wounded soldiers were found by Stubby and comforted while help arrived. After surviving a mustard gas attack, he was able to save his regiment from surprise attacks. A German soldier was held by Stubby by the seat of his pants until American soldiers arrived.

Stubby was a Boston Terrier/Pit Bull Mix who was found wandering the Yale campus where the 102^nd infantry were training. He was stowed away on board the troop ship by Corporal Robert Conroy. Injured in April 1918 by German hand grenades, Stubby received two wound stripes and a medal of honor. Robert Conroy smuggled Stubby home at the end of the war.

Marching in many US parades and meeting three Presidents, Sergeant Stubby became a celebrity. He was the subject of several books and has a brick in the Walk of Honor at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City.

Sergeant died March 16, 1926 in his sleep. His body was preserved and presented to the Smithsonian Institute in 1956.

OWEN TD

 Owen is an 11yo Certified Therapy Dog who is owned by Janet Johnson. He is a retired championship Boston Terrier that has his CRC, RN with AKC. Owen has lived with Janet since he was 8yo. His previous owner/trainer was Lorie Absher. Owen still works with H.A.B.I.T. in Knoxville, TN.

Ms. Johnson has always enjoyed working with Therapy Dogs but Owen has a special place in her heart. She used to take Owen to work with her doing private duty care. One of Janet’s clients Mattie Reagan had Owen mentioned in her eulogy by her minister. Mattie had lived with them the last year of her life and Owen was the source of so much joy during that time.

Owen continued to assist with client care after Mattie’s passing but it became too difficult for him emotionally to deal with the deaths. The last man who had passed away drove a red motorized chair. During a walk Owen spotted a neighbor riding in a similar chair 3mos after the clients’ death. He turned and watched the man, whining. That was not something Owen was inclined to do. At that point Janet knew how intensely the deaths had effected him. Now Owen just makes occasional visits but still maintains his charm that comforts those in need of a smile.

PRINCESS PEIA

 This article would not be complete without mentioning an up and coming Boston Terrier Princess Peia whose life was cut short August 13, 2014. Peia was a 3 ½yo little darling who was quite popular in the Pittsburgh area. While accompanying her Dad Jak Lipnicky to an AA meeting Peia was struck by a car and her injuries were too severe to survive.

Peia was a Certified Therapy Dog with HHIAT in Greensburg, PA. She went everywhere with her Dad and enriched the lives of all that she met. There was no limit to what accomplishments Peia may have achieved had this tragedy not occurred. She brightened the day of nursing home residents and the local fire department with her permanent smile.

Named after the Constellation Cassiopeia, Peia’s star will always shine in the Northern Sky reminding us of her undying love to those of us remaining on this earth. Until we meet again Steeler Girl XOXO.

References:

Chopper the Biker Dog – Mark Shaffer

Sergeant Stubby – Wikipedia Online Version

Owen TD – Janet Johnson

Princess Peia – Jak Lipnicky

Major Payne and I had another very special visit at our favorite nursing home.

First we visited with Ms. S. She was so happy because she is going to be moving to an assisted living home! She is so excited. It is close by so I will be able to visit her there. While Ms. S. and I were talking in the activities room a woman came in but when she saw Major I could tell she was not happy and she left.

Later on, after several short visits with other friends, we walked down the rehab hall. The room at the end of the hall had two patients in it. The woman closest to the door begged us to come in but I noticed the other woman was the one that did not seem as if she wanted to be around Major so I asked her if it was ok to come in and stay near the door, she said that was ok.

Major got loved on and gave a bunch of love to the first woman and showed off all the tricks he knew. I noticed the second woman was watching us and would occasionally make a comment. I finally asked if she would like to pet Major. She hesitantly said "yes". I held Major up to her and she petted him a bit and he licked her arm, She smiled a big smile! 

The three of us began to talk and finally she asked if she could tell me her story. I told her sure. She said that a while back she had been bitten by a dog and has since been terrified of dogs even though she was a dog lover before that. She is diabetic and the bite got infected and in the end she lost her leg. She says she had not touched a dog since the bite but Major seemed so loving that she wanted to try and she was glad she had. I was so happy for her.

 I’d like to start off this article with a real life story. This story is of a family with two Boston Terriers, male and female.

One summer evening in 2007, a windstorm came through and knocked down part of their fence.  Without realizing it, the owners let the dogs out after the storm had passed and they slipped through the damaged fence.  The girl was found a week later by someone down the street where the owner had previously knocked on doors searching for them.

 The poor girl was weak, thin and scratched up, but she made it back home alive.  The male was seen running loose with a black lab at a nearby elementary school during a soccer game. He was was loaded into a van by someone who claimed they were taking the dogs to the shelter.

 The black Lab was found in the after hours drop off, but the dog matching the description of the missing Boston Terrier was not there. Despite ads, flyers, and posters put up all over the neighborhood including by the school where he was last seen, the family never saw their dog again.

 Playing “finders keepers” toys with the emotions of those who have lost their pets.  But driving the dog straight to the shelter starts a clock ticking. That clock starts counting down the time that dog has to be claimed by their owners or by someone else before potentially being euthanized. If you have a safe environment for the dog to be housed while you do a search; you will give them a fighting chance to get back home. Any additional time you can buy them is a precious gift for a lost dog.

The first step in trying to get that dog back home is obviously to check for a collar and tag with a phone number.  Even a rabies tag can indicate the vet who gave the vaccination and looking up the tag number can often yield contact information for the owner.

Remember not to judge.  A dog that is skinny and doesn’t look cared for, or one that has wounds or scratches is not necessarily an abused or neglected dog that no one wants.  Being lost and without food or water can be hard on a dog.  They may also encounter unfriendly animals or other dogs along the way. It’s uncertain how long they’ve been on the streets. It may have been hours, it may have been months.

No tags? Take the dog to a vet to be scanned for a microchip. Microchips will give you the contact information of the registered owner or possibly someone who used to be a registered owner. If they never registered the chip, the number can be looked up by the chip company to determine who purchased it and often who implanted it. They in turn should have the contact information of the owner. This is not a guarantee, so it’s important for the owner to register their chips and keep them updated.

There are several sites such as http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/ where you can look up chip numbers and see the registered owner, however I tested out the effectiveness of these sites by searching my own dogs’ chips but my searches came up blank. The best route is to contact the chip company directly if it is not registered and you are not able to find the owner information online.

No chip? Report the found dog to local shelters and rescues.  You do not need to turn the dog over in order to put the word out. Local shelters often take information on found pets and can include it on their websites or on their found pet recordings. Flyers can also be put up in many shelters for those who may be checking them for their dog.

Check the local lost and found ads.  Place an ad but be careful to still leave enough information out of the ad so the real owner will still need to identify the dog.  Scammers often try to claim valuable lost pets so they can be resold.  Don’t worry about the cost, local newspapers will often allow someone to place an ad for a found animal for free, so inquire if they have such a program. If there is a cost, most pet owners are willing to reimburse the cost of the ads (within reason). Be sure to check www.Craigslist.com   as well. The ads there are free and the site is often the first place people go when losing or finding a pet.

Ask around, knock on doors.  It could be that the dog just lives in your neighborhood or someone may know who owns it.  Our family found an older golden retriever a mile from our home. What was just old age, arthritis, and wear and tear for him, looked to us like he had been wandering the streets for weeks.

We loaded him up and took him home to “save” him.  We took him to the vet, scanned for a microchip (none found), did a check up and put him on medication for his aching joints. We placed ads and consulted with people in the area who were involved in rescue, trying to determine what was best for him. We later came to find out, he lived two houses away from where we found him and often slips out of the yard to go potty at the neighbors.

Had we left him alone, he would have walked right back home. What if we hadn’t tried to find his owners? If we turned him over to a shelter or rescue, he might have been immediately euthanized due to his age and joint problems.  If a sincere effort isn’t made to find the owners before making major decisions about the dog’s future, in my opinion there is a line being crossed.

After you have exhausted all resources and have done all you can to find the owner, call your local breed rescue to see if they have room.  If they are unable to find the owner, they can search for a suitable home for the dog. The last thing someone should do is just drop a found pet off at the shelter.  That will give the dog a very minimal chance at continuing to live a long happy life, much less ever return to the home it knows and misses.

Approach the situation with the Golden Rule of “Do unto others…”. What if it was your dog that was found by a stranger? What kind of effort would you want someone to give in order to return your dog to you? In doing what is best for the dog, remember that every lost dog once had a human family whom they miss, and who misses them.