The Dedication of the Dog Owner

If you have known me for long, or have been reading this blog at all, you will know that I constantly rage about irresponsible dog owners and the problems they cause. While I will not review the litany again here, suffice to say it is a long list that costs us, the taxpayer, a substantial amount of money.

So conversely, when I see a responsible dog owner really taking care of their dogs, I also like to make a big deal about it. I figure if other dog owners start to see what a "responsible dog owner" is they might emulate some or all of the behaviors. I believe that we become what we see, so seeing responsibility will with luck breed more responsibility. Monkey see, Monkey do!

It is for this reason that I wanted to share with you all my friend Kent, and his utter dedication to his dog Summit. Kent sent me the attached pictures to prove what he goes through for his dogs, and he included the following message:

"Your dog doesn't know that it's 18 degrees with a 10 MPH wind, he just knows it's the regular time that you go out for HIS walk. Gear up and enjoy moments when you have the entire park to yourselves ... your dog will thank you too."

Well Kent, it is to you and all the other dog owners that go the regular mile as well as (in your case) the extra mile to care for their dogs, that I say well done! This is truly outstanding and shows that you get it. They are not animals, they are not dogs, they are our friends and loved ones.

If you have a similar story we invite you to share them with us by emailing them (WITH PICTURES PLEASE!) to us at capawblehands@gmail.com.

How is your Dogs Weight?

At the beginning of every year we all are prone to take a look at our lives, access the state of things, and many of us make resolutions to better our lives in one way or another. After all, we as humans have been doing this every 365 days or so for a millennium, and it is a good thing.

So you are looking at yourself, looking at what improvements you can make, and it is a high probability that are now working on your weight. GREAT! Getting healthier is always a noble goal, and losing weight is very high on the list of annual resolutions, but I have a question for you:

How about your dog’s weight?

Obesity in dogs is a problem that is on the rise in America. We as humans are eating more and becoming less active, therefore our dogs are also eating more and exercising less. Just like in humans this increasing over-eating and inactivity can lead to a HUGE number of very real health issues such as:

• Diabetes
• Damage to joints, bones and ligaments (especially in large dogs)
• Heart disease
• Increased blood pressure (yes dogs too, can suffer from high blood pressure)
• Decreased liver function
• Difficulty breathing
• Decreased stamina
• Heat intolerance
• Increased anesthesia risk
• Digestive disorders
• Immune dysfunction
• Skin hair and coat problems
• Increased risk of cancer
• Decreased quality and length of life

I love my dogs (sometimes more than my children) and I want them to have long and healthy lives. I want their lives to be filled with running and jumping, not IV’s and pills and being drugged all the time. This is why we are very diligent about the feeding of our dogs. This leads to one of the biggest questions a dog owner will have:

How much SHOULD I be feeding my dog?

This can be a more difficult question to answer than you might think. If you have a medium to low energy dog it gets even more difficult. Did you know the ‘recommended feeding suggestions’ on the back of dog food is aimed at an “intact, male working dog?” Since your dog is NOT intact (and if it is you need to get it altered now, but that is another article) and it is probably not a working dog (meaning herding or pulling all day), this means that if you are following these suggestions  you are over feeding your dog, and potentially by a large amount.

A dog that is healthy should  always be hungry. This is a behavioral throw back to the wild dog days. Since they never knew when or where their next meal might be, they would eat anything they found when they found it. Since your dog is NOT a wild dog foraging for food, they should be on as schedule. Whether once a day or twice a day is up to you, but you need to be consistent. Same amount, same way, every day.

As far as making a recommendation goes I will only tell you what we are doing for our dogs. For the new reader we have Hondo, a 2 ½ year old Shiba Inu who is 19 pounds, and Jethro, a Pit Bull that is about 78 pounds. We feed them twice a day, and Hondo gets 2/3 of a cup and Jethro gets 1 ½ cups at each feeding. We feed them a good quality dry food (no corn of gluten please!) and put a little hot water on top of the dry food to make a little gravy in the bowl. We will occasionally mix in with this some drippings or other scraps.
Exercise is also a very important part of the equation, just like for you. “The Boys” and I walk generally at least once a day, and we walk at least a mile or so up and down hills. On top of this we have a large yard that they use and run around in during the day, so they get a decent amount of exercise.

If your dog is obese or overweight or you feel it may be, the first step is of course to consult your Vet. They are the first and best source for information on the health of your dog. However, here are a few suggestions:

• Start a weight chart, and begin to track your dogs weight.
• Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! – Not only will this help your dog’s weight, but will have a surprisingly positive effect on yours (I am down about 30 pounds in a year!)
• Feed a better quality food, in smaller amounts, twice a day. We have found this better than a big meal every morning
• Limit treats, and make sure they are GOOD treats. You would be surprised at how bad some of the commercial treats are for your dog. Make sure you read the packages, and find a good quality treat. Honeycomb cereal is one of Jethro’s favorites, but then again, he eats everything

I will bet a lot of these things sound surprisingly like the same things that YOU should also be doing for you weight. So, make your resolution, but include your dog.Work on your eating and your weight, but help them to work on theirs also. They would like to look slim and hot this summer too!

Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside!

So you think Pit Bulls are tough? Take a look at THIS guy! His name is Bernard Hopkins. True, that does not sound terribly tough or scary but then you may not know his profession or nick name. Mr. Hopkins is a professional boxer known as “The Executioner.” He not only help ALL FOUR middleweight championship belts (the only fighter to do this at any weight class,) but successfully defended his belts over 20 times in 10 years.

This is a very, VERY tough man.

Why is this important? Because Mr. Hopkins is also a very soft, loving man that has partnered with another VERY tough but VERY loving partner – Pit Bulls. Together they are trying to dispel some myths about Pit Bulls, specifically the myth that spaying or neutering your dog will ‘make it worse’ or otherwise change your dog negatively. The truth is that Spaying and Neutering your Pit Bull is a GOOD thing. In a recent article on Phily.com Mr. Hopkins said:

"I'm a dog lover. At the end of the day, if you don't spay and neuter dogs like this, it can cause chaos."

Mr. Hopkins will be featured on billboards in primarily inner-city areas to help get the message out that spaying and neutering is not only a GOOD thing, but is very important to the health of the dog and their socialization. These billboards will also feature some more very though people like Ivan “Mighty” Robinson, and an Olympic Hopeful by the name of Mike Jones. The hope is to show inner city males (the prime demographic for this issue) that their manhood is not tied to their dogs testicles, but that they are actually more of a man by taking care of their dogs and being a responsible owner.

One of my favorite quotes from the article is from Kathy McGuire, president and founder of NJAFA:

"Neutering your pit bull doesn't make it any less of an animal, but it makes you more of a man," said McGuire.

Take that you guys!

This program is being sponsored by the New Jersey Aid for Animals (www.njafa.org)

SPCALA Shelter Fund Raising Drive

One of the things that are very close to our hearts here at CapawbleHands is animal rescue shelters, and their efforts to rehabilitate and adopt out dogs and cats. They are on the front lines of the fight to educate the population about animal population control (Spay or Neuter your pets people!)

Most of these shelters run on 100% donations, and as a result they are constantly forced to make life or death decisions because of a couple hundred bucks. YOU CAN HELP! I do NOT want to start playing that dam “In the arms of a stranger . . .” song we all avoid on from the TV. Don’t MAKE me go there!

Please, take a couple of minutes and visit CapawbleHands.org, Click the donations box on the right side of the page,  and donate $10.00 right now. In your life that is a lunch, that is 2 Starbucks Venti coffees, that is in all reality nothing. To these shelters that $10.00 is food for 3 – 4 more animals, a couple more blankets, and the ability to keep one more dog for one more day to hopefully find it a home before they are forced to euthanize it. To them your $10 is literally the difference between life and death.

For $10.00 you can, quite literally, save lives. How often do you get the chance to be a hero for nothing more than the price of a couple cups of coffee? So, just today, chose to be a hero. CLICK NOW, donate your $10.00, and brag about being a hero! You will deserve it!

Pinups for Pittbulls - 2 Birds with One Stone!

Those of you who have read anything on either our blog our our main website know that I LOVE Pit bulls. No matter the color, size, sex, I love them. They are beautiful creatures that I have trouble taking my eyes off when ever I see one.

Another thing that I love are Pit bull Activists. People that do their best to raise awareness and change the hearts and minds of the general public about these wonderfully loving dogs. Well, here is a group that, as a red-blooded male, it is easy to like for a couple of reasons. Those couple reasons are (not THOSE!) beautiful 40's-esque pinups and gorgeous dogs.

Pinups for Pitbulls is a wonderful organization. Instead of me telling you what they do, I will let them do it. The following quote is from their Mission page:

"Pinups for Pitbulls, Inc works to educate the public about the history and temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier and pit bull type dogs, to raise awareness about Breed Specific Legislation and Breed-specific abuse, and to raise funds for "bully-breed" friendly rescues and dogs in need."

What does all that mean? Well, like many other groups, they are working to increase the collective intelligence on these dogs. To help John Q. Public realize that these are NOT killers, but loving family dogs. Please take a few moments to at least watch the video above. If you have a couple double lattes you can give up, please make a donation, as money is always the biggest need.

This is a tremendous group and do a lot to raise funds, however one of their biggest is their annual Pinups for Pitbulls Calendar. Please go have a look as you will not be disappointed. NO, it is not dirty. Think Marilyn Monroe. You can see more of their photos on their Peep Show page. Again, there is nothing here you would not see in at WORST a PG film.

So, where are the 2 birds? Well, there are 12 of them in the calendar, but in all seriousness they are YOU getting a nice calendar and the DOGS getting a couple bucks to help the breed. Please help as you can, and thank you.

Stop Fighting the Dogs Video

 OK, anyone that knows me can tell you as far as the world of Rap and Hip-Hop music goes, I am not up on who the stars are, who is current the most popular, etc. Old white guys are not really the demographic for this musical genre. So when I say I have NO CLUE who K-Lethal or Lady Bishop this is a solid fact.

I will tell you now however, that these 2 individuals are now hero’s of mine. They have teamed up to do a music video called “Stop Fighting the Dogs” which is aimed at another demographic I am not part of, and that is the people that fight dogs. These people are statistically also very likely to be in the target demographic of these 2 rap stars, so they are speaking directly to their ‘peeps’ as the saying goes. I applaud K-Lethal and Lady Bishop for this. They are helping to spread a vital message among those that are the most likely to know of or participate in this horrible practice (I will not call it a sport ever.) They have also involved a number of younger children in the filming, which is a brilliant move. Enroll them when they are young and you will have pro-dog deciples for the rest of their lives!

This video activism is a fantastic first move, and I hope it will inspire many more Rap and Hip-Hop artists to do likewise, and tell those that they have influence over that Dog fighting is  nothing more that torture for sport and should be stopped at ALL costs!

Please help spread the message. After watching this video, please SHARE THIS EVERYWHERE.

Thank you for your support.

The Vick Dog Blog

As the responsible owner of a Pit Bull I have been following the updates on the Michael Vick dogs with great joy and appreciation to those that did so much to save the innocent victims, or Vick-tims as they should be called. If you have read the book The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption then you know what exactly happened to many of his other dogs, and the horrible pain, suffering, and torture that was inflicted upon them.

If you have not followed this or followed it closely you may not know that a group of people fought, very hard, to be able to rescue and rehabilitate almost all of the dogs that were removed from Vick's property at the time of his arrest. Most of them are now wonderfully 'normal' dogs that are working Therapy Dogs that bring joy to others.

I do not want to use this post to again rail about Mr. Vick and the fact he should still be in jail, but instead I want to share with you the Vick Dog Blog. A wonderful place with wonderful stories and images of the Vick survivors and what they are doing now. Please, take a couple minutes and visit their blog, read a little and (hopefully) make a comment or two to show your support. Their blog really helps put a 'face' to the victims and survivors of something that is still happening every day all across America. Hopefully we can begin to stamp out dog fighting in this country. A lofty goal for sure, but one that is very close to my heart.

Another great place to visit FREQUENTLY is BadRap.org. These are people that are on the front lines of the Vick specific dogs, as well as Bully Breed Rescue. They are wonderful people and deserve your support and donations!

For more information on Pit Bulls or BSL you can read more at CapawbleHands.org!

Dog Training is a Family Affair

Dogs are pack animals. While this may seem a little “DUH!” obvious on the surface, this utterly simple concept is quite often ignored or just missed by some dog owners. Dogs are happiest when part of a structured social group with rules and boundaries. Their entire existence is based upon the fact that they are part of a social structure with very specific roles and responsibilities. What does this means to you? Well simply put, if you have a dog (or dogs), anyone in your house is part of their pack. Whether a family member including Jodie, Buffy, and Mr. French (I HAD to get a reference in here somewhere!), or a roommate that is renting the spare bedroom, this is their pack.

In every pack there are leaders (Alphas) or dominate members, and followers (Betas) or submissive members. As a pack member, your dog is happiest when it does not have to think and can just be a dog. They like knowing their place, what they can and, most importantly, CAN NOT do.  There is a long list of common behavior issues that begin to arise when the lines and social strata are blurred, and the dog must decide for itself who is an Alpha and who is a Beta. When this happens, family members may be deemed as a Beta by your dog that will of COURSE see itself as an Alpha, or even THE Alpha. This can lead to dominate, aggressive, or even potentially dangerous behaviors.

In the world of good vs. bad dog behaviors, this is very high up on the BAD list. Your dog should never have to decide anything for itself, but instead know what is expected from it at all times. From the moment it comes into your home it should know its place in the social hierarchy and that all humans are Alphas over it. Quite simply put, when not all pack members are not applying rules and discipline equally you will end up creating your own “monster.”

How do you avoid becoming your dogs Dr Frankenstein and creating a “monster” out of your wonderful, loving pet? It is quite simple actually, and all it takes is education, communication, and repetition:

• Education - Read, Research, Learn
• Educate yourself on how to effectively communicate with your dog
• Use this as the foundation for setting the rules
• Communication - All humans must be on the same page
• This means that the rules must be discussed, agreed upon, and enforced – every time, all the time. Whether the dog IS or is NOT allowed on the couch is irrelevant. What is important is that whatever the rule is everyone enforces it the same
• These rules need to be simple and unambiguous. Confusing the dog with complicated rules and too much talking is a common problem
• Repetition - So often the root cause of behavior issues can be traced directly to unequal application of discipline
• Every Time, All the time!
• The rules MUST be consistently enforced by all other Alpha pack members, meaning the humans

It does not matter if you are looking for your first dog or have had the same dog for years, the plain simple truth is this; it is never too late to start being a better more responsible dog owner. One of the wonderful things about dogs is that, as you become a better owner, they learn their place very quickly and actually reward you for being a better owner by becoming a better dog. Try it and I am confidant you will find this to be true. Please visit us at CapawbleHands.org for additional information about how to be a better owner.

Disclaimer: If your dog has any behavior issues that concern you or you feel may be unsafe, please contact a professional dog trainer for a consultation.

Chip Your Dog and Get Them Back!

Recently a friend of ours was celebrating New Years Eve in their backyard with their whole family, including their 1 year old long-haired German Shepherd. At some point in the festivities, the dog decided she wanted to ‘run with the moon Jackie’ (Stephen King Reference, know it?) and hopped the fence and ran off. This issue was exacerbated by the fact it was now 1:00 am, very dark, and in a very rural setting meaning nothing but fields for a couple of miles in any direction. The owner was frantic over her missing dog, and began that mental and emotional roller coaster I hope none of you ever has to know.

Fortunately about 3 hours later, from out of the cold and snow a familiar sound of dog nails on stone patio and a scratch at the door turned into a joyful family reunion. Unfortunately, statistics tell us that the majority of dogs that get our or are otherwise lost are not so fortunate. According to the American Humane Association, only about 17% of lost dogs are ever reunited with their owners. For people like us, to whom their dogs are like their children, this is a terrifying statistic. 

Yes, even when you do everything right and carefully watch, sometimes the worst can and does happen. Fortunately, there is something that owners can and SHOULD do to greatly increase the odds of their dog coming home should the worst happen, and that is microchipping. 


Microchipping involved implanting a tiny computer about the size of a grain of rice under the dog’s skin between its shoulder blades. This permanent marker has a registration number that, when scanned by any shelter or animal control officer, will tell them the owners name and contact information. This means that your dog comes home, and does NOT go back into the adoption cycle that, for so many ends up in euthanization.


Every dog can and will get out at some point. This is a fact. Another fact is that collars can come off or be taken off. Yes, people out there will steal your dog right out of your yard. A microchip is the ONLY way to give yourself a fighting chance to prove your dog is yours, and for them to come back home.

Some simple facts about the microchip:

• Microchips are designed to last for the life of a dog. They do not need to be charged or replaced.
• Some microchips have been known to migrate from the area between the shoulder blades, but the instructions for scanning emphasize the need to scan the dog’s entire body.
• A microchipped dog can be easily identified if found by a shelter or veterinary office in possession of a scanner. However, some shelters and veterinary offices do not have scanners.
• Depending on the brand of microchip and the year it was implanted, even so-called universal scanners may not be able to detect the microchip.
• Microchip manufacturers, veterinarians and animal shelters have been working on solutions to the imperfections, and technology continues to improve over time.

You have invested your love and your time, and the love and time of your family, and who KNOWS how many hundreds or thousands of dollars to keep your dogs safe and healthy. For about $50.00 or less, you can significantly raise the odds that, should the worst happen, your child will come home.