Love Has No Age Restrict is now obtainable in audio. Wheeee! My co-author, Karen London, and I are deeply grateful for the way it has been welcomed by shelters, rescues, and adopters. This booklet, about bringing residence an adolescent or mature canine reasonably than a pet, has offered nearly 150,000 copies and was referred to as “A one-of-a-kind instructional jewel,” by Cathy Baier of the Florida Keys SPCA. Victoria Stilwell, of the Victoria Stilwell Academy stated, “If you’re contemplating adopting a canine from a shelter then Love Has No Age Restrict might be your excellent companion.”
Karen London, of Deal with Everybody Like a Canine fame, and I wrote this e book collectively as a result of, as we are saying within the Introduction:
“. . . there’s something very particular about bringing an older canine into your own home. Puppies include little expertise behind them, appearing like furry, little sponges who’re primed to absorb data. They connect themselves to anybody who will feed them and rub their bellies, after which observe them in all places. Older canine are totally different in some methods; they arrive with a historical past behind them, having discovered what to anticipate from life as they matured. They could come able to bond with you, or they might want a little bit time to get to know you. They could include good habits or unhealthy ones. . . “.
After years of seeing shoppers, Karen and I noticed that there was little or nothing written about bringing a canine with a historical past into your own home. It’s partly like bringing a pet residence (home breaking-it’s a brand new home in spite of everything!), however not in lots of different methods. Your new canine is perhaps frightened of males, or have by no means seen a cat, or discovered to pee the place they sleep. How must you put together for his or her arrival? What you probably have no time to organize?! What to anticipate by day three, week three, and three months in? Why to not panic when your (up to now) excellent canine develops a behavioral downside on day twenty two? What about your different canine? Cat? Horse? Roommate?
You might write a complete e book on these points, however we needed a booklet that was concise sufficient to be actually useful, however not so detailed that few of us would make it by means of. Thus, Love Has No Age Restrict was born. Each part within the print model begins with a photograph of a rescued canine–right here’s Pilot, for instance:
(FYI, you possibly can see all the pictures and the textual content in a pdf accompanying the audio. Slick!)
My favourite factor about this e book is that everybody labored collectively (graphic artist, authors, printers) to maintain the price of the printed booklet as little as we may, in order that shelters and rescue teams may give them away totally free to adopters. It’s lower than $10 as a single copy, however has enormous reductions for bulk orders–$4.95 for 20-49 copies for instance, and $2.95 every for 200 or over. A number of people have made giant orders and donated them to their native shelter or rescue, which makes Karen and I about as completely satisfied as completely satisfied might be.
In fact, you possibly can’t “bulk order” an audio e book, however you possibly can refer everybody you understand to it. It’s $6.95 or free if you happen to’re simply becoming a member of Audible. Ideally, understanding how our brains work, I’d get the booklet after which hearken to the audio e book on the way in which to get the canine. I do know–that sounds sooo self-serving, argh–however actually, retaining data is a problem for all of us, and the extra methods you work together with data, the extra you’ll keep in mind. (I keep in mind finest if I writing issues down–in cursive. It’s not simply me, take a look at this analysis!)
Love Has No Age Restrict contains matters starting from getting ready the home, the primary day, introductions to different animals, and a raft of behavioral issues, like separation nervousness and the concern of strangers. I’m not making this up once I say that I learn it myself earlier than we acquired Skip. Sincere. Getting a brand new canine is frightening stuff for these of us who take it as critically as we should always, and each coach and behaviorist I do know has butterflies within the abdomen when a brand new canine, one we hope and pray might be a endlessly canine, enters our properties.
I’m soooo so grateful to Dogwise for making this occur (Erika rocks!), and to the narrator, Debra Shieber, who does a implausible job placing phrases into the air from the web page. Kudos to her for being each heat and clear. (I attempted doing a studying myself, and what you assume will sound okay sounds mushy as quickly as you hear it as an audio e book!) And due to all of you who’ve supported this work; I feel there are literally thousands of canine who’re grateful.
MEANWHILE, again on the farm: Friday morning was spent in heaven at Littledale Farm, the attractive property of Graham and Margaret Phillipson. They graciously invited me and a few associates to work our canine on their high-quality Scottish Blackface and North Nation Cheviots. What a day, in fantastically stored sheep and pastures, nice associates, and really completely satisfied canine! I think Skip was particularly completely satisfied, as a result of he grew up within the UK working these sort of sheep (flighty), versus the “heavier” sheep on the trials round right here, whose response to a canine is extra “No matter” than “Let’s get out of right here.”
I really like these three pictures under of Skip and a flock of yearlings, taken one proper after one other. Give attention to the sheep in every photograph. Discover that Skip has not moved (as finest I can inform) however the sheep noticed him, from a long way away, and selected to go away with out him choosing up a paw. These sort of sheep might be difficult to work, as a result of your canine must be quiet, fast to cease or lie down, and keep properly away. If not, the sheep have interaction in hoof races that will full with Olympic hundred-yard dashes. Nobody desires panicked sheep.
A number of different canine and associates set to work too. Right here’s Tune within the photograph under, a brand new canine belonging to good buddy Rowie, working within the excessive grass. Discovered her? The sheep actually knew the place she was.
Right here on the farm, a bounty of strawberries is assuaging my misery over somebody (I’m speaking to you, the each day doe) consuming our lettuce, peas, chard, and spinach. Under is simply sooner or later’s choose, from our tiny little raised mattress.
Our native honeysuckle vine retains the hummingbirds completely satisfied, which makes me completely satisfied . . .
Final weekend some expensive associates and neighbors rallied to plant a “prairie patch” in an space previously filled with sunflowers. The flowers had been beautiful and maintenance free and the bugs cherished them. So did a woodchuck, who denned within the hill and decimated all of the crops. Discussions about this, principally between Skip and this yr’s woodchuck, are ongoing.
Thus, the weekend was full of fine individuals rallying for good causes. My coronary heart is full.
