Ian Dunbar webinar

responded to a couple of emails for a free webinar solving dog behavior problems

Yes, it was informative but it was essentially a 2 hour infomercial featuring Ian Dunbar and his son.

At the end, you are invited to get in a deal to buy more materials (at a discount of course.

Here's the link from last year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckQQ6JmIe3M

And here's the current link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIck6xh71LY

Glancing at the beginning, it looks like the videos are similar but not identical.

dogs catching treats

Bask in the joyful simplicity of dogs catching treats.

German photographer Christian Vieler has been snapping these amusing shots since 2013, when he bought a portable flash that allowed him to work with shutter speeds as fast as 1/8000th of a second.

He was with Lotte, his Labrador retriever, when the equipment arrived.

“To make her move and in order to test the ‘freezing options’ of the flash, I started throwing treats at her,” Vieler said. “Days later, when I cleaned my hard drive, I noticed how funny the shots were.”

That inspired him to start his photo series “Dogs Catching Treats,” which has already led to one book — ”Treat!” — and another planned for 2019.

The images let us see dogs in a new light, Vieler says.

Linnelle Takeuchi

It took six days for Hope to let Linnelle Takeuchi pet her. The dog had mothered countless puppies and lived cooped up in a small cage with three dogs for years before being rescued by the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Takeuchi, a 13-year animal shelter volunteer and retired elementary school teacher, slept, ate and worked in the same room with Hope while fostering the timid, fearful mixed poodle that wasn’t used to being bathed, petted or receiving affection.

Takeuchi was supposed to house Hope temporarily while she was being rehabilitated, but ended up adopting her two years ago. The dog, who had been returned twice to the humane society by her adoptive families, was among dozens of dogs seized in 2016 from a puppy mill in Kahaluu.

parasites?

A San Diego Union-Tribune opinion piece argues that "the more the human-canine relationship is examined, the more its parasitic nature becomes obvious — and the more clingy and forlorn humans come to appear." Unsurprisingly (even to the author @chrisreed99), dog people weren't enthused with the parasite comparison.

Adopt-a-Park

There’s been barking and threatening behavior at the Moanalua off-leash dog park, but it’s not from the dogs.

For the past several years, park user Tom Hinson has led volunteer efforts to clean up the little fenced area below the freeway. He coordinated efforts to put down mulch in perpetually muddy areas, clean a murky pond on the site, monitor trash receptacles and set out fly traps. He signed papers for the city’s Adopt-a-Park volunteer program. He also became something of a greeter and monitor at the site, welcoming new people and letting them know the rules.

But Hinson’s energetic advocacy for the park rubbed some people the wrong way. Though most were grateful for his efforts, some didn’t like being told what to do.

The city apparently didn’t like being told what to do, either.

Last month the city abruptly announced that the Moanalua dog park Adopt-a-Park volunteer program would be terminated Jan. 23, listing these reasons:

“We have advised you on several occasions that any removal of limbs and branches from the hillside of Moanalua Dog Park is under the jurisdiction of the State and not the Department of Parks and Recreation. Yet you continue to call other city offices, politicians, MD’s (managing director’s) office regarding the status of your complaints. This is not helpful and it wastes city resources.

“We have recommended for you to deal with ‘issues’ within the dog park with Mike Medeiros, Maintenance Supervisor. We have addressed issues such as ‘off leash signs’, mulch, benches, watering in a timely matter. Again, negative email comments are inappropriate when you don’t have your way.”

That notification was signed by Clinton Jamile, coordinator for the city’s Adopt-a-Park program in the department of Parks and Recreation.

That sent dog park users and volunteers howling.

“The issue is concerning one particular volunteer who had exhibited harassment-like behavior toward multiple employees at the City and County of Honolulu,” said Nathan Serota, public information officer for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Last week the Moanalua Gardens Community Association held its first monthly meeting since all this went down. Hinson was there to speak. About 15 of his volunteers were there to support him. They wore their gray-and-white dog park volunteer shirts. Some brought their dogs.

As it turned out, the meeting was a peaceful affair, with Hinson being thanked for all his hard work and a new volunteer coordinator introduced to the group. The Adopt-a-Park program is no longer canceled, but Hinson was basically fired by the city from a volunteer position.

This comes at the same time other city decisions about public areas are being questioned, including Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s refusal to work with the World Surf League to accommodate a schedule change, and paints a picture of a city government run by “discretion.” It also speaks to how one person’s zealous pursuit, even of something positive, can be seen as vexatious by a government that doesn’t like to be told what to do.

-- Lee Cataluna, February 16, 2018