Bugsy took to life as a neutered cat with free food and massage on demand, but becoming “my” cat didn’t change who he was at heart: a pugilistic street cat who still tries to pick fights with one of my other cats. If he gets bored, he jumps on the computer keyboard, paws at me, or just stares until I get up and play with him.

The Western veterinarian and scientist in me sees this as the personality he developed while living on the streets. But there is another way to look at Bugsy, using a system thousands of years old that originated in a very different land than ours.

Animal constitutions

While I remain a critic of many alternative medical approaches including Chinese medicine, when I do find something that works and has at least the potential for a rational scientific basis, I delight in the discovery. One of the most fun and empirically useful of the Chinese medical techniques involves sorting patients into “biopsychotypes.”
Seeing patterns arise out of an individual’s composite biological and psychological characteristics tells a story about who they are inside and out. Often, a resonance becomes apparent between their personality, their inclinations toward certain foods, preferred climates, physical tendencies, and more.

When I learned this approach first as a human physician-acupuncturist, it was striking to watch patterns emerge in my patients based on their appearance and emotional demeanor, their medical and social histories, and their physical manifestations of health or disease.

Now that I am practicing veterinary medicine, too, I apply it not only to my furry patients, but also to the humans who care for them. I note how “types” interface in a household – do they nurture or irritate one another? Medically, it aids in my ability to anticipate medical challenges that my patients may encounter in the future; it may prompt me to probe more deeply and ask about unstated ailments based on biopsychotype expectations.

History of five phases

The ancient Chinese healers called their system the “Five Phases,” because through this philosophical framework, much of what they observed in nature as well as in medicine fell into five general categories. They developed the approach millennia ago as one of several ways to understand and predict natural phenomena.

These laws of “systematic correspondence” described how patterns in nature – the macrocosm – found parallel expressions in us, the microcosm. The simplistic yin and yang idea based on only two complementary influences gave way over time to a broader complexity based on five elements, capable of more precisely corresponding to natural processes like the seasons.

The five categories of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water represented changes these ancient naturalists witnessed over the day, the year, and the life cycle as well as interrelationships between organs, emotions, people, and climate. The model embraces, expects, and accepts metamorphosis.

Much like the personality profiles of modern psychology, Five Phases analysis groups people and animals into constitutional categories based on psychological and physical manifestations. While not yet a scientifically validated means of determining Chinese medical treatments for humans or animals, identifying a predominant phase out of balance in an individual seems to provide clues about what a patient needs to restore homeostasis.

For example, a task-oriented metal-type dog needs a job to do, while the earth-type cat needs a warm lap.

The five elements

Wood types come across as confident and assertive; they typically excel as athletes or pioneers. They enjoy holding leadership positions and thrive in competitive environments.

When unable to direct their goal-focused energies into positive and physically challenging outlets, wood natures become corrupted. They can turn arrogant, reckless, impulsive, and aggressive. Hypertension, headaches, and heartburn can accompany pent-up muscle tension and frustration.

Wood dogs may bully others, no matter the size differential. They make themselves known through their loud and insistent barking.

Don’t get in their way of food, as wood dogs can show strong territorial possessiveness.

Wood dogs have well defined, muscular statures. They are prone to liver and gallbladder disorders, skin and ear infections, doggy odor, and bloodshot eyes.

Bugsy, my pugnacious street cat, is a wood cat. I work to assure him that there’s no need to fight with the other cats, though he needs frequent reminders. Today I caught him twice staring down my other cat, Woobie, while Woobie was trying to sleep. They’re both strong males, but Woobie’s a “water” cat (see below) who backs down and hisses in fear unless he gets pushed past his limit. Then he will fight.

When I took Bugsy in to be neutered at my friends’ practice, we discovered that his ears were teeming with tens of thousands of ear mites, the worst case they’d ever seen. He also had uveitis, an inflammatory eye condition, and his coat was greasy and matted. Bugsy was a typical wood with a hard start in life.

Fire types are charmers. They crave attention and will do whatever it takes to earn yours and win their way into your heart. They passionately plunge into life and seek emotional, physical, and mental stimulation. Their attractive and magnetic personalities make them the life of the party.

Fires can become confused or anxious; they restlessly move about even when sleeping, kicking and running as they dream. Physically, with the heart as the main fire organ, an imbalanced fire type may experience arrhythmias, palpitations, and insomnia. They overheat easily. Jack Russell Terriers often exhibit fire tendencies, performing endless tricks for applause and laughter.

Snowball, a charismatic fire cat, came into my life the day after I had a dream about a white kitten playing on a farm. I received a call from the clinic the next day asking if I had room in my house for a rescued grayish, long-haired stray cat, about two years old; it felt like destiny, and I said, “Of course.”

When I saw him, I fell in love. Once established in our household, Snowy’s zest for life filled the house. But one day, the play he ordinarily immersed himself in so completely made him pant and cough.

The subsequent workup revealed the heritable disease of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; the cardiologist predicted that he would live another four, maybe six, months. He was a heart-breaker, this formerly neglected feline who became a big, all-white gorgeous boy.

After he was placed on medication, Snowball’s lightning-fast reflexes returned; even after his diagnosis, we were out for a walk one summer evening when he leapt into the air and caught a low-flying bat, much to my dismay.

He lasted two more years, until the dysfunctional heart formed a blood clot that left him paralyzed and purple, but still alive and fighting. Snowball yowled in pain, fighting against his impending but unavoidable departure from life for the entire car ride until I reached the clinic, driving through twenty-five minutes of heavy 5 o’clock traffic.

I used the time to prepare, but nothing readied me for the way our bond moved me physically. As life left his body after the barbiturate overdose, I felt tugged forward. Then his body dropped and he was gone.

The absence of Snowball’s fiery personality left a gap in our household that I couldn’t bear. For the first time ever, I adopted another long-haired cat that next day to fill the void; it worked, thankfully, though it’s not something I casually recommend. Such is the impact of the fire personality.

The earth type is a warm hearth that welcomes you back home.

Earths are solid and sociable, agreeable and sympathetic, attentive and relaxed.

Dubbed the “peacemaker,” earths’ diplomacy helps everyone get along. They care about what others think about them and they love being needed.

Their concern for those around them, however, might ultimately work to their own detriment. Obsessing about others can make them overprotective and overbearing. They may worry themselves sick, ingesting too many cookies for comfort, as they crave sweets and carbohydrates. Their digestive tendencies lead them to chronic diarrhea and potentially diabetes.

The yellow Lab typifies the earth dog, contentedly dreaming of Dairy Queen, watching TV with mom, and hanging out with the family.

As I’ve been writing, Frankie, my earth cat, has been nuzzling my hand, interrupting my typing. He has a plate of cat treats next to my computer mouse (that way I can refill them as needed). He’s been in my lap and off, bumping foreheads now and again, and he has become particularly clingy as I wrote the part about Snowball.

Frankie has an odd habit of eating twigs in the backyard that he later regurgitates onto my carpet.

Frankie is our ambassador. He’s the first one to meet the new rabbit and the dogs from next door. His hunger for cuddles and contact causes him to climb repairmen or other human visitors who stand still for too long. He sleeps next to me under the covers every night.

Metal types are fastidious and operate best within a structured, orderly environment. Not other-focused like an earth, metal creatures exhibit self-control and self-reliance like military or police dogs. They may even appear aloof and distant.

Metals would rather analyze a problem and solve a puzzle than lay on the couch eating cookies. They are clean, calm, and precise. Excessively perfectionist metals can become ritualistic and even obsessive-compulsive. Needing everything just so exacts a toll on one’s constitution in a world filled with uncertainty.

Metal imbalances manifest in the skin, sinuses, lungs, and large intestine. Especially during the dryness of the metal season of autumn, these individuals may experience constipation, dry skin and a dry cough, runny nose, and depression. Some cats with chronic sinusitis or asthma fall into the metal category; their skin flakes and their fur feels dry. Although metals don’t readily bond, the attachments they make are for life, and grief hits them particularly hard.

I have a stray cat who hangs around whom I suspect is a metal. He supposedly has a home, but he wanders the neighborhood, isn’t neutered, and comes around for food and warmth fairly regularly.
Because of his health unknowns, if I do let him in I keep him away from the other cats, especially because he sneezes now and then. He seems otherwise healthy except for a dry coat.

He’s a good cat, but not an attention seeker or show-off. He’s friendly, not fearful, and seems to do best with a regular schedule – when will I leave food out for him, when will I be going out with the other cats so he can come in, etc. Who wouldn’t want some predictability when left out to fend for oneself?

Water types are loners. You’ll find them off on their own, curious and introspective, more comfortable with solitude than in crowds. They prefer to sit and watch from a remote location than join in on a group activity.

When challenged, a water type responds with fear and withdrawal, if not violent outbursts. Some develop phobias.

Water cats may fear other cats, hissing and running to safety or hiding.

With the kidney and bladder representing the water organs, urinary tract disorders can befall water cats. Back pain and arthritis can afflict geriatric waters. The cold weather associated with winter, the water phase season, makes these problems worse. Water cats can exhibit chronic thirst, seeking water in the bathtub or self-serving from the toilet.

Woobie, the water cat I mentioned earlier, hisses and runs from Bugsy, the wood cat. Woobie prefers to stay by himself on the front porch where he can survey the neighborhood goings on.
When Bugsy came to live with us, Woobie began urine-marking my house; the olfactory imprint in certain locations reminds me of his displeasure.

Woobie waits for his bowl of freshly filled drinking water in the bathtub, where he feels safer from the other cats; he has at least three protected sides and a curtain. Sometimes he attempts to drink from the toilet but tends to fall in because he’s a bit heavy. He has arthritis in his back and elbows.

This past summer he developed chylothorax, a buildup of fluid in his lungs, which required a multi-step, highly invasive surgery. Fortunately, my special boy has made a full recovery.

A Family Affair

In addition to evaluating an individual patient’s constitution, complexity enters the equation in terms of the Five Phases dynamics between family members. Who’s the boss? Who’s needy? Who’s withdrawn?
When conflicts arise between individuals, is it because one “type” doesn’t mix well with the other?

Is the human companion a metal who insists on order while the fire bird, dog, or ferret desperately wants attention and will act out in whatever way necessary to get it? Is the earth dog or rabbit starving for intimacy and support from a water caregiver lost in isolation?
When we understand those around us, we can better see why we choose to bring certain mates or animal friends into our lives, and why some match-ups don’t work.

Yes, I realize that swearing is not part of a formal obedience command, and saying it to my dog means I will never get the human equivalent of a Canine Good Citizen title.

I realize that it’s my fault when he has something in his mouth that he shouldn’t.

I realize that I am not a tidy person or a good trainer, and that this is a bad combination since he is the only dog I’ve ever had who was tall enough to get stuff off the kitchen counter. Unlike my beloved food hound Fred, Dodger doesn’t need to hop on the kitchen chairs to get onto the table. He just stretches out. For a 42-pound runt, he can stretch pretty darn far.

But damn it, last night he ate a 2-ounce container of walnut oil cream. He ate almost all of it before I managed to wrestle away his prize. He grabbed it off the kitchen table while I was showing a friend my new stash of organic oils, stearic acid, shea butter, witch hazel and beeswax, all of which I am using to make personal care items for holiday gifts this year. Items like walnut oil cream.

So even though I know that nothing in the walnut oil cream — which as I recall contains walnut oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and rosewater — will hurt him, it’s expensive stuff to metamorphose into midnight diarrhea. He also left toothmarks on the nifty little jars I bought online for all the stuff I plan to mix and cook and then smoosh onto people’s skin.

It was so tasty Dodger refused to give up the jar for quite a while. “Drop it” is not his strong point, although he has a mean sit. I won the jar, and the battle, but I feel like I’m losing the war. At least the dreaded midnight diarrhea did not show up.

It’s my fault he got into it, just as it is when I leave my underwear on the floor and he chews through the crotch. While I can’t seem to remember to buy a hamper with a lid, I have to keep remembering to buy new underwear. At least I am sporting new colors, and he hasn’t actually swallowed any lately.

Since he loves to shred paper, I am grateful he’s never touched a book, particularly library books. How humiliating would that be? “Hi, my dog ate these four books. How much do I owe you? No, he’s not a puppy. He’s 5. Oh, you know a good trainer?”

Last weekend I wanted to return something to the hardware store and held the shredded receipt in my hand. Was it worth even trying? I stood uneasily at the cash register and said I would understand if the receipt was unacceptable because my dog ate it. “Oh, your dog ate your homework, eh?” said the clerk. I smiled wanly while he returned my money.

If I was a teacher, I would definitely get one of those “The dog ate my lesson plan” t-shirts.  Maybe in view of my tearing around chasing him and his ill-begotten prizes, I should wear one of these “It’s all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone” t-shirts.  If I thought I could get him in a dog t-shirt, I’d put him in one that says “I love my mom” to remind me he’s not trying to destroy stuff but to either snack or engage me in play (that’s where most of my underwear goes). The food is about snacking; the socks and underwear are all about engaging my attention. I’m not sure what the coffee drinking is all about – he’s way too hyper enough to need caffeine – but one of these days he’s going to break a mug.

With Fred the food-obsessed Westie-Bichon mix, I used a series of escalating anti-Fred devices, i.e., trash cans with increasingly difficult levels of access. I finally had a winner when I bought a stand-alone wooden kitchen cabinet with a pull-out drawer for the trashy. Somehow, that’s just not going to change Dodger’s accessibility. What works for one dog won’t necessarily work for another.

Fred mostly stole food; Dodger is the only dog I’ve had who enjoys shredding paper. Needless to say all paper has the same lack of value to him whether or not it’s a check, a receipt, the phone number of a new business contact, or my ticket to the theater.

I don’t want to explain to a cop why I can’t find the car registration, and I don’t want to tell my friend my dog ate her wedding invitation, so you’d think I’d learn.

But I don’t.

Oh no no no no I know that noise…dear God, what does he have now?

The US Marine Corps’ latest dog policy is a mistake, plain and simple. Over the past few months the news — via the internet, newspapers, and TV — has stated that the US Marine Corps is waging war on aggressive and/or dangerous dogs.  That’s only partially true.

The US Marine Corps has begun waging war on pit bulls, pittie mixes, Rottweilers, rottie mixes and wolf hybrids. The news originally stated that families living in base housing who have these breeds or mixes will have to have their dog earn an AKC Canine Good Citizen title to remain on base. This is not addressing only those dogs who have been reported as aggressive; no, it’s breed specific legislation and is targeting only these breeds.

The CGC is a wonderful program and all of my trainers at Kindred Spirits Dog Training are CGC evaluators, we do CGC tests, and we love the new AKC puppy STAR program. But this is not what the CGC was designed for.

So a proverbial war is raging. At some bases the ASPCA SAFER program is being tried to see if it will work better than the CGC, and at other bases there are discussions about the American Temperament Test Society test.

While everyone is arguing and debating what should have been done or what needs to be done now, Kindred Spirits just stepped up to the plate and said, “We need to keep these dogs in their homes. Period.”

So we are holding free screening sessions for the dogs living on base. The service member of his or her spouse can bring the dog to our training yard during an evaluation session and we’ll take a look at the dog’s level of training or lack thereof.

If the dog appears capable of passing the CGC we’ll do it right then and there for no charge or we’ll schedule the dog for the test. If the dog is pretty close to being ready but not quite, we’ll give the owner some pointers and tell him to call us when he’s ready. Or, if the dog needs training, we’ll schedule him for a basic training class.

Our first two dogs just passed the test last night. Sam, and black and white pittie mix and Titan, a red and white pittie mix, passed the CGC after a few weeks of training. Their owners stepped up to the plate, took the coaching from us seriously, and did an awesome job. All of us at Kindred Spirits are so proud of them.

Personally I do not believe in breed specific legislation. I don’t believe groups of anyone — people or dogs — should be lumped together and judged by the actions of a few. But I also don’t want to take the time to argue with the US Marine Corps while these families might be losing their dogs. Some families have already panicked and taken their dogs to one of the local shelters or rescue groups.

Many of the owners who have contacted us are dealing with jobs and raising a family by themselves while their spouses are in Iraq or Afghanistan, and now they’re facing losing their dog.  Nope, not gonna happen while my trainers and I can do something about it.

So, if you live near Camp Pendleton and know a family living on base with one of these breeds, send them to our website. If you train dogs and live near a Marine Corps base, contact animal control on the base and offer your help. They need it.

In November, a daughter will be joining our family – hopefully with fewer wrinkles and less shedding than our Pugs. And we’re taking this time to get our dogs ready for a new human family member. We want the transition to go well for them, and we want to make sure they have the right manners for interacting with a baby.

One thing we’re not doing is lavishing attention on the dogs pet during the weeks and days leading up to the birth of the baby. Whether it’s mothering hormones or just wanting to make up for the changes to come, too many parents-to-be make exactly that mistake.

And when the baby does show up, and not only the old routine but the new are out the window, it ends up making the dogs feel less secure. Instead, parents to be should give their pets the kind of attention that will be a happy “new normal” when the baby arrives.

I don’t love my dogs any less, but I’m starting to get them used to not always being on the sofa with us. I ask them to sit and wait to be invited, or let them get on a nearby chair instead. This both helps them get used to having some areas be “off limits,” as they no doubt will once the baby arrives, but prepares them to be comfortable even when they can’t be in our laps.

Although the Pugs were allowed to sleep in our bed for years, the more pregnant I got, the more I relished having extra space to accommodate restless pregnancy sleep – not to mention fitting the gigantic pregnancy pillow into our bed to support my growing belly and sore back. So, the Pugs were asked to sleep in a round, wool dog bed at the side of ours. They’re still right next to me, but in their own space.

To help the Pugs fill the time I’ll be devoting to the new baby, I’ve been giving them mind-stimulating things to do. Food bowls have been replaced with food puzzles that the dogs manipulate and work through in order to get the food out of the inside. Chew toys and rawhides are left around the house for them.

And sometimes, they get both; they love it when I put canned dog food inside a Kong toy, place a pencil rawhide chew through the middle, and then freeze the whole thing. Every time I pull a frozen Kong out of the freezer, the dogs do a spinning happy dance, making flying leaps through the air like circus dogs.

We’ve also been working on body space sensitivity. For example, when my black pug, Willy, went through a therapy dog certification program, we learned that having a good sense of appropriate body space was a vital quality in a therapy dog. That news made my family laugh, as Pugs are notorious for tromping over each other, other dogs and people like they were breathing pieces of furniture.

But an infant can’t handle a dog walking across her body the way an adult can, and we realized it was for the safety of our baby to teach our Pugs the idea of body space. If the Pugs jump up on the couch or in a lap without permission, they are given a prompt “off” cue and then are redirected to an area where they can settle down, such as their own bed.

Jumping up on people during greeting is another body space issue that has been difficult to control, especially with the rate it’s reinforced by the children living in our apartment complex. But since I don’t want my dogs knocking my daughter down when she gets to the toddling stage, I’m working on it.

When greeting the Pugs myself in the home, or when I take them out on walks around other people, I ask the Pugs to sit before being petted. If they jump up during the greeting, they are then ignored until they sit again, and then petting can resume.

Bruce and Willy both liked to alarm bark when strangers approached when we were on our walks. With the idea of stroller walks and wanting calm dogs to accompany us on walks, I began training them to be quiet when out on walks and to turn towards me when other people or dogs approach.

To do this, I had to condition them to look at me by throwing down treats each time a stranger or dog approached. After several trials, the dogs began anticipating the treats coming with an approaching person or animal and started turning towards me without the treats needing to be thrown down.

To keep their response of looking at me reliable, I treat them at random times when they look over at me when people or pets are near. Their barking has decreased 95 percent, with the 5 percent being handled by putting them in a modified time out on the walks when they are not quiet after being asked. I anticipate much quieter and easier stroller walks because of the walk preparation I’ve begun with them now.

One issue still worries me. My friend Katie had her 18 month old son, Jackson, over for a visit one day. He pulled a toy ball out of his mom’s diaper bag, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Luckily I was right next to my ball-crazy fawn Pug, Bruce, when Jackson threw the ball, but I was barely able to grab him before he raced after the ball, averting a possible knock-down of little Jackson.

The most bothersome pregnancy pet peeve (literally) that I have encountered is other people seeing my close relationship with my Pugs, and them proceeding to tell me that when I have the baby the Pugs will not be nearly as important to me, and the baby will totally replace them. Without exaggeration, 90 percent of people, strangers, family and friends included, who see my pregnant belly accompanied by my two Velcro Pugs stuck to my side warn me of the change that will happen.

My parents and husband who are close enough to me understand my devotion to my Pug children encourage me that the arrival of a new baby will only strengthen family ties, Pugs included.

Although I haven’t had the baby yet and am not qualified to say for sure how life with my Pugs will change, I do believe that a new family member won’t take away love from anyone in the least, but rather will help expand my heart to love, both the new baby, my husband, and our cherished Pugs.

By using the SAFER assessment, safe dogs will be given the opportunity for a waiver so they can remain on the base until 2012. The ASPCA is opposed to breed bans — laws that ban specific breeds of dogs or unfairly discriminate against responsible dog guardians based solely on their choice of breed. Such laws also fail to achieve the desired goal of stopping illegal activities such as dog fighting, and breeding and/or training dogs to be aggressive. The ASPCA believes that strict enforcement of laws that ban animal fighting, and breeding and/or training animals to fight, is the proper means to address the problem.

“We’re very excited about the ASPCA coming to Parris Island,” said Army Capt. Jenifer Gustafson, the Officer in Charge of the veterinary clinic on Parris Island. “There was a chance that some pet parents would be forced to give up their dogs or leave housing on the base, so this is a great

The media release from the ASPCA is here.

“A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.” – Groucho Marx

Looks as if Brian the neighborly contractor will be figuring out the poultry netting after all, but not until I give it one more try.

Yes, the poultry netting is easy. Yes, the instructions are clear. No, I shouldn’t be having any problems. But … I’m about as handy as a duck-billed platypus.  And maybe not even that much.

The good news is: I overcame my fear of wiring, electricity and shock. I ran a grounding wire. I zip-tied all the wires neatly out of the way. I spliced. I wire-nutted.  Frankly, I have this damn poultry net totally wired.

The bad news is: It doesn’t work. I know it’s arcing somewhere, because I can hear the clicking when I walk down the fence line. I just can’t figure out where the problem is.

I ended yesterday with a desire to kill myself by throwing my body into the poultry netting. Except: 1) It wasn’t working; and 2) Even if it were, it wouldn’t kill me, since it’s just not that powerful.

Instead, I made a gin and tonic and called it a night.

This morning I skipped the fence dilemma and worked on the chicken area. I spread fresh corn, dried corn and crushed oyster shells around the yard, and then split a bale of hay over the area so they’d have to dig for the goodies. Cleaned out the laying boxes and put fresh hay in them. Reorganized some of the roosting poles because the babies aren’t so little anymore and everyone needs some room.

Then I clipped the feathers on the right wings of all the chickens so they can’t get any lift to get over the two layers of fencing — chain link and netting — that stand between them and the dogs.

That netting will by electrified someday soon — as God is my witness — but having a chicken fly over it into the dog area will negate all the effort I’ve put into getting it to work.

The chickens didn’t much like the wing-clipping, but they seemed to like the re-organized yard: By noon I had five fresh eggs.  Seems like they’re rewarding me for all my efforts on their behalf.

I asked Woody to carry one of the eggs into the house. I wanted to see if he’d do it without breaking it or trying to eat it. He is such a good boy! He carried it gently, sat next to me in the kitchen and pushed the egg into my hand with his tongue when I said, “Give.”

He’s getting that egg for dinner. It’s completely undamaged, but I’m not that keen on the dog-spit, so I figure he deserves it.

Image: Woody will hold anything you ask him to. He is such a sweet, sweet boy.

Archer, our youngest dog, is still in the throes of adolescence. He’s not being too obnoxious with my husband and me,  just an occasional, “Sit? I’ve never heard that word before!” But Archer is pushing Bashir, our 5-year-old, who is the big dog on campus.

This morning when I let the dogs outside, Archer made a rush for Bashir. No aggression but more “mobbing” as if to push Bashir around a little.  Bashir handled it very well, and I’m so happy I saw it. As Archer charged towards him, Bashir got very tall and very still. Bashir’s mouth got tight and I saw just the least little flicker of a lip lifting over a canine tooth.

Archer immediately slowed and lowered himself, still moving towards Bashir.  But instead of mobbing him, he began licking Bashir’s muzzle. After a few seconds, Bashir began to relax and Archer took off in another direction.

The body language of both dogs was so wonderful; their messages were conveyed so easily and so simply. The incident was over, with no growling, snarling or muttering afterwards. It was over. Wow! If only people could handle things so easily.

Our oldest dog, Riker, is ten. Although he gladly allowed Bashir to step into the leadership role among our three dogs, Riker likes to pretend he’s still in charge. He won’t show any outward signs of giving way to Bashir –  no muzzle licking from him!  –  but he does show it in other ways. He will never ever try to take a toy or chewie away from Bashir, although he will take one away from the puppy. He always allows Bashir to go in or out doors first and will never try to push past him. In response, Bashir is a kind, benevolent leader.

I admit, I try to copy Bashir when I can in situations where it’s warranted. When handling difficult dogs in training situations, I try to be calm and still so as not to create a more difficult situation. Although it’s tough to lift a lip over a canine tooth (snicker…) I found that some canine body language can be duplicated.

One of my favorite books on canine body language is by Brenda Aloff, “Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide” (Dogwise; 2005). The photos show dogs in a variety of situtions demonstrating a wide variety of emotions. Aloff also provides a discription of what is being shown in each of the photos. Although I don’t agree with all of her assessments, I wasn’t there when the photos were taken eithor and so many canine emotions — like ours — often can’t be accurately portrayed in one still photo. But overall, her book is wonderful, and it’s required reading for all of my trainers at Kindred Spirits.

Image: The puppy, Archer, is doing a submissive muzzle lick even as he tries to continue to steal a toy as the older dog, in this case Riker, shows some teeth.

Well, sort of. Conducted by researchers at the University of Sussex and published in the July 14 issue of Current Biology, it showed how successful cats are at enlisting people to perform tasks for them, in particular, providing food. Turns out that cats motivate people to fill their food dishes by combining an urgent cry or meowing sound with the comforting sound of a purr. The noise is annoying, endearing, and difficult to ignore. Cats tell us a lot of other things, too, and not always in the nicest language.

I wrote my column this month about the many ways cats manipulate us or tell us what they want–as well as why we obey them–and got lots of great stories. I also talked to Marty about feline body language and vocal skills, and he gives great advice on how to listen to and interpret what your cat is telling you.

What do your cats tell you, how do they do it, and what do you do for them that you might not do for anyone else?

This morning, the West Coast regionals of the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge were aired on ESPN (check listings for repeats). I can’t find the ESPN video, but I did find this amateur vid of their winning run.

T-Rod and Sprinty are all set for the nationals. Run, Sprinty, Run!

My late gram used to say if you have a good vocabulary, you don’t need to have a potty mouth. I say, call a shitty little dog a shitty little dog, and Bridget does. Now that’s communicating!

Bridget knows how to stop them from being that way, and she does a nice job of sharing. I’d embed the video, but it blows apart our page. So go check it out.

Picking up on some things we dropped …

Thanks to Omidog! for noting that the Ohio firefighter who shot his dogs rather than pay to board them while he was on vacation got 90 days and lost his job.  Thanks to the fire chief for recommending his termination.  … Shirley at YesBiscuit! righteously rips into a shelter that takes a nice found dog in the front door and takes him out the back soon after in a body bag – and then tells the grieving owner of the lost dog that the animal was vicious. The owner is suing. … For the Love of Dog posts about an Indiana police chief who shot a charging dog, except, well, the witnesses tell a different tale about the dog’s demeanor.

Notable posts: …

Nathan Winograd on raising the bar for fight-bust dogs. … Terrierman writes on dwarfism in dogs … Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly (who orders yummy pizzas when you’re talking to her on the phone 3,000 miles away, not fair!) on, well, just everything. She’s having a rough stretch, but it makes for some very thoughtful reading. Dolittler, go.  … SmartDogs on fighting puppy-mills by targeting the buyers of their OTHER products, such as organic milk. … BADRAP has put all its Greatest Hits and handouts in one place. … Got more? Kick a link into the comments.