Cali is a rescue dog from the local Humane Society that I adopted this afternoon. She's part Border Collie part Golden Retriever (and a few other varieties thrown in there, too, if you ask me). She was a stray that was found near a local grocery store. She was skinny and shy and skittish when I met her the day after the Humane Society got her. I would have taken her home that day, but they have a week waiting period in case her owners (if she had any) came looking for her. Her back paw was hurt and she had a big gash on the back of her head. We think she was rolled by a car.
Anyway, she's really smart and funny. She already knows her name and follows the comands "get your toy", "sit", "stay", "down" and "lay in your bed". Not only that, but she already goes to the bathroom in one precise corner of the yard (after my showing her only twice). Somebody must have loved her very much and spent a lot of time training her. Either that or she's the smartest dog ever.
I am seriously thinking of training her to be a cadaver dog. We'll see how she reacts to me coming home some night with dead guy smell all over me...
9 comments:
If you wanted a beat up old dog you could have adopted me. ;] Could you explain more about a cadaver dog?
Hey, Cap'n Bob! Thanks for the well-wishes. How's it going, by the way?
A cadaver dog is very similar to a Search and Rescue dog. (You may have seen a few during coverage of the Twin Towers recovery.) The big difference is that cadaver dogs are specially trained to find dead human bodies.
Cali is extraordinarily smart, which is why I think she'd be good for that kind of work. It will hinge on how she reacts to the scent of a corpse. Some dogs (like my old dog) used to cower when I came home from work and he caught a whiff. I guess we'll see. I'm on call Thursday night.
Great dog, Polly. Congratulations.
And did you know the Cap'n's first book has been published?
She's a beautiful dog. So glad you were able to give her a home.
I've got two. A lab and a lab/irish wolfhound, the wolfhound was born in a shelter after her pregnant mother was left tied to the gate with a box of her toys and a note saying "We can't take care of her anymore. She's yours."
God, if I came home smelling of corpse my dogs would have their noses running over every inch and wondering which pocket I've got that wonderfully smelly food in.
Hope your'e able to train her as a cadaver dog. Good luck.
Way to rescue, Polly!
I love her. You know how I love the pups.
That's what I figured. I just wondered if there was something special about finding cadavers, like being able to smell them when they're buried six feet under.
I'm doing well, thank you. As Jeff kindly mentioned, my first novel, LOVE, DEATH AND THE TOYMAN is out. I hope all of your loyal readers will order a copy, or ask their local library to order one. How is your book coming, by the way? I'm sure we're all itching to buy it.
Ahhh,
yay!! animal rescue stories always make me feel all warm and fuzzy. my mom has always wanted to own a cadaver dog....
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