Brandy and Val

Much ado has been made over the past week about a man who taught his Border Collie how to identify and retrieve more than 1,000 different objects on command.   Truly an amazing feat and I think that it really would be amazing if Brandy and Val could do this.  Honestly.   What a show it would be and what a “proud parent” I would also be showing off my over-achieving canines to my fellow human friends.   It is also commendable (maybe?) that Chaser, the dog, never tires of the training, but I am sure there are more than a few pups out there that are simply yawning and going back to sleep.  I feel Brandy and Val are mostly underwhelmed by the whole thing.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they actually took a rather-cat like attitude in all this, thinking Chaser is mostly a chump.    After all, their thinking would be more along the lines of:  ”why on earth would you work so hard when you will more than likely receive the same amount of love, food and devotion without the effort?”  Having been a cat guardian myself, I also feel confident that Ragmonster and Oscar are heartily laughing and snickering in Cat Heaven at the stupidity of this dog, working so hard for seemingly no added benefit.   Again, no disrespect to John Pilley who works tirelessly with Chaser so he may achieve the status he now duly deserves.  In fact,  there is even some envy involved as I find it a struggle to teach new tricks to my overly pampered pooches.  Again, their sense of security far surpasses their incentive to learn new things.   This can get depressing, actually, knowing that my smart pooches are really slackers now at heart.  The good news in this for me?  It has been my experience that most people really don’t care how circus-like they perform (or not).  When Brandy and Val go out and about in pet therapy sessions or in our appearances, more people compliment us and are more impressed by how calm and well-trained they are in the day to day stuff.   Sure, a trick every now and then captures their attention, but it’s the fact that they’re “good” dogs who “act like dogs” rather than military-pups that seems to garner the most affection for them.  The laughter and smiles really come from the times they miss a cue rather than the opposite.

What do YOU think about all this brew-ha-ha?   Why do you love your pooch?

As for Chaser, continue on!  We are in awe of you!  As for the dog researchers out there, continue on, too!  We admire the diligent work you do.  But remember, we love our pets in many ways because they are NOT human.

Believe it or not, Brandy and Val are actual working dogs going out “doing good where good is needed.”  They work with special needs children as therapy dogs and they are the stars of their own book series:  BRANDY AND VAL, REAL DOGS WITH REAL TALES.  Sales from their books and toys benefit animal sanctuaries throughout the country.  visit:  http://www.BrandyandVal.com for details.

We are so excited to have guest blogger, Jane Davis, share the story of her rescue dogs Hogan and Magic with us!  At Brandy and Val, our mission is “to do good where good is needed” and for months, we have been extolling the virtues of adopting abandoned/sheltered animals and the virtues of pet therapy.   Jane and Hogan make a special team…..

HOGAN & ME
by Jane Davis

As I was waiting for a ride from a friend down her “off the grid” road,  a flash of energy came bounding toward me. I knelt quickly on the ground  while a spotted white, brown and black dog leapt upon me. He was  emaciated, dirty and determined. I played with him for a few minutes until  suddenly he sat still, smashed his right paw on my left shoulder and  stared into my eyes, his icicle blue eyes piercing my soul.

“Ghost eyes,” I thought.

“You get it?!” he seemed to say. “You are mine. I am yours.”

As soon as I acknowledged, “Yes, I hear you,” he started jumping all  around.

But he would not get into my friend’s car. I communicated to him that  he had to come on his own. He refused, so I said goodbye.

Two miles later, glancing out the window, I saw him running alongside  the car, a slight grin parting his mouth. He jumped into the car.

But my landlord said, “No dogs.”

We moved.

Two months later the new landlord said, “Dog can’t stay.”

We moved twice more before we found our final home, where we have been  for the past three years.

For the first year, Hogan thought it was fun to play his favorite game  throughout the night: head butting. He would take a running leap onto the  bed and smash his forehead into mine. He remained unsocialized despite the  training he was receiving. Finally, a friend suggested that I spray him in  the face with water. Two sprays later, the head butting ceased. I worked  closely with him, attempting to train him while keeping his wild spirit  intact. We went to puppy training and the dog park. He became increasingly  accustomed to everything in his new life. (more…)