Rain, Rain...

We have just been through four straight days of rain.  After a number of years of drought and near drought here in Israel, rain is very welcome and a blessing.  But sometimes blessings are a bit more than we bargained for – no one really expected that we would get most of the winter’s average rainfall in four days.

Despite the fact that almost every year there is at least one very heavy rain, with a lot of water coming down very fast, and a lot of discussion about what needs to be done to prevent flooding, somehow it seems to never get past the level of talk.  And so this year, with very heavy rains continuing almost non stop for four days, all the rivers and streams in the country filled to overflowing (serious overflowing!), the Sea of Galilee rose higher than it has been in years, gorgeous waterfalls appeared where they have never been seen before, and of course floods.  No comparison, of course, to floods we have been heard about in the last few years in other countries, but many roads closed and even completely under water, and houses and neighborhoods flooded so that people had to leave their homes for a few days.  And despite all this, I haven’t really heard of anyone who was unhappy about the rain – we do appreciate water here.

I have to admit that rain is not my favorite thing.  I very much appreciate the necessity for plenty of rain, to replenish our resources and to bring all the plant life around us into burgeoning life, and we have no fear of floods here, being up in the hills, but it would be nice if it didn’t rain on my house. 

I have a deep seated trauma about rain on my roof.  When I moved into this house almost 43 years ago, it was almost a total ruin, and it took us many years (since we never had any money to pay for repairs) to get it into normal,  comfortable and livable condition.  So for many years, winter rains meant that in part of the house, you needed an umbrella when there was heavy rain, and most furniture and such had to be moved out for the winter.  We were lulled to sleep at night by the drip-drip-drip of the water from the ceiling into the variety of pots and buckets that were strategically placed all around the house.  I developed extremely good selective hearing – in my sleep I could hear the vessel that was full to almost overflowing, get up, empty it, put it back, and go back to sleep until the tone changed again.

One year, when my parents visited from the US, in the rainy season, they found me on the roof spreading plastic sheeting and holding it in place by nailing down wood strips, in hopes that the rain would run off…It didn’t work very well…

I was also terrified of thunder storms.  People worry about their dogs being afraid of lightning and thunder – well, mine never have been, they were the ones that comforted me.  There was a reason, of course.  We lived here for 17 years without electricity (yes, NO electricity, not a generator), not by choice of course, but still…When we finally got electricity, it became addictive immediately. Perhaps for us it was even more essential than for those who always had it.  Thunder and lightning storms almost invariably caused us to have electricity blackouts, and usually it was at night.  So there we were, in the cold and dark, with raindrops falling on our heads, and just the dogs to keep us warm…

The associations are indelible.  Whenever there are thunder storms, I nervously wait for the electricity to go out.  And although we have rewired and renovated everything over the years, at least a few times a winter we are left sitting in the dark, with the rain falling on the roof (and yes, it always does happen at night).

The dogs don’t mind the rain. They all have excellent shelters, with roofs, dog houses, everything necessary to keep dry.  And then I look out and see them lying curled up in a ball in the center of the yard with the rain pouring down, or sitting on the doorstep with a nice big dry dog house 30 centimeters away…

Habibi, however, definitely does not like the rain.  He is totally spoiled.  I think he could go for two days without peeing at all if it meant not having to go out in the rain.  I let him out, he sits on the top step pressed against the door with this expression of “You can’t be serious! You expect me to go out in this????? No self respecting dog should be tortured like this!”  And this is not just when the rain is pouring down, a fine mist and wet ground is quite enough to offend his sensibilities.  He will just sit there until I go out and make him get off the step and go out to the yard.  “Well, if I have to get wet, so do you!”

When he comes in, he dashes around the house, wiping the water off on the bedspread and the sofa, and then goes to sit next to the radiator until he is sure that he is completely dry.  I have to say that I do identify with him, my feelings are the same.

This year there was a lot of snow that fell during this huge storm, mostly in the north where there is snow every year, and some in Jerusalem, where there is sometimes snow, but usually not much.  This year there was quite a lot – enough to cover things, build snow men, have snow ball fights.  Israelis get very excited about snow, and those that live in the areas that never have snow will get in their cars and drive for hours to go and see the snow.

We are just under the snow line, there is very rarely any snow here, and there wasn’t any this time either.  I do not miss it – I grew up in Chicago, and I know what REAL snow is.  The one time, some years ago, when there was a really heavy snow that covered us also, the kennel roof collapsed from the weight.

Habibi, though, has not seen snow. I wonder if he would consider it to be the same as rain….

The big snow at Shaar  Hagai - once in 43 years...

TV Time

One of the pups, who is now seven months old, is spending some time in the house these days to learn house manners.  Shoshana was in the house as a small puppy, but has been out in the yard with the other youngsters for a while.  But now her turn has come to be inside.

She seems to be quite pleased with this situation.  So far, she has not tried to chew anything up.  Of course, Habibi has a lot to do with this exemplary behavior.  As far as he is concerned, everything in the house belongs to him. So if she tries to pick anything up, she immediately finds him standing over her with a stern look of “Put that down! It’s mine!” 

However, she is no pushover.  Habibi spends a lot of his indoor time either lying on my feet on the sofa when I am there (not my favorite place for him, as the sofa is rather short, and he is not a small dog…), or lying next to me, either next to the sofa or next to my chair when I am at the computer.  So I was relaxing and watching television with Habibi next to me when I heard an emphatic growl.  Shoshana had decided that SHE wanted to be next to me, and she was growling at Habibi to move!  I was first of all amazed that she had the nerve to try it, and then further amazed by the fact that Habibi let her get away with it!  True that he is very tolerant of puppies, but to let another dog crawl in between him and me, and to let her get away with growling about it …! 

I found this interaction fascinating.  Shoshana growling with a very serious look on her face, Habibi just looking at her, and then Shoshana licking his nose as she continued to growl – “I don’t really mean it, I just want to sit here, but you need to take me seriously...”

So there we all were, watching television. At first, Shoshana didn’t pay any attention to it, she was busing worming her way into position next to the sofa.  But then she suddenly noticed all the movements and shapes and colors, and whatever a dog does see on the TV screen, along with the noise – Oh my!!!! What was this????  This was enough to make her give up her position next to the sofa and retreat to the kitchen doorway.

After a while, she decided either that this weird object was not dangerous, or that her preferred spot was more important. She ignored the program that was on, and concentrated on protecting her territorial rights from Habibi.

And then a new program came on,  We are now getting an American series, I guess you could call it an action series, “Spartacus”, about the Roman gladiators.  I had never seen it, and was curious, and quickly discovered that it was a showcase for some really good bodies, both male and female, with the males engaging in really serious rough stuff. (At my age, I am allowed to admire these physiques, but I could do without the addition of blood and guts…)

As the battle scenes came on, with the posturing men in their aggressive positions, muscles standing out, faces with that dominant male stare, Shoshana stood up, head forward, ears up, and stared.  These figures on the screen were threatening!  Look at that body language! Who knew if they weren’t going to jump out and attack us!!!!  She stood there and barked at them – inside that strange box or not, they did not belong in our house!

No question about how well Shoshana was reading body language.  Who says that dogs don’t pay attention to what they see on TV?  Mostly, though, it is just not significant enough to respond to.

Habibi thought that this just proved how silly she was – everyone knows that there is no one inside the television…

Guests

Over the last months, we have had a lot of guests (one of the reasons I have not been posting much lately).  It is always nice to be able to welcome visitors, whether long time friends or new ones.  Hearing at first hand what is going on in other parts of the world – the dog world primarily, of course – is always fascinating and it is fun showing visitors my little corner of the world.

Habibi, however, does not share this opinion. For him, these strangers disrupt his perfectly controlled domain, interfere with the daily schedule, and worst of all, invade his household.  I can understand his point of view – once he has inspected them and sniffed the details of their own dogs, then there is nothing more of interest to him.  He is not interested in conversations. Sitting and watching my friends and me talk is boring.

He has his own ways of preventing boredom.  I am always careful to explain the rules for meeting Habibi.  Habibi likes to make an impression – a BIG impression – on newcomers. This means circling them and barking ferociously so that they will understand clearly whose house this is.  He has never tried to bite anyone, that is not the purpose of this game.  The purpose is to see the visitor react – that can be very entertaining for him.  Visitors that clearly show discomfort in their body language, back away, or on the other hand try to talk to him and hold out a hand in a friendly way (“Who are you to be friendly to me?!!! I am the one who decides on when to be friendly!!!!”) are a joy to him – action, reaction, what a great game making people jump to your bark!

Visitors are told to simply ignore him and to come in and sit down.  Experienced dog people are the best at this, they know how to control their expressions and body language, walk past him and sit down.  People with less dog experience do try – but Habibi immediately recognizes the signs of insecurity, that stiffening of the body and sideways glance.  If he was a person, he would be laughing out loud at this point.  People that are particularly unsure of themselves may end up getting a nose nudge to the posterior – that little jump away is absolutely hilarious to Habibi.

Once people sit down, he takes up his position in front of me, sitting or lying on my feet and observing the conversation.  But once a guest has chosen a seat, that is where he needs to stay.  Getting up to go to another room is not allowed, Habibi stands in front of him barking until he sits down again.  For those that Habibi has marked as the insecure, even reaching forward to pick up a coffee cup may result in a warning growl – “You are moving! Watch it!”

Guests that stay overnight are a bigger problem for him.  Once they have settled into the guest room and he sees that he can’t get rid of them so fast, he grudgingly allows them to move around the house.  However, things like getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom are definitely not allowed.

My last houseguest was a real dog person who spent a few days here.  Why a real dog person? Habibi decided that – from the minute she walked in the door, he approved of her. No barking! He jumped on her, solicited attention, sat on her lap on the sofa when we were chatting in the living room.  I have never seen him so unreservedly friendly to a stranger.

But even with her, there are house rules.  She was allowed to walk around the house, to go into the kitchen, take a glass of water or even make a cup of coffee – but to open the refrigerator and take something out – no!  Going into her room was fine, but bringing out odd objects, like a camera, was likely to result in barking.  And of course, getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom…fortunately, she was not a person that did a lot of night wandering.

At the moment, life is back to normal for Habibi, no house guests.  Sorry, though, there are still a few due to visit soon…

Who is coming????

With the holidays coming up, for those that enjoy reading my little stories, you will enjoy my book, “Tails of Shaar Hagai”, fun for all dog and animal lovers, and available from Amazon.com – a wonderful holiday gift.

And for those that want to know more about the very special Canaan breed, my new book, “The Israel Canaan Dog” is available from www.icdb.org.il

And also – Have Laptop, Can Travel!  Illustrated lectures and seminars available on a wide variety of doggy subjects.  I have given talks in a variety of countries and events.  Inquiries are welcome.

Friend

I just got word that a very good friend passed on a few days ago.  She had been valiantly fighting cancer for several years, doing her best to both overcome the disease and not let it stop her from living her life in the meanwhile.  There was even a happy period when she seemed to have succeeded and to be cancer free – how happy we all were.

But cancer is an insidious enemy, and in the end could not be defeated.

What is strange, though nowadays it seems to be more and more common, is that although I really considered her one of my best friends, we never met in person.  We met on the internet, and all of our friendship, discussions, exchange of opinions, support, commiseration, and celebration, was carried on on-line.  One of my wishes was to at some time be able to meet her face to face;  this will never happen.  But I never had any feeling of knowing her less well, or of her being less of a friend, than people that I see frequently and can shake hands with.  The opposite was true, I think that we had a deeper and more serious relationship than I have with many of my “real” acquaintances.

What a strange world we live in, where our best friends are virtual.  But, if we really think about it, until not so very long ago, many deep relationships were carried on for years through writing letters.  Remember those?  Waiting for the mailman to come and bring the next chapter of the adventures of our friends?  And those were the days of real letters, pages and pages of information, not the shorthand of email…

Most of my dear friends, and especially those that I value so much but that live so far across the world that I might never actually get to meet them in person, I have met through the dogs.  Through lists, groups, people that expressed interest, photos on line, and many other possibilities, but always having in common the love and passion for dogs that develops into friendships that expand to many other interests and activities.  Friendships that continue for years and years, as there are always things we have in common and that we can “talk” about.

For Habibi and all of the other four legged friends, all this sitting at the computer and concentrating on incomprehensible words on the screen is impossible to understand – running around and chasing a ball outside would be much more fun.  But I really have you to thank for being responsible for my participation in this world that is so fascinating and contains so many wonderful friends.

I deeply miss my friend, and can only believe that she is at peace and accompanied now by all the four legged companions that enriched her life and brought us together.  Rest in peace, Sally.  We will meet face to face sometime at the Rainbow Bridge…

Heat

This summer I became a believer in global warming.  I have always preferred warm weather to cold, and for all the years I have been living in Israel, I never had trouble with the climate.  Yes, the summers were hot, very hot, but I never found it to be that difficult to cope with or to prevent functioning normally.

This year has been different.  I am sure that this summer is hotter than any summers for a long time.  What the statistics say I don’t know, but everyone I talk to about it agrees with me.

Of course, there is that tendency when talking about the weather to be sure that it is the hottest, or coldest, or worst storm in the last twenty years, or the most rain or the least rain – no one really goes to check the facts, we know what we are feeling, right?

I refuse to consider that with each year of growing older, maybe the weather is getting worse – for me… The weather really is worse!

The dogs agree with me – it is hot!  I find it very hard to do much of anything during the day. The dogs also spend most of their time lounging in a shady spot, unless there is a really strong reason for getting up.  The dogs start their activities at about four in the morning, while it is quite cool, and have their morning running and barking time, which ends at about 6:30 or seven.  By then it is already getting hot.  My schedule is quite similar, though not from four – five or five thirty is the start of my working hours.  The same is true in the evening – from about five or six it starts cooling off and that is play time, until nine or ten at night.

Although I am a morning person by nature, I can’t say that these hours are really my preference.  Couldn’t you guys wait until six?

But I can look out the window in midday, and although most of the dogs have found themselves cool spots in the shade, there are some that are lying out in the full sun, obviously enjoying it.

Habibi is not one of those.  Desert dog?  No way!  There is a cool house, air conditioning – his place is inside.  He goes out for necessities – one of his necessities is periodically to check if there is anything out there that has to be barked at – and then places himself on the top step leaning against the entrance door, just to make sure I don’t miss the fact that he is ready to come in.

I have been trying to use the air conditioning as little as possible – yes, for “green” reasons, but more because electricity is so expensive these days.  But with the weather of July and August, I have given in, and use it for a good part of the day.

Habibi knows exactly where the air currents go, and his sleeping spots are right in the line of the cool air.  If I change the angle of the fan, he will give me a pitying glance, lift his nose to test the air direction, and calmly move to a better spot.  He may be a bed dog most of the time, but at this time of year, he gets on the bed only when the air conditioner is on and is blowing a cool breeze across it.  He then sprawls across the bed to catch every bit of refreshing air across his whole body, leaving me struggling to find a place for my legs. 

I am counting the days until the end of summer…

Why a Dog?

When I was growing up, my family were not great animal lovers.  Though they appreciated the beauties of nature, nature belonged in the park and forest reserve and certainly not in the house.  So my unending desire for a dog was a strange and incomprehensible idea to them, and I never really managed to fulfill my desires while I was living at home.

But one of the first things I did when I left home and got my own place was to get a dog. And I have never since been without one, and usually it has been many.  Over the years I have discovered that I prefer spending most of my time with them, rather than with other people…

I don’t have anything against humans.  I am not one of these people who uses dogs as a substitute child or in place of a family. I have a family, a daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, and enjoy spending time with them. I brag about my grandchildren like any proud grandmother – to my surprise, as I never expected that I would be one of those!  But I always go home to my own quiet time with my dogs.

The dog is the only animal that, for whatever strange reasons he may have, chooses to be with us rather than with his own kind.  A dog will gladly leave playtime with his four footed friends to come inside with his people.  Considering how people often treat them, it is really amazing – dogs usually get much more respect from other dogs than they get from us.  We people use them as toys, as dolls, as substitute babies, as status symbols, and at times as a target for our frustrations, rages, instable and inhuman and inhumane behaviors.  And the dogs still choose to be with us!

They look up at us with adoration, even when we very well know that it is not deserved.  They are always ready to accompany us anywhere, and will conquer their justifiable fears of artifacts of the modern world to be with us.  They are never too tired to go for a walk, a ride, a visit, and are willing to give all that up in a flash if what we decide that we want is to sit in front of the television. 

I can tell my dogs anything.  They listen and they don’t criticize, or tell me that I could have done that better.  I can cry, and they don’t tell me to get a grip, they simply lick my tears.  When I am depressed, they clown, and their persistence pays off - eventually they do make me laugh.  They are never indifferent when I come home – it may have been no more than going to the neighbor’s for five minutes, but they are thrilled to see me come back.

I talk to Habibi and he always listens.  He usually has very intelligent and considered responses, and if he doesn’t, he has the sense to keep quiet.  But ignoring him is not an option – he is there, he is my companion in everything, and a wet nose or insistent paw are always there to remind me I am not alone.

The question is never “Why a dog?”, it is “Why on earth not a dog?!!”

A True Collie

Lida was the fulfillment of a life long dream for her loving and devoted owner Harry.

She was one of three puppies in a carefully planned litter.  Her mother was a bitch I had imported from Brazil and her father was imported from the US, both from outstanding bloodlines noted both for beauty and excellent temperament. As one of the major goals of my breeding program was to produce dogs that could become working service dogs, these characteristics are as important to me as show wins.  Lida’s two sisters indeed did go on to become service dogs, one working with an epileptic child and the other with an autistic child.

Lida was the most beautiful, and I thought about keeping her. But after Harry got in touch with me and I got to know him, even if only through correspondence and mutual friends in Greece, where he lives, I knew that Lida couldn’t have a better home than with him.  He had always wanted a pedigreed collie, and now finally had the possibility, and I could make his dream come true.

Lida had to stay with me until she was seven months old, due to the regulations for importing dogs into EU countries from Israel, and it was really hard to part with her.  But Harry welcomed her with an open heart, and she quickly adjusted and returned his love.

Harry lives in Athens, and Lida learned to live as a city dog.  She was a favorite of friends and family, and also had a successful show career, becoming a Greek champion.  The only problem she had in the show ring was enthusiasm – she was so happy to prance around, meet people, and show off, that she often carried her tail quite high and always in motion.  But despite her happy tail, she had a string of wins and excellent critiques.

I visited them in Greece, and saw first hand how much they loved each other, and what a lovely person Harry is. I was really happy with my decision to let him have this happy girl.

Motherhood was another successful experience for her, she produced a lovely litter of puppies, and the most beautiful daughter stayed with Harry.

Harry’s mother, quite elderly and frail, was living alone in a village outside of Athens.  She dearly loved Lida and the affection was mutual.  Harry had Lida’s daughter at home also, so decided that it would be great for both his mother and Lida if she had a country vacation.  Lida could give Mrs. L. companionship and she would have a nice yard to play in, rather than the busy Athens streets.  The arrangement worked out really well; although Lida was happy to see Harry on his frequent visits, she was very bonded to Mrs. L. and very satisfied with country life.

Greece is a country with many problems these days, and the rising crime rate is one of them. One of the reasons that Mrs. L. was so pleased to have Lida with her was for the additional security that having a dog provided.  Lida was a very perceptive dog, and instinctively knew who were welcome guests, and who needed to be barked at and not allowed to enter the yard.  There were a number of situations where Lida stood in front of Mrs. L. at the front gate and wouldn’t allow suspicious strangers to come any closer.

And then one day a month or so ago, I received the tragic news – Lida was dead.  Robbers had broken into Mrs. L’s little house and Lida had attacked them to protect her beloved partner, and was beaten to death.  As Lida lay dying, Mrs. L. was beaten and dragged across the floor, her purse and money were stolen, and she was left lying bleeding on the floor.

The cruelty is still impossible to comprehend.  Harry is heartbroken and his mother feels that she has lost a true member of the family, another being that she loved like a child, and that lost her life defending her.

There are no more words to describe this.  Lida was six years old when she died.

This is the story of a true collie.

Addition:  We have been notified that Lida has been honred posthumously by the Collie Club of America for her bravery and devotion, with the Shining Star award.  It is a great honor and also a comfort to us all.