Once a week we take our cocker spaniel, Leaf, to doggy day care. This allows him to socialize and get some exercise.  This past Wednesday, we picked up Leaf and enjoyed hearing observations of him from the staff.

They noted that Leaf played in the large big-dog room with around twelve other dogs, all of whom were at least twice his size. (This is because he wears out the littler dogs since he's such a consummate player.) In the play room the wide-screen television stays on Animal Planet programs.  None of the dogs were watching the TV that day, though.  They all seemed focused on Leaf.

Two new employees watched the dogs from the window outside the main room.  As Leaf pounded at the door to be let out into our arms, one of the men said that he had had a lot of fun seeing Leaf in action. While ours is always the smallest dog in the room, in many ways he has the biggest presence.

The man said that before Leaf entered the room the dogs were lying around, not really interested in playing or exploring. He said Leaf appeared to have an agenda and a method for achieving his goals. Although cockers aren't supposed to have the herding instinct, one at a time, Leaf herded the other dogs.  He'd stand behind them and push with his nose and feet until they started running. Soon other dogs joined in until they all were running around the room, playing, and enjoying themselves.

The employee said that they were so amused by all this herding and watched to see what else our little guy would. They called him "the life of the party" and "the instigator," since he was the catalyst for getting the other dogs to fully participate.

At one point Leaf grabbed a tennis ball and dropped it in front of a large German shepherd who had stopped to rest.  Leaf stared at the shepherd as the tennis ball sat on the floor in front of the tired dog.  He was daring the dog to snatch the ball. Finally the dog took Leaf's bait, grabbed the ball, and rejoined the party.

We told the man that Leaf herds us, too.  Laughing, the new doggy day care employee said that after watching Leaf that day, he believed it.

Have you seen dogs doing things that supposedly they aren't bred or don't have the instinct to do?

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This week's Angel Animals Story of the Week is about a stray dog who returns the gift of being rescued by caring for rescued kittens on a Greek island.
 
 
 
                                                Roberta's Opi and a Cat


ANGEL ANIMALS STORY OF THE WEEK

THE SEA DOG OF KARPATHOS
By Roberta Beach Jacobson, c. 2006

When the volunteer vet spotted the longhaired, one-eyed mutt sitting all alone at the harbor on the small Greek island, she figured he was waiting for his fisherman-owner to return with the day's catch. But then the next day the vet watched the same gray pooch trotting store-to-store, getting handouts from employees' lunches, mostly bits of sandwiches.

"That dog could do with a good haircut," she thought. It took her only a single dog biscuit to persuade the friendly mutt into her all-terrain vehicle. She took him to her makeshift clinic set up in a coastal garage and there, she bathed and brushed him and gave his still-matted fur a thorough clipping. Then she treated him to a flea and tick treatment.
 
Hours later, she returned the cleaned-up version of the harbor hound back to his old haunts on the remote Greek island of Karpathos. She observed him as he visited the fish tavernas lining the harbor area. At each stop, tourists fed the dog bits of octopus, swordfish, shrimp, or squid from their plates.

Although her days were kept busy neutering stray dogs and cats brought in by volunteers from the island's villages, the vet told me her thoughts often returned to the seafood-loving harbor mutt. She asked in shops and restaurants all along the vicinity of the harbor, but nobody claimed to own such a one-eyed dog.

The vet brought the pooch back to her clinic and got him settled down on a blanket with his very own water dish and a dog chew. He appeared to be up in years, so she named him Opi (meaning Gramps in the Bavarian dialect of German).

Opi responded favorably to his name and relaxed in his new home, maybe not understanding it could only be a temporary arrangement. In two weeks, the volunteer vet was due to return to Germany. During that time, Opi's bad eye got sewn up, and she applied salve to it regularly. A week later, the dog went under the knife so he wouldn't father any pups.

As the vet was about to leave the island, she asked me if I could adopt Opi, because what he needed most was a real home. She had a look of utter desperation on her face when she asked. I was aware she'd already adopted thirteen blind, injured, or three-legged critters from our island. Her house and yard in Germany must be full! I understood her predicament well.

It would be quite a challenge, I knew, bringing Opi home with us, where a dozen-plus rescue cats required so much of our attention. Both my husband and I had grown up with dogs in the family, so we decided maybe we could deal with a canine addition to our gang. As freelance writers, my husband and I work from home, so this allows us plenty of time with our animals. We understood the newcomer wasn't just any dog, but a proud sea dog.

Much to our amazement, Opi accepted the collection of ragtag felines as his friends. He didn't object even when kittens batted at his ears or tried to nurse on his legs. Right away it was clear the abandoned kittens viewed Opi as their hairy pillow. Every night, a few crawled into Opi's wicker basket to settle down for some shut-eye. One delicate orphan kitten named Roo found comfort as she slept atop Opi's back!

Opi soon acquired the nickname Nanny, because problem cats took to him right away and felt comfortable in his presence. Even when his dog basket was literally crawling with kittens, Opi didn't let out a single woofy complaint.

Word got around about our island's unusual kitten-minder. In summers, tourists stop by to take pictures of big-hearted Opi with some of his feline charges. Opi's photo has even made it into a calendar for his fifteen minutes of canine fame.

Opi has learned a great deal about being part of a large family. He didn't mind his first collar and quickly learned to walk on a leash. His adjustments went smoother than we'd ever imagined. Some dogs love car rides; others don't. Opi is one who can't wait to go somewhere with us in the car.

The beach is his favorite destination. That's understandable, because, before meeting us, his life was spent within earshot of the waves crashing against the rocks. All year 'round, my husband and I frequent a rocky beach to collect sacks of driftwood and pinecones to burn in our winter fires. Opi makes the most of each opportunity to run along the coastline and he's an expert at skirting the waves. When he's by the sea, he's in his element.

During the five years Opi has been in our family, we've rescued two younger dogs. We didn't plan it that way, but their youthful presence forces Opi to get out of his basket more often and romp around. He'd acquired a bit too much bulk around the midsection the first year with us, but now he plays with his dog pals and stays trim.

The three of them fit side-by-side in the back seat when we drive to the beach. No question about it, Opi is top dog; the guy in charge. He understands the ways of the sea better than any of us. The seaside is in his blood.

Our first beach outing together, Opi watched in disgust as the pair of junior canines raced straight for the sea and started drinking the salty water. They learned their lesson by having sore bellies afterwards and only tried that stunt once. Opi probably could have warned them not to drink the water, but chose to let them find out for themselves.

Lots of dogs are cute, but being cute and smart equals one lucky dog! If Opi is wiser than I am I won't venture to guess, but most of humankind could learn a lot from a pooch who gets along with everybody, large or small.

For a photo of Opi and a cat he cares for go to www.angelanimals.net/nlimage05.html

BIO:
Fellow Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reader blogger, Roberta Beach Jacobson, is "The Cat Lady." Her blog is located at http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/catlady/  Roberta is an American author and humorist who has contributed to 40+ books including the story, "Dog Day" in our book ANGEL DOGS: Divine Messengers of Love (2005). Her websites are www.RobertaBeachJacobson.com and
www.AnimalWelfareKarpathos.org.
 
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
 
What unlikely combinations of animal species and animal caregivers have you known?