Life with McDuff

The Tuskegee Airmen

2012-01-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

Never was so much owed by so many to so few.
Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill spoke of the brave English RAF pilots in his wartime speech on August 20, 1940. The same can be said about the Tuskegee Airmen, the courageous Black fighter pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Pursuit Squadron, who protected the B-17 bombers on missions over Germany. But, they fought more battles than faced by the RAF fighter pilots. They fought discrimination and bigotry on the home front before, during, and after the World War II. When finally permitted to fly combat in a segregated Air Force in 1944, they epitomized bravery and courage in aerial combat with the Luftwaffe over Germany.

According to Wikipedia, the Tuskegee Airmen are credited with destroying at least 112 airborne enemy aircraft, 150 planes on the ground, over 600 trains, and over 40 barges/boats. Their destruction of a navy destroyer was the first such accomplishment of its time.

Charles Brantley, Earl Lane, and Roscoe Brown in their P-51 Mustangs shot down the first jet planes used in combat on March 2, 1944, over Berlin. On March 24, 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen flew the longest bomber escort mission of WW II. Of the hundreds of mission flown, the Tuskegee Airmen only lost 25 bombers. One hundred fifty Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat and 32 taken as prisoners of war.

The Tuskegee Airmen received the following awards and decorations: Three Distinguished Unit Citations, one Silver Star, estimated 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, 744 Air Medals and 8 Purple Hearts. The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to the approximately 300 surviving Tuskegee Airmen or their widows at U.S. Capitol rotunda by President George W. Bush on March 29, 2007.

I recently saw the entertaining and realistic George Lucas movie, Red Tails. The name derives from the painted red tail sections of the planes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. Lucas states that Hollywood refused to support his efforts to make the movie. Just imagine. George Lucas of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame told by all of the Hollywood studios that a movie made by him about Black pilots wouldn’t find an audience.

After trying for ten years to obtain backing for the movie, Lucas put up millions of his own money. He got the last laugh. Red Tails opened 2nd at the box office and made $19 million the first week. Every American who wants to see a good movie about highly-skilled and courageous fighter pilots should help George Lucas laugh all the way to the bank.

The rallying cry of the Red Tails: "From the last plane, to the last bullet, to the last minute, to the last man, we fight!"

Bureau of Land Management: The Good Guys?

2012-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Although I love dogs and even wrote a book about my Scottish terrier therapy dog, horses have been my passion ever since I can remember. As a coal miner’s daughter growing up in Pennsylvania, I learned to ride by taming a half-wild mine horse and riding him bareback. To this day the desire to own a horse has never wavered.

I live in Nevada now where the wild mustangs roam free. Large herds of horses have inhabited the range in northern Nevada for years. That’s why it struck me as strange that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would suddenly take such a huge and all consuming interest in rounding them up. And, not in the most humane way. Helicopters herd them in the extreme heat over rough terrain until the hooves fall off of some, and mares abort their foals. Many horses drop dead from sheer exhaustion.

I realize that the ranchers want to get rid of the horses because they want the land cleared. They have big bucks and lobbyist to help them get their way. Madeleine Pickens, wife of oilman T. Boone Pickens, offered to develop and fund a one-million acre sanctuary for the 31,000 horses rounded up by the BLM. No deal. For some reason, the BLM seemed hell bent to hang on to them.

Now I know the reason! Under the radar while traveling in Asia on November 18th, President Obama signed a bill by autopen containing a provision that paves the way for the slaughtering of horses in the United States. Now I get it. The BLM, politicians, and the rest of the fat cats will make a fortune in the horse slaughterhouse business due to their knowledge through insider trading. If you don’t believe that they all knew what the president was up to, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I want to sell you.

The Occupy Movement speaks for the 99%. Who speaks for the thousands of horses waiting for butchering at American slaughterhouses now that the ban has been lifted?

IT'S VEGAS, BABY!

2011-12-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Even though I live in Henderson, Nevada, it’s almost impossible to tell where Las Vegas stops and Henderson begins. In my book about my Scottish terrier therapy dog McDuff, I describe how Scotties are “a breed apart.” The same thing applies to Las Vegas. There is no city like it in the world.

Where else would a friend invite you to a “party,” and you end up attending her surprise wedding? Even her mother didn’t have a clue. No bridesmaids, best man, or other nuptial trimmings. Gourmet cupcakes for everyone replaced the traditional wedding cake. Everything was so exciting, so unforgettable, and so Vegas.

Where else could you attend a variety show at a senior center and see participants ages 65 to 85? Okay, that might not be so unusual. But to see a performer in a nun’s habit announce after taking a long, slow look at the audience, “I’m not a nun, and I’m going to get out of this habit.” She began to strip as “The Stripper” blasted throughout the room. She didn’t have a pole, but made real good use of that chair on the stage. Only in Vegas!

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is not true. No matter where life takes me in the future, the memories of beautiful friendships and exciting times I’ve experienced in Las Vegas goes with me.

McDuff's Secret

2011-12-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

It’s believed that the bond between a therapy dog and its owner is stronger than ordinary. Perhaps that’s because they partner and share in bringing happiness and joy to others. My Scottish terrier therapy dog lived and breathed to bring comfort and smiles to the elderly, sick, and disabled. I witnessed the life and the future of a fifth grader with crippling reading difficulties change because of reading to McDuff in the Reading with Rover Program.

My life was changed most of all because of Spirit Dog McDuff. I wrote a book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, about my nine-year journey with him and how my life and the lives of others were impacted, even after his death. He taught me many valuable, life-changing lessons. The most important, and the one that has influenced my life the most, was his example of serving others without expecting anything in return. I had to literally drag McDuff across the parking lot to the car after therapy dog visits.

He taught me the secret contained in being of service to others. The secret I learned from him is that you get something beautiful in return when you volunteer to help others. You discover that you help yourself, too, emotionally, physically and mentally. You are not giving; you are getting. And, you get back far more than you give.

I speak to inform and educate seniors, retirees, and baby boomers searching for something worthwhile to do in their spare time about animal assisted therapy and reading programs like Therapy Dogs International, Therapy Dogs Inc., and Reading with Rover. It’s not hard or expensive to brighten up a nursing home, assisted living facility, or hospital by a visit with your dog. It takes little effort to sit quietly nearby while a young student reads to your dog. Believe me, it can change lives — theirs and yours.

Dumb Animals

2011-11-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

I bet you’ve heard the term “dumb animals” before. There’s a perception that animals are dumb and that we humans are superior in every way. Well, I have news for you. Animals and birds are not dumb. Oh, I know some of you may disagree. I know I did at one time. That was before I learned about Alex and Chaser and before my first-hand experience with McDuff, a Scottish terrier therapy dog as smart as he was stubborn.

The December 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine contains an article entitled, “Minds of their Own. Animals are smarter than you think.” In it we are introduced to Alex, an African grey parrot, and Dr. Irene Pepperberg, a psychologist from Brandeis and Harvard Universities. Dr. Pepperberg bought Alex from a pet store when he was a year old. She studied and work with Alex all of his life until his death in 2007 at the age of thirty-one.

Alex learned one hundred fifty words and could categorize them. He counted up to six and had a basic understanding of the abstract concept of zero. Alex knew colors, sizes, and shapes. When shown a blue paper triangle, he told Dr. Pepperberg the color, shape, and after touching it, what it was made of. He understood the difference between big and small, same and different, and over and under.

Alex picked up one liners from the lab workers like “calm down,” and “good morning.” He expressed frustration and boredom. When Dr. Pepperberg put Alex into his cage for the night in September 2007, he looked at her and said, “You be good. I love you.” Those were the last words she would ever hear from him. She found Alex dead in his cage the next morning.

In her research paper, “The Alex Studies,” Dr. Pepperberg provides ample proof that parrots are smarter than we’re led to believe. Dumb bird? Not Alex. He wasn’t parroting, he was thinking.

And then there’s Chaser, a black and white border collie with a vocabulary of over 1,000 words. John Pilley and Alliston Reid are the Wofford College psychologists who worked with Chaser for the last three years. John owns and trains Chaser and Alliston comes up with the experiments. Chaser knows 1,022 proper noun names for various objects. She understands that objects have names and knows that they may have more than one name. She can combine names and commands.

Pilley and Reid published their research in the Journal of Behavioral Processes. Through their work with Chaser we know that the learning capacity of a dog is greater than we originally believed. Pilley, who is retired, says that Chaser is so eager to learn that he has to go to bed at 8:00 p.m. just to get away from her.

Chaser is a celebrity with numerous TV appearances, YouTube video, and newspaper articles. No way Chaser can be called a dumb animal. And from my personal experience with a Scottie with off-the-chart intelligence and you won’t believe stubbornness, I know animals can outsmart us.

Dumb Animals? Here’s Kurt Vonnegut, Jr’s take on the subject: “We are impossibly conceited animals, and actually dumb as heck. Ask any teacher. You don’t even have to ask a teacher. Ask anybody. Dogs and cats are smarter than we are.”

What’s your take?

You Have a Story to Tell

2011-11-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

When I began to write Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog on January 1, 2007, I knew the entertaining stories about my life with a mystical, stubborn beyond belief, and hilarious Scottish terrier would appeal to others. Before deciding to pick up a pen, or sit down at a computer and let the creative juices flow, you should know something. To become the author of a successful book about your life, you must have a compelling story to tell; one that will capture and hold the interest of readers from beginning to end. No matter how well written, a book about the life and times of the Bulgarian snail probably won’t capture the attention of large audience.

Each one of your lives is unique and contains stories that only you can tell. Perhaps about your childhood, good or bad, a heartbreaking romance, dysfunction family, or even about a special relationship with an extraordinary pet. Whether you know it or not, you have a story to tell.

Life with McDuff is about my Scottish terrier therapy dog, but my life is in it, too. I wrote about a domestic violence incident and a life-saving brilliant white light and the bitter divorce that followed. One of the valuable life lessons that McDuff taught me came during that turbulent time. He taught me how to forgive and get on with life.

I wrote about my mother’s home invasion, lengthy hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit, and the heartache of disconnecting life support. Asking one person to decide when or whether another person lives or dies is a lot to ask. A precedent-setting jury trial with cameras in the courtroom, AP and local television news coverage, and reporters waiting outside the courtroom with bright lights and cameras followed.

After the loss of my job, I told about the cross-country trip from Columbus, Ohio, to Henderson, Nevada, with my son and McDuff. All of those events happened within a year’s time period.

McDuff was with me every step of the way during those hard times providing his special brand of therapy. When life literally beat me down to the ground, he was there to press his furry body against mine and lick the tears from my face.

McDuff’s outstanding therapy dog work in Las Vegas and Henderson landed us on television and the front page of newspapers. Nine years of my life on a journey with an extraordinary dog provided my compelling story. Look at your life. Do you have a story to tell?

What the Heck Is a Therapy Dog?

2011-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

What the heck is a therapy dog? I asked that question the first time I heard the term. Later when I became a certified therapy dog volunteer and wrote the book Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, about the nine-year journey with my Scottish terrier, I answered the question many times.

Wikipedia’s definition of a therapy dog is “a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas.” Therapy dogs were used after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes, breeds and mixture of breeds. The most important characteristics of a therapy dog are good temperament and the ability to get along well with adults, children, and other animals.

The American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test for therapy dogs can determine if a dog can handle sudden loud or strange noises, move around on unfamiliar surfaces, are not frightened around people with canes, in wheelchairs, or have unstable ways of walking or moving, and can get along with children, the elderly, and other animals.

Therapy dogs and service dogs are often confused. Wikipedia’s definition of a service dog is “a type of assistance dog specifically trained to help people who have disabilities including visual or hearing impairment, and also to help people with mental disabilities including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression.” People are most familiar with guide or seeing-eye dogs, but service dogs also assist in day-to-day activities like pulling wheelchairs, or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, service dogs must be allowed to go anywhere their handler goes, including restaurants, schools, buses, taxis, airplanes, stores, and any other public place. Medical detection service dogs alert people with epilepsy, diabetes and hypoglycemia, and life-threatening allergies to substances like peanuts. Psychiatric service dogs assist people with panic disorders, PTSD, anxiety attacks, and severe depression.

Good temperament, health, physical structure, as well as intelligence and trainability are a must. Any breed or mixture of breeds can be used as a service dog, but Golden and Labrador Retrievers are often seen.

What should you do when you meet a service dog? Do not pet, make noises or call to it while it’s working. However, you may ask the handler for permission to pet a dog that’s not working. Do not feed a service dog. Talk to the handler, not just to the dog.

Inventions: Did You Know?

2011-08-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Did you stop at a traffic light today? Garrett Morgan developed the original traffic signal that ultimately was replaced by the red, yellow, and green signal now used. He also developed the gas mask first used by the army in World War I.

Turned on a light? Lewis Howard Latimer invented an improved process for manufacturing light bulb carbon filaments.

Did you know that you have Jan Matzeliger to thank for the shoes you wear? He developed a shoe lasting machine that attached the sole to the shoe in one minute and revolutionized the shoe industry.

Seen a refrigerated truck hauling frozen food lately? Frederick McKinley Jones invented the first automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks and mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars.

Ever heard the phrase, “the real McCoy?” Elijah McCoy invented lubrication for railroad engines that was prized above all others. Hence the question, “Is it the real McCoy?”

Did you put Cascade in your dishwasher? If so, you can credit Dennis Weatherby.

Did you know that the Super Soaker used in the water battle by your kids or grandkids was invented by Lonnie Johnson?

If any of you can remember back before computers, did you apply and blow dry an application of liquid paper correction? Betty Graham came up with it.

Did you know that all of the above inventors of PATENTED inventions are just a few that have one thing in common? THEY WERE ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS!

Mary Burton, The Golfing Granny

2011-07-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog isn’t the book I was going to write. It just got into my head and refused to leave until I told the story of my journey with a mystical, stubborn, and hilarious Scottish terrier therapy dog. The book I intend to write is about my grandmother, Mary Burton, The Golfing Granny, and the other exceptional women on the maternal side of my family.

At the age of 47, my grandmother sat patiently waiting for her husband to get home from the golf course. Determined not to spend another day as a “golf widow,” a bag of new golf clubs sat by her side. When my grandfather saw her seriousness and determination to learn how to play the game, he set out to teach her all he knew about golf. One problem though. She was a south paw, a lefty. No problem at all. She learned how to play golf right-handed.

Mary Burton won more than 150 trophies during her 29-year career playing against much younger opponents. She was featured in her home town newspaper, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun, and newspapers across the mid-west United States numerous times and recognized as the Most Honored Golferette of 1960 by the Mid-West District of the UGA (United Golf Association). My grandmother was inducted posthumously into African-Americans in Golf Hall of Fame at the MGM Grand Conference Center on August 9, 2001, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She won her last golf trophy at the Raymond Memorial Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio, at the ripe age of 76.

Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, and Althea Gibson, first African American woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour in 1964 and Wimbledon tennis champion, are names you may or may not recognize, but they knew and respected Mary Burton’s prowess on the golf course. She would have been proud of Tiger Woods before his fall from grace. And, he should be proud of her, a true pioneer, and my beloved Golfing Granny.

Therapy Dog McDuff's Life Lesson: Be a Party Animal

2011-07-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

In Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, I write about the life lessons McDuff taught me during our nine year journey. Even though McDuff was a dedicated, hard-working therapy dog, he was a party animal, too. He loved being around a crowd, especially during holidays when he got the chance to attend parties.

McDuff was invited to the office Christmas party at a home in upscale Dublin, Ohio. I tried to get out of taking him, but my boss insisted because he’d heard so much about him. After cutting back on McDuff’s water intake during the afternoon and making sure he had “relieved” himself, we set out. I didn’t want the embarrassment of a pee or dog-turd stained oriental carpet on my head.

Making sure McDuff stayed close by my side, I enjoyed chatting with my colleagues. But during the course of the evening festivities, I lost sight of him. “Where’s McDuff!” I exclaimed when I noticed him missing. “He’s out here with me,” a voice from the kitchen answered. “He’s so cute. He drank three big bowls of water, and do you know what he did?” Oh, no! the voice in my head screeched. I knew it! I knew it! You should have left him at home. With a dry mouth, I croaked, “What did he do?”

“He followed someone out onto the patio, went down the stairs to the yard, peed, and then came back into the house. He’s amazing!” Everyone praised him, and he became the life of the party.

The life lesson we can learn from McDuff is this. We may have books and blogs to write, pictures to paint, or photos to take, but balance work with play. Make time to exercise your mind and body every day. Enjoy your family, friends, and the special occasions in life. Be a party animal — like McDuff.

George Dawson's Legacy: Never Too Old to Learn

2011-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

The chapter, “Reader with McDuff,” in Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog tells about Steven and the Reading with Rover Program. Steven, a sandy-haired, chubby 5th grader with crippling reading difficulties, read to my remarkable Scottish terrier therapy dog every Saturday morning at the local library. He went from a D average to the honor roll after reading to McDuff for twelve weeks. Steven graduated from high school last year and is attending college. His mom told me he has a 4.0 grade point average. Learning to read well changed Steven’s life.

George Dawson didn’t experience Steven’s reading difficulties because he never learned how to read. Carl Henry, a literacy volunteer, knocked on his door and told him about adult education classes being taught nearby. At the age of 98, the grandson of slaves began to learn to read and write. He sat on his porch each morning eagerly waiting hours before time for Carl to pick him up and take him to class. At his 100th birthday party, he could sign his name and read his birthday cards for the first time in his life.

The 7th and 8th graders at the George Dawson Middle School realize the importance of reading because of Mr. Dawson’s legacy. I watched their comments about him and saw his inspiring story on The Oprah Show’s Greatest Lessons. By the time it ended, tears streamed down my cheeks.

In 2000, Mr. Dawson co-wrote his best-selling life story, Life Is So Good. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. His life has been profiled on The Discovery Channel, Nightline, People magazine and Good Morning America. Two universities awarded him honorary degrees before his death in 2001 at the age of 103.

George Dawson’s legacy lives on as inspiration to young and old alike. He proved that you are never too old to learn.

The Healing Moose

2011-05-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Healing Moose was well-known before I retired from the Clerk’s Office at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, to write my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. He started on his journey in the winter of 2002 and is called by several names, Marty, Natasha, Natalie, Willard, and even “Magic Moose.” But, no matter the name or gender assigned, Healing Moose brought smiles, comfort, and moral support to colleagues and their families diagnosed with various cancers and other serious health problems. The Healing Moose represents well wishes, prayers, support and encouragement.

The moose is the official mascot of the courtroom clerks. We all contributed to the stuffed moose collection, and it grew over the years. Have you ever been “moosed?” Upon return to the office after vacation or illness, and for birthday celebrations, you’d find your work station buried under moose. On the computer, printer, desk, chair, file cabinet, everywhere imaginable, sat moose of all colors, sizes, and shapes.

It’s strange the effect a stuffed animal can have. I witnessed my son’s love for Teddy, a large stuffed, brown bear. He slept with him for years when he was a little boy. If he hurt himself playing or cried for other reasons, after I attended to him, I’d say, “Go get Teddy.” Off he’d dash. Teddy never failed to comfort him. One day he got mad at me and took it out on poor Teddy by giving him a swift kick in the rear.

My colleague, Cheryl Case, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Marty Moose went with her to doctor appointments, tests, chemo, radiation treatments, and surgery. He provided his special brand of comfort and helped to reduce her anxiety and stress. Today Cheryl is a Breast Cancer Survivor, my hero, and a source of inspiration. She participates in the annual Komen Race for the Cure and urges others to join her in the fight against breast cancer.

The Healing Moose is back with Cheryl. He deserves a rest and recognition for being a reminder of the moral support, prayers, and encouragement for colleagues, families, and friends.

Therapy Dog McDuff's Life Lesson

2011-04-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

McDuff, my Scottish terrier therapy dog, taught me many valuable lessons on our nine-year journey. I wrote about them in my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. One of those lessons changed the way I look at others to this day. He taught me not to judge others by outer appearances, but to look past their mental and physical disabilities.

McDuff was featured on Las Vegas KVBC-TV news and the front page of the Henderson, Nevada, Anthem View newspaper for his astounding therapy work with five individuals at Opportunity Village Project PRIDE Program. The Las Vegas Review Journal described them as having the most severe mental and physical disabilities in the state of Nevada. Yet, McDuff connected with them in amazing ways.

From the first time that he saw them, he accepted and loved them unconditionally. Me, I wanted to get away from them as fast as I could. In time I came to accept and love them, too. McDuff didn’t judge by appearances. He looked past the outer and into the heart. Because of the example he set, I became a better person.

You can read the book chapter, “Project Pride at Opportunity Village,” about McDuff’s therapy dog work and the lesson he taught me on my web site, www.lifewithmcduff.com.

Social Network "Friends"

2011-03-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

“It takes a long time to grow an old friend.”
John Leonard

As the author of Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, I’ve been told that I should be on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace. I’m informed it would be good for book sales. I decline to participate except on a few business-related sites such as LinkedIn and Henderson Chamber of Commerce. Personally, I believe the amount of time I’d spend connecting with “friends” would adversely affect my marketing and promoting in other targeted areas. However, if you have the spare time and enjoy connecting and reconnecting with old classmates, childhood friends and the likes, by all means go for it.

Tell the truth. Would you really want to be friends with Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, or Paris Hilton? Like so many other things in our culture the word “friend” has taken on a whole new meaning.

To have a few true friends in a lifetime is rare. I’ve been blessed with many. Friends travel fifty miles to sit with you at your mother’s wake; friends stay in constant touch down through the years; friends never forget your birthday; friends encourage and support you even in your hair-brained endeavors; friends help you pack up and move cross country even though they want you to stay; and friends tell you what’s truly important in their lives instead of every mundane thing that they do.

I write about my friends in the book chapter, “Go West, Young Scottie.” Even though I am far away from them, we share deaths, births, illnesses and photos without being on Facebook, Twitter or Myspace. In my opinion, nothing beats unlimited minutes cell phone calls.

Therapy Dog McDuff and The Pill War

2011-03-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

I once heard a Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show announcer say as the Scottish terriers majestically entered the show ring, “The Scottish terrier is the only breed of dog that knows it is smarter than its master.” I didn’t understand what he meant then, but that was before The Pill War with my Scottish terrier, McDuff, began.

Why would giving McDuff medication be any different than giving my previous dogs pills from the veterinarian? Just hide the pill in a piece of cheese, wiener, or lunch meat and give it to him. Right? Wrong.

He’d gently take whatever I had hidden the pill in from my hand, chew once, drop it, and repeat the process until the pill fell out. Then he’d eat the cheese, wiener or whatever and walk away savoring every bite.

I told a friend at work about my problem. She suggested I put the pill far back in McDuff’s throat, hold his mouth shut, and rub his throat until he was forced to swallow. It always worked with her dog. What she didn’t factor into the equation was a Scottie with a severe case of lockjaw. He’d seen the pill and knew what I was up to. No matter how hard I pried and threatened, I couldn’t get him to open his mouth. Foiled again!

Someone told me about peanut butter. I gave him a huge glob with the buried pill. He smacked and licked until the peanut butter melted and spat out the pill. To rub it in, he continued to smack his mouth long after he walked away.

Frustrated beyond belief, I called his vet and recounted my many attempts to medicate McDuff. He said, “Put the pill in his dog food.” Why hadn’t I thought of that. It worked! For a week the dog bowl was licked clean every day and the pill gone. Fooled him at last. No way is a dog smarter than I am.

Noticing that the dog bowl next to his water container was cruddy, I decided to wash it. What did I find when I lifted it up? Seven pills neatly lined in a row. He had hidden them between the dog bowl and water container all week!

Calling the vet in tears, I blurted out my finding. He laughed out loud and said, “That McDuff is one smart dog. Come to my office and get capsules to break apart and mix in his dog food.” I did and although I was skeptical, it worked. So tell me something. Why did I feel I had won the battle, but lost the war?

Life with McDuff Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple

2011-02-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) nominated Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog for a Special Award and invited me to attend the Awards Banquet at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel in New York City where the winner would be announced. The letter I received from Sue Jeffries, Contest Chair, informing me of the nomination stated, “We had over 200 entries for these Special Awards, so to be in the running is, indeed, a ‘special’ honor!” After attending the banquet and seeing the nominees, I agree wholeheartedly and feel privileged to have been included among them.

Even though Life with McDuff was not the winner, I had a marvelous and unforgettable experience, mainly because of the wonderful DWAA people I met at the committee meeting and folks at the banquet. Sue Jeffries, Chris Walkowicz, Pat Santi, Marion Lane, and Ida Estep were super and some of the nicest people that I have ever met.

Maybe I’m prejudiced, but I believe “dog people” are special, full of love and kindness that spills over from their pets to fellow humans. I met so many of them at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on the two days that I attended. The sight of so many different breeds of champion dogs will always be with me. Hopefully, I will be fortunate enough to attend it again in the future.

Being in New York City was the icing on the cake. I LOVE NEW YORK!!! Everything about it is exciting and enjoyable to me. Riding the subway, eating pizza, pastrami and cheese cake, attending plays on Broadway, and going to museums. The hustle and bustle of the fast-walking residents. Even jumping out of the way of taxicabs to keep from getting mowed down. There’s no place like The Big Apple, and I’ve traveled a lot.

Trudy & McDuff

2010-08-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

I write about my friend, Trudy, in Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. She had two Lhasa Apsos that she was crazy about, but one day she said to me, “I love Jasmine and Bandit, Judy, but they’re not like McDuff. McDuff is special.” Other friends of mine felt the same way. I’m a dog lover, and I’ve liked other people’s dogs. But I never loved someone else’s dog the way they loved McDuff. I write of those special relationships in my book.

Sophisticated Lhasa Apsos and rambunctious Scottish terriers don’t mix. A half hour into a holiday visit to Trudy and David’s home with McDuff, Jasmine and Bandit begged to be put in the basement. They wanted no parts of that crazy, high-energy Scottie.

Trudy and I became close friends when we worked as legal secretaries at the Columbus, Ohio, prestigious law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. Some of my dearest friends still work there. Even though I moved on to other jobs, and moved out of state, we have never lost touch. They have supported and encouraged me down through the years. A person is blessed to have only one true friend in life. I have been blessed with many.

My dear friend died of leukemia at the age of fifty-three. Even though I had moved from Ohio to Nevada, we talked on the phone and e-mailed nearly every day during her long and courageous battle. We discussed life. We discussed death. I miss her to this day.

Trudy’s husband, David, is an editor on Life with McDuff. He is the first person who read the completed manuscript. I know she is aware of the success of the book and looking down with a smile on her lips saying, “Only Judy.”

Spirit Dog McDuff

2010-08-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

McDuff was a spirit dog. Native Americans and other cultures believe in spirit animals, or totems, possessing special powers. An animal that comes to an individual and acts as a spiritual guide in the physical and spiritual worlds. It offers power and wisdom to that individual throughout a lifetime and beyond. McDuff certainly fit that description.

I felt a strange connection when I went to the kennel to bring the eight-week old Scottish terrier puppy home. Something eerie happened when I picked him up and looked into his eyes. Throughout our nine years together, I witnessed unusual occurrences among McDuff, people, and animals time after time.

A fifth grader struggling with reading went from a D average to the honor roll after reading to McDuff for twelve weeks. Five individuals with horrendous mental and physical disabilities responded to him in amazing ways.

A repeated pit bull attack that should have killed him left him totally unharmed. At the touch of his nose, I saw him calm a terrified out-of-its mind wild duckling. And, a small child’s hysterical fear of dogs evaporated after a brief exposure to him.

McDuff returned to me in the wee hours of the morning to snap me out of the debilitating grief I experienced after putting him down in 2003. Two years after his death I received a Christmas card from a close friend who loved him dearly. She was dying of terminal lung cancer and wrote, “I keep McDuff’s picture in front of me, and just know he is in my arms comforting me and tears fall. Maybe I will see him soon.”

I write about Spirit Dog McDuff and how he miraculously touched my life and the lives of many others in the book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog.

Life with McDuff and the Henderson Writers' Group

2010-08-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

I sat in a chair placed against the wall to accommodate the overflow crowd in the too small conference room at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library. As I listened to the members of the Henderson Writers’ Group (HWG) seated around the center table, thoughts flashed through my mind. You’re in way over your head. These people are writers and published authors. You’ll never belong with this group. But I didn’t stop attending the weekly meetings held in Henderson and Las Vegas.

Each week I listened to the gentle and informative critiques of writers who read from their works and soaked it up like a sponge. Most of it was over my head, but I didn’t get discouraged. Even though the thought of reading something I wrote in front of a group of writers terrified me. When I asked for comments from a friend about the chapter I intended to read at my first critique, he said, “It sounds like an essay.” I still tease him about that.

I encourage every fledgling writer like me to find and join a writers group. Without the guidance and encouragement of the HWG, my first book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, would probably still be in the incubator. The expertise and experience of fellow writers will benefit you in many ways. My eternal gratitude to the HWG members who took me under their wings and hatched out a published author.

LIFE WITH MCDUFF: A SCOTTIE WITH ATTITUDE

2010-07-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

LIFE WITH MCDUFF: A SCOTTIE WITH ATTITUDE

I’ve owned many dogs in my lifetime, but none like McDuff. Scotties are a breed apart. Their appearance, intelligence and stubbornness set them apart from the other breeds. They have attitude — and plenty of it.

Just the way they walk with that peculiar gait, those protruding eyebrows, flowing beard, and extra-long, erect ears commands attention. And Scottie owners know that they get a lot of that.

Scottish terriers are often described as “dignified.” A neighbor saw me walking him one morning and struck up a conversation. From then on, he referred to McDuff as “the professor.” I didn’t have to ask him why.

I once heard a Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show announcer say, “The Scottish terrier is the only breed of dog that knows it’s smarter than its master.” McDuff’s off-the-chart intelligence combined with supreme stubbornness and frustrated me to tears. I write about the ways he outsmarted me in my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog.

It took me a while to realize what was going on because I thought, he couldn’t be that smart; he’s just a dog. But I soon found out, often to my amusement or dismay, that I had been outsmarted by a canine.

My friends at work clamored for “McDuff Stories” and he provided plenty of them. They howled at his exploits and my frustration. I write about many of them in Life with McDuff.

McDuff was special enough for me to write a book about him. And it is doing quite well. One of the blurbs on the book cover is, “Think Marley and Me, but with an intelligent dog.” That sums it up nicely.

PENNSYLVANIA COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER

2010-07-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Looking back, I see that growing up a coal miner’s daughter in Beeson Works, a coal company patch town near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, had its perks.

Fragrant fresh air drifted down from the majestic Summit Mountains giving the clothes swinging in the breeze on the clothesline the most pleasant smell. Cold as ice mountain spring water gushed from a pipe jutting out the rocky side of the mountain beside a winding two-lane road. Families took bottles to fill with the best-tasting, cleanest water on earth during the summer. Tall green trees, so thick in places that you couldn’t see the sky, made you feel air conditioning on even the hottest, humid days.

The Summit Mountains abounds with historical sites from the Revolutionary War. Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Braddock’s Grave, and a lot of “George Washington slept here” places just to name a few. Kids in the surrounding area returned from school outings with their minds teeming with the exciting, historic battles of George Washington, the French, and Indians. Old taverns with museums containing Conestoga wagons and other artifacts on the National Road built in 1806 (later U.S. Route 40) proved fascinating.

Neighborhood gardens in Beeson were communal property. A tempting red, ripe tomato from anyone’s garden enticed me to pick and devour it while warm juice dripped off of my elbow. Too bad if I had a cut or scratch on my arm. Ouch!

When my playmates and I ran out of mundane things to do and craved danger and excitement, we explored the abandoned coal mine. Peering into the darkness, taking hesitant steps while holding onto each other, and then running away screaming in terror from the imagined danger and perceived close call.

Kids from Beeson Works back then were labeled as poor. Too bad those who affixed that tag on us didn’t realize how rich we were.

PUBLIC SPEAKING AND LIFE WITH MCDUFF

2010-06-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Do you know that Glossophobia, fear of public speaking, ranks right up there with the fear of death? It’s actually number one of the ten top human fears. Symptoms of speech anxiety occur in three categories: physical, verbal, and non-verbal. And the “fight or flight” reaction is triggered in the body. I am all too familiar with the butterflies in the stomach, trembling voice, shaky hands, mental blocks, panic and stress before I speak in public.

When I was a senior at Uniontown Joint Senior High School (now just Uniontown High School), an English class assignment was to choose a topic and give an oral presentation to the class. I was the only one in the class unable to get up in front of my classmates and speak. Needless to say, I got a failing grade.

Now as the author of Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, I speak at hospitals, retirement and community centers, assisted living facilities, book signings, Toastmaster and book club meetings. I educate people about animal assisted therapy and animal assisted reading programs like Therapy Dogs International and Reading with Rover. Through the book, I want to motivate and encourage seniors, retirees, and baby boomers with dogs to volunteer their services.

One of the valuable life lessons that my Scottish terrier therapy dog, McDuff, taught me was that by being of service to others, you bring contentment and happiness into your own life. I try to pass that along. That shy student in Miss Ely’s senior high school English class has come a long way.

THERAPY DOG MCDUFF: PARTY ANIMAL

2010-06-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

McDuff was a party animal. Nothing pleased him more than going to a holiday party at one of my friend’s house or holidays like Halloween and Christmas. He taught me a valuable life lesson.

Halloween was his favorite holiday. Not only did he get a new rat, but mobs of trick-or-treaters descended in the night. His favorite toy was a large, black, rubber rat with a super long tail that I could only find in the stores at Halloween. I had to buy him one every year because the poor thing was on its last leg –- literally.

One year McDuff was invited to the office Christmas Party. Needless to say, I was apprehensive, but my boss insisted that I bring him because everyone had heard so much about him. McDuff had a ball wolfing down hors d’oeuvre and mingling with the guests.

The life lesson I learned from McDuff was to get out and enjoy life to the fullest. Party hardy and have a good time.

I put McDuff down on Halloween, October 31, 2003. Each year my heart aches when I realize he won’t be sitting by the door eagerly awaiting the costumed kids. Then I remember what he taught me about life, and the sadness disappears. He’d want me to have fun and be a party animal, too.

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER ON FATHER'S DAY

2010-06-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

FATHER’S DAY BLOG – 6-20-10

COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER ON FATHER’S DAY

I cried when I watched the news reporting the coal mine explosion that killed 29 coal miners at the Upper Big Branch coal mine on April 5, 2010. There were tears of frustration. It brought back painful memories from childhood.

There were 600 safety violations in less than 18 months at the Upper Big Branch mine. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) cited in a newspaper article on April 25 that a “backlog” impedes enforcement of mining violations. That backlog is caused by the tactic used by the coal mine company owners who have their lawyers aggressively contest violations in order to thwart enforcement. And the few enforcements are set so low monetarily that it amounts to a slap on the wrist. Unfortunately for coal miners today, the coal barons of old, with the assistance of MSHA, still rule.

I was raised in a company house in Beeson Works, a coal company camp town near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. All nationalities, Russian, Greek, Swiss, Italian, Polish, African-American, and Czechoslovian, lived together in that tight-knit mining community. After a death in the mines, neighbors prepared food to feed the grieving families and relatives. They supported and comforted each other the same way the coal miners do today.

My dad, Fred Jones, loaded coal deep underground at the Kyle Mine in southwestern Pennsylvania in the 1940s and 1950s. He died in 1987 from Black Lung Disease. A tall, massive man withered away to skin & bones.

But when I was a pig-tailed little girl, he was my hero. Handsome, big, strong, courageous and known and loved by everyone. He taught me things that will always be instilled deep inside. Be on time, work hard, make your own way, pay your bills on time, never eat a meal without saying the blessing, and lend a helping hand. My love of animals came from him.

This Father’s Day I remember him with love and an abiding respect for all that he was and all that he passed on to me.

THE WORLD CUP, NKOSI JOHNSON, AND AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA

2010-06-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

The eyes of soccer lovers from around the world are on the players competing for dominance in a South African stadium. The World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. Are the viewers aware of another battle being fought in South Africa? This battle involves life and death.

We around the world recognize the names of great South Africans like Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but we don’t recognize the name of perhaps the bravest of all. Click on the link to learn of Nkosi Johnson, HIV-positive from birth, who died at the age of 12 in 2001. But not before he and his adoptive mother, Gail Johnson, founded Nkosi’s Haven, an orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa to look after mothers and their children infected with HIV/AIDS.

Nkosi changed the policies in his country that kept HIV-positive children out of public schools. He bravely challenged people to look at and change their fears of those infected with AIDS. In his speech to the 13th International AIDS Conference, this brave child standing alone on a stage finished by saying, “Care for us and accept us – we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else – don’t be afraid of us – we are all the same.”

Nelson Mandela referred to Nkosi as an “icon of the struggle for life.”

READING WITH ROVER

2010-06-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Steven graduated from high school on Tuesday. So what, you think. Lots of kids graduate from high school. What’s so special about Steven?

Steven was a chubby 5th grader with reading difficulties and self-esteem in the basement when he met McDuff and me through the Reading with Rover Program. His self-esteem soared when he went from a D average to the honor roll after reading to McDuff every Saturday morning for twelve weeks at the Paseo Verde Library. I write about Steven and McDuff in the chapter “Reading with McDuff” in my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog.

Therapy dog volunteers like Claire McAvoy with her adorable dog, Coco Chanel, members of Dog B.O.N.E.S., Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts, know the difference a therapy dog can make in a child’s life. They are impacting and changing lives in spectacular ways.

After Steven’s graduation ceremony, he hugged his mother, father and little sister. Then he walked over to me, put his arms around me in a big bear hug, and whispered in my ear, “This wouldn’t have happened without you and McDuff.”

Now you know why Steven’s graduation was special.

McDuff's Life Lesson

2010-06-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

I learned many valuable life lessons from my Scottish terrier therapy dog, McDuff, on our nine-year journey together. I write about them in my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog. The one that impacted my life the most is being of service to others.

McDuff lived and breathed to bring comfort and joy to the elderly, sick, disabled, and school kids with reading difficulties. When I picked up his brown leash for a walk, he perked up. When I picked up his red leash used for therapy dog visits, he was ecstatic and the only time that he submitted to the dreaded grooming without a fight. Even though during the brushing he ate more of the bacon-flavored toothpaste than got on his teeth, he didn’t resist. He knew he had to look spiffy and not offend anyone with doggie breath.

Therapy dog volunteers know the positive effect their dogs have on nursing home and assistant living facility residents, hospital patients, school children, and the many other places where therapy dogs are taken. I don’t have McDuff anymore, but I still volunteer. The life lesson that I learned from him is that you get back so much more than you give when you help others. Whether it’s at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals or Paseo Verde Library, I know that when I help others, I help myself. McDuff taught me well.

Life with McDuff Blogs

2010-06-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Annie of Desert Muse Publishing has motivated me to start blogging. There's no excuse for someone with the discipline it takes to write a book for two years who cannot compel herself to write a paragraph a few times a week. Another friend Linda Lou has taken blogging to an art form. She blogged her way across the country from Nevada to New York recently. If I blog about my Scottish terrier therapy dog, McDuff, I'll never run out of material. He was mystical, stubborn and hilarious enough for me to fill a book. Even though I put him down on Halloween morning, October 31, 2003, through my book, Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog, he is still with me.

Life with McDuff Book Club

2010-01-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to the first meeting of the book club in which Life with McDuff: Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog will be the first featured book. The Club was organized by Linda Smith and consists of Courtroom Clerks from the Clerk's Office of the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. I retired my position as Courtroom Clerk in December of 2006 to write Life with McDuff. Many of my colleagues supported and encouraged me throughout the writing process. My book launch in November was a joyous occasion shared by many friends and former colleagues. Writing is a lonely process. It helps to stay connected to positive people during the years it takes to write and publish a book.

I appreciate the fantastic feedback I've received from readers of the book. It's nice to know that Life with McDuff has touched so many people. Foreign independent bookstores worldwide have picked it up. It is one of the Top 5 Domestic & Pet Books at Borders in Melbourne, Australia, and a Featured Book at Borders.com in the United States.

Yoko of Tokyo, Japan comment after reading: "As I read page after page, I realize that the difference in nationality doesn’t matter, only individuals. I’ve learned a lot from Life with McDuff because I found a lot of common things in the story with only exception that I’ve never met a therapy dog or animals. The McDuff story is impressive, encouraging and inspiring!!"

McDuff is "still on the job."

Judy and McDuff: Soul Mates

2010-01-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

My story entered in the Angel Animal Network "Dogs and Women Who Love Them" True Story Contest was one of the second place winners chosen by Allen and Linda Anderson. The Grand Prize Winner was "K-9 Major, Unchained Fury" by Marilyn Walton. The other second place winners were "The Blessing of a Wheelchair-Bound Dachshund" by Barbara Techel; "Working Girl" by Teresa Ambord; "Euri, The Miracle Worker" by Bobbi Leder; "Buddha Boom!" by Sage Lewis; and "Miguel's Legacy" by Rosanne Nordstrom. It's an honor for "Judy and McDuff: Soul Mates" to be included in this winning group.