The Celtic Dog

Below is a very sad story, the kind that happens every day in shelters all around this country as well...

( A good dog with no one to speak for him... )

I apologize for not updating in a more frequent fashion. Life (and the business) got away from me for a bit... I've had this particular entry on hold for a while and thought I would complete it and get it up for your review (and look somewhat productive on a Saturday). Thank you, all, for your patience.

And "Welcome!" to the new readers!

( How to Pick a Dog Trainer )

The shelter in Vincennes, Indiana is full and they are beginning to euthanize dogs who can be placed. Ruff Life has connections with this shelter and is trying to organize some kind of rescue effort for the adoptable dogs scheduled for euthanasia.

( cut )

Apparently, Ruff Life posted an add on Craigslist to try and get a dog into a home.

Their ad was flagged and they have since received rude e-mails from various people on Craigslist.

In response, they have posted this response. Which, in case it gets deleted again from Craigslist reads as follows:

( cut for length )

This is Apollo:






Apollo has recently come to a local rescue as a result of neglect and abuse and is in need of sponsors for his medical care and, more importantly, a foster home. If you are in the Delaware, Pennsylvania or Maryland area (or know of someone who is in that area) and can give young Master Apollo a foster home or would like to donate money toward his care, please contact me at thecelticdog[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thank you!

A mass euthanasia for space was scheduled at a shelter in Rowan, Kentucky for this morning... We were able to get enough dogs out that the euthanasia was cancelled (save for seven severely aggressive dogs). But others are still there to be rescued.

Please read the e-mail below and, if you can help either via a donation to the rescues involved, assistance with transportation between Kentucky and Maryland or if you are in the area of either Rowan, Kentucky or Rising Sun, Maryland and can offer a foster home (or know of someone who can offer a foster home), please contact me at thecelticdog[at]gmail[dot]com.

( From the original emergency alert from last night: )

Ruff-Life Rescue is looking for sponsors to help out the following puppies who are desperately in need of care:


Prince, 8 weeks old



Prince was pulled from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky and is in desperate need of medical care and a loving home. He is now in foster care and will soon be coming up to Maryland, but sponsorship is still needed for his veterinary and rehabilitative care costs. (A portion of Prince's medical bills has been sponsored by The Celtic Dog and we have promised free lifelong training for him and his adopters once he finds a forever home.)


The Jackson 5, 3 weeks old



These are five 3-week old puppies found dumped by the side of the road before a good Samaritan picked them up and took them to a local vet. Ruff-life is seeking sponsorship to cover their formula and medical costs until they are old enough to be transported to the rescue. Sponsorship is also being sought for their Mom, who was found a short time later, not far from where the litter was discovered.


If you can spare a few cents, even, for the care of these little guys, it will go a long way - those who work in rescue have learned the art of making money go further than many of us could ever imagine.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these little guys, go to www.ruff-life.petfinder.com or click on any of the links above. Businesses who sponsor one of these pups will be mentioned in the Ruff-Life newsletter and will be featured on their website.

It's been a while since I posted here... Things have been a bit busy - I'm leaving my current full-time job for an abbreviated schedule at another firm closer to home so that I can get my business off the ground... The Celtic Dog, LLC is now open for business and serving the training needs of the Delaware Valley.

So that hasn't left a whole lot of time for blogging, unfortunately.

However, in the near future, I will be posting rescue requests, emergency rescue information, and foster/sponsorship requests for rescue animals in the Delaware, Pennsyvlania and Maryland area. Why? Because these are the animals I'm dedicated to serving and this is a platform to get the information out to a larger area.

It's that simple.

Case Study#2

Dogs: 3-year old, intact, male Border Collie (Daedra) and 16-month old, intact, male Golden Retriever (Vivec). They live with A., who is a 20-year old female, and are highly active. They are free fed and exercised often.

Problem: “This has been an issue since Vivec (the golden retriever) reached his full size. I'm certain this is territorial - as they're both males and such - but I don't understand where it's coming from. Daedra (border collie) never acts this way in public, and never to any other dog. He only reacts like this, at home (not even in the car), to Vivec. However, Vivec is highly submissive towards him - even before this happened. I hold Daedra in a higher place than Vivec since I've read this helps since it displays he is the boss after me - Daedra is fed first, given treats first, given toys first, etc. Only once has this seemed to be related to Daedra wanting something Vivec had - and it wasn't even exactly that.

To go into that situation, Vivec was standing between my legs while I was filling up both dogs' bowls of food, and Daedra came from no where (he was originally across the yard) and attacked him. He ended up ripping off part of Vivec's ear.

Other times, it has been completely random. Vivec would be doing nothing in particular and out of no where Daedra would attack. One such case was that Vivec was laying underneath one of our cars, cooling off, and Daedra zooms up from the other end of the yard and randomly attacks him.

Daedra has only displayed aggression towards one other dog - a male chow chow the neighbors had that snapped at me. He has snapped at our terrier mix, but once again, this was after the terrier had bitten me and I screamed/squealed. The terrier can walk up and take something out of Daedra's mouth with no aggression, not even a more strict posture. Vivec can, rarely, get close to Daedra - with or without something - before Daedra has his tail up, hackles raised, and snarling.”

( Inter-household Dog-Dog Aggression )

I am in the process of writing an entry on how to select a dog trainer (particularly with respect to those instances in which you have a serious issue) and the various levels of certification for dog trainers, but I'm being a bit lazy this evening and thought I would open the floor to all of you (and to those you may send over here to throw in an idea as well)...

What kinds of things would you like to see discussed here? What kinds of issues/questions do you have? Would you like to hear about various training methods and trainers (and my very unpopular opinion on Cesar Milan)?

This blog is, in truth, to help you find the answers to questions you might have, so please feel free to make suggestions!

Case Study #1

Dog: 2 year old, male, unneutered Shiba Inu named Kitsune. Kitsune lives in a house with Liz, her husband, and their 2 year old son, along with a cat, a parrot and a collection of hamsters and snakes. Liz has had Kitsune since he was 12 weeks old and has worked on various training issues with him.

Problem: “The dog is urinating into the covered cat litter box. Do you think he is doing this to mark territory, as a dominance thing, or because it already smells like a bathroom? I haven't ever caught him at it, but I'm not sure if I want to condone the practice as I'm afraid it might lead to urinating other places in the house…

He mounts the cat at least once a day. He seems to have dominance issues with the cat - the mounting, he constantly harasses the cat, but if the cat is eating or drinking (I noticed this one day when the cat was drinking and the dog really wanted a drink at the same time) the dog will not challenge him. The cat actually was eating dog food one day and the dog would not assert himself to reclaim his food, which was a bit surprising to me considering how often he mounts the cat. (The cat would growl at the dog if he came near, the dog would back off.) I had to remove the cat from the dog food so that the dog could eat.”

( The Mystery of the Cat Box... )

The following are books I find integral to a good trainer’s library… Many of mine are dog-eared (pun completely intended) and worn and I go back to them time and time again.

The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.

Bones Would Rain From the Sky by Suzanne Clothier

The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Dr. Nicholas Dodman

Dogs Behaving Badly by Dr. Nicholas Dodman

The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

Dogs are From Neptune by Jean Donaldson

The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller

The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren

How Dogs Think by Stanley Coren

Dogs Won't Bite When a Growl Will Do by Mark Weinstein and Luke Barber

On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas



Dog owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by James M. Giffin, Liisa Carlson, Delbert G. Carlson

Welcome to The Celtic Dog – a blog covering life with our canine companions, training issues, and issues of note regarding our four-footed friends.

( So, for the questions I’m sure you’ll be asking… )