Shelter Dogs

by Peg Kehret

  The North American Flyball Association, Inc. (NAFA) was formed in 1985 and adopted specific rules for Flyball competitions. For example, the jump heights must be set at four inches below the shoulders of the shortest dog competing, with the lowest hurdle eight inches. So the jumps for one team might not be the same height as the jumps of the opposing team. It all depends on the sizes of the dogs who are running. For this reason, most teams like to include at least one short dog.

  Tracker

  MOVIE-STAR DOG

  Professional animal trainer Anne Gordon works with her movie-star dog, Tracker, who stands on his “mark” for lights, camera, and action at Anne’s ranch outside Duvall, Washington.

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  TRACKER BEGAN LIFE as an unwanted puppy. Along with his eleven brothers and sisters, he was left at the Humane Society before he was old enough to be separated from his mother.

  When this happens, the Humane Society places the puppies in foster homes with volunteers who will give them the extra care and attention (often including middle-of-the-night feedings) that such young animals need. The volunteers take the place of the mother dog.

  Animals who go to foster homes as babies are often especially loving and gentle as adults. Because they receive lots of affection and tender care at an early age, they give great love in return. Pups who are left alone and not handled regularly do not learn to enjoy human companionship.

  Tracker is a mixed-breed dog—probably part collie and perhaps part German shepherd or Akita. Perhaps. It’s hard to tell for sure, and the people who brought the puppies in did not know or care. Tracker has a face like a collie’s, with a long snout and expressive eyes. He has smooth white fur with a few large brown spots. A long, waving tail and one ear that flops over at the tip give him a distinctive look.

  Whatever his breed, he got along well in foster care, and when he was old enough to be adopted, he was returned to the Humane Society. That’s where he was at the age of eight weeks when Anne Gordon found him.

  Anne is an animal trainer. With a college degree in biology and a minor in animal behavior, plus three years’ experience as a zookeeper at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, Anne started her own company: Anne’s Animal Actors. She trains wild and domestic animals of all kinds and prepares them to act in television shows, commercial productions, and movies. They also model for magazine and newspaper ads.

  By the time she found Tracker, Anne was well known and highly sought after. Her credits included the movies Homeward Bound, Free Willie 2, The Good Son, Home for the Holidays, and the television series Rescue 911.

  Anne did not need another dog, but when she saw Tracker she was so taken by his good looks and eager-to-please personality that she decided to give him a home.

  Anne had adopted other dogs and cats from the Seattle/King County Humane Society. She had also adopted animals from the Portland, Oregon, Humane Society and from the shelters of other animal welfare agencies. All became part of her business and members of her family.

  Tracker went to Anne’s home, deep in the woods in northern Washington State, where her other animal actors also live. Home for Anne Gordon and her four-legged friends is not merely a house. It is wooded acreage where each animal’s needs are met.

  Four wolves live in a half-acre of fenced forest. A pair of beavers, one male and one female, have side-by-side pens, each complete with its own swimming tub. When Anne bought these beavers from a fur farm, she saved their lives.

  Two red foxes run to the fence to greet Anne whenever they see her coming. A pair of mule deer, veteran actors with many credits, have an entire fenced acre of woods all to themselves. Two raccoons, who were found orphaned as babies, amble about in their special enclosure.

  The dog kennel contains a variety of mixed-breed dogs, each with its own spacious run and snug doghouse. When Anne walks to the kennel, every dog rushes to lick her hand. Each gets a turn to be out of the kennel every day, galloping around Anne’s property. And they receive ongoing training to keep their acting skills sharp. Anne’s assistants help care for and train the animals, and they take over for Anne when she is away.

  At first Tracker lived inside Anne’s house so she could bond with him and socialize him. The raccoons were babies then, and Tracker happily tolerated them as they climbed on his back and tried to play with his tail. This interaction was important because an animal actor must be able to get along with other animals of all kinds.

  Anne began working with Tracker every day, teaching him all the basic obedience commands such as sit and stay. All of Anne’s training is done with hand signals rather than voice commands so that she can direct her animals while they are being filmed.

  When Tracker had mastered basic obedience, he began to accompany Anne when she took other animals on location. He watched while other dogs acted in films or got their pictures taken for magazines.

  By going along at a young age, Tracker got used to the bright lights and noise and people. He learned to pay attention only to Anne’s commands and not be distracted by anything else that was going on around him.

  Tracker proved to be a quick learner who loved to go to work with Anne. Soon he auditioned for his own first part and got it.

  Tracker’s first acting job was in a television commercial for the Oregon State Lottery. Anne drove him to Portland, where the commercial was filmed. Tracker’s part was not difficult: he had to lie on the floor with his head down, next to a woman in a chair. Then, when Anne gave the signal, Tracker was supposed to lift his head and perk up his ears as if something exciting had happened.

  Tracker performed flawlessly. Anne knew he was a fine actor. She continued to teach him new commands and included agility training in his lessons.

  In agility training, Tracker learned to go through tunnels, climb ladders, walk on elevated walks, and do a variety of jumps. Agility training is good for film work because it gives a dog confidence. Tracker seemed to like practicing these new skills.

  A few months after Tracker made the lottery commercial, a movie producer contacted Anne. His company, The Edge Productions, planned to make a feature film based on the book Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawles. There was a major role for a dog.

  Whenever Anne is asked to provide animal actors, she first figures out exactly what the animal will be required to do. She reads the script and has the director fax her storyboards that spell out specific behavior for each scene. She also talks to the director by phone, to be certain there is no misunderstanding.

  After Anne read Summer of the Monkeys, she knew that several of her dogs had the skills to play the part of the hound dog in the movie. Although the dog’s role was important, it did not require doing any unusual or sophisticated tricks.

  She sent the movie’s director photos of the dogs who she felt could handle the role. She included Tracker. After seeing the photos, the director wanted to watch the dogs in action, so Anne made a video and sent that.

  The directo liked Tracker’s unusual looks and the natural way he acted on screen. The decision was made: Tracker had his first part in a movie! He was two years old.

  Four chimpanzees were also scheduled to work in this movie, so the first step was to make sure Tracker would get along with them. Although he was used to a wide variety of animals at Anne’s house, he had never seen a chimpanzee.

  Tracker and Anne flew to Sacramento, California, where the chimps lived. While Anne sat with Tracker, the owner of the chimps carried the youngest one, a two-year-old, into the room. He sat holding the little chimp while Anne stayed with Tracker. The chimp and the dog looked at each other. Tracker’s tail wagged. The chimp leaned toward him. Clearly, the animals were curious, and each wanted to go closer to the other.

  The two owners cautiously allowed the animals to approach each other. Soon the baby chimp was hanging on Tracker’s tail and then sitting on his back. Tracker appeared to enjoy the fun as much as the chimp did.

  One by one, the older chimps were also introduced. Tracker got along fine with all
of them. He and Anne flew back home, where Anne spent the next six weeks preparing Tracker to do his role.

  Because Tracker’s role required a lot of running, Anne needed a second dog to act as his double. This was in case they had to shoot some of the running scenes over and over. She did not want Tracker to get too tired, and she had no way to control how many times the scenes would need to be repeated.

  It was not easy to find another dog who looked even remotely like Tracker. With his thoroughly mixed heritage, he has a one-of-a-kind appearance, which is what attracted the movie’s director in the first place.

  After a lengthy search, Anne finally borrowed a dog named Scooter from a friend. Scooter had been adopted from the Oregon Humane Society in Portland where Anne’s friend worked.

  Scooter closely matched Tracker in size and shape, and the coloring on her face was similar. Best of all, she had received both obedience and agility training. With natural vegetable dyes, Scooter’s fur was darkened in places to make her look more like Tracker.

  Anne, the two dogs, and an assistant trainer drove from Seattle to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in Canada, where the movie was to be filmed. They settled into a lakeside cabin that had been rented for them. The next day they drove past wheat and canola fields to the studio.

  Tracker met Corey Sevier, the boy who would play the lead role in Summer of the Monkeys. Corey also had acted in the television series Lassie, so he was experienced at working with a dog.

  Six chimps were on location to play the four chimps in the film. Just as Tracker needed a double to be sure he did not get overtired, the chimps had extra help, too. Anne and the owner of the chimps did not want to harm their animal friends. The American Humane Association also watches out for the welfare of all animal actors while they are at work on a movie or TV set.

  For an animal, the hardest part of acting is to concentrate only on the trainer. This is especially difficult when more than one animal is in a project.

  Tracker had several scenes with the chimps. He had to watch Anne and obey her signals without getting distracted by the chimps. They were nearby with their trainer, who was also giving them hand signals.

  After six weeks of rehearsal, the filming began. All went smoothly until the scene which required a chimp to run out of the woods toward the camera. A few seconds later, Tracker was to chase the chimp. The chimp was supposed to look scared of the dog and run away as fast as he could.

  The cameras rolled. The chimp was released. The chimp’s trainer stood behind the camera, giving the hand signal to the chimp for him to come. The chimp obeyed and ran toward the camera—until Tracker was released behind him.

  As soon as the chimp heard Tracker running after him, he stopped and waited for his friend. Dog and chimp then tore around in circles, playing happily with each other!

  It took several retakes before the scene captured on film looked as if the chimp, terrified, was running from the dog.

  Twice, the filming of scenes where Tracker had to run for a long distance had to be repeated so many times that Anne called for Scooter to take Tracker’s place while Tracker rested.

  When the filming ended, Scooter went home to Portland, and Tracker and Anne returned to their woodland home. Tracker seemed glad to see all the other animals again. He got a well-earned rest while he waited for the next call for an animal actor with his special looks and skills.

  Tracker began life unwanted and unloved, as do far too many puppies. Every animal shelter staff member has heard the words, “I can’t find homes for them all” hundreds of times.

  Luckily for Tracker, he was taken to the Humane Society, where volunteer foster parents open their homes and hearts to puppies who are too young to be adopted. Because Tracker’s foster parents held him, petted him, and kept him warm and fed, he developed into a happy, sociable puppy who liked people and was trainable.

  Now Tracker is a movie star with a loving trainer, unusual animal friends, and a long career ahead of him.

  About the American Humane Association

  Whenever an animal is used in a movie or on television, the American Humane Association (AHA) has a trained person on the set to oversee the animal’s safety and well-being. The purpose is to be sure that no animal is killed or harmed for the sake of entertainment.

  The Screen Actors’ Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have an agreement that, when animals are used in a film, the AHA must be sent a script before filming starts. The AHA then helps figure out ways to shoot the scenes while protecting both the animals and the actors.

  The filmmakers are provided with a list of tips on how to protect animals. Producers who follow the AHA’s strict guidelines have the right to run a notice at the end of the film stating that no animals were harmed during production.

  Sometimes there are scenes that look as if an animal is being hurt, but in reality the animal is computer-generated.

  The American Humane Association was established in 1877. It began working to protect animals in films and TV shows in 1940, after a horse was deliberately killed during the filming of a movie. The AHA now has twenty-five trained staff members who monitor the use of animals in movie, television, and commercial productions.

  Each year, the first week of May is “Be Kind to Animals Week,” an event started by AHA in 1916. As part of this effort, AHA sponsors the Be Kind to Animals Kid Award, recognizing children who have demonstrated outstanding acts of kindness toward animals. For more information, contact:

  The American Humane Association

  63 Inverness Drive East

  Englewood CO

  80112-5117

  You can visit AHA on the Internet at:

  www.amerhumane.org

  Kirby

  ONE WORD SAVED A LIFE

  Kirby enjoys his favorite activity: going for a walk with his owners, Nita Baker and Helen Hughes, and their other dog, Sonny. Humane Society vet Dr. Bill Larson comes along.

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  FOR A LONG TIME, Kirby lived happily with his elderly owner. Then Kirby’s owner became very sick. By the time he got to the hospital, he was too ill to tell anyone that his little dog was home alone.

  Kirby, a small tan-colored terrier mix, wandered through his home, looking for his owner. He could not get outside to relieve himself, yet he had been taught not to go in the house. Why didn’t his owner come to take him for a walk? He became more and more uncomfortable and nervous. Finally, he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to relieve himself indoors.

  A day and a night went by. No one came to feed him and his stomach hurt from hunger. Where was his dinner? Where was his owner? Kirby licked the last of the water from his bowl.

  Another day and another night passed. Still no one came. Now Kirby paced anxiously, becoming more and more fearful.

  In the hospital, Kirby’s owner grew even sicker.

  Kirby waited, alone and afraid.

  His owner died.

  After six long days, two social workers went to the home and found the little dog. A neighbor told them his name.

  By then Kirby had suffered so much physical discomfort and emotional stress that he didn’t trust anyone. He snarled and snapped. The social workers threw a blanket on him and tried to pick him up. He bit them both.

  Eventually they managed to get him into a small carrier and took him to the Humane Society. The social workers, still bleeding, were glad to get rid of him.

  All dogs who arrive at the Humane Society are checked by the veterinary staff, but Kirby was too upset to be handled. He growled and refused to come out of the carrier. The staff tried hard to calm Kirby and coax him out, but they failed.

  Dr. Bill Larson, the veterinarian on duty, estimated that Kirby was about five years old.

  Still in the carrier, Kirby was taken to the quiet hospital kennels, where animals are kept until they are well enough to be put up for adoption. Most of the animals in the hospital ward have a physical illness. Kirby’s problem was emotional.

  Kirby�
��s carrier was put in a private kennel, and the door to the carrier was left open. Dr. Larson and the rest of the Humane Society staff hoped that plenty of food, water, and love would help Kirby heal from his terrible ordeal.

  But Kirby seemed unable to forget his terror; he refused all efforts to comfort him. He stayed in the small carrier, growling and snapping when anyone approached. Each time fresh food was brought, Kirby cowered and bared his fangs. People had let Kirby down, and he apparently wanted nothing more to do with any human.

  When Kirby arrived, Nita Baker was the senior veterinary technician at the Humane Society. After ten years there, she had a talent for calming the most ferocious dogs, and she had often succeeded with dogs who had not responded well to other people. She decided to give Kirby some special attention.

  Several times each day, Nita approached Kirby’s kennel. When she tried to let Kirby sniff her hand, he retreated, huddling in the corner of the carrier and growling. She took him tasty dog treats; Kirby growled at her. She spoke softly and told him what a wonderful dog he was; Kirby snapped at her. When she tried to pet him, Kirby bared his teeth and Nita had to back away. No matter how hard Nita tried, nothing worked.

  Clearly, Kirby was miserable. He was a beautiful little dog who looked as if he had once been loved and cared for; everyone hoped that they could somehow break through his distrust.

  Nita kept trying for four days, and so did the rest of the staff, including Dr. Larson and Nita’s friend, Helen Hughes, who worked in the adoption center. Kirby stayed fearful and unapproachable.

  The saddest decision that the Humane Society staff must make is the decision to end an animal’s life. But they know that a dog who snaps and snarls at everyone who comes near him cannot be put up for adoption. And it was obvious that the unhappy little terrier no longer enjoyed his life.