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October 22, 20<strong>10</strong> <strong>Clayton</strong> <strong>Pioneer</strong> • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11<br />
The tail tells the story – from excitement to anxiety<br />
guity. To tell which, look at the es a dog’s level of self-control. very tense will have a stiff tail, pounce or play bow. This is a tense and focused and not ready<br />
whole tail and not just the It’s similar to laughter. A fast with perhaps only the tip wag- dog that’s very excited and for petting. A happy dog not<br />
movement.<br />
wag is like the giggles, which can ging or an intermittent wag. It’s tense, evaluating whether the only loosely wags its tail at back<br />
The height of a dog’s tail happen during moments of the sign of a dog deciding what other dog is safe or not. If a dog height, he will also have a<br />
wag is an indicator of arousal. A extreme happiness but also dur- to do next. A tail that wags in has a low but quickly wagging relaxed body, squinty eyes and<br />
low wag, when the tail dips ing extreme nervousness. The sloppy sweeping motions shows tail during the greeting, he’s an open mouth, with the cor-<br />
below the dog’s back, indicates slower the tail wags, the more that a dog feels comfortable in nervous, unsure what to do and ners pulled back into an unmis-<br />
uncertainty -- perhaps at the aware the dog is of his environ- its environment.<br />
is waiting for the other dog to takable easy grin.<br />
approach of a distant figure or ment. When a dog is very Observing the combination act in order to decide on fight, It’s the same expression with<br />
ELENA BICKER<br />
PET PALS<br />
when going someplace new. A<br />
relaxed dog, wandering in for<br />
belly rubs, wags about level with<br />
its back. An excited dog seeing a<br />
squirrel or anticipating someone<br />
throwing a tennis ball has a high<br />
focused, while hunting or perceiving<br />
a potential for danger,<br />
for example, his tail might not<br />
wag at all. A dog whose tail is<br />
wagging wildly might be totally<br />
unaware as he smacks the furni-<br />
of all three factors gives a better<br />
picture of the meaning of the<br />
tail wag. For example, when a<br />
dog greets another dog with a<br />
high, stiffly wagging tail, expect<br />
sudden action – usually a<br />
flight or play.<br />
Looking at the whole dog,<br />
including the tail, is the best<br />
evaluation of a dog’s feelings. A<br />
dog with a rigid body, a closed<br />
mouth and a low wagging tail is<br />
which your best friend greets<br />
you at the front door.<br />
Elena Bicker is the Executive Director<br />
of Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue<br />
Foundation. She can be reached at (925)<br />
256-1ARF (1273)<br />
(above back level) wagging tail. ture or clears a coffee table.<br />
A high tail wag can also predict The stiffness of a dog’s tail<br />
extreme behavior such as charg- directly relates to the dog’s level<br />
ing rather than trotting or walk- of relaxation. The dog’s whole<br />
ing to greet.<br />
body usually corresponds with<br />
The rate of the wag express- the tail’s rigidity. A dog that is<br />
Wagging tails aren’t always a<br />
sign of joy.<br />
A wag expresses the many<br />
states of a dog’s mind and is as<br />
nuanced as a smile. It’s capable<br />
of expressing not only happiness,<br />
but also anxiety, confusion,<br />
mischief, excitement and ambi-<br />
Canine thwarts endangered<br />
escapee just yards from freedom<br />
NICCI SHIPSTEAD<br />
<strong>Clayton</strong> <strong>Pioneer</strong><br />
Laura Kelly’s dog Ryley<br />
always finds the biggest tree<br />
branch possible to carry home<br />
from a walk. So she was not surprised<br />
when the 5-year-old<br />
golden retriever dashed into the<br />
brush off the fire trail in<br />
Oakhurst and began snuffling<br />
around one day in mid-<br />
September.<br />
But this time, the treasure<br />
began to move. That is how<br />
Kelly’s companion became the<br />
first <strong>Clayton</strong> canine to rescue an<br />
endangered species – a desert<br />
tortoise.<br />
“The turtle went half way<br />
into his shell. It seemed a little<br />
startled, but then kind of<br />
friendly,” she said.<br />
Kelly picked up the <strong>10</strong>-inch<br />
diameter shell like a football and<br />
brought it home to her two<br />
boys, Nicholas, 5, and Brayden,<br />
3. They named the green, wrinkled<br />
prehistoric-looking creature<br />
Yoda in honor of the character<br />
in one of their favorite<br />
movies, “Star Wars.”<br />
“I thought he was a baby<br />
giant tortoise like we see at<br />
Marine World,” Kelly said. “The<br />
kids were all excited. We<br />
propped up a plastic swimming<br />
pool in the backyard and he<br />
went under there.”<br />
Kelly promptly called the<br />
Lindsay Wildlife Museum,<br />
researched a tortoise rescue<br />
group and called a couple of pet<br />
shops hoping to find a missing<br />
pet report. After about two<br />
hours, she assumed she would<br />
have the tortoise overnight. So<br />
she called Lindsay<br />
Rehabilitation Hospital again to<br />
<strong>Clayton</strong> Girl Scouts Casey<br />
Mitchell and Miranda Hansen<br />
of Troop 31895 are collecting<br />
pet supplies for Tony La<br />
Russa’s ARF at Pet Food<br />
find out how to care for it. This<br />
time, someone recalled a report<br />
from Aug. 5 regarding a missing<br />
tortoise from a neighboring<br />
street in <strong>Clayton</strong>.<br />
Kelly contacted the Marr<br />
family, who was excited to get<br />
their long-time family pet back.<br />
John Marr estimates the desert<br />
tortoise is more than 50 years<br />
old.<br />
John’s brother, Jim, was gifted<br />
Sugar at the age of 5 following<br />
good behavior at a dental<br />
exam. When the adult Jim’s<br />
home could not accommodate<br />
the pet with a projected lifespan<br />
of 80-<strong>10</strong>0 years, it moved to the<br />
mother’s home in Palo Alto –<br />
where it once escaped. When<br />
she moved to a retirement facility,<br />
Sugar moved to John’s home<br />
in <strong>Clayton</strong>.<br />
John’s 14-year-old son could<br />
not bear to call the reptile by its<br />
oh-so-sweet name and dubbed<br />
him Torti. While the Marrs<br />
Girl Scouts collect pet<br />
supplies for ARF<br />
Casey Mitchell and Miranda<br />
Hansen earn their Silver<br />
Award with ARF fundraiser.<br />
SUGAR, A 50-YEAR-OLD DESERT TORTOISE escaped from his <strong>Clayton</strong><br />
home in early August and was on the run until mid-September.<br />
The Kelly family’s golden retriever Ryley discovered Sugar while<br />
on his daily stick-hunt. Sugar is now home with his owners.<br />
Express, 5404 Ygnacio Valley<br />
Rd., Concord, from 11 a.m. to<br />
3 p.m., Nov. 6-7.<br />
Help the girls earn their Girl<br />
Scout Silver Award by donating<br />
cat and dog toys, treats, litter<br />
boxes and scoopers and pet<br />
toys. Customers who purchase<br />
an item to donate from Pet<br />
Food Express will receive a<br />
coupon for 20 percent off<br />
toward a future purchase. Their<br />
goal is to collect at least 75<br />
items to help ARF care for dogs<br />
and cats rescued from shelters.<br />
The Girl Scouts are also collecting<br />
gently used supplies<br />
including towels and blankets.<br />
Drop these donations off at<br />
Diablo View Middle School<br />
during the month of October.<br />
For more information, call<br />
Christine Mitchell (925) 348-3925.<br />
vacationed, Torti made his second<br />
escape on Aug. 2.<br />
“We searched for more than<br />
four weeks and posted signs<br />
around the neighborhood,” said<br />
Leslie Marr. “We didn’t want to<br />
tell Jim. But after six weeks, we<br />
were resigned he was gone and<br />
getting ready to tell him.”<br />
Then the Lindsay Wildlife<br />
Museum left a message reporting<br />
Torti had been found.<br />
“We had him checked by a<br />
local vet. He had an eye infection<br />
and scratches on his under<br />
shell,” Leslie reported.<br />
The Marrs had searched<br />
downhill, thinking Torti had<br />
gone in search of water.<br />
However, the tortoise rescue<br />
group Kelly contacted explained<br />
that they usually travel east.<br />
Kelly said that, in fact, the tortoise<br />
was headed uphill through<br />
tall, thick and stickery underbrush<br />
– or eastward.<br />
“I think he was headed to<br />
the top for the view,” Kelly said.<br />
“After planning his escape for<br />
more than 50 years, he’s found<br />
just yards from his destination<br />
by a young golden … it makes a<br />
good headline though,” she<br />
said.<br />
Western & English,<br />
Beginner to Advanced<br />
Aerial Parade and Motta are<br />
ARF’s Adoption Stars<br />
AERIAL PARADE<br />
One-year-old Aerial Parade<br />
is a flurry of life and activity.<br />
She is a bright, outgoing Basenji<br />
mix who will do best with an<br />
adopter who can provide daily<br />
activity to satisfy her mental and<br />
physical energy demands. Aerial<br />
Parade’s agility and intelligence<br />
will make training her a joy.<br />
View her video at<br />
youtube.com/tlrarf.<br />
The adoption fee for adult<br />
dogs is $225 and includes 60<br />
percent off one 7-week dog<br />
training session.<br />
Motta is a social butterfly<br />
who loves tons of attention.<br />
This friendly, playful Siamese<br />
would make a great addition to a<br />
busy family looking for an<br />
attentive companion. Threeyear-old<br />
Motta may enjoy kitten<br />
friends as well. She is suitable<br />
Private Riding Lessons -<br />
1/2 price lessons for Oct/Nov<br />
($32.50 reg $65)<br />
for a first time cat owner.<br />
The adoption fee for adult<br />
cats is $50.<br />
Meet your forever friend at<br />
Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue<br />
Foundation, 2890 Mitchell<br />
Drive, Walnut Creek, during<br />
adoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.<br />
Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5<br />
p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The<br />
primary caretaker must be present<br />
to adopt. ARF also encourages<br />
kids 16 and younger and<br />
canine family members (dog<br />
adoptions only) to be present<br />
during the adoption process.<br />
Would you like to be part of the<br />
heroic team that saves the lives of rescued<br />
dogs and cats? Can you share<br />
your talents to connect people and ani-<br />
MOVE IN SPECIAL<br />
$395/mo.<br />
for the first 3 months<br />
(Oct. through Dec.)<br />
925-360-7454 �� 3141 Morgan Territory Rd.<br />
earthquakearabians.com<br />
mals? ARF volunteers are making a<br />
difference! For more information see<br />
our website, www.arf.net, or call<br />
925.256.1ARF.<br />
MOTTA<br />
Extraordinary Care for your Pet<br />
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Come check us out<br />
25% off Boarding & Grooming services<br />
FREE Pick up & Delivery<br />
First time customers<br />
Must bring this ad. 1 per customer, exp. 12/31/20<strong>10</strong><br />
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(925) 432-PETS (7387)<br />
671 Willow Pass Road #6, Pittsburg<br />
visit our website at www.PetSuitesInn.com<br />
State of the Art,<br />
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