Scott

I agree with your idea of companion dogs for PWP.  I just hate it that I 
can't walk Spike.  I did when I first got him in 2000, but he never caught 
onto lifting his leg to pee on the walk, so I gave up.  Now I can't walk him 
at all.  When I first moved here in late 2004 I tried with my walker and 
fell in the rain.

I always preferred large dogs, but the small ones are easier to pick up 
after.  He has a doggy door with drapes to match the living room drapes and 
goes in and out to the back yard as he pleases.   In the laundry room he has 
a feeding station and plenty of water.  My CG handles this but I give him 
treats for breakfast and dental chews.

I can't stand losing a dog, and I'm afraid Spike will have to be my last 
one.   My caregiver helps me with him - vet visits, ear medication, poop 
pickups, etc.  Kathy loves dogs, so I am fortunate, as even a small dog  is 
hard for me to care for.

Ray

Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
[log in to unmask]

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Scott E Antes" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:13 PM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: For Dog Lovers Only

> Anyone who's lived with (good) dogs as long as we have, Ray, would never 
> for a second question their intelligence, would we?  One reason (of many) 
> our late Sparky is sorely missed is the fact that he seemed to know 
> whenever Laureen needed help getting up out a chair.  We did not teach him 
> this, but he would immediately run over to her chair, sit close with his 
> back to her, so she could grab hold of his collar and pull herself up. 
> Bandit (his brother and littermate) will do the same, but only when 
> called.  Smart dogs.  Strong dogs.  Willy is still a puppy, so the verdict 
> is still out on him.  He might turn out to be the brightest of them all. 
> Every PWP, in my opinion, would benefit from a good dog for a companion.
>
> (When I say, "good" dogs, I mean well-behaved dogs.)
>
> Note: Our dogs are large dogs, and need walking twice a day.  (They'd 
> prefer even more.)  Laureen cannot do that.  I do it, and when I'm laid 
> up, we call one of the neighbor kids.  I'm not suggesting everyone on this 
> list get a large dog!  We just happen to like the bigger guys--for now. 
> I can see our canine buddies getting smaller and smaller, over time.  If 
> our two big guys wanted to get away from me (Bandit is 80 lbs, Willy is 50 
> lbs and still growing), I'd have to let them go or get dragged off and 
> wind up the wishing I'd let them go.  Yes, I do speak from experience. 
> Scott
>
> Scott E. Antes
> Northern Arizona University
> Department of Anthropology
> PO Box 15200
> Flagstaff, AZ 86011
> ________________________________________
> From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network 
> [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of rayilynlee 
> [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:39 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: For Dog Lovers Only
>
> Dogs' Intelligence On Par With Two-year-old Human, Canine Researcher Says
> ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2009) - Although you wouldn't want one to balance
> your checkbook, dogs can count.
>
> They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive 
> other
> dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading 
> canine
> researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. He
> spoke Saturday on the topic "How Dogs Think" at the American Psychological
> Association's 117th Annual Convention.
>
> Coren, author of more than a half-dozen popular books on dogs and dog
> behavior, has reviewed numerous studies to conclude that dogs have the
> ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other 
> higher
> primates than previously thought.
>
> "We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to
> understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that]
> Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren said in an interview. "Their stunning
> flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be
> Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."
>
> According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental 
> abilities
> are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years.
> The intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog's breed
> determines some of these differences, Coren says. "There are three types 
> of
> dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how
> well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working 
> and
> obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')."
>
> Data from 208 dog obedience judges from the United States and Canada 
> showed
> the differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds,
> according to Coren. "Border collies are number one; poodles are second,
> followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers;
> fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador
> retrievers," said Coren.
>
> As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, 
> and
> the "super dogs" (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can 
> learn
> 250 words, Coren says. "The upper limit of dogs' ability to learn language
> is partly based on a study of a border collie named Rico who showed
> knowledge of 200 spoken words and demonstrated 'fast-track learning,' 
> which
> scientists believed to be found only in humans and language learning 
> apes,"
> Coren said.
>
> Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic
> understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations,
> such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.
>
> Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by 
> modeling
> human or other dogs' behavior using a barrier type problem. Through
> observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items
> (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favorite
> chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) 
> and
> the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening 
> to
> people speak and watching their actions).
>
> During play, dogs are capable of deliberately trying to deceive other dogs
> and people in order to get rewards, said Coren. "And they are nearly as
> successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs."
>
> Adapted from materials provided by American Psychological Association, via
> EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
>
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
>
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