Having lunch 'out'

Recently I was walking with my horse and a friend in the woods. My friend had her phone video, and she recorded some of our activities, allowing me to share this one with you.

My horse is fed at the same time each day, and I was hurrying to get us back to the paddock on time. My horse wanted to stay to graze a bit at a meadow we crossed. I told her it was time for her to be fed and we needed to get back on time. She is probably acutely aware of this anyway, and further, we were directly behind the paddock in which she was to be fed. We were behind it, but could not get in without walking about two tenths of a mile to return to the gate. Knowing my horse could easily catch up, I strode on. Agnes went ahead and was able to videotape my horse running from the pasture to rejoin us. She passed me by, and seemed to be a bit excited – perhaps even from hearing the caretaker approach the other horses to feed.

I praised her for coming with us, but she passed right by. She seemed to slow down to regroup, but my dog suddenly ran out right by my horse’s legs – a favorite feint for my cattledog cross. This seemed to startle the horse, and she dashed off again – but only for a moment. She soon slowed her trot to a walk, circled, and awaited me. When we were rejoined, we continued to the paddock for feeding time.

My horse and I don’t like to be separated. If I walk ahead of her, she soon comes running up from behind. But, I am also at unease. If I don’t see her right away, I usually turn back and make sure there is no problem. On this occasion, I was stricken with the fact that she didn’t run straight back to be fed. Even though it was time. Even though we were travelling toward that end. Even though she was already running. Even though the dog spooked her (not a lot, but still…). Even though she was totally free to run away. Even though she had passed me at a good clip already. Nonetheless, once she caught us, she turned and awaited our company.

I thought of all the barn-sour horses I rode as a child – all the cases where the horses desire to be back at home was greater than any desire to be with me – greater than any care for me or my safety. My horse has shown again and again that she will wait if something happens to me. She will wait even if food is calling her. I think that this kind of friendship – this elastic, unbreakable bond, is what many animal lovers really crave with their companion animals. I think, if people only knew how easy and fun it is to develop a bond with an animal that draws them to us with a strength greater than their love for food, surely EVERYONE would want to develop such a bond. I want such a bond! So, why have I been letting it lapse?

This past year, life has been especially challenging and I had let my relationship with this wonderful horse slip. By spending good time together and intertwining our lives more again, I am relieved to see she forgives my lapses and is still invested in our friendship, as am I.

Not to mention, I love walking in the woods together!

Butter would not melt in this mouth ... think again!

Hard to believe this little face would ever inflict harm.

Believe it!

Even a small dog can be dangerous when aroused. All dogs need to learn to be calm, coping and in command of themselves. We will be offering an online class in coping with dog arousal. Sign up for the newsletter if you want to be one of the first to participate.

A sign-up form will be added shortly, for now, please drop us a message with the Contact Form, letting us know your interested. Thanks!

This dog’s owner had invested a lot of time and energy trying to solve the issues of arousal and aggression with this, and his other, dogs. He had been struggling with this for two years, with little in the way of progress. It was serious – one dog was virtually blind due to a punctured eyeball and a detached retina, when one of the other family dogs redirected toward him. Yet this dog persisted in getting into altercations with the other dogs!

However we made a lot of progress in four days, with the Terminal & Intermediate Bridge, Conditioned Relaxation, Cycles, and Name & Explain. You can learn all about these powerful tools through Kayce Cover and the Syn Alia Training community.

Enjoy this before and after video!

What I love is that the dogs now really ‘get’ the whole issue of self
management, and they are taking control of themselves, even in really
challenging confrontations. Excellent, and exactly the point – we want to arm
the dogs with skills for success.

Outstanding job, everyone!!!

If you have any trouble with the above player, please click here to play it in a different player or to download a Mp3 version.

Julie Kinsey is the official trainer for Rounder’s Ruffians, a top breeder of American Staffordshire Terriers. She’s highly respected by other trainers, especially in the obedience circles, and has put at least 28 titles on 10 different dogs – 8 of them American Staffordshire Terriers (AST’s). These intelligent, passionate, challenging dogs are the focus of great controversy. Insurance carriers won’t insure homes that have them. They were banned in the Netherlands, and multiple US cities. The news is telling us, again and again, about savage attacks perpetrated by ‘pit bulls’. Join us as we talk about these issues and more. Join us in support of the responsible ownership of the dog of your choice – whatever choice that is.

Shown: Julie Kinsey and Rounder’s Etta Jane CD RN

More information on Rounder’s Ruffians Please Click Here.

Contact for Julie Kinsey: minionw@hotmail.com

Julie gives open classes on Wednesdays and Fridays in Houston, Texas. Julie is a certified SATS Level I-III trainer.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2012. I had a great 2011 and accomplished many things. It’s been a year of change as I’ve moved more and more projects into the digital world. For example I now am producing podcasts which you can come and listed to or download right here on my Synalia site. I recently updated by my facebook pages, which I would encourage you to join me on. My main business page is: http://www.facebook.com/SynAlia and my personal facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/kaycecover. Please join me on both pages so we can stay in touch.

Welcome to our Holiday Tips and Talk Newsletter

I recently went out to check my horse’s eye, and to remove the rest of the stitches.  A few days previously there were at least 5 left.  Although the stitches were made with dissolving sutures, the vet did not expect them to dissolve, because of the thinness of the tissue of the eyelid.  I had the camera set up to record her eye condition to share with the vet.   I was truly surprised to see the scab and all the stitches absolutely gone, and the eye looking clean and well.  (See Eye of the Beholder III to compare)

Many thanks to Dr. Dustin Crist, of Coastal Equine Veterinary Group, for his great work and the care he has given my horse.

   

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One year, my monkey played a part in the Christmas opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, a story of the miraculous healing of the boy, Amahl, when he helped the three kings to find Jesus.

My monkey was involved in a different kind of Christmas miracle.

Each night I had to check in with this richly dressed, three-pound monkey, 23 inches long from head to the tip of her tail.  When her music cue sounded, I handed her off to an actor, and talked to the stagehands while I awaited her return.  One night they told me about the last time there had been a live monkey in a performance at the Kennedy Center.  It was back when stage scenery was lowered into place, and then lifted for scene changes, with the help of huge sand bag counterweights.  The monkey, which weighed around twenty pounds, got loose and started jumping into the scenery panels.  From there, he swang onto the sandbags, chaotically lifting and lowering scenery panels during the performance.  Some he dropped, with resounding thuds and crashes.  Some he ripped.  One or two escaped damage, as he careened from the back stage area to the main theater work area.  He was said to have gotten loose outside, with possible help from a stagehand who opened a door.

“We couldn’t believe they would let another monkey in here!” the stagehand declared.

I felt the call to reassure. I explained why this would not happen again – why this could not happen this time.   We had engineered success into this venture.  We had secured the monkey.

In the story, the monkey was owned by one of the three kings, wearing silver and gold and fake leopard skins, just like him.  She was carried by his slave, a young actor who was very preoccupied by his part and duties in this grand opera performed at the Kennedy Center.  The monkey was on a leash that had one of those plunger connectors.  The plunger connector secured the monkey to the actor when it was pushed into a socket sewed onto his costume.  This way, he did not have to use his hands and hold onto her leash, and possibly, accidentally, let her go loose in the theater.  Another socket was attached to a basket on stage.  The basket held a comfy bed.  Once the slave marched on stage, he disconnected the monkey from his costume and connected her to the basket.  From the basket, she would regard the audience, flirt with the actors, and generally do her part to make the production something very special.  And, no one needed to watch over her because she was safely attached to this large, unmovable basket.  Elegant idea, no?

No!  I mean it was, until the unthinkable happened.  The plunger connector broke.  And the slave, not used to paying any attention to the monkey, continued to pay no attention to the monkey.  He marched her onstage, straight to the basket.  He extended his arm and she gracefully danced down his arm and into her basket bed.  Then he left.  He left without even tying her into the basket.

“Ai-yi-yi!”  One of the stagehands hissed at me, back stage.  “Your monkey is loose!”

“It just looks that way.  See. She is attached to that basket with a leash. ”

“Then why is she climbing on the fireplace?”

So I prayed the emergency short prayer:  “Oh my God!”  Then I ran to the entrance to the audience side.

I saw a little monkey, climbing happily all over the fireplace.  She rearranged the mantle.  She checked out the taste of the fake fruit.  She checked out the taste of the sulphur heads of the long matches.  She chittered at the young boy who was the star of the show.  They adored one another and she seemed puzzled that he didn’t stop to talk to her now.   Although young, he was professional, and showed but a hint of surprise when he saw she was loose.

The audience also noted that the monkey was loose.  They did not seem to think that was strange.  But, being loose, she was much more active and distracting than normally, and they laughed a little more than normally.  She became a bit restless.  Thank God it was time for the sleeping scene.  The boy would soon lie down before the fireplace, and draw a blanket over himself.  Maybe she would decide to go to bed.  Maybe I could quietly call her off stage from behind the scenes.

But then again, maybe not.  She did not go to the basket.  Instead, as she often did at home, she went to the foot of the boy’s bed and lay down.  After a surprised glance, he accepted her presence.  She nestled under the covers.  Then he lay down, pulling the covers over his shoulders – pulling them right off her!  She bounced up with an indignant chuff.  She grabbed the edge of the covers and popped down again, pulling them off his shoulders.  “Hey!” he exclaimed, popping up to grab the covers, and pulling them back again.  She jumped up again.  She yanked those covers back into their rightful place.  It served him right that he was now exposed.  Again.  This time, he did not pop up, but rather reached down and grabbed the cover’s edge, and pulled it back  – but just a bit.  He left her some too.  And so she remained quietly in place.

That is, until the scene was over.  She saw the slave come and go.  But, she was not attached to the basket and he did not try to take her out.  She looked after him with bewilderment.  She stood alone, mid stage, surveying all with a lost look.   I heard people go “awwww”.    But that is all I heard.  I dashed into action, making my way backstage as fast as possible without starting a stampede (not good to run in a theater…).  From the wings, I called quietly to her.  She started, and then began to come straight toward me.  In another moment, she was back on my shoulder and I was reassuring her and commiserating about the blanket.  I praised her good behavior and sense.  More to the point, I gave her chocolate!

She died two years ago, soon after Christmas, at the age of 32.  I miss her deeply,  But,  she left me a gift that never runs out: memories of our shared Christmases.  She left me the memory of the miraculous night.  The night when Amahl had a second night visitor.  A night when the loose monkey at the Kennedy Center is remembered for causing NO mischief.   Well, just a little.  She stole a blanket!

In short, take every excuse to celebrate life and friends, and our opportunity to learn, grow and contribute.  May you be blessed in every way, in every step of your life.  Thank you for being a blessing in my life.

Very best wishes,

Kayce

The 550-pound bear that was found hiding out in a New Jersey basement had been living there for weeks.

CBS2′s Kathryn Brown spoke to the bear’s “landlord” on Thursday.

Frank Annacone, 85, never imagined that a bear would move in with him.

“I could have ended up lunch for that big guy,” he said, still expressing disbelief.

View Live Video Here:

The bear was eventually caught, tagged, and released back onto state property. In the future Annacone said that he’ll be locking his basement door.

If you are willing/able to participate in a research project right now, we have some data sets that need counting. Total time is estimated to be 1-2 hours. Please email kc@synalia.com to be included and receive a data set. This will be in 2 minute sets of video for breath counting.

Regards,
Kayce
Norfolk, VA

Kayce Cover, MSEd, BS An Sci, CABC, IAABC
Syn Alia Training Systems http://synalia.com