Simple Changes

Upon entering the property where Lisa and Reba lived it was apparent that the two pointers were afraid and not to be approached. Actually, they were moved inside for the majority of the project. Both are loved by their elderly owner but due to circumstance had spent their outside time chained to heavy excavation equipment. However, we were there to change that and by the afternoon a fence was built and the chains were taken away. The transformation that takes place week in and week out is phenomenal and seems so simple. Chain a living being up and it becomes fearful, aggressive, and eventually broken. Take away the chains and it all changes, often immediately. The evidence speaks for itself.

I waited very patiently looking through my lens as Lisa hid under a trailor and watched me right back. She finally stepped out and got a closer look at me.

Reba nervously looks on after we set posts on day 1

History

Reba lets Jerry in for some love

The days reward

Lisa is a completely different dog off of the chain. Very soft and gentle.

Treat time for Reba

For more information please visit www.fencesforfido.org

and......... if you are in the Portland/Salem/SW Washington area come out and help change a dogs life!

The Time Has Come For Your Light To Shine, Buddy!

 Buddy spent nearly 14 years chained to a pole along a national forest treeline in The Columbia River Gorge. Isolation and a fixed walking distance was his reality. After discovering him this summer, a group of volunteers spent a weekend building him a fence and giving him his well deserved freedom. Simply meeting Buddy and spending a moment with him brought many to tears. As we worked, his old raspy howl could be heard, essentially telling us he demanded a visitor. It was painful to hear and it drove home why each and every one of us were out there. Everyone worked at an emotional pace until its completion in the afternoon. When he entered his fenced area, he hobbled along slowly swaying side to side trying to figure out how to run again. It was the first time in a very long time he was not dragging a heavy chain behind him. It felt as though he was not sure what to do and that uncertainty was beautiful. Knowing that he will live out the rest of his years liberated from a chain made me grateful that I was able to be a small part of this entire experience.

First glimpse of Buddy and his reality

Andrea meets Buddy. He touched us all profoundly.

Buddy is happy with all of the attention

Outreach volunteers often form strong bonds with the dogs as was the case with Ryann

Dragging around heavy chains like this often cause severe physical (and mental) disabilities for the dogs

Getting a first look at a dog that has not been able to run for many years

There really is an understanding of gratitude that takes place between the volunteers and the dogs

Buddy got a steady flow of treats throughout his fence build

 It should be noted that Buddy will share his new fenced area with a young pittie named Roxy, also chained up in another area of the property. Hopefully, he will live out the rest of his life with a pal.

Stabler, WA

2013

For more information on Fences For Fido please visit the website:

www.fencesforfido.org

Happy 8

Today, my dog Elvis turned 8. I He's been my best pal since the day he came to me. He lives a sweet life these days that typically include chasing his tail, stealing food, and leading the charge when a squirrel enters the yard.

Back in the day picture of me pestering him while he tries to nap

Chasing his tail with a nice photo bomb by Lu

Happy Birthday, big guy!

Lisa and Reba

Lisa

The countdown is on to get Lisa and Reba off of those ugly chains. These two girls belong to an elderly man who adores them but all outside time must be spent on the end of a chains. If you have not learned from this blog by now, dogs become nervous and/or grumpy when they are chained. Think "fight or flight". Take away the latter and they are left with one means of defense. Luckily, these pups will be getting a fence real soon thanks to a group of tight-knit and dedicated volunteers.

Reba

Milwaukie, Oregon

2013

Taking 'er easy

Elvis returns to Norcal for some R&R

Summer, 2013

The Big Guy

Kane (aka The Big Guy, Kaner)

The 4th member of our pack

Portland, Oregon

2013

Flex For Big Brother

Recently, I finally got the opportunity to see my brother, Tony, compete at The San Jose Bodybuilding Championships and take first place. I was impressed throughout the entire competition at how dedicated and composed the athletes were. Watching my brother walk out on the stage and pose with pride was an experience I will always remember. He started this journey as a little fella doing pushups. Now he is a champion.

Santa Clara, California 

2013

Wolfie

Wolfie watches the camera guy during his fence build

Portland, Oregon

2013

Goodbye, for now

Today I said goodbye to my stepfather  Michael, who passed away unexpectedly this week. It's been an incredibly tough week. Exceptionally heavy, actually.  I  have spent my time back home  in a supporting role for my mother who lost her best friend.  I have been involved with many of the arrangements for his service, sifting through pictures and intently searching for the perfect music to play. ofyen, i found myself breaking down at  what I was actually doing. Surreal, disbelief, and grief are three words that immediately come to mind.  Michael was a lifelong friend and he will be greatly missed by many. He loved the Dodgers, the 49ers, and the Warriors. He was a smartass, a storyteller, and was shy around people. Realizing he is gone has been overwhelming at times at such an early stage. A good friend shared a poem on the subject that I have found great comfort in. We had it read during his service realizing that many others may find that same comfort. Goodbye, for now, Michael.

Gone From My Sight

by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,

spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts

for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck

of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,

hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"

there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices

ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

Turning Loverboy Loose

Tether and shelter under a tree in the back

Volunteers securing a section of fence

Loverboy was super excited to watch everyone

Posing with outreach volunteer Wnedy

Looking on as he is about to be released

Shy guy in front of the camera

Mission accomplished

Portland, Oregon

2013

Elvis The Horse

Elvis is a horse that was a victim of abuse and neglect from the elements of the Pacific Northwest. He was rescued this winter and is on the road to becoming a happy horse again.

2013

Shadows Day

Shadow waits and watches as volunteers build his fence. From this viewpoint, it is easy to see the maximum distance he was able to travel. With an "L" shaped yard being fenced, he is now able to explore the other side of his space when he hears a noise. A heavy contrast from before. Pretty cool eh?

Videographer Brian Grubb, gets some footage of Shadow before the build

Volunteer Mindy watching and enjoying Shadow goof off. This look pretty much sums up his personality.

 

Happy Dog

Dogs that live on tethers often become tangled in them

Volunteer Lorna, holds the chain and cable as Outreach Coordinator Wendy cuts off individual links to give to members of the team while Shadow watches curiously. Brian is in the background capturing it all on video..

 Dogs Just Know


Oregon City, Oregon
2013



For more information please visit:
www.fencesforfido.org

River Chill

After a failed attempt at getting into a sold out show I grabbed the camera, tripod, and dogs and took a walk along the South Waterfront to shoot some boats and bridges. A break in the weather left the water calm and smooth. This shot is looking north to The Hawthorne Bridge and downtown.

Portland, Oregon

2013

I I I

Hank and some of his very loyal fans

Roseland Theater

Portland, Oregon 2012

Long Strides

                                                                                                                                Together Duke and Princess had spent each moment of every day clipped into heavy chains that dragged behind them wherever they walked. 

Providing dogs with fences gives them a space of their own and takes away the chains. It creates less stressful, frightened, and even happy dogs.

Watching both Duke and Princess run side by side told a story that had long been in the making. One that included long strides, tennis balls, and friendship. This is how it is supposed to be.

Portland, Oregon

2013


To learn more please visit:

http://www.fencesforfido.org

Rest in peace, Molly

This evening I am solemn and blue after hearing news about a special dog that had gained national attention a while back after being found in an abandoned building in Maryland by a construction worker, clinging to life. "Molly" as she had came to be known was used as a "bait dog" by callous dog fighters who left her to die. When she was discovered, both sides of her face were nearly ripped off and she had open flesh wounds throughout her body that were severely infected. She had been taken in by a local rescue group and underwent several surgeries and treatments. She lost an eye and had a tough road but continued to wag her tail. Molly gained a special place in many peoples hearts, especially among the rescue staff. Thanks to social networking like Facebook she became a face for the heinous crime of dogfighting. After being adopted into a family she was to be used as a therapy dog. Sadly, an infection took over, leaving her paralyzed and her prognosis even worse. I learned tonight that she lost her battle.
Dog fighting to me is one of the darkest and lowest forms of humanity imaginable. As stated, Molly was used as a bait dog. They are chosen in ways such as a kind nature, one that is not up to "fighting standard" in the ring, or even stolen from families out of yards. They are not necessarily always dogs either. Cats, rabbits, goats, and sheep are also used. Their muzzles and legs are most often tied with rope or duct taped and chained to a wall. The scum that are responsible then let the "fighters" attack often until death occurs.This is used as a training tactic.
As awareness evolves, stricter laws and enforcement are beginning to take shape (once again thanks to social media/networking). Even spectators at such events are now illegal in all but one state (Montana). In my opinion, dogfighters should be lined up against a wall and eliminated (hey, this is my blog afterall). Thanks to filth like Michael Vick I refuse to watch the NFL anymore. That is how strongly this dog loving guy feels about this cause. In the menatime, I will mourn the loss of Molly and the thousands of animals that suffer such abuses everyday in our country.

Please visit Molly's story and buy a shirt in her name for the cause

http://blog.hendrickboards.com/?p=1168

Badges and Baseball

I have always considered myself fortunate to have been raised by a man with a badge. Knowing the differences between right and wrong came without struggle hanging around a bunch of cops. Early on, I was given a glove and a bat and ball by my grandfather (bottom row, second from left). He was a baseball fanatic and it acutely became my passion and obsession as well. An outlet not only for me, but for a group of guys who spent a good chunk of their free time together, practicing and playing against other police agencies across California. They lived for this. This particular image was found while sifting through a box of old photographs. My attention was immediately drawn towards the genuine sense of camaraderie and fun that is evoked. They were a unit of heroes both on the highway and on the diamond.

California Highway Patrolmen

& 

baseball nuts

A Lick Of Thanks

Dedicated crew leader Bob gets a kiss and a tackle from Princess after his help in removing her chain.

Portland, Oregon

2013

Finding Peace

Walking my dogs at night over the years has evolved into much more then simply exercise for us. It is a time to not only bond with my pals, but to also clear my head and gather myself of the days events. Its become a time to find myself and the inner peace that lies buried within all that I carry. Often, I walk for miles while the transformation transpires. I enjoy the solitude and mystery of walking in the dark when the rest of the city is at rest. Getting out and shifting my focus to the dogs has provided me with great reward. Even in the most troublesome times of my life I have never regretted a walk, and for that I owe them everything.

Portland, Oregon