Dogs in Minnesota running their own tree farm.
In honor of working dogs CFF congratulates the Hundert brothers on starting their own tree farm. The Hunderts are open for business and have a team of 15 non human employees, three in positions requiring some level of education past basic obedience.
The business is currently cash only, as it's difficult to communicate with human bankers.
Recently at CFF we've been reading up more and more. (Polly Schnauzer has open reading classes during the day. While your human partner is at work, come join us for Biscuits and Books at 11:00 Mon, Wed, Fri at McCarren Park!) We were happy to come across
Angel Dogs with a Mission
, a book written by some human advocates. Their sensitivity towards canines is touching and the book promotes some good role models. Most of the dogs represented chose their humans and also have their own professions, artists, search dogs, therapists. Quite beautiful and a good inspirational read.
We do however have a few things to add. For instance.. the lovely Bonnie Bergin who first realized that canines had the potential to work with humans with disabilities has discovered that canines can read.
"Some of our clients have taught their dogs to read twenty commands. We haven't seen that {at the training center} yet, but we have six to eight words that we teach our dogs." p 25 Anderson, Allen and Linda.
Angel Dogs on a Mission
.New World Library, California.2008.
We would like to take the credit for that discovery however as we already have a blog and Polly will hear back from Harvard admissions in a month or two. It will be quite necessary for us to get the word out on our power. The controversy that is arising now in the canine to canine education movement is whether to raise pups as bilingual, reading in both the canine scratch sylabary and human alphabet, or to focus on one universal alphabet to consolidate canine identity. Some older canine purists have refused to take up reading and prefer to continue communicating by howling. CFF and CAP are all big howling proponents, but to isolate our communication to one form holds us back from opportunities for work and expression in the human world. Just think if the Hunderts could sell stock on their tree farm?
Porgie, an old school sheperd states that howling is the most efficient and beautiful language, and doesn't require stamps over long distances. It is instantaneous and the only pure language of canines, and St Maverick only used books for flossing.
Jack (not his real name), an old hybrid from Westchester stumbles in with his eyepatch. "Some of us speak in howls to memorialize our comrades lost to the struggle and to stay in touch with those still struggling!! SOFT members don't need to read to do their jobs in the woods now do they? LONG LIVE HAL!!" (approximate translation from growls)
Baxter Poodle from Bushwick says, "Sure, I'll howl! I could have howled all the way to the ballot box to vote against that (spits on the ground) wolf killer Palin if I could get the respect to earn the right to vote!"
Canine identity vs human acceptance. Where is the balance, my friends? These are the issues we face in our times.
So please, come join Polly's reading class and bring your rowdy pro canine opinions. Even if you can't read yet, we'll share some of the stories in the book with you. In the meantime let's get some of those artists established in the canine world recognized by the other species!!
Because obviously..we've been able to do this for a long time. Maybe the human artists responsible for this are trying to imitate us?
In other news.....
Joe Dog (not his real name) has been given the mission of overseeing the movement of a certain long time loyal canine advocate to the Northwest. This particular advocate has been given a new identity, profession, and home by a certain secret association. We are posting "Joe's" picture in case any canines are able to assist them on their journey to the NW. Howling, of course, is the best mode of communication for this deep in the woods mission. The human advocate involved does speak the language. (We know you know who she is!) We aren't actually too concerned about people reading about this movement as we hear that the "Wolf Killer from the North" (approximate translation from growling) doesn't read up on her current events anyway.. so she won't know we're coming.
