Being a K-9 puppy is a tough job, especially for young recruits.

Monday, April 6, 2020, was a big day for Brody… the newest member of the Bristol Police Department, in Rhode Island.

His official swearing-in ceremony took place on that day.

The swearing-in ceremony is a very important moment for every new member of the community, which formally marks the beginning of the new position.

But, Brody’s swearing-in ceremony happened to be on Monday, and we all know how Mondays be like…

While I’m sure that Brody was very excited to start his new position, he seemed to be less interested in the ceremony and more interested in catching up on sleep.

This 12-week-old chocolate Labrador puppy managed to sleep through the entire swearing-in ceremony while his partner, officer Keith Medeiros, served as his stand-in.

The ceremony was broadcast live on the official Facebook page of the Bristol, R.I. Police Department, and it soon became a viral hit.

Brody was peacefully sleeping on the desk while Police Chief Kevin Lynch spoke passionately about the little guy.

He slept through the entire ceremony, only waking up shortly to pose for the photo.

Brody’s handler, officer Medeiros, told The Dodo, “He plays really hard, and he sleeps really hard. When he’s not playing, he’s sleeping, which is kind of tough because he sleeps a lot.”

It didn’t seem to matter to anyone that the puppy was sleeping because he looked very comfortable and cute.

The video that was posted on Facebook has since been viewed almost one million times, with people praising the little K-9 for sleeping.

“Better get your rest now, because your work is just beginning. Woof,” commented one viewer.

Chief Lynch said, “This is a very big day for the Bristol Police Department and for our future. As soon as Brody wakes up, we will have a lot of successes ahead, and he is going to be a superstar for the town of Bristol. I can guarantee it.”

Brody is the first Comfort and Therapy dog for the Bristol Police Department under the new initiative to improve the life standard of people in the town, and hopefully become the bridge between the community and the police.

According to the official Bristol Rhode Island webpage, K-9 Brody’s name is a mix of two words, and it has a significant meaning. The ‘B’ represents the town of Bristol, and ‘Rody’ represents Rhode Island. ^[1]

Boonefield Labradors, a well-known breeder of comfort and therapy dogs in Rindge, New Hampshire, donated him to the town.

At first, the police department thought about bringing a bomb-sniffing dog, but then decided to accept School Resource Officer Medeiros’ proposal about a therapy dog.

Brody’s job will be to meet the community, visit schools and nursing home residents, and help comfort victims of crime.

Therapy dogs help people cope with stress, anxiety, PTSD, and various other emotions, and they play a very important role in the community.

And, it seems that Brody was just what the town of Bristol needed, especially during the Covid-19 period.

Medeiros said, “People are really stressed, especially in law enforcement. Just by walking in the police department with Brody, people immediately smile. They immediately get into a better place. They want to pet him, want to hug him, and it’s just a really good thing.”

The little K-9 officer has a lot of responsibility on his hands, but there is no doubt in my mind that he will handle it flawlessly.

Great things are upon him. He just needs to sleep and rest well.

If you’d like to keep up with little Brody and see more of his adorable photos, you can follow his Instagram page. 

Welcome to the force, K-9 Brody.

We wish you many happy years on the team filled with lots of treats, belly rubs, and sleeps.

References: 
[1] Town of Bristol, Rhode Island, Official Website. (2020, August 26). K-9 Brody – Town of Bristol, Rhode Island | Official Website. https://www.bristolri.gov/departments/police/public-safety-services/brody/

Didn’t you know? Dogs smile, too!

Of course, their smiling has a lot of different meanings, from growling and showing teeth to panting and looking like they’re smiling.

Every dog owner will eventually try to teach his dog some fun tricks. One of the first tricks, other than our basic obedience training I taught my GSD, Milo, was to shake and smile.

Trust me… it was much harder to teach him to smile than anything else.

You see, German Shepherds are big and tough, and my Milo always looks like he’s frowning for some reason. But, I know he’s a good boi and I knew he had it inside him.

It took only a couple of tricks to teach him to smile, and I’m sharing them with you.

I hope your dog will show those pearly whites on command, too!

Before We Start…

I’d like to remind you of a couple of things that are crucial for every successful training lesson. It doesn’t matter if you’re teaching a dog to sit or to shake, these things apply to all lessons.

Here’s what you must always keep in mind:

• Keep the lessons short (approx. 10 minutes) so your dog doesn’t lose its focus
• Make sure he’s not hungry, thirsty, too energetic, or too tired for the lesson
• Train him somewhere where he won’t get distracted easily
• Give praises and treats after every well-done task
• Buy a clicker tool

Now, we can go ahead and start with the tricks.

Step #1: Introducing The Clicker

Since your dog has no idea what that clicking sound means, this is the ideal opportunity to associate that sound with something positive. In this case, you should reward your dog with treats every time he hears the clicker’s sound.

The key to success is repetition, so repeat the clicking and giving of the treats for as much as you want.

Your dog should figure out what’s going on in no time. Once he hears the clicking sound, your Fido should raise his head and wait for a treat.

Milo mastered this step pretty fast and we’ve been using the clicker for almost every lesson.

Step #2: Making Him Smile

The next thing you must do is actually stimulate your dog to smile.

No, dogs won’t understand your jokes and they won’t smile just because they saw you.

There’s a nifty little trick to make a dog raise his lips and appear like he’s smiling.

What you should do is lightly tickle your dog’s whiskers. The reflex in his body should raise that upper lip immediately. This is where you click the clicker and offer him a treat.

Once again, repetition is the key, so make sure you guys practice enough. The sign you’re doing a good job is when your dog starts lifting his lips on his own, just to get the treats.

Remember: only click and reward when your dog actually lifts his lip. Otherwise, you might confuse him or reward him accidentally for something he wasn’t supposed to do, i.e., sneeze.

Step #3: Introducing The Verbal Command 

The whole point of teaching your German Shepherd to smile is to react to verbal commands. You haven’t really done much with touching the whiskers and rewarding your dog. Your GSD still doesn’t get what you’re aiming for.

First, pick your cue. It can be just smile or cheese, or you can add your dog’s name along with it. This is the time when you cut the tickling time in half. So, if you were tickling him for four seconds, do it for two now. Repeat as needed.

Say your cue word, start tickling his whiskers, and once he raises his upper lip, click the clicker and reward your dog. Do this a couple of times so your dog gets used to the cue word.

The next part is crucial. This is where you stop tickling your dog’s whiskers. You will do all the same steps, but you’ll reach for his whiskers, but not tickle them. Your dog should catch on quickly as to what you’re doing.

After a while, you can stop reaching for his whiskers and just use the cue word, the clicker, and, of course, his reward.

There you have it! A lot of repetition, persistence, and listening to your dog will help him master this trick! Next time you’re in the park, you can show everyone those little pearly whites!

If you need more help, I found a really cool video explaining this command. Videos always help me visualize things better, and I bet it’s the same thing with you, too.

Summer is fast approaching. But, summers aren’t like they used to be. In the last couple of years, everything seems to be suffering during those few hot months, including we hoomans. However, we can’t forget about our canine buddies, too.

I’m sure it’s pretty hot under those coats, no matter if they’re double or single coats.

I know how most owners think. We all know that it’s not okay to wash our dogs all the time. If there was just any other way to help them cool down.

Wait… what about shaving the coat? Is that a thing? Can we shave our dogs’ coat no matter their breed?

This isn’t really a yes or no question. To answer it, we’ll need to go through several things because in most cases, it’s not okay to shave a dog. But, sometimes, that’s absolutely fine.

Let’s step into the summer together, paw in paw!

When Is It OK To Shave Your Dog?

Technically, there are several dog breeds that have a green light for shaving in summer months. However, the practice has shown other hairstyles that are more comfortable and more suitable for summer than shaving.

If it’s really necessary, you can shave dogs like Poodles, Shih Tzus, Maltese, Yorkies, and Lhasa Apsos. What makes these breeds different from others is the fact that they have hair instead of fur like most dogs.

Yes, they’re all hypoallergenic, too!

Poodles can often be seen featuring a somewhat shaved look. Those are fancy hairstyles done by professional groomers. Yorkies fall into this category, too!

If it’s really that hot in your area and you don’t plan to spend a lot of time outside in the burning sun, then you can shave your dog.

Most double-coated dogs can be shaved, too, but groomers still advise you pick the summer cut, which is usually just 1-inch short hair, instead of a fully-shaved look.

In the following section, we’ll discuss shaving further, why it’s not okay, and how to deal with summer heat.

Why Is It Not Okay To Shave A Dog’s Coat?

Dogs don’t sweat like hoomans do. We have sweat glands all over our body, but dogs sweat through other parts of their body.

No, it’s not their tongue. It’s completely wrong to assume that dogs sweat through their tongue.

In fact, it’s their paw pads and nose that sweat a lot.

As you can see, shaving your dog to reduce sweating really has no point. No breed would sweat through its back or belly. A shave is a haircut just to make them feel lighter and agile during hot months.

The whole point of a dog’s coat is to protect it from outside factors like cold and heat. To be precise, during summer months, the coat works as an isolator against solar heating.

Once you shave your dog’s coat, you’re leaving his skin exposed, and the extreme UV factors could do so much damage to it, including forming cancerous cells. Your dog could easily suffer from a sunburn or, God forbid, melanoma skin cancer.

On top of everything, a lot of dog breeds could end up with a damaged coat. When you shave the coat, you damage hair follicles, and they could grow out weaker; thus, making your dog’s entire coat look scruffy.

How To Deal With Heat In The Summer

First and foremost, do you really have to go outside when it’s too hot? It’s equally hot for your dog, too, so why should you leave at noon to go to the park? Pick mornings and evenings instead, when the heat wears down.

There are several ways to ease your dog’s summer issues:

• Provide enough water
• Play fun games in the pool or with sprinklers
• Apply sunscreen meant for dogs
• Exercise less
• Snooze inside on wet towels
• Or, simply read our Guide On Making Summer Easy for dogs.

To Sum Up…

The bottom line is, if you really don’t need to shave your dog for the summer, just don’t.

The one-inch haircut is a much happier choice for your dog and you’ll be grateful, too, because grooming is almost non-existent.

Shaved dogs are at high risk of getting sunburned, developing skin cancer, overheating, and ending up with a poor-quality coat when it grows out.

So, don’t think your dog will be any cooler when you shave him. That’s not how things work with dogs. It’s hydration, shady places, and refreshments that help them feel refreshed during hot months.

When the Midwest Animal ResQ picked up a stray off the streets of Raytown, Missouri, they couldn’t even imagine that they would be part of a wonderful story.

As it turned out, this beautiful Jack Russell Terrier mix named ‘Little Buddy’ was a family dog that had been missing for nearly six years.

Erin Morse, the founder and president of Midwest Animal ResQ, told The Dodo, “He was dirty, but otherwise healthy. He was a little scared at the shelter, but quickly melted the hearts of staff and volunteers here.”

When animal control officers found Little Buddy on the streets, they noticed he was microchipped, but all of their chip alerts went unanswered.

Buddy’s owners actually thought that those alerts were a scam because a lot of time had passed since their beloved pet went missing. They didn’t believe they would ever see their beloved dog again.

Morse said, “Once we actually called the prior owner on the phone and told him we had his dog, he was over the moon.”

Little Buddy’s owner, Brian Gilpatrick, revealed that Buddy was reported stolen and missing almost six years ago.

He was adopted from a rescue organization in 2017 and lived happily with his family 40 miles outside of Springfield, Missouri… almost four hours away from the place where he was found.

It is unknown exactly how this dog made it to Raytown from his home, but they were all extremely happy to have found him.

“How he got up this far is beyond us. I never would have expected after this many years that the microchip would lead to him coming home,” Brian told the local news station, KMBC 9.

When Little Buddy disappeared from his home, the whole family was putting up fliers, driving around the neighborhood, and checking everywhere, but with no luck.

So, when Brian learned that his long-lost pup had been found, he immediately jumped in his car and drove for four hours to reunite with his furry best friend.

And, when they finally met again after all those years, there was not a single dry eye in the room.

Both Little Buddy and Brian couldn’t hide their happiness and excitement.

“Little Buddy went straight to his dad, and his little tail wagged so fast!” said Morse. “As soon as he got a good sniff and heard his dad’s voice, he immediately started licking his face. By that point, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

This story is a great reminder of why every dog owner should have their dog microchipped. You never know when your best friend might get lost or stolen, and with the help of a microchip, you might get your dog back.

“It really warmed our hearts to see such a lovely reunion with someone who had never given up hope on finding their Little Buddy,” said Morse. “To be able to have a happy ending like this just makes all the difference.”

After all those years, Little Buddy did not forget his loving owner, and was happily wagging his tail and licking Brian’s face.

It was such a heartwarming moment.

“Little Buddy, do you remember me? Oh my gosh, it has been so long, Buddy… It’s so good to see you,” Brian said while petting his Little Buddy.

“You’re so much older than you were when we had you.” 

This sentence is like a sad reminder of all those years that were lost while Little Buddy was missing, but thankfully, he’s home now and will hopefully spend the rest of his life with a loving family.

The family also has three other rescue dogs, so Little Buddy is definitely coming to a full house.

Dogs can be found, even after all those years…

Midwest Animal ResQ founder, Erin Morse, took this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of microchipping your pets and keeping contact information up to date.

It’s those little things that can bring your beloved pet home.

Morse said, “Never give up hope that one day, your Little Buddy might be found!” 

Check out the reunion video of Little Buddy and his dad, which brought everyone to tears: