Chow Life (magazine)

[IliamnasQuest]

I ordered a copy of the winter 2006 issue of Chow Life as I knew Khana would be in it. Chow Life is the magazine for Chow Chow Club Inc. (chow parent club). It's neat to see a magazine dedicated 100% to the chow!

It's interesting to see how the magazine has changed. Back in the mid-1990's when I used to get it regularly, it was nearly all breeder info and ads full of show photos only. There was very little about chows DOING anything other than showing. Kylee was one of the few chows in obedience at the time and I still have the magazine where she was listed as the #1 chow in obedience - both through the Delaney Ratings and through the CCCI ratings. But that was about the extent of anything about chows other than conformation.

Now they have a regular column called "Our Active Chows". This issue it was all about chows that are being used as service dogs. I have submitted articles in the past and have been in discussion about doing one on rally and another on freestyle. It's just so good to see more emphasis being put on our chows as being active dogs and not just for show.

The reason I bought this particular magazine was that they did an article on Zola Coogan of Redcloud Kennels. She is the one that bred Khana's sire (Ch. Redcloud Bagua of Tienshan). Khana has about 30 Redcloud dogs in her five generation pedigree so I'm really interested in the kennel overall. While I know many - if not most - of the people on this particular forum are into rescue, I think it's important for us to also believe in those who breed physically and mentally sound chows. These are the people who help preserve the breed. If no one bred for quality, pretty soon the breed would completely degenerate into just another thick-furred dog with no particular defining characteristics.

I like that Zola breeds for moderate dogs, ones that can be physically active and are temperamentally excellent.

Khana's photo was in two different sections as part of the Redcloud group in "thank you's" to Zola. In one she is jumping and in the other she's heeling around a cone on a rally course. She's so darn cute! (not that I'm biased or anything .. *L*).

There's also a photo of Khana's sire, who was the first chow to pass health clearances on hips (rated excellent), elbows, patellas, cardiac, thyroid and eyes. It was really neat, however, to see another chow listed in this issue of Chow Life who has also passed all those clearances! His name is Ch. Mentor's Swt. William Wool Ball (aka Willie) and is owned and bred by Dottie Everett. I've known Dottie online for years and she has always promoted healthy dogs with sound temperaments so I was especially happy to see it was her dog that has cleared all these tests.

If any of you get a chance to see a Chow Life, please check out the article on Zola Coogan and Redcloud. While I applaud everyone's efforts in rescue, for those who may consider purchasing a puppy it's good to know where you might find quality even if you're not interested in showing. Pet dogs should be healthy and of good temperament too!

Thanks for reading!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

[Boggled]

Melanie, thanks for this info.
I didn't even know there was a magazine.
One day, when my children are grown I hope to rescue a chow, and I also want to have a "full faced" chow. Like M&M, or Paw Paw, etc. I am looking forward to seeing this magazine.

[sit_by_the_beach]

I was just about to contact a breeder when Mikki was advertised on Craigslist. Mikki is tiny. I wanted a larger chow like my previous chow Luna. I was told by a retired show dog judge that Luna was a perfect chow. I never was able to find out where she was from. Anyhow I went out of town, a month later Mikki was still looking for a forever home, so I adopted her. I live alone, I have health problems, it's my son's job to care for my pets while I am in H. or recovering from something. Otherwise I'd get a real chow baby now. I'd love to.

The chow magazine is very interesting, next time I am downtown I will see if it's available.

In the online edition is an article about chow eyes, Luna's were almond shaped, nor round, very dark, I never did see her pupils. In the mag it says that chows with very dark eyes may end up with eye problems. In the last year of her life, Luna had glaucoma and was nearly blind. My present chow Mikki has lighter colour eyes, so hopefully her eyes will be o.k. as she gets older. Just guessing.

http://www.chowlife.org/

Mikki is bowlegged, her chest is not broad like a chow's should be. Her one back leg turns in. She has drop ears, they don't stand up like a chows and are spaced too far apart. She's probably from a BYB. I don't feel great at the moment, as soon as I feel better, she's going to be spayed. I would never allow her to have puppies.

For the above reason, it's important to support good breeders. One of the best in Canada is Paul Odenkirchen's Mi Pao Kennels. If i did get a chow pup I would deal with the one Melanie dealt with. Their chows seem to have open faces. The longer legs. Mind you the other type is so cuddly looking. I prefer a chow that can walk a distance without getting pooped. I love Mikki so, she does move and loves long walks. I just don't know about her hips, will she have problems as she gets older because of the bow legs?

Karin






Mikki&Max

[Red Dragon]

Mikki more than likely has curved femors if she is bow legged, it can cause patella (knee) problems, as it will sometimes cause misalignment of the groove for the patella to ride in and the result would be the knee cap popping off to one side. When this happens they will either hold the rear leg off the ground because it is unstable, or you will see them kick like a mule when playing or running, when they do the later they have learned to pop it back in place by fully extending the leg. They will sit down with the legs straight out the front of them in order to put it back in place sometimes, usually you will see them limp before sitting though. As for the hip being bad, if it's real bad the vet may be able to manipulate it at the joint and feel it pop, otherwise an x-ray is the only way to know what that is. The one foot turned in is a sign of an alignment problem or a torn ligament, torn ligaments are a direct result of bad patella. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you see her limping or the other stuff I discribed.

[chowfrnd88]

Oooh, the magazine sounds great!

CONGRATS KHANA!!

[sit_by_the_beach]

[quote="Red Dragon"]Mikki more than likely has curved femors if she is bow legged, it can cause patella (knee) problems, as it will sometimes cause misalignment of the groove for the patella to ride in and the result would be the knee cap popping off to one side. <<<<snip>>>

Thanks for the advice. I will ask the vet to have a good look at Mikki's legs at the next appointment. The problem is, she gets hyper at the vet's and won't stand still for a second. Her front legs are bowlegged. The hind r. foot turns in a bit. Doesn't seem to bother her. We start walking slow for about 2-5 minutes to warm up and then I let her walk at her speed, which is super fast. I'll keep an eye on things. Mikki is four, still young.
Thanks,
Karin



Mikki&Max

[Chowmom in Ks]

I have show chows and have advertised in this magazine. I love all the articals and this new thing is talking about the breeders. It has been very interesting to see how the chow has changed over the years.
My chows have all passed their OFA's and one of my Champions earned his C.G.C. (Canine Good Citizine)now we are working on his CD (Companion Dog).

Great subject, it is good to get everyone involved in chows to be aware of what the CCCI has to offer.


Tracy
T-Luv ChowChows

[Zhuyos mom]

Congratulations! Gonna try to find it. Can't wait.

[furballchowbaby]

Wow... great info. How did you come to know about training your Chow to be a service dog?? A book? A class?? I would love to train Maggie in that capacity to take to the nursing homes/Childrens hospital. I assume there is some sort of official test they have to pass to be certified for such a thing??

[IliamnasQuest]

Wow... great info. How did you come to know about training your Chow to be a service dog?? A book? A class?? I would love to train Maggie in that capacity to take to the nursing homes/Childrens hospital. I assume there is some sort of official test they have to pass to be certified for such a thing??

While there are some chows trained as service dogs, Khana is a therapy dog which is different. Service dogs work as helpers for people with disabilities (like guide dogs). They retrieve items, turn on and off lights, provide physical assistance when a person needs to get up, etc. Therapy dogs visit nursing homes and hospitals, etc.

Many places don't require a dog to be certified or registered in any way. I started out taking my dogs to the local nursing home and they had no requirements initially. They now require rabies vaccinations, information from your vet, and a TB test on the human. Many places are also now requiring a registration with one of the nationally accepted pet therapy organizations (Delta Society, Therapy Dogs International, etc.). I think that Delta Society does the best testing as they really try to set up situations that dogs may encounter in a nursing home or other facility.

Khana is Delta Society registered. We did attend a class, although that is not required. It helped ME understand what she needed to know and gave us some practice time too. They have all the information on their website (http://www.deltasociety.org). Being affiliated with the group has some benefits. If we visit a facility who has signed up with DS, we are covered under their insurance. But we also have to follow their rules.

It's a good feeling to take my dogs places and have people benefit from their visits. I haven't been to the nursing home in awhile and I need to go back. I do take Khana frequently to other places and even though they're not "official" visits I do see that people benefit from it. Today she went with me into the UPS store where we have a mailbox. The people there thoroughly enjoy her visits and look forward to her coming in. They all take a break and pet her and visit with her and all end up smiling and happy. Even though they aren't ill or handicapped, she still provides them with a reason to smile and laugh and I think that's valuable. (My Mom says she helps keep them from going "postal" .. *LOL*).

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

[sit_by_the_beach]

Melanie, your GS opens the fridge door, I remember the photos you had up, that would be considered a service? LOL.

My previous chow Luna was a therapy dog. My mom was in the hospital, not getting better, I asked the doctor if I were allowed to bring in 'her' pet dog. I brought Luna in through a side door, walked the stairs rather than an elevator. The nurses wheeled my mom out into the hallway and soon we were surrounded by staff, other patients. We continued to do that until my mom was transferred to long term care. Those visits were easy as they had a nice park and many wheel chair patients would sit outside all day. By then I was a registered volunteer, I had the TB test done because I had been exposed to a patient with live TB. Luna had gone through her test with the St.John's ambulance here in Canada. She had passed but by the time the certificate was issued, Luna was too old to travel by public transport. The steps to the streetcar were too hard for her to climb.
This was a chow raised in a big city, lots of noise, people. She was a people picker uppper. Wherever we went, she drew a small crowd. She was used to people crowding her, petting her and not always gently. The elderly, those with various neuro diseases, brain injury due to stroke, car accidents, their co-ordination isn't all that great sometimes. My chow didn't flinge when someone inadvertently stepped on her toes, or screamed. She always had a very satisfieng look on her face, she was very much in tune with people. When other dogs were nearby, she didn't growl, get aggressive. She had a dislike to other dogs, didn't like other canines, least of all other chows.
My present chow Mikki is not suitable for this job, duty. She loves to be in the company of other dogs, other than myself, she doesn't care for people at all. She'll walk up to friends, strangers, she's fine as long as no one touches her.
Here are some of the qualities of a therapy dog.
1. Accepting a friendly stranger,
2. Sitting politely for petting,
3. Walking on a loose leash,
4. Walking through a crowd (including wheelchairs),
5. Sitting on command/staying in place, and
6. Reacting well to another dog or to distractions (noise, jogger).

We also had a fire drill at the long term facility, again a dog should not panic by a loud alarm, staff running, yelling, moving equipment and wheel chairs, patients, out of the hallways, slamming of doors, ideally the therapy dog owner should be familiar with hospital routine.
It sure made some people change their mind about (vicious) chow chows.
Karin