thedrifter
03-17-08, 06:19 AM
Puppies from Iraq are learning the drill
By R.J. Ignelzi
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 17, 2008
ENCINITAS – It's been an intense 10-day training mission for the seven Iraqi puppies waiting to be reunited with Camp Pendleton Marines who adopted them.
The 6-month-olds have learned commands. They've been taught to walk on a leash. They're even adjusting to being around other dogs without barking.
But they need no training in cute. “They're so adorable. They just melt you,” said Lisa Johnson, one of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society's volunteer trainers who have been working with the mixed-breed pups.
The puppies were born in the camp where Marines are training Iraqis to protect Iraq's borders. When the puppies' mother, who protects the camp, grew fatigued, the Marines took over caring for the puppies. The Marines took up a collection to bring the pups to San Diego County.
The canines arrived the first week of March and began their naturalization sessions immediately at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas.
The Marines should be back home as early as this weekend. Yesterday, the furry blond bundles of boundless energy and enthusiasm showed off their new skills at puppy boot camp. Under the direction of Graham Bloem, a dog trainer at West Coast K9, the focus of the doggy drills has been human and environmental socialization.
At their training recital, the dogs sat and lay down on command. They paraded on leashes. And they even answered to their names.
The Marines named each puppy. One little guy was dubbed Marshmallow but renamed Kirby because “he sucks up everything like a vacuum,” Bloem said.
Then there's Princess.
“She's very important in her eyes and likes to be the center of attention,” Bloem said.
These puppies have experienced more challenges and turmoil in their six months of living in Iraq and flying to San Diego than most lap poodles do in an entire lifetime, Bloem said.
“There's good and bad to what these pups have gone through,” Bloem said.
The early human socialization has made them people-friendly. The challenge is that both parents were wild.
“Feral animals have strong scavenging and territorial drives. These puppies are sure to inherit some of that,” Bloem said. “However, with this early training and possibly continued training when the Marines get home, I'm confident they'll be able to manage and eradicate any negative behaviors that may come up.”
By getting the puppies adjusted to positive human interaction and their new environment, “we hope to make it easier for them to transition into normal puppy life,” Bloem said.
Ellie
By R.J. Ignelzi
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 17, 2008
ENCINITAS – It's been an intense 10-day training mission for the seven Iraqi puppies waiting to be reunited with Camp Pendleton Marines who adopted them.
The 6-month-olds have learned commands. They've been taught to walk on a leash. They're even adjusting to being around other dogs without barking.
But they need no training in cute. “They're so adorable. They just melt you,” said Lisa Johnson, one of the Rancho Coastal Humane Society's volunteer trainers who have been working with the mixed-breed pups.
The puppies were born in the camp where Marines are training Iraqis to protect Iraq's borders. When the puppies' mother, who protects the camp, grew fatigued, the Marines took over caring for the puppies. The Marines took up a collection to bring the pups to San Diego County.
The canines arrived the first week of March and began their naturalization sessions immediately at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in Encinitas.
The Marines should be back home as early as this weekend. Yesterday, the furry blond bundles of boundless energy and enthusiasm showed off their new skills at puppy boot camp. Under the direction of Graham Bloem, a dog trainer at West Coast K9, the focus of the doggy drills has been human and environmental socialization.
At their training recital, the dogs sat and lay down on command. They paraded on leashes. And they even answered to their names.
The Marines named each puppy. One little guy was dubbed Marshmallow but renamed Kirby because “he sucks up everything like a vacuum,” Bloem said.
Then there's Princess.
“She's very important in her eyes and likes to be the center of attention,” Bloem said.
These puppies have experienced more challenges and turmoil in their six months of living in Iraq and flying to San Diego than most lap poodles do in an entire lifetime, Bloem said.
“There's good and bad to what these pups have gone through,” Bloem said.
The early human socialization has made them people-friendly. The challenge is that both parents were wild.
“Feral animals have strong scavenging and territorial drives. These puppies are sure to inherit some of that,” Bloem said. “However, with this early training and possibly continued training when the Marines get home, I'm confident they'll be able to manage and eradicate any negative behaviors that may come up.”
By getting the puppies adjusted to positive human interaction and their new environment, “we hope to make it easier for them to transition into normal puppy life,” Bloem said.
Ellie