A Christmas tale of tails

Ah, it’s that special time of year when the night is brightened by lights, good wishes and stories.

One of my favorite activities is to read when sitting by our Christmas tree. Unfortunately, I was distracted by a rhythmic metallic sound: thud, swish, pause; thud, swish, pause; thud, swish, pause. Finally, I decided to investigate the source of the sound. There standing by the tree looking out the window was Watson wagging his tail. Each time his tail moved back and forth, he hit an ornament on the tree; thud, swish, pause.

I laughed but took a moment to watch his tail moving. I wondered what he was communicating by his wagging. It seems that the tail’s position can be a sort of emotional meter. A medium height suggests the dog is relaxed; if it is horizontal, the dog is attentive, vertically, it means a dominant signal.

If a dog’s tail droops low, he is submissive, and a tucked tail is a sign of fear. Wags vary from a slight wag that means hello, to a broad wag that is friendly. If your dog is doing tiny, high- speed-movements, it usually means a run or fight situation.

Observing Watson I realize he is looking out the window watching my husband put lights on the trees in front of our home. His tail is medium height, and the wag is broad. He is a happy puppy because he knows he’s safe and loved. May all your wags be happy!

LOOKING FOR A HOME

Rocky is a one-year-old male Australian Shepard cross. He is full of life and loves to play. His favorite games are ball and tug-a-war. Rocky would love to find a home with children who like to play the same games he does. He’s crazy about children and likes some dogs. Bring your A game out and play ball with Rocky; you’ll have a friend for life.

IN NEED OF

We are collecting aluminum cans. You can drop them off at CAPS or call and we will pick them up, 775-423-7500.

SHOUT OUT TO

Tom Graham who along with Geri devote hours each day to the well-being of our CAPS guests and their home. Tom is the reason we are getting our dog and cat food donated through the SPCA and Chewy.

Not only did Tom obtain the food, but he also drove to Reno and delivered 2,000 pounds right to CAPS’ door. We are grateful for Tom and Geri’s dedication. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You deserve a Four Paws Salute.

The Bailey family at Flower Tree Nursery for supporting CAPS with the tree raffles. Your commitment to our community is awesome and your puppy greeter is absolutely adorable.

COME SEE US

CAPS will be at Walmart on Dec 17 with the Kissin’ Booth and a wiggly volunteer to kiss. We have caps, long-sleeved t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, so please check them out after you have greeted our pup pal. Hurry and order the 2017 Happy Endings Calendar. Christmas is almost here so pick up your stocking stuffers from CAPS.

DON’T FORGET

Attention: Flower Tree Nursery is not going out of business and they are raffling a 20-gallon live blue spruce just in time for Christmas. The raffle tickets are available at Flower Tree, and they are $1 for one ticket and $5 for six tickets. Please note: The drawing will be held on Dec. 15, not Dec. 6 (my mistake), and the winner doesn’t have to be present to win.

To register in the Amazon-Smile program, a website operated by Amazon. Customers enjoy many of the same selection of products, low prices, and shopping features as on Amazon.com. The only difference is that, when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by you. We have already raised $200.

CONTACT CAPS

CAPS’ mailing address is P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89406. CAPS’ phone number is 775-423-7500. CAPS’ email address is caps@cccomm.net. Please visit the CAPS website (www.capsnevada.com) and Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society). Be sure to “Like” CAPS on Facebook because we are really likable.

Do you have questions, comments or a great story? Contact me jkwmil@outlook.com.

Kathleen Williams-Miller, a CAPS volunteer, contributed this week’s column.