The Adventures of Shrek!
By Randi Bildner
Once upon a time a little Blue Heeler was found wandering the streets of Kanab. He was brought to a beautiful place named Best Friends and was named Shrek. Shrek lived at Best Friends for two years where much of that time was spent “hanging out” with his best buddy, Database Administrator, Eric Palmer.As it turns out, the little Blue Heeler was not exactly the dog of fairytales; in fact upon hearing about Shrek’s antics it appears that he would be better suited for his own sitcom.
Eric Palmer is Shrek’s special buddy. Shrek and Palmer shared good times and many adventures together. Palmer said he is “bummed out” that his buddy left and was happy to offer details of some of their antics in a recent telephone interview.
Shrek was actually the first dog that Palmer enrolled in Canine Good Citizen Class, also know as CGC. Palmer states, “Shrek is the kind of dog that makes you look good.” At first, Shrek made Palmer look good. Palmer explained how proud he was as Shrek soared through his tests with flying colors, until the last one - supervised separation. Apparently Shrek did not want, nor did he see, the reason to be separated from Palmer, so he decided to give a “little nip” to the person who had the nerve to do such a thing. Needless to say, Shrek flunked CGC.
Palmer says “Shrek loves car rides, but he is not very good at them.” Shrek simply wants to be in the front seat and insists on getting there no matter what it takes to accomplish this feat. Palmer described these rides: “I would put him in the back seat of the car, and Shrek would consistently nose-dive into the dashboard.” Palmer also explained that during their car rides Shrek commonly stumbled sideways, “he just couldn’t get the concept of leaning into turns.” Contrary to Shrek’s inability to figure out how to ride in cars, Palmer insists “He is really smart; he is so smart that he gets into trouble.”
Palmer jokingly tells of another Shrek “talent,” keeping managers away. When Palmer sat at his desk Shrek often decided no one should bother his buddy, including the department manager. When Palmer’s boss came too close for Shrek’s comfort he would step between them and nip his toes. Co-workers joked that Palmer trained Shrek to do this useful trick.
On days off, Palmer would often return to the Best Friends Sanctuary to take Shrek for an afternoon hike. During the hot Utah summers, the only type of hike that would please Shrek was a creek hike. Together they would find deep pools of water so Shrek could enjoy this activity. Palmer explains, “Shrek loves to swim but can’t do this well.” Shrek’s bad leg (which he broke twice) is what keeps him from being a champion swimmer. It was his bad leg that made Shrek “famous” with the clinic staff too. When Shrek initially came to Best Friends he had a compound fracture. The doctors made sure that the little Heeler’s leg was fixed and that he was good as new. This did not last very long; Shrek was placed in a run and broke his leg again.
When telling tales of Shrek one cannot forget the “pig story.” Palmer whose office is located near the farm animals at Best Friends, liked to take Shrek on visits to this area. The visit would usually include a lot of barking on Shrek’s part. On one of these visits Palmer and Shrek encountered a pig. Shrek, who never did any herding in his life, decided at that moment it was time for this instinct to kick in. Palmer states, “it was hilarious to watch as Shrek started running circles around the pig to keep him in one spot,” saying Shrek must have been thinking, “I know that I am supposed to do something with this pig.” Apparently the pig did not see the humor of Shrek’s actions and charged him.
Palmer continued telling of Shrek’s “uniqueness,” saying “he is not really a dominant dog but he wants to be. Shrek definitely has a mind of his own; he picks who he likes and who he doesn’t.” Palmer learned this first-hand when he had the “privilege” of being “anointed” by Shrek. While working one day, his buddy at his side, Palmer stopped to help a co-worker with a computer problem when Shrek decided to urinate on his leg, marking Palmer by showing his love in such an endearing way.
Training Partner Twilla Caudron was reading an ad in a dog magazine when she learned that Best Friends Animal Society was looking for trainers to work with “special” dogs. Caudron made the trip to Kanab and left with her partner, Shrek.
Caudron has also been quite taken by Shrek and says he is doing just great. Shrek is currently living in Caudron’s home which includes foster brother, a Pappillion named Tommy. Caudron says Shrek loves playing with Tommy and enjoys his schedule which consists of: get up, go outside, come in, breakfast, toy time, nap, toy time again, supper and movie time in front of the fireplace with mom and Tommy.
Caudron is working on Shrek’s issues, which include overprotective biting. She goes out of her way to make sure that Shrek is properly socialized, taking him on visits on a regular basis. Caudron has said he has shown no aggression, stating Shrek gets along great with other dogs and people.
Shrek goes with Caudron to the boarding and grooming facility where she works and curls up like a little ball. She is pleased that her bosses are very supportive of her dog rescue work.
While Caudron says that Shrek does very well in her home the dog behaviorist that analyzed him said he would really thrive and show his full potential if he had a job; so Caudron has been taking Shrek on “interviews.”
Shrek’s first interview was with Art, a senior citizen. Caudron heard that Art had been looking for a dog as a companion so she set up an “interview” with Shrek. Shrek is not going to be Art’s companion and does not wish to reveal the details of that particular interview. On the bright side, he did very well with his second potential “employer,” Rita, who lives on 32 acres and raises champion Chihuahuas. Shrek’s “position” would be to keep her Chihuahuas and various other animals safe from coyotes. Caudron was thrilled that Shrek did well on his first visit but says that Rita wants to schedule a series of interviews, so the jury is still out on this position.
Job or no job, the important thing is that Shrek will never be homeless again; Eric Palmer and Twilla Caudron have both been smitten (no, I didn’t mean bitten) by this special boy.
Palmer admits that this special guy caught his attention and he still thinks about him, saying “he is a very cute little guy, who really looks good in photos.”
Caudron says that “Shrek can live with her for the rest of his life, he is a ‘piece of cake’ to have around." She says that he looks after her and patrols the house and that she would miss him if he were gone.
Shrek has progressed very well. Now when Caudron takes him for a drive in her Jeep, he actually stays in the back seat, which is a good thing, because nose-diving into dashboards may inhibit his ability to look cute in pictures.