Welcome to Adobe GoLive 5

So much has happened over the last few months. For those who know Larry Eicher, he and his wife Vicki moved out of the area. Larry is now working with their local SPCA. We wish them well and look forward to working with him in the future. A special election was held in September and a new board was elected. One of my first duties as the President is to introduce the rest of our board. Congratulations!

With the invaluable support from all of our volunteers, we will continue our efforts to save the sick, homeless cockers of all ages. Sadly for us, we also said goodbye to Debbie Rietz, our founder. After many years fostering, coaching and supporting the cause of cocker rescue, with hundreds of dogs owing their lives to her, Debbie decided that it is time to retire.

I met Debbie almost 2 years ago. Gary and I called her one night after reading about cocker spaniel rescue in the Cocker Spaniel magazine. She invited us to a show and we came home with our first foster dog - Van Gogh. What a dog! Part of one ear is missing. Van chases the crows out of the yard, digs holes and buries bones. Then there was Barney, then Mattie, Charlie, Chewie and Darth. And so it began for us.

I called on Debbie many times. We worked together to treat bordetella, mange, broken bones and spirits, to get dogs to the vet at all hours of the day or night. Good luck to you Debbie and Armin. We will never forget all you have done. There is a place across the Rainbow Bridge where they know you well.

We have had some wonderful news as well. Because of your generosity, we have been able to help many cockers regain their sight, fix broken bones, provide expensive medicines and heal broken spirits. When times were rough, you were there. Because of you, we have had bedding to warm their bodies, and food to feed the hungry we took in. But there is so much still to do. We continue to need your support. Can’t send much??? Sponsor a little one. For even a few dollars, you can help provide medicine, food, grooming, emergency care. If everyone could just send a little each month, we could do so much more. If you are interested, return the form on page 4 and we will be happy to tell you how the little one you helped is doing. I look forward to working together to continue our task, caring for and placing homeless cocker spaniels.

“We heard the dogs needed help so we wanted to do what we could” said Katie C. and her friend Amy of Springfield at one of our recent adoption shows. With the help of Katie’s dad, they unloaded their car of several bags of dog food, treats, toys, leashes, and other assorted puppy dog items followed by a couple beds and dog pillows. Katie’s dad told us that the girls saw one of OBG’s flyers and wanted to do something to help.

“They went door-to-door in our neighborhood asking for donations of dog related items or cash contributions. They collected all of these items themselves and almost $50. The girls saw there was a need and wanted to do what they could to help” said Mr. C., as the girls were handing us an assortment of bills.

A couple of the OBG volunteers were in tears as they listened to Mr. C. talk about the girls actions. It was such a surprise and so very, very appreciated. We took a picture of Katie and Amy with our beautiful black and white cocker/springer mix Ladie. The three of them are in the picture opposite.

You may have heard the phrase “One person can’t make a difference”. Well, two certainly can, especially if they are Katie and Amy.

Thanks again girls, and, a note to Katie and Amy’s parents; you should be very proud of these two!

Debbie Lamb, OBG volunteer

Seeking some fun after school one day, your teenage son chases the Cocker Spaniel into the dining room. Cornered, the dog lowers his ears, head, and tail, snarls, and finally bites your son on the hand as your son tries to tease the dog by grabbing him.

The dog’s reaction is “fear aggression”, which is not an unusual canine behavioral problem. Fortunately, this is usually quite treatable, aIthough it may take a few weeks of focus by the whole family.

The punishment didn't fit the crime

Fear aggression may be caused by overly severe punishment or punitive training techniques such as striking the dog. For instance, an inexperienced dog owner, frustrated at being unable to stop his dog from barking at a visitor, may go from a severe “No” admonishment to hitting the dog. For the dog, the learning process disappears in a whirl of fear, to be replaced by the need to defend himself from painful attack.

Perhaps the teenager above had, at other times, hit the dog with his hand, newspapers, or a leash. Soon, the Cocker Spaniel associated the teenager with abuse, which triggered fear whenever the youngster approached. The dog’s growls and lowered head and ears are a warning; but when cornered, afraid, and unable to escape, biting is his last defense.

“The only things that will set off the dog are things that scare the dog,” explains Katherine A. Houpt, VMD, PhD, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Another common factor can trigger fear aggression: genetics. For example, some dogs who haven’t been abused will react to a frightening stimulus such as a large, unfamiliar man.

Research indicates that German Shepherd Dogs, Cocker Spaniels, and Miniature Poodles tend to develop fear aggression more than other breeds. “And females may be just a bit more fearful because they tend to be a bit more subordinate,” Dr. Houpt explains.

Self-preservation

Fear aggression is a natural behavior for a dog based on self-preservation. For instance, a dog reacts this way when threatened by another dog.

However, it becomes a family problem when the training or punishment becomes extreme, such as striking or shouting. The dog’s anxiety forces him to bite back. In training or managing your dog, remember that food treats, praise, and petting are positive rewards for appropriate behavior, and are the best ways to develop the best behaviors.

Don’t hit

“Hitting is something that we do not advocate,” Dr. Houpt says. “It’s harder to build up a dog’s confidence than to push it down with abuse.” When snarls and snaps keep the feared person away, this is seen by the dog as effective, and causes this behavior to occur more and more often.

Dr. Houpt points out that canine aggression of any kind -- such as barking at strangers at the door or snarling at houseguests -- should not be encouraged. “You have to be careful not to reward the dog for aggressive behavior,” she emphasizes.

In some cases, the dog who is fearful of one individual will be fearful of others who physically resemble that person. For instance, if a redhaired person, a small child, or a person in a particular uniform abuses the dog, then the dog may react fearfully to other redheads, other children, or other people in those uniforms.

Effective treatments

Treatment for fear aggression is usually effective. These efforts need to focus on eliminating the person's negative behavior that creates the fear and replacing it with positive actions, activities, and rewards. When that's done appropriately, the aggression will disappear.

The dog must learn not to fear the person who elicits the fear response. Thus, “In a family situation, the only person who pets or pays attention to the dog should be the one who elicits the aggression," Dr. Houpt explains. That person should do nothing to make the dog feel fearful and should instead focus on reward and positive association-based activities such as feeding the dog, providing treats, taking him for walks -- and delivering no punishments. If there are negative behaviors requiring correction, another family member, whom the dog does not fear, should take the remedial action -- and the action should not be physical.

During retraining, other family members should avoid paying much attention to the dog and instead let the feared person be the dog's center of attention and the one he must rely on for his needs. Those close to the dog may require special instruction to understand the need for this temporary distancing.

If the dog is so fearful of a person that putting on a leash or offering food triggers a snarl, another friend or family member can attach the leash and then hand it to the feared person once outside. When outside, the dog will be less aggressive, as he won’t feel trapped.

During these walks, the person should be firm but never threatening and should provide the dog his favorite food treat when a command is obeyed. Inside the house, another family member can give the dog a treat when the feared person enters the room. This makes a positive connection in the dog’s mind between treats and that individual. If the aggression threat is strong enough to trigger a bite, particularly toward a child, a muzzle may be needed temporarily.

If carried out for a few weeks, the practices outlined above should change the dog’s perception from fear to affection. The dog will come to see the once-threatening person as the one who now must be relied on for the most pleasant parts of his life, which include being fed, receiving food treats and petting, and going outside.

In many instances, use of a dog anti-anxiety medication can speed up the retraining process. Psychoactive medications prescribed by a veterinarian are usually benign and don’t harm the dog.

Education is an important part of the OBG outreach program as a 501(3)c non-profit organization. With this goal in mind, a few of our volunteers, each equipped with an “Ambassador” cocker spaniel, a bucket of grooming tools, and fistfuls of leaflets have headed out to local elementary schools and Scout troops.

The focus of our presentation has been education: a puppy or kitten of any breed is not a “Christmas present”, it is a life-long commitment. After demonstrating the type of care (brushing, teeth and ear cleaning, nail clipping, etc) a high-maintenance dog like a cocker spaniel needs each and every week, the volunteers talk about shelters and rescue groups, and what happens when a pet is “thrown away”.

The children have received this program enthusiastically. Girl Scouts are mounting drives to collect gently-used leashes, bedding and other items needed by our fosters. Elementary students are learning how to avoid dog bites and treat animals with respect. And when the next generation is educated, we ALL win! OBG volunteers are more than willing to visit your elementary or middle school or scouting or youth group. E-mail our education coordinator at <cockercondo@ yahoo.com> or leave a message on the cocker line 703-533-2373 and we’ll be glad to schedule a meeting!

With the holidays fast approaching, we felt this the perfect time to remind our readers of typical items found around the home, especially at holiday times that are toxic to our four-footed family members.

Foods

• Chocolate, tea, coffee, cola:

It is not chocolate itself that is poisonous to dogs, it is the theobromine, a naturally occuring compound found in chocolate. Theobromine causes different reactions to different dogs: dogs with health problems, especially epilepsy, are more affected by theobromine than healthy dogs. Theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures in dogs prone to or at risk of epilepsy. The size of the dog will also be a major factor: the smaller the dog, the more affected it is by the same amount than a larger dog. Therefore, toxicity is described on a mg/Kg basis.
Furthermore, theobromine can cause cardiac irregularity, especially if the dog becomes excited. Cardiac arythmia can precipitate a myocardial infarct which can kill the dog.

Theobromine also irritates the GI tract and in some dogs can cause internal bleeding which in some cases kills them a day or so later.

Theobromine is also present in differing amounts in different kinds of chocolate. milk chocolate has 44-66 mg/oz, dark chocolate 450 mg/oz and baking/bitter chocolate or cocoa powder varies as much as 150-600 mg/oz. How much chocolate a dog can survive depends on its weight (and other unknown circumstances). Under 200 mg theobromine per kg body weight no deaths have been observed.

Theobromine will stay in the bloodstream between 14 and 20 hours. It goes back into the bloodstream through the stomach lining and takes a long time for the liver to filter out.

If your dog has eaten a considerable amount of chocolate, or displays any of the above symptoms, take it to the vet without delay.

• Nuts:

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs and should be avoided. In particular, there is a type of fungus common to walnuts (especially wet deadfall walnuts) that will cause severe episodes of seizuring. Many nuts are not good for dogs in general, their high phosporous content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones.

• Misc:

Onions, especially raw onions, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J Ettinger, D.V.M and Edward C. Fieldman, D.V.M.'s book: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 2 pg 1884.) Also: “Six Cases of Heinz Body Haemolytic Anaemia Induced by Onion and/or Garlic Ingestion” - CM Edwards and CJ Belford Aust.Vet.Prac. 26 (1) March 1996, 18-22.

Potato poisonings among people and dogs have occurred. Solanum alkaloids can be found in in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occurs when the tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively rare occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the metabolites are quickly eliminated. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs, actually quite nutritious and digestible.

Poisonous houseplants

In assessing the risk to your dog from these plants, you need to consider both the age of your dog and it's propensity to chew on plants. Many of the below toxic plants rarely cause problems because most dogs don't chew them — the exceptions being, of course, young puppies who are inclined to explore the world with their mouths, teething dogs who may chew on everything, and older dogs that are simply fond of chewing. Oleander, for example, is rather toxic, but most cases of poisoning involve 1) cattle, other grazing livestock 2) puppies and 3) human babies/toddlers.

Dumb cane is probably the one plant that should always be kept out of reach, since it takes only one nibble to have a potentially fatal situation.

Plants that give rash after contact with the skin or mouth (mums might produce dermatitis): chrysanthemum, poinsettia, creeping fig, weeping fig, spider mum, pot mum.

Plants that are irritating (toxic oxalates), especially the mouth gets swollen; tongue pain; sore lips; some swell so quickly a tracheotomy is needed before asphyxiation: arrowhead vine, majesty, boston ivy, neththytis ivy, colodium, pathos, emerald duke, red princess, heart leaf (philodendron), split leaf (phil.), saddle leaf (phil.), marble queen.

Toxic plants - may contain wide variety of poisons. Most cause vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps. Some cause tremors, heart and respiratory and/or kidney problems, which are difficult for owner to interpret: amaryllis, elephant ears, pot mum, asparagus fern, glocal ivy, ripple ivy, azalea, heart ivy, spider mum, bird of paradise, ivy, sprangeri fern, creeping charlie, jerusalem cherry, umbrella plant, crown of thorns, needlepoint ivy.

Poisonous outdoor plants

Plants which produce vomiting and diarrhea in some cases: delphinium, poke weed, indian tobacco, daffodil, bittersweet woody, wisteria, castor bean, ground cherry, soap berry, indian turnip, fox glove, skunk cabbage, larkspur.

These may produce vomiting, abdominal pain, and in some cases diarrhea: horse chestnut buckeye, western yew, apricot, almond, rain tree monkey pod, english holly, peach, cherry privet, wild cherry, mock orange, japanese plum, american yew, bird of paradise, balsam pear, english yew, black locust.

Varied toxic effect: rhubarb , buttercup moonseed, spinach, nightshade, may apple, sunburned potatoes, poison hemolock, dutchman's breeches, tomato vine, jimson weed, mescal bean, loco weed, pig weed , angel's trumpet, lupine, water hemlock, jasmine, dologeton, mushrooms, matrimony vine, dumb cane.

Cause convulsions: china berry, nux vomica, coriaria, water hemlock and moon weed.

Some poisonous household items

Acetaminophen, Laxatives, AntiFreeze, Lead, Aspirin, Lye, Bleach, Matches, Boric Acid, Metal Polish, Brake Fluid, Mineral Spirits, Carbon Monoxide, Mothballs, Carborator Cleaner, Nail Polish, Christmas Tinsel, Paint & Remover, Cleaning Fluid, Perm Solutions, Deoderants/Deoderizers, Phenol, Detergents, Photo Developer, Disinfectants, Rat Poison, Drain Cleaner, Rubbing Alcohol, Dye, Shoe Polish, Fungicides, Sleeping Pills, Furniture Polish, Soaps, Gasoline, Suntan Lotions, Hair Colorings, Tar, Herbicides, Turpentine, Insecticides, Windshield Fluid, Kerosene, Woodstain

Get a dog emergency health care book. Keep it on hand, along with emergency vet phone numbers. There are standard remedies for caustic and non-caustic emergency treatments, and YOUR immediate actions before the vet even sees your pet might make the difference between life and death.

Gary wrote:
This story is so true and so sad. I thought that we also need to tell the story with a happy ending because that is why we do Cocker rescue. So I wrote a rescue ending.

I was born today. One of 10. My daddy was famous. I have lots of half brothers and sisters. My mother is very famous. Since she got famous she has had only puppies. No more loving hands, no more fun trips, just puppies. She is always sad when they leave her.

I left home today. I didn't want to go, so I hid behind my mama and 3 littermates that were left. I didn't like you. But one day they said I would be famous. I wonder; is famous the same as fun and good times? So you picked me up and carried me away, even though you were concerned about me hiding from you. I don't think you liked me.

My new home is far away. I am scared and afraid. My heart says “be brave.” My ancestors were. Did they go to good homes like mine? I am hungry because I don’t get fed too much. I can't bite or snap when the children are mean to me. I just run and play and pretend I am in a big green field with butterflies and robins and frogs. I can't understand when they kick me. I am quiet, but the man hits and says loud things. The lady doesn't feed me good things like I had when I was with my mother. She just throws dry food on the ground then goes away before I get too close for touching and petting. Sometimes my food smells bad but I eat it anyway.

Today I had 10 puppies. They were so wonderful and warm. Am I Famous now? I wish I could play with them but they are so tiny. I am so young and playful that it is hard to lay in this hole under the house nursing my puppies. They are crying now. I am so hungry. I wish someone would throw me some food. I am also so very thirsty. I now have eight pups. Two got cold during the night and I couldn't make them warm again. They are gone. We are all very weak. Maybe is I take them out on the porch we can get some food.

Today they took us away. It was too much trouble to feed us and someone came to take us away. Someone grabbed my puppies. They were crying and whimpering. So we were put in a truck with boxes in it. Are my babies Famous now? I hope so, because I miss them. They are gone. The place smells like urine, fear and sickness. Why was I here? I was beautiful like my ancestors. Now I am hungry, dirty, in pain and unwanted. The worst is unwanted. No one came, though I tried to be good.

Today someone came. They put a rope on my neck and led me to a room that was very clean and had a shiny table. They put me on the table. Someone held me and hugged me. It felt so good!!!!! Then I felt tired and looked over to the last one who cared as I laid down. I am Famous now. Today someone cared.

Today someone came to see me. The person here took me from my cage on a rope to a big room. A man said “We will take her.”

He took me out of the building away from the urine smell, fear and sickness and put me in a box in a car. After we drove awhile, we came to a new place. He took me inside another building where a lady looked down and said “She is a beautiful Cocker.” And then she touched me and said, “It's going to be okay. She just needs a bath and a grooming.”

She took me in another room where there were other dogs like me. They were all checking me out and running around and playing.

The man got me all wet and stinky. But it was a nice stinky. Then he came at me with this noisy thing and my coat started to fall off. But it felt good because some of the coat was lumpy and made it hard to walk and lay down. When he was done, the lady gave me all the food I wanted.

That night I went to sleep on a soft warm blanket. I was beginning to think “I must be FAMOUS now.”

A few days went by and the NICE lady took me for another ride. We went in a room where people started looking me over. In my mouth, under my tail, in my ears. They said things like “She is doing real well now. ... She must be about 3 or 4.”

I got poked a few times. Then I went to sleep. When I woke up, I kind of hurt on my tummy. The nice lady picked me up real careful and carried me out and took me back to the warm place. For days and days I ate food, went out to run and played with some of the others like me.

Then one day the nice lady took me to another new place with some of the others. There were more people. A man and a woman came over to look at me. The woman picked me up and held me close. It was real nice. The man took me outside for a walk on a rope but he was nice too. When the man took me inside, the new nice woman said, “we will take her.”

Then she said something really strange. She said, “Come on baby, lets take you home.”

Although we don’t know the author of the original piece, we in rescue have seen this so many times. The words ring true to us, and we thank the original author. Oldies But Goodies has several puppy mill dogs that need homes...

Waiting...

I’m waiting here in foster care for you to come and see
The one the others have passed by
Please, stop and look at me!
I’m not alone here in my quest to find myself a place
Where someone will have love for me and softly stroke my face.
We're not so young in years they say, although we're young at heart
If you'll take a chance with us --
please know we'll do our part.
Our faces have a bit of white, our legs a slower gait
Our hearts so full of love to give -- but still we sit and wait.
A younger dog is what folks want, one who romps and plays
They won't take the time to look at us -- just think we're old and gray.
Little do they know the things we have to offer them
Manners learned and quiet souls -- good dogs all we've been.
There are those here too, whose souls were damaged and in pain
Before they came to this safe place and learned to trust again.
When new folks come and look at them, they seem withdrawn and shy.
Time is all they need to learn that new bonds they can tie.
Patience, love and gentle hands is all they ask of you
In exchange - their hearts they give you in their lives so new.
We may not be the perfect dogs in everybody's eye
Too big, too small, too brown, too slow, too black, too old, too shy.
But unless you sit and take the time and see all that we can be
You'll miss the best that is right here -- Please stop --
HEY -- Look at ME!

2001 OBG Cocker Calendar

The competition for pictures of “The Sweetest Things” for our 2001 calendar has concluded and did we get some GREAT entries! Thanks to all who participated. The number of calendars are limited so don’t wait, order yours today. Order as many as you wish -- remember, these will make great gifts for any dog lover.

To order, print out, complete and mail the form below to: Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue • P.O. Box 361 • Newington, VA 22122-0361

Name ________________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _________________________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________________ E-mail address _________________________________

Quantity to be ordered ___________ Cost of each pre-sales calendars x $10.00 ea

Total _________________ (please submit check w/your order payable to Oldies But Goodies Cocker Spaniel Rescue)

The Devil Dogs

If it could be the best of times or the worst of times, for me it was the worst of times. My husband had accepted a job in a far away state necessitating yet another move. Though I had moved several times during my childhood and as my husband of 27 years moved up the corporate ladder, this time I was not looking forward to meeting new people and starting over in a new place. It had taken almost 4 years to become accepted by neighbors in a small town in Massachusetts and I would be leaving behind a fantastic boss and a job I loved as the office manager of a veterinary clinic. Harder yet, this would be our first move without one of our two sons who would remain behind to finish his junior and senior years at the University of Massachusetts.

We had been in our new home about 2 weeks when we began noticing that Taz, one of our 4 cocker spaniels wasn’t doing well. There was nothing specific -- he just wasn’t right. Since he had an autoimmune thyroid problem, we felt he should be checked out and took him to a veterinarian who gave us some antibiotics and a cough suppressant. When he didn’t recover, a different veterinarian ran some blood work, continued the antibiotics, had us return in a few days to repeat blood work and pronounced him “cured”. Taz continued to deteriorate, and a 3rd veterinarian diagnosed Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, a terrible disease in which the body decides to destroy its own red blood cells. He was immediately started on immunosuppressive drugs, and when he still showed no signs of improvement was transported to the local veterinary emergency clinic which planned an even more aggressive treatment to try to stop the disease. Unfortunately, Taz was not meant to survive.

I was devastated. He had been the perfect cocker spaniel. He had loved everyone. His tail had never stopped wagging. I missed the way he sat in my car, looked at me, and placed his paw on my hand. I missed his beagle-bark. I missed the way he brought his special ball that needed a treat stuffed inside for a refill. I missed his warm black and tan body snuggled next to me on the bed at night. I would cry the whole way home from work knowing he would not be at the door to greet me. The loss of Taz, my separation from friends, the perfect job, and my son completed the downward spiral into a black hole so deep that I didn’t care enough to try to get out. I wanted life to end so I could be with my mother, Taz and the cockers that had preceded him. I wanted the pain to go away.

About 4 months after Taz’s death, a co-worker asked me to go to Animal Control to pick up a bird that needed treatment at our veterinary hospital. While at AC, I strolled by the cages, noticing one that contained an aged buff female cocker and another that contained a blind black and tan male cocker. They had been strays and were scheduled for euthanasia following the mandatory 10-day waiting period, as no one would want either of them. I talked it over with my husband and we decided to foster the two, extending their time in which to find a home. I was convinced I would find a sympathetic client to adopt them. When the next cocker arrived at AC, the shelter workers wasted no time in informing me that I had been designated the area’s cocker spaniel rescue and happily turned him over to me.

Close examination of the dog showed a black hide stretched over a skeleton. Every rib could easily be seen, along with prominent bones. He was so emaciated that his head looked huge. What hair he had was matted in rings around his legs. His ears were matted to his neck. Bald patches mottled his back and sides. Urine had penetrated the hair on his underside and he was horribly scalded. Fleas and ticks had had their way with him. His nails were curved around into the pads of his feet and he had a terrible green discharge coming from his nose. A checkup, complete with blood work, showed no major problems, so he was put on antibiotics, shaved and bathed, neutered and came home with me to join the pack.

He slowly walked into the house. Dog toys were scattered everywhere. His dull eyes developed a spark when he spied Taz’s favorite toy, a squeaky ball, and he began developing squeaky ball games on the spot. He became more inventive as the night went on. His favorite past time was to hide the ball and then beseech you to find it. He would always give you a hint by leading you to the general area and then stare in the direction you were to search. Other similarities to Taz began to surface ... the never-ending wagging tail and the ability to love everyone, an uncharacteristic for cocker “beagle bark,” the need to ride shotgun in the car, and something I had seen only twice in my 17 years in the veterinary field, hair growing in the grooves of his tongue. We named him Dizzy Devil after the cartoon son of the Tasmanian Devil.

As days turned into weeks, I watched as Dizzy began putting on weight and developing a shiny black coat. Dizzy had been about as decrepit as an animal could be and still cling to life, but he had never given up. His enthusiasm for life being contagious, I started the long climb out of the black hole. Though I still miss Taz tremendously, I feel he somehow had something to do with my visit to AC. He wasn’t ready for me to join him so he gave me a new reason for being — to give less fortunate cockers a chance. He sent Dizzy, in particular, to show me that no matter how bad things are, they can get better.

And I know that when the time is right, he will be there at the door to greet me.

Christine Walters, Chesapeake, VA

President’s Corner

Come Visit Us!

Not Too Young to Help ...

Fear Aggression: COMMON and DANGEROUS