What breed is for you? Some of my favs

Out of curiousity I took a Breed test yesterday; the test was to see which breed would be best suited to me. It was sent to one of my groups so I thought; "let's just see." The questions were very general; I wondered who thought up the test. Was it someone who thought they knew the best questions to ask or someone who thought they'd figured this out in a scientific manner.

Once I finished the very few questions; presto A BICHON. A Bichon is the dog for me; a perfect fit. NOT! "What?" Not that I have anything against Bichon but it is not a breed that I would ever consider for myself; even if they do sort of look like an overcoated poodle. No; I'm not a Bichon type of gal.

My first love was Dobermans and I adore them to this day. I love their temperament and the look of them; I have met very few Dobermans that I wouldn't want to bring home with me. Next of course is my breed of choice; the standard poodle. I've had them for 25 years now and I'm not about to change my love for them. I love standards for their intelligence; their abillity to perform in any activity you'd like to do with them and the non shed is a bonus.

My love of poodles is not the typical "poodley thing," I'm not a fan of the "poodle" look. It is infact an identity given to them by humans; poodles are nothing like the poofy exterior that they wear. Standard poodles are very much a utility breed; strong, athletic, amazingly intelligent and great guard dogs.

My own poodles wear a variety of clips; mostly depending on my mood as I groom myself. They can usually be seen in a very short, naturally dried and very curly look all over. There are never any pom poms. Right now they have about an inch all over because it is hot in the day and cold at night, I don't want to leave them with nothing yet I don't want them to suffer in the heat with a huge coat.

I more regularly keep their face and feet shaved for personal hygiene. They do alot of hiking, playing in the water and general mucking around so it keeps more dirt outside and less dirt on their face. To really love a breed you must love what is inside more than the exterior I believe. There are dogs that I love the look of but wouldn't want to live with and dogs that I'm not keen on the look of but love whats inside.

I love so many different breeds; I meet so many dogs in my line of work that it is almost a monthly routine to add another breed to my "thinking about getting" list. Some fit into the "not keen on the look" category but once I get to know them; I'm smitten.

Some of my favorite breeds are:

Standard poodle, no duh!
Doberman
English Pointer
Borzoi
Bouvier
Jack russell
Bull Terrier
Airedale

Believe me, these are just a few on a very large list.

Dog wash day

The dogs have been due for a bath for about a week now but because of Luke being sick I haven't had time. Normally everyone gets done at the same time and all the beds get washed then as well; so that everything and everyone is nice and clean. Not only did they get bathed yesterday Tilley got her hair cut and Luke will be done today.

Rounding them up for their turn in the shower can be tricky; none like to have a bath which is pretty typical. Jessie is the easiest of course because she is small; 15 lbs to be exact. So as I get the shampoo and the towels ready everyone is watching. I just scoop her up; she basically doesn't have a choice. She is done in no time and outside to dry in the sun; yesterday was in the high 80s; a good day for a bath.

Bringing Jessie out of the bathroom I realized that Luke was already stressed about it. I could see him laying beside my husband watching my every move; he wants to know when he needs to make a run for it. All the dogs are very good about being bathed; I've never had a dog who fought me about being bathed. But each one tries to avoid the situation.

After tossing Jessie out into the sun I quickly decided to do Tilley next; she was laying on the couch in the familyroom which is right beside the bathroom where I was washing them. She made a quick attempt at going through the dog door but was stopped in her tracks; there was no choice for her. Tilley has a very dense curly coat which holds water like a sponge; she takes the longest to bathe due to the length of time it takes to get the shampoo out of her.

Once she is done; I just open the bathroom door for her and let her out the side of the house. The bathroom is situated perfectly for dog washing. Now it was Luke's turn and he knows it; as I walk upstairs to get him his eyes start darting for an escape route. He has been lying beside the diningroom table where my husband had been working on his laptop; not a usual place for Luke to lay. He tried making a run for it behind the table but there is no way out that way and my son grabbed him for me.

Usually I just grab the dogs scruff and guide them downstairs; my dogs don't wear collars in the house, ever. Until Luke they all just follow me to the bathroom; but Luke is a much more sensitive guy so I wrap a towel around his chest and off we go. He doesn't fight but doesn't come happily either. Sometimes he is trembling when he gets into the shower; you would think he was about to be tortured. No trembling yesterday; he is very good and is done quickly.

Luke has an amazingly soft and luxurious coat, not very curly and not what is desired for the show ring but it is much easier to rinse out than Tilley's and when it is blown dry and fluffy, pure heaven to snuggle with. Once done he too is let out to partially dry. Luke like the other dogs goes crazy when he is wet but for some reason he looks alot crazier.

With those long legs of his he charges around ready to attack anything that moves. We have a post bathing ritual that he loves; I try to towel dry him and he does his best to attack the towel. I charge everyone up for a good romp to start the drying process and then they all lay enjoying the warm sun on them until it is their turn for the dryer.

Tilley had the works yesterday and is looking beautiful; Luke get's his works today and Jessie; she never gets the works, she's a wash and go gal.

Am I proud?

What a weird day yesterday. We have huge and very scarey fires going on here. Lastnight was UFC at our house and we typically have a houseful. But due to the fires my husband, son and daughters boyfriend were held up with being re-routed on the freeways. I was home alone and ordered our regular UFC pizzas. I knew the pizza would arrive around 7 and I still needed to feed the dogs.

I do not like to feed the dogs if I think feeding time will be interrupted. But not wanting to miss any of the fights because I was going to have to fill the boys in on what had happened so far I decided to go ahead and feed the dogs. If the pizza guy came I'd just pick up the bowls, get the pizza and proceed with feeding. I began to prepare the food and being extra hungry Jessie was really underfoot. So I asked her and Tilley to step outside and wait.

With the door open Jessie stayed outside, the boundary being the threshold of the door. Once done I realized Luke was still napping downstairs and went to get him. I was so surprised that even when I left the kitchen to get Luke; there was Jessie and Tilley standing outside. Neither had broken the boundary; yes I was very proud.

Then of course as soon as I put the bowls down the door bell rang; it was the pizza guy. For any of you who have a pack of dogs, something like this can quickly turn to a frenzy. Each dog knows that if they leave their bowl to investigate that it may not be there when they return. And Jessie being a food maniac is just waiting for someone to leave their bowl. So I calmly picked up the bowls and told them to wait. Wait being my casual form of stay.

In a semi frenzied state, they typically would charge the door. I went and answered the door; brought the pizzas into the kitchen. I went and paid the man and thanked him and came back into the kitchen where the dogs were sitting quietly waiting. No one had rushed the door, no one was doing anything they shouldn't. I placed the bowls back down and they continued their dinner uninterrupted. Yes I was proud.

Good breeders finding good guardians

I know alot of breeders; from the time I started handling in the conformation ring until now I have met literally hundreds of breeders. Placing puppies is a common topic of conversation whether I'm just photographing, temperament testing or just having a cup of coffee over some dog talk. How do you know someone will be a great dog guardian? In life there is no guarantee; not with animals or with humans.

The breeders I'm talking about are breeders, not the kind who sell online and send their puppies off to whoever has the money. Most good breeders really drill the prospective puppy guardians; this is normal. In fact if you really think about it; this is a much desired trait in a breeder. If they just handed puppies out to whoever wanted them that would mean they don't care about their puppies.

A great guardian is someone who will have their dog live in the house as a family member. One who will make sure that their dog has mental and physical stimulation on a daily basis. They will seek out activities that will enrich the natural instincts of their dog and their individual talents. A great guardian will teach their dog many behaviors; a dog's mind is a sad thing to waste.

A great guardian puts their dog in the mix when considering family activities and looks at solutions to a great life together. A dog that lives with a great guardian will never, ever be an outside dog. They will never fear a hand coming their way because they have never been hit. Above all a great dog guardian is one who has an open mind, one who is willing to learn all they can about their dog and how to be a better guardian.

Good guardians let their dogs get good and dirty, they don't worry about dog related dirt in the house or the car. You may or may not have poop bags in every pocket of your coats and pants. You will often find goodies in your purse or pockets. And even if your dog is not a certain breed you may have joined several dog related groups so that you and your dog can hang with other dog lovers.

I know alot of great guardians and when I meet a new one it makes my day. The more wonderful dog people there are in this world the better this world will be. The term Spreading the wealth is floating around alot these days; as a good dog guardian we should all spread the wealth of knowledge we have. Pay if forward so to speak, share your ideas with people and the greatness will be passed on.

Wolves eat grapes

I watched a great documentary lastnight on wolves; they were in Spain. The scenery was amazing and worth watching the show just for that. But I was watching it for the wolves and the wolf interactions. I have to admit there was some of the scariest wolf footage I've ever seen on a documentary.

I actually started watching the show as it was about 15 min. into it already. When I tuned in there was a very large pack of wolves that was trying to evict some of the male members. They do this by not letting the wolves eat or be inside the nucleus of the pack. Therefore they live on the outskirts until they move on and find another life on their own.

The scene I came in on was that of the outted members who had lost respect for the Alpha male and were challenging him due to starvation. It was obvious that they had lost any sense of reason and were now attempting to overthrow the Alpha. Several of the outted members were young, old or injured and they stayed on the outside. They were smart enough to know they had no place in the violence that was erupting.

Two of the members stayed together and moved off; a senior member and a young male. They went off to find a better life and this is when they ventured into a village where they feasted on grapes. I sat puzzled watching this "grapes?" If they can eat several lbs at a sitting then why can our dogs not eat grapes. This was very puzzling to me; so I'm off to do some research. I don't blame the wolves; they looked like really great grapes. And apparently this is very common with hungry wolves; it is easy picking so to speak.

The documentary ended on a happy note with the outted young male who had found a young female sitting howling with their new arrivals; three adorable black wolf puppies.

Yesterday

Luke was at an Advanced specialty care veterinarians yesterday; the type of place you go for the high tech type surgical procedures. I didn't realize until I walked into the facility that it was indeed the same place I had taken Jessie some 6 1/2 years ago to have a Plasma transfusion. Not many regular vets carry Plasma.

I remembered when I walked into the place on my first trip with Jessie and thinking "this is going to cost". It's really big and when their are recessed features in the wall with tiny pot lights illuminating vases; uh ya it costs. Funny how my guesstimate works so much better than it did years ago. Maybe way back then I was naive and now I'm cynical.

I remember gasping in disbelief at the price for Jessie's transfusion but yesterday I didn't bat an eye. Not that I didn't think that it was hugely expensive but I was expecting it and had braced myself for it. There is no price you can put on your dog; you do what it takes to make them better and if you can't afford it you figure out how to pay for it later. Alot of places have payment plans now which I think it wonderful; not everyone can fork out thousands of dollars in a single shot, especially these days.

Once I arrived I signed in and sat; it wasn't 2 minutes before someone was commenting on how good Luke was and how adorable he is. I told them he was being unusually good, but I guessed that he was getting use to it now. They told me about their GSD; the husband was actually compelled to tell me every detail of this GSD and the past GSDs he has owned. He also informed me that if you get a registered AKC dog that you are guaranteed that you're dog won't have Hip Dysplasia. "Really!" I exclaimed and he assured me that the GSD breeders here in America are on top of it. ;)

So anyway then our conversation was cut short and we were ushered into our room. We saw the vet, had Luke's blood drawn and then we sat. I didn't mind sitting with Luke but I didn't know what we were waiting for. The techs that took his blood said that they would let the vet know they drew the blood and then left. I thought I was waiting for the vet to come back to give me more info. As I sat I wondered if they forgot us; it's all about good communciation.

Its a big place so maybe there was some crossed wires somewhere and here we sit. Just as I was about to go to the front to see if they had indeed forgot us; the receptionist peeked in and said "you're still in here?" Uh yep, we've been waiting for I'm not sure what. So off she went to see what she could find out. Then the PR lady showed up and told me it would be 15 min. then they would come and get Luke. She thought I had wanted to stay with Luke instead of having them take him. I assured her I did and I didn't mind waiting but no one told me anything so I was left pondering in the room for an hour.

I'm big on communication; I like it in dogs and think it is essential in humans. A lack of communciation leads to all sorts of problems. I always like to know what is on my clients minds; questions, problems or just not getting something. Tallk to me people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's home

Luke is home and he is very high; he's on Valium. It was a long day for him; we arrived to the vets at 9:45 this morning. He had his physical at about 10:30 and discussed exactly the route we were going to take. We discussed a blood clotting test that needed to be done and several other blood tests. You know I asked them to bring it all in the room with me; they were very good about it.

They brought all of the blood equipment into our room and asked to have Luke laydown; I let them know that was not going to happen when he was in a nervous state. I asked if we could draw the blood with him standing and they were very accomodating. After having his blood draw he got his first of a couple of sedatives.

So then we had a long wait; I decided to sit with Luke in the room until his procedure time instead of having him in a cage. He was restless and not liking the effects of the sedative so I sat on the floor with him so he would laydown and settle. The sedative made him feel weak, wobbly and a bit out of it; not a happy guy. We sat for an hour and a half; Luke rested and I read a pile of Dog Fancy magazines; saw lots of my images.

When the tech came into get him he was really grouchy and had no intention of being nice to anyone. The very nice tech did her best to be likable and he finally agreed to go with her; that alone surprised me. Time for me to leave and wait; the waiting is the hardest part.

I finally got the call around 3:30 to come and get my boy. They didn't find a whole lot up there, no fungus which was very good to hear. The presence of this one particular nasal fungus has a treatment that can be surgery. She did get a tiny crunchy leaf looking item out and suctioned the heck out of his nasal cavity. She said many times when they are sure that there is a foreign object in there but can't find it; suctioning does the trick.

So we now wait and see if the symptoms go away and wait for biopsy results. If it was the tiny leaf; it was one expensive leaf.

Luke is getting scoped

Click on the photo on the right of my dogs and I to see my new Cook'n for dogs blog.


Luke is going in for his scope this morning. He doesn't know it but will suspect something is up when I ask him to come to the car with me alone. I try to take them out on their own occasionally so they don't associate being alone with the vet; but they are smart. I'm anxious about today; I'll have to hand him over to them I'm sure because he is being put out. I'll try my best to stay with him at least until he is out.

I hate leaving my dogs; they put complete trust in me so I hate to break that and put them in the hands of someone else. I feel as though I have let them down when I leave them with a complete stranger. Since the horrible event years ago when a veterinarian let a tech take Tilley out back and allowed her to escape the facility I have sworn to never leave them. I know it is an impossible task; at some point I have to leave them but I hate it.

I'm sure they will call me very quickly when Luke starts to wake up though. Both times before when he has been put out I've got the frantic call to come and get him. He's a scream/howler, he screams going under and he scream howls coming out of anesthetic. It's a noise you can't tolerate for long; even the seasoned techs are pretty frazzled upon my arrival.

I will let everyone know what we find, hopefully just a foreign object that is not suppose to be in there and nothing else.

Figuring it out

Yesterday I took my two poodles to a park they where they love to run. It is a strange sort of strip area where I have only twice seen other people with their dogs. A long wooden fence runs the length of the field which use to have a broken spot at the top where the dogs could go onto the canyon side to have a sniff around. It has since been repaired.

The canyon is beyond the fence and I always like to take a panoramic peek before leaving the park. I'm hoping one day that I will actually see something cool down there. So I climbed up and over the fence; it is a wood rail type fence with wood posts and three horizontal wooden rails. As soon as I started to climb the fence I realized that the dogs were going to want to come with me.

I wasn't even over before I heard the first whimper; yep it was Luke. Once over the fence I had to convince him that he could indeed make it through the middle space. The fence is too high to jump and too low to go under. With Luke's chest as deep as it is he was just going to be able to squeeze through the middle.

This is when communication is important; if you do not have a way to communicate to your dogs it is difficult to explain something to them. Keeping in a zen state I told him and motioned with my hand "this way". He works himself into a tizzy, whining and pawing at the fence and decides to find another way. I don't often use the word "no" with my dogs; usually saved for a very bad behavior but mostly stopping a behavior in its tracks. This was one; as he charged off to find his secret way over the fence I yelled NO. He stopped immediately and came back.

The secret to Luke is calm; it help combat his hyper excited state. It didn't take long once he calmed down and he squeezed through; just making it with that big chest of his. Now Tilley was next; she on the other hand is calm but thinks she knows a better way as well. I call her and motion to come through; off she runs down the fence to find the old opening that unfortunately is now gone.

I call her firmly and ask her to come through again. Tilley is watching my head instead of my hand so I move my head to the middle section and presto she's through. Funny I was communicating with Tilley in the same physical manner yet she watch where my head instead of hand was and as a determined smart girl; I had to be firm with her so she would follow my lead instead of her own; very different from Luke.

Once we have a good look around the canyon it's time to go back through the fence.

Pet stores vs. Reputible breeders

I was at the Mall on the weekend and there were crowds in the pet store. As I strained not to look at the puppies I couldn't help but notice the sickly looking little things leaping around the front windows. They all had tearing eyes and looked in horrible shape. This is the pet store at the Mission Viejo Mall; I'm not sure what the name of it is they keep changing it.

Have people not learned anything? And there was a huge sale; a Veterans Day sale on puppies. But there's more; buy a puppy now and don't pay a cent. I truly wish that people wouldn't use these places as sized down zoo's nor do I want people even buying merchandise, let alone a dog from these places. Pet stores don't care about the dogs, that's it, bottom line. Their bottom line is the almighty dollar.

Do they consider for a moment that these puppies have been ripped away from their Mother's at a far too early age? Nope. Do they consider that the parents of these puppies are kept half starved, in filthy cages only stopping breeding once they can no longer produce, nope. And when they can no longer produce are often left to starve in a cage or tossed somewhere for someone else to worry about. The people who sell puppies in a pet store turn a blind eye to fill their pockets.

Reputible, ethical breeders are a world apart. When you visit one you'll know you've finally met a good breeder. My bar for good breeders is high but for the dogs sake it should be very high and never lowered. A good breeder has clean little puppies in their home (well the puppies might be a bit dirty being that they are puppies). But they are in the home with the people.

A reputible breeder has health checked (genetic health testing done for that specific breed) all the dogs who are bred, taken extra care of the Mother to be in regards to health and nutrition. They have watched and noted all the subtle changes in each puppy as they grow. They have had the puppies checked by a veterinarian and may have had them temperament tested.

Great breeders are a tough bunch; very wary in handing over puppies. They can turn anyone away; it is their right. You have to be a "good home" to even think about getting a puppy from them; and this is how it should be. This is because these people have a huge interest in the lives of their puppies, who they go to and how will their little lives turn out.

A good breeder will keep open a line of communication. They will make you feel like you can contact them about anything; and you should. Many people don't stay in touch but it is a really good idea to stay in close contact with a breeder.

Getting a puppy from a good, reputible, ethical breeder is a win win for everyone involved.

The impact of dogs

What impact does your dog or dogs have on your life? For me; my dogs and dogs in general are my life aside from my husband and children that is. I had a toy poodle at the age of 9; and was in the conformation ring at the age of 13. I was handed a showlead with a Doberman on the end of it and never looked back.

I have been completely immersed in dogs since before I ever had my first dog. I love all things dogs and my dogs make me very happy. I think the biggest thing about having dogs and loving having dogs is spending time with them; just chill'n. Even if we aren't doing exciting activities we love being with each other. My dogs show that they like being with me by doing just that.

I have three shadows with me throughout the day. Two are constant, one will occasionally do her own thing. Offering my dogs a good life is my chosen obligation; it makes me happy seeing them happy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my dogs having fun doing what they love. Like a simple hike in the woods or canyon; they love it. This is probably the most fun for any dog; the simple joy of running free.

I love watching Jessie as she checks each rodent hole for a resident. Once found she bends her head down and digs with all her might. She actually uses her mouth to assist in the dig and when she looks up at me with a smile and a mouth full of dirt; I cannot help but smile.

Tilley loves to catch and retrieve; she lives for it. Each and everytime she lands with a ball or frisbee in her mouth she gives a small but visible tail wag. With the frisbee or ball in her mouth she is grinning from ear to ear on return. She doesn't waste anytime ejecting the object for the next throw; which I love to do for her.

And then there is Luke, he is a simple yet complex boy and knowing all of his tiny quirks makes me smile. Knowing that he is afraid of objects that move on their own, makes me smile. I love when he huffs a greeting, watching him try to get a ball before Tilley does (which will not happen until Tilley is very old I'm sure.) I love seeing his huge smile when he gets back from a hike an I love watching him try to be the man of the house; and the girls keep him in line.

Not a day goes by when I do not consciously admire my dogs for something. Oh sure they can get on my nerves every once in a while but what my dogs bring to my life is immense. Being surrounded in the morning by all the snoring and dreaming dogs makes me happy as does it make them happy. And seeing the dogs so completely relaxed and comfortable as they dream away the hours in different locations of our home; makes me really happy.

Dogs are my life; I love to meet new clients both training and photography subjects. Hearing how each dog enriches their guardians life is something I will never stop wanting to hear. How each dog entered a life, the dog and the human both changed because of it.

This and that

I missed blogging yesterday; just too darned busy. We took a trip to Costco where I was hoping to get another couch dog bed for the pooches. It is the favorite one in the family room and it is quite obvious by the wear and tear on it. No such luck; they actual had slim pick'ns.

Luke is the same; no worse, no better. After calling the Specialty Care facility I was told that Wednesday is the earliest they can scope him. WEDNESDAY? This aways boggles my mind; a facility that is there to do the procedures that regular vet cannot and you have to wait so long? Truly it is just like the human specialty services.

With the cooler weather the dogs are happy and so am I, now I'd be happier if it was about 20 degrees colder and threatening to snow. But I'll have to settle for 70 degree temps being that it is Southern California. I remember the first snowfall each year back home; my first dog Mandy loved the snow and would run and eat as much as she could. It was obvious that she was as happy as I to see it.

With poodles and airedales (which Mandy was) they collect giant snowballs in the hair of their legs. We actually had a specific area in our home where the dogs would come in and thaw. It was at the back door where there was a heater that helped move the melting along. Once thawed and dried a bit they then came into the rest of the house.

Often I'd pick the snowballs out; but if you've never seen a dog with tennis ball sized snowballs stuck in their fur; it takes a longtime to perform. The hair becomes entwined in the snow and it is a giant mess. Here I don't worry about snow but I do worry about fox tails (very evil burrs that do alot of damage) spiders and snakes. Snow never looked so good.

So I think today will bring some off roading, if any of the dogs join us, they are harnessed up and cinched down for the ride.

Have a great weekend.

A glimmer

It was the glimmer I had been watching for; the tiny little behavior that told me we were rounding the corner of this strange illness of Luke's. Lastnight he ate; not a ton and assisted by me but he ate. For days I have been cooking, cutting, chopping, coating and preparing everything I could think of to feed him. Being a finicky eater; not feeling well is really bad.

Yesterday morning he was not interested in eating at all. Not fresh cooked chicken, raw beef, cheese, fresh homemade cookies or ham, nothing. Luke is on Amoxicillin; it is an antibiotic and seems to be slowly making a difference. Having an infection in your head is scarey; you want to make sure you are on top of it. But this particular antibiotic can really mess with your stomach (I know from experience); something that is not a good mixture with a finicky dog.

Finally yesterday at around 1:30 he decided to eat a few pieces of raw beef dipped in butter; that's right butter. The day before I had made some special dog ccokies for him, oatmeal, peanut butter, apple sauce, and sweet potato were a few of the ingredients. Sounds pretty healthy right? Well Luke loved them; after I dipped each tiny piece in butter that is.

But after preparing his dinner lastnight, turkey, chicken, raw beef, sweet pototo with brown rice I thought; "he's probably not going to eat this." Then I noticed his ears; they were slightly up in interest. This is the glimmer I'd been looking for; this told me he at least was interested in what I was making. So after placing Jessie and Tilley's food down I anxiously put his on the floor and he came over to look at it.

Holding my breath I waited; a little pushing around, digging and then he finally picked up a piece of beef. He ate 3/4 of his food; I was really excited. After eating we watched some news on the election (which I'm stoked about) and Luke twice picked up a toy and tossed it around for a minute. Looks like there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

I still do not know what is wrong with Luke; all the blood panel tests are not in. But being on antibiotics and seeing an improvement tells me there is definitely an infection in that big head of his.

Greyhound racing

http://www.protectdogs.org

http://www.greyhoundracingsucks.com/index.htm

These sites above can be graphic; view at your own risk. These are only two of hundreds of websites where you can find out the "truth" about racing dogs.

Massachusetts has passed a bill banning Greyhound racing by 2010. It's a slow road but it's a step in the right direction. Several years ago I had the honor of shooting some ex-racers at the Hemopet facility(a blood bank for dogs). I wanted to know more as I met and photographed these amazing dogs.

Greyhound racing is an awful business; driven by money, gambling and greed. And if you are not a winner; it can be a horrific life and death. Even the big winners have to loose at some point which means your life goes steadily downhill. It truly boggles my mind how some humans just do not possess the compassion gene. How can anyone think that the way these dogs are treated is okay?

Now onto the rescue groups who are some of my canine heros. They save literally thousands of dogs each year but sadly they can't save them all. Many go unaccounted for; just gone. The people running these rescue groups do the best they can and many are fighting a loosing battle.

Each and everytime I meet a rescued greyhound I am amazed at the sweet nature and forgiveness they give humans. Known as the supreme "couch potato" these dogs enter a new life that is completely foreign to them. Love, attention, free run, good food, health care and life as a typical dog is all unknown to them. I have met many greyhounds with serious health problems, missing limbs and obvious body malformations due to their racing history.

Massachusetts has taken the step; we all need to follow. Educate yourself on the "sport" of greyhound racing. Please do not frequent these places and above all; do not spend your money on fueling these horrific wrongs done to dogs. Instead put your money where it can help stop the cruel abuse. Please!

Picky eaters

I have to discuss picky eaters this morning; that would mean Luke in this house. There are obviously degrees of pickyism as there are degrees of just about any behavior. After looking up the dictionary meaning for picky I realized that finicky is a better term; but finicky is a weird word isn't it?

Finicky: Insisting capriciously on getting just what one wants; difficult to please; fastidious: a finicky eater.

But as weird as it is this is it. There are dogs that like one food over another; dislike one item of food and basically have their own specific tastes; much like humans. There are dogs that will eat anything; alot of dogs are happy to eat anything that you put infront of them; like my Jessie. Although she eats things that I don't put infront of her as well.

I'm not talking about tastes or preferences in food; I'm talking finicky. Luke has an unknown illness right now and because of this his degree of finickyism is off the charts. Having been told by the vet to have him on a bland diet on the weekend; I was sort of like "okay I'll try." Knowing full well he wasn't going to be eating chicken and rice anytime soon. Oh yes most dogs would love fresh baked chicken and rice; not Luke. Not unless it's got flavoring or butter.

Luke loves butter; it is one of his favorite foods but one cannot live on butter alone, I don't think. Having taken Luke back again to the vets yesterday they asked about what he was eating; I told them a hamburger pattie and buttered toast. "He is suppose to be on a bland diet." "Yes, I know but he is not going to eat chicken and rice." He doesn't like blland food when he is feeling great; when he is not feeling well at all he'll eat whatever is the most tempting to him.

Knowing full well that he will only eat his absolute favorite foods when he isn't feeling good I thought I'd try Steve's RAW food. Luke loves raw meat, I didn't know if he'd be up for this RAW food mixture; nope. Yesterday for breakfast after trying buttered toast, hamburger patties made at home with no luck he ate a McDonalds double quarter pounder. I even tried to hide some of the raw food inbetween pieces but there is no fooling Mr. Finicky.

I have never before had a dog like this; all of my dogs have eaten what I've given them. The old saying "a dog's not going to starve themselves," may be true but he sure will let himself become scarey skinny. Food is not a big thing to Luke plain and simple; even when I give the dogs cookies, the girls scarf them back so no one else gets them. Luke on the other hand sometimes eats them, sometimes just walks away and leaves them for the girls.

If you have a picky eater then you know what that means. I don't think you can possibly understand the term picky or finicky if you've never dealt with it. "Try cottage cheese, try eggs or fish." Yes for most dogs these would all be wonderful but for a dog who is finicky; these may not be high up on the yum list.

What it boils down to is knowing what your dog likes; Luke likes beef, butter, cream, liver and food filled with flavor. And as I've said before I hate to use the term "people food," but Luke loves people food. He has very discerning taste buds, just like we do. Once I got a taste of fine wine; don't even try to pass that cheap stuff with a bite pass me.

It is not as easy as people think, you cannot just feed a particular diet to all dogs. Some dogs like Luke just won't eat and now that he is not feeling well I've had to pull out the ultimate gourmet canine chef; that's me.

Monday morning

We have clouds this morning; I'm happy about that. And for the next couple of days we are suppose to have a bit cooler weather so I'm going to enjoy it before the temps go up again. We had a rough weekend with Luke; he is in bad shape and will be going back to the vet again today.

He is so stuffed up and not himself that I am very worried. I spent hours researching the net to see what it could possibly be; that's me the researcher. Hopefully the results from his blood panel will be in and we will be a bit more knowledgable.

If he wasn't already picky enough about what he likes and doesn't like try feedig him when he is feeling under the weather. We barely got some ground beef patties into him yesterday and that was from my husband. For some reason he wanted to eat with Dad not Mom. My husband got some buttered toast into him; who doesn't like toast with butter when you aren't feeling good?

So with no extra pounds to be dropping during this whatever it is; I will be trying to please his palate. Even liver was a no go yesterday. Pills are difficult to get into him; he can eat around a flea sized pill and there it sits in the bottom of the bowl. So the good ole shove it in method is what's called for; just gotta keep my fingers away from the chompers in the back.

He is having Bufferin to help him cope with the pain; I tried Benydryl but it just made him groggy and didn't help with anything else. In fact it kept his third eye up for most of the morning. The third eye lid or "nictitating membrane" is the skin like windshield that you see under the outer eyelids. It is used as a protection for the eye and is often seen as a dog falls into sleep.

So back to the kitchen and back to the drawing board to see if we can't get this under control; whatever it is.

Still sick

We had Luke back at the vets yesterday; he is really not himself and during several sneezing sessions he sneezed up blood which is common in humans when we have a severe cold but not so for dogs apparently. I am concerned about him; he has never been sick and he is not feeling well at all right now.

My husband came along and I informed him that Cujo would probably make an appearance for a while; he was prepared. To my surprise Cujo made no appearance; now it is either that Luke is so under the weather that he couldn't muster up the energy or that each visit has been a positive one at this new vets and he is becoming less fearful of a visit to the vets. So no matter what the reason Luke could not have been a better boy.

The vet wanted to check inside his nose and do a swab; easier said than done. I had tried to only take a peek into his nose the day before and it was near impossible. So with my arms and body fully wrapped around my blonde boy the vet was able to wrestle a sample from his nose; it didn't look good.

We did a full blood panel to rule out anything serious and will go from there once the results are in. We have over the years been so lucky (knock on wood) that our dogs have been so healthy. Other than the over 4,000.00 incident with Jessie 6 years ago we've been good.

The one thing I do know is that knowing your dog intimiately is extremely important. You should be able to see the slightest symptom and know that something is just not right. And when you communicate to the vet; it is only you who really knows what is normal and not normal for your individual dog. I knew the "allergy" idea was not what was going on with Luke. At 8 years of age I can't imagine allergies hitting him out of nowhere so badly; althoug you never know. So the second trip back to the vet was a good one.

Dog Town

I've been watching the new Dog Town show on the NGC (National Geographic Channel) and I am so impressed with the whole thing. The people who work there are my heros; they take dogs in; any dogs and do their best for each and everyone. Some never leave the facility but are given the best life possible.

Some of the dogs need work and alot of it both with regards to health and behavior. Many of the dogs are fostered so that they can live a somewhat normal life to better there chance at adoption. Some need extensive behavior work having had less than perfect past lives.

For those of you who do not already know; I have three books on the go and I am looking for a publisher. I have decided that all my books will give partial proceeds to DogTown in Utah. When I started thinking about what charity or rescue organization to give to it was a monumental task. Being a trainer and photographer I am constantly meeting new rescue groups; but how do you pick just one?

After reading and researching into DogTown I decided on this one. Since then they have their show on tv which is great to inform the public about their work. When and if I ever get my books published I will be proud to donate to such a group of dedicated people who work unselfishly for the dogs; all the dogs.

check it out

http://www.bestfriends.org/

Happy Halloween everyone

Ah; it is the candy day that kids wait for all year long; Halloween. There is candy everywhere and my little Jessie will be waiting patiently for someone to be careless and forget. Please be sure that any candy that comes into your home is put away; out of reach of your dog. Both the candy itself and the wrappers can be very dangerous so be on your toes where the candy is at all times.

The tricker treaters can pose a danger as well; the constant ringing of the door can really bother some dogs and what is behind the door may be frightening to your dog. It is always best to have your dog safely behind a babygate, in another room or crated during the festivities.

Even the Halloween decorations can be a problem for some dogs. They don't always know not to eat things that are not edible and these items can cause alot of intestinal damage when consumed. Training is a must; especially this time of year when more decorations are going to be coming out very soon. The "leave it" exercise helps you to let your dog know what it can and cannot touch.

If you plan on dressing your dog up for the occassion; do not leave them unattended in their costume. Dogs typically do not like to wear costumes and will chew it off if given the chance. Costumes can also choke a dog if they get caught up on something so be sure to keep them with you if you feel that they must wear a costume.

Be careful and have fun.

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Luke apparently has allergies; he was much better at the vets yesterday which let's me know that his last visit was less traumatic for him than other vet visits. Cujo only made a quick appearance and then Luke took over. He had a rough night lastnight with the runny nose so I will keep a close eye on him; he has never had allergies before.

We have sniffles; we're off to the vet

Luke has been sneezing for a couple of days; nothing huge maybe 2 or 3 sneezes but he has a runny nose as well. I am still in the process of getting over a very bad sinus cold so of course I thought that maybe he got what I have. Onto the research; what I found was that dogs can get a similar viral or bacterial infection. But does that mean that Luke got my cold?

Because this is very out of the ordinary for Luke; he has never had a runny nose of sniffles so this morning I will be taking Cujo (photo above)to the vet. Visiting the vet is rare for me as is going to the Dr. but I want to be sure that Luke's sniffles are just that, sniffles.

Lastnight as he was getting cozy on the bed; he has decided that this is where he sleeps every night now, his nose started to whistle. It was so funny to see him react; he had no idea that he was the one making the noise and had his ear fully up staring down at the bed in front of him. He searched for the little creature who was making the noise but found nothing.

After a while his nose settled down and he did too. Taking Luke to the vets is not high up on my things to do list. He turns into Cujo at the vets; I have already given them the heads up. The last time we were at the vets which was the first time they met Luke he did a perfect Cujo routine. He kept everyone at bay and ignoring his behavior, trying to sooth the savage beast.

It takes all of my explaining ability and fast talking to let them know that he is indeed friendly, not that he looks like it at the moment. But it doesn't take them long to see through his routine and they are on the floor with my big blonde Cujo. I will let you know if it is anything other than sniffles.