Grooming

I've been grooming dogs for over 30 years. I started out easy, with the touch up things that a Doberman gets before entering the conformation ring. A few little hairs trimmed around the ears and nails and a wipedown incase of flakes, you don't want any flakes showing up on those red or black gleaming coats. From there it was stripping and the terrier group, not something I enjoy. My airedale quickly went from being stripped to shaved.

And then I got a poodle; this is what changed the course of everything. No sooner had I learned to groom for show and it was over. Grooming a companion poodle and a show poodle are worlds apart; but what is the biggest difference is the upkeep. That hair, oh that hair. You have to watch it all the time, wrap it, take care that it doesn't fade in the sun, don't let the other dogs pull on it and attempt to keep it from matting.

As a Mom with three little kids living in the country where I was surrounded by nature, keeping my show boy in full coat was not an easy task. The brushing alone is a daunting task but before a show it's crazy. The wash, the blowout, the brushing the scissoring........................too much and I cracked. In one crazed moment it was gone and laying on the floor. I had been prepping for a big show right in my neck of the woods; when I'd had too much grooming and shaved that huge brown coat off. I stood looking at the mountain of hair on my floor wondering if I was going to regret this move in the very near future. I have never; not for a moment looked back with regret.

Today my guys are in a very small group of the shaved poodle club; they carry no pom poms and are basically poodles in disguise. No one knows what breed they are and when they find out they are always amazed that poodles can look like..........well not poodles. They still take grooming but it is a bare minimum compared to the poodley poodles. I keep their feet and face shaved clean for ease. Faces hold food stuff and feet pick up burrs and things so they are both kept with the bare minimum of hair.

Tilley getting her face shaved.

Life is a continual motion forward.

Human issues with crates


I thought that I'd talk about crates this morning. The thought of crates sends many guardians into conjuering up ideas of the prison zone "oh no I wouldn't put my dog in a cage." Well my dog; my 13 year old dog who sleeps in a crate everynight was in her crate yesterday afternoon. I didn't put her in there; she went into have a snooze. This is what made me think of crates again. Jessie sleeps in a crate at night because taking a crap in my bedroom is not beneath her. She does not let us know if she needs out and will quite calmly go to the otherside of the room, relieve herself and go back to bed. But if she is in her crate, she let's us know she needs out. She is completely housetrained and would never go in the house other than at nighttime.

I have never felt bad for putting my dogs in a crate; dogs are den animals and to them their crate is their den, if you have used it correctly that is. Yesterday while I was working on my computer I heard Jessie in her crate redecorating her area. She flips and tosses her blanket in there to make it just so, then she lay down and went to sleep. I got a photo of her in the midst of her tossing, note the door is open.

So many of my clients over the years have had crate/kennel issues. When your dog destroys items; a diningroom table leg, your favorite shoes, the tv remote, your glasses or what have you, it can cause resentment. And many a dog ends up at the shelter after having destroyed their last item in the family home. The whole idea around a crate is to protect your puppy and protect your home until they are ready to be left with the run of the house.

A crate can make the difference between loving and hating your dog. But a crate must be used properly; never in anger, never as a punishment and never for extended periods of time. When puppies are young three hours is the max time and about 5 for adults. Anymore than that and it is too long. By making the crate a wonderful comfy place your dog will grow to love their little den. I've always had adults trying to get into the puppy crates when we have a new one. Dogs love quiet little nooks to sleep in.

So the next time you think of a crate in a negative; realize that it is your issue not your dogs issue that is the problem.

Expanding on a thing that bugs me


Yesterday I stated having to explain that I have to do the holding of my dogs at the vet is a big bugger for me. One of the main reasons that it bothers me so much is that I have to do it each and everytime I visit the vet. Yes they know me; but they always seem to forget this small thing about me. The last time I went to the vet it was with Tilley, she had to have a needle stuck into her bladder to draw some sterile urine (yes, ouch). Tilley is a champ, not a flinch, not even the smallest movement do I feel from her which amazes me.

When we discuss a procedure that needs to be done like this one to Tilley, they always reach out for the leash. That is when I take a big breath and begin, once again. "I have to be with her, bring the stuff in the room and I'll hold her." I explain that we have had several very bad experiences, and I must remain with my dogs. They are much happier at ease if I do the holding. The sad thing is that this makes me look sort of a crazy instead of the caring guardian that I am. I get alot of rolling eyes, more "I'll ask," than I'd like to hear and lots of discussion behind my door.

I understand that there are not alot of people who do not want to hold their dog while a procedure is done but is it really that tough to understand why my dog will be more comfortable with me doing the holding? I mean dogs work like this;

sidenote: as I wrtie this Luke's tail
is wagging madly as he dreams, very cute.

when a dog is upset, scared or anxious and you hold them tightly so that they cannot move, more panic. Thus creating a cycle of panic; some dogs are fine with being held by a stranger, MOST ARE NOT. Why do vet offices not get this, this is a very simple fact to get. I would no more want a person to come up to me and squeeze me very tight, not letting me go when I wanted release than my dog does. So why do I get the "crazy lady" treatment when I need to be there for my dogs?

Even Jessie who is very people friendly, very non skittish will panic when some stranger tries to wrap her up and hold her tight. It is much less scarey if Mom holds her. With the latest episode with Tilley; the vet asked me several times if I was sure that I was not going to faint...................uh yep, I'm sure. I explained that we have done this many times, I'm not the squimish type. He finally agreed.

Times are changing in this world, everything is changing and so should a guardians participation in the care of their dog if they desire. If you do not want anything to do with participating in the care of your dog, then that is your prerogative. You should be allowed to hand off your dog to the vet techs and wait in the waiting room. But if you want to be there for your dog, holding and just plain being involved you should not have to go through a whole schpeel everytime.

Would you have your child taken away from you and brought behind close doors for a simple procedure? I think not.

Things that bug me


















How cute is this little guy? That's my finger in the picture.

It's around the corner and I'm not happy about it. The heat, the summer heat in all of it's blazing glory, I am not a fan. My perfect weather is somewhere around the low 70s but it'll heat up here into the high 80s and 90s very soon. This means several things but one big one is that I have to get the dogs out early, sometimes before 8 or it's just too hot to enjoy. But while we have some nice June gloom still I will take advantage and enjoy.

The heat bugs me but there are other things that bug me as well;

My top 10 dog related "things that bug me" list.

People who walk their dog in the really hot heat.

People who use choke collars and extension leashes.

Non dog friendly places.

That I can't take the dogs on the beach where we are surrounded by beach.

Mean people/mean dogs.

People who DO NOT pick up after their dogs; it takes but one to ruin it for everyone else. Or worse, the ones that pretend not to notice that their dog is taking a crap.

Humans that treat dogs like little dolls and don't let them be dogs.

Having to explain why I should hold my dog at the vets instead of the tech, everytime I go to the vet.

That's my top 10 for 6:00 am Wed. June 3rd 2009. Believe me there are lots more but that's all my sleepy brain can think of at the moment. Now to finish my coffee and get these lazy butts out for a run. Have a great day.

Canine intelligence


Nothing much going on; trees and birds but then outcomes the squirrel below; see Luke's ears raise?




















Dogs are smart; really smart. They are actually far more intelligent than we think they are and even me who thinks that they are amazingly smart; am sometimes blown away by them. One of the smartest dogs that we have ever had is Luke. When I say this my kids usually laugh; yes Luke is a goof, nervous, easily excitable and a bit high strung but his intelligence is way up there.

Luke is a tv watcher, he is a watcher of most things and nothing gets past this boy. I have told many people how he watches documentary shows with us through their entirety but I'm not sure if they understand how he watches completely, he is not a casual glancers like many other dogs. Yes he looks at the tv if a dog barks but he watches the show through the lulls and the high points and his ears let me know this that he is paying close attention to the show.

Luke has his spot where he typically lays after all of his toy destruction in the evening. Once he has fulfilled his beastly wrecking mode he settles in to watch some tv. He doesn't watch shows like American Idol, House or any trivial type show he watches animal documentaries, dog shows, training shows etc. It must have animals in it or he won't watch it; very much like his Mother. ;)

The above shots of him were taken lastnight; we were watching a documentary on Yellowstone Park. He was watching with little interest until a squirrel came on the scene. His ears were going up and down as the squirrel moved around and once it was gone, ears down again. He loved the part with the Bison fighting, he watched as the wolves took down and ate an Elk and all of the other parts that had animal highlights.

I have to admit he is a remarkable dog; I am very surprised by the length of time he will watch. And every so often when the show gets really exciting he will get up and try to sniff the animal on the screen. He is the definition of a dog by my side.

Memories


We had a pretty quiet weekend; it was overcast the entire weekend with a few fleeting moments of sun around 6:00 last evening. Most definitely a different weekend here in SoCal. I'm not complaining; as you know I am not a fan of heat so I very much enjoyed the cooler weekend for a change. My husband and I went to the Dana Point boat show with him looking at the 50 footers and me scouting for the kayaks. I'm looking to get an Ocean Kayak. Back home in Canada my folks have two of these at the cottage and I love them.

There is nothing better than slipping out with a coffee in hand and a dog by your side; hopping into the kayak and silently paddling around the shore as the sun comes up. Jessie use to ride in the kayak with me always; infact we were just remembering how much she loved it yesterday. She use to stand at the very front; with her toes hanging over the front edge I'd always warn her "you're going to fall off." But she never did even when she made her much too early leaps back onto the dock as we ended out trip.

Jessie use to love to be at the cottage; she's a good little hunter. She would comb the shore all day long looking for frogs, but unfortunately for the frogs, if she found them it was one crunch and over. I remember the time right before we moved here to Southern California, we had moved out of the house and were staying two weeks at the cottage before our flight here. Two weeks at the cottage is a longtime and the dogs got really skinny, running, swimming and hunting for two weeks is sheer heaven for them.

I had three at the time; Clyde, Jessie and Tilley. Clyde never enjoyed the kayak; just too wobbly for his old crooked body but Tilley liked it and often dove off for a swim and then I'd haul her back in; which was no easy feet. But these kayaks are great for stuff like that; they aren't the tippy type, those skinny little things you roll in. These are sturdy and a lot of fun. Funny how thinking of one thing conjuers up a slew of great memories.

My sister's dog Ruby who is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (pictured above) is always in the kayak. I have a ton of photos with her riding out front, toes slug over the edge just like Jessie. And she also loves to dive off before they reach the dock. She is a fabulous water dog and as my dogs can't join me at the cottage any longer I take great joy in watching her and her family enjoy the cottage.

And as always; there is always a dog by my side in my best memories.

Guardian requirements


I find it funny that anyone can get a dog; but not everyone understands dog behavior. Many people have absolutely no idea what to do with a dog; how to teach it, what to teach it, feeding requirements, health or grooming needs. But we as humans seem compelled to have a dog, even if we have no idea; we are a strange bunch. Anyhow, what are the basic requirements of having a dog?

One of the first things should be to learn the basic fundamentals of dog behavior; that way you can sort of muddle through the communication part. It really helps to know what your dog is trying to tell you. I highly recommend a book from one of the many "positive" dog gurus. Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor and Jean Donaldson. These are the people I turn to, true dog lovers. You should train your dog, again get a book from these people. The minimum basics for me is sit, down, stay, come, leave it and the all important boundary training. These simple commands let you communicate just that much better with your pooch.

There is the exercise and socialization aspects of canine guardianship. These are very important; both equally but in the beginning socialization is the most important thing of all. Socialization should be done as young as possible, skip this part and pay the price. It is completely unfair not to socialize your dog; it is time consuming yes but a must. Every dog is different so how you go about socializing will depend very much on your pooch, but don't skip this step. Exercise is very important if you want a nice relaxed pooch at home. Imagine just sitting in your house all day and never getting out to see the world, pretty awful eh?

Next there is the feeding issue; please for the sake of your dog research the different foods. There is not only dog food to research but real food, raw food and every different aspect of each. There is a huge difference in quality of dog foods; buy the absolute best you can for your dog. If you are interested in better nutrition for your dog; then look into a real food diet or raw, your dog will thank you.

Grooming is an important factor as well, it is very easy once you learn how. Even smooth coated breeds need ear cleaning, the occasional brush, teeth cleaning, nail cutting and a once over every so often to make sure all is well. I scrape my dogs teeth, they are use to it and don't seem to mind too too much. At almost 9, 12, and 13 teeth are a very important part of health now. I cut nails every week or so; this is something you should start early. With my poodles; they get their ears plucked out, not something they enjoy so much but again a necessity with their breed to avoid ear infections. I pluck just enough to let the air in there.

And last but not least is health; many of the things above have a huge impact on your dogs health. But just like the other items you should research the health requirements of your dog or specific breed. There are vaccinations, check ups and blood panels to have done. There is alot of discussion now about over vaccinating; I truly believe we give our dogs far too many vaccinations and it is leading to health issues; do some reading.

And please research flea and tick treatments before putting it on your dog. Don't just believe what anyone tells you or what you read, dig in and get the goods. The more research you do the better canine guardian you will become and that my friend is a fact.

Late Saturday morning


Wow, I slept in this morning, nice. It is overcast again which I love; gives one more time to do fun things with the dogs without dying from the heat. This was a crazy hectic week and I'm thinking that gardening is at hand. First thing on the agenda though is to get the dogs out. Luke is patiently awaiting his run with Dad and the girls will go out with me.

Speaking about dogs; I was having a conversation about the age of our dogs the other day with my son, he was astonished at Luke's age. Even living with him all this time he still considered him to be a young'n; it is hard to wrap the age of almost "nine" around him. But as my own dogs age I am really seeing that age is simply a number in your head and the true age is in the beholder. I meet so many people who consider 7 or 8 year old dogs to be old. "Oh she's almost eight," spoken in a downtrodden manner; almost like it is time to give up on the poor ole thing.

Our dogs are not here with us as long as we would like; imagine if we could have our dogs as long as the rest of our family. How wonderful would that be? But as canine guardians we must come to terms that it simply is a fact that they will spend a fleeting portion of our life with us. But as long as they are here; don't count them out; don't be treating them older than their time. In my mind a dog is not old until they are 10; I just won't allow the thought into my mind. Of course different sizes and breeds have a huge difference as to how fast they age. But by keeping your dog active and not giving into the "old dog" idea your dog will be alot healthier and happier.

I remember taking Luke to the vet and having them tell me that we could go with the senior package for him. What???????????? It had not even crossed my mind that he was a senior, even at the age of eight Luke was not a senior in any way shape or form. There are things that change slowly over the years, heck we see changes in ourselves as we age all the time. But putting your dog into the "old" category before their time shortens the good years so let them be the puppy for as long as they can be.

Fleas and ticks


Engorged tick; after feasting on your dog























Ah tis the season for the dreaded fleas and ticks. I hate the little critters; infact fleas and ticks are one thing that can make me go mad and if I happen to see one of either I'm on it so fast your head would spin. Flea? Tick? get my glasses. If you suspect a flea or two or you have ticks be very aware before you reach for the pesticides. These products that came out years ago; are they safe? I don't think so.

Who knows what long term effects these products are going to have on our pets? Dogs are now coming down with more health issues than ever before; toxic products could definitely be one of the reasons. The warning labels on these products say "keep away from children, wash your hands with hot water and soap after using and do not inhale and yet we put it right on our dog to be absorbed through their skin. And what about the pill you can give your dog to kill fleas and ticks along with heartworm, yikes. The moment I heard about this product I could not believe it. Think please before giving your dog a pill or putting something on their skin. What can be in a pill that is strong enough to kill fleas and ticks that comes from within? How healthy can that be for your dogs insides?

Our dogs rely on us and us alone for their health and safety; did you know that fleas drown? That's right, a regular bath once a week or so will keep fleas in check. And one of the biggest ways to avoid fleas from hanging around your house is to vacuum, vacuum alot. Wash your dog beds and vacuum around the area where your dog sleeps. Sure it's work but in the long run it will be a whole lot safer for your dog.

And ticks, well that's a tough one. I don't know if there is a product that is safe and repels them. The problem is that the topical treatments don't repel them either. The best solution for ticks is visual inspection. Ticks drop off of shrubbery, trees and plants onto your pet so when it is tick season keep them out of the bushes. I have several hemostats, one especially for tick removal. You must grab as much of the body as you can and gently pull in the same direction they went in. Sometimes the body pulls off of the head, it is unavoidable but do your best to get the whole thing. Once out I put a match to it and flush it, wash the hemostat for the next one.

Get in the habit of going over dog with an eagle eye; you can usually feel a tick. And fleas? Well they can be difficult to catch, they always make a run for it so ya gotta be quick. Those little buggers get the scalding water routine in the sink. Fleas jump so don't let them go until enough hot water has run over them to be sure they are dead. You can see fleas and they often hang out on the stomach area; so while your dog is napping have a good look.

Pests are a part of life; extend your dogs life by not putting toxic chemicals on them. This is a great Green sit called Green Paws to check out.

Dog day afternoon




I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday looking for some new dog beds without any luck. Nope, I found a couple of nice ones but they would not have matched my decor; hey if I'm going to have beds strewn around my house they may as well match if I can get them. So, I will have to head out again on my search.

What I did get yesterday was a tiny throw rug that is perfect for Luke. There is one spot in our house where Luke is always wiping out. It is the doorway between the kitchen and the diningroom; the flooring goes from tile to wood and when he gets going; I mean really going he can't make the turn. Just on Tuesday he took a full spread eagle splat and hurt his leg so my shopping journey yesterday was to find a non slip rug for that particular spot and I got it. We'll see if it helps.

Speaking of Luke; he is very much a creature of habit, he likes the way things are and likes to keep them the same. He enjoys routine and one of his routines is that if I am in the kitchen cooking he is outside on the double lounge. This way he can keep his eye on me, the backyard and the comings and goings of everyone else. So lastnight I was making dinner and he was out on his lounge; yes we call it his being that he spends the most time on it. Anyway I was making dinner when he abruptly jumped off the lounge and came in with a look on his face. I looked around to see what was up and realized it was getting pretty breezy and cool; it wasn't cozy out there anymore.

As Luke was leaving the kitchen I asked him if he would like a blanket. He stopped dead in his tracks; those huge ears of his held high and he proceeded outside to wait. I went and got a blanket for him, he jumped up on the lounge and I covered him up. I know my dogs understand alot; I talk to them constantly and try to teach them new words all the time but this even surprised me. Mind you my dogs do enjoy blankets; all of them. And seeing that there was a blanket on the lounge the girls joined him and got covered up as well. Check out the images.

Just Jessie






















Jessie's 13th birthday was yesterday; amazing. I can't even tell you how great celebrating her 13th is; we never thought we'd make it this far. When we added Jessie to our family almost 13 years ago I had no idea about all the "bad terrier" stuff there was surrounding the breed. They were not the in dog at the time but it was happening quickly as the show Wishbone was picking up speed. I researched the breed and found out how dominant and aggressive the little buggers can be so the first line of action was obedience class.

She excelled in class and loved all the dogs, a big plus for a JRT. I started Jessie on clicker training and she was a real little circus dog, in fact a big show came to town and they were looking for local talent to add. At the audition (like we needed an audition) Jessie stood out from the crowd. All the dogs could do cute little tricks but Jessie was amazing; she had a whole routine and went through her paces without a hitch. We performed at the big show that night to much applause for this little white munchkin.

It wasn't long before we learned all about Jack Russells; they are a fiery breed, tough as nails and up for anything. On one of our daily walks through the woods Jessie dove down a groundhog hole; and it was only at the last seccond that I grabbed that little tail and pulled her out. She was sprayed by skunks several times, hit by a porcupine, caught a bird mid-air and swallowed it whole, has eaten several rodents that were small enough to eat in one bite, tackled a groundhog 3 times her size and fell 30 feet from a tree she had sprinted up after a squirrel.

Jack russells are runners, they are triggered by movement and can be off before you even know what happened. Infact the number one cause of death for Jack Russells is being hit by cars so she did not have free reign around the property. And that she has made it to 13 is truly amazing. Our little Jessie was near death over 7 years ago and we thought that our 6 years with her was all we would have. This is the whole story if you are interested in reading it (you'll need a box of tissues; you've been warned!!)

Jessie

Jessie has always been the boss of the other dog members of the family. When she was young she quickly intimidated our male at the time Clyde who was a 5 five year old brown standard poodle; it was very easy for her. And when Jessie was only 10 months old we added Tilley to the pack, it was a perfect match and there was never a squabble for hierarchy, Tilley just doesn't care.

So here we are and Jessie is 13; I have had lots of 13 year old dogs but Jessie is our first small one and to be completely honest she looks amazing. No one would ever guess her age; she looks like a 2 year old. So here's to many, many more happy years with the little beast.

A dog by my side #2
















I was thinking about yesterdays blog this morning and thought I would continue along the same lines. It's back at it today; I've been sort of off since Wed. so it's up and at it early and I again have dogs by my side, only two this morning though. Tilley is still in bed and it looks like she has no intention of getting up. Luke took my husbands warm spot the second he got up and Jessie is curled up tight beside my left knee.

Dogs have been with us for some 10-15 thousand years; it is a rough dating process. But dog remains have been found as far back as this, they may still find older remains but to date it is about 10-15 thousand. So we have had dogs at our side for a very longtime and in this time there has been a huge evolution, with the dog but with humans as well. Many humans are now seeing dogs as companions instead of "just dogs." Oh there are still some still to be educated but that takes time.

And there are still lots of people who completely miss the whole dog thing entirely, sad but true. I have often talked to "new dog people," about when they were not dog people. They admit to having been one of "those" people; being completely taken by surprise when they got their own dog. They had no idea what they had been missing. A dog by your side has many meanings but each and everyone is positive. There is the dog at your side that I wrote about yesterday; patiently by your side no matter where you are, there they are. There are the protection dogs, educated to serve and protect and that is what they do.

On Saturday I was at my daughters college graduation; there were massive crowds in attendance but one caught my eye; a young yellow lab guiding her human safely through. This union of dog and human was amazing to watch; the girl walked confidently through the crowd, the dog walked with purpose glancing every couple of steps up to her humans face checking in so to speak. There are dogs who we entrust with the lives of our children, seizure alert dogs, hearing ear dogs, therapy dogs and the list goes on and on.

There are hundreds and thousands of human/dog teams who makes regular visit to the sick, elderly or incompasitated just to brighten their day. Even if a dog is not our dog; that dog laying or sitting beside us can bring peace and tranquility. We often ask alot of our dog and then there are times we ask nothing. And speaking of evolution; over the years there has been a huge "behavior/training" evolution. We humans have discovered a better way to communicate and help our dogs to live with us in our human world a much more positive way. There are still some trainers left back in the dark ages but it is hopeful that they will be left in the history books with all the other archaic things from the past.

Living with dogs you take the good with the bad; as do our dogs. Not all humans are easy to live with just like some dogs are more difficult than others but at the end of the day if you have a dog at your side; you are one lucky human.

A dog by my side

Is there anything more relaxing than having your dog at your side when you are relaxing? Well there maybe but not alot of other things can fit this bill. When your shadow dog lays down at your side wherever you hang your hat; it speaks volumes. There is a sense of peace, tranquility and sheer honesty that is conveyed by simply laying by your side. As I write this blog I again have three by my side, Luke between my legs; my left leg is falling asleep. Tilley is on the pillow that fell off of the lounge beside me and Jessie at the end where her little nugget sized body can fit.

We aren't or weren't doing anything, just sitting watching the birds at the feeder and listening to my new Randy Travis greatest hits cd, nice. We all fit nicely under the shade of the umbrella and the breeze is cool with just enough wind to put you into a sense that it is naptime. I fell asleep in this same spot yesterday; my arm wrapped around Tilley; listening to her deep breathing was enough and I was gone. It was a short time after that I had a wake up poke on my feet; Luke standing wagging at me waiting for an invite up. Instead I got up and started dinner for all.

Sometimes just chill'n is what everyone needs. Just sitting with your dog can be the best place on earth.

Rabbit dogs

Well, even the trainers dogs are bad sometimes. That's right; infact it seems to bring some comfort to others that my dogs are bad sometimes. But as I always say dogs will be dogs. My husband and I took all three dogs over to a nearby High School for a run this morning; this is where I usually walk Jessie because there is so much concrete (she's allergic to grass). But this morning instead of splitting up we all went to the school, Tilley loves it and Luke has not been there for years.

Being that the first thing he saw as we pulled up were three squirrels and a rabbit he was primed. Before I could open the back hatch he was whining and pacing back and forth. And being the cautious guardian that I am; I stuck my arm in as I raised the hatch knowing full well that there was a good chance Luke would forget his manners and dive out. So as a very tiny reminder I touched his leg and brought him back to reality.

With Luke leashed the whining got louder until he was allowed out. You would never know he had gone on two walks yesterday; one being a huge run in the canyon. Being reactive is at it's worse when he is highly aroused and the critters had done their job. We meandered around the parking lots and school having a nice little Sunday walk when I had a quick look around and thought I should let him off leash to let off some steam. No sooner had I unleashed the beast when rabbit darted off to the left of us and he was gone like a flash.

I wasn't too concerned as we were in a very secure area and he had headed off towards the fenced part of the school, he had to stop sometime. What was bothering me was that he was screaming his head off while chasing the rabbit down a hallway that was acting as an echo chamber. You could hear it everywhere and anyone within a mile was surely freaked by the sound. All I could think was "I sure hope nobody is down there." Just imagine a huge dog running your way screaming, not good.

Well the rabbit lost him by the end of the walkway and he started darting around in search of his prey when I yelled. Oh he heard me because he came quick. I said nothing and let my body speak the whole thing, he quickly flew into heel position and we continued our walk. I hadn't told him that he couldn't chase after the rabbit; rabbits are fair game everywhere else. So it was my bad, not Luke's.

Saturday morning






















Good morning; it is Memorial weekend and I attended my daughters graduation walk from SDSU yesterday; a very proud moment. The weather was amazing and it was a very full day. Today the girls will be heading for fun in Vegas. My weekend will a nice quiet one for us, and one of the first things on the list is bed shopping. I have long said that the dogs are no longer aloud on the furniture and the above photo explain why, digging.

Luke is a digger, always has been. He doesn't dig in the yard, not that kind of digging he digs for comfort. He is constantly trying to fluff. This mess in the photo was a bed awaiting its cover. I had washed the bed cover because Jessie threw up on it and this is what happend, ruined. I don't even know when he did it; I just looked over while watching tv and there it is staring at me.

Luke knows that he is not allowed to dig, he gets in trouble everytime. He even dug the wood floor the other day and the tile floor in the kitchen. I wonder if this is a result of being outdoors alot with his litter. There were alot of holes in the backyard; maybe Mom was a digger and show the pups how to get comfort. Well however he became a digger, I am off once again to buy beds. Not that I mind, it is one of my favorite things to purchase.

Touching


So lastnight I woke up several times to the glorious smell of skunk. Not something I'm accustom to smelling here in Southern California; Canada yes. I have one of the worst skunk stories ever from when we lived in Carp, Ontario. It is bad; really bad and not something to talk about first thing in the morning, I don't want to ruin your breakfast so perhaps I will tell it some other time. But the smell lastnight was very strong and I was really hoping that it wasn't in our backyard. Upon waking up today, the smell is gone which is very good news.

Now onto the dogs; as you can see from the above image Tilley and Luke slept together lastnight, this is a first. They are not a touchy feely couple; if it was up to Luke I think they would be but Tilley is what I'd call a cold fish. She is not demonstrative with Luke and after 8.5 years of living with him still has him thinking that she can just tolerate him but I know better. The only times the dogs really lay together is on the kitchen bed which is huge. Everyone wants to be in the kitchen with us so they all lay on the bed.

Jessie and Luke tend to sleep together because Jessie loves using him as a giant snuggle bear. But Luke has issues about who sleeps where and what of his gets touched. He does not like having either one of them step on or touch his feet and will normally get up and move elsewhere if they do. But it is his nighttime sleep that is sacred; he has his bed or should I say two beds, Tilley has hers and Jessie her own as well. There is no sharing of beds at night.

I'm thinking that it was Tilley who trespassed lastnight; Luke would not have joined her on the bed. The bed they are on is where Luke sleeps everynight so she at some point in the night joined him. Maybe she was chilly and wanted the extra warmth of him beside her; although it was not cold lastnight. She did have a stressful day at the vets yesterday and she was extremely tired lastnight. She actually growled at both Luke and Jessie when they approached her on a bed in the familyroom. She made it quite clear that she was not in the mood to be bugged.

But as I wrote yesterday her confusion of late; perhaps she was simply confused. Well, for whatever reason she was there this morning and it was very cute to see them together.

k9 Cognitive dysfunction syndrome

What is cognitive dysfunction syndrome? It is more or less the equivalent of human Alzheimers.

Lastnight Tilley was making her communication noises that she needed out. My husband got up and let her out; she peed and came back in. Once back in the bedroom she was restless; seeming like she needed out again. I was almost asleep when I heard her "need out" noise again so I hopped out of bed and took her downstairs. She went out; wandered around and I'm not quite sure if she did anything out there but she came back in. Once back in bed she acted the same again, she was restless once again and wanted out.

I thought that this was going to be one of those nights; an upset stomach and no sleep for me so I opened up the dog door and went back to bed. I hadn't slept well Sunday night and needed to sleep; to me this was the best option for that. I knew she might be upset being left out of the bedroom but if she was going to be up all night we didn't both have to be. We ended up both being awake most of the night anyway. The dog door is beneath our bedroom so with Tilley going in and out; I heard every swing of it.

We have been seeing some changes in her lately; behavior changes. She has several times now seem to be lost outside, not remembering that there is a dog door to come back in. There have been a few days of restless wandering; she seems to have a purpose of some sort but I can't figure it out. So I wondered do dogs get Alzheimers? Yep, their form is called Cognitive dysfunction syndrome and the symptoms are basically senility.

This article explains it pretty well. I am not positive that this is what is going on but it would sure explain alot of it. It is a sad thing for dogs just like people; they can come to not recognize their family and surroundings which can be very scarey. Time will tell but for now I'm keeping a close eye on my little wanderer.

Millers (yep goin there again)

Large scale breeding has come to my attention. There are hundreds of websites online showing adorable little puppies; set up in an oh so cute setting for you to choose from. Just type in any breed and you'll find them; any breed, mix and designer dog you could ever want. They have each puppy set up beside flowers and tiny items to play on our ahhhhh emotion. Just go through the available pups, make the call and your pup is on it's way.

Just yesterday I stumbled onto a site; this was not the typical miller site that hides the facility and breeding dogs, no they brag about it. They have aerial shots of their huge breeding business, lots of photos of their kennels indoors and out boasting high tech modern grooming and breeding areas. Even though these dogs seem to be well cared for with regards to grooming and feeding they live in kennels. That's right, they are kennel dogs and that is their life.

Dogs are not livestock; dogs should not live in kennels. I am not talking about putting your dog in a kennel when you go out; I mean a kennel is where they live. The whole set up is a breeding facility; it is a thriving business which earns them their money and the more they can sell the more money they make. And although the animals are caged, fed and groomed it is very sad to think of a dog living in a kennel.

I have several issues with these type of facilities: 1. Dogs should not live in kennels, they are pack animals and need a pack to live with, that's us. 2. Pumping out so many dogs is irresponsible; good breeders breed when they have a waiting list for puppies. 3. Anyone who owns and operates a facility like this is nowhere near a dog lover. Dogs simply deserve more and if you think that pumping out huge amounts of puppies is okay; having breeding adults live their life in a cage and selling puppies to whoever coughs up the money for one, then we as humans have a far way to go still.

Sad, very sad.

What you feed your dogs

Years ago; probably close to 20 I asked my vet at the time if it mattered if I bought generic food or the more expensive brands. He said "there is no difference in dog food; why spend more?" As I said that was a very longtime ago and I have come a long way since. I no longer feed dog food preferring to offer my dogs "real food." I do not call it "people food," to me people food is pizza, pancakes and bacon, tacos you know the stuff we humans love to eat but know that we shouldn't.

Real food is just that, good natural food like meat, veggies, fruit and grains. I do keep a very high quality dog food on hand and feed it occasionally just incase there is a time when I need to go away in a hurry. This ensures that my dogs are use to the food and whoever is here with them can feed them this in my absense. The brand I choose is Orijen

Feeding your dog a real food diet is not difficult; yes it is time consuming but it is well worth the effort. Many people don't prepare their own meals and are not likely to spend the time making food for their dog. For those who have no interest in real food for the dogs; do your research and purchase the best, high quality dog food that you can. And I can guarantee you that you cannot buy good dog food at Walmart or the grocery store so if that is where you are buying your food, change.

The best place to buy good, high quality dog food are some of the smaller privately owned pet stores like Pet supply warehouse or Wild's Pet Food in MV, for those of you in my area. Anyone not in my area; there are good pet food stores everywhere, you just have to look around. Do your research about food and select the best you can find. Here is a great link to check out foods.

http://www.geocities.com/rottndobie/wholedogjournal.html

Now, if you are interested in cooking for your dog or feeding raw there are also a ton of sites with loads on info about it as well. Even if you aren't interested in preparing your dogs food from scratch, adding some extra meat, veggies and fruit every so often can be very nutrious. And one of the most important things that is against what most people have been told, switch it up. Do not feed the same thing all the time. A variety of foods is the best way to make sure your dog is eating a well balanced and rounded meal. As well, if they are accustom to eating different things all the time they won't have diarrhea if they have something different.