massaging your canine

Yesterday I had a fabulous massage at the spa; with all the photo shooting, sitting at the computer and lifting weights I was pretty knotted up. This of course got me to thinking about massaging our canine companions. I often massage my dogs and they definitely enjoy it; even Luke who can be a little unsure if you try something new on him. Most dogs love a good massage; but there are dogs who object to that degree of touching for some reason or other. A dog can be uncomfortable receiving that level of touch simply because they are not accustom to it; they may be unsure or they may have never learned to enjoy touching so much.

It is fairly simple to warm your dog up to being massaged using positive association. If you have a puppy then your work will be easy; puppy's are easily pliable and you can introduce new things to them that sometimes are difficult to introduce to an adult. Depending on the level of acceptance you have from your dog regarding touching will factor on how quickly you get to the actual massage. Using a favorite treat you will start with short touches; start with the most accepted area of touch to start off with and work your way to the "hot spots."

Most dogs have foot issues; you touch they pull away but with lots of repetition and gentle firm touches associated with really great treats you can even have a dog that loves to have their feet rubbed. Tilley has always loved to have her feet rubbed and after talking to her breeder; apparently Tilley's Mother loved it as well. If you have a very nervous dog then it may take you months to achieve a full body massage but stay persistent and keep it at baby steps to reach your goal. Never force a dog to accept touch, convince them that it is a great thing. Make sure that each session no matter how short; ends on a positive note.

Be confident when touching your dog; if you are unsure and apprehensive they will know it and become wary. A sure and steady hand helps to relieve any apprehension. Stay calm; zen like and your dog will follow suit. Massaging your dog is an amazing bond building exercise; total trust is required by both and when you achieve this, it's only up from there.

A quick look back

Happy New Year everyone. As we start the New Year it is natural to look back at the old and try to remember what the year consisted of. Last year was not monumental; nothing extraordinary marked 2009 for me except that at the very end my book Dogs in the OC got some notoriety. But let's have a quick look.

January 09 brought with it some of the not so great things about living with dogs. Cleaning up and new great grooming equipment.

My book (Dogs in the OC) was finally sent to the publishing company and in February I awaited the first printed copy.

March consisted of alot of behavior talk and dealing with the fact that I live with one of the most fussy dogs in the world, and continued to bash my head up against the wall. a big 12 years old in March 09.

In April 09 I was in full shoot mode with many many greyhound sessions. Learned a ton about the breed, heard many wonderful stories and got to meet a ton of great dogs.

May is a busy birthday month; my birthday, my hubby's birthday and Jessie. Last year Jessie turned 13.

June brought lots more discussions on behavior and dominance.

I had a quick trip back home in July; discussed the fear factor and the idiot vent.

August was the beginning of the hot season for Southern California. A time I don't really enjoy but it does get me up and going early, really early. We also celebrated Luke's 9th birthday, a big turning point for our baby and I believe he finally matured this year ;)

Wind, dog behavior, a sense of smell, walking in the park, canine zones and the myth of dog food were all just a few of the September blog subjects.

Toxins was an important subject in October; as was having fun and the golden years.

November brought the "Don't even get me started" series #1, #2, and #3.

December had a bit of a negative tone to it for Tilley; but she got through it and we learned about a very new treatment. And we talked about jewels.

Above is a tiny glimpse of what 2009 covered here on Just dogs with Sherri. I hope you stick around to see what 2010 will bring. I can guarantee there will be lots of dogs talk and no subject is off limits.

Happy 2010 all.

New Years Eve

Happy New Years Eve day everyone. First I want to thank everyone for reading my blog and taking an interest in your canine/s. Now I'd love to know if you have any great New Year's resolutions concerning your dog/s? Each and every year I make a pact with myself to be a better dog Mom. For me that means more research and more time spent with each dog individually. There is always progress to me made on oneself; so onto the New Year and a better me; I say.

Spreading information is a very important part of canine guardianship. I cannot tell you how many times I start speaking about something canine related in a way that I expect the person whom I am talking to already know about. It is then that I get the puzzled look and I realize they have never heard of this before; time to spread the info. So many people love their dogs; just as much as us but aren't into researching the mountains of info that there is out there. So when you find out some new and exciting news; share it.

Every little tidbit of info; whether it be about behavior, a new product either dangerous or good needs to be shared. There are many people out there that still don't know about the dangers of chocolate for our dogs; surprising but true.

Life is an never ending evolution; how do you plan to evolve in 2010?

A dog is a dog

A dog is a dog is a dog; correct? Yep. From the tiniest of pocket pooches to the giant Irish Wolfhound and Leonberger they are almost identical in their genetic makeup. Sure they look very different from one another but inside all is the heart of a canine.

Often dogs are treated to match their outward appearance; this is caused by our natural human visual response. A tiny little dog tweeks at our "it's a baby" reaction where the big brute dogs tend to give off the "tough guy" vibe. But all dogs; big, small, long, lean, buff and average are the same inside. I have often witnessed small dogs living in the home while larger dogs in the same family live outside. Or cute looking dogs live in the house with the family but the rougher ones live outdoors. This makes no sense once so ever; all dogs no matter what they look like deserve to live indoors with their family.

Take the pocket pooch trend that Miss Hilton launched to catastrophic proportions. Do you really think because a dog is small that they enjoy being treated like a living doll? Nope. The tiny dogs are still dogs and love to hike, smell, play and do all the things that other dogs do. Yes of course you need to take more care; especially if you purchased a "teacup" dog. Please if you are looking to get a small dog do not be duped into buying a teacup size; they have a slew of medical issues due to being bred down so far in size. Let alone their breaking point; they are a fragile bunch. And the term teacup is strictly used as a marketing plow.

Where dogs differ is obviously in the exterior and their hardwired behaviors. Hardwired behaviors are instinctive traits that are not taught; they are there from birth and are passed down by dam and sire genetic information to their puppies. Different breeds can display vastly contrasting hardwire behaviors due to human intervention. Thus we are left with dogs that do what they must; they are driven to. Border collies must herd; Golden retriever must retrieve etc.

So even though our dogs may seem so different; they are all still dogs. Over the years humans have taken the different breeds in distinctively different directions, deep down they are all still one. The amazing canine.

Old dogs new tricks

There is never an age when you cannot teach a dog something new. They are perhaps one of the most amazing creatures; and even when they are well into their senior years they are more than willing to learn. I have already disgusted that we are in a very transitioning stage with our dogs now. Jessie is loosing her hearing quickly and because of this I have had to make some changes. Last night she displayed to me that she's got it down.

I have been removing Jessie from the kitchen when she is done eating. This has been for her own protection but it has been very upsetting to her; so I change it again. I decided that she could be on the corner bed if she stays there. She isn't so offended by the bed appointment as she can still see (barely) what is going on. But she went further last night; while waiting for her to finish her 3 second chow down I watched to see where she would go after she was done. To my surprise she went no where; she stood at her bowl, gave a quick glance over her shoulder and Luke but didn't move an inch.

I watched longer; she quickly through a look over to Tilley and then back to me. At this point I realized that she had already got the idea "the association." Move towards someone else's bowl and you are removed. Smart little dickens she is. So I let her remain for a few moments longer just watching her. Sure enough she was not moving towards anyone's bowl. And you must know Jessie to get that this is huge; Jessie will literally stand between one of the poodles legs waiting to snatch their food, she is not stupid but she is fearless. And unfortunately just about completely deaf so that she no longer hears warning growls.

She made me smile when I realized that even at this age; 13.5 years old she has learned this new adjustment very quickly. I will still remove her and would like to teach her to automatically go to her bed; which will be much more difficult. She can stand and not move hoping that I will not remove her, that she is okay with but to remove herself would be a whole "freak'n with her head thing." Jack Russell's don't move away from the food, it is just not in them to do so. Oh they can learn to but it is a challenge.

So it again comes down to association; it is all about association. Create an association and you've got it.

The pack

Much attention is being put on the pack mentality of our dogs these days. Because of the popularity of a conventional trainer on tv; many positive trainers are trying to move away from the idea of "the pack." With the popularized trainer using harsh methods and using "the pack" to explain much; the good guys are looking for a different way of explaining things. Every pack; each situation, environmental surrounding and the individual members changes an outcome of dog behavior. I have seen people who live with a bunch of dogs which in no way resembles a functioning pack. A bunch of unruly dogs living together is considered a pack, but a fine tuned one it is not.

There are many stories of wild packs of dogs killing prey and farm animals at night. These packs mostly are stray and are a dangerous bunch. The pack is constantly changing and when they hunt it is more a frenzied attack rather than a well thought out plan for a meal that a pack of wolves would take part in. But as far as our lives with dogs; the dogs we live with in our home as part of our family is indeed our pack. At least to our dogs; we are part of their pack.

It doesn't take alot to witness pack behavior in your own home. Just go lay on the floor of your living room; the pack will follow. Do you have a shadow with you on your daily wandering around the house and yard? That's what packs do. Packs do stuff together; everything from walking, sleeping and playing, all together. And every pack has a hierarchy which is another touchy subject. But as far as the pack; humans are the bosses and dogs are the dogs basically. That is how it should be.

When I am called in to fix a problem behavior it is often caused by lack of leadership. The dog basically came into a home where no human took the "leader" role. In life there are leaders and there are followers; both in humans and in dogs. But when it involves a dog and a human it is important for the human to play the leader role. This has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with patience, guidance, educating and understanding.

Let's talk about the difference between dogs and wolves for a minute. Wolves consist of family members; rarely a strange wolf will be allowed into the pack to live. Usually strangers are driven out or killed. And often there are members in a pack that just don't get along; when this happens, normally the wolf of lower status will leave to find another lone wolf and start their own pack. When you have dog pack members in your home that do not get along, it can often be resolved with guidance and strong leadership. But sometimes it just isn't going to work and it may be the best for everyone involved to place one of the dogs.

With a pack of dogs; you may be able to bring in a new member who will be accepted over time, much easier than a strange wolf. A pack of dogs who have a strong leader can have a much calmer, less volatile pack than a pack of wolves. Wolves; although very intimate and are hardwired not to hurt other pack members tend to be in a state of status seeking. There are always resources to fight over; but we teach our dogs that fighting over resources is not acceptable. With a strong human leader you can keep status seeking behavior to a minimum if you know what to look for.

Packs of stray dogs that band together don't seem to display typical "pack" behaviors. Afterall they are not a true pack like a wolf and have no strong human leader to keep things under control so it ends up being a sort of free for all. Some experiments have been done on large stray dog populations where they found that although the dogs did come together for food resources and breeding they did not pack together like a wolf pack.

Perhaps the dog being completely domesticated to live with humans found that once they are stray they become a little lost. And we cannot ignore the fact that a pack of stray dogs is not living as a pack of wolves that are fearful of human and do not live with human intervention. The surrounding enviroment is completely foreign from a secretive wolf pack way up in the mountains somewhere.

I believe that I live with a pack of dogs; a very nice pack I should add. But "pack" is not how they are treated or controlled. I do not believe in alpha rolling as a "leader" to keep members in line. I do believe in constant guidance; clear cut educating of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Something we have the priviledge of giving another species.

This and that

First let me say that I got a lap cozy from my son for Christmas. It is for a laptop and being that I blog nearly every morning in bed; blogging will never be the same. I LOVE IT. Okay; the holiday was wonderful, Boxing day was even better but it's back to reality today.

Luke went on his big hike today with Dad but the girls are still waiting. The dogs have had such a smorgasbord of food over the last couple of days. Perhaps like us it will be difficult to go back to normal food; we'll see. We had another growl incident this morning; and we are in a constant state of change at the moment. Luke was laying in the kitchen after his big run; Jessie decided to smell his head which Luke was fine with until she got to his eyes. It wasn't a huge deal; he just gave a soft growl like "okay, enough sniffing." Jessie heard nothing but luckily I did this time. I quickly shooshed her away and all was well.

Jessie is not taking her new feeding kitchen routine too well. She has caught on very quickly; knowing that now she must stay out of the kitchen after she eats but she is getting somewhat upset. I may have to modify the change and just find a spot in the kitchen that is a safe distance for her to stay. Yesterday after being whisked out of the kitchen she stood facing the wall under the diningroom table. Today she went into the livingroom facing the window with her head hanging down. Hmmmm; not great.

So I will tweek the routine until it is right for all. No only is Jessie nearly deaf and loosing her sight but her routine is changing which can be upsetting to an old dog. I don't want any of my dogs upset, so I will work on making it fit for everyone.

Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day After Christmas; this is my favorite Holiday because this day has the same charm as Christmas without all the work. The day for us is spent lazing around; although we did run the dogs bright and early. We eat lots of leftovers (love leftovers) and spend time with the family.

I hope that everyone who celebrates Christmas had a great one; we did as did the dogs. Luke was in full swing yesterday; opening presents is one of his favorite activities and this joy can sometimes become a bit of a hinderance. He learned the wonders of gift opening on his first Christmas; we always get the dogs something. Once he opened his first gift he thought it would be fun to open them all. Encouraged by onlookers he has become a little bit of a crazed gift opener. If someone does not want his assistance you must be very firm with a "LEAVE IT". Then he just wanders off to the next gift.

The girls were not quite as enthusiastic as Luke; they spent the day snuggled on the couch and in front of the fire. Tilley enjoyed her soft pink boot toy but Jessie really wasn't interested. Once dinner came they were all very interested in sharing turkey dinner which they got to indulge in. I always save the organs for them and they get sweet potato; more turkey and cooked carrots.

I am enjoying this quiet Boxing day surrounded by the dogs. Happy Holidays everyone.

Stepping back

She yanked; she pulled, stepped on the leash, yelled and snapped her fingers. All this was delivered to the dog on the end of the leash. I don't know the whole story; all I know is what I saw unravel before me; and I didn't like what I saw. This young woman was walking a pit mix in the park. As I stood chatting with a friend the woman with the pit used us as a distraction; that is about the only good idea she had. Her dog was obviously excited by our presence.

There was a huge void in the human/canine connection; there was no praise, no reward, no guidance. What I witnessed was very common with choke collar training, anger. What was missing was the education factor; it was simple "STOP." Stop pulling; stop looking at those dogs over there and stop acting like a dog. Choke, yank and choke some more. When she wanted his attention she snapped her fingers; she kept snapping them to no avail. Why should he stop doing what he wants to bend to her every whim?

When a dog is highly excited; no matter what the trigger is you must find a way to make that dog want to listen to you. If all you have to control your dog; to connect you to your dog is a chain around his neck then you have nothing. There are times when you need physical control; but if you have nothing else to fall back on then you basically have nothing at all. This dog was completely focused on us and the human on the end of his leash was a mere annoyance. When he wouldn't down on command she stepped on his leash making it impossible for him to do anything else; or be strangled.

Training and behavior modification has come so far since the choke collar "caveman" days. It is sad to see people stepping back into the past. Had this woman brought some hotdog with her I bet she could have easily convinced this boy to listen to her and like doing it. Why not say "hey; listen to me instead of obsessing on those dogs and I'll give you something yummy?" Would you go to work everyday; do everything you are asked without getting paid? I think not.

Like I have said many, many times ASSOCIATION is what it is all about with dogs. What association do you think this dog was learning about the presence of other dogs? Not great right? But if the presence of other dogs resulted in guidance, praise and food reward; the result would be a very positive association. So please, we've come so far; don't go backwards. Step up, not back.

It happened

It happened; sooner than I had thought it would but we had a scuffle last night. Things are now going to change; as life changes you must adapt so we are adapting. I cooked up some gizzards and giblets last night for dinner; the dog's dinner that is. They love these and after Thanksgiving I stocked the freezer up with them. Jessie of course was done nearly before her bowl had touched down onto the ground and then started her ritual of moving in on Luke. I have already changed the eating routine once by placing Jessie on a bed in the kitchen once she finished eating.

By giving her a clear boundary it enables her to achieve a greater level of "stay there" success. If you don't make it clear then she starts her sneaky one step approach to the bowl. So with Jessie on the bed and the poodles finishing up their gizzards I turned to load the rest of the dishwasher. No sooner had I turned my head and there was a dog fight. My instinctive reaction kicked in and I quickly rushed the fight yelling. It was over in seconds and Jessie banished from the kitchen.

Now some people might fell compelled to yell at the big dog for going after the little dog but size nor age had nothing to do with this. Jessie was attempting to move in on Tilley's dinner. Normally Tilley doesn't mind so much but this is gizzards we're talking about. Tilley was obviously enjoying this more than usual and was not about to let the small white one steal it from her. As Jessie quickly moved into take what was left of Tilley's food; Tilley would have given a warning growl. Jessie couldn't hear it.

Seeing that Jessie was not backing off Tilley was forced to up her warning by lashing around hitting Jessie; which is when Jessie retaliated. A simple turn of the head was all that would have been required from her to defuse the situation. Jessie has always been quick to heed a warning around the food bowl but she is now unable to hear the warnings. This is a recipe for disaster; so change is required. Jessie will now be banished from the kitchen entirely once she has finished her meal.

After the initial commotion Jessie attempted to come back into the kitchen. It is difficult now to communicate with her as she is nearly deaf and has little vision. So my message had to be loud and clear even for Jessie. With a dish towel in hand and blustering up I let her know that she was not welcome back into the kitchen. This is now the law; once a law passes in this house, it is cast in stone. Dogs do not do well with middle of the road rules; it should always be black and white. So it is written.

We'll be walk'n for sure

I'll be walking with the dogs for sure this morning. There are wind warnings and it is suppose to be in the low 60s, nice. The poodles are sporting a fuller coat now as it can get into the 30s at night. The weather is strange here; it can be in the 80s during the day and then drop 50 degrees at night. It is not strange that I have the air on in my car during the day and the heat on in the house at night. So keeping the perfect length of coat on the poodles can be difficult; especially for Tilley as she is dark and heats up quicker than Luke with his blonde curls.

Funny here in Southern California; one of the most common breeds I see is the Siberian Husky. I often wonder how they feel about the scorching temps being that they are a northern breed. If they are born in these warmer temperatures and not a transplant from a colder climate then I am sure that they adapt very well. These type breeds have huge shed times where they shed their thickest insulation coat as the temperatures rise.

This is a wonderful article on how the northern breeds adapt to warm climate.

Any dog can overheat; high levels of activity in very warm temperatures should be avoided for all dogs. They must be allowed to cool themselves; but there is a point that their cooling system may not be able to function. Heat exhaustion can happen in a flash so even though it is winter; the temps will rise in the warm climates like Southern California so take great precaution with all your dogs.

Space

I have to talk about space today. My husband and I ate lunch out yesterday at The Corner Bakery; great little place with great food. It was busy of course with all the shoppers out hussle and bussling. We sat down; got our food and were enjoying our lunch until; let's just say a very large guy came a pulled an extra chair, a fifth chair at a four table right beside our table. Normally I wouldn't mind this but the guy was literally up against our table; I mean touching our table. If he leaned back he would have been between my husband and I.

So as we sat there finishing our meal of course it made me think of the space our dogs need. I need alot of space; I do not like when people assume that they can enter into my personal space anymore than dogs do and like us they are all different. Like most people; the better I know you the closer you can get without it bothering me. So let's look at dog space. Last night Tilley had a primo position for sleeping; the other two dogs were wandering around looking for a spot. Everything was fine until they crossed an invisible boundary Tilley had made for herself and then she let them know. With the use of body language dogs make it perfectly clear when you are too close.

Of course some dogs have no personal space boundaries; some have very large boundaries and the boundary can have specifications. A dog may have a larger personal space designated for humans but dogs are welcome. Or it may be that only certain humans are allowed in and only certain dogs. Some dogs may only want humans in their space and not other dogs. Typically a dog let's their pack within a much tighter space than strangers; be they dog or human.

Within a dogs personal space specifications will be regulations; when, why and how you are allowed to enter into it. Humans should not assume just because a dog is friendly that they should enter the space completely. Dogs give signals and they may be so small that if you are not paying attention; you won't see them. Space issues are completely different concerning your own pack members versus strange dogs; the ones that you do not live with. Space is a safety precaution; both for humans and dogs. Space is what makes a fearful dog feel more comfortable and a very dominant dog less challenged.

A good rule to follow is to take it slow and always let a dog approach you; never push an approach. And save the hugs for the dogs you live with; don't hug dogs that are not in your own pack.

Can you hear me now?

Can you hear me now? Maybe a little but what is it that they can hear? My dog Jessie is losing her hearing and losing it fast. She went from a normal hearing dog to one who rarely hears. She will be 14 this coming May; she is slowly losing her sight but other than that she looks like a young'n. She sleeps alot but it is the hearing that is the most troubling. Just today we had her at the park; seeing that she really needed a romp I let her off her leash after a good surveillance around. She charged in every direction and it was at that point I really realized the impact of her loss of hearing.

She's fine with it; she does tend to startle more these days but that's about it. But when she was free and running around I had no way of communicating with her. She is not like my poodles who constantly watch me; she's more a girl with her own agenda. And just the other day was another impactful moment. Tilley was out of it last weekend from her pain meds and when Jessie approached her she growled. It is out of the ordinary but Tilley was not herself. When she growled she gave no other signals of displeasure; she was out of it. Jessie never heard the growl which made a huge impact on me. She can't hear the warnings; that's a dangerous situation.

When a dog is born deaf they adapt; all of their other senses are heightened. When a dog slowly loses their hearing it can take longer to adapt if they do. Like Jessie; when she was running around this morning she had no sense that she should watch us. She does not seem to be paying closer attention to body language being that she probably does not realize that she is not hearing like she use to. As a dog ages their reactions are slower naturally so combined with this and a loss of hearing she is definitely handicapped.

Where once Jessie would be quick to turn her head when Luke growled at her approach to his food bowl; she no longer hears this. Unfortunately she is watching the bowl and not watching him. So great care must be taken now that there is not even a small conflict that might get the little deaf one into trouble.

A wealth of info on deaf dogs here.

Poodle and Jack shoot day

Good Saturday morning; the weather is suppose to warm up here which I'm not happy about. So because of that the pups will be going out early. I've had my coffee and shared by morning muffin with them so we're nearly ready to head out. I've decided to do some shooting today; Tilley is feeling better so I'll take advantage of three healthy dogs and snap away. We just renovated our garage and at the moment there is nothing in it so I'll shoot in there for fun.

Tilley's wound is healing; slowly but healing. I have to admit I was pretty amazed by the whole bloodroot process. And I have joined a bloodroot group to find out more about it.

I've also started a Just dogs with Sherri Facebook so look me up and join. I will be answering any question you might have and discussing canine behavior and anything else you'd like to talk about concerning dogs. So hope you join; see you there.

Dogs in the OC in the Register

I am very happy to say that Dogs in the OC is in the OC Register. Not only did we make the paper; we made the front page..........very exciting.

Dogs in the OC article in the OC Register.

Available here

December 17, 2009

I have to admit it was tough getting through yesterday. Tuesday night was spent listening to the dog door swing open and drop into it's magnetic landing place. I listened as Tilley went in; and came out. I listened to her as she searched for a perfect spot to rest between her trips outside; all this from the couch in the family room where I could monitor her comings and goings. The afternoon before; Tilley had decided to remove her bandages which I found in a pile in the bedroom when I returned from a quick errand.

Did Tilley eat some of the bandaging? Not sure. Did licking all the ointment off of her leg upset her stomach? Perhaps but whatever it was her system was flushing and as usual it happens at night. By yesterday morning she was fine; she was hungry and she was tired as was I. But luckily for Tilley she was able to spend the day resting and sleeping while I battled the parking strategies and the other shoppers at the mall and tried my best not to sit for too long knowing that I just might slip into a deep sleep.

Luke was tired as well; he had a restless night. He didn't like that I was not in my normal spot and made many trips down to check on me. He went in and out a couple of times to see what Tilley was up to and tried to settle on the couch with me. But from his behavior yesterday he had not gotten a good night sleep along with me. All the dogs slept sound yesterday and I think today will be a better day.

Have a great one.

Bloodroot - Neoplasene

First let me explain that I am a skeptic; I am not a naysayer but I must have proof before believing. I feel that this stance is the best approach and tend to think that if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is. I am in no way promoting this product; I am simply stating the facts as far as my own experience with my dog Tilley.

Tilley had a lump on her leg; she has had it for many months. Most recently the vet attempted to withdraw some cells from it to send off to see if it was cancer or not. Unfortunately it was like a little pebble and she was unable to get anything from it. I kept a close eye on it for change etc. Last week it changed; it had opened up and I was unsure if it had opened on it's own or if Tilley had injured it on something. Luckily we already had an annual visit appointment to the vet set up for following Thursday.

Once we arrived and the vet had a look she said it should come off. She then told me about Bloodroot or Neoplasene. I'd never heard of it and because Tilley is nearing 13 years of age I didn't want to go the surgery route. I okayed it. Neoplasene was applied directly to the tumor; a protective salve was spread around the healthy flesh to protect it. Then it was all wrapped up and to be left wrapped for at least 12 hours.

The next day I opened up the wrapping to find some irritated skin and the tumor which was slightly white. I cleaned the entire site with peroxide and then covered it with a natural organic salve. We made another trip to the veterinarians on Saturday morning. I was concerned about another treatment as it had leeched onto her healthy skin when wrapped. The Dr. asked if I had time to sit with Tilley for about an hour? We could apply the neoplasene on the tumor and leave it to work for an hour. I agreed; the healthy skin was again protected with salve and the neoplasene applied. I sat with Tilley for an hour while we allowed the substance to do it's thing.

Tilley's leg was wrapped again and we headed home. The next day Tilley decided to unwrap her leg on her own. My son called me as she was in the process. After unwrapping it properly and washing down to peroxide again it was obvious that the tumor was indeed starting to pull away. I covered it with salve and wrapped it up again. Skipping ahead to yesterday; I started unwrapping. As I began to pull the gauze from Tilley's leg I could see that the tumor; now only half the size had completely come away. It was off of her and now lay in the gauze.

After much research I found there to be two very strong opinions on this subject. It is definitely worth looking into as I feel that the treatment for cancers have gone far wrong in many ways. I also believe that this is a product that the unscrupulous will grab a hold of and run. Like anything humans tend to want to make a buck so caution is always your best route. Is this a miracle cure? I guess the jury is still out; but like anything that gives a glimmer of hope it does deserve more research. It can be dangerous in the wrong hands as many things can be.

I will keep a close eye on the progession of the loss of this lump. Tilley now has a very small wound to get healed up which after dealing with her tail issue several years back seems like nothing.

Snow dogs

Last night as I was starting to drift off I found myself thinking about snow dogs. I spent many a winter day detaching snowballs from my dogs legs and leaving them by the heater to drip dry. I haven't had to do that now for almost 11 years; but I am considering heading north so that I can shoot some snow dogs. Other than shooting dogs at the beach I think shooting them in the snow is about the most gorgeous.

I have a couple of photos put away; some amazing ones of Tilley when she was only a year old that I will have to dig up and scan. She was still pretty black back then and that with the white snow all around and her silver face; well pure magic in my eyes or lense. The dogs use to love the snow; even little Jessie as she would trudge almost completely consumed by the surrounding snow trying to keep up with the long legged poodles.

Shoveling was even fun when the dogs were around; there was always one dog ready to catch a face full as I tossed the unwanted snow over my shoulder. And a snow dog can have just as much fun with snowballs as with tennis balls; albeit after a while they tend to get the equivalent of brain freeze I would imagine. A wet face surrounded by falling snow; beautiful. And when you take a standard poodle soaked to the skin from playing in the snow and capture those flying ringlets; well I could sit and shoot for hours.

The only snow days that bothered the dogs were the frigid ones. You always knew it was really cold out when the dogs started lifting their feet; we stayed in and enjoyed the scenery out the window on those days. And we quickly learned that shoveling a path through the deep snow for the dogs to use helped keep the snowballs down. Poodles and any other breed that has alot of leg hair tend to be snowball magnets. Especially on those mild days when the thermometer hovers just below freezing; the days you want to spend outside. I remember my airedale being covered in three inch snowballs as we head home after a big snowy hike.

Ah,....... snowdogs on snow days.

What a weekend

Wow; I'm actually glad the weekend is over and I can move on. I had our girl Tilley at the vet for a very small procedure where she was given some pain meds. Well; she had a sensitive reaction to it and was pretty much in a tranquilized state from Sat. morning until well into yesterday afternoon. I have never had a dog in this state and I never want to again. Not only was she out; so was her bladder. After getting her up; I carried her outside and attempted to have her relieve herself. Little did I realize that she had already done so on the bed where she had been resting.

I'm pretty sure after watching her that her urine was just coming out freely and there was no actual peeing involved. So from then we had to monitor very closely; I set up a area for her with garbage bags covered in blankets. There she lay for pretty much the whole day. I made sure she got water into her; spoonful by spoonful I trickled it into her mouth being careful not to pour too much. Then I watered down her food and by angling her bowl exactly perfect she slowly lapped her dinner.

At bedtime we set up the same sort of bed deal as she had spent her day on although we put the xpen around her. She was unable to walk properly so I didn't want her wandering around in the dark alone as she may injure herself. By yesterday afternoon we were seeing a little glimmer that our girl was coming back. She took herself out to pee and started rummaging around the kitchen. She was still very wobbly on her legs and obviously not happy about the situation.

Unfortunately through all this she had made quite a mess of herself. Not wanting to segregate her any longer it was into the shower. We worked fast; I don't think I've ever bathed a dog so quickly. And once she was out both myself and my husband worked at drying her as fast as possible. I used the forced air dryer and he had our warm air dryer as we worked furiously to get her dry, warm and comfy. It wasn't long and she was clean again, happy and content to sleep the rest of it off curled up in mountains of blankets and tucked in all nice and snug.

She seems almost back to normal this morning. We move on after a lost weekend.

Evolution of a human

Life in itself is an evolution; animals are in a constant state of change as are we.

Evolution: a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic structure or institutions.

I want to discuss evolution with regards to the human, canine connection. I know that my evolution with regards to dogs has been a big one. When you speak of the evolution of a human; the emotional change of an existing human it can be vast or non existent. Fifty years ago; the dog was pretty much considered to be "just the dog." There were some people who already considered them to be family members and brought them into their homes with open arms but many canines lived their lives out of the human home.

So where has the dog evolved in your life? Has there been a large scale evolution where you never had a dog and considered those who gushed over their dog to be foolish? But you now find yourself doing the gushing? Were you an outside dog family and now enjoy the companionship of your dog by your side in the comfort of your home? No matter how small the steps I believe each and every step that is positive is an evolution.

I have had many a discussion with other dog people about the mistakes we've made; ah... to err is human right? Right. So we have all made them; myself included and there are things I look back at now and shudder about but if I had not made these mistakes I would not be the person I am today. Each and every dog I have had; has had a hand in my canine evolution. And as I evolve with my dogs so do I evolve as a whole.

When my dogs come to me on their own; rest their head on my lap or lean into my leg to be touched I realized just how important they are and that this whole human/canine connection is pretty darned amazing.