Shopping Finds

Posted on October 25, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Advance Housebreaking Pads are on my hardwood floor by the back door. These, so far, do not leak. Previous products I have tried were disappointing. When you have to be out of the house for hours at a time, these pads are helpful.

This brand of pad looks similar to ones used in hospitals, so I will price these and compare the price with ones used for humans and find the better buy.

Cheap dog toys are important. At Walmart this week I found a bag of four loofa dogs for $5. In colors of purple, black, neon green and orange, at $1.25 I did go over my $1 rule for a stuffed toy, but it is Halloween. Check through the Halloween decorations area, not the pet products department.

Windy and Jake are looking at this bag of toys by my laptop. I’m a well-trained sucker. Please excuse me while I go find some scissors.

 

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Professor Jake

Posted on October 22, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Of my dog pack, Jake is the alpha. He has lived with us the longest and has the keenest sense of human emotions.

 

Jake, who has a doctorate in animal behavior.

Jake has been Hope’s teacher. When we first got Hope, Jake went with us. In the two-hour car ride home Jake was a calming presence for her. At home, Jake showed her about going out the back door to the yard. He taught her it was OK to hop up on the ottoman to look out the window. He modeled how to go for a walk.

Even though Hope was criminally deprived in the puppy mill, her intelligence is high. She has learned many things about living in a home as a pet. She still has trust issues, and, if you are not careful, will chew inappropriate things, like a cheap rug this morning.

Jake has earned his tenure as a full professor in this household. And he doesn’t plan to retire any time soon.

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Wakey-Wakey Time

Posted on October 21, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Windy's morning preference.

Windy is not a morning person.

Hope can be bright and alert when my husband awakes at 5 a.m. She likes to go into the great room with him while he drinks his coffee and reads the paper.

Jake is flexible. If he has to get up in a hurry because we both have an early start, he will comply. If he is allowed to sleep, he will.

Windy’s stalling tactic is to be in a daze, look up through eyes half slit, then roll over on her back for a tummy rub. Then, if you are lucky, she will wake up. If not, she must be picked up and carried outside.

If you have not lived with dogs, this might seem odd to you. But dogs can have many startling familiar behaviors. Thankfully, I don’t have to yell at Windy for staring at her socks for 10 minutes while the school bus arrives.

 

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Home Sweet Home

Posted on October 20, 2010 by daysofourdogs

This was Hope's favorite place last year.

Nature has given dogs a desire for dens.  You can see this if they like to hide behind your couch, under a table, or beneath blankets if they do not have crates.

Crate training promotes strong feelings among many people. Crates are not inhumane as long as the dog does not spend the vast majority of its day in one.

We have had dogs love their crates. We crate trained our first puppy, a West Highland white terrier named Duffy. He was a busy little fellow, but when he wanted a rest he would go into his crate and demand its door be shut.

When we got Hope, she didn’t want to leave her crate—not surprising since she that was all she knew after five years in an Amish puppy mill. There were times I would have to take the top off the crate, lift her out, and then close up the crate to keep her out of it. For the past four months she hasn’t gone in it, and that’s fine with us. Jake doesn’t care for crates, and Windy prefers to dine in one.

So, if you have a puppy or a new dog you might want to try crate training. Older dogs can be crate trained but it will take some time. And a dog’s den is nowhere near like creating a man cave with wide screen TV and leather furniture.

 

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It’s Party Time

Posted on October 19, 2010 by daysofourdogs

From left: Jake, Hope and Windy

Dogs, being pack animals, need socialization. Whether you have one dog, three, or more, socializing helps with their behavior.

This past weekend we went to a dachshund gathering. More than two dozen dachshunds of all shapes and colors were there, in addition to a few non-wiener dogs.

Windy is the most daring of my three. She will go off by herself and check out whatever she sees. Jake stays back, observes the situation, and then investigates. Hope always watches Jake then follows him.

I can tell Hope, my Amish puppy mill girl, likes these get-togethers. She is relaxed. When she has had enough of the other dogs she will come by my chair, or my husband’s, and sit behind us. After a brief rest, she joins the fray again.

If you are interested in forming such a group for socializing, and it doesn’t have to be breed specific, ask your dog-loving friends and your vet to help get you started. For good weather, someone needs a well-fenced yard. For cold weather, a dog-proofed basement will do, or a pet store or dog-related business might loan some space for a couple hours because all these owners would be potential clients. Make sure the humans bring people food, water, and their own dog treats.

When we got home my furkids were exhausted. My little diva, Windy, crashed on my husband’s lap and snored so loudly we had to turn the volume up all the way on the TV.

 

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Letter to the Editor

Posted on October 18, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Out of the Amish puppy mill for nearly two years, Hope is learning to enjoy life.

The following was sent to the “Columbus Dispatch” today:

The recent travel section article, “Simple Living,” gives readers a bucolic picture of Amish life as a pleasant place to sightsee or to eat in an Amish home. How many of those Amish would invite “Dispatch” readers into their barns to see that part of their picturesque life?

A significant number of Amish generate their income from warehousing dogs in wire cages stacked one on top of the other. The lucky dogs get exercise and medical care. I have a miniature schnauzer that spent five years in an Amish puppy mill in Ohio. Because she was past her prime,  my dog was to be shot in the head and thrown in a ditch. A woman from Cincinnati Schnauzer Rescue intervened.

Puppy mills are big business, and Ohio is one of the most notorious states for tolerating this abuse of dogs. All too often, puppy mill legislation is thwarted by lobbyists and folks sympathetic to the Amish.

So, “Dispatch” readers, as you drive through Geauga or Holmes counties, think about what could be in those barns.

 

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Walking, Pooping, Picking Up

Posted on October 15, 2010 by daysofourdogs

In spite of having a fenced back yard to play in , Hope, Jake and Windy still want — no demand — walks.

Jake, tired after a walk.

If I am home in the afternoon or evening, usually Hope will catch my eye, bark excitedly, then head for the front door. Jake and Windy pick up on her cue. Sometimes I obey. If not, I say, “Not now” then feel a bit guilty.

Too many people in my neighborhood do not pick up their dog poop. Sometimes I see someone looking around furtively while the dog takes care of business. Then I don’t see the person getting out a bag. No one carries a scooper.

Leftover poop can spread disease and parasites. If you think it is an environmental violation to use a grocery bag to pick up poo, then carry a scooper. I think Mother Earth would prefer you pick it up any way you can. And Jake seems to like it when we all stop and give him our full attention while he does his dooty.

 

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Furniture and Fur

Posted on October 14, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Angel dog Alex liked to snooze on the couch after reading.

If you have dogs, you will have dog hair in some of the strangest places.

A dear dachshund-terrier mix, Alex, loved to come up behind me while I would have the refrigerator door open.

“Get your head out of the refrigerator,” I would say. He obeyed, but I occasionally I would find fur near the vegetable drawer on the bottom.

Should dogs be allowed on your furniture? Mine always have that right. I have plenty of slipcovers and throws and wash them regularly. Animals get sick, and those coverings have saved my cushions many times.

My dogs are family members and can sit or lie anywhere I do. However, there have been times when I have to yell “No sit” when my husband comes in from the garage.

 

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Barking Can Be Helpful

Posted on October 12, 2010 by daysofourdogs

Hope, on the ottoman that she hops up on to look out the bay window.

Too often people complain about how much dogs bark. I, however, do not complain when Hope barks.

Hope, my girl who spent five years in an Amish puppy mill, doesn’t have much to say, but when she does bark it is significant.

This past weekend Jake and Windy were looking out the bay window barking their heads off. I thought is must be a squirrel or rabbit. Then Hope ran over and started barking, and I knew I needed to look.

Sure enough, a strange dog was wandering around across the street. It was a beagle from two streets over. Lola’s human children are not too careful about keeping the front door closed, and she takes advantage of the opportunity. My husband escorted Lola home, again.

Now, how can I help Hope teach Jake and Windy not to lose their temper over squirrels and rabbits?

 

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Fashion

Posted on October 11, 2010 by daysofourdogs

With fall comes chilly weather, pumpkins and dog clothes. Clothes?

Shorthaired breeds in cooler climates need sweaters, jackets or coats.

I have given up on sweaters. Trying to get little legs into little sleeves gives little reward. Somehow a sweater will wind up around Jake’s waist before the walk is over. The same for a cute hoodie I bought last winter, and he didn’t like the hood.

If you can, take your dog to a pet store, one that does not sell dogs, and find the perfect fit. If you cannot do that, please check the store’s return policy. If you buy online, be sure to double-check your measurements. Yes, measure. Don’t guess your dog’s size or weight.

Jake here is modeling a custom-made coat. Hope’s foster mom, Barb, made it for him. I love it. So, if you can sew then get creative.

Jake likes this coat. It has a Velcro wrap around his tummy. He can’t wiggle it off and look like a four-legged, red-haired stripper strolling down the street

Jake is ready for cold weather in his custom-made coat.

.

 

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