Rosie’s Birthday Paw-ty Pictures

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With three years of birthday parties under her belt, Rosie knew exactly what to do on her fourth.  She jumped up on the chair and waited expectantly for the “happy birthday” song to be finished so she could dive right in!

In case any dogs out there were wondering about table etiquette, this is the proper way for dogs to sit on chairs.

Rosie ate the cake too fast to taste it.

I want to point out how very rude my humans were.  They didn’t invite me to the party!  They gave the lame excuse that too much excitement gives me seizures and that I throw up anything that isn’t dog food.  I was terribly offended but quickly forgave them.  You can’t expect humans to be perfect.

What to do With a Stray Dog

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A stray dog shows up in your yard, sad and hungry.  Or perhaps a pup follows your child home from school.  Many people find themselves with stray dogs.  What do you do when you find one?

Is the Dog Really Lost?

Sometimes you can easily tell a dog is lost.  If he knows commands, is well groomed, or a purebred, chances are someone misses him.  However, there are sadly many pets that are abandoned.  For instance, my humans suspect that their cat, Kitty, was abandoned.  A strange car drove down the dead end street, paused for a few moments, and then drove away.  After that, Kitty showed up on the doorstep.  If you suspect the dog has been dumped, still search for its owners.  It could be that the ugly canine is some child’s best friend, or the shaggy pup an old lady’s beloved lapdog.  Remember, it doesn’t take long for a dog to get dirty, matted, and have overgrown hair.

Keep Your Distance at First

Remember, even friendly looking dogs can bite.  Keep your distance at first until you know the dog is safe.  Also, after petting any unknown dog, wash you hands to kill any germs.  I suggest that you don’t let young children touch the dog as they often put their hands in their mouths.

Ask Your Neighbors

If you are able, take the dog with you to see the neighbors or take photos of it.  Ask the neighbors if they recognize the dog.  Also, ask the mailman.  He runs into a lot a dogs on his route.

Put up Posters

Take some quality pictures of the dog and put them on “found” posters, along with your contact information and any defining characteristics of the dog.  Hang them in your neighborhood and others.  Leave some on a library signboard, at the vet office, and the dog shelter.

Post on Social Media

Post about the found dog on Facebook, Instagram, etc.  There are some Facebook groups made just for lost/found dogs.

What if There is no Owner?

Oftentimes, you will not find an owner.  Either the dog is truly lost or its owners don’t really care.  In this case, you can choose to either keep the dog or rehome it.

Keeping the dog can provide you with a free best friend!  Also, you are giving the dog a good home.  Be aware that the dog could have behavioral problems.  Perhaps he doesn’t like other dogs or howls at night.  However, with training, many of these problems can be fixed.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t want to keep the dog.  It can easily be happy somewhere else.  You can put out a newspaper ad, post on social media, or tell friends about the available pet.  Take good pictures and even videos.  Also, be honest about the dog’s problems.  If he doesn’t like other pets or children, say so.  You don’t want someone to end up with a heartbreak.

Leaving a dog at a shelter isn’t the worst thing to do in the world.  It is not always like the hopeless shelter depicted in Lady and the Tramp.  At a shelter near me, the dogs usually don’t stay there more than a couple of weeks.  Volunteers come to walk them and give out treats, and they each get their own room and bed.  True, aggressive dogs are euthanized.  If you are worried about this for your stray, try leaving it with a no-kill shelter or rescue group.

A Winter Update

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Hello, friends! I know I’ve been neglecting my dear old blog.  As usual, I have an excuse.  I have been extremely busy.  Doing what, you ask?  I’ve been surfing the web looking for the most stylish, most comfortable clothing.  I needed something with class and comfort.  I finally found this fleece lined coat, perfect for these cold nights:

I know, I look so posh.  I think it’s very thinning on my figure.  I wear it when I go outside at night.  Since I’m sixteen now, I have a hard time keeping warm and controlling my body temperature.

Rosie has also been very busy in her search for the most comfortable place to nap.  She finds some very odd places.

The humans roll up the rug to keep Rosie off of it, but she still finds a way to get on it.  She gets very creative in finding ways to sit/lie on it.

When she’s not sleeping, she can be seen with her mouth wide open.  Extremely childish looking, if you ask me.  Really, a dog of three should be acting much more maturely.  But Rosie is still a hyper pup.

Kitty and her adopted children.

Kitty has been very lazy this winter.  Whenever the humans put her outside, she sits at the door and waits to slip in.  She’s gotten very fat munching on cat food and sleeping indoors.  The humans try to put her outside as much as possible so she can “be a cat,” but she really prefers to be like a human.

I am doing very well health wise.  I am happy and still active, though I do sleep a lot of the day.  A while back, my humans got very worried about me.  I started bleeding from my mouth.  They took me to the vet, and he gave me antibiotics in case I had an infection.  The bleeding stopped and I perked back up.  However, he did tell my humans that I might have a tumor in my lungs.  This is not surprising since I am an old dog.  However, I feel great and really enjoy life.  I also still love food… wish my humans would give me more of it!

That’s all for now, everybody.  I’ll try to post again soon.

Woof,
Sissy

Thanksgiving With Your Dog

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Thanksgiving is almost here.  Are you thinking of all the family you will have over and the food you will eat?  Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for families to get together and share a special meal, but what about your dog?  Dogs don’t understand holidays, and Thanksgiving can be very stressful and even dangerous for them.

For some dogs, having many people over can be upsetting and confusing.  If your dog shows signs of becoming stressed, leave him alone in a nice quiet room or his cage so he can rest.thanksgiving-meal

It is very easy to forget your dog during a fun holiday like Thanksgiving, and we easily become underfoot and get stepped on.  Ouch!  Make sure your dog gets all of the attention he needs, and, if he is underfoot, he might be better off in his cage.

th-jumpSome dogs get very excited when company arrives. They wait eagerly by the window or run outside to greet the guests.  Dogs love people so much that we want to give them kisses.  However, dogs are a lot shorter than humans, so we have to jump.  And with our jumps, we scratch people, tear clothes, and scare small children. We don’t mean to be bad; we are just so happy to see you!  Teach your dog the command “off” to help him keep all four paws on the ground.  When your dog jumps up on anyone, even you, tell him, “Off,” and help him put all paws on the floor.  Don’t ever push or hit your dog.  You could easily hurt him, even if he is a big dog.  Always help him gently.  When your dog is on the ground, tell him how good he is.  Another way to fix your problem is to tell your dog to sit or to put his leash on when company arrives.  If your dog has a solid sit, there should be no jumping problems.  And, on a leash, your dog will know that you want him to stick by you and not jump.  Tip: In order not to confuse your dog, use the command “off” when you want him off of the couch, a person, etc.  Use the command “down” when you want your dog to lie down.

 

Try to take your dog for a long walk before the company arrives.  This way, he will be tired when the guests arrive and willing to lie down and sleep.  Also, if you have anyone over who doesn’t like dogs and is uncomfortable around them, respect his or her feelings by putting your dog in his cage or a separate room.

th-beggingWhen there is so much good food on the table, many people want to give their dogs a taste.  However, you need to be aware that many human foods can hurt your dog.  Our tummies cannot handle food full of butter, grease, salt, and sugar.  These can make us nauseous and even cause us to vomit.  Also, your dog could develop life-threatening pancreatitis.  Pancreatitis inflames the pancreas and causes terrible pain and nausea for your dog.  If you want to give your dog a special treat this Thanksgiving, set aside a small bowl with a bit of unsalted peas and carrots.  Your dog will enjoy these immensely, and they are very healthy.  Feed your dog this treat after you have finished eating.  This will discourage table begging.

For most dogs, a small piece of plain turkey won’t hurt them.  Just make sure that there is no seasoning (onions and garlic are toxic to dogs) or bones.  Take the skin off of the meat to avoid excess grease.  If your dog is a senior, has tummy problems, or has a health problem, don’t feed him any turkey as it could effect his health.  Also, as mentioned in the paragraph above, don’t feed your dog any other people foods!  The only reason dogs can have turkey is because it is often in their dog food, so their stomachs are accustomed to it.

Turkey bones are very dangerous for dogs

Caution!  You will be greatly tempted to feed your dog one of those juicy turkey bones this Thanksgiving, but please resist!  Feeding your dog one of those bones could endanger his life. Bones from turkeys or any other kind of meat easily break into small pieces.  These can quickly become lodged in your dog’s throat, causing him to choke.  This could lead to an emergency trip to the vet or even death.  Never put your dog at such a risk!  Feed him a safe dog biscuit instead, and make sure that the bones are not thrown away in a trash can that your dog can get to.

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A doggy daycare

Are you traveling this Thanksgiving?  If so, you will need someone to watch your dog.  Leaving your dog alone in the yard for days is never a good idea, as such boredom will cause your dog to bark, be destructive, and climb, jump over, or dig under the fence.  You can leave your dog with a willing friend, hire someone to come play with, walk, and feed your dog at your house every day, leave your dog at a doggy day care, or leave your dog at a dog sitter’s home.  Choose which kind based on your dog’s needs and personality.  If your dog is antisocial with other canines, don’t leave him at a doggy daycare where he will have to deal with a lot of other dogs.  And, if he is a homebody, have someone come to your house two or three times a day to care for his needs.

Have a fun and safe Thanksgiving with your dog!

A Fall Update

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I haven’t posted much lately because I have been very busy.  I seems I need to post this pupdate…er, update.

The squirrels are starting to take over my property, stuffing their cheeks with nuts which rightfully belong to me!  Not that I’m going to eat them…yuck!  Anyway, I have been on red alert for tree rats and further instructing Rosie in the arts of squirrel patrol.  In my spare time, I have been patrolling the house for scraps (I believe in the saying “waste not, want not”) and taking long naps.

The little human in my house, knowing how fond I am of food, served me breakfast in bed…

and gave me reading material and a stylish hat.

Rosie likes to wear the hat too. Or, realistically, she will tolerate wearing it for a short amount of time.  This is a vast improvement from only a short time ago, when anything on her head had to be eaten.  Actually, everything in sight had to be eaten.  Like staples… 

Here is Rosie exercising charity by sharing a sock with Kitty.  Rosie loves socks!

Kitty, however, is not a fan.

Rosie and I recently had a sleepover at our grandparents’ house while the humans were traveling.  Lacy was cordial but kept her distance. I had a wonderful time as I got wet dog food!  Yum!  Rosie had fun too.  She even got to play fetch with the neighbor.  Fetch is her favorite game!

The Importance of ID Tags

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This morning, my humans noticed two strange dogs in the yard. Since we live in the country, this is not uncommon as many owners let their dogs run loose (which is not a good thing to do!).  However, my humans knew these dogs were different. One was a St. Bernard mix and the other a white German Shepherd. These shepherds are not cheap or easy to come by, so it was obvious these doggies were run aways.  One human went outside and called to the St. Bernard mix. He came lalloping over eagerly, but his shepherd friend was out of sight. Unfortunately, the mutt did not have ID tags and the humans were unable to call his owners. They let the mutt go to join his friend. Two dogs running loose have a better chance of finding their way home than one.

This story shows the importance of giving your dog ID tags. A runaway pet can happen to even the most diligent of owners, and an ID tag increases the chance of his return.

Many owners nowadays microchip their pets. This is when a teeny weeny chip is inserted into their skin. When scanned with a special device, the owner’s imformation pops up. However, these chips are not as good as tags. Many people who see a dog without ID tags will keep the animal. They assume he has been either abandoned or too lost to be found. It is true thay many shelters will scan for microchips. However, your dog may not end up at a shelter. Especially if he is friendly or pretty, he could be kept by another person as a pet. Don’t rely on microchips to bring your dog home.

Keep your dog safe; keep your dog tagged.