Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

The Fog Was Freaky

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It was super foggy here yesterday morning.

I was on the fence about walking the dogs in the woods in the fog, so I thought we’d head up to the field, so they could at least stretch their legs.

The field was shrouded in fog.

 

You could probably see clearly 50 feet in front of you, but beyond that it was sketchy.

We walked into the field and I worked Delilah with a couple of long recalls, so she could run a bit and tire herself out. 🙂

From the field looking back at the path we came in on.

 

I looked at my watch, we’d burned five minutes.  I thought to myself, how many times can they walk around this field before Delilah gets bored and takes off?

I looked at the woods, they beckoned yet repelled me.

Should we? Shouldn’t we? Come on, the trees said. You know you want to.

 

I gave in, but proceeded cautiously.  It was a foggy day like this on New Year’s eve when I took a fall coming down that very trail.  I didn’t want to spend another night in the emergency room.

Plus for some reason I was pretty freaked walking in the fog, maybe the dogs sensed my unease or maybe they were a little freaked too, because they stayed really close.

I kept to the trails I was comfortable with and we enjoyed a half hour walk.

That’s Sampson running ahead, Delilah was right by my side.

 

After about a half hour, we headed home and while I was changing my clothes the dogs got their zoomies on, after which Sampson took a nap.

I’m trying to sleep here.

 

With his vest on. 🙂

I love this dog.

What kind of things does your dog do that makes you smile?

How Do You Clean Your Dog’s Teeth

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What do you know about cleaning your dog’s teeth?

Here’s what I knew.

They make tooth brushes and toothpaste for dogs.  I even have one of each.  In fact I had to use the brush once when Delilah got a little greedy in the cat’s litter box.

Yes I know.  EWWW.

Notice I said, ONCE.  Because I’ve never been good about cleaning my dog’s teeth.

Neither Sampson nor Delilah’s teeth have ever been too bad, and I saw a huge difference when we switched to raw and they started crunching on those neck bones.  Additionally I give them the stuffed white bones which they gnaw at.

When Sara first opened the shop at The Mellow Mutt, I bought two of those finger toothbrushes. You know the ones that fit on the end of your finger, I thought, well now that their teeth are pretty clean I can use those brushes and clean their teeth.

Turns out I’m as good at cleaning their teeth as I am at applying ointment.

Go Figure.

I had heard at some point, the vet needed to clean the dog’s teeth.  I also heard that to clean a dog’s teeth, the vet put them under anesthesia to clean them AND the older the dog is, the more risky it is for anesthesia.

Sampson just turned 8, so when he went for his annual exam in October I discussed teeth cleaning with our vet.  She said his teeth really weren’t that bad, although she thought he might have a little bit of gingivitis beginning.  We agreed his cleaning could wait until spring.  Which would give us some time to save up for it (It’s very expensive!)

Last week when I went to pick up treats at The Mellow Mutt, we somehow got on the topic of teeth cleaning and I mentioned how Sampson needed his teeth cleaned and we were going to do it in the spring.

Based on the reaction I got, you’d have thought I told Sara and Diane (the groomer) that I was giving my dogs away.

Why would you risk putting him under anesthesia just to have his teeth cleaned? They asked.

Well he’s eight years old, he needs his teeth cleaned, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? I responded.

They told me a few stories that really freaked me out.

Diane said, Our vet used to just flink (yes she said flink) the tartar off with a pick.  I’ll clean his teeth, he’s a good boy, why don’t you bring him in and let me give it a shot?

We agreed on Wednesday.

You know me, I second guessed my decision instantly, but still I came home on Wednesday, put Delilah in the crate with a handful of banana chips and loaded Sampson in the car.

Our appointment was for 4:30.

She took us a little late because a woman was there picking up her dog.

We took Sampson into the grooming area and put some towels on the floor.  Diane got some peroxide on a paper towel and put some toothpaste on one of those finger brushes.

Diane rubbed the toothpaste on his teeth.

 

She said it helps soften the tartar.

She flinked the tartar off.

 

I sat with him and stroked him and told him he was okay.

Did he like it?

I’m not going to lie, he didn’t like it, but he never snapped or growled and he let Diane do it.

We were done at 4:40 pm.  Less than 5 minutes from start to finish.  I asked her how much I owed her and she nothing.  I told her she could give me a price or I would pay her what I thought she deserved.  She said $10.  I gave her $20.

 

Then I bought Sampson a new stuffie to bring home.

 

As soon as he was done, he jumped up and strutted around the shop.

When we got home he and Delilah had a game of tug with the new stuffie, until Delilah destroyed it.

 

What I really liked about this was I got to stay with him the entire time.  I didn’t have to drop him off (with no breakfast) and wait for someone to call me, we were in and out…..Just. Like. That.

What do you know about cleaning your dog’s teeth?  Do you brush them?  Do you think the benefit of having their teeth cleaned by the vet outweighs the risk of putting them under anesthesia?  Would you have your groomer scrape your dog’s teeth?

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

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I blew the co-hosting portion of the blog hop this week (AGAIN!).  Honestly, you’d think I could get it together, but I’m really struggling.

This is the Follow-up Friday blog hop (fondly referred to as FUF by me)  because sometimes you write something that requires a follow-up or someone will leave a comment that really resonates with you…Follow-Up Friday Baby!

Feel free to copy the badge and join the party.

 

(Reminder, if you’re interested in co-hosting a FUF, please let me know in the comments. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, I need co-hosts!)

This is going to be Harder than I thought – Author’s Note

If you have any problems ordering, please let me know.  I’d like to get all orders in by tomorrow so I can design and order the calendars and get them out for those of you who want to hand them out for Christmas.

Hello Again Dr. B – Update

The antibiotic cream Dr. B gave Sampson seems to be working, the spots are harder and harder to find.  And really, I’ve only managed to apply it once per day, it seems I’m better with giving them supplements than I am with apply ointments and such.

What Do You Think? – Author’s Note

All things Collies thought “The bone might have been meant as a reward for the car trip home, after someone took their dog on a long walk/hike. Or it might even have been a reward for someone practicing scent work with their dog(s) and it fell out of a coat pocket”

That’s a great thought and far more positive than my devious mind. 🙂

Still, I’m glad we tossed it because as many of you said, you just never know.

What I Learned From NaNoWriMo – Author’s Note

You all are so very kind, but I already knew that. While I didn’t complete the challenge, I do think I have the basics down for a good story.

When it will be completed and ready to let you all peek at, I don’t know.  I do know once my last commitment is completed this month and I have cleaned my house (as I have been promising it) I hope to sit down and work on this book.

Perhaps by the time BlogPaws 2013 rolls around I will have a reasonable rendition that I can share. 😉

Tuesday Night Tricks Class – Author’s Note

I have to tell you, I was leery about the treat on the nose trick, only because I know how excited Delilah is by treats.  The first couple of times I could barely get my hand away before she was snapping at it.  When that happened I needed to be quicker than she was to insure she didn’t get the reward.

Notice how close both my hands are to her face.

 

Once she realized the treat was coming from my left hand and not the treat on her nose, it became easier.  This is one trick I will continue to practice with her because I think it’s good for her to learn a little bit of self-restraint.

That’s it for me, I hope you have an awesome weekend.

This is the Follow-up Friday Blog hop,

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