Heart Like a Dog

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

What Would You Do For Your Pet?

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I had a totally different post planned for today and then I came upon this article on Yahoo, and the title caught my eye, Experts: Don’t attempt to save swept-away pets.

You can read the article for yourself AFTER you finish this post (apparently I have to be concerned with something called bouncing.)

I’ll give you the down and dirty.  Apparently five people have died in California in the last five months trying to rescue a dog being swept away.

The article says that most dogs are better swimmers than humans and by using their fight or flight instincts will work with the currents and find their way to shore.  Of course it might be a bit farther away than where they started so microchips and collar tags are highly recommended.

We all know that certain dogs are better in the water than others.  Labradors, German Shepards and Pit Bulls are designed for swimming. Their strong bodies, heads that stay above water, thick/and or waterproof coats not to mention the four feet vs two for humans, (with some of them being webbed) give them the advantage over two footers who can experience hypothermia due to the cold ocean water.

Animals have far better stamina than most humans and are capable of keeping themselves alive in the water by remaining calm and focusing on the task at hand vs humans who tend to panic and become confused.

And what if your pet manages to stay alive, turning up two or three miles down shore and you have died, where does that leave him/her?

Logistically this all makes sense to me, but the reality of seeing your dog struggling and being swept away is far different.  I can’t imagine the guilt I’d feel standing helplessly by.   And God knows I have enough guilt I carry right now.

Delilah-1

Sampson-1

How could I let either one of those sweet faces just drift away without trying to help?  What do you think?  What would YOU do?

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?

Shining Star

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Last night Delilah and I had our second tricks class.  Can I tell you something?

Delilah and I have had our share of go-rounds.  You know it, because I’ve shared it here with you. Even with the challenges she’s faced, I know deep down in my heart what a good dog she is.  And there is one place where it shows.

My dog shines in the classroom setting.

We walk into the classroom and she is focused on me, waiting and watching and willing to learn.

Our task was to learn three tricks last night, play dead, roll-over and crawl.

I forgot my point and shoot, so I had to use my cell phone, which isn’t easy to work when you’re the one doing the training.

Our instructor was quite pleased with the progress we made playing dead and rolling over.  She then asked if she could borrow Delilah to show us how to teach them to crawl.

I giggled a little inside because I’ve been trying to get Delilah to crawl for about four years.

Yup, she got out there and crawled across the floor.

When I got home I had Hubby take a video of us doing each of the tricks. Please excuse the poor lighting and my messy housekeeping, I just wanted to show you what she learned.

(Excuse my ass.)

There was a new woman in our class last night. From what I could tell her husband was supposed to meet her there with their dog but he got stuck in traffic, so she just hung out observing.  She happened to sit right near Delilah and I and we ran into her on our way out.  She asked if she could pet Delilah and then she said, she has such a calming peaceful effect.

I said, REALLY?  I don’t think so.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she really is a shining star.

Is there an area where your dog shines?

Have you voted in the Dogs of Blogville Calendar contest yet?

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