Heart Like a Dog

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

Poisonous Plants and Dogs….Day One Hundred and Twenty Five

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Earlier today I was reading an article about ten plants (that you might have in your yard) that are poisonous to dogs.  Of course I am aware of the common foods that dogs shouldn’t have; chocolate, coffee, onions, grapes and raisins, but I was surprised by a couple of them, for instance Black Walnuts, while the nuts themselves aren’t dangerous, if they drop from the tree and lie on the ground where they begin to rot; they grow molds which are highly toxic to your dogs.  The article is a quick read and it’s good to know simple things to avoid that will help keep your pets safe.

Of course once I read that mushrooms were on the list, (albeit only certain ones) I knew I needed to pay attention to what the dogs were doing when we were on the trail.  Tonight during our hike as we were descending down some rocks, we found some broken glass and lots of it.  I was concerned about an animal hurting themself on it, so Chet and I began picking up the pieces and putting them in one of the baggies I carry.  While I was tentatively making my way across the rocks, Delilah suddenly rushed forward and began digging furiously in a crevice in the rock. 

The Crevice

At first I was startled and I worried that she was onto a mushroom….but almost immediately a chipmunk shot over the rock and took off into the woods.  Thankfully, Delilah didn’t see the chipmunk but she was on the lookout with her nose to the ground for the rest of our hike.

Which way did he go?

We know Delilah constantly runs with her nose to the ground, but we could never figure out why.  Since we know basically nothing of her background (before she came to live with us) we don’t know if she was trained in hunting or retrieving.  We often wonder if she would make a good tracking or cadaver dog.  We’ve actually talked about taking a couple of items up to the trails with us; scenting and hiding them and letting her “do her thing.”

Medications, Vaccinations, and Vacations…Day One Hundred and Twenty Four

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How do you keep track of your pet’s medical history, his/her vaccinations, medications, formal training?  What do you do when you travel with your pet, are you prepared for any medical emergencies while traveling?

I keep Sampson and Delilah’s medical histories in a three ring binder.  They each have their own binder and the first page has their name, their date of birth, the name, address and phone number of our vet; as well as our emergency contact information.  Inside the binder in order by date, I have copies of their vet records showing dates for vaccinations, any illnesses they might have had, along with the medication they received, certificates for any obedience classes they attended and copies of their town licenses.  These are slipped inside sheet protectors (so I don’t have to punch them) and they are easy to move about, if you’ve got one out-of-order, or have forgotten one.  In the back of Sampson’s book, I have a print out of symptoms of bloat in dogs, as well as what to do should you suspect your dog has bloat.  Bloat is the 2nd leading killer of dogs after cancer.  Since I have two rather large dogs, bloat is always a concern for me, so I want to be prepared.

When we travel with our dogs, their binders go with us.  The dogs have their own bag in which I store, their food bowls, some toys, any medications they are on, some treats and their binders.  If a situation ever arises where I need to prove that my dog has had their rabies shot, I have copies of it.  When Delilah took ill in New Hampshire three years ago, I grabbed her binder and took it with me to the emergency vet.  In an emergency situation you may not always be able to think clearly enough to answer questions, but if all the information is at your finger tips, all you have to do is flip to the last couple of pages.

It probably takes me all of two minutes to add their latest records to their binders, and those two minutes are so worth the protection it provides my sweet babies.

Say Delilah...when was your last rabies shot?

The truth about long leashes….day One Hundred and Twenty Three

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A couple of years ago we took the dogs with us on vacation to North Carolina.  The drive is really long with two dogs but mine are pretty good, they do take up a lot of room and the little Hyundai Tuscon is challenging to pack but we managed by using a car carrier on top.

Delilah lying in the car. I love the way the sun is shining on her.

We bought 30 foot leashes so we could take the dogs down to the beach,  and give them a little freedom while still maintaining some semblance of control.    The thing to remember about dogs and 30 foot leashes is not to give them the entire leash all at the same time.  I found that out on our first evening at the beach.  Here’s what happened.  We got down to the beach right before dusk, when all the seagulls were out trying to see what the tide had deposited on the shore.  Chet had Sampson and I had Delilah; Delilah saw the seagulls and Delilah took off after those seagulls.  Delilah can run through a 30 foot leash pretty fast and I quickly found out what it feels like to be running behind a 100 pound dog at full throttle on the end of a 30 foot leash.  I also found out that when you scream, “Stop, help, stop” on a beach in North Carolina, you are pretty much on your own.   Even my husband, son-in-law and his sister just stood there.  Eventually she stopped and I reined her in, so these pictures are of the dogs after the incident.

Delilah in the ocean.

 

Sampson in the ocean.

Just keep in mind should you decide to try a longer leash for training, that you should slowly give the dog the distance of the leash,  just don’t clip it on and let them go!

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