Heart Like a Dog

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

Throw Rugs – A Dog Owner’s Best Friend

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If you have dogs, rubber backed throw rugs are a MUST have. They are extremely portable, easily washable and quite simply, versatile.

Consider the following uses.

  • For dogs with mobility issues, these rugs can be used to provide traction on hardwood or tile floors, or areas where slipping is likely to occur. Providing traction for an injured or aging dog with mobility issues, can help give your dog confidence and make navigating the home easier.
  • We use the “Place” command in our home. When we eat dinner, the dogs are supposed (Oh, Delilah!) to lay in one place while we eat dinner. To make this easier for the dogs, we use mats. But rugs work just as well. Plus, as I mentioned previously, there rugs are portable, and can easily be packed for use in traveling. So when you’re trying to eat dinner at your sister’s house, your dog will not be begging at the table. 

Lay here she says. I’ll give you a treat she says. I’m waiting Mama.

  • Speaking of traveling, having a special rug in the car for traveling can make a trip more comfortable for an anxious pet. Having something that is familiar to them and smells like home can help ease that anxiety.
  • Because these rugs are so easy to wash, you can use them on areas where you don’t want pet hair. Do you have a dog that likes to climb on the couch? Use a rug on the favored spot, and help save on your vacuuming.
  • Urinary incontinence can affect older dogs, especially spayed females (watch for our upcoming post on our struggles with it.) A rubber backed rug in the spot your dog likes to lay can be used to protect bedding, furniture and dog bedding. A throw rug is far easier to wash than say…a couch, or…a mattress.
  • Speaking of easy clean up, I use throw rugs for when the dogs are snacking. Every night my guys get a frozen Kong stuffed with pineapple and applesauce. And let me tell you, devouring this Kong can get very messy, which is why I use the throw rug. Besides it being easily washable, the rubber backing keeps the rug in place and helps keep the dogs in a spot where they make the least amount of mess.
  • For drying or grooming purposes. My dogs will walk in the rain, but it comes with a price. They expect me to dry them off when we get back inside. Training your dogs to stand on a throw rug after a rainy (or muddy) walk, while you dry them off will save your carpet or floor from muddy paw prints.

These are some of the ways we use throw rugs in our home, where/how do you use them?

Happy Easter, April 16, 2017

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Based on my dog’s personalities, I love imaging conversations that they might have between them if they could speak.

I always imagine Delilah as the little sister, honing into the food aspect of any situation.

And I imagine Sampson as the exasperated older brother, taxed by the little one.

Do you imagine conversations with your pets?

And, Happy Easter from all of us at Heart Like a Dog!

The DADO Report – Star Date April 13, 2017

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled, “Dear Neighbor“, in which I mentioned how one of the people in my neighborhood thinks you house train a puppy by leaving that puppy outside. No surprise, he also has dogs that leave his yard.

This story took place a few months ago, and I’ve had it in draft form for a bit, finally getting around to posting it.

Ya’ll know we walk in the dark. In our neighborhood, we don’t have sidewalks, so when we walk, typically the dogs are walking close to the curb, or on someone’s lawn. When you live in the DADO capital of the world, you learn which houses have e-fences, and which yards to be wary of.

Unless you don’t.

The dogs have their favorite routes. Sampson’s is to see people he loves, while Delilah’s. Well who knows why she likes it, but she does.

Of course, I dress for the weather, whatever that might be, but I try to keep it comfortable.

This particular damp morning I had on a light jacket and some slip on sneakers. As is Delilah’s usual MO, she heads towards her favorite route. So there we are, walking along in the dark, and we approach the DADO’s house. This DADO used to have a yellow lab that he kept outside a lot. Her name was Sarah and once, she came out of her yard to follow us. That time, I dropped Sampson’s leash, and hustled Delilah along. I’m not sure what happened to Sarah, but he apparently has another yellow lab, that isn’t quite so friendly.

This particular morning there we were, walking along quite contentedly, when suddenly, this large, yellow lab, comes flying around the side of the house, snarling and growling like a fool, and comes rushing out into the street. I immediately made to move away, and shelter Delilah, and in the process, I lost my left shoe.

I don’t wear, nor do I like shoes, so I don’t see the problem.

So there I stood, socked foot planted firmly on the wet street, with my shoe, the shoe that kept my foot dry, a good five feet away. I contemplated if those castle steps were as uncomfortable on Cinderella’s feet as the wet street was on mine.

But I stood there anyway, standing my ground. I fluffed myself up as big as I could, and in my sternest voice said, “GET IN YOUR YARD. GO!”

And he did.

I retrieved my shoe, and finished the walk with one damp foot.

Ever since that morning, I’ve avoided walking past that house.

It’s a damn shame when some Dumb Ass Dog Owner ruins it for everyone else.

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