Heart Like a Dog

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

Lost Dog – Found Dog

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In October of 2014, my sister’s dog, Bandit went missing. I shared briefly about it on BTC that month. You can read that post HERE.

Since this month is Lost Pet Prevention month, I thought I’d share what I can remember about what happened to Bandit.

Bandit is lost.

A run of the MILL dog.

My sister lives on 11 acres in New Hampshire. They have a turn out pen for the dogs, but some days, especially if my sister or brother-in-law are outside, they let the dogs out onto the property.

This particular day the three dogs (Bandit, JD, and Gordon) wandered out into the woods. Only two came back.

Delilah, Gordy (in the back) Sampson, Bandit and J.D.

Delilah, Gordy (in the back) Sampson, Bandit and J.D.

What my sister thinks happened was Bandit got nailed by a porcupine, which sent him wildly running. He ended up about 1/2 mile down the road at a local farm, where the guys were out back shooting. The sound of the gun shots sent Bandit running even more.

That was the last anyone saw of him for 12 days.

As soon as my sister told me Bandit was missing, I started feeding her all the information I had about finding a lost dog. Most of which I’d learned from following Lady’s saga on No Dog About It Blog. (If you click HERE you will find a post that recaps ALL the posts pertaining to losing and finding Lady.)

About five days before Bandit was found, my sister and brother-in-law stopped by on their way to Florida. My sister and I were telling my brother-in-law that if he was found, Bandit might not recognize the immediately.

“Bullshit!” my BIL said, “I can’t believe a dog I’ve had for 12 years wouldn’t recognize me.”

My sister and I gave each that knowing look. 😉

My sister was sure that Bandit was gone for good. She lives in a very rural area, teeming with all kinds of predators.

I tried to reassure her that dogs can manage on their own for quite a while, and little dogs have the advantage of being able to hide in a hollow log, or under brush, etc.

Bandit is found.

Bandit is home!

On day 12, someone saw Bandit 10 miles from my sister’s house. The person who saw him, called his Dad who happened to know my BIL and called him. My BIL left work at a dead run and headed to the area where Bandit had been spotted.

As soon as he pulled up, he saw Bandit and got out of the car and called him. Bandit looked at him, turned and started trotting off. My BIL said he felt sick to his stomach, but he remembered what my sister had told him and he immediately dropped down onto the ground and calmly started talking to him. Bandit paused, listening, but it wasn’t until my BIL said the magic words of JD and Gordon that Bandit actually realized who he was. Then he came right up to him and my BIL took him strait to the vet’s office.

He’d been quilled, had lost about five pounds and was shaken up, but otherwise unharmed. He has some different anxiety issues, but otherwise, he seems to have recovered.

The best news, is he was found.

Tips if your dog goes missing.

  • Contact animal control, the police and local veterinarians to get the word out.
  • Make posters with key information about your dog. Include a current photo, names your pet answers to, coloring and distinguishing markings, indicate where they were lost, and what the circumstances are.
  • Most states have a lost dog page on Facebook. Contact them, they may be able to help with posters, and searching. They will definitely be able to help spread the word.
  • If possible, leave an article of clothing or something that smells like home in the area where your pet was lost.
  • If you think your pet would go into a humane trap, check into getting one and leaving some food with the article of clothing in it in the area your dog was lost. Have someone check the trap three or four times per day.
  • Never give up. Dogs can last a very long time on their own, and many of them are very resilient.

All month, the great folks at Pet Hub have been working with pet bloggers to get the word out about ways to prevent pets from getting lost, as well as wonderful tips for helping lost pets find their way home.

You can check out all the posts on their Facebook page.

This post is sponsored by PetHub, I have been compensated for participating in Lost Dog Prevention month, but I will never share information or products I don’t use myself.

4th of July – Lost Pet Prevention Month

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Did you know that July 5th is the busiest day of the year for animal control officers? It’s true. So many pets are lost on the 4th of July because they were frightened by fireworks and escaped their yards or collars.

Pets and War Vets

Pets, frightened by the noise from fireworks have been known to break out windows, or break down doors in their desperation to escape. Once they are on the run, it can be very difficult to find them again.

Animals, like most of us, work on the 3-F’s system. Fight, Flight or Freeze. Once an animal is in Flight mode, it can take a long time for them to stop running, even when they do, they sometimes don’t immediately recognize their owners.

Those of us with pets frightened by loud noises know the best way to keep your pets safe is to not leave them alone.

My dogs were never afraid of fireworks or thunderstorms until recently. We had an incident two summers ago where the smoke alarm went flooey and ever since then, Sampson shakes and pants with fear with loud noises.

She lays on the floor one time. ONE TIME, and she complains about dust. She should see her housekeeping from my perspective.

She wasn’t here and I got scared.

We live far enough away from the town Fireworks display to not hear the noise, but that doesn’t stop our neighbors and others in the area from putting on their own displays. In particular we have a neighbor two houses up, that always has a 4th of July party and around 9:30, they start with the street fireworks. (Thankfully, the woman across the street from him will call the police if it goes past the 10:00 pm noise cut off.) Still it can make for a very stressful time for Sampson.

Here are some tips for how we help keep Sampson as stress -free as possible during the 4th of July.

  • We stay home. While I realize that isn’t an option for everyone, it just works for us.
  • We keep the windows closed and the air conditioners running, to help buffer the noise from outside.
  • We also turn the TV on and keep it fairly loud.
  • Sampson and I will likely retreat to a bedroom, where I can calm and reassure him if he needs it.
  • I’ve recently added a Calming Chew to Sampson’s supplement routine. It works fairly well with thunderstorms, so I’ve got my fingers crossed it will work just as well with the fireworks.

Here are some general tips that can help keep your pets safe over 4th of July (or anytime there are any types of celebrations.)

  • Keep your cats inside.
  • If at all possible, try and get your dogs outside to potty before the noise begins.
  • If you have to take them outside during the celebration, make sure they have their collar with contact information on it. Even if your yard is fenced in, consider taking them out on leash.
  • Even if your pet is micro-chipped, make sure they have a tag with your name and phone number on it. Remember,  a vet will need to scan your pet in order to get your contact information. Many vets will not be open during 4th of July celebrations.
  • Speaking of scanning, consider using a scannable ID tag, like the ones made by PetHub. This tag can be scanned by anyone with a smart phone (they even say the older phones can do it too), giving someone instant access to your dog’s profile and also your contact information. The tags cost a little bit more than the ones you make yourself at the pet store, and there is a moderate annual fee for the tag, but considering the heartache it can save you, it’s a good value if you ask me. (They have a monthly or annual fee, for whatever fits your budget.)
  • Make sure your dog’s collar is snug and not able to be slipped. Even better, consider using a harness with attached tags vs a collar.
  • Secure any areas in your house (windows, doors) or yard (gates or weak spots) where your pet could escape from.
  • Some pets might be content with a stuffed Kong, (Delilah probably would.)
Did someone say Kong?

Did someone say Kong?

Make a place they feel safe.

  • If your pet is comfortable and feels safe in their crate/kennel, considering securing them in there. You can place a light blanket or sheet around a wire kennel, to help your dog feel safer.
  • Take a small room (bathroom or larger closet) and make it a safe area. Add a blanket, a bowl of water, a radio or fan for noise control.

There are other options, such as Rescue Remedy, plug-ins that emit pheromones, Thundershirts to name a few. If you have a pet that has a sensitivity to noise, try different things to find what works best for them.

Knowing your pet and what bothers and comforts them, can help you plan for stressful events and ultimately make them less stressful for you as well.

Heart Like a Dog is working with PetHub for Lost Pet Prevention month. While we are being compensated for this post, the thoughts and opinions expressed are our own, and are shared here because we believe in keeping pets safe in all situations. That being said, we never share anything that we don’t believe or use ourselves.

 

 

Rocky’s Rollers Rock Our World #Sponsored

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This post is sponsored by Jones Natural Chews. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Jones Natural Chews but Heart Like a Dog only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Jones Natural Chews is not responsible for the content of this article.

Due to some food allergies, I’m a gluten-free eater. Because I’m super conscious of what I put in MY mouth, I try very hard to monitor what goes in Sampson and Delilah’s mouths as well. (FYI, I don’t always do so well with the gutter snuffer.)

Whenever possible I look for grain free treats made in the US and produced by small companies. I want to support the little guy as opposed to some big corporation.

Which is why Jones Natural Chews fits so well into our lifestyle. Jones is a small, family run business that’s been in the meat business for over 150 years. About 20 years ago, Jones began making dog treats. In those 20 years, they’ve had two (yes, only two) recalls. Manufactured in their plant in Rockford, Illinois, in small batches Jones treats are all natural. Besides being grain free, most of Jones treats are three ingredients or less.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand reading a paragraph of ingredients. I like it simple and easy with words I can pronounce.

Rocky’s Rollers are one of Jones newest treats. They come in three flavors, Lamb, Beef and Chicken. These treats happen to have more than three ingredients. To give you an example let’s look at the lamb flavored.

Lamb, lamb lung, rye flour, glycerin, brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, flavoring, natural mixed tocopherals (preservative), and rosemary all packed in a collagen casing.

A few weeks ago, we got a box in the mail. I was expecting some supplements so I just set the box down. But Delilah knew the box was not supplements.

Delilah "the nose" Stone said, "This ain't no supplement. My nose knows Jones."

Delilah “the nose” Stone said, “This ain’t no supplement. My nose knows Jones.”

Once we got the box open we discovered we’d received one package of each!

Three flavors, Chicken, Beef and Lamb

Rocky’s Rollers come in three flavors, Chicken, Beef and Lamb

While I was snapping pictures, Delilah thought she’d slip one over on me.

Dog gone, I wish I had opposable thumbs!

Dog gone, I wish I had opposable thumbs!

Once the dogs had thoroughly inspected the packages, I opened one up.

You guys…these treats look just like sausages.

Looks just like sausage links!

Looks just like sausage links!

These are BIG treats.  To give you an idea, I placed one next to a butter knife.

The roller is almost as large as a butter knife.

The roller is almost as large as a butter knife.

You can break them up into smaller pieces, but for training purposes I like them really small, so I use my kitchen snips.

Snip snip. Not what you think.

Snip snip. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

Once we had some of the pictures out of the way, it was time to see what the dogs thought.

Delilah kept inching closer until she was practically on my lap. I couldn't hand these out fast enough.

Delilah kept inching closer until she was practically on my lap. I couldn’t hand these out fast enough.  (Excuse my pajamas…I like to be comfy when I’m being mauled for Jones’ Rocky Rollers.)

The next night we tried a different flavor. This was the beef flavored, I’m pretty sure you can see how much Delilah loved them.

Shark week is in July, not October!

Shark week is in July, not October!

Sampson is a bit gentler, but he was still anxious to get his share of Jones’ Rocky Rollers.

More Jones' sausages Mom, PLEASE!!

More Jones’ sausages Mom, PLEASE!!

The Jones’ Rocky Rollers were a big hit in our house. We’ve been using the Rocky Rollers when the dogs go to their places while we eat dinner. I cut them into quarters and the dogs each get two, so they are each actually getting half.

I love them because they are made in the USA, owned and operated by a family that’s been in the business for a very long time and takes pride and care in the product they make, and the ingredient base is limited.

One other thing I love about Jones, is they support Noah’s Ark Sanctuaries as well as their local homeless shelters and food banks.

Are you a fan of Jones? How would you like to try some Rocky’s Rollers for your dog(s)? Enter to win a package of Rocky’s Rollers by answering this question in the comments. What’s your favorite thing about Rocky’s Rollers?

Three lucky commenters will win a package of Rocky’s Rollers. Flavors are at the discretion of the sponsor. Giveaway is open until October 27th at midnight (eastern standard time). Winners will be chosen by random.org and announced October 29th.

This is the Tasty Tuesday blog hop hosted by Kol’s Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever.

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