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.”

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!

There's Something About Bob…Day One Hundred and Twenty Two

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A cat came to live in our house today. 

My daughter who is serving in the Army has two cats; they have been staying with a friend of hers.  This little kitty (Bob) got very ill with a urinary blockage, he has been at the vets for the last two days, and finally was allowed home today.  He needs to be on a special prescription only food for 4 weeks and he also needs to be closely supervised to insure he is urinating and not in any discomfort.  My daughter asked if he could stay with us. 

Remember that old wives tale that cats have nine lives?  Bob is on his fourth one.  Just before Cassie left for the Army, Bob ate some thread; it got wrapped around his tongue and all inside him and he needed surgery to put him right.   Then just a couple of months ago, he had a really bad infection inside his chest;  he was in the hospital then too.   By my calculations, that would make this his fourth life.

I haven’t had a cat since we had to put my Smokey kitty to sleep and truthfully as I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed allergies in my eyes, so I haven’t been in any hurry to get a cat.   Honestly, I would have kept him when she went in the Army, but she really wanted the two cats to stay together and I think two dogs and one cat is quite enough for two old folks.  But…kitty needs some TLC and our baby girl wants mom and dad to do it; so a cat came to live at our house today.

Surprisingly, Delilah is the one who is pretty good with the cats; Sampson is the one who likes to chase them.  Plus they both love the treats that kitty cat deposits in his litter box, which means the area where kitty cat poops, needs to be gated off from the dogs. 

So which chipmunk did you bet on Ollie?

Because I have allergies to cats, they love me.  Bob likes to sleep on the top of the sofa, right above my head.  When our daughter was home, her cats basically lived in her room; that room has since been converted to my office/scrapbook/chill space room, so I am hoping that Bob will be able to adjust to not spending all his time in his/my room. 🙂

Ok, if I’m being totally honest here, I have been begging Chet for a cat.  Ever since we had that mouse invasion last year, I have been saying we really need a cat;  I went out today and picked up  a few things to make life at Stone Manor a little more comfortable for Bob.

A collar, some toys, a mat for food and scratching.

I am hoping that once Bob feels better we can adjust him to life as an indoor/outdoor cat and he can help us with our mouse problem and maybe, just maybe he can help Delilah catch that chipmunk.  In the meantime, can someone come and help wipe these Cheshire cat grins off mine and Bob’s faces?

That's a happy cat.

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