Heart Like a Dog

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

(Humorous) Tips For Walking Dogs in the Northeast in Winter

By

Winter in the northeast can be challenging for dog walking. Cold, ice, dark, road chemicals, you name it, we’ve got it all. For your own safety and sanity, as well as the safety of your dog(s), there are few things you’d be wise to remember.

  • A dog with weak back legs can still kick snow in your face. Author’s Note: Thank Dog there were no ice chunks in it.

She’s lucky I didn’t kick HER in the face. A Lab in a coat, what kind of bunk is that?

  • Always wear boots when there is snow on the ground. Note to self: The day you don’t, is the day your dog will poop in the deepest snow bank they can find.
  • A dog who doesn’t see well, can often times mistake your shadow for another person.
    For the record, a 70 pound lab who mistakes your shadow for a person, can pull your fat ass across a street.
  • When potty space is limited due to large amounts of snow, some dogs WILL poop in the street. Once the snow starts melting, and running down the side of the road, some dogs WILL STILL poop in the street. For those with a curious mind…shit, does indeed…roll down hill. (Especially when it catches  the right current.) 😉

I was playing Pooh Sticks. Read Winnie the Pooh. Also, I won.

  • Always carry a towel for wiping paws, as a dog who gets ice or road chemicals on their paw will refuse to walk. Fact: Using your glove or mitten to wipe a dog’s paw can result in some really cold hands.
  • Be prepared to hunt for **treasure**. Truth: A poop, fresh from the factory will sink like the Titanic. There’s a reason it’s called a steamer’ folks!

These are the tips that come readily to my mind. Can you think of any others? What advice would you give to first time winter dog walkers?

You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

By

In a post I wrote last year (you can read about it HERE), I shared we use a lot of throw rugs in our house. One of the uses I insist we need a rug for, is at snack time.

If you’ve ever given your dog a frozen KONG, you know, wherever your dog eats it, there’s bound to be a messy wet spot. Because of this, I’m working hard to get the dogs to eat their treats on the throw rug. They’re easy to clean, and you can simply drape them over a chair when not in use.

I tend to re-use the rugs and wash them once week. But I’m lazy that way. 🙂

As with everything with the Chocolate Lab, getting Delilah to do things MY way vs her way, is challenging. Most nights I have to redirect her at least once.

Before I hand out Kongs, I place the throw rugs out on the floor, that’s usually when Delilah is dancing around and I can barely accomplish what I’m doing.

The other night, I put Delilah’s rug down while Sampson was snoozing on the couch. Once Delilah started bouncing around, he sat up to see what all the hoopla was about. He watched as I put her rug down first, then his. Then he oh so carefully slid off the couch, and settled himself on his rug. All without being told to do that.

THAT made me smile. He’s such a good boy!

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

What did your pet do that made you smile this week?

You make me smile (or laugh), the sweet, funny, loving things my dogs do that make me laugh or smile.

 

The Diva of Drama

By

We’re in the midst of winter in the northeast. Thursday we had a blizzard that dumped about a foot of snow on top of the six or so we already had on the ground. The state and towns are pretty good about pre-treating the roads BEFOREa storm, but the chemicals they use on the roads, can really do a number on little paws. Add in some Arctic air, with temperatures dropping below zero, and walks can be challenging.

There have been walks where both dogs have lifted up paws, because they’ve gotten road chemicals, or snow in their paws. Sometimes they come up limping, or sometimes they just stop and wait for you to wipe their feet. After it happens once or twice, and you’ve used your gloves to wipe a foot, you come up with the only conclusion you can.

COATS and BOOTS.

One dog will wear a coat. One dog will not.

One dog will stay still while you put the boots and coat on.

One dog runs and tries to hide, or just refuses to get off the couch.

One dog tolerates boots fairly well. One dog walks like Frankenstein every time the boots go on. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Honestly, you’d think she was a house elf and I was trying to give her clothes.

It’s not the greatest picture, because I was too far away, but she thinks by hiding on the couch, she can get away without wearing boots.

I’ve reached an age where I’m particular about the battles I fight. I won’t fight the coat battle. My thought is, we move along at a pretty decent clip, and if it’s too cold, I can always cut the walk short.

But I will fight the boot battle. I insist they wear the boots on their back feet, and I carry a small dish towel to wipe front paws if the need arises.

Yesterday she tried to climb into Daddy’s lap to avoid getting the boots on. Of course we laughed. I mean you can’t help but laugh because she’s just so damn dramatic, I started calling her the Diva of Drama.

What did your pet do to make you laugh this week?

You make me laugh, (or smile). The sweet, funny, loving things dogs do that make us laugh or smile.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...