Heart Like a Dog

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

Charitable Acts

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Do you trim your dog’s nails yourself?

I used to.  My attempts at nail clipping, ear cleaning and teeth cleaning use lots of treats.  And lots of coaxing.

There was a time when I always clipped Sampson and Delilah’s nails myself.  Sampson really doesn’t care for it and hides his head with his paw or hides his head in the sofa when the time comes.  When you call him to you he will come, but very reluctantly.  I think it is because there have been a couple of times when either Hubby or myself have cut the nail too short and made it bleed. 🙁

Delilah on the other hand knows there is food involved and she will shove her way into you, completely pushing Sampson out-of-the-way.  She’s a big goof ball.

One time after our Thursday night obedience class I noticed Sara cutting someone’s nails.  I noticed she had a really nice, big clipper and she clipped even skittish dogs with no problem.

That’s when I asked her to clip Sampson and Delilah.

Keep in mind the Mellow Mutt is a doggie daycare and training facility,with a lovely little retail section.  There is a groomer at the Mellow Mutt, but she rents the space, and technically is her own boss.

Not that Sara can’t (and doesn’t do) grooming, bathing and trimming.  But her passion is training and daycare.

One day when I was dropping the dogs off for daycare, Murphy’s mom asked for Murphy to have a bath and a nail clip.  She asked how much the nail clipping was.

Imagine both our surprises when we were told by Sue, “Sara doesn’t charge for nail clipping, she asks that you make a donation to a dog related cause.”

How freaking nice is that?

Sara also still has her food donation box out so if you don’t want write out a check for a donation, you can drop off a bag of food.

After I dropped S & D off this morning I got to thinking about their nails and how long it has been since they were clipped.  So I called Sara up and asked if she would mind clipping them.

Here’s the answer I got.

“I was just laying on the floor making out with Sampson and I mentioned that his nails were looking pretty long.  He hid his paw and said, “Don’t look at them Auntie Sara.”  🙂

They both had their nails clipped today and I told Sara I would pick up a back of food and add it to the donation box.

I think what Sara is doing is really awesome and I think it’s awesome she chooses to provide this service to animals in need.

Book update:  My book has 1,646 words

Walking a Fine Line…Day One Hundred, Forty Eight

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The neighbor’s dog (Gunner) escaped from their house yesterday.  It was actually fairly fascinating because my neighbor was out there calling the dog and he was running through the neighborhood totally ignoring her.

While the dog was running through the neighborhood, two ladies were walking their little pit bull.  It’s a nice little dog, and friendly as far as I can tell.  About two weeks ago, I pulled into the yard and opened the car door and Sampson bolted out and charged down to the street to greet the two ladies and their little dog.  I apologized because I didn’t even see them;  if I had I would never have opened the door because I know how Sampson is.

Flash forward to yesterday and the two ladies and their little dog.  The ladies walk the dog on a gentle leader, which as you know is not my favorite type of dog ‘collar’.  I guess the woman was nervous about her dog and Gunner because she kept yanking up on her dog’s leash.  Chet was out there and he kept telling her to relax but she wouldn’t.  Apparently what she did do was to take the end of her leash and smack at Gunner with it while she repeated, “Go home Gunner.”

I’m not really sure what I would do in a situation like that, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be smacking at somebody else’s dog; especially if the dog wasn’t aggressive.  To my way of thinking, this would be a situation where a dog would bite in defense; but then of course it would be the dog’s fault; (at least according to the legal system.)

When I was a child we had a German Sheppard that was a bit aggressive, particularly with strangers.  One day the dog got out of the house and he bit the paperboy on his shoulder.  The paperboy, was a really tall boy and he was riding a bike; a 10 speed. My father’s argument (that saved the dog) was the paperboy had to have kicked at the dog because otherwise the dog would have bit him on his leg.  I don’t think that argument would ever fly in today’s society.  In today’s society we are too quick to blame the dog instead of the owner or the ‘victim’ that messed up.

What that means for us as dog owners is we need to find a way to control our dogs and give them boundaries and limits, while still allowing them the freedoms that make them happy.  It is at times, a fine line we walk but the love and devotion we receive more than makes up for any balancing act we perform.

Look at that sweet face; I WOULD walk a fine line for him!

The Truth About Garlic…Day One Hundred and Thirty Nine

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People are always a bit surprised when I tell them I do not use a topical flea and tick prevention medicine.   As I have stated before, I personally feel putting something on my beloved pet that is poisonous enough to kill a biting insect is detrimental to my pet.  Instead I use a natural insect spray and feed the dogs…garlic.

What’s that you say?  You heard that garlic is bad for dogs.

Yeah, I heard that too. 

I decided it was time to research the topic and find out once and for all.  Now when someone asks me about garlic and dogs, I can give them the proper answer.  So here it is.

Yes garlic is bad for your dog;  if he/she eats about 50 cloves of it.  According to sojos (natural food and treats for pets) garlic has many medicinal uses and has been used for thousands of years.  

Springtime Inc. has a wonderful webpage that references studies completed on the healthy benefits of garlic, studies such as:

Insecticidal and Repellent Effects

Low Cancer Rates Associated With Regular Garlic Consumption

Immune Stimulant Effects of Garlic

Antioxidant Effects

Antidote for Heavy Metal Poisoning and Other Toxins

I’m sure if we really looked; we could find many more studies and articles touting the healthy effects of garlic.  The key as with anything, is moderation my friend.  Everything in moderation.

I will tell you of the one serious side effect I found from using the garlic; the dogs get gas, and it really smells.

While garlic will help keep the fleas and ticks off your pets; it will NOT keep your dog from running like a lunatic into muddy water.

What? It's just a little mud!

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