Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I already made the rounds with the dogs, giving them doggy treats for their treat. Of course my parakeet was chipping its head off so he got a little treat too. The new kitten does not know what to make out of my smallest dog, the min pin since the dog tries to entice the kitten to play but when the dog is not interested in playing that is when the kitten stalks it. That dog gets along better with the cats than it does with my other dogs. It is probably because of his size. My outside cat, Mocha, always follows Sparky, the min pin, around the yard whenever they are outside together. Mocha is just a tad smaller than Sparky.

This Thanksgiving is suppose to be a wet one but as of yet no rain. It is a nice enough morning to go for a long walk in the woods with the dogs. Since I am not cooking this year, I think I will go and do that.

I am thankful that all of the pets are healthy and that I can still afford to have them. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Have you given your dog a hug yet?

My dog loves to chew

I have dog that loves to chew on plastic, leather and wood. If you leave anything outside and she finds it, it will be gnawed on in no time. My husband made the mistake once of leaving his work gloves out where the dog could reach them. Needless to say one got destroyed so they both had to be thrown out.

What I find is puzzling is that she is not penned up, bored or otherwise chewing out of a mental vise, she is simply a chewer. If given chew toys she will destroy them in a matter of minutes so we quit giving her chew toys.

She has been much better lately at not gnawing everything in sight. I wonder if she is just mellowing out now that she is 4 years old.

Human habits in dogs

I bet you often comment to your friends that your dog is almost human. Does your dog have any human habits like watching tv or loves to ride in the car? I have a dog that has to be by my side like glue day and night. I do like to watch tv but the dog has ignored the screen when ever the tv is on. Strangely enough our cat loves to watch our tvs. There are plenty of photos on the web showing dogs that love watching TV, riding motorcycles (sitting behind or in front of their owners) and other human hobbies and habits. I just hope not to see one smoking.

It's party time

Has your dog attended or plan to attend a doggy Christmas party this year? What........ you never heard of them? They are now fast becoming the rage of things to do or attend during the holidays. The dogs dress up for the event. There are doggy treats, games and even live entertainment is hired for the dogs. People send out Christmas invitations that are geared towards dogs and not their human owners. Are some dog owners nuts for doing this? Not really, it is just another way to have fun for a few hours with your dog.

BIG dogs

I found this assortment of very large dogs and thought I would share them with you.

 

Now most of the dogs look to be in good shape for their size except for the last dog in the line up. That dog is a prime candidate for the best weight loss pills for dogs that the vet can find. That dog looks like it might develope heart trouble if it doesn't lose some weight.

Dog grooming - the comfortable way

I don't mind giving my dogs the occasional bath in my bathtub, but I do mind getting on my knees to wash them while they are in the tub. My back usually starts to hurt and it is just plain awkward. I mention that fact because 10 years ago a local dog grooming place opened up a few miles from me. It was called Pup N' Scrub and it was a self serve dog washing place. I went in there just once to look around and decided not to use the facilities. The main reason was the fact that they had installed bathtubs at the regular level, on the floor. Even the American Standard sinks were installed at an awkward level.

I had not noticed the store after that visit many years ago and I had not even thought about it. That was until a friend of mine mentioned how she ran into the former owner. It seems that the dog wash place only lasted just over a year and no one had bothered to tell her that everything was installed wrong for dog washing. Come to find out, the former owner was not even a dog owner and had no clue about dog grooming or washing, she was just a business owner hoping to cash in on the dog craze at the time.

Getting ready for winter

Now that daylight savings time has ended. It is also time to get your home ready winter. That also includes getting things ready for your dog. Have you checked and or changed your furnace air filters? If you have not checked on them you had better take a look. Those filters not only gather dust but dog hair too. Just like us humans, dogs can get sick from breathing in dust and their own germs.

Your home is a lot less likely to have fresh air enter it during the winter months, because you are trying to keep the warm air in. This is the time you should do a complete house cleaning, including shampooing the carpets so that both you and your dog will have a pleasant winter indoors.

Flyball, a fast dog sport

Flyball is not a new sport for dogs, just a lesser known one. The sport originated in California in the 1970's. The object of the sport is to have a team of dogs, in relay fashion, complete a hurdle course, catch a ball shot out of flyball box and race back over the hurdles to the finish line. The sport is fast and is a fat burner for the dogs.

Most dogs that compete in this sport are from the working or herding dog groups. The herding dogs tend to be faster and have more energy than the working dogs do. Border Collies and Australian Shepherds seem to dominate the sport. Other breeds also compete like the min pin in the photo above.