Sunday canyon walk

We took the dogs down into the canyon this morning; they love it. It was very mucky and the dogs were soon sporting their giant mud boots; us as well. Watching them run free, smell everything and occasionally dig is good for everyone. Every once in a while Luke get's the urge to dig; it is usually short lived if Jessie is with us; she takes whatever she wants from Luke which includes prime holes to dig. She just pushes him out of the way and will snap at him if he tries to take it back. But today he got in a good bit of digging before she realized he had a good hole. Jessie loves to dig; 75% of her outtings can be used up by digging. Which makes for a lot of standing around waiting for us. But to see her little body digging with a huge smile on and her mouth full of mud can only make you smile. Tilley is not a digger; except for my garden that is; which she has been doing on a regular basis lately. I'm not happy about that but she decides that there is a critter in there that needs to come out and there is no stopping her. She is really showing signs of her age; today she was really lagging. I stayed back walking slower to keep back with her. Even though she is showing signs of slowing down; at nearly 12 it is just starting. I've seen many poodles who look old at 8 years of age. Good breeding.

This and that

First off our dishwasher is not working; I just got it. Really cool, we had our Cdn thanksgiving without a dishwasher and now we had our CKO(Christmas Kick off) or Am. Thanksgiving without a dishwasher. Of course I'm cooking and baking alot because of the holiday season and not having the dishwasher sucks. Especially when I'm cooking for all the humans and the canines as well. Oh well, the guy is suppose to be here on Thursday to fix it.

Yesterday I barbequed up some liver for the dogs; especially Luke you know. After cooking it; I left it sitting on the table outside cooling when Luke appeared out there with it. Being that liver is his favorite food the smell had drawn him to it. He got closer and closer as I watched through the kitchen window. I wondered if all his training would be thrown away because of the liver; getting on tables and counters is a huge no no in this house and no dog would regularly consider it here.

He wasn't looking around at all; only taking big deep breaths of liver steam in and loving it. I was ready to yell if the liver got the best of him; but it didn't. He stopped and looked into the kitchen; thought a while and then came to the door. It was very clear that he wanted it and the only way he knew how to safely get it was to come and get me. I was so proud of him.

Not only does this show that he knows he is not allowed to help himself; but even when I'm not around. This is also a very good sign of where he thinks the food comes from; me. As far as pack hierarchy goes; this is a very important issue. So after he came to get me, we went out and got the liver and he had his dinner.

When I went to get the liver at the store the turkey's were on sale for $5.00 instead of over $20.00. So I grabbed two thinking of the dogs and the deal that this would be. They've been in the over this morning for several hours and are soon ready to come out. They look good but the smell of stuffing is missing; that will be here soon enough again in a couple of weeks.

I've found something else that Luke absolutely loves; homemade shortbread. The main ingredient; butter. :)

Cuteness never gets old

CKO day is over and now we move onto getting ready for Christmas. Today is Black Friday; the equivalent to shopping on Boxing Day in Canada. Many of the stores open at 4:00 am and there will be people waiting to get in and spend their money. We aren't in the market for anything in particular so we might hit the stores this afternoon sometime; maybe not.

Our CKO day was nice; busy, hectic but enjoyable. It's the day we get the bulk of the Christmas decs out. What a difference now at this stage of our dog lives. The dogs were spread out on random couches around the house. Jessie was the main attraction; it amazes me that after 12 1/2 years that the kids still eeewwwww and aaaahhhh about her cuteness.

"Mom look at her," "Mom look what she's doing," "She is so cute, how can she be so cute?" After 25 years of having standard poodles she definitely stands out as a cute little munchkin; all 15 lbs of her. And now at 12 1/2 years of age she is pretty adorable when she is in a deep sleep with her little tongue sticking out.

Of course wherever she happens to lay; someone covers her up with a blanket. Unlike the poodles she has very little hair; probably because it is all over my house. Jack Russells are double coated like a lab so they shed like crazy. And if she gets mad it comes out in a storm of white hair.

She tends to get alot of treats from the kids; she can simply mystify them with her adorable cuteness and they cough up the goods. I don't know how many times I tell them all not to give her food; but I'm not so cute so they don't listen to me. Jessie is not an in your face type of dog; she's more an in your lap girl. She loves her creature comforts. And if someone drops a blanket; she quickly curls up in the middle of it.

Yesterday at one point she was curled up in the middle of the familyroom floor on a red down throw; pretty cute. She probably gets away with more because she is so darn cute. Ah heck they all get away with murder; they are all way too cute.

Turkey day

Well it is Turkey Day here in the US; but being Canadians we have already celebrated our T-day back in October. The first couple of years here we celebrated this Thanksgiving but I found it much to close to Christmas for my liking. So today we will celebrate our own holiday called CKO (Christmas Kick Off). We have a big Italian feast that includes pumpkin; I'm making Savory Pumpkin Pasta.

The dogs are still in bed at 9:40; what a bunch of lazy dogs. They love when everyone is home and they don't have to rise and shine in the early hours. So they will be having more of a brunch than breakfast this morning. Lots of giblets are cooked up for their enjoyment and Luke loves them. He is really an internal meat eater; it's his favorite.

Lastnight before going to bed he started to sneeze a bit; I'm keeping a very close eye on him. His Amoxicillin ended last weekend so I was afraid that whatever he had might return; I'll keep you posted.

The weather is great for the this CKO weekend; nice and cool and wet. I'm loving it although looking at the Ottawa weather I'm jealous of their snow for this time of year. But I'll take this cool wet weather over hot and sunny for getting into the Christmassy zone.

Happy Turkey Day to all; happy CKO too!!!!!!

It's raining it's pouring

Okay; in most parts of the world rain is not a big deal and in some places it's the norm. But here in sunny Southern California it is big news "storm watch." It's pretty funny, a bit of rain is commonly referred to as a storm. A storm? You wanna see a storm? Try Kansas, Texas or even our little ole Ottawa for an intense snow storm. I remember many storms both electrical and snow where you did not think about leaving the comforts of your house.

With the rains come the sissy dogs who do not want to go outside. Yes, I'm talking about my sissy dogs. The girls didn't use to be sissy's; they are from Canada where going out in the rain and snow is very normal. But now after being here for 10 years they've assimilated. Luke is a Socal boy so he is the perfect example of the dogs accustom to the sun.

This not going out in the rain is a big issue for canine guardians here. In fact the first couple of rains here for us; it was on the tv and radio about the dogs and how to get them out. Funny how if the dogs are going for a walk they are totally fine with the rain; but a quick trip out to the backyard is not.

If by chance my dogs have not noticed that it is raining out they will approach the door with the typical gusto only jamming on their brakes at the last moment. Normally I have to join them outside while they do their business or nothing will get done. Now these are all adult dogs and they will hold it until they burst. But I don't want any bursting going on in this house; so out we go into the rain.

They are very quick about their business and do not waste anytime sniffing around like a typical outing. I have plans to cover a section of the grass this rainy season so that I don't have to deal with these sun worshipping dog issues. But for now they will have to go out and endure the harsh elements and I'll have to deal with "wet dogs."

Thankful for dogs

With Thanksgiving in two days this is the time of year when people think about their life and contemplate what they are thankful for. Of course I am very thankful that my family; my immediate and extended family are all healthy and happy. But being that this is a dog blog I want to talk about being thankful for dogs; as I am very thankful for dogs.

In particular my dogs but all dogs in general. I feel exceptionally lucky to have three such wonderful dogs; and they have taught me many life lessons. In fact it is the dog life lessons that make us the dog people we are. With each dog life I live through I become a better dog guardian for the next. I have become much more intuned with my dogs; listening, watching and learning.

I talk to alot of dog people and many who have recently lost a dog that they had loved. How do you deal; how do you even think about getting another dog? There is no advice you can give a grieving guardian but to follow their heart. But what I do tell them is that each dog leaves paw prints on our heart; some deeper than others. Each dog in our lives prepares us for the next.

Over the years I have met many, many amazing dogs and I can often be heard saying "you are so lucky to have each other." How lucky when you find a dog that is a heart dog; one that completes you, one who's simple presence makes you smile. Living with dogs is a win, win.

It doesn't matter where a dog comes from; it doesn't matter what size, shape or color they are; like us it is the heart. The heart of a dog is immense; and at times their heart overwhelms us. Take a dog who has been abused or tossed aside by humans; who is then rescued by a human. They hold no grudge, they offer their forgiveness and heart to whoever takes them in.

The saying "lucky dog," comes from from the fact that many people consider dogs to be very lucky; living in a house, having their own bed, eating good food. It is a term used now for many different circumstances both animal and human. But perhaps the term should be "lucky human" afterall how lucky are we that dogs allow us to live by their side?

It's decided

First let me say that I am soooooo happy that it is cooler; plus they started playing holiday music. Being in Southern California and being a Canadian native I need alot of "stuff" to help me with the Holiday season. I'm use to frigid temps and snow so this really helps. I'm listening to this

http://www.kost1035.com/cc-common/ondemand/player.html?world=st

until Boxing Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day

After finishing up a training book and two photo books I'm on the hunt for a publisher so if anyone out there knows of a publisher who is looking; send them my way. The books were a blast to shoot for; now this part of doing books is the really tough work.

I've also just decided to get to work on my poodle book. It will be a photo coffee table book all on Standard poodles. I am going to get all colors, and activities; being that the standard is one of the most versatile breeds out there. So now I have to make up a new contract and get going.

I will be traveling quite a bit for this one; I don't want just southern California dogs for the book. I've started a poodle book several times but something always seems to get in the way. The only thing on my plate now is finding a publisher so I'm focusing on SPoo's for the next year. Not like I haven't been focused on them for over 25 years but now there is an end goal in sight.

So if you're out there and have a standard poodle; I might be coming to shoot your dog in the near future.

Coyotes

The coyote image on the head of my blog was taken during a Kuvasz shoot. The same place where my husband runs the dogs. This coyote showed up at a perfect time when I needed the two Kuvasz to have an intense look on their face; the resulting image landed on the cover of Dog World.

Yesterday my husband took our three dogs down to the canyon for a run. He forgot to grab leashes because he took his car and not mine. My car is filled with so many leashes of different types that you would never be without. So in his car the dogs were collared but not leashed.

With Jessie accompanying them; great caution must be taken because of the coyotes. I know way too many JRTs here that have been taken by coyotes. I even know of one lady who literally saved her dog only by having a leash on. A hungry coyote is a dangerous animal for small dogs. I also know a couple who lost their old brittany spaniel to a pack of hungry coyotes out of their backyard. Scarey, very scarey.

So having no leashes is not an issue except when coyotes are concerned. We are not too too worried about our standards but we know full well that Jessie is a great meal for a coyote family. As my husband was walking down in the canyon a lady from up top by the road was yelling at him; he tried hard to understand what she was saying when he realized that she was yelling "Coyote." There was a coyote coming down the path after them.

Only a very hungry coyote would go a round with my standards to get to Jessie but it is a very unnerving feeling knowing that one is stalking your little dog. My husband carried Jessie for a while and then just left. Today he made sure that he has all the leashes but most importantly her extension leash. If a coyote makes a grab for her; it is going to be a very big mistake for the coyote because my husband will be on the other end of the leash.

Emotions

Are you an emotional type person? I am; and because of that I pay strict attention to my emotions, especially when working with dogs. Lots of dogs are emotional as well; some are not. It is of utmost importance when working with dogs to use and control your emotions. I have often stormed into a room looking for something when I noticed my dogs were acting very wary of me. Once I stopped and watched them for a while I realized then what was going on; they thought I was mad.

So how you use your emotions means a whole lot to your dog. And you can use your emotions to your benefit; as we can pretend. Dogs are not good pretenders nor are they liers so what you see is what is going on. I have worked with dogs who displayed emotions from severe fear to pure guarding aggression and everything in between; and I do my best to monitor my emotions accordingly.

There was one time several years back that I had a real issue with a dog. I was in Kelowna, BC and while my husband attended a conference I strolled the beach with my camera. On the way back I noticed that a large black chow mix was chasing and lunging at a jogger; she was having quite a time when the dog noticed me and charged. Knowing full well what my options were I tried the calm approach and turned sideways and it came at me so at the last minute I turned and stood my ground.

I was really left with a stare down, moving towards the dog kept it at a distance of about 5 feet; no further. If I tried to move away in any manner it came at me; so there was definitely a degree of fear but not enough to make it run away. There I stayed at a stare down literally until it's owner came by and screamed at it. Stupid people; honestly.

But any other time I've had to deal with a dog with issues I've been prepared or able to defuse the situation with some tactic. It really takes an understanding of dog behavior to know what your best move is. Some dogs react in very strange ways to things that are very basic; this can sometimes throw you. This is when you must sit and think; then alter your plan of attack so to speak.

Building confidence is very important; it can be the difference between learning and not. A dog who is constantly fearful can't learn; you must work through the fear and build trust and confidence, only then can a dog relax and understand. A dog who is easily excitable can have a difficult time learning as well; so keeping yourself in a zen like state really helps. Most dogs who are the easily excitable type also deal with a complete hands off method of traububg better than any touching being involved.

Working with aggressive dogs is tricky; even though it is scarey you have to portray yourself as confident and unshaken, it is a must. Many dogs who display aggressively have the wind taken out of their sails when you show no reaction or ignore the behavior. But some aggressive dogs do not stop their aggression except with a similar display and this is where you don't want to go. That is why outsmarting an aggressive dog is truly the only way to do it safely. Challenge a dangerous challenger and you could end up on the loosing end.

San Diego yesterday

I took a quick trip to San Diego yesterday to visit my daughter. The drive down was great until about 20 min. into it when the whole freeway jammed on their brakes. We were reduced to crawl speed; as I wondered what the heck was going on I realized that there were no cars on the other side of the freeway. It was really weird looking to the left and seeing no cars. It was a bad accident; up further there were lots of fire trucks, ambulances, police vehicles and a helicopter taking someone to the hospital.

Once through the mess it took no time to get there. The first thing we did was visit the Humane Society; my daughter has told me all about it and I wanted to have a look. It was very full; lots of mixed breeds, a few purebreds and a few puppies. Two of the dogs there attempted to bite me or whoever walked by right through the cafe. I thought it odd that they had these dogs in the public area; a child cook easily stick their hand through and be injured.

The facility is very nice, much nicer than most shelters I've seen. There were a couple of dogs that pulled at my heart strings. Especially the old ones; I hate to see old dogs in the shelters; this makes me the most sad. How can someone live with a dog into its senior years and then pitch it?

The shelters are a much needed service but it is not a good place for any dog to be. I can't even imagine how my dogs would act if they got left there. It is very difficult to temperament test dogs that have spent time at a shelter; everything is sort of in a mess as far as stability goes. What you see is most often not what you get at a shelter. Stress levels are high so dogs are not themselves. They are also in a state of limbo; typically it can takes weeks to months to see the true dog once home and relaxed.

So as much as it is an awful place for any dog to end up at; it is needed. And the people who take in these dogs and care for them do their best. It is sad that there are so many unwanted dogs in the world; many of the dogs I saw yesterday will have a difficult time being adopted. As for the old ones; where are the golden years? More people need to consider giving the old ones the best years of their life.

Buying beds

Luke has been sleeping in our bed alot lately; infact every single night. I don't mind; we bought a kingsized bed for this specific reason. He usually takes up a nice middle spot so as not to bother myself or my husband. But often he is one sided; meaning that someone has a body to sleep around.

This everynight thing is different; he use to sleep in his bed on and off so I started thinking that perhaps he doesn't like the new bed I got him. Tilley likes it but she isn't near the fussy pants that he is; infact she isn't fussy about anything. The new bed is firm to walk on, not hard but the material is thick and firm making it not so squishy and comfy.

So yesterday I thought I'd switch it out for one my husband recently purchased to see if that helped. When I got up this morning there he was still curled up tight in his bed. It was the comfort level all the time. As we ate our breakfast; Luke jumped up to assume his perch position. This is how it usually is, the dogs join us in the morning. I bought a special ottoman so that Jessie can get up in the morning as well.

The other bed, the firm one will be put in the family room for now. If it gets used down there; great. If not; it will be designated an outside bed. When the choice is concrete or a firm bed, the bed gets used.

Aggressive/dominance and communication

Aggression and dominance are commonly intertwined; but they are very different in the dog world. Dominance became a very "in" word several years back and people were throwing it around like "positive training." I actually had to stop using it for a longtime because it evoked fear in many people.

Dominance is a state of being; in dogs you have dominant and submissive with more or less of each state in each individual dog. Dogs are pack animals and being pack animals some lead and some follow. If all dogs were leaders then there would be a big problem. Dominance has nothing to do with aggression; aggression stands on its own. I have added dictionary meanings to explain both terms below.

The term "aggressive"

characterized by or tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like; militantly forward or menacing

The term "dominant"

ruling, or controlling; having or exerting authority or influence: dominant in the chain of command, occupying or being in a commanding or elevated position.

A dog does not need to be a dominant dog to display aggression. Any dog can be aggressive for many reasons. Probably the most common form of aggression is dominance; dominance towards the guardian and family. This is not a true dominant dog problem but one where humans allow a dog who may not normally be a dominant dog to become dominant. Many dogs who are dominant aggressive are not truly a dominant dog but have been forced to take the dominant poisition within a household. Guardians who do not lead their dog risk this scenario.

I have met many dogs with aggression problems caused by lack of leadership. Some of the worst cases have been the little dogs; the type that get away with murder only because people think they cannot inflict as much harm. True on one hand; a Great Dane bite will probably do more damage than a Yorkie bite. But on the other; a small dog can inflict severe life threatening bites. Many children have been scared for life by a small dog. Size should not matter when aggression is the route problem.

When dogs meet onleash or off there is often aggressive communication. Many people will step back and state "oh, your dog is aggressive." This is wrong in most cases; dogs need to communicate and their means of communication is with their body and sound. They can't walk up and say "hey my name is Bob; I'm a bigwig at a big company and I have an expensive car." So their way of saying this is to stand on their toes and look the part.

If another dog comes by who doesn't know about this big headed dog; they soon will. The problem lies mostly with humans, rarely dogs. Typically other dogs will just let the hot aired dog posture around; not getting in his way. But many guardians take great offense to any communications from other dogs to theirs. It is all in what the body is saying.

Take Luke for example; a very good example I might say. When we go to the vet he displays very aggressively; growling very deeply and trying to look very menancing. To people who do not know him; they want to grab a muzzle. But I know my dog and know that he has never even attempted to bite someone. The fact that he stays back and only does the tiniest of mock charges tells you alot. And what the person does after this tells everything; if they ignore the behavior and sit down on the ground it ceases. The behavior is fear based; Luke tries to keep people away from him at the vets by seemingly being big and scarey.

Now of course not all dogs are bluffing; fear can be a very scarey behavior. Fear must be dealt with very carefully; especially if a fearful dog's reaction to a fearful situation is aggression. You cannot punish fear; you must teach a dog to be confident and help them to get over or at least deal with their fears.

Dominance on the other hand is a state of being; wanting to be a leader type, a take charge type of dog. My Jack Russell Jessie is very dominant; but in our pack she is a very calm and level headed leader. Luke is a very dominant dog as well; but being that he is not level headed and is not a calm type dog I do not allow him to become the top dog. He basically is a wanna be; he tries very hard, postures around but lacks the big boy confidence and stability to be a real leader.

Just lastnight he attempted to mount Tilley; strictly for dominance sake. Lacking confidence he tries this when Tilley is vulnerable, half up on the couch. It takes but a second for her to retaliate; and he runs for cover. Tilley is very confident but not a dominant dog at all; she is just happy being and has no hidden agenda.

Dogs are very simple yet very complicated.

What breed is for you? Some of my favs

Out of curiousity I took a Breed test yesterday; the test was to see which breed would be best suited to me. It was sent to one of my groups so I thought; "let's just see." The questions were very general; I wondered who thought up the test. Was it someone who thought they knew the best questions to ask or someone who thought they'd figured this out in a scientific manner.

Once I finished the very few questions; presto A BICHON. A Bichon is the dog for me; a perfect fit. NOT! "What?" Not that I have anything against Bichon but it is not a breed that I would ever consider for myself; even if they do sort of look like an overcoated poodle. No; I'm not a Bichon type of gal.

My first love was Dobermans and I adore them to this day. I love their temperament and the look of them; I have met very few Dobermans that I wouldn't want to bring home with me. Next of course is my breed of choice; the standard poodle. I've had them for 25 years now and I'm not about to change my love for them. I love standards for their intelligence; their abillity to perform in any activity you'd like to do with them and the non shed is a bonus.

My love of poodles is not the typical "poodley thing," I'm not a fan of the "poodle" look. It is infact an identity given to them by humans; poodles are nothing like the poofy exterior that they wear. Standard poodles are very much a utility breed; strong, athletic, amazingly intelligent and great guard dogs.

My own poodles wear a variety of clips; mostly depending on my mood as I groom myself. They can usually be seen in a very short, naturally dried and very curly look all over. There are never any pom poms. Right now they have about an inch all over because it is hot in the day and cold at night, I don't want to leave them with nothing yet I don't want them to suffer in the heat with a huge coat.

I more regularly keep their face and feet shaved for personal hygiene. They do alot of hiking, playing in the water and general mucking around so it keeps more dirt outside and less dirt on their face. To really love a breed you must love what is inside more than the exterior I believe. There are dogs that I love the look of but wouldn't want to live with and dogs that I'm not keen on the look of but love whats inside.

I love so many different breeds; I meet so many dogs in my line of work that it is almost a monthly routine to add another breed to my "thinking about getting" list. Some fit into the "not keen on the look" category but once I get to know them; I'm smitten.

Some of my favorite breeds are:

Standard poodle, no duh!
Doberman
English Pointer
Borzoi
Bouvier
Jack russell
Bull Terrier
Airedale

Believe me, these are just a few on a very large list.

Dog wash day

The dogs have been due for a bath for about a week now but because of Luke being sick I haven't had time. Normally everyone gets done at the same time and all the beds get washed then as well; so that everything and everyone is nice and clean. Not only did they get bathed yesterday Tilley got her hair cut and Luke will be done today.

Rounding them up for their turn in the shower can be tricky; none like to have a bath which is pretty typical. Jessie is the easiest of course because she is small; 15 lbs to be exact. So as I get the shampoo and the towels ready everyone is watching. I just scoop her up; she basically doesn't have a choice. She is done in no time and outside to dry in the sun; yesterday was in the high 80s; a good day for a bath.

Bringing Jessie out of the bathroom I realized that Luke was already stressed about it. I could see him laying beside my husband watching my every move; he wants to know when he needs to make a run for it. All the dogs are very good about being bathed; I've never had a dog who fought me about being bathed. But each one tries to avoid the situation.

After tossing Jessie out into the sun I quickly decided to do Tilley next; she was laying on the couch in the familyroom which is right beside the bathroom where I was washing them. She made a quick attempt at going through the dog door but was stopped in her tracks; there was no choice for her. Tilley has a very dense curly coat which holds water like a sponge; she takes the longest to bathe due to the length of time it takes to get the shampoo out of her.

Once she is done; I just open the bathroom door for her and let her out the side of the house. The bathroom is situated perfectly for dog washing. Now it was Luke's turn and he knows it; as I walk upstairs to get him his eyes start darting for an escape route. He has been lying beside the diningroom table where my husband had been working on his laptop; not a usual place for Luke to lay. He tried making a run for it behind the table but there is no way out that way and my son grabbed him for me.

Usually I just grab the dogs scruff and guide them downstairs; my dogs don't wear collars in the house, ever. Until Luke they all just follow me to the bathroom; but Luke is a much more sensitive guy so I wrap a towel around his chest and off we go. He doesn't fight but doesn't come happily either. Sometimes he is trembling when he gets into the shower; you would think he was about to be tortured. No trembling yesterday; he is very good and is done quickly.

Luke has an amazingly soft and luxurious coat, not very curly and not what is desired for the show ring but it is much easier to rinse out than Tilley's and when it is blown dry and fluffy, pure heaven to snuggle with. Once done he too is let out to partially dry. Luke like the other dogs goes crazy when he is wet but for some reason he looks alot crazier.

With those long legs of his he charges around ready to attack anything that moves. We have a post bathing ritual that he loves; I try to towel dry him and he does his best to attack the towel. I charge everyone up for a good romp to start the drying process and then they all lay enjoying the warm sun on them until it is their turn for the dryer.

Tilley had the works yesterday and is looking beautiful; Luke get's his works today and Jessie; she never gets the works, she's a wash and go gal.

Am I proud?

What a weird day yesterday. We have huge and very scarey fires going on here. Lastnight was UFC at our house and we typically have a houseful. But due to the fires my husband, son and daughters boyfriend were held up with being re-routed on the freeways. I was home alone and ordered our regular UFC pizzas. I knew the pizza would arrive around 7 and I still needed to feed the dogs.

I do not like to feed the dogs if I think feeding time will be interrupted. But not wanting to miss any of the fights because I was going to have to fill the boys in on what had happened so far I decided to go ahead and feed the dogs. If the pizza guy came I'd just pick up the bowls, get the pizza and proceed with feeding. I began to prepare the food and being extra hungry Jessie was really underfoot. So I asked her and Tilley to step outside and wait.

With the door open Jessie stayed outside, the boundary being the threshold of the door. Once done I realized Luke was still napping downstairs and went to get him. I was so surprised that even when I left the kitchen to get Luke; there was Jessie and Tilley standing outside. Neither had broken the boundary; yes I was very proud.

Then of course as soon as I put the bowls down the door bell rang; it was the pizza guy. For any of you who have a pack of dogs, something like this can quickly turn to a frenzy. Each dog knows that if they leave their bowl to investigate that it may not be there when they return. And Jessie being a food maniac is just waiting for someone to leave their bowl. So I calmly picked up the bowls and told them to wait. Wait being my casual form of stay.

In a semi frenzied state, they typically would charge the door. I went and answered the door; brought the pizzas into the kitchen. I went and paid the man and thanked him and came back into the kitchen where the dogs were sitting quietly waiting. No one had rushed the door, no one was doing anything they shouldn't. I placed the bowls back down and they continued their dinner uninterrupted. Yes I was proud.

Good breeders finding good guardians

I know alot of breeders; from the time I started handling in the conformation ring until now I have met literally hundreds of breeders. Placing puppies is a common topic of conversation whether I'm just photographing, temperament testing or just having a cup of coffee over some dog talk. How do you know someone will be a great dog guardian? In life there is no guarantee; not with animals or with humans.

The breeders I'm talking about are breeders, not the kind who sell online and send their puppies off to whoever has the money. Most good breeders really drill the prospective puppy guardians; this is normal. In fact if you really think about it; this is a much desired trait in a breeder. If they just handed puppies out to whoever wanted them that would mean they don't care about their puppies.

A great guardian is someone who will have their dog live in the house as a family member. One who will make sure that their dog has mental and physical stimulation on a daily basis. They will seek out activities that will enrich the natural instincts of their dog and their individual talents. A great guardian will teach their dog many behaviors; a dog's mind is a sad thing to waste.

A great guardian puts their dog in the mix when considering family activities and looks at solutions to a great life together. A dog that lives with a great guardian will never, ever be an outside dog. They will never fear a hand coming their way because they have never been hit. Above all a great dog guardian is one who has an open mind, one who is willing to learn all they can about their dog and how to be a better guardian.

Good guardians let their dogs get good and dirty, they don't worry about dog related dirt in the house or the car. You may or may not have poop bags in every pocket of your coats and pants. You will often find goodies in your purse or pockets. And even if your dog is not a certain breed you may have joined several dog related groups so that you and your dog can hang with other dog lovers.

I know alot of great guardians and when I meet a new one it makes my day. The more wonderful dog people there are in this world the better this world will be. The term Spreading the wealth is floating around alot these days; as a good dog guardian we should all spread the wealth of knowledge we have. Pay if forward so to speak, share your ideas with people and the greatness will be passed on.

Wolves eat grapes

I watched a great documentary lastnight on wolves; they were in Spain. The scenery was amazing and worth watching the show just for that. But I was watching it for the wolves and the wolf interactions. I have to admit there was some of the scariest wolf footage I've ever seen on a documentary.

I actually started watching the show as it was about 15 min. into it already. When I tuned in there was a very large pack of wolves that was trying to evict some of the male members. They do this by not letting the wolves eat or be inside the nucleus of the pack. Therefore they live on the outskirts until they move on and find another life on their own.

The scene I came in on was that of the outted members who had lost respect for the Alpha male and were challenging him due to starvation. It was obvious that they had lost any sense of reason and were now attempting to overthrow the Alpha. Several of the outted members were young, old or injured and they stayed on the outside. They were smart enough to know they had no place in the violence that was erupting.

Two of the members stayed together and moved off; a senior member and a young male. They went off to find a better life and this is when they ventured into a village where they feasted on grapes. I sat puzzled watching this "grapes?" If they can eat several lbs at a sitting then why can our dogs not eat grapes. This was very puzzling to me; so I'm off to do some research. I don't blame the wolves; they looked like really great grapes. And apparently this is very common with hungry wolves; it is easy picking so to speak.

The documentary ended on a happy note with the outted young male who had found a young female sitting howling with their new arrivals; three adorable black wolf puppies.

Yesterday

Luke was at an Advanced specialty care veterinarians yesterday; the type of place you go for the high tech type surgical procedures. I didn't realize until I walked into the facility that it was indeed the same place I had taken Jessie some 6 1/2 years ago to have a Plasma transfusion. Not many regular vets carry Plasma.

I remembered when I walked into the place on my first trip with Jessie and thinking "this is going to cost". It's really big and when their are recessed features in the wall with tiny pot lights illuminating vases; uh ya it costs. Funny how my guesstimate works so much better than it did years ago. Maybe way back then I was naive and now I'm cynical.

I remember gasping in disbelief at the price for Jessie's transfusion but yesterday I didn't bat an eye. Not that I didn't think that it was hugely expensive but I was expecting it and had braced myself for it. There is no price you can put on your dog; you do what it takes to make them better and if you can't afford it you figure out how to pay for it later. Alot of places have payment plans now which I think it wonderful; not everyone can fork out thousands of dollars in a single shot, especially these days.

Once I arrived I signed in and sat; it wasn't 2 minutes before someone was commenting on how good Luke was and how adorable he is. I told them he was being unusually good, but I guessed that he was getting use to it now. They told me about their GSD; the husband was actually compelled to tell me every detail of this GSD and the past GSDs he has owned. He also informed me that if you get a registered AKC dog that you are guaranteed that you're dog won't have Hip Dysplasia. "Really!" I exclaimed and he assured me that the GSD breeders here in America are on top of it. ;)

So anyway then our conversation was cut short and we were ushered into our room. We saw the vet, had Luke's blood drawn and then we sat. I didn't mind sitting with Luke but I didn't know what we were waiting for. The techs that took his blood said that they would let the vet know they drew the blood and then left. I thought I was waiting for the vet to come back to give me more info. As I sat I wondered if they forgot us; it's all about good communciation.

Its a big place so maybe there was some crossed wires somewhere and here we sit. Just as I was about to go to the front to see if they had indeed forgot us; the receptionist peeked in and said "you're still in here?" Uh yep, we've been waiting for I'm not sure what. So off she went to see what she could find out. Then the PR lady showed up and told me it would be 15 min. then they would come and get Luke. She thought I had wanted to stay with Luke instead of having them take him. I assured her I did and I didn't mind waiting but no one told me anything so I was left pondering in the room for an hour.

I'm big on communication; I like it in dogs and think it is essential in humans. A lack of communciation leads to all sorts of problems. I always like to know what is on my clients minds; questions, problems or just not getting something. Tallk to me people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's home

Luke is home and he is very high; he's on Valium. It was a long day for him; we arrived to the vets at 9:45 this morning. He had his physical at about 10:30 and discussed exactly the route we were going to take. We discussed a blood clotting test that needed to be done and several other blood tests. You know I asked them to bring it all in the room with me; they were very good about it.

They brought all of the blood equipment into our room and asked to have Luke laydown; I let them know that was not going to happen when he was in a nervous state. I asked if we could draw the blood with him standing and they were very accomodating. After having his blood draw he got his first of a couple of sedatives.

So then we had a long wait; I decided to sit with Luke in the room until his procedure time instead of having him in a cage. He was restless and not liking the effects of the sedative so I sat on the floor with him so he would laydown and settle. The sedative made him feel weak, wobbly and a bit out of it; not a happy guy. We sat for an hour and a half; Luke rested and I read a pile of Dog Fancy magazines; saw lots of my images.

When the tech came into get him he was really grouchy and had no intention of being nice to anyone. The very nice tech did her best to be likable and he finally agreed to go with her; that alone surprised me. Time for me to leave and wait; the waiting is the hardest part.

I finally got the call around 3:30 to come and get my boy. They didn't find a whole lot up there, no fungus which was very good to hear. The presence of this one particular nasal fungus has a treatment that can be surgery. She did get a tiny crunchy leaf looking item out and suctioned the heck out of his nasal cavity. She said many times when they are sure that there is a foreign object in there but can't find it; suctioning does the trick.

So we now wait and see if the symptoms go away and wait for biopsy results. If it was the tiny leaf; it was one expensive leaf.

Luke is getting scoped

Click on the photo on the right of my dogs and I to see my new Cook'n for dogs blog.


Luke is going in for his scope this morning. He doesn't know it but will suspect something is up when I ask him to come to the car with me alone. I try to take them out on their own occasionally so they don't associate being alone with the vet; but they are smart. I'm anxious about today; I'll have to hand him over to them I'm sure because he is being put out. I'll try my best to stay with him at least until he is out.

I hate leaving my dogs; they put complete trust in me so I hate to break that and put them in the hands of someone else. I feel as though I have let them down when I leave them with a complete stranger. Since the horrible event years ago when a veterinarian let a tech take Tilley out back and allowed her to escape the facility I have sworn to never leave them. I know it is an impossible task; at some point I have to leave them but I hate it.

I'm sure they will call me very quickly when Luke starts to wake up though. Both times before when he has been put out I've got the frantic call to come and get him. He's a scream/howler, he screams going under and he scream howls coming out of anesthetic. It's a noise you can't tolerate for long; even the seasoned techs are pretty frazzled upon my arrival.

I will let everyone know what we find, hopefully just a foreign object that is not suppose to be in there and nothing else.

Figuring it out

Yesterday I took my two poodles to a park they where they love to run. It is a strange sort of strip area where I have only twice seen other people with their dogs. A long wooden fence runs the length of the field which use to have a broken spot at the top where the dogs could go onto the canyon side to have a sniff around. It has since been repaired.

The canyon is beyond the fence and I always like to take a panoramic peek before leaving the park. I'm hoping one day that I will actually see something cool down there. So I climbed up and over the fence; it is a wood rail type fence with wood posts and three horizontal wooden rails. As soon as I started to climb the fence I realized that the dogs were going to want to come with me.

I wasn't even over before I heard the first whimper; yep it was Luke. Once over the fence I had to convince him that he could indeed make it through the middle space. The fence is too high to jump and too low to go under. With Luke's chest as deep as it is he was just going to be able to squeeze through the middle.

This is when communication is important; if you do not have a way to communicate to your dogs it is difficult to explain something to them. Keeping in a zen state I told him and motioned with my hand "this way". He works himself into a tizzy, whining and pawing at the fence and decides to find another way. I don't often use the word "no" with my dogs; usually saved for a very bad behavior but mostly stopping a behavior in its tracks. This was one; as he charged off to find his secret way over the fence I yelled NO. He stopped immediately and came back.

The secret to Luke is calm; it help combat his hyper excited state. It didn't take long once he calmed down and he squeezed through; just making it with that big chest of his. Now Tilley was next; she on the other hand is calm but thinks she knows a better way as well. I call her and motion to come through; off she runs down the fence to find the old opening that unfortunately is now gone.

I call her firmly and ask her to come through again. Tilley is watching my head instead of my hand so I move my head to the middle section and presto she's through. Funny I was communicating with Tilley in the same physical manner yet she watch where my head instead of hand was and as a determined smart girl; I had to be firm with her so she would follow my lead instead of her own; very different from Luke.

Once we have a good look around the canyon it's time to go back through the fence.

Pet stores vs. Reputible breeders

I was at the Mall on the weekend and there were crowds in the pet store. As I strained not to look at the puppies I couldn't help but notice the sickly looking little things leaping around the front windows. They all had tearing eyes and looked in horrible shape. This is the pet store at the Mission Viejo Mall; I'm not sure what the name of it is they keep changing it.

Have people not learned anything? And there was a huge sale; a Veterans Day sale on puppies. But there's more; buy a puppy now and don't pay a cent. I truly wish that people wouldn't use these places as sized down zoo's nor do I want people even buying merchandise, let alone a dog from these places. Pet stores don't care about the dogs, that's it, bottom line. Their bottom line is the almighty dollar.

Do they consider for a moment that these puppies have been ripped away from their Mother's at a far too early age? Nope. Do they consider that the parents of these puppies are kept half starved, in filthy cages only stopping breeding once they can no longer produce, nope. And when they can no longer produce are often left to starve in a cage or tossed somewhere for someone else to worry about. The people who sell puppies in a pet store turn a blind eye to fill their pockets.

Reputible, ethical breeders are a world apart. When you visit one you'll know you've finally met a good breeder. My bar for good breeders is high but for the dogs sake it should be very high and never lowered. A good breeder has clean little puppies in their home (well the puppies might be a bit dirty being that they are puppies). But they are in the home with the people.

A reputible breeder has health checked (genetic health testing done for that specific breed) all the dogs who are bred, taken extra care of the Mother to be in regards to health and nutrition. They have watched and noted all the subtle changes in each puppy as they grow. They have had the puppies checked by a veterinarian and may have had them temperament tested.

Great breeders are a tough bunch; very wary in handing over puppies. They can turn anyone away; it is their right. You have to be a "good home" to even think about getting a puppy from them; and this is how it should be. This is because these people have a huge interest in the lives of their puppies, who they go to and how will their little lives turn out.

A good breeder will keep open a line of communication. They will make you feel like you can contact them about anything; and you should. Many people don't stay in touch but it is a really good idea to stay in close contact with a breeder.

Getting a puppy from a good, reputible, ethical breeder is a win win for everyone involved.

The impact of dogs

What impact does your dog or dogs have on your life? For me; my dogs and dogs in general are my life aside from my husband and children that is. I had a toy poodle at the age of 9; and was in the conformation ring at the age of 13. I was handed a showlead with a Doberman on the end of it and never looked back.

I have been completely immersed in dogs since before I ever had my first dog. I love all things dogs and my dogs make me very happy. I think the biggest thing about having dogs and loving having dogs is spending time with them; just chill'n. Even if we aren't doing exciting activities we love being with each other. My dogs show that they like being with me by doing just that.

I have three shadows with me throughout the day. Two are constant, one will occasionally do her own thing. Offering my dogs a good life is my chosen obligation; it makes me happy seeing them happy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my dogs having fun doing what they love. Like a simple hike in the woods or canyon; they love it. This is probably the most fun for any dog; the simple joy of running free.

I love watching Jessie as she checks each rodent hole for a resident. Once found she bends her head down and digs with all her might. She actually uses her mouth to assist in the dig and when she looks up at me with a smile and a mouth full of dirt; I cannot help but smile.

Tilley loves to catch and retrieve; she lives for it. Each and everytime she lands with a ball or frisbee in her mouth she gives a small but visible tail wag. With the frisbee or ball in her mouth she is grinning from ear to ear on return. She doesn't waste anytime ejecting the object for the next throw; which I love to do for her.

And then there is Luke, he is a simple yet complex boy and knowing all of his tiny quirks makes me smile. Knowing that he is afraid of objects that move on their own, makes me smile. I love when he huffs a greeting, watching him try to get a ball before Tilley does (which will not happen until Tilley is very old I'm sure.) I love seeing his huge smile when he gets back from a hike an I love watching him try to be the man of the house; and the girls keep him in line.

Not a day goes by when I do not consciously admire my dogs for something. Oh sure they can get on my nerves every once in a while but what my dogs bring to my life is immense. Being surrounded in the morning by all the snoring and dreaming dogs makes me happy as does it make them happy. And seeing the dogs so completely relaxed and comfortable as they dream away the hours in different locations of our home; makes me really happy.

Dogs are my life; I love to meet new clients both training and photography subjects. Hearing how each dog enriches their guardians life is something I will never stop wanting to hear. How each dog entered a life, the dog and the human both changed because of it.

This and that

I missed blogging yesterday; just too darned busy. We took a trip to Costco where I was hoping to get another couch dog bed for the pooches. It is the favorite one in the family room and it is quite obvious by the wear and tear on it. No such luck; they actual had slim pick'ns.

Luke is the same; no worse, no better. After calling the Specialty Care facility I was told that Wednesday is the earliest they can scope him. WEDNESDAY? This aways boggles my mind; a facility that is there to do the procedures that regular vet cannot and you have to wait so long? Truly it is just like the human specialty services.

With the cooler weather the dogs are happy and so am I, now I'd be happier if it was about 20 degrees colder and threatening to snow. But I'll have to settle for 70 degree temps being that it is Southern California. I remember the first snowfall each year back home; my first dog Mandy loved the snow and would run and eat as much as she could. It was obvious that she was as happy as I to see it.

With poodles and airedales (which Mandy was) they collect giant snowballs in the hair of their legs. We actually had a specific area in our home where the dogs would come in and thaw. It was at the back door where there was a heater that helped move the melting along. Once thawed and dried a bit they then came into the rest of the house.

Often I'd pick the snowballs out; but if you've never seen a dog with tennis ball sized snowballs stuck in their fur; it takes a longtime to perform. The hair becomes entwined in the snow and it is a giant mess. Here I don't worry about snow but I do worry about fox tails (very evil burrs that do alot of damage) spiders and snakes. Snow never looked so good.

So I think today will bring some off roading, if any of the dogs join us, they are harnessed up and cinched down for the ride.

Have a great weekend.

A glimmer

It was the glimmer I had been watching for; the tiny little behavior that told me we were rounding the corner of this strange illness of Luke's. Lastnight he ate; not a ton and assisted by me but he ate. For days I have been cooking, cutting, chopping, coating and preparing everything I could think of to feed him. Being a finicky eater; not feeling well is really bad.

Yesterday morning he was not interested in eating at all. Not fresh cooked chicken, raw beef, cheese, fresh homemade cookies or ham, nothing. Luke is on Amoxicillin; it is an antibiotic and seems to be slowly making a difference. Having an infection in your head is scarey; you want to make sure you are on top of it. But this particular antibiotic can really mess with your stomach (I know from experience); something that is not a good mixture with a finicky dog.

Finally yesterday at around 1:30 he decided to eat a few pieces of raw beef dipped in butter; that's right butter. The day before I had made some special dog ccokies for him, oatmeal, peanut butter, apple sauce, and sweet potato were a few of the ingredients. Sounds pretty healthy right? Well Luke loved them; after I dipped each tiny piece in butter that is.

But after preparing his dinner lastnight, turkey, chicken, raw beef, sweet pototo with brown rice I thought; "he's probably not going to eat this." Then I noticed his ears; they were slightly up in interest. This is the glimmer I'd been looking for; this told me he at least was interested in what I was making. So after placing Jessie and Tilley's food down I anxiously put his on the floor and he came over to look at it.

Holding my breath I waited; a little pushing around, digging and then he finally picked up a piece of beef. He ate 3/4 of his food; I was really excited. After eating we watched some news on the election (which I'm stoked about) and Luke twice picked up a toy and tossed it around for a minute. Looks like there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

I still do not know what is wrong with Luke; all the blood panel tests are not in. But being on antibiotics and seeing an improvement tells me there is definitely an infection in that big head of his.

Greyhound racing

http://www.protectdogs.org

http://www.greyhoundracingsucks.com/index.htm

These sites above can be graphic; view at your own risk. These are only two of hundreds of websites where you can find out the "truth" about racing dogs.

Massachusetts has passed a bill banning Greyhound racing by 2010. It's a slow road but it's a step in the right direction. Several years ago I had the honor of shooting some ex-racers at the Hemopet facility(a blood bank for dogs). I wanted to know more as I met and photographed these amazing dogs.

Greyhound racing is an awful business; driven by money, gambling and greed. And if you are not a winner; it can be a horrific life and death. Even the big winners have to loose at some point which means your life goes steadily downhill. It truly boggles my mind how some humans just do not possess the compassion gene. How can anyone think that the way these dogs are treated is okay?

Now onto the rescue groups who are some of my canine heros. They save literally thousands of dogs each year but sadly they can't save them all. Many go unaccounted for; just gone. The people running these rescue groups do the best they can and many are fighting a loosing battle.

Each and everytime I meet a rescued greyhound I am amazed at the sweet nature and forgiveness they give humans. Known as the supreme "couch potato" these dogs enter a new life that is completely foreign to them. Love, attention, free run, good food, health care and life as a typical dog is all unknown to them. I have met many greyhounds with serious health problems, missing limbs and obvious body malformations due to their racing history.

Massachusetts has taken the step; we all need to follow. Educate yourself on the "sport" of greyhound racing. Please do not frequent these places and above all; do not spend your money on fueling these horrific wrongs done to dogs. Instead put your money where it can help stop the cruel abuse. Please!

Picky eaters

I have to discuss picky eaters this morning; that would mean Luke in this house. There are obviously degrees of pickyism as there are degrees of just about any behavior. After looking up the dictionary meaning for picky I realized that finicky is a better term; but finicky is a weird word isn't it?

Finicky: Insisting capriciously on getting just what one wants; difficult to please; fastidious: a finicky eater.

But as weird as it is this is it. There are dogs that like one food over another; dislike one item of food and basically have their own specific tastes; much like humans. There are dogs that will eat anything; alot of dogs are happy to eat anything that you put infront of them; like my Jessie. Although she eats things that I don't put infront of her as well.

I'm not talking about tastes or preferences in food; I'm talking finicky. Luke has an unknown illness right now and because of this his degree of finickyism is off the charts. Having been told by the vet to have him on a bland diet on the weekend; I was sort of like "okay I'll try." Knowing full well he wasn't going to be eating chicken and rice anytime soon. Oh yes most dogs would love fresh baked chicken and rice; not Luke. Not unless it's got flavoring or butter.

Luke loves butter; it is one of his favorite foods but one cannot live on butter alone, I don't think. Having taken Luke back again to the vets yesterday they asked about what he was eating; I told them a hamburger pattie and buttered toast. "He is suppose to be on a bland diet." "Yes, I know but he is not going to eat chicken and rice." He doesn't like blland food when he is feeling great; when he is not feeling well at all he'll eat whatever is the most tempting to him.

Knowing full well that he will only eat his absolute favorite foods when he isn't feeling good I thought I'd try Steve's RAW food. Luke loves raw meat, I didn't know if he'd be up for this RAW food mixture; nope. Yesterday for breakfast after trying buttered toast, hamburger patties made at home with no luck he ate a McDonalds double quarter pounder. I even tried to hide some of the raw food inbetween pieces but there is no fooling Mr. Finicky.

I have never before had a dog like this; all of my dogs have eaten what I've given them. The old saying "a dog's not going to starve themselves," may be true but he sure will let himself become scarey skinny. Food is not a big thing to Luke plain and simple; even when I give the dogs cookies, the girls scarf them back so no one else gets them. Luke on the other hand sometimes eats them, sometimes just walks away and leaves them for the girls.

If you have a picky eater then you know what that means. I don't think you can possibly understand the term picky or finicky if you've never dealt with it. "Try cottage cheese, try eggs or fish." Yes for most dogs these would all be wonderful but for a dog who is finicky; these may not be high up on the yum list.

What it boils down to is knowing what your dog likes; Luke likes beef, butter, cream, liver and food filled with flavor. And as I've said before I hate to use the term "people food," but Luke loves people food. He has very discerning taste buds, just like we do. Once I got a taste of fine wine; don't even try to pass that cheap stuff with a bite pass me.

It is not as easy as people think, you cannot just feed a particular diet to all dogs. Some dogs like Luke just won't eat and now that he is not feeling well I've had to pull out the ultimate gourmet canine chef; that's me.

Monday morning

We have clouds this morning; I'm happy about that. And for the next couple of days we are suppose to have a bit cooler weather so I'm going to enjoy it before the temps go up again. We had a rough weekend with Luke; he is in bad shape and will be going back to the vet again today.

He is so stuffed up and not himself that I am very worried. I spent hours researching the net to see what it could possibly be; that's me the researcher. Hopefully the results from his blood panel will be in and we will be a bit more knowledgable.

If he wasn't already picky enough about what he likes and doesn't like try feedig him when he is feeling under the weather. We barely got some ground beef patties into him yesterday and that was from my husband. For some reason he wanted to eat with Dad not Mom. My husband got some buttered toast into him; who doesn't like toast with butter when you aren't feeling good?

So with no extra pounds to be dropping during this whatever it is; I will be trying to please his palate. Even liver was a no go yesterday. Pills are difficult to get into him; he can eat around a flea sized pill and there it sits in the bottom of the bowl. So the good ole shove it in method is what's called for; just gotta keep my fingers away from the chompers in the back.

He is having Bufferin to help him cope with the pain; I tried Benydryl but it just made him groggy and didn't help with anything else. In fact it kept his third eye up for most of the morning. The third eye lid or "nictitating membrane" is the skin like windshield that you see under the outer eyelids. It is used as a protection for the eye and is often seen as a dog falls into sleep.

So back to the kitchen and back to the drawing board to see if we can't get this under control; whatever it is.

Still sick

We had Luke back at the vets yesterday; he is really not himself and during several sneezing sessions he sneezed up blood which is common in humans when we have a severe cold but not so for dogs apparently. I am concerned about him; he has never been sick and he is not feeling well at all right now.

My husband came along and I informed him that Cujo would probably make an appearance for a while; he was prepared. To my surprise Cujo made no appearance; now it is either that Luke is so under the weather that he couldn't muster up the energy or that each visit has been a positive one at this new vets and he is becoming less fearful of a visit to the vets. So no matter what the reason Luke could not have been a better boy.

The vet wanted to check inside his nose and do a swab; easier said than done. I had tried to only take a peek into his nose the day before and it was near impossible. So with my arms and body fully wrapped around my blonde boy the vet was able to wrestle a sample from his nose; it didn't look good.

We did a full blood panel to rule out anything serious and will go from there once the results are in. We have over the years been so lucky (knock on wood) that our dogs have been so healthy. Other than the over 4,000.00 incident with Jessie 6 years ago we've been good.

The one thing I do know is that knowing your dog intimiately is extremely important. You should be able to see the slightest symptom and know that something is just not right. And when you communicate to the vet; it is only you who really knows what is normal and not normal for your individual dog. I knew the "allergy" idea was not what was going on with Luke. At 8 years of age I can't imagine allergies hitting him out of nowhere so badly; althoug you never know. So the second trip back to the vet was a good one.

Dog Town

I've been watching the new Dog Town show on the NGC (National Geographic Channel) and I am so impressed with the whole thing. The people who work there are my heros; they take dogs in; any dogs and do their best for each and everyone. Some never leave the facility but are given the best life possible.

Some of the dogs need work and alot of it both with regards to health and behavior. Many of the dogs are fostered so that they can live a somewhat normal life to better there chance at adoption. Some need extensive behavior work having had less than perfect past lives.

For those of you who do not already know; I have three books on the go and I am looking for a publisher. I have decided that all my books will give partial proceeds to DogTown in Utah. When I started thinking about what charity or rescue organization to give to it was a monumental task. Being a trainer and photographer I am constantly meeting new rescue groups; but how do you pick just one?

After reading and researching into DogTown I decided on this one. Since then they have their show on tv which is great to inform the public about their work. When and if I ever get my books published I will be proud to donate to such a group of dedicated people who work unselfishly for the dogs; all the dogs.

check it out

http://www.bestfriends.org/