How Do We Care For Our Dogs?

Monday was gorgeous.  I felt a little guilty about arriving home late, as I have been hitting the gym (trying to lose about 40-50 pounds) especially with the sun glowing and the air feeling warm.

I was greeted by 6 loving eyes, 3 happy barking dogs (Samson, Rusty, and Simon), and tons of fur rubbing up and down my legs and arms as I entered the front door.  They were ready to rock and roll!

I went through the house and into the family room where Skally had been sleeping on the couch.  She arose and ventured outside with Samson and Simon.  Rusty had taken advantage of going out the front, when I arrived, to relieve himself.

I tried to get ready as quickly as I could - it had been a long day!  I was eventually ready to hit the road and take them to the park.

We arrived.  The air was crisp, yet warm.  Many people playing basketball; the parking lot was full.  Several dog walkers were there, and others heading to or from the park.

The four of them tugged quite avidly at their leads, but weren't doing so aggressively; they were excited and anxious to get in.

Skally was dawdling.  This morning she'd had two incidents of suddenly squatting and sitting - having troubles staying up on her haunches.  Needless to say, I'm quite worried about this, and am watching her with eagle eyes - yet, aside from that, she's been spry at home, but lower energy....Time has it's way of telling, though.

After playing for quite some time, I eyed my watch and realized it was time to leave (Jeopardy was starting soon!).  Skally had been skulking after some younger males - this gave me heart.  Rusty and Samson were being social (for Rusty this is a wonderful thing - he's doing it more and more), and Simon was fixated on his ball and chasing it (did I ever mention he's grown quite agile and much quicker?  His body is beginning to look much svelter!).

We (Skally) decided to go for a walk around the perimeter of the park.  This is a very good thing as it allows her to sniff and move about without worry of other dogs ramming into her while running amok.  It also drains the others of extra energy before heading home and eating dinner.

We passed these two teenagers passing their soccer ball, and they looked at me.  The first boy said, "Wow!  You have FOUR dogs!  How do you take care of them?"

As we were passing, and Skally was tugging to her next sniffing spot, I said the only thing that came to mind - "Same way as your parents take care of you!"
 "Oh!" said the boy, "That makes sense.  You must be one heck of a good parent!"
I had to smile.

The next boy smiled and said, "You have beautiful dogs!  You're lucky!"
"I know," I smiled back.

This lead me to my question.  How DO we take care of our dogs?

I know it seems like a silly question - but have we really given it much thought?
I bathe them somewhat regularly.
I walk them at least once a day (yup - 430 am, we're on the road!), and try to get them to the park later in the day.
I feed them grain-free, add supplements and meat to their diet.
I give them treats I believe are healthy and they enjoy (this is what is literally bankrupting me - large dogs eat so much more than small! - duhr!)
I brush their teeth regularly.
I talk to them.
I read to them.
I chase them around the house (playing games like Hide-n-Seek with your dog is supposed to keep them young and spry), and at the park I am easily found running around with the pack following.
I have them groomed when necessary; nails once a month, Samson cut and beautified once every other month.

Is that what we're talking about?
How do we care for our pets' mental health?  What about their emotional health?  Their intellectual health?

These are all questions we can ponder and come up with some answers - and for many it may come more quickly than for others.

Some might say these are not very important issues....however, I do believe they are.

I'd like to hear from people with their input on this.

Anyone?

UPDATE:  Skally is friskier than ever, now.  She has put on weight and is eating (even if I have to force her to, By Gum, she will devour!).  Yesterday she was running and pouncing up and down the fenceline with the small dogs in the other paddock!  I swear - she's indestructible!

Food & Exercise

Well, it seems as though everyone is talking food again.  So.....

When I welcomed my first dog, Syd, into my arms, I knew very little about nutrition for dogs.   I'd always thought foods for pets were all the same - just different prices.

Not so....as I discovered!

I used to feed my pets a store brand of pet food, that now makes me cringe to think about.  I didn't know any better, and no matter how much people chattered at me to buy something else that would be more nutritious, I shrugged it off as elitism and hard sells.

Now, my mother, who wasn't overly fond of my dogs (Syd, and Cubby, the two Schipperkes - but she did have a liking to Skally), went to Port Townsend with friends and saw a movie that made her think for me.

The movie featured Juliette Levy, a holistic vet, who challenged processed foods and found natural remedies for animals, from dogs and cats to horses, by finding effective methods used by the peoples around Europe for centuries.  And - she wrote a book - The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat.  Well, Mum bought the book for my birthday and I ravenously read it.  I was fascinated!

For too long I had looked up at the Heavens and asked, "What can I do to mellow out these Schipps?"  This seemed to be my answer!  Also, it just made sense that I feed them what they would eat naturally.

I began mixing oats, buttermilk, molasses, honey, meats, carrots, broccoli, and other vegetables (my Molinex sure had a great workout!).  I would feed this to the dogs, and they would eat it up!  I loved it.  They did seem to mellow - at first - then they had even more energy!   And the poop was easy - it just seemed to seep into the ground, or disintegrate.  Nice!

This meant a lot of work, though.  One batch would last a few days, then it was time to make more.  Being the Epitome of Human Nature, I began to look for ways to avoid doing all the work.  I found people I knew at the park who were opening a store - and, yes, they were familiar with Levy's work, but they didn't think she had it right - they had more books and other methods.

So, I began to buy my veggies and grain free food for the pups.  Even canned.  There were so many choices!  And having one large dog and two small ones didn't mean spending tons of cash.  Whew!

Aside from the food aspect of the book, I found her treatments of sickness to be quite helpful and effective.
Skally and Syd both had split pads, one summer.  Her book said to put on a Nasturtium or Geranium leaf, and to leave it on for a while.  So I did.  It worked.  After that, it was a no brainer, and we didn't have split pads any more...

For colds, I used Eucalyptus oil on a q-tip, and put it barely in the nostril.  It really did help a great deal.  Rosemary began to creep in, as well.

Mom bought me another book on Herbs and Cures by Levy.  I began trying to catalog them - but that was, perhaps, 12 years ago?  I didn't have a great computer system then, and my efforts went Kaput!

Now, I discovered that grain-free is the only way.  And on my budget, I can afford Nature's Domain at Costco, which, with Fish Oil, and Spunky (and some pieces of red meat for Skally - more on that later) has kept my poochies healthy and happy.

Skally receives red meat in her diet to keep her weight on.  I had to take it away from the others as it seemed to promote aggression (Rusty began shoving his way into her food, and there was a kerfuffle, with blood, and now she cedes her bowl to him - unless I'm there...I'm always there, now).  Skally, at 15.5+ has been putting her weight back on, and is just as active as she was over a year ago!  Thanks to her diet, Spunky II, exercise, and a little aspirin.

Simon has lost weight.  He's in terrific shape, and he came to me on Thyroid medication which I used until it ran out.  Now, he's lost some weight, gets regular vigorous exercise, and is very content moving around the park barking with the ball in his mouth.

Rusty continues to improve.  He doesn't pull as much as he used to (because Simon does that now).  He's moving more fluidly and rapidly.  He's such a great guy!  He is always in a great mood, and when he's not I worry....

Samson is doing quite well, too.  He just zips everywhere, and has his stuffed Timmy Mouse and Ricky Racoon (who looks like he's been rotted roadkill) to play with.  He beats Simon up and keeps him in line.

I'm so happy we exercise so much (even I'm on a good diet now, having lost 15 pounds in the past few weeks, and going to the gym).  It's something we enjoy together.  Rusty was my inspiration for losing the weight - that and wearing out my over-sized wardrobe, while gazing at the unworn-because-I'm-too-large wardrobe...

I hope you found this interesting.  Sorry there weren't more photos, but i'm not a ravenous snapper... :)
Let me know your thoughts on this.

TTFN
T.

My History with Dogs - which helps answer: Why Four (4) Dogs???

When I'm walking my little family, or we're at the park people often remark, "You have FOUR  dogs?"

I have been relatively well-behaved in not replying, "Yes.  I'm glad you can count that high!"  Instead, I smile and give a little laugh.

Yesterday afternoon, a man being pulled along by his boxer and mixed-breed exclaimed, "You must have one strong arm to be able to keep all those under control like that!"  Just then, his boxer sniffed a little too closely to Sammy who (isn't all that comfortable with strange dogs sniffing him with great familiarity) snapped at the boxer (all three of the others were relaxed during all this - they're used to him).

We pulled back and went merrily on our way.  The man remarked to another dog-walker, "You gotta be careful of those small ones!"  Thankfully he was laughing.


But Why do I have four dogs?  I never imagined I would ever do such a thing!  In fact, had you asked me 20 years ago, I would have told you to put a bullet through my head if I ever attempted such a stunt.  But I'm very content with my lot and my kids.

It all began back in 1996.  My buddy, Don, and his partner had 2 dogs - min-pins.  Brownie and Coco.  He constantly extolled the virtues of having them, and me, being an animal lover, bought into the idea, but never really made the move.

1994-5 had been a year of death in my family.  I won't go into the dynamics of it all, but after the deaths of my sister-in-law, grandmother, and then my father, I was left psychically drained.  I was exhausted, as well.  My doctor warned me that I was a prime candidate for a heart attack or stroke - I was only 36 at the time.  I had been working out, I had thought, but not on a regular basis.  So, after many matters out-of-town had been dealt with, I began a gym membership (yes, there is a point to this).

Working out was great.  That's when I met Don.  We became work-out partners.  By the spring of '96 he promised me a dog for my birthday, as I really began to see the healing nature of the animals.  So, I began to look.  Don and I found a schipperke puppy, and I was quite taken with it.  However, Skipper was not to be mine.  Don took it home and made him part of his family.

I was quite taken with the breed, though.  I did research on it.  So did everyone else for my sake (or so they said).  They cautioned me to not adopt such a breed as I was already too ADHD, and needed a calming effect on my house.  Well, in August I found Syd.

Don said it was too early, so I went along.  Then, after my birthday, we went dog shopping.  Eventually we found Syd, who had been brought back.  He and I quickly bonded.  I took him home, and we began our journey together.

I looked for a companion for my Obsydian (aka Syd).  I didn't like that he was all alone when I was at work, the University working on my Master's, or off with friends.  We did spend goodly amounts of time together, but it wasn't enough.

Nearly 2.5 years later, I was shopping at the pet store with Syd, and a woman came in with her puppy (aged 6 months, and 54 pounds - compared to Syd's 2.5 years and 23 pounds).  She asked the pet adoption people about leaving her with them, as she hated to venture into the shelter itself.   I felt badly, and saw what a calm girl the pup was.  So, I invited them to my house, down the road, to see if Syd and "Rascal" would hit it off.

They did.  When the woman left, though, "Rascal" went into hiding.  She wouldn't come out.  I tried everything.  I left the door open, I put out food and water, I went and dragged her out, but she went right back to her hiding spot behind the shed.

The next day, though, she came into the house, investigating.  She hadn't eaten or had any water all night.  Eventually I got her to stay in, and the relationship began.

We changed her name to Skally.  Syd didn't like sharing, especially with an Alpha Female, as Skally was (I was still rather ignorant about much of this).  They played in different circles at the park; they had completely different interests, yet Skally relied on Syd at the beach, and in what was new-to-her territory.  But at home she began to rule the roost.

Time came when we moved into our current home.  This same time, Don and Dave were splitting.  They had acquired another puppy, Cubby, a schipperke, who was quite curious, but wasn't able to get along well with their other dogs.  Neither Don or Dave had been able to bond with him, and he was quite rambunctious.  He didn't get along well with the other dogs of theirs, either.  I had often offered to take him into my home, but they refused - until now.   Cubby had come over to my house on numerous occasions for sleep overs (before Skally), and knew us.  As it turned out, fortuitously for him,  I was getting him in the divorce.

When I picked him up, he dashed out the front door into the neighborhood.  Don was about to run after him, and I told him to go inside.  Cubby was mine now, and I would deal with him.  He watched as I strode out to the car, called Cubby and opened the door.  Cubby came immediately and jumped in.  Later, Don would tell me he realized Cubby needed to be with me, anyhow.

His entry into the home was a little rough.  Syd wasn't thrilled at first (he walked over to the video collection and pee'd on it), but Cubby and Skally became besties.  The three of them would frolic in the den, and life was quite divine.  They took care of one another.  We were a good family.

Eventually, Cubby was attacked by a pitbull who had jumped his leash.  I blame the owners.  Afterward, Cubby began to develop neurological trauma, which we couldn't pin down.  He finally, in his 12th year, had to go to the park in the sky, as he was in too much pain and couldn't walk.

This was devastating for all of us.  Skally and Syd went into a depression that I'm not sure they ever resolved.  By August, Syd had developed cancer (at age 14) and joined Cubby.  I was bereft.  Skally seemed happy, though, that Syd was no longer suffering and she had me all to herself.

The next year Skally was by my side whenever possible.  She bonded with my mother, who never liked Syd or Cubby.  I would hear her chatting with Skally when she thought I wasn't around.  They seemed to bond.

I had taken Skally to the pet psychic (one I had seen with all three, before, and she amazed me with some of the insights she gave- things she never could have known) who told me Skally wanted an older bigger dog - and that it would happen in Spring.

It didn't.  It happened in August.  I found Rusty on Craigslist.  Well, the rest is in my opening entry for the blog, and then it all went from there.

Tell me again about how you brought me here and my life changed!?  Please!!!!??!!!


To be honest, there are times when I wish I was dog-free.  I never thought Skally would live this long (going quite strong at 15.5 years!).  I never thought I'd be receiving Pet-A-Mony from a former dog parent who needed a good home for her kiddo.

Why Four Dogs?  Good Question.  I supposed the answer is that they complete me in so many ways.  They take me out of myself after a grueling day.  I've learned to develop new coping mechanisms that are more effective for me.  I learned not to take things so seriously, as they are "things" and quite temporal.  I learned I don't always need to sleep sprawled out on the bed - that I need to share.  I learned healthy habits for them - I'm still working on my own.  I made friends with similar interests, and many who are my opposite, but we come together with our dogs.

My life is richer.  These are kids who never leave home.  They grow up.  They talk to me, if I listen well enough, and they never leave me.  Even Syd and Cubby are with me in spirit, as will my four who are surrounding me now, eventually will...It's a sweet existence with normal consequences.  I am comforted in knowing they are always there for me - and I hope I am for them, as well.

Skally sleeping on her favorite Sheepskin rug in the family room.

I Had An Idea But.....

I had the perfect idea of what to write, and then Rusty barked in my ear and it was gone...woof!

Wow!
We've had snow, ice, and lots of rain.  Some days have been spectacularly beautiful and up in the 60's.  Others have been in the 50's, but windy and rainy.   When the weather is a'changin' the dogs they are amazin'!

There's something about the pouring rain that seems to prevent me from rushing around at 430 am to get the dogs ready to hie out the door for our walk.  There's also something about the rain that prevents the dogs from being excited about going outdoors for even the simplest bowel and bladder evacuation - except Skally and Rusty.

Rusty tiptoes out the front stoop and wanders out to the front grass, does his thing and then rushes back in with a hop and a flair that is definitely his own.  He has verve - and it actually doesn't matter if it's raining or not - he's just slower to go out when it's raining.

Skally, though, walks out regally, sniffs the air, looks around and then begins her inspection of the street.  Shall I say a very thorough inspection; she goes directly next door where Samson's old home was, and then to the new neighbor's house (where I try to shoo her back up to the house, as I'm typically in bathrobe, jimjams, and slippers, and hate being out there.

I do tend to venture out with her and Samson as I fear coyotes roaming the area - we do find remnants of cats and small dogs here and there, and have seen the feral canines roaming about.  Some neighbors down the way have stories about sighting cats being snatched right off their lawn by the hungry hounds in the wee hours - so I tend to be vigilant on our walks - especially in the school yard down the way.  I let the dogs off leash there, being careful to pick up after them.  Years ago, Skally chased off a coyote, and as we approached the school from another direction, on another day, she chased off a cougar.

Yes, we have wildlife - from coyotes, cougars and deer, to peacocks that somehow appear to run up and down the streets avoiding capture - but not our ears.  Those suckers are really annoying!  One of my former neighbors called animal control about one that was making herself at home in my yard and they told her not to worry.  They also offered to give her the recipe for Peacock Under Glass.  She hung up the phone in horror!

So, when it rains I look for the times when it's not pouring so we can, at the very least, get out and get some fresh air.  I look at it this way - I hate to be housebound in the snow and ice, and they are so spoilt they hate to be kept inside and on the grounds; they'd rather be a little wet and get outside for good exercise!

So, how is it walking 4 dogs?  Not so bad, really.

I put in my earbuds and listen to my audiobook (right now it's "The Plantagenets"), harness Samson, yank Simon out of bed (or off the couch - he's not a morning dog), and stuff my pockets with poobags.  Then I leash them all.

Once out the door, I have 3 dogs on a mission to walk, and one that wishes to have a look-see every 5 feet.

At 430 in the morning, I'm not in any rush, and I'm not so focused on the time they take with the book in my ear - believe me, it does make a difference.

We walk down the hammerhead to the street - with a few stops for Simon who needs to pee as though he's not had a go for weeks.  I swear, if he was squeezed he'd fill a pool!

I'm walking, usually for the first 15 minutes, in the "Crucifixion" stance.  Simon lags behind the others for some reason.  After a bit, though, he joins the group (usually with Skally), sniffing and exploring the areas - especially around one of the many greenspaces in our neighborhood.

We eventually make it to the school yard where they can stretch their legs.  There is so much to sniff there.  They love exploring - and it's very dark at this time of year, so I have to keep my eyes and ears open so I don't lose any of them.

I do know that if danger were lurking, they would definitely pack up and attack/defend.  I couldn't have asked for a better group!

By the time we get home (usually about 50 minutes and 2.5 miles later) Rusty isn't quite so light-footed - he's really grown faster and stronger over the years, Simon is pulling - but not as much as earlier, Samson and Skally are a little slower - perhaps they're tired, or just upset we're going home.

IN the door and they decide we're going to eat immediately!  Well, they can want, but ...

Tonight we went to the park after two days away - we did walk at least twice a day, but it wasn't enough - they needed their social and free time.

Simon chased that ball like crazy.  Samson was slogging through the mud, and playing with a Bijon.  Skally found him quite tempting and she began to be a little randy!

By the time we arrived home they were totally tired!  But they needed to feed.
An hour later and I have 2 dogs passed out (the 6 year olds), one looking about for what might be next (the 11 year old), and one demanding we play "chase me around the house!' (the 15.5 year old).

I love my pups!