New Years Resolution: Battle of Achilles

Well today was interesting in terms of my back of the truck goal. As we were about to leave the park I took Achilles out by himself, on leash, to try and coax him into the truck with a piece of chicken. I had set the treat pocket thing on the tailgate on the other side of me. He would get half way up and then back down again. When he was backing down, he swiped the treat pocket. Normally I would just grab it back, but this is the 160lb Great Dane who swallows tennis balls whole. I really didn't want him to swallow the entire (full) treat pocket.

Resourceful thinking kicked in and I grabbed a cookie a client had given me earlier in the day from my dashboard. I broke up the cookie and put it on the ground and luckily Achilles chose the cookie and coughed up the treat pocket. 

After this small victory, Achilles was a little too excited to jump in the backseat and ended up catching his leg on something and falling back out which totally freaked him out. From there on it was like trying to tame a bucking bronco. Needless to say, today was not Achilles' day for the back of the truck.

On the other hand, Cooper was a rockstar and rode to and from the park in the back of the truck! He was not totally convinced about this idea, but he was a really good sport. I gave him treats every time we stopped and he didn't even charge when I opened the gate to let Miles in. Good boy, Coop!

Manic Monday

Monday was the fourth and last day that I was house sitting for one of our clients. I had a wonderful weekend with her two Incredibly sweet and playful King Charles Spaniels. It was an uneventful and relaxing weekend followed by the ultimate case of the Mondays. I woke up to a torrential downpour, The news said there had already been an inch and a half of rain by the time I woke up. I went downstairs the basement to find a pipe had burst and the floor was soaking wet. I called my client and she schedule to have someone come out that evening to take care of it.

I came back after the park to find that the power was out. My phone died at the park because it got too wet through my non-Gore-Tex jacket. I was running back to the house to use the phone to call Michael because we had to leave to take the puppy (thats another story, see here) to the vet appointment in Kirkland in 10 minutes. When I realized the power was out, I let the dogs out to go to the bathroom, grabbed the Thanksgiving turkey that had been delivered the night before from the fridge so it wouldn't go bad, and ran into another client's house( who happens to be coworkers with this client), hoping to use the phone, negotiate some fridge space for the turkey, and heat up my lentil soup. Unfortunately her power was out too.

While I'm at my other client's house discussing what to do about the dogs during the power outage as well as the Thanksgiving turkey, It occurs to us that the four baby chicks in the guest bathroom upstairs need the heat lamp to survive. I had to take a step back and realize that I was juggling two dogs, four baby chicks, a frozen turkey, a burst pipe and a power outage. And that is a day in the life of a dog walker…

Luckily the power was back on in an hour and the dogs didn't even notice. The baby chicks stayed warm, the turkey stayed cold, I met the guys who came to clean up the pipe mess and my client made her connecting flight home. Everything turned out just fine but it was quite a whirlwind of Old McDonald's Farm for a bit there.

Salty dog. Happy dog. Floppy dog.

Every dog has their "thing" that makes them unique and special. I've never met a puppy quite like this before, and one of the things I love most about him is that he never fails to make me laugh. Salty dog is a 7 month old yellow lab. He has been nicknamed "happy dog" by some of the regulars at the dog park. I have recently started calling him "floppy dog" as well. Salty takes the awkward puppy phase to a whole new level. He just doesn't really have control over his limbs yet and as a result, he is more often than not found sprawled out on the ground. One of his classic moves to mid-wrestling match, he will just lay on the ground and continue to try and keep the game going from his new reclined position. I think it takes too much energy for him to physically move his body any longer, but mentally he just doesn't want to stop!

Have you ever seen a dog crouch down and wait for an oncoming dog, then pounce as soon as they get close? Salty has his own version of this. He doesn't sit on his haunches, he just lays all the way down and kicks his hips out. This guy knows how to live... just relaxin! It's a good excuse to catch his breath and get amped up for the next round of play!

Almost every puppy goes through an awkward phase where their limbs are longer than they can control and they kind of flop all over the place. I've never seen a dog quite like Salty dog. Our lastest trick is learning to jump in the truck. He is so excited he really wants to, but somehow has a hard time guaging when to jump in order to make it in the truck. He has a good bounce and gets high enough, but keeps trying to start a step or two too far back so when sort of bounces back off the tailgate. Although I desperately want to get a video or at least picture of this to share with you, I have my hands full trying to help him in the truck to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Unfortunately, he is not phased by my assistance and whenever I lean down to help him up, he thinks its time to jump up and nearly knock me over. Practice makes perfect!

The best part of Salty dog's clumsiness is that it doesn't affect him one little bit. From the very first day I brought Salty to the park he was the happiest dog in the world. He has brought smiles to the faces of people I have seen on a daily basis for almost 3 years and have never seen smile before. How can you look at that face and not smile? He bounds around the park and if you watch him for more than a few minutes you will almost certainly see a "Salty flop". If only we could all be as happy and excited about life as Salty dog!

I know before long Salty-dog will be a full grown  (likely 90+ pound) dog and these floppy dog days will only be memories. Luckily his numerous floppy breaks have allowed for a lot of great pictures to remember these fun times with!

What to do if you find a lost dog at the dog park

There was an incident at the park (Magnuson Off-Leash Park) today I wanted to share with everyone so that hopefully it will be handled differently in the future. Please feel free to share with anyone you know who frequents the park. This afternoon, a dogwalker came in with her pack of dogs and was picking up after them while they meandered around the grassy hill by the small dog park. Minutes go by and she realizes one of her dogs is missing. He obviously couldn't have gone far in the couple minutes it took her to pick up some poop. She walks around the park looking for the dog and asking all the other dogwalkers if they had seen the dog. While she is looking for the dog she comes across someone who says they had just talked to a woman who found a dog and called all the numbers on his tags and since nobody responded she was going to take the dog back to her daycare. She didn't ask any other dogwalkers if they knew of the dog or anyone missing a dog, she just left with the dog that was not hers. This should have never happened.

One of the best things about Magnuson park is the community of dogwalkers. For the most part, we all know each other and know each others dogs. If there is ever a dog missing, most likely one of us will either recognize the dog and know who it belongs to, or start spreading the word to all the other walkers to keep an eye out. I have told a dogwalker down at the water that I was looking for a dog, and somehow the next 4 dogwalkers I passed on the way back up to the field asked if I had found the dog yet. How did they know already? I don't know, but between passing one other, calling and texting we can play a pretty damn efficient game of telephone when we need to.

A note about "lost" dogs. When they're at the dog park, they usually aren't lost. It's easy for dogs to get turned around with all the excitement going on and then all of a sudden they don't know which direction their human went. One second they are walking with you, the next someone drops a treat they have to investigate, then a squeaky ball conveniently rolls their way, then another human tries to take it back, and then where is their human??!!? Things happen. The important part is that we work together and help each other when these things do happen. Sure, there are the rare times when someone intentionally leaves their dog at the park, or when who knows what else, but here are some simple steps to help you determine the best way to get this pup back to their human.

1. Ask a dogwalker! There's a good chance we will recognize the dog, and if not, we will get that massive game of telephone started. There's a chance their human is just on the other side of a mound picking up poop and is out of sight but not out of hearing range.

Also, there are dogwalkers at the park most hours of the day, so if one dogwalker is watching the "lost" dog and has to leave, they can pass the dog off to another dogwalker who is still there to keep an eye out for their human and continue the search process. Dogs are in good hands with dogwalkers.

2. Stay close to the front gates. Anyone looking for a dog will want to make sure the dog doesn't leave with someone else, and anyone that forgot their dog (?!?!) will be running back.

3. Follow the dog, but don't leash them. They may be trying to wander back to their human.

4. After asking around, call the information on the tags. No tags or no luck? You can take them to the closest vet and see if they have a microchip with contact info.

5. If all else fails, call Animal Control to have them picked up. They will be taken to Seatlle Animal Shelter where they were will in good care, and anyone who is missing a dog will know to look for them there. *Do not* take the dog to your house, nobody will know to find your dog at their house!

Whether a dog is lost, taking a self guided tour of the park, or trying to escape from their human who is horrible enough to make them leave the park, that dog came there with a human and should leave with that same human. We have a wonderful community at the park, of dogwalkers, park patrons, and of course dogs, and this is one of those times where we should take advantage of it. Let's help each other out and keep the pups safe and sound!

It's all fun and games when Harley ends up in a cone

Todd, Harley's owner, told me a story yesterday that I have not been about to get out of my head. I have been literally laughing out loud at random times since he told me yesterday. Obviously, I had to share. Harley, if you're not familiar from Facebook pics, is an adorably grumpy looking brindle French bulldog with one front tooth that peeks out at all times. Simply looking at Harley makes almost anyone smile. Once he starts dancing around and doing his Harley thing, if you're not laughing, then we are clearly not on the same page as to what's important in life.

So, Harley-man has been in a cone the last week or so. He got a hot-spot in some of his frenchie face wrinkles and has been wearing the cone to try and heal. Harley goes to daycare twice a week when he is not with me. We had a change in schedule last week and he went on one of his normal "me" days. Todd thinks the different schedule must have meant a different crowd of dogs or something, because they gave Harley-man quite a hard time.

Todd says he got a call from daycare around 11:30am saying Harley had to be placed in isolation. The other dogs were using Harley's cone as a toy and the only way they could make them stop it by getting him out of there. Harley is a good dog and I can't imagine he would ever be put in isolation for any behavioral issues. Todd says when he picked up Harley at the end of the day that the cone was in very rough shape, holes, tears, just a complete mess. Although I'm sure Harley didn't enjoy isolation, its a good thing the folks at daycare take such good care of him!

I can just imagine poor Harley-man being the center of a tug-o-war game (which he usually dominates). Definitely a grumpy face, probably a few snorts, and his stubby musclely (i know its not a word) little legs trying to get traction on the daycare floor. Harley-o-war. Seriously wish I had been watching the webcam for that.

I guess at daycare it's all fun and games when Harley ends up in a cone!

{products i love} Wonder Walker body halter

When it comes to walking your dog, you have to find a way to make it work for you and your pup, otherwise neither of you will enjoy it. When your pup is pulling your arm off and he is choking for a breath of air, nobody is winning. That's why I love the Wonder Walker body halter. It is a simple (and stylish!) halter that has three straps, around the chest in front, under the chest, and around the back. It has clips in the front (chest) or back.  The idea behind the Wonder Walker is to clip your leash to the front of the harness, which prevents the dogs from pulling. If they pull, they are essentially pulling against themselves, so it is not rewarding. Another main feature is that is pulls from the dog's center of gravity, rather than head or neck, which is better for dogs, especially disproportionate ones like the Frenchies ;)

The Wonder Walker is much safer alternative to choke chains, and even a flat collar if your dog pulls. This harness can be used on any dog, of any age. Which brings me to another reason I am such a fan - if you start using this harness on a young puppy, you teach them the right way to walk from the beginning and eliminate pulling as a problem before it even starts.

The Wonder Walker comes in a ton of great colors that you can custom order. Another reason to love this company? It is local, based in Seattle! Explains why almost every dog walking up and down Queen Anne Ave is sporting one these days. I have bought mine at All The Best on Queen Anne.

http://www.wonderwalkerbodyhalter.com/

**I am not given any incentive to write about this harness, I just really like it and want to share with everyone!

The history of Bailey and Timber

I got Bailey when I was a Junior in college, before almost all of my friends, except for Maria, who had Timber, an all black German Shepard. Maria and I went to highschool together and had actually been friends since swim team days when we were in like 12. Maria moved up to Bellingham for college and one weekend Bailey and I went up to visit her. Maria lived in the top floor of a house with some roommates. She had a nice setup with a living room area attached to her bedroom. Bailey and Timber were fine with each other upon first meeting, and Maria and I left them alone together as we went out for the night. When we came home, we both went to bed in Maria's room. As we were falling asleep, every few minutes we would hear Bailey screaming and Timber growling. We would wake up and break up the scuffle, try to get them each on their own beds and go back to sleep. Not long after, Bailey would scream again. Timber was creepy-crawling over to Bailey and pinning her down by her neck each time. Finally, at 4am (I remember this b/c it was before Starbucks was open) I decided to just give up on sleep and drive home. For years later, it was always a running joke amongst our friends of Bailey vs. Timber.

Fast forward six years, and I start dating Michael, who is actually Maria's older brother. Timber, Maria's dog, was originally Michael's dog, along with Kaiser, who is a male German Shepard a couple years older. For whatever reason, that seems to be frequently debated between the two of them, Michael gave Timber to Maria. So essentially, Bailey's one-time-nemesis is now family.

At their ripe old ages of 7 and 8 years old, they are both peacefully laying on our living room floor tonight, quietly chomping away on bones while we watch a movie. Bailey is wearing the cone of shame to recover from a hot spot and Timber is chewing on the softie toy to nurse her abscessed tooth she just had removed. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

Preventing Bloat in dogs

I came across this great article today and had to share. Bloat is a potentially life-threatening condition which can affect active, healthy dogs in the prime of their life. It can be deadly within hours and is a very serious condition which all dog owners should be aware of . You can read more about bloat here.

While I have read a lot about bloat, I have never read about how to prevent it, which is why this article was so interesting to me. It has some really great tips, some of which ar

• avoid grain based kibble, or ideally, any kibble.
• poultry, lamb or other small to medium size raw bones may be one of the best steps towards prevention of bloat, and also make for a happy pup.
• don't feed your pup fruit and protein at the same time; they digest very differently
• avoid vigorous exercise for 3-4 hours after eating

Read the whole article here. 

Drowned in Double Dog Park Trips

Whhewwww it was a wet one today! My second day back since the "dogwalker in a boot" saga and it was a full 8 hours of soggy doggy park trips and fun. Before I get into the exhilarating adventures of the dog park today, I have to share by amazing find with any of you who have suffered from wet, numb, filthy dog park hands. Dogwalkers, listen up, this may be as life changing for you as it was for me. These gloves, Atlas Snow Blower gloves, are the best gloves I have found, and believe me, I have been through many. They are completely waterproof with a cozy fleece lining. You can still bend your fingers and clip a leash, pick up a toy, and yes, even open a poop bag. The best part is, you can hose off your dogs and not worry about getting your hands wet and dirty at all! I know what you're thinking, getting your hands wet and dirty is not the end of the world, but when it is 36 degrees out and you have 6 filthy dogs to hose off, those fingers go numb really fast and it makes it pretty hard to work! I bought these gloves at City People's on the way to the dog park. I highly recommend them! Oh, and they are bright sexy orange ;)

Ok, on to the good stuff. We switched things up a bit this morning and I took Jambo and Pepper with my crew, they usually go with Nancy's. Pepper had fun chasing after Bonita's tail while Bonita was chasing Mokee for the frisbee. Jambo was stepping up and chasing Porter for the new rope/ball toy which I impulse purchased at City People's as well. I made it through an entire day without losing it, so it was a success! Porter and Dexter kept taking it and having a tug-o-war hold out where they just stood there and stared at one another with the toy in between them... Miles was super excited to catch the toy and have the whole crew chase him - he can really run fast when he has 7 dogs running after him! Coco made it through the whole park trip without rolling in a mud puddle - I was so proud of her! But then as we were walking out the gate to the truck, she ducked off to the puddle 15 yards away and flopped like a fish out of water, just enough to get a good coating. One of these days I am going to video her in action rather than try to get her to stop. Might as well provide some entertainment for all of us! I was really glad I had my new gloves at that moment. I took a few pictures, but it was so grey and cloudy nothing turned out very well... I really wanted to get a picture of Gracie and Porter, who looks like Gracie's mini-me!

Now for the afternoon trip... I picked up my trusty helper Michael and our little menace, Bam. We also got her sidekick, Violet. Our 2nd to last stop before the park was Cooper (yellow lab - not to be confused with Cooper black lab who was already in the back seat). Cooper's brother, Tucker, recently started going to the park as well, but they go on different days so they both get their own separate play time. This is one of those time it would be really nice to be able to talk to dogs and explain why this girl comes and takes them to the park but only takes one of them and why only one of them should be getting excited because the other one is about to get a door closed on their face.... Poor Tucker, hopefully it will make more sense tomorrow! I'm sure it won't, but at least he won't be the one getting the door closed on him!

By the time we got the park, it was absolutely dumping rain. It must have been refreshing for the dogs, because they were going 150%! It was like they all flipped a switch to Tasmanian devil mode (not really devils, you know what I mean). Luckily, they were a great group of retrievers (or at least dogs that like the game) so it was just pure running for an hour and a half. Those dogs got tired today! Considering I am just getting back into the rhythm of the park, my first big mistake today was forgetting to bring a squeaker toy for Sammy. To be honest, it crossed my mind on the way to the park, but I figured since I already stopped and bought my gloves and impromptu dog toy purchase for the day, I was not going to to buy another toy.... Probably not my best choice. When Sammy doesn't have a squeaky ball, he hounds every other dog that passes by with one. And by hound I mean he runs along side them with his big head right by their mouth, almost as if saying, "give it to me, you know you want to give it to me, come on, come on, come on!!!", which results in me going through a whole ringer of tricks to get the ball back. Over and over and over. Note to self: you DO need the squeaky. Even if just to keep in my bag as bribery, I can't go empty handed!

The highlight of my day had to have been while I was hosing off the dogs (with my new super cool gloves), and Chesa came up while I was bent over hosing a dog and jumped up on my face, knocking off my glasses and somehow licking inside my mouth... GROSS! I tried to wipe off my mouth but then realized my new super cool gloves were actually just wiping more water/dirt on my face. I can't tell you how often I get back in the truck to find mud wiped across my face... and I always wonder how many people I encountered who opted to not tell me! I love Chesa, but not enough to make out with her. That was really more than I had bargained for today.

As I was getting orally assaulted, Michael couldn't stand to see his little frenchie babies so wet and cold, so he took them back to the truck, turned on the heat and wrapped them in a towel. Actually, tied them in a towel. Like a two little baguettes in a basket. He is ridiculous.

It was a very soggy day and the dogs were unusually rowdy, probably still working off some cabin fever from the snow days, but regardless, it felt so good to be back at the park. There is nothing like walking around an empty park playing with 8 of my best four-legged friends. The best part about when it rains, is the park is totally empty and nobody knows the extent of the conversations I have with my dogs.... Commands? Yeah right... We've had a lot of catching up to do! Looking forward to the rest of the week, rain or shine!

Pawsicles -- taking care of your dogs paws in the snow

This has been the craziest week of weather for us in Seattle! At the first sight of snow the dogs and I were esthetic to go play in the fluffy white stuff. Now a few days later, the honeymoon phase of the snow has faded, and it's time to start being practical! Ok, to be fair, if it were still all fluffy snow I wouldn't be complaining, but this sheet of ice covering the city kind of has me concerned. My main concern today, that I want to share with you, is our poor little pups paws in this weather. Here's a few things to look out for and suggestions to remedy/prevent potential problems:

• {ice will cut paws}the situation we have right now with a couple inches of snow and a covering of ice on top is dangerous for the pups paws b/c as they break through that layer of ice they can cut their paws. Also, snow and ice can get in between toes and stuck in the hair on the bottom of their paws.  In deep snow a dog will spread its toes and depending on the type of snow it can actually cause small cuts in the soft areas between the toes. Ice can be rough underfoot and also sharp, so it can cause abrasions and cuts.
  • {solution a} Booties - there are little rubber foot liners such as Pawz Dog Boots that are just little liners - they are cheap and disposable. While they don't help with warmth all that much, they will keep the snow out of the hair in their paws. I have seen them available at All The Best. Another option is Ruff Wear Bark'n Boots, these are much more durable and actually real boots for their paws. They provide great protection from the snow as well as the sharp ice. They are pretty spendy, and you will have to train your pup how to walk in them and get used to them. Here is a video of our buddy, Walker, learning how to walk in his snow boots: Vizsla in snow boots
  • {solution b}  Try and trim any excess hair in between paw pads to prevent snow/ice balls from building up. You can even even applying a small amount of petroleum jelly or olive oil to the area prior to the walk. Be sure to use an edible ointment/oil, as dogs often lick their feet and ingest what was applied. This will help to prevent chapping, cracking, and soreness.
  • {solution c} If you are in winter weather more often than we get here in Seattle, this may be something to look into, but considering this may be our only snow of the season, you may not be able to get this in time. With a little online research, Musher's Secret is all the rage for dogs in snow... They are invisible boots made of a clear wax. Sounds like a great idea!

• {ice melt toxins} many of the de-icing products, as well as anti-freeze and other chemicals that are mixed in with snow on city streets are toxic to our pups. When dogs come inside they may lick their paws to try and soothe the irritation from cold snow and ice in their paws, which causes them to ingest the toxic chemicals. {solution a} Keep a bucket of warm water by the door and soak their paws and dry off with a towel before coming inside. Make sure to rub the pads to get off any harmful chemicals. {solution b} read the ASPCA's guide on top ten winter paw skin care tips {solution c} try the booties mentioned in section above!

{snowed in} If you and your pup are going crazy without your normal exercise routine, or possibly due to the fact that your dogwalker has cancelled due to snow (sorry...), you can try some indoor activities to provide some mental stimulation. This will help keep them busy and eventually tire them out. 

• {solution a} indoor hide and seek or find the toy. depending on how much time you have, you can hide in the house and have your pup find you. Or you can show them a toy (something with treats inside helps so they can smell it better) and hide it then tell them to find it.
• {solution b} any type of puzzle toy or interactive game toy. All The Best has a great selection of puzzles for dogs. They have to work for the treats in the toy and have to figure out how to work the toy right to get the reward. A good old bully stick can do the trick too.
• {solution c} teach your pup a new trick! A few short 10-15 minute training sessions will provide mental stimulation and strengthen your bond. Have you ever wished your dog had a fun trick to show off? Or maybe teach your dog to close the door and turn out the lights at bedtime? Yes, I know a Vizsla who does this. Genius!  While you're both stuck inside together, now is the time! Here's a great list of dog tricks and how to teach them.

Have fun and be safe! Can't wait to see you all back at the park soon!