Emerging from Rescue Dog to Family Dog

Happy Rescued Boy, PIerson.

This post is appropriate for spring as it is an article about growth. It is a story about the development of a rescue dog into a loved and cherished family dog.

I’ve been in contact with a new friend lately about her new rescue dog. And her story made me think about when I first got Pierson. He was so shy and nervous back then. I assumed I would have a calm and quiet dog on my hands. But then over the course of a few weeks, Pierson came out of his shell. He is a different dog today than he was back then. Here are his experiences and some things you can expect when you rescue a dog.

Shy to Outgoing
Pierson is still shy around strangers, but even that shyness is relatively mild compared to the shyness he expressed when he first came home. After spending time socializing him, he now allows most people to pet him. I don’t think he will ever be outgoing because of his breed tendencies. But it may be different with other rescued dogs. You might start out with a very shy dog and end up with one that absolutely loves to meet new people.

Unsure to Confident
When Pierson first came home, his walk was slow and deliberate. His tail was held low and his eyes were constantly on the lookout for a way to escape in case things went wrong. Today, he prances around with his tail held high. He knows this is his home and we are his family and he is completely at ease. When we go out, he is still confident because he knows I will take care of him.

Quiet to Loud
This may not be the case with all dogs, but it is definitely the case with Pierson. It was a couple weeks before I heard him bark. Now, not only does he bark (at every little thing), but he howls with excitement too. You should see him in the morning at feeding time. He wags his tail so hard that his cute little fluffy butt wiggles, he spins around in circles, and then he promptly sits and howls. It is the cutest thing!

Calm to Playful
I remember trying to play with Pierson after only having him for a couple of days. He didn’t understand that it was a game and still wasn’t too sure about me. The first time he ever played, it was with Maya. After a couple of weeks, he started to play with me too. I imagine my laughter when I tried to play with him scared him at first. Now he associates laughter with good things and we play and laugh all the time.

I use laughter now as a way to put him at ease. When Pierson heard a loud noise while we were out the other day, he got really scared. I purposely laughed at him playfully because the loud noise was nothing to be frightened of. He immediately calmed down.

Behavior Issues
Pierson developed a few behavior issues as he got more comfortable. When he first came here, he was too nervous to come out of his corner to do naughty things. But as Pierson got more comfortable going about the house, he started chewing on things, putting his paws on the counter, and digging holes in the yard. Expect some of these same things to happen when you rescue a dog. Remember, they don’t know what is right and wrong yet. As they come out of their shell, they will be investigating their new surroundings more often and may sometimes do things you don’t want them to do.

Pierson’s rescue documented on my Facebook Timeline in January 2012. (Sorry it’s blurry. I don’t know how to make it sharp like the larger image file is.)

Watching Pierson slowly come out of his shell has been a wonderful and rewarding experience. I love Pierson so much and am very proud of the dog he has become. A rescue dog requires time, patience, and training, but that dog is worth every effort. Pierson’s rescue story sort of reminds me of The Ugly Duckling story. Has your dog emerged from an ugly duckling into a swan?

 

 

How Do We Support Animal Welfare?

I’m joining Rumpydog’s Animal Welfare Challenge today to talk about how my family supports animal welfare. We do it in a number of small ways:

The biggest way that we support animal welfare is by being selective about the kinds of foods and products we buy. For instance, we only buy cage-free humanely raised chicken and eggs. If we buy other meats such as beef or pork, we carefully select by the same method as with chicken. We don’t buy cow milk, we buy almond milk. Other dairies such as cottage cheese, sour cream, etc. are a little more difficult and very expensive to get as humanely raised so we limit this stuff as much as possible.

We are also careful about the hygiene products we buy, although I am not as well educated in this matter as others might be.

It is not as easy to find dog food made from humanely raised meat. When it is more readily available and not too expensive for us, we will definitely switch.

Another way I support animal welfare is by talking about my dogs. By talking about them, where I got them and how I raise them, I am indirectly educating people about the importance of proper pet care. I do it indirectly because people don’t like it when they are told that they are doing something that might be considered wrong (or not doing as well as they could). They are more apt to listen if they are presented with information in a positive way and nothing is more positive than talking about Maya and Pierson.

When I talk about Maya and Pierson, the main question that people ask is where I got them. Maya is a purebred so I think many people assume I got her from a breeder. And Pierson is so exotic-looking that some people think he is a designer breed. Whether Maya originally came from a breeder or not is unknown. I adopted her. Whether Pierson was an attempt at a designer dog or just an accidental farm dog is also unknown. I rescued him. I have never purchased a dog in my life unless you count adoption fees.

I also talk about how I care for Maya and Pierson. They eat healthy food, they are indoor dogs, and they are trained mostly using positive reinforcement. I also brush their teeth, clip their nails, and make sure they visit the vet annually and as needed. I also have them wear their tags and they are microchipped. Oh yeah, they are also spayed and neutered.

We also support animal welfare groups such as the World Wildlife Fund, Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, and our local animal shelter. We will occasionally support smaller and more local groups, but as Rumpy pointed out it can sometimes be difficult to tell how much the smaller groups are really helping.

There are probably other ways that our family helps, but I can’t think of any more at the moment. Thank you, Rumpy for inviting us to this challenge. Have a wonderful Monday!

Wordless Wednesday – Practicing Pet Safety

I remember working in the corporate world and noticing that I had more pictures of my dogs on my desk than other people had of their children or grandchildren. So I wouldn’t be surprised if some people thought of me as the crazy dog lady. I don’t have kids so my dogs are my family (for years, it was just Sephi and I). And as such, I take care of them as well as, and sometimes better than, I take care of myself. Here are some photos to prove it:

We all eat healthy. Maya & Pierson get a good quality dog food in measured portions.

I feed my dogs twice a day so that they don’t eat a large amount at one time. Eating too much at once can cause bloat, which can be deadly for dogs, especially big dogs. One thing I would like to try is a slow pet feeder dog bowl.

I decided to stop using retractable leads since it made Maya’s walking habits worse and because I heard a horrible story about a dog getting struck by a car because he tried to run across the street after another dog. The owner did not lock the retractable lead quickly enough.

Pierson has a rabies tag, the Home Again tag with his microchip number, and his id tag with my phone number.

Maya is wearing her Kurgo Tru-Fit dog car harness.

I make sure the fenced yard is kept repaired and any dug holes are filled up.

Dougie wears a dog life jacket when he is out on the water. Dougie is not my dog. Maya has one, but I don’t have a picture of her wearing it. Pierson has yet to go swimming so he doesn’t have one yet.

I keep these in my car along with pet identification cards with vet info, a blanket, water, and extra leashes.

This sign goes on my car window whenever my dogs ride with me in the car. It has their photo and emergency contact information.

Dog toys that I know my dogs will chew to pieces are kept picked up and can only be played with under supervision.

After I heard about a dog running with a stick in his mouth and the stick getting jammed into the back of his throat, I try really hard not to let Maya play with sticks.

The first thing I do after a snow is shovel and de-ice the steps. These steps are the only way my dogs can get to the fenced yard and I don’t want them to slip. Warm water is used when they get inside to remove the salt.

How do you practice pet safety? Am I missing anything important?

For more Wordless Wednesday pet photos, check out our Pet Auto Safety Blog for the blog hop.

Holiday Traveling with Pets – Packing for the Trip

Sephi and Maya asleep in the back seat of the car on one of our road trips to Texas.

Are you going out of town this holiday season? Are you taking your pets with you? Don’t forget all the important things your pet needs for the trip.

- Leash, if your pet is a dog
- Collar with tags (make sure tags are up to date; have tags even if your pet is microchipped)
- Water
- Pet food
- Pet food & water bowls
- Pet waste bags for dogs/ litter and litter box for cats
- Pet blanket or bed
- Veterinary information (including vet contact info and vaccine information)
- Pet First Aid Booklet (we have one from Blue Pearl)
- Pet toys (optional)
- Dog car harness, pet travel crate, or pet car seat if traveling by car
- Airline approved pet travel crate if traveling by airplane
- Meds (if applicable)

If your pet tends to get nervous during travel or get car sick, ask your vet if there is anything you can give them for the trip. I am trying a product called Travel Calm since Pierson is known to get car sick. I am hoping the Travel calm will also help keep Maya from getting so excitable as she tends to do when she rides in the car.

If your trip is a long one, be sure you pick up your dog’s poo at rest stops or anywhere else you stop. Take plenty of rest stops, especially if you have a hyper pet like my Maya. We are driving from Kansas to Texas this Thanksgiving. Check out our other blog, PetAutoSafetyBlog.com, for what we are doing to prep for such a long road trip.

Where are you going for the holidays? Is there anything that you bring for your pet that I might have forgotten to list?

Nearly Wordless Wednesday – Celebration for Rumpy Dog’s Gotcha Day

Who is Rumpy, What is Gotcha Day, and How are We Celebrating?

If you haven’t seen the Rumpy Dog Blog, you have got to check it out. Rumpy is an adorable Malamute and his Gotcha Day is the day he found his forever home. Since he was a stray, we don’t know his birthday so his Gotcha Day is the day that is celebrated. For his Gotcha Day, Rumpy would like for us to talk about the importance of spaying/neutering your pet.

As cute as my dogs Maya & Pierson are, it just isn’t a good idea to breed them. There are so many adorable dogs out there without homes or who are being bred in a bad way. Stop the madness and spay or neuter your pet. I know he or she is probably as adorable as Rumpy and my four-legged children, but you wouldn’t want them to go without a home. Spread the word and visit the Rumpy Dog Blog for more information.

I’m neutered and I am still one very happy dog. I don’t even need neuticles!

I’m spayed and proud of it.

The Best Flea Treatment

Nearly all Dog owners have to deal with fleas at some time or another. And the reality is that they can be a relatively expensive problem to deal with. We need to buy medications on a regular basis, and we need to normally apply them to our pets skin, which can be problematic.

The great news is that there is now a fairly new product on the market that makes flea prevention and treatment about as simple as it could possibly be. Comfortis is becoming extrememly popular very quickly as it has a number of benefits over all other options we may have used in the past.

Why Buy Comfortis

This is a simple tablet that we give with food to our pets. We can either give it orally, or mixed in with food. The tasty beef flavor ensures they will devour it in seconds, and this certainly makes life a little bit easier.

Here is a quick check-list of the benefits:

• Easy to chew beef flavor tablet
• Gets to work in 30 minutes
• Kills fleas before they can lay eggs
• Eliminates fleas in 4 hours
• Month long protection

As we can see it is a very effective product.

The Only Month Long Flea Treatment Tablet

Comfortis for Dogs is the only orally ingested tablet that give protection against fleas for a whole month. All other options that protect for this long are applied externally to the skin.

It allows owners to protect their pets without going through the trouble of applying chemicals to their Dogs. It also means that we no longer have to have that greasy patch on our pets coats where we apply the solutions.

Price

Comfortis for Dogs is actually a very competitive flea medication. The Comfortis price holds up well to all other brands and the fact is that it is actually a faster working treatment than the externally applied options.

Buying for the best price is going to mean buying online, prices are much lower than at the vets. At Tato Chip we make it our aim to find the best suppliers so this is certainly a very good place to start.

But always be sure to compare prices from suppliers that you have faith in, often you can find very good price by doing a little extra research.

Conclusion

If you want a very fast acting flea treatment that prevents re-infestations for a whole month then we really do recommend Comfortis. It is cheap to buy, easy to administer, and a nice tasty treat for the Dogs too.

Guest blog from Karen at Tato Chip. Karen writes about many different pet meds at the TatoChip site. She also gets plenty of help from her two companions, Tato the Cat and Chip the Dog.

How to Care for Your Dog’s Arthritis

Have you noticed how your elderly pet dog has slowed down lately? If you’ve noticed that it’s getting difficult for him to walk or play with ease, and that he shrinks from physical activities, he might be suffering from arthritis. You have to ensure that the disease is detected early and treated without delay. It would be even better if you can prevent the onset of this painful ailment. Follow the tips given below to prevent, detect and treat arthritis in dogs.

Preventing Arthritis in Dogs
The first thing that you must remember is that it is impossible to prevent setting in of the age and its usual accompanists. The best you can do is following a healthy routine in order prevent the diseases that come with age and ensure good health of your canine.

1.      Control The Food Amount
Just like in the case of human beings, over eating and obese problems are prevalent in pets. Follow your pet’s diet chart carefully and avoid over feeding him. It can be hard to ignore your pet’s continuous pleas for treats, but you have to be strict with his diet so that he leads a healthy life. You can switch to pieces of carrots as treats as a good non-fat food item.

2.      Don’t Ignore Activity
Activity is very important to a pet’s health just as it is important for your health. Spend a considerable time every day playing with your pet or taking him out for a run. You can actually use this time to bond with your pet!

3.      Visit The Vet Regularly
A regular check by a professional vet is a good way of monitoring and curing the small problems that your pet suffers from with age. This will ensure his long-term fitness.

Recognizing Arthritis in Dogs
No matter how much care and love you shower your pet with, he will show signs of aging and arthritis in the long run. Early detection of the disease will ensure that you can start the treatment at the earliest so that your pet’s suffering is minimized. The usual signs of arthritis in pets include:

• Limping
• Sleeping more
• Reluctance towards walking or standing
• Decreased activity
• Changes in attitude or behaviour
• No interest in playing

At-Home Tips to Ease Arthritis in Dogs
While most people will ask you to visit a vet immediately and to buy a couple of dog supplies to make things easy for your arthritic dogs, there are also a number of at-home treatments that you can do for your little canine friend:

1.      Workout
Shedding the fat and excess weight will ensure that his joints are carrying lesser weight. Start taking him out for walks and making him run in order to shed the weight.

2.      Vitamins
Give him daily doses of pet vitamins containing glucosamine and chondroitin in order to ease his discomfort and pain resulting from arthritis.

3.      Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are great for the joints as they act as anti-inflammatory agents. You can introduce this nutrient in your pet’s meal by mixing fish oil pills in his diet.

Remember that a timely and regular visit to the vet is the best way to prevent as well as detect and cure the problem of arthritis. You mustn’t delay going to the vet in case you see that you at-home remedies are not having the desired effects.

Guest blogger Lisa Lyttle is a work-at-home mom and owns two little poochs. Lyttle makes innovative yet cheap halloween costumes to make a living. You can click the link to check out adult animal halloween costumes made by her. 

Nutro Pet Food – A Great Commerical Dog Food

I like for my dogs to eat healthy food, but I could never tell which foods were best. They all claim to be healthy for your dogs but which are the best ingredients? When I found this article titled, “A Great Commercial Dog Food“, I found the answers I was looking for.

The first half of the explains what certain terminology means, such as “byproduct” and “meal”. Then it goes on to explain the difference and why one is better than the other. It also talks about other ingredients on a bag of dog food.

The second half of the article talks about a healthy commercial dog food called Nutro. The first time my dogs had it was when I first brought home my dog Pierson. Since he had been living as a stray for nearly a month, the pet store where I took Pierson to get a bath recommended it. Not only did the dogs love it, but I was very happy with the price. Finally, a healthy dog food which doesn’t cost a lot.

If you are looking for a healthy commercial dog food, consider Nutro. Most pet stores should carry it. Also, read this great article, “A Great Commercial Dog Food” found on Hub Pages and written by Hub member DogAdvisor.

Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth

Brush your dog's teeth so they look healthy like Maya's.

Brushing your dog’s teeth is an unpleasant task for both you and your dog. But for most dogs it is a necessity. Keeping your dog’s teeth clean can prevent health issues and will help your dog keep good strong teeth even in old age. When I got Pierson in January, I could tell by the shape and newness of his teeth that he was only about a year old. This was confirmed by our vet as well. But because Pierson had been living as a stray for nearly a month and eating god-only-knows-what, his back teeth were filled with gunk and plaque buildup.

Basic Tips to Minimize the Brushing Necessity
I seldom had to brush Sephi and Maya’s teeth because they were good chewers. Help your dog keep his teeth clean by giving him chew toys. You should always supervise your dog when he chews. And be careful about the kind of chew toys you give him. Rawhides and such can be okay so long as your dog only chews on them. I can’t give Maya a rawhide because she eats and swallows it in big chunks.

Another thing you can do to help your pet’s teeth is to feed him hard food. Don’t give him canned food. This soft stuff tends to get stuck in his teeth. And unless you brush your dog’s teeth immediately after he eats, soft food can cause faster tooth decay.

Getting My Dog Used to a Toothbrush
Before brushing my dog’s teeth for the first time, I let them get used to the toothbrush. I would show it to them and let them sniff it. Then I would give them lots of praise so they learned to associate the toothbrush with good things. After a few days, I would put the toothbrush in their mouth, but not brush. Again, I would give praise. Over the course of the next several weeks, I built up to actual brushing. I worked my way up from a couple of seconds to several seconds, and worked my way from the front teeth to the harder to reach back teeth. Yes, my dogs hate it. But over time, Sephi and Maya learned to tolerate it. I am still working with Pierson who has had less than two months experience.

Use Toothpaste for Dogs
Do not use your own toothpaste on your dog. It has ingredients in it which can make your dog sick. Unlike us, we learn to spit out the toothpaste. Toothpaste for dogs is specifically designed so that your dog can swallow it without ill-effect.

Using Positive Reinforcement to Brush My Dog’s Teeth
Always try to make brushing your dog’s teeth as positive of an experience as possible. Try not to give treats as a reward as some dog toothpastes say your dog shouldn’t eat or drink immediately after brushing. Give your dog praise or a non-destructible dog chew toy.

Brushing My Dog’s Teeth Everyday
If you brush your dog’s teeth every day, it will get easier and easier over time. The more you do it, the easier it will get. Once your dog gets used to it, some products (like the product I use) allows you to reduce brushing your dog’s teeth to 1-2 times per week.

The Product I Use
I never had to use toothpaste for dogs for Sephi and Maya. I just used a toothbrush only. But because Pierson’s teeth are so bad, I needed to start using toothpaste. After researching online and visiting a local pet store, I found this great product called Tropiclean FreshBreath toothpaste for dogs. This product says I don’t have to use a toothbrush, just put it in my dog’s mouth. His tongue will do the work of spreading the paste around. But it also says that using a toothbrush can help the product work faster and better.

Another great thing about the Tropiclean toothpaste for dogs is that it is one of the products which says that once my dogs’ teeth are clean, I can reduce usage to 1-2 times per week. Tropiclean toothpaste for dogs is a greenish gel and it is easy to apply. No messy tubes. Not only does it help to reduce plaque and tartar, but it also kills the germs that cause bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis.

Brushing your dog’s teeth is not the most fun you and your dog will have together. But with positive reinforcement and consistency, you can make the experience better for both you and your dog. And once his teeth are clean, you can reduce the number of brushing sessions with a product like Tropiclean.

Socializing My New Dog

 

My New Dog Pierson Needs Socialization Skills

My new dog Pierson is nothing like my dog Maya when it comes to sociability. As a Labrador Retriever, Maya loves EVERYBODY. And as a dog breed with a gun dog heritage, loud noises don’t faze her. Pierson, my Border Collie/Aussie mix is a different story. After Pierson’s first week in his new home, it became obvious that I was going to have to work on socializing my new dog.

Issues Thus Far
Pierson does not like loud noises or fast movements. He has gotten more comfortable when this occurs in our home, but he completely freaks out when it happens outside our home. And he is scared of our roommates. Even though he sees them every day and they give him treats, he sometimes gets inexplicably scared and barks at them. During walks, I am pulled in one direction by Maya trying to greet people passing by while Pierson is pulling the other direction trying to get away. Pierson is very wary of visiting guests and even growled at someone who brought their little baby. Pierson will not go inside public places like the pet store without much coaxing. In the beginning, I had to pick him up and carry him in. At one of the shops we visited, Pierson barked at a 12 year old girl.

Introducing My Dog to Loud Noises
While socializing my new dog, he is exposed to all sorts of outside noises when we go for our walks. No lawnmowers yet since it is winter, but bicycles, cars, motorcycles, and kids playing. Whenever a noise startles him, I keep walking as if nothing is wrong. Inside, he has been introduced to the vacuum, kitchen sounds, and tv sounds. Pierson no longer has any problem with kitchen noises or the tv. He has learned noises in the kitchen are a good thing since we sometimes drop food on the floor or get his treats from there. He still doesn’t like the vacuum cleaner but he doesn’t run and hide like he did the first time. To get him used to this sound, I give him a bone to chew on while I vacuum. He only gets the bone at that time. I am hoping he will learn to associate the vacuum with food like he does for the kitchen noises.

Introducing My Dog to People
We occasionally have visitors to our home. I tell them not to try to pet Pierson until after he has had a chance to sniff them over on his own. In fact, they should completely ignore him for the first few minutes. Don’t look him in the eyes for more than a second. If when we go out in public and someone asks to pet him, I tell them they have to wait until he sniffs them. And I suggest that it is probably easier to try to scratch him on his chest than to pet him on the head.

Taking My Dog to New Places
Socializing my new dog in winter is a bit more difficult in winter. We haven’t gone to the park yet, and even if we did it is not likely that there will be many people there anyway. So I have to be a bit more creative. We have been to Petco, Pawsh Wash, and a pet consignment shop called The Dog House. On the first and second visits, I had to carry him in. But now he is beginning to trust me and tries to stay close to my side whenever we go in. Whenever he first goes into a building, I stop and let him look and sniff around (while on a leash of course). I let him lead the way so that he can see there is nothing to be afraid of. Once his walk seems a bit more relaxed, I take him to where I want to go.

Getting My Dog Used to the Car
I don’t have much to say on this one because Pierson has adapted to the car quite well. He is even used to his dog car harness, although I have to be careful that he doesn’t try to chew it. Even if Pierson is scared of the places we go, he is not frightened of the car. He does sometimes get car sick, but he will jump into the car like it is the place to be. If I am going to any place with a drive-though, like the bank or fast food place, I try to take Pierson with me so that he gets even more used to it.

Other Tips for Socializing My New Dog
As with dealing with Pierson’s separation anxiety (see previous post), I do not make a big deal out of anything. If he is scared of something, I act like there is nothing wrong. I don’t sooth him or act in any way like I am trying to protect him. If there is something or someone that I think would present a hazard, such as a leash-aggressive dog, I will walk Pierson away from it/them without a fuss.

I once made the mistake of introducing Pierson to too much at one time. There was an event with lots of people and other dogs that I took him to. He was terribly frightened and so we had to leave after a short time. I learned that while socializing my new dog, I had to take it slow. I don’t want to overwhelm Pierson. I want to do a little at a time to build his confidence.

If you have any other tips for socializing my new dog, please feel free to leave a comment. Pierson is already a great dog, but it would be nice if I could take him places and share him with others without stressing him out.