Is your dog not a fan of the fourth of July?

Does your dog get skiddish or nervous when they hear thunderstorms or fireworks? They want to hide in the farthest away corner or closet that they can find. I can only imagine what they are thinking when they hear these noises and not be able to see where or what it's coming from. Maybe that is why they are afraid because they aren't able to see the culprit? There are some dogs that along with fireworks don't care for the vacuum or the lawn mower, and then there are some doggies where those things don't bother them. A motorcycle or a firetruck screaming by doesn't faze them. What is that about?
I have read about doggies that are afraid of certain noises and wanted to share some of what I have found. Of course all doggies are different, so it may or may not work for your particular friend.

"Many dogs are terrorized by the sound of fireworks - or any other loud, explosive noises. Dogs run off and are never found again because in their panic-stricken flight they lose their bearings. If loud sounds startle your dog, there a chance he may react strongly to fireworks. Your best protection is to put him in a small space like a bathroom or even a walk-in closet (dogs often feel safe in a cave-like den) and close the door until the noise is over." 

For those of you in the San Diego area I have posted the link to the Sea World firework schedule so you can have a heads up for your dog and try to keep him as comfortable as you can.

http://www.seaworld.com/SitePage.aspx?PageID=115#FWSCHED

In the case of thunderstorms:

"Normally it takes years for this fear to develop and no one knows why. Many people have a dog who has not had any reaction to thunderstorms, and then suddenly one day becomes agitated and then unglued when there is thunder and lightning. The average age at which thunderstorm phobia begins is seven years old. Some dogs suffering from a fear of thunderstorms are also prone to being anxious in other situations. Which dogs suffer the most? Some breeds are more prone than others to experience terror around thunderstorms. Northern breeds such as Huskies and Samoyeds and some of the larger breeds such as Labradors, Retrievers and German Shepherds are prone to the phobia. No one knows why.

The worst thing you can do is show pity. It causes the dog to be more anxious. The more compassion you show, the worse it makes it for the dog. The best thing that you can do is show leadership and give him direction. Give the impression of confidence and take the dog's attention off of the storm by giving him direction. Give him clear direction with some obedience commands or try getting him to play his favorite games."

Unfortunately I don't have a schedule for Thunderstorms but thankfully we don't get them that often! :)

I have found this information in the book called The Dog Bible by: Tracie Hotchner. It has a lot of information on pretty much anything that you may have questions about. I found it in the library one time and then put it on my Christmas list. It was a book I wanted to have in my dog library!

Sebastian wasn't afraid of loud noises, but didn't mind hanging out under the blanket on a cool day! :)

Things that make you go hmmmmm?????

I am dog sitting my sister’s dog Diego, while she is underway with the Navy.  I watch him as he settles down for the night and he climbs on the dog bed and circles like 4 times before he plops down. Why do dogs that do that? Then after a few minutes, he gets up and starts “digging” a hole in the blanket rip and tear and then plop down again. Does it stir up all of the scents that have been lying there all day? Is it like what we do when we flip the pillow during the night, looking for the cool side of the blanket?

Why do you think a dog needs to change up his "greeting locations"? Currently Diego will be standing on the corner of the throw rug. He will be there for a few months and then he’ll find a new spot. One of his favorite spots will be sitting at the top of the stairs, wait for you to close the door and then he’ll fly down the stairs to give you what I call a high five. A few months later he is sitting on the corner of the couch. He has to change the location every few months! What's that about?

I love it when dogs have to get a toy before they greet you. They are the cutest thing to have a killed stuffed animal hanging out of their mouths as they come running towards you.  They won’t give it to you, it’s like “you can look ma, but you can’t touch!” Dogs have the thought of “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is also mine!” J

 Now I’m not one to feed my dog table scraps or a lot of people food, but it has been a habit of both mine and my sisters to let the dogs lick the very last of milk from the bowl. Dogs are something else. They know what you have when you have the bowl, they usually lay down at a distance when you start eating and then it’s like music to their ears when that spoon hits the bottom of the bowl! They are up and know that you are almost finished and milk is coming their way. It amazes me that they know the peanut butter lid when it hits the counter! They know a snap of a container and that its treat time. They could be outside and all the way across the yard and the pealing of the dog food can lid opens, it’s like they cross their arms, blink their eyes, nod their heads and poof there they are standing looking at ya! Amazing what they can hear! (at times that is!) :)

Dogs are the best. They give us love, companionship; they are faithful and just the best company anyone could ask for.  The stories they give us to share. I am so blessed to have so many of them “in my life”. As a dog walker, I look forward to every day that I get to spend with my doggie friends and the smiles that they give me will last a lifetime.



Love when the Holidays come around!



Meet Roxie

I couldn't help to post this little pooch. Cutie pie! She's smiling at you!

You can find more smiling dogs like Roxie and other great stories and information on www.thebark.com

Have a smiling day! :)

Best Friends Animal Society

For those of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of Best Friends Animal Society. They are the largest no kill facility in the country and are located in Kanab County Utah. The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Angel Canyon is at the heart of the Golden circle of national parks in southern Utah and is home to approximately 1,700 animals, which include dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, pot belly pigs, horses and much more. My recent visit was back in Jan 2011 for my birthday and it was the best time one could have.(if walking dogs, piggies and grooming horses is your thing!) The employees are the most friendliest and taught me so much about the animals that I volunteered with. This was my "vacation" and I had the best time "working" walking dogs, and even a pot belly pig names Squeaky. He was the office piggy and was very easily persuaded to take a walk with just a trail of almonds.  If you are a fan of animals and would love to volunteer helping out animals I suggest you visit Best Friends. They have cabins & cottages that you can rent and stay right on the property. They also have a spot that you can bring your trailer and camp out. The canyon is so surreal and peaceful, to me its the greatest place on earth.



Meet Squeaky



A Gem Called Sebastian

I sit here on a Sunday evening after being awakened at 5:30am for potty and breakfast, wondering what I am doing creating a blog and what I can possibly share with you. I have met so many dogs in the last 4 years and every single one of them has a distinct personality. Each one eats differently, walks differently, sniffs and sleeps differently. If dogs could talk, what stories we would hear and how many smiles and maybe tears they would bring.

Let me start with my boy Sebastian. Sebastian came into my life back in 1998 when he was just 6 months old.  Sebastian was an American Staffordshire terrier, didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Growing up Sebastian earned the name of Stinky Pink. For the reasons that he liked to play with skunks and roll in dog poop and in the summer time his underbelly, tip of his nose and his eyes would get pink. Sebastian didn’t seem to mind this nickname, he figured every day the sun would come up and go down, breakfast and dinner would be served and all was ok with the world! Treats were a must!

When I started my business, Stop! Doggie Time! and more doggies started coming into our lives, Sebastian would kindly make room on his bed, allow them to drink from his water bowl and share his mother’s time. I would get a look from him when I would tell him that we were going to have company and if he could talk he would probably say, ah ma, really? But once our friend got to our home, he put that aside and welcomed them with open paws (or most times, would leave the room and go outside for a bit!) Sebastian recently passed from cancer at the age of 13 ½, and how many people he charmed throughout the years with being such a sweet, gentle, loving dog. He was my boy and will forever be a part of me. Sebastian liked the simple life, lying in the sun, rides in the car and taking a stroll down the street to smell the flowers. Something that I am working on following…. With an armful of dogs in tow of course!

For those of you who has a dog or knows of a doggie friend that is dealing with cancer, a good website for information that can help is k9medicinals.com. Cool thing with this company is that they don’t charge for shipping.  Another good site is helpyourdogfightcancer.com. I wish you the best of luck!

The dog who broke the mold...

Morning Ritual

Welcome to my blog. My business is Stop! Doggie Time! and I am a dog walker/pet sitter. I am also a dog trainer and soon to be a dog groomer. A little much? Never! I wanted to start a blog to share stories that are created with my doggie clients. I hope they will have you saying... Yeah I know that, yep been there! With being around dogs mostly 24/7 of my life, I hope to also be able to share information that I learn and different things that will help you with your four legged kid. Here which I am sure a lot of you are familiar with the Morning Ritual....

It is Sunday morning and for anyone who has had a busy work week and up at 5am everyday, one likes to be able to sleep in past 5 on weekends. For a dog they are unable to tell time. (Proof of that is when we change the clocks twice a year, they are early and then late by an hour!)Once that little bit of sunshine peaks through the blinds, its time to get up and go! First you hear them shake which will ring their dog tags. Then through your eyelids, you can feel them stare at you like you are the only one in the world at that moment. If you try not to acknowledge them at first, you will then feel 30lbs of dog sitting on your chest and their tail going a mile a minute. You dare to open your eyes, (cause once you have made eye contact, its all over) but if you do, his nose is inches from yours and then you cant help but to laugh. You look at the clock, it is 5:30 am and your day has now started. Out to pee, in to eat and then before you know it, here at 6 am you are wide awake sitting there and you look over and your dog is taking a nap, really? Guess I will start laundry!

                                               I don't ask for much.....