You may not be paying attention... but they are....

I've been walking dogs for 7 years now and have been around dogs all my life. We all want our babies to have their manners and basic commands down. We will take the time to teach them to sit, stay, come, etc.... Sometimes it takes some time for some dogs to get it and it can get a bit challenging but with a little patience and persistence, they succeed!

Have you noticed things that you say or do that your dogs get as if you trained them on purpose?

A few years back, my sister was away on travel for a good part of the year and I was taking care of my boy and my nephew. My nephew was on a eating schedule and had dinner every night at 5. We all know that dogs know how to tell time. (Although when we do a time change, they are off the hour but eventually get caught up). Every day at 4:55 Diego would start on me that dinner time was approaching. Diego was one of those that he would get right up to your nose (doesn't touch you but a sheet of paper width apart) and stare at you until you got up to feed him. Meanwhile, my boy Sebastian would sit in the back ground and let Diego do all the work. Dinner time came and I would say "fine" and off we went into the kitchen. Every day I would say fine to dinner or even to go out for a walk, not realizing that they were picking on this word and knew when that was said something was going to happen. I never realized that I was training them with the word fine, until my sister came back, had no idea of this, and one day said the word fine and the boys were at her feet. Uh Crystal......

When I walk my clients we tend to get on a path that we take and some of the neighborhoods would be a cul de sac to where we just walk to the end and turn around. Well, a couple of my clients that I have been walking for a few years now, I noticed I "trained" them with the word "OK". We would be walking and if I wanted to turn around and go back my one girl Binx would do a 90 degree turn to go back the other way. It was something I didn't notice until recently that they picked up on me saying "OK" and knew what I meant by that. Sienna was another pooch that picked up on that as well and to me that is pretty cool.

Another two "cool cats" that I walk, we tend to walk up and down side streets in their hood and when we walk to the end of the street, I would make sure there were no cars coming and say "OK, lets cross". I have been walking these two for a few years as well and had no idea that they picked up on me saying OK, lets cross. The second I say it they are crossing the street with me! Pretty cool...

Dogs are pretty amazing creatures and beyond smart. They are similar to little kids that are learning to talk, very impressionable and will pick up on what you say! Now if they can get sit & stay as fast as they learn "OK, lets cross" we'll be all set! Pay attention and watch what you say around these guys! :)

                                     Monday Funny.....

Parker's typical morning...

It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting here with my cup of tea and have Hotel for Dogs on the tube. I thought I would talk about my boy and what a "Parker morning" consists of. First of all, Parker is NOT a morning dog at all. If I have an early client and am able to come back after my first walk, he stays in bed until I come back. He rarely gets up before 9! I'm so glad I don't have my other job where I had to get up at 5, he wouldn't make it! He sleeps in his bed and likes to be under a blanket. I have him to where if I ask him if he is "Chillus" he nudges the blanket and that tells me that he is chilly and is ready to go under the blanket, most times that is where he stays. There is the rare occasion where he will get up in the middle of the night, make a little whimper to wake me up to tell me that his blanket came off and he needs it back on. (And we think we train them, ha!)

Then morning rolls around....

I get up, make my tea, turn on the tube and there is still no movement from under the blue blanket. As the morning continues and I make a little more noise, I look over and will sometimes see this.....

By all means is this little boy in a hurry to get up in the morning! My kind of guy! This look will usually last for a good 10 - 15 minutes and then I get this....

Slowly crawling out from under the blanket and I usually get a big yawn. 

But when that blanket is off, all bets are off! The first thing he goes for is his ball. He hasn't even stretched yet and he's rolling a ball across the floor. We play for a minute and then outside he goes. His main priority in life is the ball. He doesn't "ask" to eat or to go potty, he wants to play. I have to take him for a walk to get him to potty because he will not go in the yard. That is his playground, not his bathroom! When I first rescued him, it had been a couple years since I had my Sebastian (so I fell out of practice with time and dog duties) and there were times when it would be 9 at night and I would realize that he didn't eat dinner yet. Parker wasn't the least bit interested in food, his interest was in a green tennis ball. I would ask him if he wanted dinner and he had the expression on his face like, oh yeah food, sure why not! He would eat and then.. you guessed it right back to it!

He reminds me of when I was little and if we were swimming and had lunch, we would have to wait a half hour before we could go back in the pool cause we would get cramps. Parker is somewhat similar to where he has to wait a little bit after eating before he can play again because he will get sick. Talk about a hard task to accomplish! He will be persistent with trying to get you to play with him and if you ignore him, you will get this....

Needless to say, this little guy keeps me on my toes and if I let him, he would go at it 24 hours a day! I love this boy and am so glad to have found him.

So as one can imagine, at this moment, Parker is patiently waiting for a ball to be thrown. And as I am writing this, I look over to my door and see this...

Parker peeking under the door, saying.. "Hey Mom! You going to throw the ball yet?" On that note, I am going to finish this story and tend to my obsessed little boy. Have a great day everyone!

How about holistic veterinary medicine for your pet?

What is holistic medicine?

Holistic Medicine is the examination and diagnosis of an animal, considering all aspects of the animal's life and employing all of the practitioner's senses, as well a the combination of conventional and alternative modalities of treatment. A holistic vet in addition to giving the pet comprehensive physical exam, they want to find out about its behaviors, distant medical and dietary history, its environment including diet, emotional stress and other factors. Techniques used in holistic medicine are gentle, minimally invasive, and incorporate patient well being and stress reduction. When presented with a "disease", the holistic challenge lies in the question of "why?" With a series of analytic observations and appropriate testing the goal and finding the root source of the pathology. A simple appearing symptom may have several layers of why its happening. Only when the cause is found is there a possibility for a lasting recovery. Once the symptoms have been treated, the task is not complete until the underlying disease patterns have been redirected. The dog as well as its owner will be guided to a new level of health.

Some of the Modalities used in Holistic Medicine, Modern Drugs, Surgery and Diagnostics:
Acupuncture

Behavior Modification - Ethology, biology, nutrition, pharmacology, lifestyle evaluation and aspects of modern psychotherapy.

Herbal Medicine - Specific herbs and plants. Western herbs, Ayurvedic herbs from India, traditional

Chinese herbs and other herbs from all over the world. Herbs have healing powers that are capable of balancing the emotional, mental and physical dimensions of animals.

Homeopathy - remedies are from plants, minerals, drugs, viruses, bacteria or animal substances. These remedies do not mask or suppress symptoms, they treat the deepest causes of the illness.

Nutritional Therapy - Proper nutrition is the best preventative medicine.

Veterinary Chiropractic

~American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

I have been reading a lot on holistic medicine and am surprised on a couple things that I have found.

Conventional kibble could be slowly killing your pets!

Many conventional kibble products, or pet foods that come dried in bags, contain animal by-products, chemical additives and other questionable ingredients that could be slowly killing your pets.
Even the more expensive pet food brands contain some of these questionable ingredients, which include things like leftover animal parts ground up from "4-D" livestock. The 4-D part refers to dead, dying, disabled and diseased animals that are considered unfit for human consumption, and the by-products of these animals are routinely added to pet kibble. "According to the online pet pharmacy, PetMeds, by-products are 'the leftover parts of the animal that are not suitable for human consumption' and can include animal pieces such as necks, feet, bones, intestines and lungs," Besides animal by-products, most conventional pet foods are loaded with all sorts of other ingredients that no mammal should ever consume. Many dog food brands that contain fish meat also contain ethoxyquin, a preservative chemical linked to cancer causation. Many pet foods are also heavily composed of grains like wheat and corn which, besides their potential GM status, are not healthy for pets. Dogs in particular thrive on raw diets composed of healthy meats, fish and vegetables, not processed grains and chemical additives.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/045116_dog_food_kibble_pet_care.html##ixzz33YQgWKbA

Now this information is a tad bit contradicting to another post I made a couple weeks ago pertaining to chicken by-products, so it makes you wonder what is factual and what we should believe. Pretty scary if you think about it, so make sure if your pet's health and wellness is a top priority, be sure to do your research before feeding your babies!

One size fits all?

Over the years, devoted toy breed dog owners have wondered why our tiny balls of fluff receive the same dose of vaccine as large breeds. It doesn't seem to make sense that a five pound Maltese or Yorkie should receive the same size vaccination as a 120 + pound Great Dane! Vaccinations protect against illness, and are an important issue in veterinary care. 

Research was done by American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation to look further into the question of do the little dogs need the same dosage of vaccines as large dogs? 

This formal study is based upon nearly five decades of personal clinical and research experience with vaccinations in companion animals. This experience has shown that the dose of canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) vaccines can be reduced to 50%, but not more, for small breed and breed type dogs, based on body weight, and still convey full duration of immunity. They are continuing the research and it will take 6-12 months to complete. You can follow their continued research on their website. www.ahvmf.org

My Sebastian (American Staffordshire Terrier) passed away from cancer in 2011. Now I'm not saying that he passed because I did the "traditional" shots every year, which are now being said as not necessary to be given every year. There were several times when he had an injury or not feeling well and we went to the vet to get meds, either an antibiotic or steroid. And I also gave him the dried dog food from the bag for many years, not even thinking about the ingredients as it wasn't as talked about as it is now. Could both of those things contributed to him getting cancer at the age of 12? With all the information that is passed onto us humans as to what we should be doing and not doing as far as medications and the side effects, as well as the foods that are good and bad for us, why wouldn't we want to take that information into consideration when it comes to our pets? No they don't live forever, but if we adopt a pet, we are taking responsibility for that animal and we should give them the best life possible. If that's what we want for ourselves, then we should do the same for them. A thought for the day.... 

:)

An update to yesterday's pooch that was to be euthanized...

A quick note to let you know that....
She is SAFE SAFE SAFE!!
Thank you Rebound Hounds ResQ for saving Princess!

Good advice gone bad...

"While it's easy to give advice it takes humility and courage to be open to receiving advice and see it as one of the greatest expressions of love and care."

Have you ever tried to give well meaning advice and your friend or family member stubbornly refused it? Perhaps you tried to prevent an obvious disaster but the person you care about wants to do it their way?

Welcome to planet earth! People generally don't like receiving unsolicited advice, although we all love to give it. But if you dive deeper into the nooks and crannies of the human mind, you'll see that fear and ego can sometimes get in the way of the health and well-being of your dog.

Most people genuinely care about their animals and hearing that they could do something differently puts them on the defensive. Although they really want to do things right for their dog, they view well-meaning advice as a way of saying that they are neglecting their dog.

Personally, I am open to any kind of advice that is given to me in any area of my life, especially my dog. There are so many resources out there that can be researched to get the yays or nays about it, so why get on the defense and take offense? By receiving advice from someone doesn't mean you have to do it! Be thankful that there are caring people out there passing along something they experienced and want to share! Its up to you with how you proceed with that information.

Facebook has it's good and bad. A lot of things that are posted are questionable as being factual and a lot that has truth to it. I, to no surprise have a lot of dog pages that I have liked and see a lot of interesting information that can be helpful. There are also a lot of rescue pages that share a lot of dogs that are in need of homes. What an awesome way to get these pups out there and passed along in this country in the hopes of finding a foster home to get them off of the euthanasia list and eventually into their forever home.With statistics showing that there are 9,000 dogs killed a DAY in shelters, the more exposure these babies can get, the better.

Some of the pages that I like and see do wonders for these dogs are.....

~ Lady Bug the Pibble Mix - This page was started for a dog that was found on the streets. Their owner rescued her and called her Lady Bug. They are always passing along dogs that are in shelters and only have hours to live before they are euthanized. Most of the time, a little later that day they will share the same dog as being saved! Always nice to see. 

~ Second Chance Rescue NYC - Second Chance is a 501c3 animal rescue organization that specializes in helping the Pit Bull Terrier dog. They focus on medical cases as well as abused & neglected animals. They believe all animals deserve a Second Chance. Their website is http://www.nycsecondchancerescue.org  Check out their page, maybe you can save one of their babies!

~Ellie the pit bull - She is a beautiful pit bull who became 2013's American Dog Hero. Awesome as a pit she was recognized. Her page pretty much shows what she does to help people as a therapy dog and spreads the word about pit bulls and how good the breed really can be. 

~ Dog Naturally Magazine - This page shares a lot of information if you are looking to care for your pets more holistically. A lot of different things you can do for your dog without having to give them drugs and healthier ways to feed your dog besides a bag of kibble. Their website is  http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/  A lot of free online articles. Check them out!

I wont bore you with anymore.... for now. But I will pass along a cutie pie that is looking for their forever home....

Courtesy of Lady Bug the pibble mix page...

MANHATTAN CENTER NYC
Another hold that did not happen!
Princess back on the list

TO BE DESTROYED 05/27/14
Manhattan Center -PMy name is PRINCESS. My Animal ID # is A1000201.I am a female tan and white pit bull mix. The shelter thinks I am about 3 YEARS old.I came in the shelter as a STRAY on 05/18/2014 from NY 10473, owner surrender reason stated was STRAY.

                      And not to leave out a funny for the day....


                                  Happy Memorial Day!

What dogs notice on their walks and what is it telling us to do?

I was talking with a friend of mine today and she was talking about her 15 month old son and how when she walks out to the car, how long it takes to get to the car because he notices everything there is to see on the way. What would take 30 seconds can take up to 3 minutes. A leaf blowing by, a colorful flower petal that blew off the tree, someone walking down the street... (you get where I am going).  It could be anything and he stops to check it out. 

Now I know we don't have time to take a 30 sec walk and turn it into a 3 minute walk just to notice everything that we may see on the way, but if we did slow down just a bit to notice the little things, would we still get the same amazement and enjoyment?

Dogs are the same way, especially puppies. A few years back I had a client who was about 7 months and we were on our walk, it was a warm day so we took a break in the grass under a tree. We were sitting there and he was looking all over, curious as ever and here comes this leaf blowing down the street. He jumps up and just stares as it flies by. It was so intriguing for him just to watch the leaf. Being a puppy that could have very well been the first leaf he has ever seen, but it makes you stop and think. Dogs are always stopping to sniff the tree and smell the plants or the grass (of course we know why they are sniffing but that's besides the point). Always wanting to be pleasant and say hello to passing humans and other canine relatives. (Most times) I have this pug that I walk and there is this plant that we pass and she has to stop to smell it every time! I always think she's stopping to say "Hi plant, how's it goin?" 

As we all know, dogs are amazing creatures. They are always happy to see us, lick away our tears, always rubbing all over us as to "mark" us to say that we are theirs. They are always there no matter what. Pure love... And the next time you are walking your dog, watch what they do, where they are sniffing and see past the "dog reason", they just might be telling you something. Slow down and enjoy your surroundings. :) 

These 3 "heart shaped" rocks I found on 3 different walks.

Now matter how you look at it, dogs are love, give love and surround you with love. Slow down and take it all in.

Back after a long hiatus... Chicken? or Chicken by products?

I know its been quite awhile since I have posted anything on my blog. I can say that my dog walking business has kept me very busy! I am going to try to keep up with this so I can share my stories and also pass along any information that I come across that I think you will find interesting and or informative. And of course put a smile on your face :)

To bring you up to date, Stop! Doggie Time! has exploded over the last couple years. I can sometimes work round the clock for a few months at a time. This year I am looking to add to the business something along the lines of an air conditioned indoor dog park. I think with the summers warming up in San Diego, I think it would be a good place for people with older dogs that are unable to run around in this heat for a long time and it would keep the owners out of the heat as well! Also if you have just given your dog a bath and want to keep him clean longer than the car ride home from the dog wash, it would be a good spot. I also thought of it for doggies that have allergies. One of my clients is allergic to grass. The poor boy loves to play ball and if he goes in the grass his paws turn raw and he chews on them like they are steaks. So I am thinking this might be something that could work. I am in the process of working on my business plan and hope to be able to open something up next year. I'll keep you posted!

Since my Sebastian has passed, I have adopted a little guy. He is a dachshund / corgi mix and his name is Parker. He is as sweet as they come. He has filled my life with joy and a strong arm for throwing the tennis ball! The boy is relentless! I love him to pieces!

Parker

 

But enough about me... I did want to share some information that I recently read in a new magazine that I found on Facebook called, Dogs Naturally. It leads more towards the holistic side of pet care and that is something that I want to do with my little guy.

 

Playing Chicken - fowl play and ingredient labels

 

To start... you go into a pet store and are looking for dog food. You come across two different kinds and you read the labels. The first ingredient in bag 1 is chicken and bag 2 is chicken by products. You read a little bit more and see that the bag with chicken claims to be from USDA inspected facilities. The chicken by products claims to be from USDA inspected and APPROVED animals. Which one do you choose? Now chicken by products are usually the left overs that we humans don't want to eat, so why would you feed this ingredient to your dog? BUT.. Animal by products are excellent sources of protein and essential vitamins and minerals for pets. They provide essential nutrients that dogs need and are also a sustainable source of quality protein.

 

There is a book called AAFCO Ingredient Definitions. It's an essential guide to what the pet food industry allows and what they don't allow the manufacturers to say and do.

According to AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) the definition of poultry is: a clean combination of flesh and skin, with or without bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of poultry or combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, head, feel and entrails.

Poultry by products must consist of non rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera, free from fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts.

So the difference is poultry by products are from slaughtered animals. Poultry can be from dead chickens euthanized or that have already died from diseases. Now that is scary. Especially when you see advertisements for dog food brands and they say to make sure the first ingredient is meat. That's what I have always done and have always put down the bag with by products attached to the meat. I guess we have to look even more into our dog food to make sure our babies are getting the best. I think my sister has it right... Cook for your dog and you know what's in it! Anyone know of a dog chef?