A Dog Park Experience

We used to go to the dog park a lot, but lately, we've been a little down-trodden.

Why, you ask?

We've had some less-than-fortunate experiences while out at the city dog parks.  Everyone has good and bad experiences, I know, but we're going with the "3 Strikes" and we're out.  All the pictures from my post are from my first and second visits to the doggie park. :)

Experience #1:
I was a wee puppy (probably 4-5 months old), and we were SO excited to go to a dog park to get some socialization!  It was probably February or March when we went, so there was still snow on the ground, and it was a nice sunny day.  I was pretty submissive when all the big dogs met me at the gate, but within 5-10 minutes, I was pretty accustomed to the dogs there and had a pretty good time.  Bosses were pretty amused, and there were TONS of dogs there (probably 30-40).  All Bosses and dogs were pretty friendly.

Running with some of my new buddies last winter.  This guy was pretty nice!

Experience #2:
We told my friend, Willie, and his Bosses, that this place was pretty cool.  It had a nice open place to run, and agility equipment.  They came with us, and we had a blast!  I still was pretty submissive, but I learned to pick my playmates and have a pretty good time.  The verdict?  Success.  Dog Park was awesome.

Willie, one of my "besties" and I running like crazy puppies.  Oh wait, we ARE crazy puppies.

Experience #3:
This time, however, was not as great.  We were there on a weekend (pretty busy), probably 30-40 dogs again.  I like to go to all the humans and say hi by leaning into them and sniffing their dogs, and I did so!  I went over to a lady and her medium-sized dog, and she KICKED me.  Really, really hard.  Dad was infuriated.  And I'm not exaggerating.  Mom was in shock.  Why in the world would you KICK a 5-month-old dog?  Or any dog, for that matter?  So, Dad went over to the lady, and asked why she kicked me.  Her response?  "I don't want your dog interacting with my dog".  THEN WHY ARE YOU AT A DOG PARK?  Come on.  This has translated into my entire life: I now bark at strangers and raise my fur, because I'm a little scared of strangers at a distance.  So thank you, Lady with dog, for giving me mixed signals.

I still am a happy pup, even if we have "bad" days at the park.

Experience #4:
Another interesting experience.  We gave the dog park another try, on a less-busy day (a Tuesday around 3:30pm). We were there, and Mom met some new people, I met some new dogs, and we had a blast!  Another lady and her Australian Sheep Dog came into the park, and they were pretty nice!  We chatted, Mom and the lady chatted, and it was fun.  The lady walked over by the entrance of the park, and her dog was wandering around the open area, doing what us dogs do...play, run, etc.  10 minutes pass, and this dog bolted at Mom and BIT her leg- just about 3" up from the Achilles.  She was wearing rubber rainboots; he latched on and wouldn't let go!  She tried to get him off herself, knowing he was friendly, but he was stopping at nothing.  She realized he had herding behaviors, so she tried moving away, but he didn't let go.  He kept tightening his grip, puncturing through the rainboot and hitting her skin (she said it was hurting a lot).

Look at me, Ma!  I'm getting my zoomies out!

The people watching from the bench did NOTHING.  She was yelling "CAN ANYONE HELP ME?" and no one came to help.  Finally, after 30 seconds of yelling and struggling, someone came to help, trying to find the owner of the dog.  And there she was: facing the parking lot, texting or on the phone with someone.  We immediately left, stunned, and ticked off that Mom's adorable rainboots were not very water-proof anymore!

Experience #5:
This, was the third strike.  We went on a weekend, and it wasn't as busy in the morning.  There were maybe 15 dogs or so, and most seemed friendly.  All owners were attentive, and watching their dogs, so we figured we'd give it a try.  Now: since I've been kicked, I'm VERY submissive to other people and dogs.  Within 15 feet of entering the field, I rolled on my back and submissively peed all over the place.  Bosses were heart-broken, seeing a jubilant puppy turn into a hot mess.  Mom & Dad helped me get used to the dogs in the park, and everything was fun- met some new people, dogs, etc.  We were fetching tennis balls at the other end, getting some quality dog-chasing in, it was great!  We were about 20-30 minutes into our adventure, when a big black dog came over and wanted to play.  He looked a little more assertive than me, but he was being nice.  I started running, though, and he dashed to get me, making me run a little faster.  We both kept speeding up, and I was bolting away from the dog.  He was running so fast, and wanted me so bad, he grabbed my back leg with his mouth and cut my leg open.  Definite third strike.  Mom and Dad were livid.

I'm not so sure how I feel about this tunnel...but no worries, I learned that it was fun and skidded through it lots more!

And we have never gone to that dog park ever again.  The dog park is a pretty popular place, because it's right off a busy highway, and is visible to a lot of people.  Anyone can bring their dog there, as long as they are up-to-date on vaccines and "well-tempered".  The one thing is that it is never regulated.  It honestly never should have to be regulated, but after three times of horrible experiences, we're not going back.  After both a dog and a person get bit, that's it.  No tolerance of that, whatsoever.  We also learned that a small-breed dog died there last year, after being attacked by a bigger dog.  You can always call in an incident, but all the social stigmas of complaining and ratting out a dog in their group of friends/"regulars"?  We might as well never go back after that, anyways.

However, there IS hope- we found a different dog park that is a bit closer to our house, that is just short of being a dog sanctuary (it's so peaceful).  We'll have to write another post about that one- we've never had a bad experience.

Here I come, Ma!

What are your dog park experiences?

Chow!

What do you do at the dog park?  I run around with one of my bff's, Willie! :)

FitDog Friday: The LAST Last Roughhouse

Hey, Everyone!

Happy Friday!  I'm sooooo happy we're finally to the weekend- TGIF.

It's a big day around here- Kaiser's big "Gotcha Day"!  His family will be here in a few hours to pick him up.  The 2 big humans are coming over earlier than their 2 small mailmen think- they don't think they're getting a puppy until tonight.  Little do they know, our friend will be there by the time they get home from school!  Woo hoo!

I'm not really allowed to play very hard with my little chew toy (whoops, I meant Kaiser)- he just got neutered a few days ago.  But, I can't help myself- we got a little exercise today to make sure he'll be nice and tired for his big adoption day. :)  I have to teach him how to be fit, right?

Enjoy some pictures of our last moments together! :)  Until our next playdate (or so we hope), we love you SO much, Kaiser (or now Geno)!!!

We share so well- I have to teach him how to eat sticks.

Those eyes....so gorgeous.

Boss got me a new collar!

Look at how big my buddy has gotten! Me (53 lbs) vs. Kaiser/Geno (now 15.5 lbs)

Look at Boss' beautiful fall bush!

I will sure miss going on our strolls around the yard together. <3

Dog "Furr"st Aid: Be Prepared

Boss was thinking about this the other day, and it got me to thinking: "What would happen if I got hurt while outdoors?"

Fear not, fellow dogs and humans!

Boss got down to the bottom of this.

A dog "furr"st-aid kit is just as important as a human first-aid kit.  We all have similar organs, skin, tissues, etc, and we all participate in similar activities.  Hiking, climbing, swimming, running, the list could go on.  When we all went camping in July, Small Boss took a huge fall down a rock face (and I'm not exaggerating) when we were trying to get to the top of a scenic overlook.  She fell/rolled/splattered about 15 feet down, with her really nice camera in hand, so naturally, she tried to save that.  Whoops.

View from where the overlook is- just don't fall down part of it!

She ended up being stopped by a tree trunk, thank goodness.  She was pretty cut up, though.  She only sustained minor injuries, but after the incident, we all were looking for a few bandages to cover up the wounds.  Hmmmm.  All the Bosses forgot to bring any first-aid equipment!

Bad idea.

So...Boss ended up hiking another 2-3 miles with open wounds.  Had they thought about packing some first-aid supplies, she probably would've been a bit more content walking back.  Which gets to my point here:

What if me, as a dog, got hurt?  What if I got stung by a bee?  Fell down a rock face?  Got caught on something? Scratched myself really good?

Enter the thought of packing some doggie "furr"st-aid supplies.  Taking care of us fluffies is just as important as the humans.  Someone wise once told me "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".  Can't we prevent worsening symptoms by planning for the worst?

Absolutely!

Beautiful nature also brings dangers- like all those pointy rocks!

Now, you've got to be wondering: "What do I pack in my "furr"st-aid kit?

Wonder no longer!  Here is what we have put together as our little "furr"st-aid kit!

• Benadryl (ask your veterinarian what the appropriate dose would be for your fluffy friend)
• Gauze bandages
• A paper with vet phone numbers and emergency contacts (nearest emergency vet to your location, poison hotline, etc)
• Vet records (we made a copy and put them in a ziploc bag)
• Extra leash- you never know what could happen!
• Coban Wrap- this stuff is nice because it sticks to itself, not to fur.
• Disposable gloves (we used latex ones since we're not allergic to them)
• Hydrogen Peroxide

Things we have on our trips, but are not in the specific dog bag:

• Tweezers
• Antiseptic
• Cotton balls
• Scissors (the kind that don't have pointy ends)
• Antibiotic ointment (the kind you can get from the store)
• Flashlight
• Needle-nose pliers

This is merely a list that I thought would be nice, however, the Humane Society has a great list of some possible things to think about packing, whether it be in your doggie "furr"st aid kit, your human "furr"st-aid kit, or in both.  Ours will probably change in materials over time, too, as we learn new information.  Long story short, be prepared!

I love camping, staying active, and being prepared! :)

Chow!

FitDog Friday: Healthy Snacks for Dogs

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

To celebrate such an occasion, I'd like to share with you special little snacks my bosses have made me:

• Sweet Potato slices- dehydrated: Bosses have this cool thing called a "dehydrator", which cooks food at a low temperature for a long period of time, sucking all the moisture out of the food which is being cooked.  Bosses like to eat sweet potato fries on the grill, and they always buy an extra potato (or three) to make into potato-chip-sized slices for me.  When they're done cooking, they are a jerky consistency, and are perfect for a little "snackeroo".  Plus, the only ingredient?  Sweet potato.  Since the moisture is all gone, they last for quite some time, too!
• Apple Slices- raw:  Raw apple slices are a nice treat at our place.  Usually, Bosses go apple picking in the fall, and bring home gratuitous amounts of apples.  They make tons of cooked/baked goods for themselves, and they give the extra pieces to me when I'm being good.
• Apple Slices- dehydrated: The dehydrator works wonders on the apple slices.  After I'm done with a few slices of fresh apples, Bosses put the rest in the dehydrator to preserve them better.  Then I can have chewy apple slices/bits longer into the season!  Also? Only ingredient, again, is apples.  Can't go wrong with that.
• Banana slices- raw: I love the ends of the bananas!  Bosses don't like the very last bit on the banana, so if I follow a training command or trick, they give me the tiny little nub off the end of the banana.  They think it's pretty funny when I eat that one- the texture of a banana is so chewy, I sit there and make the most hilarious face while chewing it.  Maybe a video of this will surface here later...who knows.
• Pumpkin/Peanut butter biscuits: Small Boss is really into cooking/baking, so she bought a bone-shaped cookie cutter, and experimented by making some pumpkin/peanut butter biscuits for me.  She loves pumpkin-flavored things in the fall, so she figured she'd share the love.  She used rice flour (since I'm on a gluten-free diet), peanut butter, gluten-free oats, and pureed pumpkin.  She baked them at about 450 for 30 minutes, or until they were golden brown.  After they cooled off, they got nice and crispy.  Perfect snack!  My buddies liked them, too!

Please note that I, nor my Bosses, are veterinarians.  This is not dietary advice, and all of these snacks are fed in moderation, and not as a meal.  Bosses only give me a few of these per day.

What are your favorite healthy doggy snacks?  I'd love to know!  I love to eat- but I love to keep my "fit" figure!

Loving this fall weather!  Laying in the yard is my favorite (while the biscuits are cookin')!

Chow!