When Patience is a Virtue
animals
Do dogs enjoy taking photos
When my husband retired he bought his first DSLR Camera. We were all subjected to his “inspiration” but our dogs were especially so. After a while they refused to look at him when he pointed the camera at them. I really think they had got bored with the whole thing.
Forever Home
I read it all the time: This dog is ready for his forever home. “Forever” is simply not going to happen. This past year (2018), I lost both my dogs, one in June and the other, New Year’s Eve. One died from an Epileptic Fit despite all the medicine and the hope and prayers. The other dog died of cancer (and maybe he just couldn’t hang on with his brother gone.) I also had to place my mother in long-term care in October. So I am not putting 2018 down as my best year. It was a difficult one.
However,this beautiful little dog caught my eye and he brought a smile to my lips when I saw him with his mouthful.
Mutts
I have been taking a lot of rides in the country lately. I live in the city and so this is a vacation from all the noise and buzz. I have noticed that most country dogs are mutts.
This one was barking and chasing the car until I stopped and took out the camera. Then he became totally silent.
This next dog was sleeping right in the middle of the road. When I stopped to admonish him, he took serious offense and started howling.
This next dog followed me all the way from his house to a dock on a river. He knew his way around though because once he got tired of me, he left and trotted back home.
Whatever number of breeds comes together to create a dog, the result is always a distinct personality.
DOGS WITH TWO DIFFERENT EYE COLOUR
I took a picture of this dog because I found he had such beautiful colouring. It wasn’t until I got home and loaded the picture into my computer that I realized he had one blue eye and one brown. This condition is known as Heterochromia iridis.
Melanin is the substance that gives our skin colour. In dogs (and people) with eyes that are a two different colours, there is an excess or deficiency of melanin mostly due to genetics, though it may develop over time. The dogs breeds that are most likely to have one blue eye are Australian sheepdogs, Siberian huskies, American foxhounds, Alaskan malamutes and shih tzus.
Heterochromia iridis is not exclusive to dogs and can be seen in other animals and even people. Jane Seymour, Mila Kunis, Keifer Sutherland, Demi Moore, and Alice Eve all have this condition. David Bowie’s eyes were of two colours but it was due to an injury.
WHY THESE DOGS WILL BE MY LAST
I have tried to keep this site on the light side but recently I read in the local paper that my veterinarian just got a CAT-Scan. I know I should be thrilled but to be honest I am concerned. For sure this will be another expensive procedure I cannot afford. It is certain it will be an option offered to me. After all, the vet must recover his investment.
Recently, I heard that a dog was taken away by the SPCA because the person was not taking care of its medical problems. These were not your run-of-the-mill medical problems: the dog had a huge growth on its face. I feel for the dog, but the SPCA made no effort to assist the owner with the medical expenses which would have required at the very least an operation to the dog’s face.
I could not bare to have something like that happen to me. My dogs have lumps and my veterinarian assures me that they are “just” fat lumps. But what if they weren’t? What if they had to be removed?
Many people hold the opinion that if you can’t pay for your dog’s care then you should not own one. But the cost of ownership goes up yearly. Every new medical discovery brings with it new expenses. It used to be that an owner who brought his dog in for neutering and vaccination was considered a responsible pet owner. Not so anymore. Now, when your canine has “something”, the guilt trip begins.
“We need to do X-rays,” the vet tells you and quotes you a price that would pay for your child’s first semester of college. Will that be the end of it? No! The X-Rays will maybe, but maybe not, provide an answer. Blood tests will also have to be done. And it goes on.
Veterinarians are special people. The schooling required is incredible. A doctor must know about people and only people. A veterinarian most know about reptiles, birds, mammals and I don’t claim to know the all of it. A veterinarian must deal with his patient and the patients owners. I suppose it happens, but I have never heard of a human patient biting a doctor or nurse. Yet the patient biting staff is not an infrequent occurrence at the veterinary hospital.
However, veterinarians may be pricing themselves out of business. Or at least pricing themselves so that only the rich can afford to own pets. Of course, there is insurance, but I am unsure of the regulations around these agencies. I don’t know anyone who has had insurance.
I’m thinking that it’s high time that I reconsider pet ownership. Just last week I paid $25 per dog to have them stay with me at a hotel. And still I cannot claim any of their expenses on my income tax. Dogs may be sentient beings, but they are not “part of the family”, not according to the government.
Enter the Teddy Bear
This is what happens when a Teddy Bear joins the menagerie. Momma’s got a brand new muse!
Things about dogs you were (maybe) afraid to ask
The following are questions I’ve secretly asked myself about my own dogs. I found the answers through internet research. Here I provide a short answer, and I have provided links where I found the best information should you want further knowledge.
Do dogs have boogers?
My dog has a very long snout so I figured that was the reason I never saw boogers coming out of his nose. In fact, it is rare to see dogs with anything hanging out of their nose unless they are sick. Mucus in a dog can be caused by an infection, allergies and injuries. If your dog has mucus running out of his nose you should bring him to the vet. This is not the same as little bit of watery discharge, which is normal.
http://www.pawster.com/dogs-boogers/
Do dogs dream and have nightmares?
Dogs go through similar sleep stages as humans. Within 20 minutes of falling asleep a dog will often start to twitch, quiver, paw-swim, and even growl. What do they dream about? They often relive the activities they experience during the day. That is, a dog will dream about chasing a ball, or barking at the mailman, or taking a walk with his pal. I assume that a working sheep dog will occasionally dream about a flock of sheep. (I don’t know if he will count them.)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201010/do-dogs-dream
How often should I trim my dog’s claws?
I was in hospital and afterwards convalescing over several weeks. When I finally felt well enough to get down to the living-room, I noticed that when my dogs walked across the laminate floor their claws made a clicking noise, a sound that can drive me to distraction. As soon as I was feeling up to it, I got out the clippers and trimmed their claws. It’s winter and my dogs don’t get a chance to “file” their claws down on pavement or gravel or rocky surfaces so their claws were quite long.
Some vets recommend you clip a dog’s claws weekly to get him accustomed to the procedure. I find that if I have the luxury of doing it weekly, I rarely need to use the clipper, I just use a file made special for dog claws.
So when should you clip your dog’s claws? When he needs it. Check weekly and try to clip them at least monthly. Pay special attention to the dew claw which can curl back into the dog’s paw.
http://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/how-often-should-you-cut-your-dogs-nails
Can a dog outsmart me?
I always thought I’d love to have a border collie. It seems that they are more than well represented at obedience trials and show trials. However, I have spoken to a number of border collie owners and some have actually told me that they would never own another one. When I asked why, they said, “Because he outsmarts me.” And I thought, “Oh come on.”
But research proves it. If you don’t stimulate your smart dog’s brain, he will outsmart you. And that means that he will likely do so in destructive ways like collaborating with the cat to get food off the cupboard—this happened to me with a Labrador Retriever. Just check these dog shaming pictures. I think you will see that smart dogs are well represented.
This is my dog’s shaming picture.
And the following site will give you a list of the most intelligent dogs.
https://www.caninejournal.com/most-intelligent-dogs/
Should I get a breed dog or a mutt?
I have had both and can tell you that either can be a great pet. People who get a breed dog may want to enter it in breed competitions. But there are other reasons to get a dog with a pedigree.
You should get a breed dog if you want a certain height or strength or personality. For instance, if you are looking for a dog that loves winter and might haul your child in a sleigh, you will probably be looking at a Husky or even a St. Barnard.
But keep in mind that there are never any guarantees. I like Shelties because they are not high enough to reach the table (and steal food) or strong enough to overwhelm me on a walk, but they are a hardy enough to go hiking– which happens to be my favourite pastime. However, I had one Sheltie that was such a slow walker I had to wait up for him all the time on open trails. This same dog would run through the woods when I took him hiking on trails through forests. So, much to my disappointment, I ended up leaving him at home when I went for a hike. To be fair, I also had a mutt who would take off when he was hiking and then “sneak” back. He looked exactly like a coyote so this was quite an annoying habit. Seeing a coyote-like animal coming at you at a slow, determined pace through the trees can make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up.
All the other dogs I’ve had were perfect companions, stayed by my side, and never wandered off.
Here is a breed finder that may help you decide if you want a certain pedigree.
TEN EASIEST TRICKS TO TEACH A DOG ACCORDING TO FRANK & BEANS
I could have called this post New Years Resolutions for Your Dog. Here goes.
I can teach Sinatra just about anything but Mr. Beans is another matter. So based on what Mr. Beans has learned so far, here are the ten easiest tricks for your dog to learn.
- Sit – This is one every dog seems to be able to learn. Once when I was at my mother in law, I told her “Sit down and I will do the dishes”. All my dogs automatically sat down.
- Down – my dog Captain would lie down whenever he had a chance. He didn’t have to be told!
- Paw – I’m almost hesistant to show that one because one of my dogs was so pesky with that command that I almost had to “unteach” him.
- Go around. Just lead the dog with a treat around you. In no time he will know this one.
- Go through. Lead the dog through your legs once or twice and he’ll catch on soon enough.
- Beg. This one is easy to teach because you can lead the dog by the nose to a “beg” position.
- Roll. I never thought I could teach this one to Bean but I just gave him a little shove to push him over a couple of times and wham he caught on.
- Come – a very important one for the dog to learn. First he has to sit and stay…but they sure love to come for the treat.
- Scoot (go through your legs backwards). Beans knows this way better than Sinatra and I call him my best Scooter. He really loves doing this trick.
- Bark. Easiest trick in the book.
Have fun folks.
Dogs-A-Musings 