Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Dog’s guilt

I am wondering if there should be some new ailment registered called ‘dog’s guilt’ because I believe I suffer from it.  Whenever I leave my dog in the morning, it isn’t too bad because we’ve both got used to the routine, however, tonight I am going out dancing for the first time in ages and tomorrow I am going to see a friend for a meal and I can already feel the effects of ‘dog’s guilt’ coming on.

Just thinking about going out, I can already picture the look on my dog’s face (yes, you dog owners, there is a special look she gets), the eyes will widen in disbelief and that is where it starts.

Upon return to the household, there will be sulking, treats will be required and I may not be forgiven for some time.  This, my non-dog owning friend, is ‘dog’s guilt’.  Buy a dog and be prepared, because it is contagious and dogs carry it with them.

The costs of a dog

When people decide to purchase a dog, there are a certain number of items that you expect to pay for and many people are sensible enough to work out first if they can actually afford to keep a dog, for example, there is the food, the vet bills, the grooming if applicable, the toys and, lest we forget, the treats.

However, my friend in London has recently purchased a german shepherd and did not quite take into account a few extras that perhaps come with having purchased a larger breed.  For example, the dog chewed through the wire leading to the fridge.  Now that was quite an obvious bit of damage but there was also other damage that was not spotted quite so easily.  Imagine her dismay when she moved one of her rather expensive dining rooms tables to spot that the underneath of the chair seat had been knawed away without her noticing.  That was certainly a large cost that she couldn’t afford straight away, but then there was the carpet… Let’s just say that carpet cleaning in London is even more expensive than it is up here in the good ol’ North.

Now I am not blaming the dog, after all, a little bit of carpet cleaning is to be expected when you are first house training a puppy, however, there are things you can do to protect your furniture and carpets.  For instance, you can buy training pads to cover the carpet and quickly train the dog on where to ‘go’.  No, it is definitely my friend’s fault as she hasn’t found the time to take the dog to training, she hasn’t spent enough time with him and she also hasn’t read and followed the guidelines for house training a dog.

If you aren’t going to invest the time as well as the money, then I guess you deserve what you get.

Eye laser surgery for your dog?

I’ve raved before about the new modern medicines and treatments available for man’s best friend, the dog, but I never thought that you could get eye laser surgery for them.

I suppose now I think about it there is no good reason why you shouldn’t be able to have laser eye surgery for any pet, after all, their eyes surely can’t be that different from human eyes.

Apparently though, eye laser surgery in the canine sense is Read the rest of this entry »

Dog wheelchairs

I’ve discussed in past articles about dog wheelchairs, because although dogs can live longer thanks to modern medicine, good pet insurance and the like, there still seems to be few companies out there that can actually cater for elderly dogs in this fashion.

Sure, there are plenty of companies manufacturing and selling wheelchairs for humans, but I’ve only found two companies, one US and one UK, that sell wheelchairs for dogs.

Is it because, despite the fact that a dog is meant to Read the rest of this entry »

Dogs and fleas

Of all the little parasites that a dog could pick up, along with ticks, I think fleas is probably the worst.  In fact, I think fleas are worse than ticks because although ticks look worse and are painful to remove, getting rid of fleas once they’ve infested your house is hard work.

It is for this reason that you really must make sure that you start a flea prevention routine from the moment you get your dog or puppy and keep it up.  It isn’t that hard either, you can just buy a spray or cream and it needs applying monthly or sometimes quarterly depending what you buy.

Set it on your kitchen calendar to remind you when it’s next due and stick to it.  It might be a pain in the bum to remember but that five minutes spent is better than several hours trying to get rid of them later.

ASDA dog insurance

Dog insurance is a pretty important dog product.  The dog might not know it, I’m sure mine doesn’t realise I fork out around £25 per month to insure her, but if anything were to happen I think I’d be pretty upset if I couldn’t help her because I’d cancelled her insurance to save a few bob.

Dog insurance doesn’t have to be as costly as it used to be, and I certainly don’t have to pay out £25 per month – I just want the extra benefits that come with it – in fact, many supermarkets, including ASDA, now offer dog insurance alongside other insurance products and they can start from as little as £8 per month.

The most important thing is to have something in place to make sure that should the worst happen you know that you can cover it.

Safety round garden ponds

In the summer, we are all aware and generally quite careful about the safety of our pets round garden ponds, particularly where dogs are concerned if only because some of them have the rather annoying habit of jumping in to cool themselves down and enjoy a good swim!

However, in the winter months, it is just as important if not even more important to watch our dogs around water, whether that is garden ponds, the little lake in the local park or the nearby river.

When the weather is like it has been in the last couple of weeks, the water can freeze over and it is impossible to know how strong the ice is, so when you are out walking your dog or just letting him or her out into the garden to relieve themselves or get some fresh air, be sure to watch them at all times.

Even better, if you have any garden ponds, make sure you set up a perimeter around it so the dog cannot even get near.  If that is what you decide to do, then make sure the perimeter is safe, has no holes in it and just in case check it regularly and carefully.

Ponds in a garden can look great and if you’re going to get one put in your garden, then make sure you purchase from a reputable supplier and get it done properly.  There are some great garden pond designs around and you can choose the one that not only suits your garden but is safer for children and pets too.

Garden ponds are not just dangerous for children but for dogs too!

Dogs in the snow

As we all wake up again to the sight of thick, white snow and groan at the thought of making our commute to work, are our dogs also groaning?

Some dogs love the snow; I’ve known a dog love to run round and dive headfirst into the white stuff, but not all dogs feel the same way.

I opened the back door this morning to let my shih tzu out and she took one look and ran as far indoors as she possibly could.  Perhaps it’s the small dog mentality more than anything, after all, their little legs are not far above the ground so they probably feel the cold more than their taller counterparts.

There is little more refreshing than taking a walk outside in the cold, fresh air with your dog by your side and watching him or her bound around the snow.

If your dog really doesn’t like the cold, then there are things you can do.  You could always buy a dog coat or even dog boots to protect their paws from the cold but usually, once your dog is outside they forget all about the cold.  Give them a good rub down when they get back in and let them curl up by the fire with you and lock the world outside.

Mediation for dogs

Whether you own your own dog or not, there is little more annoying than an incessantly barking dog, especially early in the morning or late at night when you’re trying to sleep and your neighbour doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it.

In Phoeniz, Arizona, the local School of Law is offering a free mediation service to help people overcome and resolve issues about barking dogs. The problem is really widespread there apparently.

The area is not the first to offer this service as another area, Chandler, also offers this service. Indeed, they say that the barking dogs mediation service is now so popular that it accounts for a quarter of all their mediation appointments. They have been offering it since 2007 and have deal with over 150 cases.

I don’t think I’ve heard of mediation being used in this country for this purpose yet, but you know what they say, whatever America does..

Kennels in trouble thanks to credit crunch

We’re all aware of how the credit crunch and ensuing global financial crisis has affected and continues to affect businesses, however, we seem to forget how it impacts on even smaller businesses.

One of my local dog kennels is closing down and the owner is blaming it on the credit crunch. Not only are people putting off holidays, but when they do take their holiday they are minimising the cost as much as possible so instead of putting their dogs into a dog kennel they are trying friends and family and even paying them a little cash instead.

Read the rest of this entry »