Eating Grass

Recently a friend asked me why their dog eats grass. This is very common behavior for dogs in case you haven’t noticed. I really don’t know why they eat grass but I assume it’s because something is lacking in their diet. It could be that they have an upset stomach and by eating grass, the dog is able to vomit which makes them feel better afterward. It also could be that some dogs just like the taste of grass.

There’s nothing wrong with dogs eating grass, unless of course your yard has been treated with pesticide or other chemicals that can make your dog sick. If this is the case, just watch your dog and make sure they don’t eat the treated grass. Try offering them some fresh celery sticks or baby carrots to chew on.

Humping

Picture this: you’ve just met the most wonderful guy and in an effort to impress him you invite him over to your place for a special home-cooked meal. The candles are lit, the food is delicious. You look into his eyes and ponder if he’s The One. The next thing you know, your sweet little dog is humping Mr. Wonderful’s leg under the dinner table.

This actually happened to me years ago when I first invited this guy (who is now my husband) over for a romantic dinner. I only had two little Toy Fox Terriers at that time, Bo and Sweetheart. I loved them dearly and treated them like my children. I guess that’s why they were a bit spoiled. Sure they humped on their toys and other dogs, but never on people.

That first night after my babies met my guy and “welcomed” him into our home, I was afraid I’d never see that guy again. To my amazement, my guy fell in love with me and my babies. An animal lover through and through, my guy is really my soul mate.

A Nice Dog Nap

I went home today after work and crashed, something I rarely ever get to do anymore since the children came along. After staying up late the past several days and caring for my daughter who has a stomach bug, I am totally drained of energy. My quick nap, however, did wonders for me.

I didn’t even notice that my dogs were trying to push me out of my own bed or that Bella (a rat terrier-mutt mix) was sleeping on my head again. It was funny to wake up surrounded by my four-legged babies. I could tell they have missed me.

My dog nap was just what I needed, not just for the sleep but for the stress relief. It’s amazing that no matter how stressed I am, spending a couple of hours with my dogs not only de-stresses me but relaxes me tremendously.

Who needs therapy when you have a dog?

Quality Time

Spending quality time with your dog is very important especially if you have multiple pets or even children.

I’ve found that since our children came along, our dogs have become more demanding of our attention. It’s not as though we don’t pay attention to them because we do. They love my children and get lots of attention from them too.

But like children, I think my dogs compete for attention. I have been working long hours lately due to staff shortages at work and feel bad about coming home late, feeding the kids and my four-legged babies. Thankfully my husband does help around the house and with the kids.

Sometimes tough, I think we could spend more time with our dogs. For this reason, I am planning a vacation next month and plan to stay home with all of my kids, watch television, play and swim all day. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Meeting Baby

Some friends of mine just had a baby girl, their first child. Of course, before this bundle of joy arrived, my friends treated Oskar, their Schnauzer, as their child. They also have Matilda and Heidi, but they usually stay outdoors most of the time. Oskar, however, sleeps next to their bed but in his own little dog bed.

I was trying to give my friends advice on how to prepare Oskar for the human baby. Because of his sweet nature, I think Oskar will adjust to his “little sister” just fine.

The way I prepared my dogs for my son’s arrival was by letting them listen to nursery rhymes and watch cartoons on television just to get used to kids’ voices and sounds. I also would rub a little Johnson’s Baby Lotion on my wrist and let the dogs familiarize themselves with the smell. I did the same with baby powder.

The main thing I did was continue to show my dogs the same level of love and attention they had been getting before my son’s arrival. When we brought our son home, the dogs gathered around us to catch a glimpse of him. As I cradled my son, the dogs got closer and sniffed a little as if to memorize his smell. For us, it was an easy process and to this day, my son is crazy about our dogs. I’m pretty sure they love him too.

If your family is about to welcome a new baby, take the time and prepare everyone for the joyous arrival.

Young at Heart

Forest, my sister’s toy fox terrier is a prime example of a dog that’s never lost his puppy attitude. He still runs, jumps and acts like a young puppy even though he’s 13 years old.

Forest has laundry baskets full of stuffed toys that at one time would squeak. You see he has this habit of “killing” all his stuffed toys. He grabs them in his mouth, throws them around and chews them up until they no longer squeak. Once they’re “dead” he loses interest in them. I bet my sister has spent hundreds of dollars on fancy chew toys for her Baby Forest to “kill.”

It’s funny that Forest is so rough on his toys because in reality, he is such a sweetheart. He loves to curl up next to you and take a good nap. He is so well mannered, too. He’s always a gentleman and waits patiently for his treats, not like my dogs that jump around trying to score the first treat out of the bag.

I love that Forest is so spry, that’s a common characteristic in toy fox terriers. If you want a small dog that’s smart, loves action and is totally cool, get a fox terrier.

Deadly Heat

I just heard a horrible story about a woman who left her two beloved dogs in the car with the windows partially rolled down while she went sightseeing. Because it was an overcast day, she assumed they would be okay. When she returned, both of her dogs were dead after succumbing to the high humidity and heat.

What was this woman thinking? It’s obvious to me that she wasn’t thinking at all. If she truly loved her dogs, in my opinion, she never would have left them inside her car for even a short time.

I’m sick of hearing stories like this. Will people ever learn NOT to leave their dogs in a vehicle for any period of time during warm, even cloudy days? Tragically, the poor dogs are the ones that suffer. The woman will probably get some new dogs to replace her old ones.

Folks, if you’ve never heard this before, please NEVER leave your pets inside a vehicle, even for 15 minutes. The extreme heat can kill your dog in this short time period. And don’t think it’s okay if you leave the air condition running in your car because even a vehicle can overheat and die in warm/hot weather.

Several years ago, I read a story about a police dog that was left in the patrol car with the air condition running while the officer went in the station for a short time. While the police officer was inside the station the patrol car died and the police dog suffered the consequences.

If these tragic stories save just one dog, than it’s worth retelling. Feel free to pass this advice along to everyone, not just dog lovers.

Keep your four-legged friends safe.

A Special Bond

Some of my friends occasionally give me a hard time about my many pets, especially my dogs. They think I’m crazy for having more than one dog. The truth is, I never really sat down one day and decided to have multiple pets.

Most of our dogs adopted my family and me. Many were dumped out and left to fend for themselves. Others were rescued from certain death after their time was up at the local animal shelter. My biggest problem I guess is having a soft spot for dogs.

I cannot stand to see any animal abused, neglected, starved or worse. I would rather give them a chance by taking them home and either finding them a permanent home or letting them live out their years with us on the farm.

Have you ever just stared into a dog’s eyes? It’s like they have a story to tell if only they could talk. I believe that dogs are man’s best friend for a reason and that reason is because they truly understand us, sometimes even better than we understand ourselves.

One of my best friends use to say that when she died, she wanted to come back as one of my dogs because I treated them so well. Unfortunately, my friend died unexpectedly in February 2002. I don’t believe in reincarnation or that my human friend can come back as a dog or any other animal. The only thing I do believe in my heart is that every dog deserves a warm and loving home with people who will treasure it for the special creature that it is.

When people ask me what my dog food bill is, I usually just laugh it off. When I’m not in a very good mood or I’ve heard the same thing from them before, I’ll be bluntly honest: “It’s none of your business since you’re not paying it!”

I’m not interested in wearing the latest fashions or driving an expensive car, my priorities are straight… Feed, care for and love those who bring me joy every day of their lives.

Ask the Vet

Don’t hold anything back when you take your dog to the veterinarian. Always ask questions, especially if you don’t understand the diagnosis, prognosis or treatment your dog needs.

Most veterinarians welcome questions from pet owners. It lets them know that you genuinely care about your dog.

Several years ago, when one of my dogs started coughing until he passed out, we took him to our veterinarian who ran a series of tests. After determining that our dog had irregular heartbeats that led to fainting spells, our vet referred our dog to the Texas A&M University Small Animal Hospital in College Station, Texas.

After spending a day at the A&M hospital, doctors there were able to diagnose my dog’s illness and prescribed a treatment that prolonged his life. Thanks to their research, care and medicine, my sweet dog got three extra years of quality life.

Smiling Chiquita

One of my babies, Chiquita, loves to smile. She is the happiest little dog I’ve ever seen. What is so cute about this mutt of mine is that she is solid black and when she smiles, her little white teeth really stand out.

Chiquita came to live with us about nine years ago. My sister actually found her walking in the middle of a busy road a couple of miles from our house. Being a dog lover, my sister quickly stopped and scooped up the tiny puppy. We placed ads in the paper but never found out who she belonged to. As is a habit with us, we fell in love with her and decided to make her part of our family.

Chiquita has brought us many years of fun and laughter with her lively personality and beautiful smile. She’s even given us a litter of three puppies that have grown up in our home.

Chiquita sleeps snuggled next to me every night. Sometimes, if she’s on top of the bed covers and I roll over and pull the covers close to me, I accidentally push sweet Chiquita off the bed. She doesn’t get mad or pout. She just jumps right back into bed and gets under the covers.

At least she’s learning that it’s safer to sleep under the covers than on top of them.