dogdaze

When I have to give any of my dogs oral medication such as a pill, I hide it in a bit of peanut butter and place the small dab in their mouth. They think it’s a treat and eat it right away. This trick usually works on most dogs.

A couple of years ago I came home one night to find that Harley, our blond Labrador that stayed outside, had injured his front leg. Upon closer examination his front right foot appeared almost mangled. It was a horrible feeling to see a dog you love in such bad shape.

I immediately called our wonderful veterinarian who told us to meet him at his clinic. My husband and I loaded Harley into the truck and rushed into town. I prayed the whole way there that the vet could somehow save Harley’s front leg. In the back of my mind I knew the injury was too bad.

I was right. The veterinarian had to amputate Harley’s leg at the shoulder. Taking the entire leg off would be easier for Harley to adjust, the vet assured us. After a few days at the vet hospital, our sweet Harley came home.

Harley did adjust well after the surgery. He has lived inside our home since the day we brought him home from the hospital. He is still the same sweet dog he always was. He’s a little more spoiled now though.

To this day, we still don’t know how Harley got his foot mangled. We have speculated that perhaps he got his foot caught in some kind of trap and managed to free himself by tugging until he got loose.

In order to prevent this from happening again, we put up a nice fence along our 5-acre property so that our babies can run and play in a safe environment.

Selecting a name for your dog is serious business, especially for dog lovers. The name you give your dog will say a lot about you and your four-legged best friend.

A dog’s name can be funny, clever or unique. It can even describe your dog’s personality. I’ve seen little Chihuahua’s with names like Killer or Rambo. I’ve seen Great Danes with names like Tiny or Tinkerbelle.

According to a dog names Web site, Samantha or Sammie is the most popular name for a dog in North America. Max or Maxine is the second most popular dog name followed by Lady, Bear, Maggie, Buddy, etc.

Through the years, I’ve had dogs named Sweetheart (she really was a sweetie), Bo (he was our Little Bo Man), Stormy Jane, Spotty, Hoss, Annabelle, Hank, Duchess, Savannah, Jack, Ringo, Sugar, Ginger, Big Boy (he really wasn’t), Princess, Junior, Romey, Apache, Emmitt, Ceasar, Dixie Rose, Daisy Mae, Barney, Woody, Hefe, Roscoe and Rocky.

Here are some of my favorite dog names: Maggie, Chiquita, Tinker, Bitty, Bruiser, Puffy, Addison, Sweetie, Pepper, Coco, Lady Bird, Honey, Sammy, Molly, Dolly, Mia, Nana, Sparky, Bear, Pudge, Harley, Buzz, Chief, Albert, Tiny, Izzy, Bella, Brody, Bobby, Boomer, Precious, Katy, Rose, Belle, Star, Baby, Shadow, Patches, Snoopy, Turner, Hooch, Little Joe and Queenie.

Still don’t know what to name that adorable new puppy? You can always name him after a family member or your favorite television show character.

Living in the country has many advantages and some disadvantages too. Because we live just a couple of miles from town people who no longer want to care for their dogs just dump them out in the country near our house.

Have you ever noticed that some dogs eat their own stool or the feces of other dogs? It’s not uncommon for this behavior in dogs, especially in puppies or younger dogs.

I have a couple of dogs that do this often. They eat the stool of other dogs and really like to raid the litter box — which I find disgusting! I always scold them for doing this but it doesn’t stop them from repeating the behavior.

I’ve been reading up on this subject and have found that there’s really no known reason for why some dogs eat stool. There are some theories, however, that claim dogs that do this are lacking something in their diets or that it’s a behavior that’s passed down to dogs through their ancestors.

There are ways to prevent a dog from eating feces, the main one being to keep your yard or kennel free of stool. There are some products available that you can put on dog food to make the stool taste horrible and make it less appetizing for other dogs.

Because I find this nasty habit annoying, there are some things I’m going to try to keep my dogs from eating stool.

All dog owners should have their pets checked for heartworms every year. If your dog is already taking heartworm preventatives, get him tested every two or three years just to be on the safe side.

Heartworms (parasitic worms) invade a dog’s heart and can result in death if not treated promptly. Infected mosquitoes pass the heartworms to dogs (and even cats) through bites.

The only way to tell if your dog has heartworms is through blood tests and other tests administered by your veterinarian.

Heartworms are a big pet health issue as they have been diagnosed in all 50 states.

When a dog is first infected with heartworms there are no visible signs. As the heartworms grow and mature, an infected dog may start coughing, suffer nosebleeds, get short of breath and experience extreme tiredness. He also may get pneumonia and in more serious cases go into heart failure.

If your dog gets regular checkups, the odds are he’s already on some type of heartworm preventative. If your dog is not on a heartworm preventative, ask your veterinarian to test your dog first, before starting him on any preventative.

Puppies can start taking heartworm preventative at 8 weeks of age. They should be tested for heartworms approximately 5 months later.

Having your dog on heartworm preventatives is worthwhile because a healthy dog is a happy dog.

I work very late some nights but I can always count on one thing when I get home — my bassets will meet me at the gate.

My husband and children are usually already in bed when I get home so it’s great to have my bassets greet me. It doesn’t matter what time it is, they are there with their tails wagging and happy barks.

As a reward for their loyalty, I try to have some type of special treat for them in my car. Sometimes it’s my leftover dinner, a piece of hard candy, a cookie or a dog treat. I always make sure to have enough to go around because the “welcome home canine committee” is growing.

At first it was just Snoopy who greeted me at the gate. Then Turner and Queenie, his litter mates, joined him. Now even Little Joe, who is not little at all, has wised up and runs to greet me when I get home.

It’s really cute to see the stampede of bassets rush to the gate almost as if racing for the prize. So no matter how late I work or how tired I am when I get home, I have something to look forward to every day and night — my sweet, adorable bassets.

Some friends of mine own several storage units in town and I love going in to pay my monthly bill because of their greeter — Casey, a beautiful, gentle golden retriever.

My friends adopted Casey a couple of years ago and he has brought them much happiness. He’s also brought a great deal of joy to me and other customers who linger longer than usual when stopping by to make a payment on their storage building.

Casey usually has a chew toy or tennis ball in his mouth and he’s ready for anyone to take it from him and give it a good toss. He loves to run after the ball or toy and bring it back to you for more play.

Playing ball with Casey for a few minutes is very relaxing and I know he enjoys it as much as I do.

I’m thankful my friends are such wonderful people and dog lovers to bring their precious Casey to work with them so that others can enjoy him.

When we first adopted our Chow Chow, Coco, from the local animal shelter, our veterinarian cautioned us that Chows have a more aggressive nature than the toy fox terriers we shared our home with.

Now, almost 8 years later, Coco is still one of the best natured, sweet and loving dogs we have. She still acts like a puppy sometimes, dancing around and sneaking kisses whenever I bend down to play with her. She loves for me to comb her thick coat and thanks me by snuggling up to me and falling asleep.

The reputation Chow Chows have can prevent many of them from being purchased or adopted, especially from area shelters. I can only tell you from my own experience, that our Chow is not aggressive. She is a wonderful companion and beloved pet.

If you’re considering getting a Chow, do your homework and read up on the breed. A Chow could be the best friend you ever had.

If you’re like me, you like to take your dog along for a Sunday drive or a fast trip to McDonald’s. For my dog, just getting to ride in the car is a special treat.

Do you know they make doggie seat belts, or harnesses, to keep your pet restrained in the car? This is a great idea! I don’t own one of these yet but I am shopping around for one.

A friend of mine from work has a safety harness for his dog Buster, who loves to ride in a car, or in his case, a truck. Buster has a harness that keeps him safe as he cruises the back roads of East Texas. It’s cute to see Buster just sitting in the truck minding his own business. It’s great knowing that in the event of an accident, he’ll be secure in the vehicle.

If you don’t have a vehicle safety harness for your dog, look into the device. It could save your dog’s life.