Holiday Concerns and Precautions

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xmas2012-103

With the stress of making the holiday season wonderful for all of those coming to enjoy it with you and yours, the dangers that are incorporated with this jolly time of year may have not even crossed your mind with the thoughts of tinsel, presents and Santa running through your mind so here are a few things to keep an eye out for this season.

Poisonous Plants

Poinsettias, while colorful and joyful, are toxic to your pet.  Within minutes of ingestion, the sap will cause blisters to occur in your dog’s mouth and will cause other problems like stomach upset or worse.

Holly, both the berries and leaves, can cause stomach upset or worse.  In some cases, ingestion of this plant has been fatal for some animals.

Mistletoe can cause stomach irritation in mild cases or cause the heart to collapse in severe cases.

If you want to have these plants around for the holiday season, it is recommended that they be placed well out of your pet’s reach so that they do not gain access to them or utilize the artificial plants available in most craft stores.

Decorations and Present Wrapping Materials

When you’re wrapping up the gifts for the family, please make sure to keep all string, adhesives, string and yarn out of range of your pet.   Most glues are very toxic to pets while the string, ribbon and wrapping paper may be linked to blockages.

The Christmas Tree

Some dogs will urinate on the tree – especially if you use a real tree.  This could lead to electrical shock or worse.

These same dogs may see ornaments as toys and remove them from the tree – sometimes rather forcefully.

This may lead to the tree collapsing on the pet or worse.  Wires from the lights are also a big concern with puppies that enjoy chewing.

The water used in keeping real Christmas trees alive for the season may contain sugars or aspirin and this is very toxic to dogs.  To combat this, make sure there is water available at all times to your dog.

There are many other concerns to be had but these are some of the main ones that we have found to keep an eye out for with our crew.  We put a puppy pen around the tree unless there are people there to supervise the naughty pack and their romping to keep everyone safe.

We hope that you and yours have a wonderful and safe holiday season with your pets and family.

Happy 5th Birthday, Lyric!

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It’s hard to believe those five long years ago, you were born into this world.  You were the smallest, most adorable baby in your litter and I willed you to be mine.  As luck would have it, my hopes and prayers came true and you came home to me on February 18, 2008.

The trials and tribulations we faced together as a team were well worth the effort.  You were always the underdog in UKC because you were ‘too terrier’ for most people but I knew, deep down, that you’d make it one day when ADBA placements had come so easily to you.  When you finally finished, I was ecstatic and knew we were done in that venue outside of performance events for a long while.

Then you were diagnosed with pyometra.  I could have lost you and it hurt inside knowing your body was betraying you.  I had so many plans to finish your Grand Championship in ADBA and it was robbed from you.  The blessed thing was that I still had you, despite the fact and the wonders you’ve accomplished despite your spay – the many Reserve Best Altered in Multi-breed Shows and Best Altered in Multi-breed Shows you’ve gotten since we entered back into UKC, the weight pull titles I never thought were possible since you never really seemed to ‘get’ weight pull.

I’m so proud of you, my sweet little spitfire.  You are the love of my life with your zest and adoration and I don’t know what I’d do without you.  Here is to many, many more years with you and many thanks to the woman who entrusted you into my arms for eternity.

jse_HitnTrinpups_0103F1_068Lyric at 2 weeks old.
jse_HitnTrinpupsF1_012608_006Can you tell she was going to be a stinker?
lyricLyric at an AADR Show in Morganton, NC.
lyricmommagirl-aadrmi-nov08A Momma’s baby forever.
lyric-nwdaoctober2012-014Lyric earning her NWDA WP3 after finally ‘getting’ weight pull.
lyric-march2012-184Here’s to many, many more accomplishments, my love.  <3

The Leash is In Your Hand

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The bond created between dog and handler is something that is unique to that dog and that handler.  In this post, our friend Jen of Vom Haus Huro has shared with us some of her inner wisdom and thoughts in regard to the teamwork, training and goals set forth for her dogs and herself as a trainer, handler and owner and what that means in terms of approach.  Enjoy!

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There will come at least one time in life in which you will be faced with a decision in training. A moment or series of moments that can and will shape the future of your training plans and, in most cases, form either a base to build upon for the future or a derailment of training that can take you months to fix, if you are lucky enough to be able to recover from it at all. Everyone will have an opinion on your issue(s) and advice will flow at you from all directions. Which, if any, you choose to follow will ultimately decide your fate and that of your dog.

I believe that the most important thing is to consider who you are as a trainer, who your dog is as a dog and what your ultimate goals in training are going to be. There is always a lot of talk about drives and thresholds. “Oh, my dog has unbelievable pain thresholds”, followed closely by drive. “My dog has true fight drive”. Everyone is quick to brag about what their dog has and what it is. What is of even greater importance, however, is what the dog is NOT.

There is no such thing as a perfect dog. Each and every dog could have a little less of one drive and a little more of another. Each dog could be more balanced in a particular area and each dog will respond differently to different types of training. Focus first on what your dog is NOT, improve it to the best of your abilities in that area and then consider your next step at that point. When you put your dog on a pedestal of perfection, you forget to work on those small cracks that, in time, become large craters to your progress.

Another very important aspect is who you are as a handler. Be honest with yourself about your abilities and your commitment levels. Remember that your most important job as a handler is to protect your dog. You set the rules, the boundaries and the limitations on what is acceptable both from your dog and from those involved in the training with you.

I have seen people whipping their dogs with wooden dowels for a cleaner heel and to me, that is a line I am not willing to cross. Will they be getting better scores than me? Perhaps. It is entirely possible and more than likely probable that they will beat me, but there are no points in the world that are worth enough for me to do that to my dog. That is a line I have drawn as a handler and one that my dogs and I can all live with. That is what training boils down to. A relationship with your dog or dogs, based on trust, forged over time and tempered with time spent, miles traveled and trials faced together. Stay true to who you are as a handler and as a team. Stay true to your dog and the relationship and bond that you have created. Stand firm in your convictions and your beliefs and do not let the popular (or unpopular) beliefs persuade you to do else-wise. The leash is in your own hand. Not that of your trainers and fellow competitors, but yours and yours alone. You hold the responsibility right there in your palm. At the end of the day, it will be you and your dog(s), and you alone have to sleep with the decision that you have made. I hope you make good ones, my friends, and that your dreams are sweet.

Yours in training and sport,

Jen

Jen and Icon (UCH VP1 SG (NASS) Icon Vom haus Huro CGC BH CD CI NAT Puppy CH OFA)

Happy 8th Birthday, Duo!

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I’ve been a horrible, no good dog Mom.   I’ve been so busy with everything that I completely forgot to post a blog wishing my little Short Bus a happy birthday.  He turned eight years old on December 1st – or we think that’s right around the date anyway based on the information we got on him.

Three long years since you joined our family from Paws for Life Rescue, kiddo.  We don’t know what happened to you before you came to us that gave you the demons that caused your ups and downs but we’ll never let you fall again.  It’s true when they say that the third time is the charm.  We wouldn’t have you any other way than with us.  Here’s to many more birthdays, herdie bull.  It will only keep getting better from here.

Speuter Nation: Sterilizing the World

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Let me preface this by saying that I am absolutely not opposed in the slightest to spaying and neutering to ensure that owners are held honest and responsible if getting their dog from a shelter.  I am, however, wholly against propaganda being used by those who would prefer that everything with testicles or a uterus and ovaries be ‘sterilized’ for the implied betterment of pet ownership.

Unfortunately, keeping an intact dog has become a social faux pas in today’s society.  It isn’t acceptable for Fido to go walking around with his testicles swingin’ in the breeze or Fifi to be wearing cute panties when it’s that time of the year because those are sure signs that those people are breeders and breeders are the Devil, don’tcha know?  Sadly, I’ve experienced it first hand with comments like, “When are you going to neuter him?  Those danglies are so gross!” in reference to my intact goober boy.  It makes it hard biting my tongue with comments like that but it’s typically better off that I don’t spout off a nasty remark as a retort and focus my time into educating them why I choose to leave my dogs intact as a personal choice – even if I were to never consider breeding him (or any other intact dog that may live in my home in the future).

With the plethora of information available out there that shows the pros and cons of spaying and neutering, J.Q. Public is sadly lacking in the knowledge department.   For many people, the need to actually have that dog go through the surgery is a convenience for their lives because, let’s face it, intact animals can be a pain in the fanny if you don’t have the time or effort to manage potential accidents.  That being said, if you’re planning on spaying or neutering your animals you should at least be informed of the reasons both for and against the argument.  I would highly suggest reading this article, but if you’d rather it not, here are a few pros and cons for you.

The pros of spaying and neutering include some of the following:

  • Eliminating the risk of testicular cancer (which is <1% roughly).
  • Reduces the rate of non-cancerous prostate issues and perianal fistulas.
  • Nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra (which affects approximately 23% of intact female dogs and has a fatality rate of about 1%).
  • Removes the very small risk of uterine, cervical and ovarian tumors in female dogs.
  • Reduces the risk of mammary tumors in female dogs if spayed before 2.5 years of age.

The cons of spaying and neutering include some of the following:

  • Neutering a dog prior to one year of age significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer).  This commonly occurs in medium/large breed dogs and typically has a very poor outcome.
  • Increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma occurrence by 1.6 times.
  • Triples the risk of hypothyroidism.
  • Quadruples the small risk of prostate cancer.
  • Increases the risk of orthopedic disorders (like torn ACLs) and increases the risk of reactions to vaccinations.
  • Can cause “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs.
  • Increases the risk of vaginal dermatitis, recessed vulva, etc. in female dogs – especially when altered prior to puberty.

Those are just some of the reasons given both for and against the procedure.  We must not discount the risks involved in surgery – no matter how advanced the procedure has become – when involving the life of an animal that we care about.  The risk will always be there when it involves anesthetics and surgery.

With all of that being said, however, it still comes down to a personal decision for the owner of said dog(s) because it is their ultimate responsibility to keep those dogs safe, sound and happy for their lives.  If an owner cannot or will not maintain their pet from wandering the streets looking for bitches in season to breed with, train and manage their pet as to limit any potential occurrences of same sex dog aggression or simply wants to ‘enjoy the miracle of life’ for their children or otherwise looking to make a quick buck off of puppies, I would highly suggest having this elective procedure performed for the benefit of your own personal sanity and the sanity of the rescues and shelters that have to take of the brunt of the ‘problem’ when you can’t find responsible, permanent homes for that dog’s offspring.

 

 

Home Away from Home: Fort Custer State Park

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My husband and I try and take a mini vacation every once in a while to just get away from it all.  This kind of trip typically involves the outdoors and the dogs.  Since we’d planned to use up the rest of our vacation time from work for the week of Thanksgiving we figured this was ample opportunity to ‘just get away’ for a little while and what better way to do that than to hit the trails?

We planned for weeks on where we wanted to go.  We researched the various trails, distances and locations that we wanted to check out since we had already thoroughly abused the local parks and recreation areas close to home.  At the suggestion of our friend Cindy from The Nut House, we checked out the deal on Fort Custer State Park.  That was it.  We had found our spot and the wait began – which was mercifully short.

We headed toward Kalamazoo on Sunday evening after attending the NWDA weight pull that was being hosted that weekend (more on that later) and settled into our hotel room (after an awesome dinner at Mongolian BBQ!) for the evening since we were going to hit the trails first thing in the morning on Monday with the pack and the addition of Peanut and Cindy.

Left to Right: Peanut, Lyric, Ryker, Mika & Luna

We hit the trails around 11am the following morning after packing our backpacks with the supplies for the trip and harnessing up the dogs and got lost in the woods for four hours.  We made a few stops throughout since my knees aren’t always the greatest on hikes (and for a picnic lunch!).  We seemed to be alone to enjoy the wilderness with our pack of pit bulls other than a pair of mountain bikers who were stopped due to one of them wiping out and messing up his bike pretty badly (he was uninjured, thankfully!).

All in all, it was a wonderful set of trails despite the fact that they were pretty poorly marked.  I can’t wait to head back there in the spring when the weather is a touch better to do it all again.

Here are a few more shots from our trip.  The rest can be viewed here.

I Am The Majority

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Animal Farm Foundation announced a casting call for their “I Am The Majority” project to show that pit bull owners aren’t all thugs and the scum of the earth.  Normally, I don’t get involved in PR projects like this but I felt that this was a nice way to showcase the dogs that come from everyday homes and aren’t just status symbols, lawn ornaments or possessions to be had.  I hope that each of my dear blog readers will go out and do the same with their beloved pit bulls and show the world that there are people out there who are responsible, everyday citizens.