Aggression. It’s such a hard thing to deal with and sometimes to understand. Some dogs can be very territorial especially when it comes to food and their owners. If you have multiples and one of your dogs behaves aggressively at feeding time common sense will tell you not to feed your dogs together. If this is the only time your dog is aggressive, problem easily solved. When it comes to a dog being aggressive if someone approaches their owner, the owner should never tolerate it. Especially for little dogs. It isn’t cute. It isn’t funny that poochie loves mommy or daddy best. It is a behavior that should be nipped in the bud. You are not going to find it cute or funny when medical expense are involved because poochie loves you best!

But when aggression goes beyond food you have to pay attention because as much as you love your dog, someone can and probably will get hurt if you ignore it. An aggressive dog is one that is usually very anxious. You can sense when their anxiety is high. It is difficult for them to relax. Even if they nap you will see that they frequently will lift their heads to check things out. You can tell the difference between high energy and anxiety. It goes beyond wanting to please and demanding attention. There is a look in their eyes, insecurity, uncertainty, fear. And as fast as that look comes is as fast as it goes or sometimes it can last for hours.

Things that can cause anxiety for dogs are loud noises like thunder or fireworks, children, cars, loud voices i.e. yelling, quick movements and other dogs. Signs of a dog feeling extremely stressed are shaking, panting, pacing and drooling. Most dogs will allow you to try to comfort them but others may see your attempt to comfort as just the opposite. In these cases your attempt to comfort can be interpreted as something threatening and it could lead to the dog growling, snapping, attacking or biting out of over stimulation or fear.

Not every dog is made for every family. It’s so easy to bond. Even if you see the bad behavior right from the start you do what you can to make it work. Bring in a trainer. Put into practice what you are taught. If you are not an alpha personality a dog that has any potential of being aggressive is not a dog for you.

So what happens when you bring in the trainer and you put to use their advise and the aggression continues to escalate? Sometimes the simple but very hard truth is that the dog doesn’t fit in with your family and it needs to be in a different home so that it can live a more happy and calmer life.

Visit petfinder.com and you will see many write ups that say “would be best in a one dog household” “not good with children under 9″ “doesn’t like cats”.  “hates cars” Dog personalities vary as much as people do. They have their likes and dislikes just like people do. They have physical and mental issues just like people do. Asking a dog who is extremely anxious about children to be around children is like asking someone who is afraid of water to go for a swim. The results can be disastrous and dangerous.

When we rescue a dog we make a big commitment. Our goal is to love and be loved. Sometimes we have to put our needs aside (and selfishly it is our needs that sometimes get in the way) and ask ourselves if our home is really the best place for the pooch we made a commitment to. If we can’t change our environment to make the dog feel comfy, happy and calm, sometimes the best and safest thing to do is to search for a home that suits their needs better than ours does. Bad things can happen when we ask more of our pooch than they are able to give. Just like people.

If your final option is to find a new home for your pooch, please choose an organization that will give your pooch the best chance at a good life.

I get to dress Henry in his elf hat and take pictures.

Christmas Elf

But this time of the year is also a thoughtful time. A time to reflect and remember those who are no longer with us. Whether it be a grand parent, a parent, a spouse or a friend, I always tend to keep them close in my heart and mind during the holiday season.

July will mark 20 years for Pat and me. And it hit me the other day when I was looking through old pictures, we have lost a whole furr-kid family. There are no original Durner furr-kids still with us. This one picture reminded me of that fact.

Kramer, Cayce and Spanky (missing is Owen)

The two originals Owen and Cayce

I don’t have human children so I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose a child. But losing my furr-kids have been one of the most difficult and heart breaking times of my life. They say that in life it’s never right for a parent to bury a child but if you are a furr-kid parent, it is something you accept the moment you lay eyes on your new loved one. You know that someday you will more than likely have to make the humane decision to end the unendurable suffering of your furr-kid.

I was younger and more fearful and selfish when we had to euthanize Kramer. I freaked. I couldn’t be with him during the time that he needed me most. I have always regretted that and vowed that it would never happen again.

In the beginning of 2007  Cayce had begun a very slow decline. By November Cayce had become so irreversibly ill and his quality of life was all but gone. I had made a pact with him that as soon as he let me know he had enough and it was time, I would be there for him. I still don’t know how you know but somehow they are able to tell you – I don’t want to leave you but I have to, now is the time, I’m done here, I’ve had enough.  On November 26, 2007 that day came. I held him in my arms as he took is last breath, all the time whispering in his ear how much I loved him and how grateful I was for what he had given me during our 17 years together.

When Spanky’s time came I gratefully was able to do the same for him. And having been through it before didn’t make it any easier. But I know now that it is the ultimate act of love and selflessness. It is part of being a  good furr-parent.

The hurt never goes away but somehow it starts to change and your heart begins to yearn for the kind of love only a furr-kid can give. Sometimes you may think that you could never allow yourself to hurt like that again but just think of all the love you are missing out on by being afraid of the end. Cayce gave me almost 17 years and Spanky almost 16. Years that I am so grateful to have had.

All those who have gone before have paved the way for me to love

Henry

Piper

Buddy

AND

Luna

So it is at this time of the year that I say “Thank You” to all those who have passed. I still love you, miss you and are eternally grateful for having had you in my life.

You’ve got it! This is Molly. She is a 7-year-old French Bull Dog. Her mom and dad weren’t able to take her with them so good luck came my way again and I got to spend some time with Molly over Thanksgiving. Her mom told me she was a little love bug and she sure got that right.

I loved watching her when we went for our walks. She has a barrel-shaped, muscular chest and this teeny, tiny, little petite waist.

                                                          She walks with determination; a girl on a mission I say. She is very playful and kisses like a kid licking a popsicle on a hot day.  Boy did I get my face washed! Give her a nylabone and she is happy as a clam. For such a muscle-bound little girl, she is so cuddly and gentle. I have such an admiration for muscular furr-kids. Probably even a little envious. Wish I had that make up.

I had such a wonderful time with Molly. I wonder if she would like to come and live with me?

 Oh you’re so fresh!  lol

A little about the breed from Dog Breed Info Center.

The French Bulldog is a sturdy, compact, stocky little dog, with a large square head that has a rounded forehead. The muzzle is broad and deep with a well defined stop. Coat colors include brindle, fawn, white, and combinations of brindle or fawn with white

The French Bulldog is a pleasant, easy-care companion, who is playful, alert and affectionate. Enthusiastic and lively, but are not yappy and loud. Curious, sweet and absolutely hilarious; they have a very comical personality and love to clown around. They are bright and easygoing. The Frenchie gets along fairly well with strangers and other animals and enjoys being with their owners.

French Bulldogs are prone to joint diseases, spinal disorders, heart defects and eye problems. Dams often have to deliver pups by cesarean section, because pups have relatively large heads. They often have respiratory problems. They tend to wheeze and snore and have trouble in hot weather. Prone to heat stroke. An overweight Frenchie may have trouble breathing, because of a swollen abdomen. Do not overfeed this breed.

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I spent the weekend with Yogi who is a full size dachshund.  He had some fun playing with Henry for a bit while enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.  Their personalities are very different. Henry tends to be a little more shy and apprehensive and Yogi moves head strong into all situations. He’s pretty fearless. There is nothing like a good scent to bring two guy dogs together.             

Yogi is a sweet boy who can be very funny. He loves, loves to be rubbed. He has some seasonal allergies so he will sit for hours next to you turning his body as if to say “over here, now over here, oh ya right there!”

He has some typical dachshund traits, the most noticeable being his need to burrow. He is a vocal little guy, charging out the door like gang busters barking at only something he can see or hear. Or not.

But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. A true testament to being “Comfy-At-Home”

  Sleep tight Yog!

 This is Cayce. We lost Cayce a few years ago at the ripe old age of 17. I have to tell you I have never been more connected with anyone before or since. The thought of crating him broke my heart so I never tried. We used a baby gate to confine him in the kitchen. Everyday we came home to a surprise. He shredded the legs on kitchen table and all the chairs. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he chewed two drawer fronts and scratched the door frame. We would have been a landlord’s nightmare if I hadn’t taken a woodworking class and was able to repair all the damage he did before we moved.

Besides the phyical damage he did to the apartment, what’s even scarier is to think about the harm that could have come to him from swallowing all the things that could have punctured his intestines or gotten stuck in his throat. Had he gotten into the cleaning stuff under the sink he would have been poisoned. I shudder at the thought of all the things that could have happened. It took a long time but he finally grew up and we were able to trust him with the run of the house. But looking back, we were lucky.

 Enter Henry. We brought him home when he was 8 weeks old. Now we had a dilemma. We had two grown dogs that had the run of the house  ( this is Piper) (   this is Spanky (may he rest in peace)). How could we ever crate Henry? He was a little baby. It was a no brainer. If we wanted him to be safe we had to make him safe.

We started the learn process the way you’re supposed to. But geez,  Henry is strong-willed.  First to give some info on crate training. The crate should be big enough for them to be able to stand up, turn around and lay down. That’s all the room they need. All collars should be removed so that accidental choking can’t happen.  No food or water because it may cause them to not be able to hold it and mess in the crate. When you crate train a pup you need to put them in the crate for short periods of time to start. A key rule is to wait for 15 minutes of silence before you let them out if they cry when you put them in. Taking them out while they are crying will only reinforce that if they cry you will come to their rescue.  And please, please don’t ever use the crate as a punishment. They will then begin to associate the crate as a bad thing.

Back to Henry. The first day of crate training was hell. Or at least I’ll say that Pat looked more worse for the wear than Henry. I happened to be at work when it happened. The story goes that he was working himself up into a frenzy when left in the crate for the first time. Pat went in to another room and waited for him to quiet down. Every time he would quiet down Pat would start the clock. As it got close to 15 minutes Henry would start all over again.  And so it went, over and over for a good portion of the afternoon. But in the end Pat won!

Henry finally figured out that going into his “house” meant getting a special cookie and that we always manage to find our way back to let him out. It became all good for him. There are times now when we notice that he isn’t sleeping next to us on the couch and we ask each other “where’s Henry?” We start calling him and when he doesn’t come running we realize that he is right in the same room with us laying in his “house” looking at us like we have lost our minds.

Just recently we learned that there is another bonus to crate training. Henry hurt his back a couple of months ago and one of the things that he had to do to heal was to stay quiet and not jump. We were so happy that he was crate trained because it was painless to put him in his crate when we weren’t able to be with him. I think it really helped him heal faster.

So I believe there are more pro’s than con’s to crate training your furr-kidd. The most important thing we have to do for them is to keep them safe. With them being in a crate when you’re not home you know that they are not getting into anything that is going to be harmful to them. And from our experience, after a short while their crate becomes their safe haven, their place to get away from us.

Henry       had his bath day today and much to my dismay, I found one of those little buggers crawling around on his head. Fortunately it was found before it took its blood sucking bite. You have to take special care this time of year to keep your furr-kids free from ticks and fleas. Ticks love to take shelter in leaves and as you can see leaves are everywhere. Henry isn’t one who stays out in the backyard for more than 10 minutes max.  This morning he was out maybe all of 5 minutes before I called him in to start his bath and right on the top of his head was the tick trying to make his way down to Henry’s skin. If it was a different day I probably wouldn’t have noticed the tick and a few days from now I would have to deal with an engorged hitch hiker.

It’s important to talk to your Vet regarding ways to protect your furr-kid from these little creatures because at the least they can cause local skin infections and at the worst the carry serious diseases that are harmful to your furr-kids.

So keep an eye out for these tiny little pains in the butt because they are in survival mode and are looking for a warm body to cozy up too. If you’re doing yard work be careful yourself. They like human blood just as much with just as harmful results.

Below is a like with some information about ticks.

http://www.tickinfo.com/

She is a beautiful 2-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She has the biggest, most soulful brown eyes. In  less than 30 seconds looking into them I was putty in her paw.  Ok, and here’s the best… she gives hugs! I mean it. I picked her up and she put her paws on my shoulders and pulled herself closer to me until we were cheek to cheek and just stayed there. Stick a fork in me … I’m done! There is no turning back. This little girl has found her way right into my heart. I have been blessed yet again by having the good fortune of having met Patty today. I can’t wait to spend more time with her.

To say a little bit about the breed. From the Dog Breed Info center -The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an eager, affectionate and happy dog. They are intelligent enough to understand what you want and therefore are usually easy to train and respond well to gentle obedience training. They are said to be naturally well behaved and get along well with other dogs.

The silky coat is medium in length with feathering on the ears, chest, legs and the tail. Colors include prince charles (tricolor), ruby (rich mahogany red), king charles (black and tan) and blenheim (red and white).

Prone to syringomyelia, (an extremely serious condition in which fluid-filled cavities develop within the spinal cord near the brain), hereditary eye disease, dislocating kneecaps (patella), back troubles, ear infections, early onset of deafness or hearing trouble. Sometime’s hip dysplasia. Don’t over feed. This breed tends to gain weight easily. Also prone to mitral valve disease, a serious genetic heart problem, which can cause early death. It is wise to check the medical history of several previous generations before choosing your puppy.

He is a spunky, 2-year-old american short hair that I had the pleasure of taking care of last night.

Cats have such unique personalities. Leonard is very talkative when he is in a different room. He likes to call out just to make sure you are there. He can be a cuddler but it has to be on his terms. I would pick him up and hold him and after about 30 seconds he would have enough. But during the night he snuggled up in the crook of my legs. When waking up he greeted me with kisses on my face and a friendly grooming of my hair. And boy does he have a great purr.

His favorite toy is a cat teaser. He can do a flip at least 2.5 feet in the air! He just loves it and I bet he could play for hours. I didn’t indulge him for that long and put it down after a half hour but he was still ready to do more.

I had an entertaining night with Leonard. He is a sweetie and a pleasure to take care of.

http://www.ctbulletin.com/articles/2011/09/29/news/doc4e848e565c2dd370333240.txt

It painful just looking at this picture but this is Rocky’s unfortunate situation. Please, if you can, give even a dollar. With a name like Rocky we have to give him a fighting chance.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Eric and Rocky. Please read the article and donate if you can to help with the necessary surgeries that Rocky is facing. It appears that the donations are being accepted at the Milford Animal Shelter and the United Way.

Thanks everyone

They love to cuddle or bury themselves under pillows. At least one in this crew is crafty enough to get a gate open which now has to be locked with a pad lock because nothing else has worked. Have to give him credit.

The breed has some problems that you should watch out for. It is so important with this breed to keep their weight under control. Their bodies or so elongated that it leaves their spines vulnerable to disk problems. Jumping on furniture is another no no. Again the trauma of jumping down can repeatedly jar the vertebrae and cause a disk to rupture. Having a dog that has to have spinal surgery or loses its ability to walk can be quite expensive and heart breaking. When my bichon blew a disk in his spine, the surgery cost a little over $5,ooo and that was a few years ago. Seeing him in so much pain and having to learn how to walk again was one of the saddest things I ever went through with a furr-kid.

I highly recommend limiting their jumping on and off furniture and pet stairs are a must if you’re going to have these sweet babies as part of your family.

Don’t you just love them?