A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I recently told you about Gracie’s escalation in aggression toward Kiki. I would love to say the problem is gone. It still persists though.

I tell Gracie “no” when she nips at Kiki. I grab Kiki and make sure Gracie sees that we are cuddling. I then praise Gracie whenever she does not whine, growl, or nip. Some days, they get along well. Other days, they battle all day long, each vying for as much of my attention as possible.

This past weekend, I spent some time trying to capture photos for the annual Christmas card. These two pics sum up the lovely relationship Kiki and Gracie share. As you can see from the first pic, Gracie is slowly crawling into the picture, upset that Kiki is eating lots of cat treats:

The second pic was snapped after Gracie got too close and growled at Kiki. Kiki gave Gracie a smack on the nose before leaving.

Oh, dear. Training continues….

Rescue Mommy

Here We Go Again - Watch Out for Chicken Jerky Treats

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted an article on msn.com about a potential problem with chicken jerky treats. Since then, I have not heard more about the story. I decided to go to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website for more information.

Unlike the 2007 pet food mess, this story has not made major headlines. I did not even see it on the opening page. I had to search the site for the story and found that the problem has been occurring off/on since 2008. Here is a link to the story:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm280586.htm

I do not give Gracie any commercially-made treats. I make her treats myself. Granted, my ingredients may be contaminated somewhere along the line, like any food we eat. However, I feel I have greater control if I do the cooking.

You can search the Web for recipes or look for doggy treat cookbooks. Just read the recipes carefully, because not all “human foods” (i.e. raisins, onions, et cetera) are safe for our pets. Be safe!

Rescue Mommy

Watch Out for the Hunters!

According to an article that appeared in our local paper, deer hunters can now use guns, starting Monday, November 21 and ending December 10. Here is the link to the article: http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111120/NEWS01/311200058/Deer-hunters-guns-hit-woods-Monday?odyssey=tab

Please be sure to wear blaze orange if you are hiking in the woods, even when you are on private property. You can also buy a blaze orange vest for your buddy, something I strongly recommend. Let’s all be safe out there as we try to enjoy the wonderful fall weather and walk off all that Thanksgiving food!

Rescue Mommy and Daddy

Wet Dog Food

For years, I thought that wet (or canned) dog food was higher in fat than and not as nutritious as dry food for dogs. I recently learned that is not the case.

In its latest issue, Whole Dog Journal reviewed a number of wet dog food manufacturers and posted a list of recommendations. If you are a subscriber, you can view the list on their website http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/.

If you are not a subscriber, take a look at the following article:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/news/How-Canned-Dog-Food-Is-Manufactured-20393-1.html

The article describes how wet dog food is made. Once you learn a little about the process, you can make more informed choices about what brand to buy for your dog. I have also found that an independent pet supply store is a great resource. They often carry a bigger selection of holistic foods than the national stores do.

Just as we must watch what we put in our mouths, it is important to be careful about what we feed our furry friends. The pet food nightmare of 2007 definitely taught us that! Fortunately, you can find lots of information on the Internet. Good luck with your search!

Rescue Mommy

P.S. We feed Gracie wet and dry food made by Castor & Pollux. It is organic and contains ingredients we can pronounce. Since switching to this brand, her skin issues have all but disappeared, and she rarely has tummy troubles. It is available at our local PetSmart as well as independent pet supply stores and online.

Attention Facebook Users

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is participating in a contest through the Chase Community Giving program. If you use Facebook, you can vote for them as well as 9 other charities. They need to stay in the top 100 to win a $25,000 grant. They desperately need your help – and you only have to vote once!

Please visit their website at bwar.org for the link. Please share the link on your Facebook page and ask your friends to vote too!

Thanks for your support!

Rescue Daddy

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving here in America. We spend extra time cleaning the house. We cram all the clutter into closets and hope no one opens the doors, lest everything spill out. We spend hours and hours in the kitchen. It is easy to forget our furry friends. Here are three tips:

• Be careful with the cleaning products. A lot of them are toxic to pets. For example, I use an eco-friendly floor cleaner because the cats vomited every time I used a particular, national brand I cannot name. The eco brand cleans just as well as the other one, and the floors stay cleaner longer because the cats are not barfing on them!

• Watch out for the little hoovers! Gracie and Kiki stay in the kitchen when I am cooking. I must be extra careful not to drop food onto the floor, or they will scoop it up in a flash. (You can search this blog for a list of toxic foods.)

• If crowds are a problem, give your buddy peace and quiet. While it is important to give your pet opportunities to socialize, it is sometimes better to lock them in a room by themselves. Socialization should be done before the holidays, when the situation is less stressful for both of you. If your friend is too stressed by crowds, let them spend Thanksgiving dinner in a quiet room.

Be safe if you are heading out today for Thanksgiving travels!

Rescue Mommy

Move!

The feeding frenzy that is Thanksgiving happens next week. We will gorge ourselves on all sorts of goodies, piling our plates high and consuming a week’s worth of calories in one afternoon. Everyone knows the calories do not count at Thanksgiving and Christmas, right?

It is easy to pack on a few extra pounds during the holidays. I have a theory that the extra weight acts as insulating blubber during the cold winter months. Unfortunately, last year’s winter was particularly brutal, and it took me several months to carve off that blubber. I am trying hard not to repeat the same mistake this year.

The best fitness routine I have found is walking Gracie. Perhaps I should say running with Gracie. When the weather turns cold, she turns into a wild beast. She LOVES to run, charge up mountains, chase squirrels. The legendary Jack Russell terrier hyperactivity kicks in, and she wants to run, run, run!

The following article from thebark.com contains very interesting statistics supporting the idea that dog walking is great exercise:

http://www.thebark.com/content/why-walking-your-dog-great-exercise

So, after you have had Thanksgiving dinner next week, don’t plop onto the couch and slip into a turkey coma. Slip on your sneakers and take your furry buddy for a walk.

Rescue Mommy

Saving Money on Vet Bills

With the holidays just around the corner, our thoughts always turn to our budgets. That’s not to say we fling money into the fireplace and burn it any other time of year. It just seems that the old budget gets tighter this time of year.

I recently read an interesting article on thebark.com. Here’s the link: http://www.thebark.com/content/saving-money-your-veterinary-bills.

It is easy to think that cutting back on vet care will save money. Unfortunately, it never does. Our philosophy is you either pay now or pay later. The article offers good types on managing your vet costs. We hope you find it useful.

Rescue Mommy

Are You There?

We looked at the site statistics for this blog. We are not sure people are reading it. 

We would appreciate some feedback.  Please leave a comment if you have anything to say about the Rescue Parents blog.  We would love to know if you want us to talk about a particular topic. Thanks for your comments!

Rescue Mommy and Daddy

Fightin' Like Cats and Dogs

Gracie and Kiki have never been the best of friends. In the past, they have tolerated each other’s presence and kept an uneasy peace. Lately, Gracie has become a tad more aggressive toward Kiki which is concerning.

Gracie is my Velcro dog. She is happiest by my side. If I am sitting, she usually wants to sit in my lap (as she is now, while I write this post). If I am sleeping, she wants to snuggle close to me. This creates some tension with Kiki who previously held those posts. She was always the one by my side long before there was a Gracie. Now, she has been usurped….by a dog, no less!

In recent weeks, the situation has become tense. Kiki often slaps Gracie, for no reason at all, whenever Gracie walks by. Gracie has lunged at Kiki whenever she tried to approach me. She has barked at Kiki for sitting in my lap. For her part, Kiki has decided that she will sleep on the bed every night and will snuggle with me if she chooses – and there is nothing Gracie can do about it. Gracie usually tolerates this while we are sleeping but lunges at Kiki as soon as it appears we are awake.

I am on the verge of bringing in outside help. I seriously doubt Gracie would not hurt Kiki or Maddy. I am troubled by the jealousy, though. She reacts in the same manner as she does with the cats whenever we encounter other dogs on walks, regardless of the size of the dog. In the past, she was friendly to dogs who were the same size as she is. I am worried that a very bad behavior will take root and be harder to correct in the future, unless I nip this in the bud now. Do you have any suggestions?

Rescue Mommy

Weekend Hiking Adventures

If you are a follower of our blogs, you know that we like to take Gracie for hikes in the woods. She loves being outdoors. She enjoys seeing new places and burning off that trademark terrier energy. No mountain is too steep; no hike is ever too long for Gracie.

When most people think of outdoorsy, hiking dogs, I doubt Chihuahuas, Yorkies, and tea cup poodles come to mind. That is a mistake. Most dogs love to go for hikes. While you will have to make some concessions to their size, there is no reason you cannot take along your smaller buddy with you when you go for hikes.

We read an interesting article on thebark.com  about hiking with smaller dogs. Here is the link: http://www.thebark.com/content/tips-hiking-small-dogs. We hope the article encourages you to head outdoors your petite pooch and enjoy the wonderful fall weather. Happy hiking!

Rescue Mommy and Daddy

Blaze Orange is the New Black

Deer and bear hunting season is in full swing here in North Carolina. The owners of the property around us do not allow hunting on their property. Unfortunately, a few hunters have been known to stray across property lines. Since we have heard gun shots around us, we decided we would rather be safe than sorry.

My usual dog walking uniform could be mistaken for either a deer (tan pants) or a bear (black coat, especially with the hood raised). During hunting season, I wear a blaze orange vest and sometimes a blaze orange toboggan, if it is cold. Gracie even has a blaze orange vest meant for a hunting dog. From a distance, her white body could be mistaken for a deer tail.

I know you are probably thinking, “How in the world could anyone mistake a person or a little white dog for a deer or bear??” Every year, some poor person loses his or her life to a hunter who thought the person was a deer or bear. I do not know how someone could make the mistake, but they do.

If you are going to be in the woods, it is important to take some precautions. Buy the brightest, most gaudy articles of clothing you can find. Sure, you will look awful.  Would you rather look cute and be shot or look like a giant, fluorescent pumpkin and be alive?

Don’t forget to outfit your buddy too. (This is especially important if you have a large black dog.) The same places that sell hunting gear should have fluorescent vests for your dog.

It is also important to know your surroundings. Are you hiking on a property where people can hunt? What animals can hunters kill when you are hiking? When does hunting season end in your area? Yes, it is gruesome information. It is necessary for your safety, though.

Where can you find this information? Visit the website of your state’s wildlife resource management department; in North Carolina, go to ncwildlife.org. The site may not be able to tell you which private property owners allow hunting. You can learn more about hunting season times and public lands that are being used for hunting, though, so you can stay safe.

Let’s all be extra careful out there!

Rescue Mommy

Fun Tricks

In the September/October 2011 issue of Bark magazine, Karen London writes about fun tricks to teach your dog in “Practical Fun: 8 Useful Tricks to Teach Your Dog.”

As the title implies, these cute tricks have applications in everyday life. For example, the “shake” trick can be used when you trim a dog’s nails or need to check the pads of the dog’s feet.

I had already been working with Gracie on the “up” trick mentioned in the article. My variation is “hop, hop.” I use it when I want her to jump into my arms. I also use it when I want her to jump onto her favorite chair so I can remove her harness. It is great at the pet store too when I see a large dog heading our way. It gives her an opportunity to remove herself, with a little bit of doggy dignity, from a potential confrontation.

I would love to give you a link to the article, but it has not been posted yet. I did find a link to a similar article, though, by the same author. Here’s a link to the article if you are interested: http://www.thebark.com/content/eight-basic-training-cues-teach-your-dog

When you are working with your buddy, you will find that a lot of basic tricks can have a practical application in everyday settings. Be patient, and enjoy spending time with your buddy.

Rescue Mommy