Dog Park - Staying Fit and Having Fun

Anyone who follows me on Dogbook knows I love going to Dog Park.  It is a lovely place, over seven acres of fields and woodlands that follow a river.  Dogs can run in the fields and swim in the river or just walk along the wonderful paths with their humans for miles and miles. All filled with such great smells!

I love going to Dog Park because there is soooo much to do.  I get to run free and don’t have to worry about Mom or Dad getting lost.  I have to wear my leash when we get out of the car, although it is a hassle, but our dog park is not fenced in so Mom wants to make sure I am away from traffic before I can go off leash.  It seems like a long time but it is not because most of the property is far away from the road where there are cars so when Mom feels safe, she takes my leash off and I am on my own!

 There are lots of different tails so we, usually Mom or Dad, can decide how long we can stay at Dog Park.  I like the really long one that run by the big hill and then to the swimming hole cuz that’s where most of the dogs hang out.  Sure, we meet lots of dogs along the trails but the swimming hole is where the action is.  On the weekend, you can find 20 dogs and their humans hanging around the big field by the swimming hole.  The humans are all drinking their coffees and talking and us dogs, well; we are having lots of fun!  Nobody cares if we dig holes or run around with big sticks.  Some dogs like to jump in the river and splash around.  In the Summer I will go in up to my knees but even though I’m part Lab, I’m not crazy about water.

Sometimes I meet up with old friends but lots of the times I get to play with new dogs.   I love playing tag and chase and there is usually someone who wants to play.

Even when we go on a weekday and the park is quiet, I still get a lot of exercise so when I get home, all I want to do is nap.  Somebody said that a tired dog is a good dog.  I guess I can’t get into too much trouble if I’m sleeping.   Mom says going to Dog Park is good for humans too cuz they need exercise too.

I love Dog Park but it is not for everyone.  Dogs are social beings and like to be around other dogs.  Living with humans is nice but we need to talk with other dogs sometimes. Just like human females need a “Girls Night Out’ and male humans need “A Night Out With the Guys” Dogs need to be with other dogs sometimes.  If you are thinking of taking your dog to a dog park, you might want to check it out alone first.  Some dogs are really shy and would not like being at a dog park. If you see that your dog is not having fun, be a good human and take them home where they feel safe.

Some parks, like in cities, have supervised play.  I had supervised play when I went to day care and it was nice but we don’t have that at Dog Park.  At Dog Park all of the humans need to watch their own dogs to make sure they are playing nice. Mom almost never takes calls on her cell phone when we are at Dog Park.  She says even she deserves an hour or so away from business.

I try to play nice with all the dogs but I know Mom is always watching to make sure.  Once or twice when she thought I was having too much fun, she called me away and made me sit for a minute until I calmed down.  What can I say, some games are quite intense.

A couple more things:  there are hundreds of dogs that visit dog parks every day and you can’t know where some paws have been so make sure you are up to date on all of your shots.  Also, your humans should be prepared to clean up after you.  My Mom carries poop bags in all of her jacket pockets. It gets kind of embarrassing when she tries to get a business card out of a pocket and a bunch of poop bags come out too.   It's about priorities…

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion ... After a walk in the park I am ready for a snack and we keep my snacks in My Own Cookie Tin.  You can have your very own cookie tin too ....

Who Rescued Who (or is it whom?)

5 to 7 MILLION companion animals (pets) are relinquished (dumped) at shelters every year. 3 to 4 MILLION of these "companion animals" are euthanized (KILLED) within 60 days of being admitted. I was very lucky.  My six brothers and sisters and I were in a shelter in the south where there are lots and lots of homeless dogs.  We were tiny babies when some nice people drove us far away so we could be adopted.  My Mom saw me on line and came to get me.

My Mom would love to be able to take every one of those 5 to 7 MILLION pets home too but she says that is not practical. We don't have lots room or lots of money so in order to make sure I have good food, medical care and other things that make my life good, my Mom and Dad need to watch their pennies. They are trying to convince me that I should have a brother or sister but I am THE DOG and am not looking forward to having to share my family or my toys with another dog. Mom said since I was so against having another dog live with us that we could maybe foster dogs until we found them their own fur ever homes. That could be okay since I would only have to share with another dog for a short time. It would be like having a friend come to visit, not move in.

Mom says there are lots of ways people can help shelter animals in addition to outright adopting them cuz like us, adoption may not be an option. For example, a human could volunteer their time to help out at their local shelter. Shelters need humans to help to do lots of things. A human can volunteer time to walk dogs, play with pets, represent the shelters at events where pets are being adopted or even stuff envelopes or hand out fliers sometimes.

Like everything else in the human world, money is important, so giving money to a local shelter would be great cuz money will help buy food and pay the vet and other bills. But money is not the only thing people can give. Mom collects towels and blankets at tag sales and gives them to our shelter. Toys and food are also good donations to make. When the older dogs that lived at my house went to Rainbow Bridge, Mom took all of their food to the shelter so other dogs could have good nutritional food. It's okay that it was only half a bag and it was for senior dogs... every little bit helps.

Towels, blankets and food are not the only other things shelters need either. Shelters are also businesses and homes so they need business stuff like copy paper and postage stamps and stuff to make the home nice and clean like laundry detergent and paper towels.

I know times are tough but whatever you can spare, time, money or good stuff, it  will be greatly appreciated by your local shelter and can make staying in a shelter a little better until a nice fur ever home can be found.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S.   Shameless self promotion To The Rescue gift basket.

P.P.S.  That's a picture of me when I was ado

My World Turned Up Side Down!

My Mom is very excited because we are going to get a new house. We really like the house we have now but it is big and has lots of stairs and Mom says we are going to “downsize“. I guess I am excited too, but it is a little scary.
 
I read somewhere that moving is very stressful for humans, and I can tell you it is very stressful for pets too. It started in the summer when a whole bunch of people came to our house. They brought ladders and paint and climbed all over our house. Then, last month they came back again with their ladders and climbed all over the inside of our house. There we so many of them, I had a hard time keeping track of everyone. By the time they left every day, I was exhausted.

Our furniture got moved around and some of it got taken away. Mom said it is going into a place called storage and we will get it back but it is very confusing for me. She tried not to take too much at a time so I could adjust but I don’t like not having everything where it is supposed to be. Every day I take my toys out of my toy box to make sure they are all there. I am afraid some will go away and I won’t see them again.

Mom and Dad are spending more time with me because they want me to know everything is okay. They are making sure my routine stays the same. I eat at the same times, I go outside to pee at the same times and we play at the same times.

When they went to see our new house, I got to go along and went to see what it was like and what my new yard would be like. One of the first things we are going to do when we go to the new house is put up a nice fence so I can go outside by myself and still be safe.

We will also tell the microchip people that I live in a different place amd we will need to go to the town’s clerk office and get a license with my new address.  I would hate to have Mom or Dad get lost and not be able to tell people where our new house is.

I am going to have to remember where my new outside door is so I don’t have any “accidents” in the house. Mom says she will take me outside lots more than I need to until I get used to it. I hope Mom remembers to take my dinner and water bowls and crate. And all of my toys!!!! and I will have to find new hiding places for my treats. Will there be a Dog Park where I can make friends? Oh my, no wonder I’m stressed!

I guess I am lucky. Our new house is not very far away from our now house. Some pets have to move to places way far away and they have to stop to sleep. I was surprised to learn that lots of hotels in our area allow pets to stay with their humans! That’s a good thing but everybody has to remember how scary it is and be very careful that no one gets separated and lost.

Time to count my toys and make sure they are all still here.  I hope we don't forget and of them or my bowls or crate.  Like I said, I am very excited, but I'm still a little scared.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self  ... for a gift that has tons of toys in it, you have to check out our  Dogs in Toy Land Gift Basket!

Six Winter Safety Tips From The Dog

What a beautiful day! Mom said it was over 50 degrees outside. Humans that live in Southern California or Florida wear heavy jackets and gloves when it’s 50 degrees but in New England, 50 degrees means shorts and tee shirts. For dogs, 50 degrees means lots of time at Dog Park!

The weather people say it is going to be nice for a few more days, but it is still winter so it will get cold again. It was only a couple of days ago that it was soooo cold that I just ran outside to pee and came right back in to snuggle in my blanket.

Even though I get to stay in the house, I need to be careful during the Winter because Winter weather can be dangerous for pets. Here are six things we need to do to be safe during the Winter months.

1. Stay warm. Just because I have a nice warm coat, I can still get cold when the wind blows hard or it is snowing. Lots of dogs, especially ones with short hair, need to wear sweaters or coats. If it is too cold, a pet can get something called Frostbite.

Even having a warm coat doesn’t keep snow and ice from getting between our toes and making walking difficult and can even cut our paws. That’s why Mom always checks my feet if we are on a long walk. Some dogs wear boots to keep their feet free of snow and ice.

2. Stay away from bad chemicals. Snow and ice aren’t the only dangers to our paws. Some of the chemicals people use to clear ice and snow off of their sidewalks and driveways are dangerous to pets. At our house, we use special stuff that is not harmful to pets cuz it has no salt or chlorine. There is also something called “antifreeze” that can make pets very sick or even make them die. Antifreeze is stuff humans put in their cars and sometimes, it spills out where pets can walk through it or ever drink it. Make sure you don’t let these chemicals get on your feet or in your tummy.

3. Managing outside living. Some dogs have to stay outside for long periods of time. Those dogs should have their own special house to help them stay warm. It should be big enough so they can sit and lie down comfortably, but small enough so their body heat keeps it warm. The door should face away from the wind and the floor , covered with straw or blankets needs to be changed often so it is dry and nice to cuddle in.

4. Eat well and drink plenty of water. Having a few extra calories is good as long as you are getting those calories, in protein like in meat, not calories in sugar like in treats. Drinking plenty of water is also important cuz dehydration can happen in Winter too. Water freezes when it is cold so your humans need to make sure you have unfrozen water all the time.

5.  Stay away from fire. During the Winter lots of houses have fireplaces, wood stoves and space heaters to help everyone stay warm. Napping in front of the fireplace, stove or space heater is nice but it can be dangerous too. So you need to be extra careful not to get too close and be extra careful not to knock over a space heater when playing.

6. Beat the Winter itchies. The heat that makes our house nice and warm also dries out my skin and causes the itchies. Extra brushing and a nice shampoo helps and Mom also salmon oil in my food which is a delicious way to help my skin not be dry.

It’s still really nice outside so I think I’ll get Mom to take me out to play again. Enjoy your Winter, no matter where you live, but be safe too.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self promotion…. our Spot’s SPA Gift Basket has a nice brush and shampoo that can help with the itchies!!!!

One Dog's Christmas

Holy Santa Paws Batman!!! What a wonderful Christmas this was at my house.  As you can see from the photo, I hit the jackpot this year on toys and I also got a bunch of treats including a BIG box of my favorite cookies!

One of the gifts I got this year that I never got before was an antler. (That's what I am chewing on in the photo).  My Dad is a woodsman so we have moose antlers in our rock garden that he found and some deer antlers too.  But they are for decoration so I never thought they would be okay for dogs to chew.

Boy, was I wrong!  I am so glad Santa Paws brought me an antler for Christmas this year.  They are almost like the marrow bones Dad brings me from the humans' food store, but not quite.  Antlers are great to chew on.  They are good for my teeth and gums and they last forever.  They are made of protein which I understand is a good thing for dogs to eat.  They also come in all sizes so any dog from a tiny Chihuahua to a huge Bernese Mountain dog can have an antler that is just the right size for them.

I found out that good antlers are found all around in woods, just like the moose antlers Dad found that he put in the garden.  The antlers from deer, moose and elk fall off in the fall and if humans find them before the mice and other rodents gnaw them down, they make great chew toys for dogs.

Antlers that are found like that are all natural and the animals are still alive to grow new antlers in the spring.  Since antlers are all natural, there are no dyes or preservatives in them.  They don't chip or splinter when they are new.  And they don't get stinky they way marrow bones can get.  "Stinky" in humans' minds anyway.  I actually like the scent of a "aged" marrow bone.  And a little bit of dirt doesn't hurt the aging process.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great Christmas.  I'd love to know what your favorite Christmas gift was.

Happy New Year,

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion -- for some really awesome pet gifts, check out http://laurelmtbasket.com/index.php/store/category/pet-gifts-and-baskets

Can We Talk?

Dogs and humans have different communication styles. It is quite obvious how different they are when Mom and I go to the dog park.  When we meet others coming up the path, we dogs circle and smell each other and then decide if we want to play together.  Humans say “hello” and decide if they want to stop and talk.

Dogs and human communicate with each other too.  Lots of that communication is by body language. When Mom stands with her feet apart and her hands on her hips when she looks at me, I know she is not happy about something I did. When I push my bowl against the wall, it means I want to eat.  I know they know what I mean cuz they usually say, “It’s not time yet”.

Sometimes it’s not what Mom says but how she says it. “Zeva” and “ZE VA” mean very different things and I know the difference.

But dogs are smarter than some people think.  We can understand spoken language very well.  I know some dogs who understand the same words in more than one language.  Mostly we associate words with objects. One thing Mom had to be very careful of when I was a puppy was to use the same word every time.  She couldn’t say “fetch” one time and “get it” the next time cuz I would get confused.

My Mom talks to me all the time. I like it when does.  It makes me feel important and loved.  She tells me where we are going and what we are going to do.  She tells me about work and the people she knows. She asks my opinion about lots of things too.  Dad laughs because one of Mom’s favorite things to say to me is “What are you thinking?”

It’s not just the sound of my Mom’s voice that I respond to.  I understand lots of the words. Just because I can’t say them, doesn’t mean I don’t know what they mean. The average dog can learn the meaning of around 165 human words.  A smart dog, like a border collie, can lean 250 words or more.  That is about as many words as a human who is two years old can understand.

One of the first words I learned was Zeva. That was probably the first word I learned because it is a very important word.  Some of my favorite words are:  cookie, toy, and dog park.  “What’s in your bowl?”  means I’m getting a special treat like chicken or eggs and “Do you want to help?” means one of the humans is going somewhere and I can go with them.

I’d love to know what some of your favorite words are.

Your friend,

Zeva

Blatant self promotion: The Holidays are coming and this year we've added several new designs to our collection.  The new Santa Paws Gift Basket is one of my favorites.