You're Only As Old As You Feel

DixieLee

Hey Y’all!  It’s DixieLee.  

Mama was worried about Zeva so she asked me to do some research for her.  When I showed her what I found, she said I was a Good Girl and asked me to write a blog about it.

You see, Zeva is getting old.  I know, we all are and none of us likes it.

 Mama saw stuff.  Saw changes in Zeva that bothered her.  She thought Zeva might be getting something called “Dementia”.

 

Dementia is something that can happen to older dogs, just like it can happen to older peoples.

The biggest thing was that Zeva would just stare into space and not listen when Mama called.

 

I found that staring into space and not listening are things that dogs do when they get dementia.  Staring into space is also something that dogs do when their eyes get old.

Mama has said that Zeva has needed glasses for a long time now, and it’s not like Zeva listens when Mama calls most times.

Here are some other things I found out about dementia in dogs that I am going to share with you. 

        

1.     Confusion

2.     Anxiety

3.     Aimless wandering

4.     Peeing in the house

5.     Lack of interest in playing

6.     Sleeping more

If you are having these symptoms, your human should take you to see your Vet because there are things you can do to help.

We looked at the list and decided, Zeva probably isn’t getting dementia after all.

Zeva has always been a little absent minded, not confused but if she were a human, she would be blond.

The only time Zeva is anxious is when there is a thunder storm or someone is making fireworks go boom.

Her wandering isn’t aimless, it’s usually because she finds so many things interesting.

She can hold her pee for hours!

Every morning she insists that Mama play games.  Doesn’t matter that it’s Mama breakfast time.

Sleeping is Zeva’s favorite thing to do when she is not going for walks or playing.

Mama will talk to Doctor Katrina when she sees her for our regular check up and she will keep an eye on things but all seems good so far.

One thing I learned from this, writing a blog is hard work.  No wonder Zeva takes a nap when she is done!

Be good boys and girls,

Love,

DixieLee

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com 

          

Home, Not Alone

Watching the bird feeder with Dad

Our Mom and Dad are retired so they are home with us most of the time but for you dogs who have Moms and Dads who go to work, things have changed recently.  They are staying home all the time.

We dogs are used to being at home.  We have our schedules pretty fixed. We know when to nap, when to watch for the post people and when to wait for our humans to come home to feed us.

Now that they are home all the time, we need to find some way to keep them busy.

If you live in a place where you can walk outside, you can take them for lots of walks.  But if you live in a place where you can’t go outside, you need to find some creative ways to entertain them or they will drive you crazy.

Here are some of the indoor games we like to play with our Mom and Dad:

Tug of War.  This is my favorite game!  Although we have a knotted rope toy that is made for tug of war, we have lots of others that work just as good.  DixieLee likes to play with the stuffed snowman and I like the furry chipmunk.

I know this is not what you want to hear but you are supposed to let your human win the game.  You can tug and tug but when they say “drop it” or “leave it” or in our house, “Mama’s” you have to let go.

Hide and Seek.  This is a really fun game that both Mom and Dad play at the same time.  Mom stays in the office with us and counts to ten.  That gives Dad time to hide.  When she says “Go” we get to find Dad.

We are both really good at this game so sometimes I find him first and sometimes DixieLee does.

Fetch on the Stairs.  I am really good at Fetch, DixieLee, not so much.  I would play fetch all day long if I could so Mom makes it more tiring by tossing the toy down the basement stairs so I have to go down and back up.  Up and down the stairs is lots more tiring.

Bubbles.  This is a not fair game that Mom likes.  She has this little bottle that makes balls but when you try to catch them, they disappear.  We play because it amuses her but it’s not our funnest.

Peanut Butter Kong.  Now this is a fun game!  Mom puts peanut butter in our Kongs and we get to spend time enjoying a super snack.

There are lots of other games you can play with your humans while they need to be home.  I hope you have found one or two that you can try.

Be safe,

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com

The Misadventures of Miss Lee

DixieLee being her silly self

Before my sister DixieLee came to live with us, Mom had to choose a name for her so the peoples who were fostering her could start using that name in training. 

Mom chose DixieLee because, like many other dogs, she was from the one of the Southern States.

Since she came to live with us, Mom said she chose the wrong name. She said DixieLee should have been named “Trouble”.  For some reason, DL can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

One of the latest troubles she got into was drinking out of the toilet.  We always have a big bowl full of fresh, cold water but DL discovered, like lots of dogs, that the water in the toilet is really coldest.

Even though the lids on the toilets in our house are kept closed, DL found a way to open them enough to get to the water.  Mom wondered why she was suddenly hearing a thunking noise coming from the bathroom.

The thunking sound happened when the lid closed after DL was done.  Mom finally caught her red pawed.

Keeping the door shut seemed to be the only way to keep DL out of the room but Mom and Dad forgot more often than they remembered so Mom needed to find another way. 

She searched found a child proof latch that actually worked.

Even though she tried, DL could not open the lid with the latch.

So…. DL found another source of water.  (sigh) Again, we always have a full bowl of fresh water but DL decided that the big jugs of water we keep in the basement for ‘mergencies, were cold too.  She chewed the tops off and spilled the water so she could drink some.

Putting the jugs on a higher shelf solved that problem so…. DL found the smaller bottles of water that we take on walks and tried to do the same with them.  Mom started keeping a really close eye on DL and caught her before she could open any of them.  Moving those waters to a higher shelf is working so far.

I can’t wait to see what she does next to get herself in trouble…. As long as I am not involved, it is fun to watch Mom and DL match wits.  One of these days, I think DL will win.

BOL,

Zeva

Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com 

Will Do Tricks For Treats

Kids like treats, but so do dogs.  I am willing to do a trick, like “sit”, but I am NOT willing to let Mom put a silly costume on me no matter how many treats are involved.

I know that some dogs (and cats) like to play dress up with their humans.  If you like wearing a costume, make sure it fits good and is safe.  Costumes that tie around the neck can choke a pet if it is too tight and costumes that drag on the ground can trip you.

 Wearing our collars and a kerchief are as far as DixieLee and I are willing to go.  It took DL a long time before she would stand still enough so Dad could put a kerchief on but the treats won out.  Also being told how pretty she looks helped.

Today we are wearing our Halloween kerchiefs. Mine is black with orange pumpkins, DL’s is purple with green ghosts. Pretty scary stuff!

Speaking of scary… Halloween is really scary.  It’s really scary when strangers come to my house and want treats!  Strangers that don’t even look like peoples!  I don’t particularly like sharing my treats.  It took me a long time to even think sharing treats with DL was okay.

Mom understands so she buys special treats for the scary strangers.  She buys them really good treats so they will be happy and not come back.  She says everyone likes chocolate so that’s what she gives the strangers.

Everyone might LIKE chocolate and I bet dogs would like it too, except chocolate is very, very bad for dogs.  Chocolate can be so bad it can make a dog died! So if you also give chocolate treats to the scary peoples who come to your house, make extra sure you keep the chocolate where dogs can’t get to it.

So, have fun but be safe

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self promotions.  For the Bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, pawpalsboutique.com Check it out!

Happy International Dog Day

Hi Everybody! 

Kids are starting to go back to school, meaning Summer is almost over, so Mom said I have to get back to work writing my blog.

Around our house, we believe that there is something to celebrate every day and today we have a really great reason to celebrate.  Today is International Dog Day.  Today we celebrate dogs and their bond with humans.    Good dog parents make sure that their dogs have a happy and safe life and in return dogs do the same.  We make sure our parents have a happy and safe life.

Mom and Dad make sure that DixieLee and I are happy by giving us lots of toys and treats and a big pen to play in.  They also make sure we are happy by playing games with us and taking us for walks.  They make sure we are safe by giving us good food and taking us to the Vet and giving us a home where we are not abused.

We make sure that Mom and Dad are happy by playing games with them and making sure they get plenty of exercise and fresh air.  We keep them safe by guarding the house against attacks by squirrels, mail peoples and big brown trucks.

There are lots of ways to celebrate International Dog Day, like playing more games or giving more treats but one of the bestest ways is to encourage adoption.  Both DixieLee and I are adopted.  Lots of peoples only want “Pure Breeds” so getting a forever home when you are Mixed Breeds like us, makes it harder to find a good home.

It was especially hard for DixieLee because she lived in a house where she was really abused so she had bad behavior when she came to live with us.  Lots of peoples would have dumped her at a shelter.  It was hard for all of us.  It took lots of time but now she is the bestest sister and really lovable.

We plan on having a fun International Dog Day and I think I’ll let Mom know that I have written my blog and now I deserve a treat.

Happy  International Dog Day from me and DixieLee.

Let us know how you are making today special.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com

Good Pet Parenting 101

Staff Brainstorming Meeting

It’s been a long time since I’ve had time to write in my blog.  Since summer finally arrived we have been really busy.

Anyway, I’m back.  The other day while Mom and Dad were working on the yard, I got to thinking what a nice home we have and how lucky we are to have a good Mom and Dad. Most of our friends have good pet parents too but there are some dogs that don’t.  It makes me very sad.

I got to thinking about what makes a good pet parent.  DixieLee and I came up with lots of things so we thought we share a few here. 

We first thought of things like making sure we got lots of treats and toys but then we thought about some other really important things.

1      Getting treats is fine but getting nutritious treats is better.  In our house Mom makes sure we get quality treats and the bestest food. She also makes sure we have plenty of fresh water all the time. 

2     We don’t really like it but Mom makes sure we get regular vet visits. We get vitamins and stuff like coconut oil to keep us healthy.  We aren’t allowed much peoples food but when Dad makes soup or a roast, we always get some carrots.

3      Going for walks and making time to play games with us it important but giving us a space all our own and allowing us time to just sit and enjoy some quite time is nice. We each have our own crate where we can go when we don’t want to be bothered. I like to sit alone on the screened in porch while DixieLee likes the outside deck for chillin’.

4     Mom and Dad consider our feelings.  Sometimes Dad expects too much and Mom reminds him that we are dogs and we think like dogs.  We like when they talk to us, and not baby talk, after all we are adults.  We ‘specially like when they tell us we are good girls and that they love us.

5      DixieLee is still a trouble magnet.  The other day she shredded a paper towel, which was bad enough, but this one was used to wipe up some oil!  Luckily it was a tiny spot or she could have gotten really sick. Even though Mom was angry, she was understanding and told Dad he was bad for leaving it around and not DixieLee for chewing it..

6      Keeping us safe is a big job too.  Never leaving us in the car alone, especially in hot weather.  Making sure that the sidewalk is not too hot when we go for walks and not letting us stay outside too long when it is hot or cold. Making sure that we have a good fenced in yard and keeping our tags up to date, just in case.

I think being mindful of all of our needs and being understanding is what being a good dog parent is all about.

What does your Mom or Dad do that you think makes them a super good dog parent?

Be safe and be good,

Love,

Zeva

P.S. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe check out pawpalsboutique.com

Lost and Found

Today is Memorial Day.  Lots of fun things going on but Memorial Day is one of those days when peoples like to shoot off fireworks.  Fireworks are very scary for animals.  Dogs and cats can get so scared that they break out of their pens and run, trying to find a place that has no noise,

They run so fast and so far that they when they do stop, they realize that they don't know where they are or how to get home.  It is a very scary thing.

Meanwhile, back at their home, their humans find that they are missing and they get scared too!

If your humans find that you are missing, there are things that they should do to help you get back home quickly and safely.

They should contact shelters and vet offices.  Not just ones in your town since you could have run very far.  They should give a really good description and get them photos so they can be on the look out for you.

They should call daily to see if you have been found.

As soon as they see you are missing, they should start searching your neighborhood.  Let all your neighbors know you are missing and ask them to check around their houses.  Pets look for places to hide and garages, sheds and under porches look like good places.

They should make up flyers with your photo, description and a phone number so they can call your humans if they see you.  Places like grocery stores, community centers, and pet stores are good places to post the flyers.

Contact local internet services.  In our area Granite State Dog Rescue and Above the Notch Humane Society will post your photo and ask peoples to look for you.

Your chances of being returned to your family are better if you are wearing your collar with up to date rabies tags and town license.  Your Vet and the town peoples know how to find your family real fast. 

Micro chips are also a really good idea.  Any body who finds you can bring you to any Vet and they can use a magic wand to read your chip.  They can contact the chip company who will have the name and address of your family.  (make sure your humans keep this information updated)

The most important thing for you and your humans to remember is never give up looking.  It could take a very long time but with luck you and your humans will find each other and be a family again.

I hope you never get lost but if you do, I hope you get found real fast.

Love,

Zeva

P.S.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe check out pawpalsboutique.com